838 research outputs found
Primary beam effects of radio astronomy antennas -- II. Modelling the MeerKAT L-band beam
After a decade of design and construction, South Africa's SKA-MID precursor
MeerKAT has begun its science operations. To make full use of the widefield
capability of the array, it is imperative that we have an accurate model of the
primary beam of its antennas. We have taken available L-band full-polarization
'astro-holographic' observations of three antennas and a generic
electromagnetic simulation and created sparse representations of the beams
using principal components and Zernike polynomials. The spectral behaviour of
the spatial coefficients has been modelled using discrete cosine transform. We
have provided the Zernike-based model over a diameter of 10 deg averaged over
the beams of three antennas in an associated software tool (EIDOS) that can be
useful in direction-dependent calibration and imaging. The model is more
accurate for the diagonal elements of the beam Jones matrix and at lower
frequencies. As we get more accurate beam measurements and simulations in the
future, especially for the cross-polarization patterns, our pipeline can be
used to create more accurate sparse representations of MeerKAT beams.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF
of an article accepted for publication in MNRAS following peer review. The
version of record [K. M. B. Asad et al., 2021] is available online at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab10
Cohort profile: biological pathways of risk and resilience in Syrian refugee children (BIOPATH)
The BIOPATH cohort was established to explore the interplay of psychosocial and biological factors in the development of resilience and mental health problems in Syrian refugee children. Based in Lebanon, a middle-income country significantly impacted by the refugee crisis, it is the first such cohort of refugees in the Middle East. Families were recruited from informal tented settlements in the Beqaa region using purposive cluster sampling. At baseline (October 2017–January 2018), N = 3188 individuals participated [n = 1594 child–caregiver dyads; child gender, 52.6% female; mean (SD) age = 11.44 (2.44) years, range = 6–19]. Re-participation rate at 1-year follow-up was 62.8%. Individual interviews were conducted with children and primary caregivers and biological samples collected from children. Measures include: (1) children’s well-being and mental health problems (using tools validated against clinical interviews in a subsample of the cohort); (2) psychosocial risk and protective factors at the level of the individual (e.g. coping strategies), family (e.g. parent–child relationship), community (e.g. collective efficacy), and wider context (e.g. services); (3) saliva samples for genetic and epigenetic (methylation) analyses; (4) hair samples to measure cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone. This cohort profile provides details about sampling and recruitment, data collection and measures, demographic data, attrition and potential bias, key findings on resilience and mental health problems in children and strengths and limitations of the cohort. Researchers interested in accessing data should contact Professor Michael Pluess at Queen Mary University of London, UK (e-mail: [email protected]). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00127-022-02228-8
Conductance of the single-electron transistor: A comparison of experimental data with Monte Carlo calculations
We report on experimental results for the conductance of metallic
single-electron transistors as a function of temperature, gate voltage and
dimensionless conductance. In contrast to previous experiments our transistor
layout allows for a direct measurement of the parallel conductance and no ad
hoc assumptions on the symmetry of the transistors are necessary. Thus we can
make a comparison between our data and theoretical predictions without any
adjustable parameter. Even for rather weakly conducting transistors significant
deviations from the perturbative results are noted. On the other hand, path
integral Monte Carlo calculations show remarkable agreement with experiments
for the whole range of temperatures and conductances.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, revtex4, corrected typos, submitted to PR
Revival of the magnetar PSR J1622-4950: observations with MeerKAT, Parkes, XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR
New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and
NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a
quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19
and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x
larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after
reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been
decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state,
together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time
the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV
pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The
overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be
broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating
vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a
