The most luminous heavily obscured quasars have a high merger fraction: morphological study of wise -selected hot dust-obscured galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Lulu; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Dandan; Jiang, Xiaoming; Wu, Qiaoqian; Yang, Jun; Li, Zhao [Shandong Provincial Key Lab of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Science, Shandong University, Weihai 264209 (China); Han, Yunkun [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011 (China); Fang, Guanwen, E-mail: llfan@sdu.edu.cn, E-mail: hanyk@ynao.ac.cn [Institute for Astronomy and History of Science and Technology, Dali University, Dali 671003 (China)

2016-05-10

Previous studies have shown that Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer -selected hyperluminous, hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are powered by highly dust-obscured, possibly Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGNs). High obscuration provides us a good chance to study the host morphology of the most luminous AGNs directly. We analyze the host morphology of 18 Hot DOGs at z ∼ 3 using Hubble Space Telescope /WFC3 imaging. We find that Hot DOGs have a high merger fraction (62 ± 14%). By fitting the surface brightness profiles, we find that the distribution of Sérsic indices in our Hot DOG sample peaks around 2, which suggests that most Hot DOGs have transforming morphologies. We also derive the AGN bolometric luminosity (∼10{sup 14} L {sub ⊙}) of our Hot DOG sample by using IR spectral energy distributions decomposition. The derived merger fraction and AGN bolometric luminosity relation is well consistent with the variability-based model prediction. Both the high merger fraction in an IR-luminous AGN sample and relatively low merger fraction in a UV/optical-selected, unobscured AGN sample can be expected in the merger-driven evolutionary model. Finally, we conclude that Hot DOGs are merger-driven and may represent a transit phase during the evolution of massive galaxies, transforming from the dusty starburst-dominated phase to the unobscured QSO phase.

Clustering at high redshifts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaver, P.A.

1986-01-01

Evidence for clustering of and with high-redshift QSOs is discussed. QSOs of different redshifts show no clustering, but QSOs of similar redshifts appear to be clustered on a scale comparable to that of galaxies at the present epoch. In addition, spectroscopic studies of close pairs of QSOs indicate that QSOs are surrounded by a relatively high density of absorbing matter, possibly clusters of galaxies

SERENDIPITOUS DISCOVERY OF A PROJECTED PAIR OF QSOs SEPARATED BY 4.5 arcsec ON THE SKY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heintz, K. E.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Krogager, J.-K.; Vestergaard, M. [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen O (Denmark); Møller, P.; Arabsalmani, M. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschildstrasse 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Geier, S. [Gran Telescopio Canarias (GRANTECAN), Cuesta de San José s/n, E-38712, Breña Baja, La Palma (Spain); Noterdaeme, P. [Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS-UPMC, UMR7095, 98bis bd Arago, F-75014 Paris (France); Ledoux, C. [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Crdova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile); Saturni, F. G. [University of Rome “La Sapienza”, p.le A. Moro 5, I-00185 Rome (Italy); Venemans, B., E-mail: heintz@dark-cosmology.dk [Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-07-01

We present the serendipitous discovery of a projected pair of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) with an angular separation of Δ θ = 4.50 arcsec. The redshifts of the two QSOs are widely different: one, our program target, is a QSO with a spectrum consistent with being a narrow line Seyfert 1 active galactic nucleus at z = 2.05. For this target we detect Ly α , C iv, and C iii]. The other QSO, which by chance was included on the spectroscopic slit, is a Type 1 QSO at a redshift of z = 1.68, for which we detect C iv, C iii], and Mg ii. We compare this system to previously detected projected QSO pairs and find that only about a dozen previously known pairs have smaller angular separation.

MILLIMETER OBSERVATIONS OF A SAMPLE OF HIGH-REDSHIFT OBSCURED QUASARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez-Sansigre, Alejo; Karim, Alexander; Schinnerer, Eva

2009-01-01

We present observations at 1.2 mm with Max-Planck Millimetre Bolometer Array (MAMBO-II) of a sample of z ∼> 2 radio-intermediate obscured quasars, as well as CO observations of two sources with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer. The typical rms noise achieved by the MAMBO observations is 0.55 mJy beam -1 and five out of 21 sources (24%) are detected at a significance of ≥3σ. Stacking all sources leads to a statistical detection of (S 1.2mm ) = 0.96 ± 0.11 mJy and stacking only the non-detections also yields a statistical detection, with (S 1.2mm ) = 0.51 ± 0.13 mJy. At the typical redshift of the sample, z = 2, 1 mJy corresponds to a far-infrared luminosity L FIR ∼4 x 10 12 L sun . If the far-infrared luminosity is powered entirely by star formation, and not by active galactic nucleus heated dust, then the characteristic inferred star formation rate is ∼700 M sun yr -1 . This far-infrared luminosity implies a dust mass of M d ∼3 x 10 8 M sun , which is expected to be distributed on ∼kpc scales. We estimate that such large dust masses on kpc scales can plausibly cause the obscuration of the quasars. Combining our observations at 1.2 mm with mid- and far-infrared data, and additional observations for two objects at 350 μm using SHARC-II, we present dust spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for our sample and derive a mean SED for our sample. This mean SED is not well fitted by clumpy torus models, unless additional extinction and far-infrared re-emission due to cool dust are included. This additional extinction can be consistently achieved by the mass of cool dust responsible for the far-infrared emission, provided the bulk of the dust is within a radius ∼2-3 kpc. Comparison of our sample to other samples of z ∼ 2 quasars suggests that obscured quasars have, on average, higher far-infrared luminosities than unobscured quasars. There is a hint that the host galaxies of obscured quasars must have higher cool-dust masses and are therefore often

On mixing of Markov measures associated with b−bistochastic QSOs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukhamedov, Farrukh; Embong, Ahmad Fadillah, E-mail: ahmadfadillah.90@gmail.com [Department of Computational Theoretical Sciences Faculty of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia P.O. Box, 141, 25200, Kuantan, Pahang (Malaysia)

2016-06-02

New majorization is in advantage as compared to the classical one since it can be defined as a partial order on sequences. We call it as b−order. Further, the defined order is used to establish a bistochasticity of nonlinear operators in which, in this study is restricted to the simplest case of nonlinear operators i.e quadratic operators. The discussions in this paper are based on bistochasticity of Quadratic Stochastic Operators (QSO) with respect to the b−order. In short, such operators are called b−bistochastic QSO. The main objectives in this paper are to show the construction of non-homogeneous Markov measures associated with QSO and to show the defined measures associated with the classes of b−bistochastic QSOs meet the mixing property.

On mixing of Markov measures associated with b−bistochastic QSOs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhamedov, Farrukh; Embong, Ahmad Fadillah

2016-01-01

New majorization is in advantage as compared to the classical one since it can be defined as a partial order on sequences. We call it as b−order. Further, the defined order is used to establish a bistochasticity of nonlinear operators in which, in this study is restricted to the simplest case of nonlinear operators i.e quadratic operators. The discussions in this paper are based on bistochasticity of Quadratic Stochastic Operators (QSO) with respect to the b−order. In short, such operators are called b−bistochastic QSO. The main objectives in this paper are to show the construction of non-homogeneous Markov measures associated with QSO and to show the defined measures associated with the classes of b−bistochastic QSOs meet the mixing property.

THE XMM-NEWTON X-RAY SPECTRA OF THE MOST X-RAY LUMINOUS RADIO-QUIET ROSAT BRIGHT SURVEY-QSOs: A REFERENCE SAMPLE FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF HIGH-REDSHIFT QSO SPECTRA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krumpe, M.; Markowitz, A.; Lamer, G.; Corral, A.

2010-01-01

We present the broadband X-ray properties of four of the most X-ray luminous (L X ≥ 10 45 erg s -1 in the 0.5-2 keV band) radio-quiet QSOs found in the ROSAT Bright Survey. This uniform sample class, which explores the extreme end of the QSO luminosity function, exhibits surprisingly homogenous X-ray spectral properties: a soft excess with an extremely smooth shape containing no obvious discrete features, a hard power law above 2 keV, and a weak narrow/barely resolved Fe Kα fluorescence line for the three high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectra. The soft excess can be well fitted with only a soft power law. No signatures of warm or cold intrinsic absorbers are found. The Fe Kα centroids and the line widths indicate emission from neutral Fe (E = 6.4 keV) originating from cold material from distances of only a few light days or further out. The well-constrained equivalent widths (EW) of the neutral Fe lines are higher than expected from the X-ray Baldwin effect which has been only poorly constrained at very high luminosities. Taking into account our individual EW measurements, we show that the X-ray Baldwin effect flattens above L X ∼ 10 44 erg s -1 (2-10 keV band) where an almost constant (EW) of ∼100 eV is found. We confirm the assumption of having very similar X-ray active galactic nucleus properties when interpreting stacked X-ray spectra. Our stacked spectrum serves as a superb reference for the interpretation of low S/N spectra of radio-quiet QSOs with similar luminosities at higher redshifts routinely detected by XMM-Newton and Chandra surveys.

Luminosity dependence in the ratio of X-ray to infrared emission of QSOs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worrall, D.M.

1987-01-01

The correlation of X-ray and near-infrared luminosity is studied for a sample of radio-quiet QSOs. The X-ray to infrared ratio is found to decrease as the infrared luminosity increases. No preference is found between the correlations of X-ray luminosity with optical or infrared luminosity. This implies that optical and infrared emission are equally good predictors of X-ray emission. Source models which directly link infrared and X-ray emission are discussed, and a preference is found for a specific synchrotron self-Compton model. This model predicts the correct luminosity dependence of the X-ray to infrared ratio if certain conditions apply. 55 references

Obscurity of poetry in Paul Celan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio Mendonça Cardozo

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Tensioned between variations of the said and the unsaid, and between figures of light and shadow, Paul Celan's work performs a certain confrontation with the condition of silence and obscurity, breaking all at once with a certain way of making poetry and of relating to reality. In this sense, Celan's work can hardly be reduced to a kind of hermeticism, a category too vague to account for its singularity. In his work saying and silencing together articulate the tension that creates the poetic space in which the poem is inscribed. The poet himself tried to refuse the insistence of some critics on labeling his work as obscure. Despite of its fragmentary nature, the recently published manuscripts of his speech project Von der Dunkelheit des Dichterischen constitutes one of Celan’s most extensive discussions of the matter of obscurity in poetry. This paper aims at presenting the fragments of his speech project and pointing out its importance to the discussion of the notion of obscurity in Paul Celan's work.

The value of multidetector-row computed tomography for localization of obscure acute gastrointestinal bleeding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Wei-Chou [Department of Radiology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China); Tsai, Shih-Hung [Department of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China); Chang, Wei-Kuo [Division of Gasteroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China); Liu, Chang-Hsien [Department of Radiology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China); Tung, Ho-Jui [Department of Healthcare Administration, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Hsieh, Chung-Bao [Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China); Huang, Guo-Shu; Hsu, Hsian-He [Department of Radiology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China); Yu, Chih-Yung, E-mail: chougo2002@yahoo.com.tw [Department of Radiology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan (China)

2011-11-15

Purpose: There are no simple guidelines on when to perform multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) for diagnosis of obscure acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB). We used a risk scoring system to evaluate the diagnostic power of MDCT for patients with obscure AGIB. Materials and methods: Ninety-two patients with obscure AGIB who were referred for an MDCT scan after unsuccessful endoscopic treatment at presentation were studied. We recorded clinical data and calculated Blatchford score for each patient. Patients who required transfusion more than 500 mL of blood to maintain the vital signs were classified as high-risk patients. Two radiologists independently reviewed and categorized MDCT signs of obscure AGIB. Discordant findings were resolved by consensus. One-way ANOVA was used to compare clinical data between two groups; kappa statistics were used to estimate agreement on MDCT findings between radiologists. Results: Of the 92 patients, 62 (67.4%) were classified as high-risk patients. Blatchford scores of high-risk patients were significantly greater than those of low-risk patients. Sensitivity for MDCT diagnosing obscure AGIB was 81% in high-risk patients, as compared with 50% in the low-risk. When used in conjunction with selection of the cut-off value of 13 in Blatchford scoring system, the sensitivity and specificity of MDCT were 70.9% and 73.7%, respectively. Contrast extravasation was the most specific sign of AGIB (k = .87), recognition of which would have improved diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions: With the aid of Blatchford scoring system for evaluating the disease severity, MDCT can localize the bleeders of obscure AGIB more efficiently.

The value of multidetector-row computed tomography for localization of obscure acute gastrointestinal bleeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Wei-Chou; Tsai, Shih-Hung; Chang, Wei-Kuo; Liu, Chang-Hsien; Tung, Ho-Jui; Hsieh, Chung-Bao; Huang, Guo-Shu; Hsu, Hsian-He; Yu, Chih-Yung

2011-01-01

Purpose: There are no simple guidelines on when to perform multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) for diagnosis of obscure acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB). We used a risk scoring system to evaluate the diagnostic power of MDCT for patients with obscure AGIB. Materials and methods: Ninety-two patients with obscure AGIB who were referred for an MDCT scan after unsuccessful endoscopic treatment at presentation were studied. We recorded clinical data and calculated Blatchford score for each patient. Patients who required transfusion more than 500 mL of blood to maintain the vital signs were classified as high-risk patients. Two radiologists independently reviewed and categorized MDCT signs of obscure AGIB. Discordant findings were resolved by consensus. One-way ANOVA was used to compare clinical data between two groups; kappa statistics were used to estimate agreement on MDCT findings between radiologists. Results: Of the 92 patients, 62 (67.4%) were classified as high-risk patients. Blatchford scores of high-risk patients were significantly greater than those of low-risk patients. Sensitivity for MDCT diagnosing obscure AGIB was 81% in high-risk patients, as compared with 50% in the low-risk. When used in conjunction with selection of the cut-off value of 13 in Blatchford scoring system, the sensitivity and specificity of MDCT were 70.9% and 73.7%, respectively. Contrast extravasation was the most specific sign of AGIB (k = .87), recognition of which would have improved diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions: With the aid of Blatchford scoring system for evaluating the disease severity, MDCT can localize the bleeders of obscure AGIB more efficiently.

