478 research outputs found
Neurally Implementable Semantic Networks
We propose general principles for semantic networks allowing them to be
implemented as dynamical neural networks. Major features of our scheme include:
(a) the interpretation that each node in a network stands for a bound
integration of the meanings of all nodes and external events the node links
with; (b) the systematic use of nodes that stand for categories or types, with
separate nodes for instances of these types; (c) an implementation of
relationships that does not use intrinsically typed links between nodes.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figure
Using Quadruple Lenses to probe the Structure of the Lensing Galaxy
We show here that quadruple lenses can be useful laboratories to probe
whether the potential of the lensing galaxy is purely elliptical or whether an
additional distortion is present in the deflector plane. For this test we only
have to know the relative image positions of the quadruple lens system and the
(relative) center of light position of the lensing galaxy. Furthermore we
introduce new methods which easily allow us to determine the location (rotation
angle relative to the image positions) of the major axis of the lensing galaxy.
In due course we can determine the parity of the four images as well. We apply
these methods to the 8 currently known quadruple lenses and find that in the
case of MG 0414+0534, CLASS 1608+656 and HST 12531-2914 it is impossible to
accommodate the relative image positions and the galaxy position with any
elliptical potential whereas the other five cases can be described very well
with a simple elliptical potential. This method will have important impacts for
-fits and the reconstruction of galaxy models for quadruple lenses.Comment: 10 pages, 2 Postscript figures, uses AASTeX v4.0 macro
Using VO tools to investigate distant radio starbursts hosting obscured AGN in the HDF(N) region
A 10-arcmin field around the HDF(N) contains 92 radio sources >40 uJy,
resolved by MERLIN+VLA at 0".2-2".0 resolution. 55 have Chandra X-ray
counterparts including 18 with a hard X-ray photon index and high luminosity
characteristic of a type-II (obscured) AGN. >70% of the radio sources have been
classified as starbursts or AGN using radio morphologies, spectral indices and
comparisons with optical appearance and MIR emission. Starbursts outnumber
radio AGN 3:1. This study extends the VO methods previously used to identify
X-ray-selected obscured type-II AGN to investigate whether very luminous radio
and X-ray emission originates from different phenomena in the same galaxy. The
high-redshift starbursts have typical sizes of 5--10 kpc and star formation
rates of ~1000 Msun/yr. There is no correlation between radio and X-ray
luminosities nor spectral indices at z>~1.3. ~70% of both the radio-selected
AGN and the starburst samples were detected by Chandra. The X-ray luminosity
indicates the presence of an AGN in at least half of the 45 cross-matched radio
starbursts, of which 11 are type-II AGN including 7 at z>1.5. This distribution
overlaps closely with the X-ray detected radio sources which were also detected
by SCUBA. Stacked 1.4-GHz emission at the positions of radio-faint X-ray
sources is correlated with X-ray hardness. Most extended radio starbursts at
z>1.3 host X-ray selected obscured AGN. Radio emission from most of these
ultra-luminous objects is dominated by star formation but it contributes less
than 1/3 of their X-ray luminosity. Our results support the inferences from
SCUBA and IR data, that at z>1.5, star formation is an order of magnitude more
extended and more copious, it is closely linked to AGN activity and it is
triggered differently, compared with star formation at lower redshifts.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, uses graphicx, rotating, natbib, supertabular
packages and aa.cls. Accepted for publication in A&
Label-free chemically specific imaging in planta with stimulated Raman scattering microscopy.
The growing world population puts ever-increasing demands on the agricultural and agrochemical industries to increase agricultural yields. This can only be achieved by investing in fundamental plant and agrochemical research and in the development of improved analytical tools to support research in these areas. There is currently a lack of analytical tools that provide noninvasive structural and chemical analysis of plant tissues at the cellular scale. Imaging techniques such as coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy provide label-free chemically specific image contrast based on vibrational spectroscopy. Over the past decade, these techniques have been shown to offer clear advantages for a vast range of biomedical research applications. The intrinsic vibrational contrast provides label-free quantitative functional analysis, it does not suffer from photobleaching, and it allows near real-time imaging in 3D with submicrometer spatial resolution. However, due to the susceptibility of current detection schemes to optical absorption and fluorescence from pigments (such as chlorophyll), the plant science and agrochemical research communities have not been able to benefit from these techniques and their application in plant research has remained virtually unexplored. In this paper, we explore the effect of chlorophyll fluorescence and absorption in CARS and SRS microscopy. We show that with the latter it is possible to use phase-sensitive detection to separate the vibrational signal from the (electronic) absorption processes. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of SRS for a range of in planta applications by presenting in situ chemical analysis of plant cell wall components, epicuticular waxes, and the deposition of agrochemical formulations onto the leaf surface
GRB 080319B: A Naked-Eye Stellar Blast from the Distant Universe
Long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) release copious amounts of energy
across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and so provide a window into the
process of black hole formation from the collapse of a massive star. Over the
last forty years, our understanding of the GRB phenomenon has progressed
dramatically; nevertheless, fortuitous circumstances occasionally arise that
provide access to a regime not yet probed. GRB 080319B presented such an
opportunity, with extraordinarily bright prompt optical emission that peaked at
a visual magnitude of 5.3, making it briefly visible with the naked eye. It was
captured in exquisite detail by wide-field telescopes, imaging the burst
location from before the time of the explosion. The combination of these unique
optical data with simultaneous gamma-ray observations provides powerful
diagnostics of the detailed physics of this explosion within seconds of its
formation. Here we show that the prompt optical and gamma-ray emissions from
