1,668 research outputs found
Temperatures of dust and gas in S~140
In dense parts of interstellar clouds (> 10^5 cm^-3), dust & gas are expected
to be in thermal equilibrium, being coupled via collisions. However, previous
studies have shown that the temperatures of the dust & gas may remain decoupled
even at higher densities. We study in detail the temperatures of dust & gas in
the photon-dominated region S 140, especially around the deeply embedded
infrared sources IRS 1-3 and at the ionization front. We derive the dust
temperature and column density by combining Herschel PACS continuum
observations with SOFIA observations at 37 m and SCUBA at 450 m. We
model these observations using greybody fits and the DUSTY radiative transfer
code. For the gas part we use RADEX to model the CO 1-0, CO 2-1, 13CO 1-0 and
C18O 1-0 emission lines mapped with the IRAM-30m over a 4' field. Around IRS
1-3, we use HIFI observations of single-points and cuts in CO 9-8, 13CO 10-9
and C18O 9-8 to constrain the amount of warm gas, using the best fitting dust
model derived with DUSTY as input to the non-local radiative transfer model
RATRAN. We find that the gas temperature around the infrared sources varies
between 35 and 55K and that the gas is systematically warmer than the dust by
~5-15K despite the high gas density. In addition we observe an increase of the
gas temperature from 30-35K in the surrounding up to 40-45K towards the
ionization front, most likely due to the UV radiation from the external star.
Furthermore, detailed models of the temperature structure close to IRS 1 show
that the gas is warmer and/or denser than what we model. Finally, modelling of
the dust emission from the sub-mm peak SMM 1 constrains its luminosity to a few
~10^2 Lo. We conclude that the gas heating in the S 140 region is very
efficient even at high densities, most likely due to the deep UV penetration
from the embedded sources in a clumpy medium and/or oblique shocks.Comment: 15 pages, 23 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Energetic radiation and the sulfur chemistry of protostellar envelopes: Submillimeter interferometry of AFGL 2591
CONTEXT: The chemistry in the inner few thousand AU of accreting envelopes
around young stellar objects is predicted to vary greatly with far-UV and X-ray
irradiation by the central star. Aim We search for molecular tracers of
high-energy irradiation by the protostar in the hot inner envelope. METHODS:
The Submillimeter Array (SMA) has observed the high-mass star forming region
AFGL 2591 in lines of CS, SO, HCN, HCN(v2=1), and HC15N with 0.6" resolution at
350 GHz probing radial scales of 600-3500 AU for an assumed distance of 1 kpc.
The SMA observations are compared with the predictions of a chemical model
fitted to previous single-dish observations. RESULTS: The CS and SO main peaks
are extended in space at the FWHM level, as predicted in the model assuming
protostellar X-rays. However, the main peak sizes are found smaller than
modeled by nearly a factor of 2. On the other hand, the lines of CS, HCN, and
HC15N, but not SO and HCN(v2=1), show pedestal emissions at radii of about 3500
AU that are not predicted. All lines except SO show a secondary peak within the
approaching outflow cone. A dip or null in the visibilities caused by a sharp
decrease in abundance with increasing radius is not observed in CS and only
tentatively in SO. CONCLUSIONS: The emission of protostellar X-rays is
supported by the good fit of the modeled SO and CS amplitude visibilities
including an extended main peak in CS. The broad pedestals can be interpreted
by far-UV irradiation in a spherically non-symmetric geometry, possibly
comprising outflow walls on scales of 3500 -- 7000 AU. The extended CS and SO
main peaks suggest sulfur evaporation near the 100 K temperature radius.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres
Motor learning principles during rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament injury:Time to create an enriched environment to improve clinical outcome
Athletes who wish to resume high-level activities after an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are often advised to undergo surgical reconstruction. Nevertheless, ACL reconstruction (ACLR) does not equate to normal function of the knee or a reduced risk of subsequent injuries. A rising concern is the high rate of secondary ACL injuries, particularly in young athletes, with up to 40% of those returning to sport in the first year after surgery experiencing a second ACL rupture. Aside from the increased risk of secondary injury, patients after ACLR have an increased risk of developing early-onset osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, current ACLR rehabilitation programs may not be optimally effective in terms of addressing deficits related to the initial injury and the subsequent surgical intervention. Motor learning to (re)acquire motor skills and neuroplastic capacities are not sufficiently incorporated during traditional rehabilitation, attesting to the high reinjury rates. The purpose of this article is to present novel clinically integrated motor learning principles to support neuroplasticity that can improve patient functional performance and reduce the risk of secondary ACL injury. The novel motor learning principles presented in this manuscript may optimize future rehabilitation programs to reduce the risk of secondary ACL injury and early development of osteoarthritis by targeting changes in neural networks.</p
