2,074 research outputs found
Bendings of radio jets in BL Lacertae objects I: EVN and MERLIN observations
Several blazars, and BL Lac objects in particular, show a misalignment
between the jet orientation on parsec and kiloparsec scales. Some authors (i.e.
Conway & Murphy, 1993) have attempted to explain this behaviour invoking
helical jets for misalignment angles around 90\degr, showing how in this case
there are interesting implications for the understanding of the medium into
which the jet is expanding. By comparing sensitive VLA observations (Cassaro et
al., 1999) with images available in the literature for the BL Lac objects from
the 1-Jy Sample (Stickel et al., 1991), it is clear that there is a wide range
of misalignments between the initial jet direction and the kpc-scale jet, when
detected. We have carried out VLBI observations of these BL Lac objects, in
order to investigate the spatial evolution of the radio jets from few tens to
hundreds of mas, and to search for helical jets in this class of sources. We
present here the first dataset obtained from EVN+MERLIN observations at 5 GHz
for seven objects. From these observations we never have a clear detection of
helical jets, we only have a possible signature of their presence in 2 objects.
In only one of the sources with a misalignment angle around 90\degr the
presence of helical jets can be ruled out. This implies that it is not possible
to invoke helical jets to explain the morphology of all the sources showing a
misalignment of about 90\degr between the parsec and the kiloparsec scale
jets.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, latex, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
The Celestial Reference Frame at 24 and 43 GHz. II. Imaging
We have measured the sub-milli-arcsecond structure of 274 extragalactic
sources at 24 and 43 GHz in order to assess their astrometric suitability for
use in a high frequency celestial reference frame (CRF). Ten sessions of
observations with the Very Long Baseline Array have been conducted over the
course of 5 years, with a total of 1339 images produced for the 274
sources. There are several quantities that can be used to characterize the
impact of intrinsic source structure on astrometric observations including the
source flux density, the flux density variability, the source structure index,
the source compactness, and the compactness variability. A detailed analysis of
these imaging quantities shows that (1) our selection of compact sources from
8.4 GHz catalogs yielded sources with flux densities, averaged over the
sessions in which each source was observed, of about 1 Jy at both 24 and 43
GHz, (2) on average the source flux densities at 24 GHz varied by 20%-25%
relative to their mean values, with variations in the session-to-session flux
density scale being less than 10%, (3) sources were found to be more compact
with less intrinsic structure at higher frequencies, and (4) variations of the
core radio emission relative to the total flux density of the source are less
than 8% on average at 24 GHz. We conclude that the reduction in the effects due
to source structure gained by observing at higher frequencies will result in an
improved CRF and a pool of high-quality fiducial reference points for use in
spacecraft navigation over the next decade.Comment: 63 pages, 18 figures, 6 tables, accepted by the Astronomical Journa
Driving sandpiles to criticality and beyond
A popular theory of self-organized criticality relates driven dissipative
systems to systems with conservation. This theory predicts that the stationary
density of the abelian sandpile model equals the threshold density of the
fixed-energy sandpile. We refute this prediction for a wide variety of
underlying graphs, including the square grid. Driven dissipative sandpiles
continue to evolve even after reaching criticality. This result casts doubt on
the validity of using fixed-energy sandpiles to explore the critical behavior
of the abelian sandpile model at stationarity.Comment: v4 adds referenc
Characterisation of Long Baseline Calibrators at 2.3 GHz
We present a detailed multi-epoch analysis of 31 potential southern
hemisphere radio calibrators that were originally observed as part of a program
to maintain the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). At radio
wavelengths, the primary calibrators are Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), powerful
radio emitters which exist at the centre of most galaxies. These are known to
vary at all wavelengths at which they have been observed. By determining the
amount of radio source structure and variability of these AGN, we determine
their suitability as phase calibrators for long baseline radio interferometry
at 2.3 GHz. For this purpose, we have used a set of complementary metrics to
classify these 31 southern sources into five categories pertaining to their
