Long-Time Asymptotics for the Korteweg-de Vries Equation via Nonlinear Steepest Descent

We apply the method of nonlinear steepest descent to compute the long-time asymptotics of the Korteweg-de Vries equation for decaying initial data in the soliton and similarity region. This paper can be viewed as an expository introduction to this method.Comment: 31 page

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): facing the challenges and pathways of global change in the 21st century

During the past several decades, the Earth system has changed significantly, especially across Northern Eurasia. Changes in the socio-economic conditions of the larger countries in the region have also resulted in a variety of regional environmental changes that can have global consequences. The Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI) has been designed as an essential continuation of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI), which was launched in 2004. NEESPI sought to elucidate all aspects of ongoing environmental change, to inform societies and, thus, to better prepare societies for future developments. A key principle of NEFI is that these developments must now be secured through science-based strategies co-designed with regional decision makers to lead their societies to prosperity in the face of environmental and institutional challenges. NEESPI scientific research, data, and models have created a solid knowledge base to support the NEFI program. This paper presents the NEFI research vision consensus based on that knowledge. It provides the reader with samples of recent accomplishments in regional studies and formulates new NEFI science questions. To address these questions, nine research foci are identified and their selections are briefly justified. These foci include: warming of the Arctic; changing frequency, pattern, and intensity of extreme and inclement environmental conditions; retreat of the cryosphere; changes in terrestrial water cycles; changes in the biosphere; pressures on land-use; changes in infrastructure; societal actions in response to environmental change; and quantification of Northern Eurasia's role in the global Earth system. Powerful feedbacks between the Earth and human systems in Northern Eurasia (e.g., mega-fires, droughts, depletion of the cryosphere essential for water supply, retreat of sea ice) result from past and current human activities (e.g., large scale water withdrawals, land use and governance change) and potentially restrict or provide new opportunities for future human activities. Therefore, we propose that Integrated Assessment Models are needed as the final stage of global change assessment. The overarching goal of this NEFI modeling effort will enable evaluation of economic decisions in response to changing environmental conditions and justification of mitigation and adaptation efforts

Production of dust by massive stars at high redshift

The large amounts of dust detected in sub-millimeter galaxies and quasars at high redshift pose a challenge to galaxy formation models and theories of cosmic dust formation. At z > 6 only stars of relatively high mass (> 3 Msun) are sufficiently short-lived to be potential stellar sources of dust. This review is devoted to identifying and quantifying the most important stellar channels of rapid dust formation. We ascertain the dust production efficiency of stars in the mass range 3-40 Msun using both observed and theoretical dust yields of evolved massive stars and supernovae (SNe) and provide analytical expressions for the dust production efficiencies in various scenarios. We also address the strong sensitivity of the total dust productivity to the initial mass function. From simple considerations, we find that, in the early Universe, high-mass (> 3 Msun) asymptotic giant branch stars can only be dominant dust producers if SNe generate <~ 3 x 10^-3 Msun of dust whereas SNe prevail if they are more efficient. We address the challenges in inferring dust masses and star-formation rates from observations of high-redshift galaxies. We conclude that significant SN dust production at high redshift is likely required to reproduce current dust mass estimates, possibly coupled with rapid dust grain growth in the interstellar medium.Comment: 72 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables; to be published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Revie

New constraints on the origin of the short-term cyclical variability of the wolf-rayet star WR 46

The Wolf-Rayet star WR 46 is known to exhibit a very complex variability pattern on relatively short timescales of a few hours. Periodic but intermittent radial velocity shifts of optical lines as well as multiple photometric periods have been found in the past. Non-radial pulsations, rapid rotational modulation, or the presence of a putative low-mass companion have been proposed to explain the short-term behavior. In an effort to unveil its true nature, we observed WR 46 with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) over several short-term variability cycles. We found significant variations on a timescale of 8hr in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) continuum, in the blue edge of the absorption trough of the OVI λλ1032, 1038 doublet P Cygni profile and in the SVI λλ933, 944 P Cygni absorption profile. We complemented these observations with X-ray and UV light curves and an X-ray spectrum from archival X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission-Newton Space Telescope (XMM-Newton) data. The X-ray and UV light curves show variations on a timescale similar to the variability found in the FUV. We discuss our results in the context of the different scenarios suggested to explain the short-term variability of this object and reiterate that non-radial pulsations is the scenario most likely to occur. © 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

The Hipparcos distance determination of the Wolf-Rayet system gamma(2) Velorum (WC8+O) and its ramifications

Hipparcos parallax measurements give a distance to the Wolf-Rayet WC8 + O spectroscopic binary gamma(2) Vel of d = 258(-31)(+41) pc and a distance to the O4I(n)f star zeta Pup of d = 429(-77)(+120) pc. Adopting for gamma(2) Vel an interstellar extinction of A(v) = 0.06 mag, this implies an absolute magnitude M-v = -5.4 mag for the WC8 + O binary system. Given that the binary components have a magnitude difference Delta m = 1.4 mag, we derive M-v(WC8) = -3.7 and M-v(O) = -5.0 mag. The latter indicates an 08.5III rather than an O9I companion, as was adopted during the last 25 years. Apparently gamma(2) Vel is not a member of, but a foreground object before the open cluster Cr173 and the association Vel OB2. Given a re-assessment of the distance of the Gum Nebula, gamma(2) Vel is still one of its ionizing sources, while zeta Pup appears to be located at the back of the Gum Nebula. Consequences of the Hipparcos distance determination of gamma(2) Vel for its mass, mass loss rate, luminosities at various wavelengths, and, briefly, its association with the Gum Nebula, are discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V

Development of a New Biosensor by Adsorption of Creatinine Deiminase on Monolayers of Micro- and Nanoscale Zeolites

This work is dedicated to the development of creatinine-sensitive biosensor consisting of pH-sensitive field-effect transistor (pH-FET) and creatinine deiminase (CD) immobilized with various types of zeolites, in particular, silicalite, zeolite beta (BEA) and nanobeta, and BEA zeolites, modified with gold nanoparticles and ions. For comparison, the traditional method of CD immobilization in saturated glutaraldehyde (GA) vapor was used. To modify pH-FET with zeolites, a monolayer method of deposition was applied. All basic analytical characteristics of the developed biosensors were compared: linear range of creatinine determination, time of response and regeneration, minimum limit of detection, and response reproducibility within a single biosensor; the calibration curves were plotted. It is shown that the use of zeolites of different types as adsorbents in the development of creatinine-sensitive biosensors resulted in a decrease of time of response and regeneration, an increase in sensitivity of the bioselective element to creatinine, and improvement in reproducibility of preparation of various biosensors, as compared with the method of covalent cross-linking in GA vapor