Overexpression of toll-like receptors 3 and 4 in synovial tissue from patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: Toll-like receptor expression in early and longstanding arthritis
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression, regulation, and biologic relevance of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 1-10 in synovial and skin fibroblasts and to determine the expression levels of TLRs 2, 3, and 4 in synovial tissues from patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), longstanding RA, and osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Expression of TLRs 1-10 in RA synovial fibroblasts (RASFs), OASFs, and skin fibroblasts was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fibroblasts were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), bacterial lipopeptide, poly(I-C), lipopolysaccharide, and flagellin. Production of IL-6 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and induction of TLRs 2-5, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 3 and 13 messenger RNA by real-time PCR. Expression of TLRs 2-4 in synovial tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Synovial fibroblasts expressed TLRs 1-6, but not TLRs 7-10. Among the expressed TLRs, TLR-3 and TLR-4 were the most abundant in synovial fibroblasts, and stimulation of synovial fibroblasts with the TLR-3 ligand poly(I-C) led to the most pronounced increase in IL-6, MMP-3, and MMP-13. In contrast, skin fibroblasts did not up-regulate MMP-3 or MMP-13 after stimulation with any of the tested stimuli. In synovial tissues from patients with early RA, TLR-3 and TLR-4 were highly expressed and were comparable to the levels of patients with longstanding RA. These expression levels were elevated as compared with those in OA. CONCLUSION: Our findings of high expression of TLRs, particularly TLRs 3 and 4, at an early stage of RA and the reactivity of synovial fibroblasts in vitro to TLR ligands suggest that TLR signaling pathways resulting in persistent inflammation and joint destruction are activated early in the disease process
Sustained changes in lipid profile and macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels after anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis
BACKGROUND: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has recently emerged as an important cytokine possibly linking rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and atherogenesis. Because atherogenesis is accelerated in RA this study was conducted to investigate whether anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy could lead to sustained downregulation of systemic MIF levels and improvement in lipid profiles. METHODS: Fifty RA patients with active disease (disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) >or=3.2), who started adalimumab therapy at 40 mg every other week, were included. At baseline, weeks 16 and 52 serum levels of MIF and lipids were assessed. In addition, the DAS28 and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined. RESULTS: After 16 weeks of adalimumab therapy, both DAS28 and MIF levels were significantly decreased (p<0.001 and p = 0.020, respectively). This was sustained up to week 52 (p<0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively). CRP levels and ESR were significantly reduced after 16 and 52 weeks of adalimumab therapy (p<0.001). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased at week 16 (p<0.001), but returned to baseline at week 52. Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I levels increased at week 16 (p<0.001) and remained stable (p = 0.005). This resulted in an improved apo B/A-I ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The results underline the sustained downregulation of MIF as a potential new mechanism by which anti-TNF therapy might reduce vascular inflammation, and as such perhaps cardiovascular morbidity in RA patients. This hypothesis is supported by an improved apo B/A-I ratio as well as reduced CRP levels in these patient
NH_3(1_0-0_0) in the pre-stellar core L1544
Pre-stellar cores represent the initial conditions in the process of star and
planet formation, therefore it is important to study their physical and
chemical structure. Because of their volatility, nitrogen-bearing molecules are
key to study the dense and cold gas present in pre-stellar cores. The NH_3
rotational transition detected with Herschel-HIFI provides a unique combination
of sensitivity and spectral resolution to further investigate physical and
chemical processes in pre-stellar cores. Here we present the velocity-resolved
Herschel-HIFI observations of the ortho-NH_3(1_0-0_0) line at 572 GHz and study
the abundance profile of ammonia across the pre-stellar core L1544 to test
current theories of its physical and chemical structure.
Recently calculated collisional coefficients have been included in our
non-LTE radiative transfer code to reproduce Herschel observations. A gas-grain
chemical model, including spin-state chemistry and applied to the (static)
physical structure of L1544 is also used to infer the abundance profile of
ortho-NH_3 . The hyperfine structure of ortho-NH_3(1_0-0_0) is resolved for the
first time in space. All the hyperfine components are strongly self-absorbed.