this event likely arise from different spectral components within the same
physical region located at a large distance from the source, implying an
extremely relativistic outflow. The chromatic behaviour of the broadband
afterglow is consistent with viewing the GRB down the very narrow inner core of
a two-component jet that is expanding into a wind-like environment consistent
with the massive star origin of long GRBs. These circumstances can explain the
extreme properties of this GRB.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figures, 3 tables, submitted to Nature May 11, 200
A comparision of GHG emissions from UK field crop production under selected arable systems with reference to disease control
Crop disease not only threatens global food security by reducing crop production at a time of growing demand, but also contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by reducing efficiency of N fertiliser use and farm operations and by driving land use change. GHG emissions associated with adoption of reduced tillage, organic and integrated systems of field crop production across the UK and selected regions are compared with emissions from conventional arable farming to assess their potential for climate change mitigation. The reduced tillage system demonstrated a modest (<20%) reduction in emissions in all cases, although in practice it may not be suitable for all soils and it is likely to cause problems with control of diseases spread on crop debris. There were substantial increases in GHG emissions associated with the organic and integrated systems at national level, principally due to soil organic carbon losses from land use change. At a regional level the integrated system shows the potential to deliver significant emission reductions. These results indicate that the conventional crop production system, coupled to reduced tillage cultivation where appropriate, is generally the best for producing high yields to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to global food security, although there may be scope for use of the integrated system on a regional basis. The control of crop disease will continue to have an essential role in both maintaining productivity and decreasing GHG emissions.Peer reviewe
The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey of SDSS-III
The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) is designed to measure the
scale of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the clustering of matter over a
larger volume than the combined efforts of all previous spectroscopic surveys
of large scale structure. BOSS uses 1.5 million luminous galaxies as faint as
i=19.9 over 10,000 square degrees to measure BAO to redshifts z<0.7.
Observations of neutral hydrogen in the Lyman alpha forest in more than 150,000
quasar spectra (g<22) will constrain BAO over the redshift range 2.15<z<3.5.
Early results from BOSS include the first detection of the large-scale
three-dimensional clustering of the Lyman alpha forest and a strong detection
from the Data Release 9 data set of the BAO in the clustering of massive
galaxies at an effective redshift z = 0.57. We project that BOSS will yield
measurements of the angular diameter distance D_A to an accuracy of 1.0% at
redshifts z=0.3 and z=0.57 and measurements of H(z) to 1.8% and 1.7% at the
same redshifts. Forecasts for Lyman alpha forest constraints predict a
measurement of an overall dilation factor that scales the highly degenerate
D_A(z) and H^{-1}(z) parameters to an accuracy of 1.9% at z~2.5 when the survey
is complete. Here, we provide an overview of the selection of spectroscopic
targets, planning of observations, and analysis of data and data quality of
BOSS.Comment: 49 pages, 16 figures, accepted by A
The hypoxic cancer secretome induces pre-metastatic bone lesions through lysyl oxidase
Tumour metastasis is a complex process involving reciprocal interplay
between cancer cells and host stroma at both primary and secondary
sites, and is strongly influenced by microenvironmental
factors such as hypoxia. Tumour-secreted proteins play a crucial role
in these interactions and present strategic therapeutic potential.
Metastasis of breast cancer to the bone affects approximately 85%
of patients with advanced disease and renders them largely untreatable. Specifically, osteolytic bone lesions, where bone is destroyed,
lead to debilitating skeletal complications and increased patient morbidity
and mortality. The molecular interactions governing the
early events of osteolytic lesion formation are currently unclear.
Here we show hypoxia to be specifically associated with bone relapse
in patients with oestrogen-receptor negative breast cancer. Global
quantitative analysis of the hypoxic secretome identified lysyl oxidase
(LOX) as significantly associated with bone-tropism and relapse.
High expression of LOX in primary breast tumours or systemic delivery
of LOX leads to osteolytic lesion formation whereas silencing or
inhibition of LOX activity abrogates tumour-driven osteolytic lesion
formation. We identify LOX as a novel regulator of NFATc1-driven
osteoclastogenesis,independent of RANK ligand, which disrupts normal
bone homeostasisleading to the formation of focal pre-metastatic
lesions. We show that these lesions subsequently provide a platform
for circulating tumour cells to colonize and form bone metastases.
Our study identifies a novel mechanism of regulation of bone homeostasis
and metastasis, opening up opportunities for novel therapeutic
intervention with important clinical implications
Peddling a semiotics of fear: a critical examination of scare tactics and commercial strategies in public health promotion
This study critically examines the ways in which the nationwide Diabetes UK/Tesco public health promotion campaign (2013-2014) sought to raise awareness of Type 2 diabetes. Conducting a multimodal critical discourse analysis of six campaign images, we identify the presence of fear-inducing, stigmatising and commercial strategies, through which the campaign emphasises the dangers of diabetes and advocates personal responsibility for assessing both individual and others’ risk of the disease. Specifically, three discursive techniques are deployed in this campaign to achieve these ends: (1) the depiction of grief and amplification of diabetes-related danger, (2) the promotion of diabetes risk and responsibilization of individuals for their health, and (3) the commercial branding and framing of the Diabetes UK/Tesco partnership as providing tools for diabetes prevention and management. Our findings raise concerns about the moral legitimacy of using fear-inducing and commercial strategies in public health campaigns, strategies which do little to address the environmental factors which are associated with increasing rates of the disease
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