Star formation at high redshift and the importance of dust obscuration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michalowski, Michal

One of the aspects of the understanding of the Universe evolution is its star formation history. In order to gain a complete picture of the Universe evolution it is important to know when the stars we see today were formed. One of the method to study this problem is to use far-infrared and radio...... emission of galaxies. In this way it is possible to investigate the sites of star formation that are totally obscured by dust and therefore invisible at the optical wavelengths. It is because the energy absorbed by dust in the optical is re-emitted in the infrared, whereas radio emission is unaffected...... and/or radio, namely their enhanced submillimeter / radio emission combined with optical faintness and blue colors. I find that these four galaxies are young, highly star-forming, low-mass and dusty....

Behind every innovative solution lies an obscure feature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Spector (Fellow ISGEC

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The Obscure Features Hypothesis (OFH for innovation states that a two-step process undergirds almost all innovative solutions: (1 notice an infrequently observed or new (i.e., obscure feature of the problem and (2 construct an interaction involving the obscure feature that produces the desired effects to solve the problem. The OFH leads to a systematic derivation of innovation-enhancing techniques by engaging in two tasks. First, we developed a 32-category system of the types of features possessable by a physical object or material. This Feature Type Taxonomy (FTT provides a panoramic view of the space of features and assists in searches for the obscure ones. Second, we are articulating the many cognitive reasons that obscure features are overlooked and are developing countering techniques for each known reason. We present the implications and techniques of the OFH, as well as indicate how software can assist innovators in the effective use of these innovation-enhancing techniques.

Why i cried over thomas Hardy's - jude the obscure Why i cried over thomas Hardy's - jude the obscure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hildrun Heinrichs

2008-04-01

Full Text Available 1. INTRODUCTION "Why did I cry over Jude the Obscure" seems rather a difficult question to discuss in public. But isn't it amazing, how authors manipulate their readers? How we are at their mercy to feel delighted or distressed? If this is so, we ought to ask ourselves how they do it, what their devices are. So my problem really is: what elements are there in the narrative of Jude the Obscure, that provoke a sentiment of agonizing awe, which reaches its climax under the impression of Sue's decision to chastise herself and go back to Phillotson? A second question follows: why the reader accepts such a decision, i.e. how it fits the reality and characters created in this novel. I shall therefore analyse Jude the Obscure under the following aspects: arepresentation of reality bpresentation of plot c characterization of Sue Bridehead 1. INTRODUCTION "Why did I cry over Jude the Obscure" seems rather a difficult question to discuss in public. But isn't it amazing, how authors manipulate their readers? How we are at their mercy to feel delighted or distressed? If this is so, we ought to ask ourselves how they do it, what their devices are. So my problem really is: what elements are there in the narrative of Jude the Obscure, that provoke a sentiment of agonizing awe, which reaches its climax under the impression of Sue's decision to chastise herself and go back to Phillotson? A second question follows: why the reader accepts such a decision, i.e. how it fits the reality and characters created in this novel. I shall therefore analyse Jude the Obscure under the following aspects: arepresentation of reality bpresentation of plot c characterization of Sue Bridehead

X-Ray Spectral Properties of Seven Heavily Obscured Seyfert 2 Galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchesi, S.; Ajello, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Comastri, A. [INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Cusumano, G.; Parola, V. La; Segreto, A., E-mail: smarche@clemson.edu [INAF—Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Via U. La Malfa 153, I-90146 Palermo (Italy)

2017-02-10

We present the combined Chandra and Swift -BAT spectral analysis of seven Seyfert 2 galaxies selected from the Swift -BAT 100 month catalog. We selected nearby ( z ≤ 0.03) sources lacking a ROSAT counterpart that never previously been observed with Chandra in the 0.3–10 keV energy range, and targeted these objects with 10 ks Chandra ACIS-S observations. The X-ray spectral fitting over the 0.3–150 keV energy range allows us to determine that all the objects are significantly obscured, with N{sub H} ≥ 10{sup 23} cm{sup −2} at a >99% confidence level. Moreover, one to three sources are candidate Compton-thick Active Galactic Nuclei (CT-AGNs; i.e., N{sub H}≥10{sup 24} cm{sup −2}). We also test the recent spectral curvature method developed by Koss et al. to find candidate CT-AGNs, finding a good agreement between our results and their predictions. Because the selection criteria we adopted were effective in detecting highly obscured AGNs, further observations of these and other Seyfert 2 galaxies selected from the Swift -BAT 100 month catalog will allow us to create a statistically significant sample of highly obscured AGNs, therefore providing a better understanding of the physics of the obscuration processes.

THE HIGH A{sub V} Quasar Survey: Reddened Quasi-Stellar Objects selected from optical/near-infrared photometry. II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krogager, J.-K.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Vestergaard, M. [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (Denmark); Geier, S. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Venemans, B. P. [Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Ledoux, C. [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile); Møller, P. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschildstrasse 2, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany); Noterdaeme, P. [Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS-UPMC, UMR7095, 98bis bd Arago, F-75014 Paris (France); Kangas, T.; Pursimo, T.; Smirnova, O. [Nordic Optical Telescope, Apartado 474, E-38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma (Spain); Saturni, F. G. [Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Väisäläntie 20, 21500 Piikkiö (Finland)

2015-03-15

Quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) whose spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are reddened by dust either in their host galaxies or in intervening absorber galaxies are to a large degree missed by optical color selection criteria like the ones used by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). To overcome this bias against red QSOs, we employ a combined optical and near-infrared (near-IR) color selection. In this paper, we present a spectroscopic follow-up campaign of a sample of red candidate QSOs which were selected from the SDSS and the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS). The spectroscopic data and SDSS/UKIDSS photometry are supplemented by mid-infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. In our sample of 159 candidates, 154 (97%) are confirmed to be QSOs. We use a statistical algorithm to identify sightlines with plausible intervening absorption systems and identify nine such cases assuming dust in the absorber similar to Large Magellanic Cloud sightlines. We find absorption systems toward 30 QSOs, 2 of which are consistent with the best-fit absorber redshift from the statistical modeling. Furthermore, we observe a broad range in SED properties of the QSOs as probed by the rest-frame 2 μm flux. We find QSOs with a strong excess as well as QSOs with a large deficit at rest-frame 2 μm relative to a QSO template. Potential solutions to these discrepancies are discussed. Overall, our study demonstrates the high efficiency of the optical/near-IR selection of red QSOs.

The Constant Average Relationship Between Dust-obscured Star Formation and Stellar Mass from z=0 to z=2.5

Science.gov (United States)

Whitaker, Katherine E.; Pope, Alexandra; Cybulski, Ryan; Casey, Caitlin M.; Popping, Gergo; Yun, Min; 3D-HST Collaboration

2018-01-01

The total star formation budget of galaxies consists of the sum of the unobscured star formation, as observed in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV), together with the obscured component that is absorbed and re-radiated by dust grains in the infrared. We explore how the fraction of obscured star formation depends (SFR) and stellar mass for mass-complete samples of galaxies at 0 MIPS 24μm photometry in the well-studied 5 extragalactic CANDELS fields. We find a strong dependence of the fraction of obscured star formation (f_obscured=SFR_IR/SFR_UV+IR) on stellar mass, with remarkably little evolution in this fraction with redshift out to z=2.5. 50% of star formation is obscured for galaxies with log(M/M⊙)=9.4 although unobscured star formation dominates the budget at lower masses, there exists a tail of low mass extremely obscured star-forming galaxies at z > 1. For log(M/M⊙)>10.5, >90% of star formation is obscured at all redshifts. We also show that at fixed total SFR, f_obscured is lower at higher redshift. At fixed mass, high-redshift galaxies are observed to have more compact sizes and much higher star formation rates, gas fractions and hence surface densities (implying higher dust obscuration), yet we observe no redshift evolution in f_obscured with stellar mass. This poses a challenge to theoretical models to reproduce, where the observed compact sizes at high redshift seem in tension with lower dust obscuration.

Central obscuration effects on optical synthetic aperture imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xue-wen; Luo, Xiao; Zheng, Li-gong; Zhang, Xue-jun

2014-02-01

Due to the central obscuration problem exists in most optical synthetic aperture systems, it is necessary to analyze its effects on their image performance. Based on the incoherent diffraction limited imaging theory, a Golay-3 type synthetic aperture system was used to study the central obscuration effects on the point spread function (PSF) and the modulation transfer function (MTF). It was found that the central obscuration does not affect the width of the central peak of the PSF and the cutoff spatial frequency of the MTF, but attenuate the first sidelobe of the PSF and the midfrequency of the MTF. The imaging simulation of a Golay-3 type synthetic aperture system with central obscuration proved this conclusion. At last, a Wiener Filter restoration algorithm was used to restore the image of this system, the images were obviously better.

ASSOCIATIONS OF HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASI-STELLAR OBJECTS WITH ACTIVE, LOW-REDSHIFT SPIRAL GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burbidge, G.; Napier, W. M.

2009-01-01

Following the discovery in the 1960s of radio and optical QSOs it was found that some of them lie very close to low-redshift (z ≤ 0.01) spiral galaxies with separations of ∼<2 arcmin. These were discovered both serendipitously by many observers, and systematically by Arp. They are some of the brightest QSOs in radio and optical wavelengths and are very rare. We have carried out a new statistical analysis of most of those galaxy-QSO pairs and find that the configurations have high statistical significance. We show that gravitational microlensing due to stars or other dark objects in the halos of the galaxies apparently cannot account for the excess. Sampling or identification bias likewise seems unable to explain it. Following this up we selected all ∼4000 QSOs with g ≤ 18 from a catalog of confirmed QSOs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and compared them with various subsets of galaxies from the RC 3 galaxy catalog. In contrast to the earlier results, no significant excess of such QSOs was found around these galaxies. Possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed.

Infrared Selection of Obscured Active Galactic Nuclei in the COSMOS Field

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yu-Yen; Le Floc'h, Emeric; Juneau, Stéphanie; da Cunha, Elisabete; Salvato, Mara; Civano, Francesca; Marchesi, Stefano; Ilbert, Olivier; Toba, Yoshiki; Lim, Chen-Fatt; Tang, Ji-Jia; Wang, Wei-Hao; Ferraro, Nicholas; Urry, Megan C.; Griffiths, Richard E.; Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.

2017-12-01

We present a study of the connection among black hole accretion, star formation, and galaxy morphology at z≤slant 2.5. We focus on active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected by their mid-IR power-law emission. By fitting optical to far-IR photometry with state-of-the-art spectral energy distribution (SED) techniques, we derive stellar masses, star formation rates, dust properties, and AGN contributions in galaxies over the whole COSMOS field. We find that obscured AGNs lie within or slightly above the star-forming sequence. We confirm our previous finding about compact host galaxies of obscured AGNs at z˜ 1, and find that galaxies with 20%-50% AGN contributions tend to have smaller sizes, by ˜25%-50%, compared to galaxies without AGNs. Furthermore, we find that a high merger fraction of up to 0.5 is appropriate for the most luminous ({log}({L}{IR}/{L}⊙ )˜ 12.5) AGN hosts and non-AGN galaxies, but not for the whole obscured AGN sample. Moreover, the merger fraction depends on the total and star-forming IR luminosity, rather than on the decomposed AGN infrared luminosity. Our results suggest that major mergers are not the main driver of AGN activity, and therefore obscured AGNs might be triggered by internal mechanisms, such as secular processes, disk instabilities, and compaction in a particular evolutionary stage. We make the SED modeling results publicly available.

X-ray View of Four High-Luminosity Swift-BAT AGN: Unveiling Obscuration and Reflection with Suzaku

Science.gov (United States)

Fiorettil, V.; Angelini, L.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Koss, M.; Malaguti, G.

2013-01-01

Aims. A complete census of obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is necessary to reveal the history of the super massive black hole (SMBH) growth and galaxy evolution in the Universe given the complex feedback processes and the fact that much of this growth occurs in an obscured phase. In this context, hard X-ray surveys and dedicated follow-up observations represent a unique tool for selecting highly absorbed AGN and for characterizing the obscuring matter surrounding the SMBH. Here we focus on the absorption and reflection occurring in highly luminous, quasar-like AGN, to study the relation between the geometry of the absorbing matter and the AGN nature (e.g. X-ray, optical, and radio properties), and to help to determine the column density dependency on the AGN luminosity. Methods. The Swift/BAT nine-month survey observed 153 AGN, all with ultra-hard X-ray BAT fluxes in excess of 10(exp -11) erg per square centimeter and an average redshift of 0.03. Among them, four of the most luminous BAT AGN (44.73 less than LogLBAT less than 45.31) were selected as targets of Suzaku follow-up observations: J2246.0+3941 (3C 452), J0407.4+0339 (3C 105), J0318.7+6828, and J0918.5+0425. The column density, scattered/reflected emission, the properties of the Fe K line, and a possible variability are fully analyzed. For the latter, the spectral properties from Chandra, XMM-Newton and Swift/XRT public observations were compared with the present Suzaku analysis, adding an original spectral analysis when non was available from the literature. Results. Of our sample, 3C 452 is the only certain Compton-thick AGN candidate because of i) the high absorption (N(sub H) approximately 4 × 10(exp 23) per square centimeter) and strong Compton reflection; ii) the lack of variability; iii) the "buried" nature, i.e. the low scattering fraction (less than 0.5%) and the extremely low relative [OIII] luminosity. In contrast 3C 105 is not reflection-dominated, despite the comparable column density

THE SPITZER EXTRAGALACTIC REPRESENTATIVE VOLUME SURVEY: THE ENVIRONMENTS OF HIGH-z SDSS QUASI-STELLAR OBJECTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Falder, J. T.; Stevens, J. A.; Jarvis, Matt J.; Bonfield, D. G.; Lacy, M.; Farrah, D.; Oliver, S.; Surace, J.; Mauduit, J.-C.; Vaccari, M.; Marchetti, L.; Gonzalez-Solares, E.; Afonso, J.; Cava, A.; Seymour, N.

