49 research outputs found
Radio Band Observations of Blazar Variability
The properties of blazar variability in the radio band are studied using the
unique combination of temporal resolution from single dish monitoring and
spatial resolution from VLBA imaging; such measurements, now available in all
four Stokes parameters, together with theoretical simulations, identify the
origin of radio band variability and probe the characteristics of the radio jet
where the broadband blazar emission originates. Outbursts in total flux density
and linear polarization in the optical-to-radio bands are attributed to shocks
propagating within the jet spine, in part based on limited modeling invoking
transverse shocks; new radiative transfer simulations allowing for shocks at
arbitrary angle to the flow direction confirm this picture by reproducing the
observed centimeter-band variations observed more generally, and are of current
interest since these shocks may play a role in the gamma-ray flaring detected
by Fermi. Recent UMRAO multifrequency Stokes V studies of bright blazars
identify the spectral variability properties of circular polarization for the
first time and demonstrate that polarity flips are relatively common.
All-Stokes data are consistent with the production of circular polarization by
linear-to-circular mode conversion in a region that is at least partially
self-absorbed. Detailed analysis of single-epoch, multifrequency, all-Stokes
VLBA observations of 3C 279 support this physical picture and are best
explained by emission from an electron-proton plasma.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, uses, jaa.sty. Invited talk presented at the
conference Multifrequency Variability of Blazars, Guangzhou, China, September
22-24, 2010. To appear in J. Astrophys. Ast
Particle-resolved hyperspectral pyrometry of metal particles
We present temperature histories of individual combusting metal particles using hyperspectral pyrometry. This method gives an increase in accuracy over traditionally used two- or three-color pyrometry, while maintaining temporal and spatial resolution. Temperatures can be determined between 1800 to K with a precision of typically 1%. It is shown that the maximum temperature of the burning iron particles increases from 2760 K to 2840 K with an increasing mean particle size from 32 to 54m in air with 21 % oxygen. The relatively high temperatures and its dependence on particle size are possibly related to flow field properties of the current experimental setup. Opportunities for this method, as well as future work, are discussed.Novelty and Significance Statement: In this article, a method to use a CCD camera and spectrograph as a hyperspectral detector, gaining a wavelength dimension while maintaining two spatial dimensions, is demonstrated and validated. This method is applied to measure the temperature of iron particles, a carbon free and circular energy carrier. This method is then used to prove that there is a particle size dependence on the maximum temperature, an open question which is often disputed in literature. This work will also add a dataset that can be used for the validation of numerical models. There are only two such datasets available for iron at this moment. Our analysis suggests that the heat release of iron is dependent on the slip velocity, possibly due to a circulating flow inside of the particle
A chemical probe based on the PreQ1 metabolite enables transcriptome-wide mapping of binding sites
The role of metabolite-responsive riboswitches in regulating gene expression in bacteria is well known and makes them useful systems for the study of RNA-small molecule interactions. Here, we study the PreQ1 riboswitch system, assessing sixteen diverse PreQ1-derived probes for their ability to selectively modify the class-I PreQ1 riboswitch aptamer covalently. For the most active probe (11), a diazirine-based photocrosslinking analog of PreQ1, X-ray crystallography and gel-based competition assays demonstrated the mode of binding of the ligand to the aptamer, and functional assays demonstrated that the probe retains activity against the full riboswitch. Transcriptome-wide mapping using Chem-CLIP revealed a highly selective interaction between the bacterial aptamer and the probe. In addition, a small number of RNA targets in endogenous human transcripts were found to bind specifically to 11, providing evidence for candidate PreQ1 aptamers in human RNA. This work demonstrates a stark influence of linker chemistry and structure on the ability of molecules to crosslink RNA, reveals that the PreQ1 aptamer/ligand pair are broadly useful for chemical biology applications, and provides insights into how PreQ1, which is similar in structure to guanine, interacts with human RNAs
RNA Tertiary Structure Analysis by 2′-Hydroxyl Molecular Interference
We introduce a melded chemical and computational approach for probing and modeling higher-order intramolecular tertiary interactions in RNA. 2'-Hydroxyl molecular interference (HMX) identifies nucleotides in highly packed regions of an RNA by exploiting the ability of bulky adducts at the 2'-hydroxyl position to disrupt overall RNA structure. HMX was found to be exceptionally selective for quantitative detection of higher-order and tertiary interactions. When incorporated as experimental constraints in discrete molecular dynamics simulations, HMX information yielded accurate three-dimensional models, emphasizing the power of molecular interference to guide RNA tertiary structure analysis and fold refinement. In the case of a large, multidomain RNA, the Tetrahymena group I intron, HMX identified multiple distinct sets of tertiary structure interaction groups in a single, concise experiment
Relations Between Timing Features and Colors in the X-Ray Binary 4U 0614+09
We study the correlations between timing and X-ray spectral properties in the
low mass X-ray binary 4U 0614+09 using a large (265-ks) data set obtained with
the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. We find strong quasi-periodic oscillations
(QPOs) of the X-ray flux, like the kilohertz QPOs in many other X-ray binaries
with accreting neutron stars, with frequencies ranging from 1329 Hz down to 418
Hz and, perhaps, as low as 153 Hz. We report the highest frequency QPO yet from
any low mass X-ray binary at 1329+-4 Hz, which has implications for neutron
star structure. This QPO has a 3.5-sigma single-trial significance, for an
estimated 40 trials the significance is 2.4-sigma. Besides the kilohertz QPOs,
the Fourier power spectra show four additional components: high frequency noise
(HFN), described by a broken power-law with a break frequency between 0.7 and
45 Hz, very low frequency noise (VLFN), which is fitted as a power-law below 1
Hz, and two broad Lorentzians with centroid frequencies varying from 6 to 38 Hz
and 97 to 158 Hz, respectively. We find strong correlations between the