The profile can be reproduced if the core is contracting in quasi-equilibrium,
consistent with previous work, and if the NH_3 abundance is slightly rising
toward the core centre, as deduced from previous interferometric observations
of para-NH_3(1,1). The chemical model overestimates the NH_3 abundance at radii
between ~ 4000 and 15000 AU by about two orders of magnitude and underestimates
the abundance toward the core centre by more than one order of magnitude. Our
observations show that chemical models applied to static clouds have problems
in reproducing NH_3 observations.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A Letter
Herschel Survey of Galactic OH+, H2O+, and H3O+: Probing the Molecular Hydrogen Fraction and Cosmic-Ray Ionization Rate
In diffuse interstellar clouds the chemistry that leads to the formation of
the oxygen bearing ions OH+, H2O+, and H3O+ begins with the ionization of
atomic hydrogen by cosmic rays, and continues through subsequent hydrogen
abstraction reactions involving H2. Given these reaction pathways, the observed
abundances of these molecules are useful in constraining both the total
cosmic-ray ionization rate of atomic hydrogen (zeta_H) and molecular hydrogen
fraction, f(H2). We present observations targeting transitions of OH+, H2O+,
and H3O+ made with the Herschel Space Observatory along 20 Galactic sight lines
toward bright submillimeter continuum sources. Both OH+ and H2O+ are detected
in absorption in multiple velocity components along every sight line, but H3O+
is only detected along 7 sight lines. From the molecular abundances we compute
f(H2) in multiple distinct components along each line of sight, and find a
Gaussian distribution with mean and standard deviation 0.042+-0.018. This
confirms previous findings that OH+ and H2O+ primarily reside in gas with low
H2 fractions. We also infer zeta_H throughout our sample, and find a log-normal
distribution with mean log(zeta_H)=-15.75, (zeta_H=1.78x10^-16 s^-1), and
standard deviation 0.29 for gas within the Galactic disk, but outside of the
Galactic center. This is in good agreement with the mean and distribution of
cosmic-ray ionization rates previously inferred from H3+ observations.
Ionization rates in the Galactic center tend to be 10--100 times larger than
found in the Galactic disk, also in accord with prior studies.Comment: 76 pages, 25 figures, 6 tables; accepted for publication in Ap
Triply deuterated ammonia in NGC 1333
The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory has detected triply deuterated ammonia,
ND3, through its 10a-00s transition near 310 GHz. Emission is found in the NGC
1333 region, both towards IRAS 4A and a position to the South-East where DCO+
peaks. In both cases, the hyperfine ratio indicates that the emission is
optically thin. Column densities of ND3 are 3--6 x 10^11 cm^-2 for T_ex=10 K
and twice as high for T_ex=5 K. Using a Monte Carlo radiative transfer code and
a model of the structure of the IRAS source with temperature and density
gradients, the estimated ND3 abundance is 3.2 x 10^-12 if ND3/H2 is constant
throughout the envelope. In the more likely case that ND3/H2D+ is constant,
ND3/H2 peaks in the cold outer parts of the source at a value of 1.0 x 10^-11.
To reproduce the observed NH3/ND3 abundance ratio of ~1000, grain surface
chemistry requires an atomic D/H ratio of ~0.15 in the gas phase, >10 times
higher than in recent chemical models. More likely, the deuteration of NH3
occurs by ion-molecule reactions in the gas phase, in which case the data
indicate that deuteron transfer reactions are much faster than proton
transfers.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics
(Letters
Water in massive star-forming regions: HIFI observations of W3 IRS5
We present Herschel observations of the water molecule in the massive
star-forming region W3 IRS5. The o-H17O 110-101, p-H18O 111-000, p-H2O 22
202-111, p-H2O 111-000, o-H2O 221-212, and o-H2O 212-101 lines, covering a
frequency range from 552 up to 1669 GHz, have been detected at high spectral
resolution with HIFI. The water lines in W3 IRS5 show well-defined
high-velocity wings that indicate a clear contribution by outflows. Moreover,
the systematically blue-shifted absorption in the H2O lines suggests expansion,
presumably driven by the outflow. No infall signatures are detected. The p-H2O
111-000 and o-H2O 212-101 lines show absorption from the cold material (T ~ 10
K) in which the high-mass protostellar envelope is embedded. One-dimensional
radiative transfer models are used to estimate water abundances and to further
study the kinematics of the region. We show that the emission in the rare
isotopologues comes directly from the inner parts of the envelope (T > 100 K)
where water ices in the dust mantles evaporate and the gas-phase abundance
increases. The resulting jump in the water abundance (with a constant inner
abundance of 10^{-4}) is needed to reproduce the o-H17O 110-101 and p-H18O
111-000 spectra in our models. We estimate water abundances of 10^{-8} to
10^{-9} in the outer parts of the envelope (T < 100 K). The possibility of two
protostellar objects contributing to the emission is discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in the A&A HIFI special issu
The Different Structures of the Two Classes of Starless Cores
We describe a model for the thermal and dynamical equilibrium of starless
cores that includes the radiative transfer of the gas and dust and simple CO
chemistry. The model shows that the structure and behavior of the cores is
significantly different depending on whether the central density is either
above or below about 10^5 cm-3. This density is significant as the critical
density for gas cooling by gas-dust collisions and also as the critical density
for dynamical stability, given the typical properties of the starless cores.
The starless cores thus divide into two classes that we refer to as thermally
super-critical and thermally sub-critical.This two-class distinction allows an
improved interpretation of the different observational data of starless cores
within a single model.Comment: ApJ in pres
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