2011-01-01

This paper presents a study of the environments of SDSS quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) in the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS). We concentrate on the high-redshift QSOs as these have not been studied in large numbers with data of this depth before. We use the IRAC 3.6-4.5 μm color of objects and ancillary r-band data to filter out as much foreground contamination as possible. This technique allows us to find a significant (>4σ) overdensity of galaxies around QSOs in a redshift bin centered on z ∼ 2.0 and an (>2σ) overdensity of galaxies around QSOs in a redshift bin centered on z ∼ 3.3. We compare our findings to the predictions of a semi-analytic galaxy formation model, based on the ΛCDM MILLENNIUM simulation, and find for both redshift bins that the model predictions match well the source density we have measured from the SERVS data.

Heavy X-ray obscuration in the most luminous galaxies discovered by WISE

Science.gov (United States)

Vito, F.; Brandt, W. N.; Stern, D.; Assef, R. J.; Chen, C.-T. J.; Brightman, M.; Comastri, A.; Eisenhardt, P.; Garmire, G. P.; Hickox, R.; Lansbury, G.; Tsai, C.-W.; Walton, D. J.; Wu, J. W.

2018-03-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are hyperluminous (L8-1000 μm > 1013 L⊙) infrared galaxies with extremely high (up to hundreds of K) dust temperatures. The sources powering both their extremely high luminosities and dust temperatures are thought to be deeply buried and rapidly accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Hot DOGs could therefore represent a key evolutionary phase in which the SMBH growth peaks. X-ray observations can be used to study their obscuration levels and luminosities. In this work, we present the X-ray properties of the 20 most luminous (Lbol ≳ 1014 L⊙) known hot DOGs at z = 2-4.6. Five of them are covered by long-exposure (10-70 ks) Chandra and XMM-Newton observations, with three being X-ray detected, and we study their individual properties. One of these sources (W0116-0505) is a Compton-thick candidate, with column density NH = (1.0-1.5) × 1024 cm-2 derived from X-ray spectral fitting. The remaining 15 hot DOGs have been targeted by a Chandra snapshot (3.1 ks) survey. None of these 15 are individually detected; therefore, we applied a stacking analysis to investigate their average emission. From hardness ratio analysis, we constrained the average obscuring column density and intrinsic luminosity to be log NH (cm-2) > 23.5 and LX ≳ 1044 erg s-1, which are consistent with results for individually detected sources. We also investigated the LX-L6 μm and LX-Lbol relations, finding hints that hot DOGs are typically X-ray weaker than expected, although larger samples of luminous obscured quasi-stellar objects are needed to derive solid conclusions.

Testing AGN unification via inference from large catalogs

Science.gov (United States)

Nikutta, Robert; Ivezic, Zeljko; Elitzur, Moshe; Nenkova, Maia

2018-01-01

Source orientation and clumpiness of the central dust are the main factors in AGN classification. Type-1 QSOs are easy to observe and large samples are available (e.g. in SDSS), but obscured type-2 AGN are dimmer and redder as our line of sight is more obscured, making it difficult to obtain a complete sample. WISE has found up to a million QSOs. With only 4 bands and a relatively small aperture the analysis of individual sources is challenging, but the large sample allows inference of bulk properties at a very significant level.CLUMPY (www.clumpy.org) is arguably the most popular database of AGN torus SEDs. We model the ensemble properties of the entire WISE AGN content using regularized linear regression, with orientation-dependent CLUMPY color-color-magnitude (CCM) tracks as basis functions. We can reproduce the observed number counts per CCM bin with percent-level accuracy, and simultaneously infer the probability distributions of all torus parameters, redshifts, additional SED components, and identify type-1/2 AGN populations through their IR properties alone. We increase the statistical power of our AGN unification tests even further, by adding other datasets as axes in the regression problem. To this end, we make use of the NOAO Data Lab (datalab.noao.edu), which hosts several high-level large datasets and provides very powerful tools for handling large data, e.g. cross-matched catalogs, fast remote queries, etc.

Media Language, Clear or Obscure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Bjarne le Fevre; Ejstrup, Michael

2015-01-01

Abstract— Be clear, not obscure. One of the four maxims for optimal communication is that it is essential to develop proficiency in being concise and clear. The question is whether this is really a good idea in all contexts. There is some evidence to the contrary. Undoubtedly, we have many contexts...

CT enteroclysis in the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: initial results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, T.P.; Gulati, M.S.; Makharia, G.K.; Bandhu, S.; Garg, P.K.

2007-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) enteroclysis in patients with obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Materials and methods: In a prospective study, CT enteroclysis was performed in 21 patients (median age 50 years; range 13-71 years) with obscure GI bleeding in which the source of the bleeding could not be detected despite the patient having undergone both upper GI endoscopic and colonoscopic examinations. The entire abdomen and pelvis was examined in the arterial and venous phases using multisection CT after distending the small intestine with 2 l of 0.5% methylcellulose as a neutral enteral contrast medium and the administration of 150 ml intravenous contrast medium. Results: Adequate distension of the small intestine was achieved in 20 of the 21 (95.2%) patients. Potential causes of GI bleeding were identified in 10 of the 21 (47.6%) patients using CT enteroclysis. The cause of the bleeding could be detected nine of 14 (64.3%) patients with overt, obscure GI bleeding. However, for patients with occult, obscure GI bleeding, the cause of the bleeding was identified in only one of the seven (14.3%) patients. The lesions identified by CT enteroclysis included small bowel tumours (n = 2), small bowel intussusceptions (n = 2), intestinal tuberculosis (n = 2), and vascular lesions (n = 3). All vascular lesions were seen equally well in both the arterial and venous phases. Conclusions: The success rate in detection of the cause of bleeding using CT enteroclysis was 47.6% in patients with obscure GI bleeding. The diagnostic yield was higher in patients with overt, obscure GI bleeding than in those with occult obscure GI bleeding

CT enteroclysis in the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: initial results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jain, T.P. [Department ofRadiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (India); Gulati, M.S. [Department of Imaging, Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust, London (United Kingdom); Makharia, G.K. [Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (India)]. E-mail: govindmakharia@aiims.ac.in; Bandhu, S. [Department ofRadiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (India); Garg, P.K. [Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (India)

2007-07-15

Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) enteroclysis in patients with obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Materials and methods: In a prospective study, CT enteroclysis was performed in 21 patients (median age 50 years; range 13-71 years) with obscure GI bleeding in which the source of the bleeding could not be detected despite the patient having undergone both upper GI endoscopic and colonoscopic examinations. The entire abdomen and pelvis was examined in the arterial and venous phases using multisection CT after distending the small intestine with 2 l of 0.5% methylcellulose as a neutral enteral contrast medium and the administration of 150 ml intravenous contrast medium. Results: Adequate distension of the small intestine was achieved in 20 of the 21 (95.2%) patients. Potential causes of GI bleeding were identified in 10 of the 21 (47.6%) patients using CT enteroclysis. The cause of the bleeding could be detected nine of 14 (64.3%) patients with overt, obscure GI bleeding. However, for patients with occult, obscure GI bleeding, the cause of the bleeding was identified in only one of the seven (14.3%) patients. The lesions identified by CT enteroclysis included small bowel tumours (n = 2), small bowel intussusceptions (n = 2), intestinal tuberculosis (n = 2), and vascular lesions (n = 3). All vascular lesions were seen equally well in both the arterial and venous phases. Conclusions: The success rate in detection of the cause of bleeding using CT enteroclysis was 47.6% in patients with obscure GI bleeding. The diagnostic yield was higher in patients with overt, obscure GI bleeding than in those with occult obscure GI bleeding.

Readability of self-illuminated signs obscured by black fuel-fire smoke.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-07-01

This study, using black fuel-fire generated smoke, is a partial replication of an earlier study using an inert white smoke as the obscuring agent in the study of the readability of smoke-obscured, self-illuminated emergency exit signs. : The results ...

High-z X-ray Obscured Quasars in Galaxies with Extreme Mid-IR/Optical Colors

Science.gov (United States)

Piconcelli, E.; Lanzuisi, G.; Fiore, F.; Feruglio, C.; Vignali, C.; Salvato, M.; Grappioni, C.

2009-05-01

Extreme Optical/Mid-IR color cuts have been used to uncover a population of dust-enshrouded, mid-IR luminous galaxies at high redshifts. Several lines of evidence point towards the presence of an heavily absorbed, possibly Compton-thick quasar at the heart of these systems. Nonetheless, the X-ray spectral properties of these intriguing sources still remain largely unexplored. Here we present an X-ray spectroscopic study of a large sample of 44 extreme dust-obscured galaxies (EDOGs) with F24 μm/FR>2000 and F24 μm>1.3 mJy selected from a 6 deg2 region in the SWIRE fields. The application of our selection criteria to a wide area survey has been capable of unveiling a population of X-ray luminous, absorbed z>1 quasars which is mostly missed in the traditional optical/X-ray surveys performed so far. Advances in the understanding of the X-ray properties of these recently-discovered sources by Simbol-X observations will be also discussed.

Focal intestinal lymphangiectasia: An unusual cause of acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashish Kumar Jha

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Detection of bleeding lesion in a patient of acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is a real challenge. Recently, authors have showed superiority of urgent capsule endoscopy (CE over angiography in patients with acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Focal type of intestinal lymphangiectasia is a rare cause of acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Here, we describe a case of focal lymphangiectasia who presented to us with acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and diagnosed by urgent CE.

The NuSTAR Serendipitous Survey: Hunting for the Most Extreme Obscured AGN at >10 keV

Science.gov (United States)

Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Aird, J.; Gandhi, P.; Stern, D.; Koss, M.; Lamperti, I.; Ajello, M.; Annuar, A.; Assef, R. J.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Bauer, F. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Chen, C.-T. J.; Civano, F.; Comastri, A.; Del Moro, A.; Fuentes, C.; Harrison, F. A.; Marchesi, S.; Masini, A.; Mullaney, J. R.; Ricci, C.; Saez, C.; Tomsick, J. A.; Treister, E.; Walton, D. J.; Zappacosta, L.

2017-09-01

We identify sources with extremely hard X-ray spectra (I.e., with photon indices of {{Γ }}≲ 0.6) in the 13 deg2 NuSTAR serendipitous survey, to search for the most highly obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected at > 10 {keV}. Eight extreme NuSTAR sources are identified, and we use the NuSTAR data in combination with lower-energy X-ray observations (from Chandra, Swift XRT, and XMM-Newton) to characterize the broadband (0.5-24 keV) X-ray spectra. We find that all of the extreme sources are highly obscured AGNs, including three robust Compton-thick (CT; {N}{{H}}> 1.5× {10}24 cm-2) AGNs at low redshift (z< 0.1) and a likely CT AGN at higher redshift (z = 0.16). Most of the extreme sources would not have been identified as highly obscured based on the low-energy (< 10 keV) X-ray coverage alone. The multiwavelength properties (e.g., optical spectra and X-ray-mid-IR luminosity ratios) provide further support for the eight sources being significantly obscured. Correcting for absorption, the intrinsic rest-frame 10-40 keV luminosities of the extreme sources cover a broad range, from ≈ 5× {10}42 to 1045 erg s-1. The estimated number counts of CT AGNs in the NuSTAR serendipitous survey are in broad agreement with model expectations based on previous X-ray surveys, except for the lowest redshifts (z< 0.07), where we measure a high CT fraction of {f}{CT}{obs}={30}-12+16 % . For the small sample of CT AGNs, we find a high fraction of galaxy major mergers (50% ± 33%) compared to control samples of “normal” AGNs.

POWERFUL ACTIVITY IN THE BRIGHT AGES. I. A VISIBLE/IR SURVEY OF HIGH REDSHIFT 3C RADIO GALAXIES AND QUASARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hilbert, B.; Chiaberge, M.; Kotyla, J. P.; Sparks, W. B.; Macchetto, F. D. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Tremblay, G. R. [Yale University, Department of Astronomy, 260 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Stanghellini, C. [INAF—Istituto di Radioastronomia, Via P. Gobetti, 101 I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Baum, S.; O’Dea, C. P. [University of Manitoba, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, 66 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 (Canada); Capetti, A. [Osservatorio Astronomico de Torino, Corso Savona, I-10024 Moncalieri TO (Italy); Miley, G. K. [Universiteit Leiden, Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ Leiden (Netherlands); Perlman, E. S. [Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901 (United States); Quillen, A. [Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Physics and Astronomy, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)

2016-07-01

We present new rest-frame UV and visible observations of 22 high- z (1 < z < 2.5) 3C radio galaxies and QSOs obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope ’s Wide Field Camera 3 instrument. Using a custom data reduction strategy in order to assure the removal of cosmic rays, persistence signal, and other data artifacts, we have produced high-quality science-ready images of the targets and their local environments. We observe targets with regions of UV emission suggestive of active star formation. In addition, several targets exhibit highly distorted host galaxy morphologies in the rest frame visible images. Photometric analyses reveal that brighter QSOs generally tend to be redder than their dimmer counterparts. Using emission line fluxes from the literature, we estimate that emission line contamination is relatively small in the rest frame UV images for the QSOs. Using archival VLA data, we have also created radio map overlays for each of our targets, allowing for analysis of the optical and radio axes alignment.