suitability as VLBI calibrators. We find that all of the sources in our sample
would be good interferometric calibrators and almost ninety per cent would be
very good calibrators.Comment: 9 pages, 7 Figures, accepted MNRA
The Gaussian Plasma Lens in Astrophysics. Refraction
We consider the geometrical optics for refraction of a distant radio source
by an interstellar plasma lens, with application to a lens with a Gaussian
electron column density profile. The refractive properties of the lens are
specified completely by a dimensionless parameter, alpha, which is a function
of the wavelength of observation, the lens' electron column density, the
lens-observer distance, and the transverse diameter of the lens. Relative
motion of the observer and lens produces modulations in the source's light
curve. Plasma lenses are diverging so the light curve displays a minimum, when
the lens is on-axis, surrounded by enhancements above the unlensed flux
density. Lensing can also produce caustics, multiple imaging, and angular
position wander of the background source. If caustics are formed, the
separation of the outer caustics can constrain alpha, while the separation of
the inner caustics can constrain the size of the lens. We apply our analysis to
0954+654, a source for which we can identify caustics in its light curve, and
1741-038, for which polarization observations were obtained during and after
the scattering event. We find general agreement between modelled and observed
light curves at 2.25 GHz, but poor agreement at 8.1 GHz. The discrepancies may
result from a combination of lens substructure or anisotropic shape, a lens
that only grazes the source, or unresolved source substructure. Our analysis
places the following constraints on the lenses: Toward 0954+654 (1741-038) the
lens was 0.38 AU (0.065 AU) in diameter, with a peak column density of 0.24 pc
cm^{-3} (1E-4 pc cm^{-3}) and an electron density of 1E5 cm^{-3} (300 cm^{-3}).
The angular wander caused by the lens was 250 mas (0.4 mas) at 2.25 GHz. For
1741-038, we place an upper limit of 100 mG on the lens' magnetic field.Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX2e using AASTeX macro aaspp4, 11 PostScript figures;
to be published in Ap
An Experimental Study of Constant-sum Centipede Games
In this paper, we report the results of a series of experiments on a version of the centipede game in which the total payoff to the two players is constant. Standard backward-induction arguments lead to a unique Nash equilibrium outcome prediction, which is the same as the prediction made by theories of "fair" or "focal" outcomes.
We find that subjects frequently fail to select the unique Nash outcome prediction. While this behavior was also observed in McKelvey and Palfrey (1992) in the "growing pie" version of the game they studied, the Nash outcome was not "fair", and there was the possibility of Pareto improvement by deviating from Nash play. Their findings could therefore be explained by small amounts of altruistic behavior. There are no Pareto improvements available in the constant-sum games we examine, hence explanations based on altruism cannot account for these new data.
We examine and compare two classes of models to explain this data. The first class consists of non-equilibrium modifications of the standard "Always Take" model. The other class we investigate, the Quanta! Response Equilibrium model, describes an equilibrium in which subjects make mistakes in implementing their best replies and assume other players do so as well. One specification of this model fits the experimental data best, among the models we test, and is able to account for all the main features we observe in the data
Growth Rates and Explosions in Sandpiles
We study the abelian sandpile growth model, where n particles are added at
the origin on a stable background configuration in Z^d. Any site with at least
2d particles then topples by sending one particle to each neighbor. We find
that with constant background height h <= 2d-2, the diameter of the set of
sites that topple has order n^{1/d}. This was previously known only for h<d.
Our proof uses a strong form of the least action principle for sandpiles, and a
novel method of background modification.
We can extend this diameter bound to certain backgrounds in which an
arbitrarily high fraction of sites have height 2d-1. On the other hand, we show
that if the background height 2d-2 is augmented by 1 at an arbitrarily small
fraction of sites chosen independently at random, then adding finitely many
particles creates an explosion (a sandpile that never stabilizes).Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Journal of Statistical Physics. v2
corrects the proof of the outer bound of Theorem 4.1 of arXiv:0704.068
Proline biosynthesis regulates proline transport in Staphylococcus aureus.
