475 research outputs found
Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy with Extremely Large Telescopes: Integral-Field- versus Multi-Object-Instruments
Integral-field-spectroscopy and multi-object-spectroscopy provide the high
multiplex gain required for efficient use of the upcoming generation of
extremely large telescopes. We present instrument developments and designs for
both concepts, and how these designs can be applied to cryogenic near-infrared
instrumentation. Specifically, the fiber-based concept stands out the
possibility to expand it to any number of image points, and its modularity
predestines it to become the new concept for multi-field-spectroscopy. Which of
the three concepts --- integral-field-, multi-object-, or
multi-field-spectroscopy --- is best suited for the largest telescopes is
discussed considering the size of the objects and their density on the sky.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures (converted to bitmap), to appear in the
proceedings of the Workshop on Extremely Large Telescopes, Sweden, June 1-2,
1999, uses spie.sty (V0.91) and spiebib.bst (V0.91
A new era of spectroscopy: SINFONI, NIR integral field spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of an 8m telescope
SINFONI, the SINgle Faint Object Near-infrared Investigation, is an
instrument for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which will start its operation
mid 2002 and allow for the first time near infrared (NIR) integral field
spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of an 8-m telescope. SINFONI is the
combination of two state-of-the art instruments, the integral field
spectrometer SPIFFI, built by the Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische
Physik (MPE), and the adaptive optics (AO) system MACAO, built by the European
Southern Observatory (ESO). It will allow a unique type of observations by
delivering simultaneously high spatial resolution (pixel sizes 0.025arcsec to
0.25arcsec) and a moderate spectral resolution (R~2000 to R~4500), where the
higher spectral resolution mode will allow for software OH suppression. This
opens new prospects for astronomy.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, to appear in SPIE proceedings "Astronomical
Telescopes and Instrumentation 2000". More recent sensitivity estimates are
available at http://www.mpe.mpg.de/www_ir/ir_instruments/sinfoni/spiffi.ht
ALFA & 3D: integral field spectroscopy with adaptive optics
One of the most important techniques for astrophysics with adaptive optics is
the ability to do spectroscopy at diffraction limited scales. The extreme
difficulty of positioning a faint target accurately on a very narrow slit can
be avoided by using an integral field unit, which provides the added benefit of
full spatial coverage. During 1998, working with ALFA and the 3D integral field
spectrometer, we demonstrated the validity of this technique by extracting and
distinguishing spectra from binary stars separated by only 0.26". The
combination of ALFA & 3D is also ideally suited to imaging distant galaxies or
the nuclei of nearby ones, as its field of view can be changed between
1.2"x1.2" and 4"x4", depending on the pixel scale chosen. In this contribution
we present new results both on galactic targets, namely young stellar objects,
as well as extra-galactic objects including a Seyfert and a starburst nucleus.Comment: SPIE meeting 4007 on Adaptive Optical Systems Technology, March 200
The Origin of the Young Stars in the Nucleus of M31
The triple nucleus of M31 consists of a population of old red stars in an
eccentric disk (P1 and P2) and another population of younger A stars in a
circular disk (P3) around M31's central supermassive black hole (SMBH). We
argue that P1 and P2 determine the maximal radial extent of the younger A star
population and provide the gas that fueled the starburst that generated P3. The
eccentric stellar disk creates an non-axisymmetric perturbation to the
potential. This perturbed potential drives gas into the inner parsec around the
SMBH, if the pattern speed of the eccentric stellar disk is . We show that stellar mass loss from P1 and P2 is
sufficient to create a gravitationally unstable gaseous disk of \sim
10^5\Msun every Gyrs, consistent with the 200 Myr age of P3. Similar
processes may act in other systems to produce very compact nuclear starbursts.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted by ApJ, changes made from referee
suggestion
Impact Of SCM Practices Of A Firm On Supply Chain Responsiveness And Competitive Advantage Of A Firm
Todayâs supply chains are expected to respond rapidly, effectively, and efficiently to changes in the marketplace to sustain, succeed and create competitive advantage in this increasingly global marketplace by focusing on time, flexibility, and speed of response. The focus of this study is the supply chain responsiveness construct and a firmâs practices to respond to customerâs demands and constantly changing market conditions to create competitive advantage. This research conceptualizes three dimensions of supply chain responsiveness and develops a reliable and valid instrument for measuring this construct. The study further tests the relationships between supply chain management (SCM) practices, supply chain responsiveness, and competitive advantage using structural equation modeling based on 294 responses from industry professionals in the manufacturing and supply chain area. Research findings point out that higher level of SCM practices can lead to improved supply chain responsiveness and enhanced competitive advantage of a firm. Also supply chain responsiveness can have a direct positive impact on competitive advantage of a firm
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Cardioplegia at subnormothermia facilitates rapid functional resuscitation of hearts preserved in SOMAH for transplants