Obscure bleeding colonic duplication responds to proton pump inhibitor therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacques, Jérémie; Projetti, Fabrice; Legros, Romain; Valgueblasse, Virginie; Sarabi, Matthieu; Carrier, Paul; Fredon, Fabien; Bouvier, Stéphane; Loustaud-Ratti, Véronique; Sautereau, Denis

2013-09-21

We report the case of a 17-year-old male admitted to our academic hospital with massive rectal bleeding. Since childhood he had reported recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding and had two exploratory laparotomies 5 and 2 years previously. An emergency abdominal computed tomography scan, gastroscopy and colonoscopy, performed after hemodynamic stabilization, were considered normal. High-dose intravenous proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy was initiated and bleeding stopped spontaneously. Two other massive rectal bleeds occurred 8 h after each cessation of PPI which led to a hemostatic laparotomy after negative gastroscopy and small bowel capsule endoscopy. This showed long tubular duplication of the right colon, with fresh blood in the duplicated colon. Obscure lower gastrointestinal bleeding is a difficult medical situation and potentially life-threatening. The presence of ulcerated ectopic gastric mucosa in the colonic duplication explains the partial efficacy of PPI therapy. Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding responding to empiric anti-acid therapy should probably evoke the diagnosis of bleeding ectopic gastric mucosa such as Meckel's diverticulum or gastrointestinal duplication, and gastroenterologists should be aware of this potential medical situation.

"Cet obscur objet du Désir"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reto Melchior

1996-09-01

Full Text Available Luis Bunuel’s last film is based on Pierre Louÿs’ La Femme et le Pantin. This now forgotten bestseller, published in 1898, is drawn from Goya s painting El Pelele, in which four women are playing with a male puppet. In Pierre Louÿs’ novel this scene is inverted so that one woman with two faces plays with four men. In Cet Obscur Objet du Désir this “femme fatale” is interpreted by two actresses. The concentric structure of the film puts focus on a scene of being excluded from knowing. The technique of continually interrupting the flash-back sequences frustrates the audience because of its exclusion from the “real” course of events and gives rise to doubts whether the male protagonist tells the truth about his love-affair or whether he satisfies the curiosity of the audience by telling them Pierre Louÿs’ novel as his own story. This ambiguous art of narration mirrors Bunuel’s claim that the main topic of Cet Obscur Objet du Désir is frustration.

Characterizing the evolution of WISE-selected obscured and unobscured quasars using HOD models.

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Adam D.; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Mitra, Kaustav; Hickox, Ryan C.; Chatterjee, Suchetana; Whalen, Kelly

2018-06-01

Large-area imaging surveys in the infrared are now beginning to unlock the links between the activity of supermassive black holes and the cosmic evolution of dark matter halos during the significant times when black hole growth is enshrouded in dust. With data from the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and complementary optical photometry, we construct samples of nearly half-a-million obscured and unobscured quasars around redshift 1. We study the dark matter halos of these populations using both angular autocorrelation functions and CMB lensing cross-correlations, carefully characterizing the redshift distribution of the obscured quasar sample using cross-correlations. Independent of our measurement technique, we find that obscured quasars occupy dark matter halos a few times more massive than their unobscured counterparts, despite being matched in luminosity at 12 and 22 microns. Modeling the two-point correlation function using a four-parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) formalism, we determine that purely optically selected quasars reside in dark matter halos that are about half the mass of WISE-selected obscured quasars, and that satellite fractions are somewhat larger for obscured quasars. We investigate scenarios such as merger-driven fueling and Eddington-dependent obscuration to explore what combinations of physical effects can reproduce our observed halo mass measurements. This work was, in part, supported by NASA ADAP award NNX16AN48G.

What is the best diagnostic approach for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juliao Banos, Fabian

2010-01-01

For the gastroenterologist, the study of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is a diagnostic challenge. Using recent definitions as starting point for locating and defining the type of obscure bleeding allows better study and classification of these individuals. Since 25% of the causes of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding are within the reach of upper endoscopy and total colonoscopy, we are compelled to make good clinical evaluations and establish quality parameters for performance of these procedures. With the emergence of new techniques such as capsule endoscopy and balloon enteroscopy, the study of the small intestine with higher performance than previously available through imaging studies is now possible in our environment. Rational sequential use of these diagnostic tools, exhaustive reviews of capsule endoscopy images plus and adequate training in performing balloon enteroscopy including the two-way approach when necessary, will help us to establish and treat the cause in most patients with this condition.

The Halo Occupation Distribution of obscured quasars: revisiting the unification model

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Kaustav; Chatterjee, Suchetana; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Myers, Adam D.; Zheng, Zheng

2018-06-01

We model the projected angular two-point correlation function (2PCF) of obscured and unobscured quasars selected using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), at a median redshift of z ˜ 1 using a five parameter Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) parametrization, derived from a cosmological hydrodynamic simulation by Chatterjee et al. The HOD parametrization was previously used to model the 2PCF of optically selected quasars and X-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ˜ 1. The current work shows that a single HOD parametrization can be used to model the population of different kinds of AGN in dark matter haloes suggesting the universality of the relationship between AGN and their host dark matter haloes. Our results show that the median halo mass of central quasar hosts increases from optically selected (4.1^{+0.3}_{-0.4} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}) and infra-red (IR) bright unobscured populations (6.3^{+6.2}_{-2.3} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}) to obscured quasars (10.0^{+2.6}_{-3.7} × 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{⊙}), signifying an increase in the degree of clustering. The projected satellite fractions also increase from optically bright to obscured quasars and tend to disfavour a simple `orientation only' theory of active galactic nuclei unification. Our results also show that future measurements of the small-scale clustering of obscured quasars can constrain current theories of galaxy evolution where quasars evolve from an IR-bright obscured phase to the optically bright unobscured phase.

Geometrically Thick Obscuration by Radiation-driven Outflow from Magnetized Tori of Active Galactic Nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, Chi-Ho [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Krolik, Julian H. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2017-07-01

Near-Eddington radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) has significant dynamical influence on the surrounding dusty gas, plausibly furnishing AGNs with geometrically thick obscuration. We investigate this paradigm with radiative magnetohydrodynamics simulations. The simulations solve the magnetohydrodynamics equations simultaneously with the infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiative transfer (RT) equations; no approximate closure is used for RT. We find that our torus, when given a suitable sub-Keplerian angular momentum profile, spontaneously evolves toward a state in which its opening angle, density distribution, and flow pattern change only slowly. This “steady” state lasts for as long as there is gas resupply toward the inner edge. The torus is best described as a midplane inflow and a high-latitude outflow. The outflow is launched from the torus inner edge by UV radiation and expands in solid angle as it ascends; IR radiation continues to drive the wide-angle outflow outside the central hole. The dusty outflow obscures the central source in soft X-rays, the IR, and the UV over three-quarters of solid angle, and each decade in column density covers roughly equal solid angle around the central source; these obscuration properties are similar to what observations imply.

RR Tel: Determination of Dust Properties During Minimum Obscuration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jurkić T.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available the ISO infrared spectra and the SAAO long-term JHKL photometry of RR Tel in the epochs during minimum obscuration are studied in order to construct a circumstellar dust model. the spectral energy distribution in the near- and the mid-IR spectral range (1–15 μm was obtained for an epoch without the pronounced dust obscuration. the DUSTY code was used to solve the radiative transfer through the dust and to determine the circumstellar dust properties of the inner dust regions around the Mira component. Dust temperature, maximum grain size, dust density distribution, mass-loss rate, terminal wind velocity and optical depth are determined. the spectral energy distribution and the long-term JHKL photometry during an epoch of minimum obscuration show almost unattenuated stellar source and strong dust emission which cannot be explained by a single dust shell model. We propose a two-component model consisting of an optically thin circmustellar dust shell and optically thick dust outside the line of sight in some kind of a flattened geometry, which is responsible for most of the observed dust thermal emission.

Simultaneous Chandra and NuSTAR Observations of the Highly Obscured AGN Candidate in NGC660.

Science.gov (United States)

Annuar, Ady

2014-09-01

We are using NuSTAR to undertake a detailed investigation of the obscured AGN population at D<15Mpc. Our latest target is NGC660 where the presence of an AGN has been ambiguous. However, recently it was observed to undergo a radio outburst which reveals a bright continuum source (Argo et al. 2015), coincident with Chandra 2-8 keV emission from one of the three point sources near the nucleus (<5"). This confirms and pinpoints the X-ray position of the AGN. Comparisons of the Chandra flux with the radio emission and other multiwavelength luminosity indicators indicate that the X-ray flux is suppressed, suggesting that it is absorbed by a high column of gas. A NuSTAR observation for this object has been scheduled as part of our program. The requested Chandra observation is essential to unambiguously constrain the AGN and isolate it from other sources at <8 keV. When combined with NuSTAR, we will then be able to accurately characterise the 0.5-30 keV spectrum of the AGN for the first time.

Speech masking and cancelling and voice obscuration

Science.gov (United States)

Holzrichter, John F.

2013-09-10

A non-acoustic sensor is used to measure a user's speech and then broadcasts an obscuring acoustic signal diminishing the user's vocal acoustic output intensity and/or distorting the voice sounds making them unintelligible to persons nearby. The non-acoustic sensor is positioned proximate or contacting a user's neck or head skin tissue for sensing speech production information.

DUST PROPERTIES OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Andrews, Sean M.; Geller, Margaret J.

2013-01-01

We report Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 μm dust continuum emission for four dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the local universe. Two DOGs are clearly detected with S ν (880 μm) =10-13 mJy and S/N > 5, but the other two are not detected with 3σ upper limits of S ν (880 μm) =5-9 mJy. Including an additional two local DOGs with submillimeter data from the literature, we determine the dust masses and temperatures for six local DOGs. The infrared luminosities and dust masses for these DOGs are in the ranges of 1.2-4.9 × 10 11 (L ☉ ) and 4-14 × 10 7 (M ☉ ), respectively. The dust temperatures derived from a two-component modified blackbody function are 23-26 K and 60-124 K for the cold and warm dust components, respectively. Comparison of local DOGs with other infrared luminous galaxies with submillimeter detections shows that the dust temperatures and masses do not differ significantly among these objects. Thus, as argued previously, local DOGs are not a distinctive population among dusty galaxies, but simply represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution

Probing highly obscured, self-absorbed galaxy nuclei with vibrationally excited HCN

Science.gov (United States)

Aalto, S.; Martín, S.; Costagliola, F.; González-Alfonso, E.; Muller, S.; Sakamoto, K.; Fuller, G. A.; García-Burillo, S.; van der Werf, P.; Neri, R.; Spaans, M.; Combes, F.; Viti, S.; Mühle, S.; Armus, L.; Evans, A.; Sturm, E.; Cernicharo, J.; Henkel, C.; Greve, T. R.

2015-12-01

We present high resolution (0.̋4) IRAM PdBI and ALMA mm and submm observations of the (ultra) luminous infrared galaxies ((U)LIRGs) IRAS 17208-0014, Arp220, IC 860 and Zw049.057 that reveal intense line emission from vibrationally excited (ν2 = 1) J = 3-2 and 4-3 HCN. The emission is emerging from buried, compact (r 5 × 1013 L⊙ kpc-2. These nuclei are likely powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and/or hot (>200 K) extreme starbursts. Vibrational, ν2 = 1, lines of HCN are excited by intense 14 μm mid-infrared emission and are excellent probes of the dynamics, masses, and physical conditions of (U)LIRG nuclei when H2 column densities exceed 1024 cm-2. It is clear that these lines open up a new interesting avenue to gain access to the most obscured AGNs and starbursts. Vibrationally excited HCN acts as a proxy for the absorbed mid-infrared emission from the embedded nuclei, which allows for reconstruction of the intrinsic, hotter dust SED. In contrast, we show strong evidence that the ground vibrational state (ν = 0), J = 3-2and 4-3 rotational lines of HCN and HCO+ fail to probe the highly enshrouded, compact nuclear regions owing to strong self- and continuum absorption. The HCN and HCO+ line profiles are double-peaked because of the absorption and show evidence of non-circular motions - possibly in the form of in- or outflows. Detections of vibrationally excited HCN in external galaxies are so far limited to ULIRGs and early-type spiral LIRGs, and we discuss possible causes for this. We tentatively suggest that the peak of vibrationally excited HCN emission is connected to a rapid stage of nuclear growth, before the phase of strong feedback. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure and ALMA Interferometers. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany), and IGN (Spain). ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA), and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA

Consolidation of the Victorian Marriage Tradition in Hardy’s Jude the Obscure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parvin Ghasemi

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy has always been considered a novel in which the concept of the traditional Victorian marriage is severely criticized through various tones. New Historicism and Cultural Materialism are methodological approaches that provide us with a different interpretation of this novel. Therefore , on the basis of these "reading practices," as Greenblatt calls them, the researchers attempt to offer another reading of this novel. The present research concludes that Jude the Obscure at first presents an explicit, reproachful treatment of the conventional Victorian marriage but at the end it reinforces this type of marriage by repressing the characters whose views are at odds with the dominant views of the society. In other words, through marginalizing its own major characters as "the others", Jude the Obscure consolidates the dominant discourse of the Victorian society about "marriage".

