Central mass accumulation in nuclear spirals

In central regions of non-axisymmetric galaxies high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations indicate spiral shocks, which are capable of transporting gas inwards. The efficiency of transport is lower at smaller radii, therefore instead of all gas dropping onto the galactic centre, a roughly uniform distribution of high-density gas develops in the gaseous nuclear spiral downstream from the shock, and the shear in gas is very low there. These are excellent conditions for star formation. This mechanism is likely to contribute to the process of (pseudo-) bulge formation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the IAU Symposium 245, "Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Bulges

Kinematics and Temperature Structures of Filaments in Serpens Main and Serpens South

We present a study of filaments in Serpens Main and Serpens South cluster regions based on N2H+(1-0) observations from the CARMA Large Area Star-formation Survey (CLASSy) and dust continuum images from the Herschel Space Observatory. Serpens Main and Serpens South are active star formation regions with prominent filamentary structures; however, the role of the filaments in the cluster formation is unclear. This study of filament structure and kinematics with high-angular resolution data (7 arcsecs), particularly in revealing possible infall signatures, provides physical insight to this question. Using the Herschel data, we estimate the temperature in and along filaments for comparison with their gas kinematics, spatial distribution, and N2H+(1-0) emission, to better understand their role in current star formation activities.Fil: Lee, Katherine. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Mundy, Lee G.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Fernandez Lopez, Manuel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Storm, Shaye. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Looney, Leslie. University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign; Estados UnidosFil: Segura Cox, Dominique. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Teuben, Peter J.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Rosolowsky, Erik. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Arce, Hector G.. Yale University; Estados UnidosFil: Shirley, Yancy L.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Plunkett, Adele. Yale University; Estados UnidosFil: Isella, Andrea. Caltech; Estados UnidosFil: Tobin, John J.. National Radio Astronomy Observatory; Estados Unidos223th meeting of the American Astronomical SocietyWashingtonEstados UnidosAmerican Astronomical Societ

Capacity Building in Earth Observation: from Outcomes to Impact and Sustainability : abstract + powerpoint

Spatial solutions play an increasingly important role in meeting many of humankind’s complex challenges, such as climate change, population growth, and related claims for sufficient and secure food, water, energy, health, land and housing provision. Earth observations and geospatial technology are rapidly changing society everywhere − mobile, sensor and internet revolutions are touching Africa and Asia equally forcefully. Entrepreneurship and innovation are new aspects in capacity development activities. Many capacity building efforts focus on individuals while sustainable impact requires focus on organizational change and supranational coordination. Over the past several decades, many regional centers have been established for capacity building in Earth observation in developing countries and emerging economies. ITC of the University of Twente is an international knowledge hub in geospatial sciences, with an emphasis on collaborative educational and research activities in geo-information science and Earth observation and participation of students from around the world. SERVIR is a partnership of NASA, USAID, and leading regional technical organizations that develops innovative geospatial solutions to improve livelihoods and foster self-reliance across a global network in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In this presentation, ITC and SERVIR will provide examples of and lessons learned from our activities and networks to strengthen the capacity and use of Earth observations in the developing world

Astrophysics Source Code Library Enhancements

The Astrophysics Source Code Library (ASCL) is a free online registry of codes used in astronomy research; it currently contains over 900 codes and is indexed by ADS. The ASCL has recently moved a new infrastructure into production. The new site provides a true database for the code entries and integrates the WordPress news and information pages and the discussion forum into one site. Previous capabilities are retained and permalinks to ascl.net continue to work. This improvement offers more functionality and flexibility than the previous site, is easier to maintain, and offers new possibilities for collaboration. This paper covers these recent changes to the ASCL