different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel
way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary
pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as
is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7
within six months of reactivation.Comment: Published in ApJ (2018 April 5); 13 pages, 4 figure
POPULATIONS OF SURFACE-NESTING SEABIRDS AT MARION ISLAND, 1994/95–2002/03
During the 1990s and early 2000s, populations of surface-nesting seabirds at Marion Island showed different trends, but for the majority of species numbers decreased. Reduced numbers of gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua, eastern rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome filholi, Crozet shags Phalacrocorax [atriceps] melanogenis and probably macaroni penguins E. chrysolophus are most plausibly attributed to an altered availability of food. Decreases in numbers of dark-mantled sooty albatrosses Phoebetria fusca, light-mantled sooty albatrosses P. palpebrata, southern giant petrels Macronectes giganteus and possibly northern giant petrels M. halli may have resulted from mortality of birds in longline fisheries. However, populations of wandering Diomedea exulans and grey-headed Thalassarche chrysostoma albatrosses fluctuated around a stable level. Numbers of Subantarctic skuas Catharacta antarctica and kelp gulls Larus dominicanus breeding at Marion Island also decreased. Kerguelen Sterna virgata and Antarctic S. vittata terns remain scarce at the island. Trends for king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus were not reliably gauged, but numbers probably remained stable or increased. There were large fluctuations in numbers of king penguin chicks surviving to the end of winter.Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 427–44
General Relativistic MHD Jets
Magnetic fields connecting the immediate environs of rotating black holes to
large distances appear to be the most promising mechanism for launching
relativistic jets, an idea first developed by Blandford and Znajek in the
mid-1970s. To enable an understanding of this process, we provide a brief
introduction to dynamics and electromagnetism in the spacetime near black
holes. We then present a brief summary of the classical Blandford-Znajek
mechanism and its conceptual foundations. Recently, it has become possible to
study these effects in much greater detail using numerical simulation. After
discussing which aspects of the problem can be handled well by numerical means
and which aspects remain beyond the grasp of such methods, we summarize their
results so far. Simulations have confirmed that processes akin to the classical
Blandford-Znajek mechanism can launch powerful electromagnetically-dominated
jets, and have shown how the jet luminosity can be related to black hole spin
and concurrent accretion rate. However, they have also shown that the
luminosity and variability of jets can depend strongly on magnetic field
geometry. We close with a discussion of several important open questions.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures, To appear in Belloni, T. (ed.): The Jet Paradigm
- From Microquasars to Quasars, Lect. Notes Phys. 794 (2009
Phagocytosis of Cholesteryl Ester Is Amplified in Diabetic Mouse Macrophages and Is Largely Mediated by CD36 and SR-A
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, which accounts for approximately 75% of all diabetes-related deaths. Here we investigate the link between diabetes and macrophage cholesteryl ester accumulation. When diabetic (db/db) mice are given cholesteryl ester intraperitoneally (IP), peritoneal macrophages (PerMΦs) recovered from these animals showed a 58% increase in intracellular cholesteryl ester accumulation over PerMΦs from heterozygote control (db/+) mice. Notably, PerMΦ fluid-phase endocytosis and large particle phagocytosis was equivalent in db/+and db/db mice. However, IP administration of CD36 and SR-A blocking antibodies led to 37% and 25% reductions in cholesteryl ester accumulation in PerMΦ. Finally, in order to determine if these scavenger receptors (SRs) were part of the mechanism responsible for the increased accumulation of cholesteryl esters observed in the diabetic mouse macrophages, receptor expression was quantified by flow cytometry. Importantly, db/db PerMΦs showed a 43% increase in CD36 expression and an 80% increase in SR-A expression. Taken together, these data indicate that direct cholesteryl ester accumulation in mouse macrophages is mediated by CD36 and SR-A, and the magnitude of accumulation is increased in db/db macrophages due to increased scavenger receptor expression
Gravitating discs around black holes
Fluid discs and tori around black holes are discussed within different
approaches and with the emphasis on the role of disc gravity. First reviewed
are the prospects of investigating the gravitational field of a black
hole--disc system by analytical solutions of stationary, axially symmetric
Einstein's equations. Then, more detailed considerations are focused to middle
and outer parts of extended disc-like configurations where relativistic effects
are small and the Newtonian description is adequate.
Within general relativity, only a static case has been analysed in detail.