Smokes and obscurants: A health and environmental effects data base assessment: A first-order, environmental screening and ranking of Army smokes and obscurants: Phase 1 report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinn, J.H.; Martins, S.A.; Cederwall, P.L.; Gratt, L.B.

1985-03-01

An initial environmental screening and ranking is provided for each Army smoke and obscurant (S and O) depending on smoke type and smoke-generating device. This was done according to the magnitude of the impact area, the characteristic environmental concentration, the relative inhalation toxicity, the relative toxicity when ingested by animals, the aquatic toxicity, the environmental mobility when freshly deposited, and the ultimate mobility and fate in the environment. The major smoke types considered were various forms of white phosphorus (WP), red phosphorus (RP), hexachloroethane-derived smokes (HC), fog oil (SGF-2), diesel fuel smokes (DF), and some infrared obscuring agents (IR).

Imprecise methods may both obscure and aggravate a relation between fat and breast cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heitmann, B L; Frederiksen, Peder

2007-01-01

Bias in diet reporting may be both random and non-random, and may be found with simpler as well as more advanced dietary instruments. A random bias will contribute to obscure relations between diet and disease. A systematic bias may obscure or aggravate such associations. Underreporting of non-pr...

Analysis of radiative heat transfer in the presence of obscurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finkelstein, L.; Weissman, Y.

1981-05-01

Numerical simulation of radiative heat transfer problems in general axisymmetric geometry in the presence of an active gas is considered. Such simulation requires subdivision of the radiating surfaces into discrete elements, which are in the present case radiating rings. While the effect of a participating medium is easily taken into account by integration along the lines of vision between the surface elements, the calculation of the different obscurations poses the main difficulty. We have written a closed expression which formulates the problem exactly, and then developed a systematic and compact computational approach to the obscuration problem in complex configurations. The present procedure is particularly suited to computer calculations associated with engineering applications in the aircraft and furnace industries. (author)

Longevidad de Orgilus obscurator Ness: (Hymenoptera: Braconidae en presencia de diferentes fuentes de alimento Longevity of Orgilus obscurator Ness: (Hymenoptera: Braconidae under the influence of different food sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SANDRA IDE

2001-06-01

Full Text Available Una de las tácticas implementadas en el control de Rhyacionia buoliana Schiff. en Chile fue la introducción en 1987 de Orgilus obscurator Ness., un parasitoide específico. Evaluaciones realizadas entre la VII y X regiones de Chile, entre 1995 y 1997, mostraron diferencias significativas en el establecimiento y porcentaje de parasitismo alcanzados por O. obscurator. Aún cuando son múltiples los factores que inciden en el éxito de un biocontrolador, es importante considerar la disponibilidad y accesibilidad de fuentes de alimento, tales como el néctar de algunas flores y su efecto en la longevidad de los adultos. Este estudio fue realizado en la temporada 1996-1997 y 1997-1998 en la Provincia de Valdivia, décima región de Chile. Se utilizaron 295 individuos adultos, entre machos y hembras, manteniéndolos con agua, sin agua, agua-miel y con flores de cuatro especies de plantas, tres pertenecientes a la familia Apiaceae y otra a la familia Asteraceae. La mayor longevidad promedio se obtuvo usando agua miel (23 días en machos y 33 días en hembras y flores de Conium maculatum y Daucus carota (14,1 días, las cuales permitieron aumentar dos veces la longevidad respecto al uso sólo de agua. Los resultados encontrados permiten sugerir la incorporación de algunas especies como C. maculatum y D. carota a las plantaciones de Pinus radiata D. Don, especialmente en la séptima y octava regiones del país, como una forma de aumentar la eficiencia de parasitación de O. obscuratorOne of the tactics that improved the control of Rhyacionia buoliana in Chile was the introduction in 1987 of Orgilus obscurator, a specific parasitoid. Evaluations between the regions VII and X of Chile during 1995 to 1997 have shown significant differences in the establishment and parasitism obtained by O. obscurator. Several factors are involved in the success of control strategies, including the availability and access to food sources such as water, flower nectar and

Variable circumstellar obscuration of the carbon star R Fornacis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feast, M.W.; Whitelock, P.A.; Catchpole, R.M.; Roberts, G.; Overbeek, M.D.

1984-01-01

In 1983 the carbon Mira-type variable R For became unusually faint in the visible and infrared. This is interpreted as a change in circumstellar obscuration. For absorption by graphite spheres the required particle radius is 0.15 μm. (author)

HIGH-REDSHIFT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES: A MORPHOLOGY-SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION CONNECTION REVEALED BY KECK ADAPTIVE OPTICS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melbourne, J.; Matthews, K.; Soifer, B. T.

2009-01-01

A simple optical to mid-IR color selection, R - [24]>14, i.e., f ν (24 μm)/f ν (R) ∼> 1000, identifies highly dust obscured galaxies (DOGs) with typical redshifts of z ∼ 2 ± 0.5. Extreme mid-IR luminosities (L IR > 10 12-14 ) suggest that DOGs are powered by a combination of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and star formation, possibly driven by mergers. In an effort to compare their photometric properties with their rest-frame optical morphologies, we obtained high-spatial resolution (0.''05-0.''1) Keck Adaptive Optics K'-band images of 15 DOGs. The images reveal a wide range of morphologies, including small exponential disks (eight of 15), small ellipticals (four of 15), and unresolved sources (two of 15). One particularly diffuse source could not be classified because of low signal-to-noise ratio. We find a statistically significant correlation between galaxy concentration and mid-IR luminosity, with the most luminous DOGs exhibiting higher concentration and smaller physical size. DOGs with high concentration also tend to have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) suggestive of AGN activity. Thus, central AGN light may be biasing the morphologies of the more luminous DOGs to higher concentration. Conversely, more diffuse DOGs tend to show an SED shape suggestive of star formation. Two of 15 in the sample show multiple resolved components with separations of ∼1 kpc, circumstantial evidence for ongoing mergers.

DUST PROPERTIES OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH THE SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Ho Seong; Andrews, Sean M.; Geller, Margaret J., E-mail: hhwang@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: sandrews@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2013-11-01

We report Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 μm dust continuum emission for four dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the local universe. Two DOGs are clearly detected with S{sub ν}(880 μm) =10-13 mJy and S/N > 5, but the other two are not detected with 3σ upper limits of S{sub ν}(880 μm) =5-9 mJy. Including an additional two local DOGs with submillimeter data from the literature, we determine the dust masses and temperatures for six local DOGs. The infrared luminosities and dust masses for these DOGs are in the ranges of 1.2-4.9 × 10{sup 11}(L{sub ☉}) and 4-14 × 10{sup 7}(M{sub ☉}), respectively. The dust temperatures derived from a two-component modified blackbody function are 23-26 K and 60-124 K for the cold and warm dust components, respectively. Comparison of local DOGs with other infrared luminous galaxies with submillimeter detections shows that the dust temperatures and masses do not differ significantly among these objects. Thus, as argued previously, local DOGs are not a distinctive population among dusty galaxies, but simply represent the high-end tail of the dust obscuration distribution.

Use of heparin in the investigation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mernagh, J.R.; O'Donovan, N.; Somers, S.; Gill, G.; Sridhar, S.

2001-01-01

To determine if the administration of heparin improves the predictive value of angiography in the investigation of obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. 18 patients with a history of chronic GI bleeding were investigated with angiography. For 6 patients, the cause of GI bleeding was established with angiography; the 12 patients who had negative results were given heparin for 24 h and were reassessed with angiography. After heparin administration, the source of GI bleeding was determined with angiography for 6 of the remaining 12 patients. Thus, heparinization increased diagnostic yield from 33% (6 of 18) to 67% (12 of 18). No significant complications, such as uncontrolled GI bleeding, occurred. Heparinization improves the diagnostic yield of angiography when obscure GI bleeding is being investigated. (author)

THE DARK SIDE OF QSO FORMATION AT HIGH REDSHIFTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romano-Diaz, Emilio; Shlosman, Isaac; Trenti, Michele; Hoffman, Yehuda

2011-01-01

Observed high-redshift QSOs, at z ∼ 6, may reside in massive dark matter (DM) halos of more than 10 12 M sun and are thus expected to be surrounded by overdense regions. In a series of 10 constrained simulations, we have tested the environment of such QSOs. The usage of constrained realizations has enabled us to address the issue of cosmic variance and to study the statistical properties of the QSO host halos. Comparing the computed overdensities with respect to the unconstrained simulations of regions empty of QSOs, assuming there is no bias between the DM and baryon distributions, and invoking an observationally constrained duty cycle for Lyman break galaxies, we have obtained the galaxy count number for the QSO environment. We find that a clear discrepancy exists between the computed and observed galaxy counts in the Kim et al. samples. Our simulations predict that on average eight z ∼ 6 galaxies per QSO field should have been observed, while Kim et al. detect on average four galaxies per QSO field compared to an average of three galaxies in a control sample (GOODS fields). While we cannot rule out a small number of statistics for the observed fields to high confidence, the discrepancy suggests that galaxy formation in the QSO neighborhood proceeds differently than in the field. We also find that QSO halos are the most massive of the simulated volume at z ∼ 6 but this is no longer true at z ∼ 3. This implies that QSO halos, even in a case where they are the most massive ones at high redshifts, do not evolve into the most massive galaxy clusters at z = 0.

Bone scintigraphy in children with obscure skeletal pain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majd, Massoud

1979-01-01

In a group of 82 children with focal or generalized skeletal pain of obscure etiology, the radionuclide skeletal scintigraphy was the only, or the most informative, clue to the diagnosis of a variety of benign and malignant conditions. It is strongly recommended that any unexplained bone or joint pain in children be evaluated by this non-invasive technique [fr

Carbon Fiber Obscurant: Enhancing Warfighter Effectiveness While Meeting Environmental Regulations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Phillips, Carlton T; Checkai, Ronald T; Kuperman, Roman G; Simini, Michael; Chester, Nancy A

2006-01-01

...) material obscuring in the 9-96 GMz range of the electromagnetic spectrum has become critical for the modern Warfighter in order to minimize radar detection by hostile forces, thus saving lives and equipment...

The [O III] Profiles of Infrared-selected Active Galactic Nuclei: More Powerful Outflows in the Obscured Population

Science.gov (United States)

DiPompeo, M. A.; Hickox, R. C.; Carroll, C. M.; Runnoe, J. C.; Mullaney, J. R.; Fischer, T. C.

2018-03-01

We explore the kinematics of ionized gas via the [O III] λ5007 emission lines in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected on the basis of their mid-infrared (IR) emission, and split into obscured and unobscured populations based on their optical‑IR colors. After correcting for differences in redshift distributions, we provide composite spectra of spectroscopically and photometrically defined obscured/Type 2 and unobscured/Type 1 AGNs from 3500 to 7000 Å. The IR-selected obscured sources contain a mixture of narrow-lined Type 2 AGNs and intermediate sources that have broad Hα emission and significantly narrower Hβ. Using both [O III] luminosities and AGN luminosities derived from optical‑IR spectral energy distribution fitting, we find evidence for enhanced large-scale obscuration in the obscured sources. In matched bins of luminosity we find that the obscured population typically has broader, more blueshifted [O III] emission than in the unobscured sample, suggestive of more powerful AGN-driven outflows. This trend is not seen in spectroscopically classified samples, and is unlikely to be entirely explained by orientation effects. In addition, outflow velocities increase from small to moderate AGN E(B ‑ V) values, before flattening out (as traced by FWHM) and even decreasing (as traced by blueshift). While difficult to fully interpret in a single physical model, due to both the averaging over populations and the spatially averaged spectra, these results agree with previous findings that simple geometric unification models are insufficient for the IR-selected AGN population, and may fit into an evolutionary model for obscured and unobscured AGNs.

Clinical approach to obscure GI bleeding - Diagnostic testing and management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prashanth Prabakaran

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB can present as a diagnostic dilemma and management can be challenging. The search for causes of OGIB is usually centered on visualizing the small bowel, and in the past decade, the technology to visualize the entire small bowel has significantly advanced. Moreover, small bowel endoscopic imaging has replaced, in many instances, prior radiographic evaluation for obscure GI bleeding. These new modalities, such as small bowel capsule endoscopy (CE, balloon-assisted deep enteroscopy [double balloon enteroscopy (DBE and single balloon enteroscopy (SBE], and overtube-assisted deep enteroscopy (spiral enteroscopy, are paving the way toward more accurately identifying and treating patients with OGIB. We will review the diagnostic modalities available in evaluating a patient with OGIB and also propose the management based on clinical and endoscopic findings.

Large Scale Obscuration and Related Climate Effects Workshop: Proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zak, B.D.; Russell, N.A.; Church, H.W.; Einfeld, W.; Yoon, D.; Behl, Y.K. [eds.

1994-05-01

A Workshop on Large Scale Obsurcation and Related Climate Effects was held 29--31 January, 1992, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The objectives of the workshop were: to determine through the use of expert judgement the current state of understanding of regional and global obscuration and related climate effects associated with nuclear weapons detonations; to estimate how large the uncertainties are in the parameters associated with these phenomena (given specific scenarios); to evaluate the impact of these uncertainties on obscuration predictions; and to develop an approach for the prioritization of further work on newly-available data sets to reduce the uncertainties. The workshop consisted of formal presentations by the 35 participants, and subsequent topical working sessions on: the source term; aerosol optical properties; atmospheric processes; and electro-optical systems performance and climatic impacts. Summaries of the conclusions reached in the working sessions are presented in the body of the report. Copies of the transparencies shown as part of each formal presentation are contained in the appendices (microfiche).