Objectives: Hearts preserved ex vivo at 4°C undergo time-dependent irreversible injury due to extreme hypothermia. Studies using novel organ preservative solution SOMAH, suggest that hearts are optimally âpreservedâ at subnormothermic temperature of 21°C. Present study evaluates relative efficacy of SOMAH âcardioplegiaâ at 4 and 21°C in preservation of optimum heart function after in vitro storage at subnormothermia. Methods: Porcine hearts arrested with SOMAH cardioplegia at 4 or 21°C were stored in SOMAH for 5-hour at 21°C (n = 5). At the end of storage, the weight of hearts was recorded and biopsies taken for cardiac tissue high energy phosphate level measurements. The hearts were then attached to a reperfusion apparatus and biochemical parameters including cardiac enzyme release and myocardial oxygen consumption and lactate production were determined in perfusate samples at regular intervals during ex vivo perfusion experiment. Functional evaluation of the hearts intraoperatively and ex vivo was performed by 2D echocardiography using trans-esophageal echocardiography probe. Results: Post-storage heart weights were unaltered in both groups, while available high-energy phosphates (HEP) were greater in the 21°C group. Upon ex vivo reperfusion, coronary flow was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in 21°C group. 2D echo revealed a greater cardiac output, fractional area change and ejection fraction in 21°C group that was not significantly different than the 4°C group. However, unlike 4°C hearts, 21°C hearts did not require inotropic intervention. Upon reperfusion, rate of cardiac enzyme release temporally resolved in 21°C group, but not in the 4°C group. 21°C working hearts maintained their energy state during the experimental duration but not the 4°C group; albeit, both groups demonstrated robust metabolism and function during this period. Conclusions: Rapid metabolic switch, increased synthesis of HEP, decreased injury and optimal function provides evidence that hearts arrested at 21°C remain viably and functionally superior to those arrested at 4°C when stored in SOMAH at ambient temperature pre-transplant. Ultramini-abstract Cardioplegic arrest and preservation of hearts in SOMAH at ambient temperature efficiently conserves metabolism and function in in vitro porcine model of heart transplant. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13019-014-0155-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
Stellar Dynamics and the implications on the merger evolution in NGC6240
We report near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of the luminous merging
galaxy NGC 6240. Stellar velocities show that the two K-band peaks separated by
1.6arcsec are the central parts of inclined, rotating disk galaxies with equal
mass bulges. The dynamical masses of the nuclei are much larger than the
stellar mass derived from the K-band light, implying that the progenitor
galaxies were galaxies with massive bulges. The K-band light is dominated by
red supergiants formed in the two nuclei in starbursts, triggered ~2x10^7 years
ago, possibly by the most recent perigalactic approach. Strong feedback effects
of a superwind and supernovae are responsible for a short duration burst
(~5x10^6 years) which is already decaying. The two galaxies form a
prograde-retrograde rotating system and from the stellar velocity field it
seems that one of the two interacting galaxies is subject to a prograde
encounter. Between the stellar nuclei is a prominent peak of molecular gas
(H_2, CO). The stellar velocity dispersion peaks there indicating that the gas
has formed a local, self-gravitating concentration decoupled from the stellar
gravitational potential. NGC 6240 has previously been reported to fit the
paradigm of an elliptical galaxy formed through the merger of two galaxies.
This was based on the near-infrared light distribution which follows a
r^1/4-law. Our data cast strong doubt on this conclusion: the system is by far
not relaxed, rotation plays an important role, as does self-gravitating gas,
and the near-infrared light is dominated by young stars.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figures, using AASTEX 5.0rc3.1, paper submitted to the
Astrophysical Journal, revised versio
Young Clusters in the Nuclear Starburst of M 83
We present a photometric catalog of 45 massive star clusters in the nuclear
starburst of M 83 (NGC 5236), observed with the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2,
in both broad-band (F300W, F547M, and F814W) and narrow-band (F656N and F487N)
filters. By comparing the photometry to theoretical population synthesis
models, we estimate the age and mass of each cluster. We find that over 75% of
the star clusters more massive than 2*10^4 Msun in the central 300 pc of M 83
are less than 10 Myr old. Among the clusters younger than 10 Myr and more
massive than 5*10^3 Msun, 70% are between 5 and 7 Myr old. We list an
additional 330 clusters that are detected in our F300W images, but not in the
shallower F547M and F814W images. The clusters are distributed throughout a
semicircular annulus that identifies the active region in the galaxy core,
between 50 and 130 pc from the optical center of M 83. Clusters younger than 5
Myr are preferentially found along the perimeter of the semicircular annulus.
We suggest that the 5-7 Myr population has evacuated much of the interstellar
material from the active ringlet region, and that star formation is continuing
along the edges of the region.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, accepted to ApJ
Optical integral field spectroscopy of intermediate redshift infrared bright galaxies
The extreme infrared (IR) luminosity of local luminous and ultra-luminous IR
galaxies (U/LIRGs; 11 12,
respectively) is mainly powered by star-formation processes triggered by
mergers or interactions. While U/LIRGs are rare locally, at z > 1, they become
more common, they dominate the star-formation rate (SFR) density, and a
fraction of them are found to be normal disk galaxies. Therefore, there must be
an evolution of the mechanism triggering these intense starbursts with
redshift. To investigate this evolution, we present new optical SWIFT integral
field spectroscopic H{\alpha}+[NII] observations of a sample of 9
intermediate-z (0.2 < z < 0.4) U/LIRG systems selected from Herschel 250{\mu}m
observations. The main results are the following: (a) the ratios between the
velocity dispersion and the rotation curve amplitude indicate that 10-25% (1-2
out of 8) might be compatible with being isolated disks while the remaining
objects are interacting/merging systems; (b) the ratio between un-obscured and
obscured SFR traced by H{\alpha} and LIR, respectively, is similar in both
local and these intermediate-z U/LIRGs; and (c) the ratio between 250{\mu}m and
the total IR luminosities of these intermediate-z U/LIRGs is higher than that
of local U/LIRGs with the same LIR . This indicates a reduced dust temperature
in these intermediate-z U/LIRGs. This, together with their already measured
enhanced molecular gas content, suggests that the interstellar medium
conditions are different in our sample of intermediate-z galaxies when compared
to local U/LIRGs.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
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