frequencies of the kilohertz QPOs, the frequency of the 6 to 38 Hz broad
Lorentzian, the break frequency of the HFN, the strength of both the HFN and
the VLFN and the position of the source in the hard X-ray color vs. intensity
diagram. The frequency of the 97 to 158 Hz Lorentzian does not correlate with
these parameters. We also find that the relation between power density and
break frequency of the HFN is similar to that established for black hole
candidates in the low state. We suggest that the changing mass accretion rate
is responsible for the correlated changes in all these parameters.Comment: ApJ, referee
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Parsec-Scale Blazar Monitoring: Flux and Polarization Variability
We present analysis of the flux and polarization variability of parsec scale
radio jets from a dual-frequency, six-epoch, VLBA polarization experiment
monitoring 12 blazars. The observations were made at 15 and 22 GHz at bimonthly
intervals over 1996. Here we analyze the flux, fractional polarization, and
polarization position angle behavior of core regions and jet features,
considering both the linear trends of these quantities with time and more rapid
fluctuations about the linear trends. The dual frequency nature of the
observations allows us to examine spectral evolution, to separate Faraday
effects from changes in magnetic field order, and also to deduce empirical
estimates for the uncertainties in measuring properties of VLBI jet features
(abridged).Comment: 35 pages, 30 figures, accepted by the Astrophysical Journal (Changes
from original version: typos corrected and a clarification in terminology
ATOMIUM: A high-resolution view on the highly asymmetric wind of the AGB star pi(1)Gruis: I. First detection of a new companion and its effect on the inner wind
The nebular circumstellar environments of cool evolved stars are known to harbour a rich morphological complexity of gaseous structures on different length scales. A large part of these density structures are thought to be brought about by the interaction of the stellar wind with a close companion. The S-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star π1Gruis, which has a known companion at ∼440 au and is thought to harbour a second, closer-by (< 10 au) companion, was observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array as part of the ATOMIUM Large programme. In this work, the brightest CO, SiO, and HCN molecular line transitions are analysed. The continuum map shows two maxima, separated by 0.04″ (6 au). The CO data unambiguously reveal that π1Gru’s circumstellar environment harbours an inclined, radially outflowing, equatorial density enhancement. It contains a spiral structure at an angle of ∼38 ± 3° with the line-of-sight. The HCN emission in the inner wind reveals a clockwise spiral, with a dynamical crossing time of the spiral arms consistent with a companion at a distance of 0.04″ from the AGB star, which is in agreement with the position of the secondary continuum peak. The inner wind dynamics imply a large acceleration region, consistent with a beta-law power of ∼6. The CO emission suggests that the spiral is approximately Archimedean within 5″, beyond which this trend breaks down as the succession of the spiral arms becomes less periodic. The SiO emission at scales smaller than 0.5″ exhibits signatures of gas in rotation, which is found to fit the expected behaviour of gas in the wind-companion interaction zone. An investigation of SiO maser emission reveals what could be a stream of gas accelerating from the surface of the AGB star to the companion. Using these dynamics, we have tentatively derived an upper limit on the companion mass to be ∼1.1 M⊙
Bodyweight Perceptions among Texas Women: The Effects of Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Citizenship Status
Despite previous work exploring linkages between religious participation and health, little research has looked at the role of religion in affecting bodyweight perceptions. Using the theoretical model developed by Levin et al. (Sociol Q 36(1):157–173, 1995) on the multidimensionality of religious participation, we develop several hypotheses and test them by using data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults. We estimate multinomial logistic regression models to determine the relative risk of women perceiving themselves as overweight. Results indicate that religious attendance lowers risk of women perceiving themselves as very overweight. Citizenship status was an important factor for Latinas, with noncitizens being less likely to see themselves as overweight. We also test interaction effects between religion and race. Religious attendance and prayer have a moderating effect among Latina non-citizens so that among these women, attendance and prayer intensify perceptions of feeling less overweight when compared to their white counterparts. Among African American women, the effect of increased church attendance leads to perceptions of being overweight. Prayer is also a correlate of overweight perceptions but only among African American women. We close with a discussion that highlights key implications from our findings, note study limitations, and several promising avenues for future research
High-Resolution Melting Genotyping of Enterococcus faecium Based on Multilocus Sequence Typing Derived Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
We have developed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) nucleated high-resolution melting (HRM) technique to genotype Enterococcus faecium. Eight SNPs were derived from the E. faecium multilocus sequence typing (MLST) database and amplified fragments containing these SNPs were interrogated by HRM. We tested the HRM genotyping scheme on 85 E. faecium bloodstream isolates and compared the results with MLST, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and an allele specific real-time PCR (AS kinetic PCR) SNP typing method. In silico analysis based on predicted HRM curves according to the G+C content of each fragment for all 567 sequence types (STs) in the MLST database together with empiric data from the 85 isolates demonstrated that HRM analysis resolves E. faecium into 231 “melting types” (MelTs) and provides a Simpson's Index of Diversity (D) of 0.991 with respect to MLST. This is a significant improvement on the AS kinetic PCR SNP typing scheme that resolves 61 SNP types with D of 0.95. The MelTs were concordant with the known ST of the isolates. For the 85 isolates, there were 13 PFGE patterns, 17 STs, 14 MelTs and eight SNP types. There was excellent concordance between PFGE, MLST and MelTs with Adjusted Rand Indices of PFGE to MelT 0.936 and ST to MelT 0.973. In conclusion, this HRM based method appears rapid and reproducible. The results are concordant with MLST and the MLST based population structure