Readability of self-illuminated signs in a smoke-obscured environment.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-11-01

This study investigates the ability of people with normal distant visual acuity to identify self-illuminated emergency signs in a smoke-obscured environment. The results indicate that signs whose background luminance meets or exceeds the requirements...

HOT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH EXCESS BLUE LIGHT: DUAL AGN OR SINGLE AGN UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assef, R. J.; Diaz-Santos, T. [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Walton, D. J.; Brightman, M. [Space Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stern, D.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Tsai, C.-W. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-236, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Alexander, D. [Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Bauer, F. [Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Blain, A. W. [Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, 1 University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Finkelstein, S. L. [The University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Hickox, R. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Wu, J. W., E-mail: roberto.assef@mail.udp.cl [UCLA Astronomy, P.O. Box 951547, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States)

2016-03-10

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGs that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (i) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (ii) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (iii) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13–050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis.

HOT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES WITH EXCESS BLUE LIGHT: DUAL AGN OR SINGLE AGN UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assef, R. J.; Diaz-Santos, T.; Walton, D. J.; Brightman, M.; Stern, D.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Tsai, C.-W.; Alexander, D.; Bauer, F.; Blain, A. W.; Finkelstein, S. L.; Hickox, R. C.; Wu, J. W.

2016-01-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) are a population of hyper-luminous infrared galaxies identified by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission from their very red mid-IR colors, and characterized by hot dust temperatures (T > 60 K). Several studies have shown clear evidence that the IR emission in these objects is powered by a highly dust-obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) that shows close to Compton-thick absorption at X-ray wavelengths. Thanks to the high AGN obscuration, the host galaxy is easily observable, and has UV/optical colors usually consistent with those of a normal galaxy. Here we discuss a sub-population of eight Hot DOGs that show enhanced rest-frame UV/optical emission. We discuss three scenarios that might explain the excess UV emission: (i) unobscured light leaked from the AGN by reflection over the dust or by partial coverage of the accretion disk; (ii) a second unobscured AGN in the system; or (iii) a luminous young starburst. X-ray observations can help discriminate between these scenarios. We study in detail the blue excess Hot DOG WISE J020446.13–050640.8, which was serendipitously observed by Chandra/ACIS-I for 174.5 ks. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with a single, hyper-luminous, highly absorbed AGN, and is strongly inconsistent with the presence of a secondary unobscured AGN. Based on this, we argue that the excess blue emission in this object is most likely either due to reflection or a co-eval starburst. We favor the reflection scenario as the unobscured star formation rate needed to power the UV/optical emission would be ≳1000 M ⊙ yr −1 . Deep polarimetry observations could confirm the reflection hypothesis

Announcment: Conference on Obscured AGN Across Cosmic Time

Science.gov (United States)

2006-12-01

Current deep surveys, notably in X-rays and the mid-IR, are making it possible to carry out a census of essentially all the luminous AGN in the Universe. By pene-trating the obscuration that, in Type 2 sources, hides the nuclear regions in the UV to the near-IR spectrum, these new surveys are finding the radio quiet coun-terparts of the powerful radio galaxies.

Obscured asymptotic giant branch stars in the Magellanic Clouds .2. Near-infrared and mid-infrared counterparts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zijlstra, AA; Loup, C; Waters, LBFM; Whitelock, PA; vanLoon, JT; Guglielmo, F

1996-01-01

We have carried out an infrared search for obscured asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Magellanic Clouds. Fields were observed in the vicinity of IRAS sources with colours and flux densities consistent with such a classification. The survey uncovered a number of obscured AGE stars as well as

AGN Obscuration Through Dusty Infrared Dominated Flows. 1; Radiation-Hydrodynamics Solution for the Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Bisnovatyi-Kogan. G. S.; Kallman, T.

2011-01-01

We construct a radiation-hydrodynamics model for the obscuring toroidal structure in active galactic nuclei. In this model the obscuration is produced at parsec scale by a dense, dusty wind which is supported by infrared radiation pressure on dust grains. To find the distribution of radiation pressure, we numerically solve the 2D radiation transfer problem in a flux limited diffusion approximation. We iteratively couple the solution with calculations of stationary 1D models for the wind, and obtain the z-component of the velocity. Our results demonstrate that for AGN luminosities greater than 0.1 L(sub edd) external illumination can support a geometrically thick obscuration via outflows driven by infrared radiation pressure. The terminal velocity of marginally Compton-thin models (0.2 infrared-driven winds is a viable option for the AGN torus problem and AGN unification models. Such winds can also provide an important channel for AGN feedback.

New radiative transfer models for obscuring tori in active galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Bemmel, IM; Dullemond, CP

Two-dimensional radiative transfer is employed to obtain the broad-band infrared spectrum of active galaxies. In the models we vary the geometry and size of the obscuring medium, the surface density, the opacity and the grain size distribution. Resulting spectral energy distributions are constructed

The effects of host obscuration on searches for tidal disruption events

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Nathaniel; Mushotzky, Richard; Gezari, Suvi; van Velzen, Sjoert

2018-01-01

Tidal disruptions of stars by super-massive black holes (TDEs) offer opportunities to learn about black hole demographics and stellar dynamics. However, matching the observed TDE rate to that predicted by theory has remained a challenge, as most surveys to-date have found fewer flares than expected. Some of this discrepancy may relate to nuclear obscuration in host galaxies. This includes the effects of dust at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, and the effects of neutral gas at x-ray wavelengths. I will discuss procedures to correct the observed TDE rate within existing and upcoming surveys to the intrinsic per-galaxy rate by accounting for host obscuration. I will also discuss how reddening might affect TDE selection criteria, and I will make predictions for the population of infrared TDE light echoes.

The angular clustering of WISE-selected active galactic nuclei: Different halos for obscured and unobscured active galactic nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donoso, E. [Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra, y del Espacio (ICATE), 5400 San Juan (Argentina); Yan, Lin [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stern, D.; Assef, R. J. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

2014-07-01

We calculate the angular correlation function for a sample of ∼170,000 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) extracted from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) catalog, selected to have red mid-IR colors (W1 – W2 > 0.8) and 4.6 μm flux densities brighter than 0.14 mJy). The sample is expected to be >90% reliable at identifying AGNs and to have a mean redshift of (z) = 1.1. In total, the angular clustering of WISE AGNs is roughly similar to that of optical AGNs. We cross-match these objects with the photometric Sloan Digital Sky Survey catalog and distinguish obscured sources with r – W2 > 6 from bluer, unobscured AGNs. Obscured sources present a higher clustering signal than unobscured sources. Since the host galaxy morphologies of obscured AGNs are not typical red sequence elliptical galaxies and show disks in many cases, it is unlikely that the increased clustering strength of the obscured population is driven by a host galaxy segregation bias. By using relatively complete redshift distributions from the COSMOS survey, we find that obscured sources at (z) ∼ 0.9 have a bias of b = 2.9 ± 0.6 and are hosted in dark matter halos with a typical mass of log (M/M {sub ☉} h {sup –1}) ∼ 13.5. In contrast, unobscured AGNs at (z) ∼ 1.1 have a bias of b = 1.6 ± 0.6 and inhabit halos of log (M/M {sub ☉} h {sup –1}) ∼ 12.4. These findings suggest that obscured AGNs inhabit denser environments than unobscured AGNs, and they are difficult to reconcile with the simplest AGN unification models, where obscuration is driven solely by orientation.

Jude the Obscure de Thomas Hardy et l’autorité de la lettre Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy and the Power of the Letter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stéphanie Bernard

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Thomas Hardy is usually considered a Victorian writer. Nonetheless, his last novel Jude the Obscure, announced the era of modernity which started with the twentieth century, just before he abandoned fiction to concentrate on poetry. With modernity looming in the background, Jude the Obscure allowed for the rewriting of tragedy. Urban settings have replaced the countryside and all signs of transcendence have vanished from society. This defeat of the divine is nevertheless accompanied by a great number of biblical references. Thomas Hardy quotes and uses the Divine Letter as if to rewrite it rather than to appear faithful to the Word. The text keeps offering itself to the spell of voice: it does so when Job utters words of revolt and then worship, when Jude lets his imagination flow from his lips so that he seems to live on in the text after he is dead, or when the voice of the novelist becomes the voice of a poet.

AGN Obscuration Through Dusty Infrared Dominated Flows. II. Multidimensional, Radiation-Hydrodynamics Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Dorodnitsyn, Anton; Kallman, Tim; Bisno\\vatyiI-Kogan, Gennadyi

2011-01-01

We explore a detailed model in which the active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscuration results from the extinction of AGN radiation in a global ow driven by the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains. We assume that external illumination by UV and soft X-rays of the dusty gas located at approximately 1pc away from the supermassive black hole is followed by a conversion of such radiation into IR. Using 2.5D, time-dependent radiation hydrodynamics simulations in a ux-limited di usion approximation we nd that the external illumination can support a geometrically thick obscuration via out ows driven by infrared radiation pressure in AGN with luminosities greater than 0:05 L(sub edd) and Compton optical depth, Tau(sub T) approx > & 1.

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: difficulties in comparing CT enterography and video capsule endoscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soyer, Philippe

2012-01-01

A paper reports the results of a retrospective study that was designed to evaluate the potential role of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) in elucidating the cause of bleeding in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) for whom CT enterography was negative. The authors highlight the limitations of dual-phase CT enterography for the detection of flat lesions of the small bowel such as ulcers, angiodysplasias or arteriovenous malformations, and confirm the superiority of VCE for the detection of this category of lesions. This commentary discusses some of the issues raised. Key Points circle Video capsule endoscopy surpasses CT enterography in detecting flat small bowel lesions. circle Retrospective VCE and CT enterography findings in obscure bleeding need further evaluation. circle A fair and unbiased comparison of the two investigations is still needed. (orig.)

THE KILOPARSEC-SCALE STAR FORMATION LAW AT REDSHIFT 4: WIDESPREAD, HIGHLY EFFICIENT STAR FORMATION IN THE DUST-OBSCURED STARBURST GALAXY GN20

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodge, J. A. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Riechers, D. [Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, NY 14853 (United States); Decarli, R.; Walter, F. [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Carilli, C. L. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box 0, Socorro, NM 87801-0387 (United States); Daddi, E. [CEA, Laboratoire AIM-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, Irfu/SAp, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Dannerbauer, H., E-mail: jhodge@nrao.edu [Universität Wien, Institut für Astrophysik, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Wien (Austria)

2015-01-01

We present high-resolution observations of the 880 μm (rest-frame FIR) continuum emission in the z = 4.05 submillimeter galaxy GN20 from the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI). These data resolve the obscured star formation (SF) in this unlensed galaxy on scales of 0.''3 × 0.''2 (∼2.1 × 1.3 kpc). The observations reveal a bright (16 ± 1 mJy) dusty starburst centered on the cold molecular gas reservoir and showing a bar-like extension along the major axis. The striking anti-correlation with the Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 imaging suggests that the copious dust surrounding the starburst heavily obscures the rest-frame UV/optical emission. A comparison with 1.2 mm PdBI continuum data reveals no evidence for variations in the dust properties across the source within the uncertainties, consistent with extended SF, and the peak star formation rate surface density (119 ± 8 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} kpc{sup –2}) implies that the SF in GN20 remains sub-Eddington on scales down to 3 kpc{sup 2}. We find that the SF efficiency (SFE) is highest in the central regions of GN20, leading to a resolved SF law with a power-law slope of Σ{sub SFR} ∼ Σ{sub H{sub 2}{sup 2.1±1.0}}, and that GN20 lies above the sequence of normal star-forming disks, implying that the dispersion in the SF law is not due solely to morphology or choice of conversion factor. These data extend previous evidence for a fixed SFE per free-fall time to include the star-forming medium on ∼kiloparsec scales in a galaxy 12 Gyr ago.

The obscure factor analysis on the vibration reliability of the internals of nuclear power plant reactor and anti-vibration measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Geyan; Zhu Qirong

1998-11-01

It is pointed out that the main reason making nuclear power plants reactors leak is the vibration of internals of reactors. The factors which lead the vibration all have randomness and obscureness. The obscure reliability theory is introduced to the vibration system of internals of nuclear power reactor. Based on a quantity of designing and moving data, the obscure factors effecting the vibration reliability of the internals of nuclear power plant reactor are analyzed and the anti-vibration reliability criteria and the evaluating model are given. And the anti-vibration reliability measures are advanced from different quarters of the machine design and building, the thermohydraulics design, the control of reactivity, etc.. They may benefit the theory and practice for building and perfecting the vibration obscure reliability model of the reactor internals

Advanced Boron Carbide-Based Visual Obscurants for Military Smoke Grenades

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-13

components on grenade burning time must be accounted for. Also, how these factors affect smoke cloud thickness and perceived visible obscuration...of Boron Carbide-Based Smoke Compositions. Propellants, Explos., Pyrotech. 2013, 38, 622-628. (30) Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage ( CIE ...volume, gives equation 2. Since αm is only a characteristic of the aerosol, it does not account for

Assessing Toxicity of Obscurant Grade Pan-Based Carbon Fiber Aquatic Species Chronic Tests

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Chester, N. A; Haley, M. V; Kumas, C. W; Checkai, R. T

2004-01-01

...). Use of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber in the module will provide user-capability for delivering large area obscurant screens in the millimeter wave-range of the electromagnetic spectrum while maintaining...

