3,531 research outputs found
On the evolution of the entropy and pressure profiles in X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at z > 0.4
Galaxy clusters are the most recent products of hierarchical accretion over
cosmological scales. The gas accreted from the cosmic field is thermalized
inside the cluster halo. Gas entropy and pressure are expected to have a
self-similar behaviour with their radial distribution following a power law and
a generalized Navarro-Frenk-White profile, respectively. This has been shown
also in many different hydrodynamical simulations. We derive the
spatially-resolved thermodynamical properties of 47 X-ray galaxy clusters
observed with Chandra in the redshift range 0.4 < z < 1.2, the largest sample
investigated so far in this redshift range with X-rays spectroscopy, with a
particular care in reconstructing the gas entropy and pressure radial profiles.
We search for deviation from the self-similar behaviour and look for possible
evolution with redshift. The entropy and pressure profiles lie very close to
the baseline prediction from gravitational structure formation. We show that
these profiles deviate from the baseline prediction as function of redshift, in
particular at z > 0.75, where, in the central regions, we observe higher values
of the entropy (by a factor of 2.2) and systematically lower estimates (by a
factor of 2.5) of the pressure. The effective polytropic index, which retains
informations about the thermal distribution of the gas, shows a slight linear
positive evolution with the redshift and the concentration of the dark matter
distribution. A prevalence of non-cool-core, disturbed systems, as we observe
at higher redshifts, can explain such behaviours.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication by A&
Nonlinear feedback oscillations in resonant tunneling through double barriers
We analyze the dynamical evolution of the resonant tunneling of an ensemble
of electrons through a double barrier in the presence of the self-consistent
potential created by the charge accumulation in the well.
The intrinsic nonlinearity of the transmission process is shown to lead to
oscillations of the stored charge and of the transmitted and reflected fluxes.
The dependence on the electrostatic feedback induced by the self-consistent
potential and on the energy width of the incident distribution is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, TeX, 5 Postscript figure
Stellar Mass to Halo Mass Scaling Relation for X-ray Selected Low Mass Galaxy Clusters and Groups out to Redshift
We present the stellar mass-halo mass scaling relation for 46 X-ray selected
low-mass clusters or groups detected in the XMM-BCS survey with masses
at
redshift . The cluster binding masses are inferred
from the measured X-ray luminosities \Lx, while the stellar masses
of the galaxy populations are estimated using near-infrared imaging from the
SSDF survey and optical imaging from the BCS survey. With the measured \Lx\ and
stellar mass , we determine the best fit stellar mass-halo mass
relation, accounting for selection effects, measurement uncertainties and the
intrinsic scatter in the scaling relation. The resulting mass trend is
, the intrinsic (log-normal) scatter is
, and there is no
significant redshift trend , although
the uncertainties are still large. We also examine within a fixed
projected radius of ~Mpc, showing that it provides a cluster binding mass
proxy with intrinsic scatter of (1 in ). We
compare our scaling relation from the XMM-BCS
clusters with samples of massive, SZE-selected clusters
() and low mass NIR-selected clusters
() at redshift .
After correcting for the known mass measurement systematics in the compared
samples, we find that the scaling relation is in good agreement with the high
redshift samples, suggesting that for both groups and clusters the stellar
content of the galaxy populations within depends strongly on mass but
only weakly on redshift out to .Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Some remarks on the chemical potential of a system in an external field
The chemical potential change provides a criterion for predicting the spontaneity of any physical and chemical process. If asked to calculate the chemical potential change of a system in which several forces vary, a student might find the task quite complicate at first glance. However, the chemical potential is a state function. This property permits a precise definition of the contribution of each force to the chemical potential when all other relevant parameters are kept constant. The total chemical potential change can easily be calculated by summing up the above contributions. After a brief review of the role played by some parameters of the system, like activity (a) of the components, temperature (T), pressure (p) and surface tension (gamma), as well as of external fields, i.e. gravitational (Mgh), centrifugal (Mcp) and electric field (Fz(i) Phi), an equation for the computation of the chemical potential (mu) including all the above contributes is reported:-, where refers not only to p = p degrees = 1 bar but also to a chosen value of T, h, rho, Phi and r. Finally, applicative examples are illustrated.The chemical potential change provides a criterion for predicting the spontaneity of any physical and chemical process. If asked to calculate the chemical potential change of a system in which several forces vary, a student might find the task quite complicate at first glance. However, the chemical potential is a state function. This property permits a precise definition of the contribution of each force to the chemical potential when all other relevant parameters are kept constant. The total chemical potential change can easily be calculated by summing up the above contributions. After a brief review of the role played by some parameters of the system, like activity ( of the components, temperature (T), pressure (p) and surface tension (), as well as of external fields, i.e. gravitational (ℎ, centrifugal () and electric field (Φ), an equation for the computation of the chemical potential (µ) including all the above contributes is reported: °′ ° ° ℎ Φ 2 , where ° refers not only to p = p° =1 bar but also to a chosen value of T, h, ρ, Φ and r. Finally, applicative examples are illustrated
Assessment of poststress left ventricular ejection fraction by gated SPECT: comparison with equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography
PURPOSE: We compared left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction obtained by gated SPECT with that obtained by equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography in a large cohort of patients.