Staphylococcus aureus is metabolically diverse with the ability to rapidly adapt to a vast array of nutrient sources. This allows the pathogen to colonize a variety of niches in the host. For instance, S. aureus is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections, a niche that has been shown to become glucose-depleted over the course of an infection. Previous studies have shown that in niches where glucose is deficient, S. aureus utilizes peptides and free amino acids as nutrient sources. Primarily, these amino acids include glutamate and amino acids that can serve as substrates for glutamate synthesis. While arginine and histidine serve as substrates in glutamate synthesis, proline is the primary source of glutamate. Indeed, S. aureus utilizes proline as a secondary carbon source only when glucose is absent, and it can be synthesized from arginine or acquired via proline transporters from its environment. Although S. aureus encodes two putative pathways for proline biosynthesis, it has been shown that pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (encoded by proC) is the sole proline biosynthetic pathway in S. aureus. Studies from our laboratory have revealed that despite encoding five putative proline transporters (B7H15_03660, opuC, opuD, proP, putP), only two of the transporters, PutP and B7H15_03660 are responsible for a majority of proline transport under the laboratory conditions tested. Surprisingly, when we introduced the proC mutation into the B7H15_03660 putP double mutant, we observed proline-dependent growth, even though the primary proline transporters and proline biosynthetic pathway were knocked-out. In contrast, a transporter null ΔproC strain was unable to grow. These data suggest that inhibiting proline biosynthesis alters proline transport, and therefore one or more of the additional transporters, OpuC, OpuD, and/or ProP, are activated under these conditions. After introducing opuC, opuD, and/or proP mutations into the Δ03660 ΔputP ΔproC strain, we found that both OpuC and ProP are important for proline transport. Additionally, we observed proline-dependent growth in a proline transporter null ΔproC strain when high amounts of exogenous proline are added to the media. This growth appears to be due to an acquired mutation and will be studied more in the future. Overall these studies have revealed that proline transport is tightly linked to proline biosynthesis.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2021/1021/thumbnail.jp
Symbolic Manipulators Affect Mathematical Mindsets
Symbolic calculators like Mathematica are becoming more commonplace among
upper level physics students. The presence of such a powerful calculator can
couple strongly to the type of mathematical reasoning students employ. It does
not merely offer a convenient way to perform the computations students would
have otherwise wanted to do by hand. This paper presents examples from the work
of upper level physics majors where Mathematica plays an active role in
focusing and sustaining their thought around calculation. These students still
engage in powerful mathematical reasoning while they calculate but struggle
because of the narrowed breadth of their thinking. Their reasoning is drawn
into local attractors where they look to calculation schemes to resolve
questions instead of, for example, mapping the mathematics to the physical
system at hand. We model the influence of Mathematica as an integral part of
the constant feedback that occurs in how students frame, and hence focus, their
work
A randomized crossover trial assessing patient preference for two different types of portable infusion-pump devices
Background: A variety of anticancer agents are better tolerated and more effective if given as continuous compared to bolus administration. Portable pump devices are needed to allow outpatient continuous infusion. Different types of portable pumps are available and we tested patient preference in a randomized crossover design. Patients and methods: Patients on continuous infusion fluorouracil were randomly assigned to start treatment with an elastomeric infusor (Baxter) or a mechanical, electronically controlled pump (CADD-1™, Pharmacia) and crossed over to the alternative model after three weeks. After exposure to both pump types patients were asked to indicate their preferred device. Results: After 10 patients the study was closed because all study participants preferred the elastomeric pump (P < 0.01). Reasons were pump weight (100%), smaller pump size (89%), interference with daily activities (89%), user friendliness (56%), impact on sleep (44%), and lack of technical problems (22%). Although the mechanical pump required more handling time for the first two refillings, the learning curve suggested about equal time requirement thereafter. Conclusion: In the interest of patient comfort, the disposable elastomeric infusor is an acceptable alternative to the more accurate electronically controlled pumps especially for drugs with a short half-life and a favorable toxicity profil
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