Wide-Spectrum Microscope with a Long Working Distance Aspherical Objective Based on Obscuration Constraint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weibo Wang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available We present an approach for an initial configuration design based on obscuration constraint and on-axis Taylor series expansion to realize the design of long working distance microscope (numerical aperture (NA = 0.13 and working distance (WD = 525 mm with a low obscuration aspherical Schwarzschild objective in wide-spectrum imaging (λ = 400–900 nm. Experiments of the testing on the resolution target and inspection on United States Air Force (USAF resolution chart and a line charge-coupled device (CCD (pixel size of 14 μm × 56 μm with different wavelength light sources (λ = 480 nm, 550 nm, 660 nm, 850 nm were implemented to verify the validity of the proposed method.

NuSTAR observations of heavily obscured quasars at z ~ 0.5

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Del Moro, A.

2014-01-01

We present NuSTAR hard X-ray observations of three Type 2 quasars at z ≈ 0.4-0.5, optically selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Although the quasars show evidence for being heavily obscured, Compton-thick systems on the basis of the 2-10 keV to [O III] luminosity ratio and multiwavelength...

New radiative transfer models for obscuring tori in active galaxies

OpenAIRE

van Bemmel, I. M.; Dullemond, C. P.

2003-01-01

Two-dimensional radiative transfer is employed to obtain the broad-band infrared spectrum of active galaxies. In the models we vary the geometry and size of the obscuring medium, the surface density, the opacity and the grain size distribution. Resulting spectral energy distributions are constructed for different orientations of the toroid. Colour-colour comparisons with observational data are consistent with previous observations that the emission longward of 60 micron is produced by star-fo...

A SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM SURVEY OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong Chul; Hwang, Ho Seong; Lee, Gwang-Ho

2016-01-01

We conduct a 350 μ m dust continuum emission survey of 17 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) at z = 0.05–0.08 with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We detect 14 DOGs with S 350μm = 114–650 mJy and signal-to-noise > 3. By including two additional DOGs with submillimeter data in the literature, we are able to study dust content for a sample of 16 local DOGs, which consist of 12 bump and four power-law types. We determine their physical parameters with a two-component modified blackbody function model. The derived dust temperatures are in the range 57–122 K and 22–35 K for the warm and cold dust components, respectively. The total dust mass and the mass fraction of the warm dust component are 3–34 × 10 7 M ⊙ and 0.03%–2.52%, respectively. We compare these results with those of other submillimeter-detected infrared luminous galaxies. The bump DOGs, the majority of the DOG sample, show similar distributions of dust temperatures and total dust mass to the comparison sample. The power-law DOGs show a hint of smaller dust masses than other samples, but need to be tested with a larger sample. These findings support that the reason DOGs show heavy dust obscuration is not an overall amount of dust content, but probably the spatial distribution of dust therein.

A SUBMILLIMETER CONTINUUM SURVEY OF LOCAL DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Chul [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Ho Seong [School of Physics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, 85 Hoegiro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02455 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Gwang-Ho, E-mail: jclee@kasi.re.kr [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-20

We conduct a 350 μ m dust continuum emission survey of 17 dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) at z = 0.05–0.08 with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). We detect 14 DOGs with S{sub 350μm} = 114–650 mJy and signal-to-noise > 3. By including two additional DOGs with submillimeter data in the literature, we are able to study dust content for a sample of 16 local DOGs, which consist of 12 bump and four power-law types. We determine their physical parameters with a two-component modified blackbody function model. The derived dust temperatures are in the range 57–122 K and 22–35 K for the warm and cold dust components, respectively. The total dust mass and the mass fraction of the warm dust component are 3–34 × 10{sup 7} M {sub ⊙} and 0.03%–2.52%, respectively. We compare these results with those of other submillimeter-detected infrared luminous galaxies. The bump DOGs, the majority of the DOG sample, show similar distributions of dust temperatures and total dust mass to the comparison sample. The power-law DOGs show a hint of smaller dust masses than other samples, but need to be tested with a larger sample. These findings support that the reason DOGs show heavy dust obscuration is not an overall amount of dust content, but probably the spatial distribution of dust therein.

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: preliminary comparison of 64-section CT enteroclysis with video capsule endoscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalife, Samer; Vahedi, Kouroche; Dray, Xavier; Marteau, Philippe; Soyer, Philippe; Hamzi, Lounis; Place, Vinciane; Boudiaf, Mourad; Alatawi, Abdullah

2011-01-01

To retrospectively compare the diagnostic capabilities of 64-section CT enteroclysis with those of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) to elucidate the cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Thirty-two patients who had 64-section CT enteroclysis and VCE because of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding were included. Imaging findings were compared with those obtained at double balloon endoscopy, surgery and histopathological analysis, which were used as a standard of reference. Concordant findings were found in 22 patients (22/32; 69%), including normal findings (n = 13), tumours (n = 7), lymphangiectasia (n = 1) and inflammation (n = 1), and discrepancies in 10 patients (10/32; 31%), including ulcers (n = 3), angioectasias (n = 2), tumours (n = 2) and normal findings (n = 3). No statistical difference in the proportions of abnormal findings between 64-section CT enteroclysis (11/32; 34%) and VCE (17/32, 53%) (P = 0.207) was found. However, 64-section CT enteroclysis helped identify tumours not detected at VCE (n = 2) and definitely excluded suspected tumours (n = 3) because of bulges at VCE. Conversely, VCE showed ulcers (n = 3) and angioectasias (n = 2) which were not visible at 64-section CT enteroclysis. Our results suggest that 64-section CT enteroclysis and VCE have similar overall diagnostic yields in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. However, the two techniques are complementary in this specific population. (orig.)

NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of luminous, heavily obscured, WISE-selected quasars at z ∼ 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stern, D.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-221, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Del Moro, A.; Gandhi, P. [Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Assef, R. J. [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Brandt, W. N.; Griffith, R. L. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Ballantyne, D. R. [Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 (United States); Baloković, M.; Bridge, C. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bauer, F. E. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Benford, D. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Blain, A. [Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, 1 University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States); Brightman, M. [Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse 1, D-85748, Garching bei München (Germany); Christensen, F. E. [Danish Technical University, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Comastri, A., E-mail: daniel.k.stern@jpl.nasa.gov [INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127, Bologna (Italy); and others

2014-10-20

We report on a NuSTAR and XMM-Newton program that has observed a sample of three extremely luminous, heavily obscured WISE-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ∼ 2 across a broad X-ray band (0.1 – 79 keV). The parent sample, selected to be faint or undetected in the WISE 3.4 μm (W1) and 4.6 μm (W2) bands but bright at 12 μm (W3) and 22 μm (W4), are extremely rare, with only ∼1000 so-called 'W1W2-dropouts' across the extragalactic sky. Optical spectroscopy reveals typical redshifts of z ∼ 2 for this population, implying rest-frame mid-IR luminosities of νL {sub ν}(6 μm) ∼ 6 × 10{sup 46} erg s{sup –1} and bolometric luminosities that can exceed L {sub bol} ∼ 10{sup 14} L {sub ☉}. The corresponding intrinsic, unobscured hard X-ray luminosities are L(2-10 keV) ∼ 4 × 10{sup 45} erg s{sup –1} for typical quasar templates. These are among the most AGNs known, though the optical spectra rarely show evidence of a broad-line region and the selection criteria imply heavy obscuration even at rest-frame 1.5 μm. We designed our X-ray observations to obtain robust detections for gas column densities N {sub H} ≤ 10{sup 24} cm{sup –2}. In fact, the sources prove to be fainter than these predictions. Two of the sources were observed by both NuSTAR and XMM-Newton, with neither being detected by NuSTAR (f {sub 3-24} {sub keV} ≲ 10{sup –13} erg cm{sup –2} s{sup –1}), and one being faintly detected by XMM-Newton (f {sub 0.5-10} {sub keV} ∼ 5 × 10{sup –15} erg cm{sup –2} s{sup –1}). A third source was observed only with XMM-Newton, yielding a faint detection (f {sub 0.5-10} {sub keV} ∼ 7 × 10{sup –15} erg cm{sup –2} s{sup –1}). The X-ray data imply these sources are either X-ray weak, or are heavily obscured by column densities N {sub H} ≳ 10{sup 24} cm{sup –2}. The combined X-ray and mid-IR analysis seems to favor this second possibility, implying the sources are extremely obscured, consistent with Compton

NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of luminous, heavily obscured, WISE-selected quasars at z ∼ 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, D.; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Del Moro, A.; Gandhi, P.; Assef, R. J.; Brandt, W. N.; Griffith, R. L.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Bridge, C.; Bauer, F. E.; Benford, D.; Blain, A.; Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Comastri, A.

2014-01-01

We report on a NuSTAR and XMM-Newton program that has observed a sample of three extremely luminous, heavily obscured WISE-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ∼ 2 across a broad X-ray band (0.1 – 79 keV). The parent sample, selected to be faint or undetected in the WISE 3.4 μm (W1) and 4.6 μm (W2) bands but bright at 12 μm (W3) and 22 μm (W4), are extremely rare, with only ∼1000 so-called 'W1W2-dropouts' across the extragalactic sky. Optical spectroscopy reveals typical redshifts of z ∼ 2 for this population, implying rest-frame mid-IR luminosities of νL ν (6 μm) ∼ 6 × 10 46 erg s –1 and bolometric luminosities that can exceed L bol ∼ 10 14 L ☉ . The corresponding intrinsic, unobscured hard X-ray luminosities are L(2-10 keV) ∼ 4 × 10 45 erg s –1 for typical quasar templates. These are among the most AGNs known, though the optical spectra rarely show evidence of a broad-line region and the selection criteria imply heavy obscuration even at rest-frame 1.5 μm. We designed our X-ray observations to obtain robust detections for gas column densities N H ≤ 10 24 cm –2 . In fact, the sources prove to be fainter than these predictions. Two of the sources were observed by both NuSTAR and XMM-Newton, with neither being detected by NuSTAR (f 3-24 keV ≲ 10 –13 erg cm –2 s –1 ), and one being faintly detected by XMM-Newton (f 0.5-10 keV ∼ 5 × 10 –15 erg cm –2 s –1 ). A third source was observed only with XMM-Newton, yielding a faint detection (f 0.5-10 keV ∼ 7 × 10 –15 erg cm –2 s –1 ). The X-ray data imply these sources are either X-ray weak, or are heavily obscured by column densities N H ≳ 10 24 cm –2 . The combined X-ray and mid-IR analysis seems to favor this second possibility, implying the sources are extremely obscured, consistent with Compton-thick, luminous quasars. The discovery of a significant population of heavily obscured, extremely luminous AGNs would not conform to the standard

Technical Feasibility Study of an Effective Low-Toxicity Obscurant Material

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

chloride based obscurant composition 11EM0745 p. 20 Figure 4.15 The variable electric current source and the resistance wire (Nickel- Chrome , 0.2...type of magnesium powder under the name AZ91D was obtained from Metal Powder Technology Ltd, from the UK and is free from hexavalent chromium. 6...The test samples (F), are ignited by a resistance wire (Nickel- Chrome , 0.2 mm diameter from British Driver Harris, UK). This wire is heated by

Recurrent Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Dilemmas and Success with Pharmacological Therapies. Case Series and Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Almadi

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The present article describes three difficult cases of recurrent bleeding from obscure causes, followed by a review of the pitfalls and pharmacological management of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. All three patients underwent multiple investigations. An intervening complicating diagnosis or antiplatelet drugs may have compounded long-term bleeding in two of the cases. A bleeding angiodysplasia was confirmed in one case but was aggravated by the need for anticoagulation. After multiple transfusions and several attempts at endoscopic management in some cases, long-acting octreotide was associated with decreased transfusion requirements and increased hemoglobin levels in all three cases, although other factors may have contributed in some. In the third case, however, the addition of low-dose thalidomide stopped bleeding for a period of at least 23 months.

Security without obscurity a guide to confidentiality, authentication, and integrity

CERN Document Server

Stapleton, JJ

2014-01-01

The traditional view of information security includes the three cornerstones: confidentiality, integrity, and availability; however the author asserts authentication is the third keystone. As the field continues to grow in complexity, novices and professionals need a reliable reference that clearly outlines the essentials. Security without Obscurity: A Guide to Confidentiality, Authentication, and Integrity fills this need. Rather than focusing on compliance or policies and procedures, this book takes a top-down approach. It shares the author's knowledge, insights, and observations about infor

Obscured AGN at z ~ 1 from the zCOSMOS-Bright Survey. I. Selection and optical properties of a [Ne v]-selected sample

Science.gov (United States)

Mignoli, M.; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.; Bolzonella, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Lamareille, F.; Nair, P.; Pozzetti, L.; Lilly, S. J.; Carollo, C. M.; Contini, T.; Kneib, J.-P.; Le Fèvre, O.; Mainieri, V.; Renzini, A.; Scodeggio, M.; Bardelli, S.; Caputi, K.; Cucciati, O.; de la Torre, S.; de Ravel, L.; Franzetti, P.; Garilli, B.; Iovino, A.; Kampczyk, P.; Knobel, C.; Kovač, K.; Le Borgne, J.-F.; Le Brun, V.; Maier, C.; Pellò, R.; Peng, Y.; Perez Montero, E.; Presotto, V.; Silverman, J. D.; Tanaka, M.; Tasca, L.; Tresse, L.; Vergani, D.; Zucca, E.; Bordoloi, R.; Cappi, A.; Cimatti, A.; Koekemoer, A. M.; McCracken, H. J.; Moresco, M.; Welikala, N.