METHODS: Within 1 week, 514 subjects with suspected or known coronary artery disease underwent same-day stress-rest (99m)Tc-sestamibi gated SPECT and radionuclide angiocardiography. For both studies, data were acquired 30 min after completion of exercise and after 3 h rest.
RESULTS: In the overall study population, a good correlation between ejection fraction measured by gated SPECT and by radionuclide angiocardiography was observed at rest (r=0.82, p<0.0001) and after stress (r=0.83, p<0.0001). In Bland-Altman analysis, the mean differences in ejection fraction (radionuclide angiocardiography minus gated SPECT) were -0.6% at rest and 1.7% after stress. In subjects with normal perfusion (n=362), a good correlation between ejection fraction measured by gated SPECT and by radionuclide angiocardiography was observed at rest (r=0.72, p<0.0001) and after stress (r=0.70, p<0.0001) and the mean differences in ejection fraction were -0.9% at rest and 1.4% after stress. Also in patients with abnormal perfusion (n=152), a good correlation between the two techniques was observed both at rest (r=0.89, p<0.0001) and after stress (r=0.90, p<0.0001) and the mean differences in ejection fraction were 0.1% at rest and 2.5% after stress.
CONCLUSION: In a large study population, a good agreement was observed in the evaluation of LV ejection fraction between gated SPECT and radionuclide angiocardiography. However, in patients with perfusion abnormalities, a slight underestimation in poststress LV ejection fraction was observed using gated SPECT as compared to equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography
Wild and traditional barley genomic resources as a tool for abiotic stress tolerance and biotic relations
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the main crops cultivated all over the world. As for other cereals, throughout the centuries barley was subjected by human breeding to genetic erosion phenomena, which guaranteed improved yields in organized (and then mechanized) agriculture; on the other hand, this selection weakened the ability of barley to survive under adverse environments. Currently, it is clear that climate change requires an urgent availability of crop varieties able to grow under stress conditions, namely limited irrigation, salinity, high temperatures, and other stresses. In this context, an important role could be played by wild relatives and landraces selected by farmers, particularly in specific field areas and/or climatic conditions. In this review, we investigated the origin of barley and the potentialities of wild varieties and landraces in different contexts, and their resilience to abiotic stress. The data obtained from Next Generation Sequencing technologies were examined to highlight the critical aspects of barley evolution and the most important features for abiotic stress tolerance. Furthermore, the potential of appropriate mycorrhiza is discussed under the view of the essential role played by these symbioses in field crops. The abilities of specific barley wild varieties and landraces may represent novel opportunities and suggest innovative strategies for the improvement of abiotic tolerance in crops and particularly in barley
Asymmetric double barrier resonant tunneling structures with improved characteristics
We present a self-consistent calculation, based on the global coherent
tunnelling model, and show that structural asymmetry of double barrier resonant
tunnelling structures significantly modifies the current-voltage
characteristics compared to the symmetric structures. In particular, a suitably
designed asymmetric structure can produce much larger peak current and absolute
value of the negative differential conductivity than its commonly used
symmetric counterpart.Comment: 1 paper, 3 figure
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