Results are often very inspiring, however, simplifying assumptions must be
imposed: ad hoc profiles of the disc density are commonly assumed and the
effects of frame-dragging and completely lacking. Astrophysical discs (e.g.
accretion discs in active galactic nuclei) typically extend far beyond the
relativistic domain and are fairly diluted. However, self-gravity is still
essential for their structure and evolution, as well as for their radiation
emission and the impact on the environment around. For example, a nuclear star
cluster in a galactic centre may bear various imprints of mutual star--disc
interactions, which can be recognised in observational properties, such as the
relation between the central mass and stellar velocity dispersion.Comment: Accepted for publication in CQG; high-resolution figures will be
available from http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/CQ
Spectropolarimetry with the Allen Telescope Array: Faraday Rotation toward Bright Polarized Radio Galaxies
We have observed 37 bright, polarized radio sources with the Allen Telescope
Array (ATA) to present a novel analysis of their Faraday rotation properties.
Each source was observed during the commissioning phase with 2 to 4 100-MHz
bands at frequencies ranging from 1 to 2 GHz. These observations demonstrate
how the continuous frequency coverage of the ATA's log-periodic receiver can be
applied to the study of Faraday rotation measures (RMs). We use RM synthesis to
show that wide-bandwidth data can find multiple RM components toward a single
source. Roughly a quarter of the sources studied have extra RM components with
high confidence (brighter than ~40 mJy), when observing with a RM resolution of
roughly 100 rad/m2. These extra components contribute 10%-70% of the total
polarized flux. This is the first time multiple RM components have been
identified in a large sample of point sources. For our observing configuration,
these extra RM components bias the measurement of the peak RM by 10-15 rad/m2 ;
more generally, the peak RM cannot be determined more precisely than the RM
beam size. Comparing our 1-2 GHz RM spectra to VLBA polarimetric maps shows
both techniques can identify complicated Faraday structures in the sources.
However, the RM values and fractional polarization are generally smaller at
lower frequencies than in the higher-frequency VLBA maps. With a few
exceptions, the RMs from this work are consistent with that of earlier,
narrow-bandwidth, all-sky surveys. This work also describes the polarimetry
calibration procedure and that on-axis ATA observations of linear polarization
can be calibrated to an accuracy of 0.2% of Stokes I. Future research
directions include studying the time-dependent RM structure in Active Galactic
Nuclei (AGNs) and enabling accurate, wide-area RM surveys to test models of
Galactic and extragalactic magnetic fields.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 83 (preprint format) pages, 49 figure
Characterization of a Novel Cutaneous Human Papillomavirus Genotype HPV-125
The DNA genome of a novel HPV genotype, HPV-125, isolated from a hand wart of an immuno-competent 19-year old male was fully cloned, sequenced and characterized. The full genome of HPV-125 is 7,809-bp in length with a GC content of 46.4%. By comparing the nucleotide sequence of the complete L1 gene, HPV-125 is phylogenetically placed within cutaneotrophic species 2 of Alphapapillomaviruses, and is most closely related to HPV-3 and HPV-28. HPV-125 has a typical genomic organization of Alphapapillomaviruses and contains genes coding for five early proteins, E6, E7, E1, E2 and E4 and two late capsid proteins, L1 and L2. The genome contains two non-coding regions: the first located between the L1 and E6 genes (nucleotide positions 7,137–7,809, length 673-bp) and the second between genes E2 and L2 (nucleotide positions 3,757–4,216, length 460-bp). The E6 protein of HPV-125 contains two regular zinc-binding domains at amino acid positions 29 and 102, whereas the E7 protein exhibits one such domain at position 50. HPV-125 lacks the regular pRb-binding core sequence within its E7 protein. In order to assess the tissue predilection and clinical significance of HPV-125, a quantitative type-specific real-time PCR was developed. The 95% limit-of-detection of the assay was 2.5 copies per reaction (range 1.7–5.7) and the intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 0.47 and 2.00 for 100 copies per reaction, and 1.15 and 2.15 for 10 copies per reaction, respectively. Testing of a representative collection of HPV-associated mucosal and cutaneous benign and malignant neoplasms and hair follicles (a total of 601 samples) showed that HPV-125 is a relatively rare HPV genotype, with cutaneous tropism etiologically linked with sporadic cases of common warts
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