2013-08-01

Aims: The application of multi-wavelength selection techniques is essential for obtaining a complete and unbiased census of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We present here a method for selecting z ~ 1 obscured AGN from optical spectroscopic surveys. Methods: A sample of 94 narrow-line AGN with 0.65 advantage of the large amount of data available in the COSMOS field, the properties of the [Ne v]-selected type 2 AGN were investigated, focusing on their host galaxies, X-ray emission, and optical line-flux ratios. Finally, a previously developed diagnostic, based on the X-ray-to-[Ne v] luminosity ratio, was exploited to search for the more heavily obscured AGN. Results: We found that [Ne v]-selected narrow-line AGN have Seyfert 2-like optical spectra, although their emission line ratios are diluted by a star-forming component. The ACS morphologies and stellar component in the optical spectra indicate a preference for our type 2 AGN to be hosted in early-type spirals with stellar masses greater than 109.5 - 10 M⊙, on average higher than those of the galaxy parent sample. The fraction of galaxies hosting [Ne v]-selected obscured AGN increases with the stellar mass, reaching a maximum of about 3% at ≈2 × 1011 M⊙. A comparison with other selection techniques at z ~ 1, namely the line-ratio diagnostics and X-ray detections, shows that the detection of the [Ne v] λ3426 line is an effective method for selecting AGN in the optical band, in particular the most heavily obscured ones, but cannot provide a complete census of type 2 AGN by itself. Finally, the high fraction of [Ne v]-selected type 2 AGN not detected in medium-deep (≈100-200 ks) Chandra observations (67%) is suggestive of the inclusion of Compton-thick (i.e., with NH > 1024 cm-2) sources in our sample. The presence of a population of heavily obscured AGN is corroborated by the X-ray-to-[Ne v] ratio; we estimated, by means of an X-ray stacking technique and simulations, that the Compton-thick fraction in our

Large scale obscuration and related climate effects open literature bibliography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russell, N.A.; Geitgey, J.; Behl, Y.K.; Zak, B.D.

1994-05-01

Large scale obscuration and related climate effects of nuclear detonations first became a matter of concern in connection with the so-called ``Nuclear Winter Controversy`` in the early 1980`s. Since then, the world has changed. Nevertheless, concern remains about the atmospheric effects of nuclear detonations, but the source of concern has shifted. Now it focuses less on global, and more on regional effects and their resulting impacts on the performance of electro-optical and other defense-related systems. This bibliography reflects the modified interest.

Large scale obscuration and related climate effects open literature bibliography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, N.A.; Geitgey, J.; Behl, Y.K.; Zak, B.D.

1994-05-01

Large scale obscuration and related climate effects of nuclear detonations first became a matter of concern in connection with the so-called ''Nuclear Winter Controversy'' in the early 1980's. Since then, the world has changed. Nevertheless, concern remains about the atmospheric effects of nuclear detonations, but the source of concern has shifted. Now it focuses less on global, and more on regional effects and their resulting impacts on the performance of electro-optical and other defense-related systems. This bibliography reflects the modified interest

Tracking the Obscured Star Formation Along the Complete Evolutionary Merger Sequence of LIRGs

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Santos, Tanio

2014-10-01

We propose to obtain WFC3 narrow-band Pa-beta imaging of a sample of 24 nearby luminous infrared (IR) galaxies (LIRGs) from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG survey (GOALS) selected to be in advanced stages of interaction. LIRGs account for half of the obscured star formation of the Universe at z ~ 1-2, and they represent a key population in galaxy formation and evolution. We will use the Pa-beta images to trace the ionized gas in LIRGs and study its spatial distribution from scales of ~ 100 pc to up to several kpc, probing the youngest, massive stars formed in the most buried environments of LIRGs due to the interaction process. This will allow us to measure how the gas in the center of mergers is converted into stars, which eventually leads to the build-up of a nuclear stellar cusp and the "inside-out" growth of bulges. We will also create spatially-resolved Pa-beta equivalent width maps to search for age gradients across the galaxies and correlate the distribution of Pa-beta emission with that of un-obscured star clusters detected in the UV and optical with HST on the same spatial scales. Finally, we will combine our data with previous studies mainly focused on isolated and early-stage interacting LIRG systems to analyze the size and compactness of the starburst along the complete merger sequence of LIRGs. The requested data represent a critical missing piece of information that will allow us to understand both the physics of merger-induced star formation and the applicability of local LIRGs as templates for high-z interacting starburst galaxies.

Application of wavelet analysis in optical coherence tomography for obscured pattern recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Buranachai, C.; Thavarungkul, P.; Kanatharanaa, P.; Meglinski, I. V.

2009-12-01

Nowadays the optical coherent tomography (OCT) is one of the most perspective optical diagnostic modalities widely used for non-invasive imaging of the internal structure of various complex turbid media from a range of composite materials to biological tissues. OCT has been attracting a great amount of attention due to its effective capability rejecting multiple scattering. However, for highly scattered composite structures the multiple scattering still remains a factor limiting OCT to the quasi-ballistic regime. In order to enhance the OCT imaging capabilities and reduce the statistical noise associated with the multiple scattering the wavelet analysis has been applied. The wavelet analysis has been used to decompose the OCT images of printed stripes covered by a highly scattered and not transparent layer of white correction tape. The obtained results demonstrate a significant reduction of speckle noise background and enhancement of OCT images of the obscured patterns. This likely to be enabled extending the applicability of the combined OCT-wavelet decomposition analysis to investigate sensitive documents, historical artworks and valuable security papers.

Application of wavelet analysis in optical coherence tomography for obscured pattern recognition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buranachai, C; Thavarungkul, P; Kanatharanaa, P; Meglinski, I V

2009-01-01

Nowadays the optical coherent tomography (OCT) is one of the most perspective optical diagnostic modalities widely used for non-invasive imaging of the internal structure of various complex turbid media from a range of composite materials to biological tissues. OCT has been attracting a great amount of attention due to its effective capability rejecting multiple scattering. However, for highly scattered composite structures the multiple scattering still remains a factor limiting OCT to the quasi-ballistic regime. In order to enhance the OCT imaging capabilities and reduce the statistical noise associated with the multiple scattering the wavelet analysis has been applied. The wavelet analysis has been used to decompose the OCT images of printed stripes covered by a highly scattered and not transparent layer of white correction tape. The obtained results demonstrate a significant reduction of speckle noise background and enhancement of OCT images of the obscured patterns. This likely to be enabled extending the applicability of the combined OCT-wavelet decomposition analysis to investigate sensitive documents, historical artworks and valuable security papers

EVIDENCE FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ULTRAVIOLET OBSCURATION IN z {approx} 2 DUSTY GALAXIES FROM THE GOODS-HERSCHEL SURVEY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penner, Kyle [Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Dickinson, Mark; Dey, Arjun; Kartaltepe, Jeyhan [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Pope, Alexandra [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Magnelli, Benjamin [Max Planck Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching (Germany); Pannella, Maurilio; Aussel, Herve; Daddi, Emanuele; Elbaz, David [Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/DSM/Irfu-CNRS-Universite Paris Diderot, CEA-Saclay, pt courrier 131, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Altieri, Bruno; Coia, Daniela [Herschel Science Center, European Space Astronomy Center, Villanueva de la Canada, E-28691 Madrid (Spain); Buat, Veronique [Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille, OAMP, Universite Aix-marseille, CNRS, 38 rue Frederic Joliot-Curie, F-13388 Marseille Cedex 13 (France); Bussmann, Shane; Hwang, Ho Seong [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Charmandaris, Vassilis [Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Crete, GR-71003 Heraklion (Greece); Dannerbauer, Helmut [Institut fuer Astronomie, Universitaet Wien, Tuerkenschanzstrasse 17, A-1180 Vienna (Austria); Lin Lihwai [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Magdis, Georgios [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Morrison, Glenn, E-mail: kpenner@as.arizona.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); and others

2012-11-01

Dusty galaxies at z {approx} 2 span a wide range of relative brightness between rest-frame mid-infrared (8 {mu}m) and ultraviolet wavelengths. We attempt to determine the physical mechanism responsible for this diversity. Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs), which have rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios {approx}> 1000, might be abnormally bright in the mid-IR, perhaps due to prominent emission from active galactic nuclei and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or abnormally faint in the UV. We use far-infrared data from the GOODS-Herschel survey to show that most DOGs with 10{sup 12} L {sub Sun} {approx}< L {sub IR} {approx}< 10{sup 13} L {sub Sun} are not abnormally bright in the mid-IR when compared to other dusty galaxies with similar IR (8-1000 {mu}m) luminosities. We observe a relation between the median IR to UV luminosity ratios and the median UV continuum power-law indices for these galaxies, and we find that only 24% have specific star formation rates that indicate the dominance of compact star-forming regions. This circumstantial evidence supports the idea that the UV- and IR-emitting regions in these galaxies are spatially coincident, which implies a connection between the abnormal UV faintness of DOGs and dust obscuration. We conclude that the range in rest-frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratios spanned by dusty galaxies at z {approx} 2 is due to differing amounts of UV obscuration. Of galaxies with these IR luminosities, DOGs are the most obscured. We attribute differences in UV obscuration to either (1) differences in the degree of alignment between the spatial distributions of dust and massive stars or (2) differences in the total dust content.

A LARGE NUMBER OF z > 6 GALAXIES AROUND A QSO AT z = 6.43: EVIDENCE FOR A PROTOCLUSTER?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utsumi, Yousuke; Kashikawa, Nobunari; Miyazaki, Satoshi; Komiyama, Yutaka; Goto, Tomotsugu; Furusawa, Hisanori; Overzier, Roderik

2010-01-01

QSOs have been thought to be important for tracing highly biased regions in the early universe, from which the present-day massive galaxies and galaxy clusters formed. While overdensities of star-forming galaxies have been found around QSOs at 2 6 is less clear. Previous studies with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have reported the detection of small excesses of faint dropout galaxies in some QSO fields, but these surveys probed a relatively small region surrounding the QSOs. To overcome this problem, we have observed the most distant QSO at z = 6.4 using the large field of view of the Suprime-Cam (34' x 27'). Newly installed red-sensitive fully depleted CCDs allowed us to select Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at z ∼ 6.4 more efficiently. We found seven LBGs in the QSO field, whereas only one exists in a comparison field. The significance of this apparent excess is difficult to quantify without spectroscopic confirmation and additional control fields. The Poisson probability to find seven objects when one expects four is ∼10%, while the probability to find seven objects in one field and only one in the other is less than 0.4%, suggesting that the QSO field is significantly overdense relative to the control field. These conclusions are supported by a comparison with a cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation which includes the higher order clustering of galaxies. We find some evidence that the LBGs are distributed in a ring-like shape centered on the QSO with a radius of ∼3 Mpc. There are no candidate LBGs within 2 Mpc from the QSO, i.e., galaxies are clustered around the QSO but appear to avoid the very center. These results suggest that the QSO is embedded in an overdense region when defined on a sufficiently large scale (i.e., larger than an HST/ACS pointing). This suggests that the QSO was indeed born in a massive halo. The central deficit of galaxies may indicate that (1) the strong UV radiation from the QSO suppressed galaxy formation in

Radio imaging of core-dominated high redshift quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barthel, Peter D.; Vestergaard, Marianne; Lonsdale, Colin J.

1999-01-01

VLA imaging at kiloparsec-scale resolution of sixteen core-dominated radio-loud QSOs is presented. Many objects appear to display variable radio emission and their radio morphologies are significantly smaller than those of steep-spectrum quasars, consistent with these objects being observed...

The Geometry of the Infrared and X-Ray Obscurer in a Dusty Hyperluminous Quasar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farrah, Duncan; Baloković, Mislav; Stern, Daniel

2016-01-01

We study the geometry of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscurer in IRAS 09104+4109, an IR-luminous, radio-intermediate FR-I source at z = 0.442, using infrared data from Spitzer and Herschel, X-ray data from NuSTAR, Swift, Suzaku, and Chandra, and an optical spectrum from Palomar. The infrare...

THE ENVIRONMENTS OF HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASI-STELLAR OBJECTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Soyoung; Stiavelli, Massimo; Trenti, M.; Pavlovsky, C. M.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Scarlata, C.; Stern, D.; Mahabal, A.; Thompson, D.; Panagia, N.; Dickinson, M.; Meylan, G.

2009-01-01

We present a sample of i 775 -dropout candidates identified in five Hubble Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) fields centered on Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) at redshift z ∼ 6. Our fields are as deep as the GOODS ACS images, which are used as a reference field sample. We find them to be overdense in two fields, underdense in two fields, and as dense as the average density of GOODS in one field. The two excess fields show significantly different color distributions from that of GOODS at the 99% confidence level, strengthening the idea that the excess objects are indeed associated with the QSO. The distribution of i 775 -dropout counts in the five fields is broader than that derived from GOODS at the 80%-96% confidence level, depending on which selection criteria were adopted to identify i 775 -dropouts; its width cannot be explained by cosmic variance alone. Thus, QSOs seem to affect their environments in complex ways. We suggest the picture where the highest redshift QSOs are located in very massive overdensities and are therefore surrounded by an overdensity of lower mass halos. Radiative feedback by the QSO can in some cases prevent halos from becoming galaxies, thereby generating in extreme cases an underdensity of galaxies. The presence of both enhancement and suppression is compatible with the expected differences between lines of sight at the end of reionization as the presence of residual diffuse neutral hydrogen would provide young galaxies with shielding from the radiative effects of the QSO.

Variable dust obscuration in the symbiotic Mira and very slow Nova, HM Sge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munari, U.; Whitelock, P.A.

1989-01-01

New infrared photometry is presented for the symbiotic Mira, HM Sge. Using this and published data a pulsation period of 527 day is derived. In addition to the normal pulsational modulation, the light curve for HM Sge has shown a distinct fading and reddening, starting in 1985. This is interpreted as a dust-obscuration event, and its possible association with the binary orbit is discussed. (author)

High levels of absorption in orientation-unbiased, radio-selected 3CR Active Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkes, Belinda J.; Haas, Martin; Barthel, Peter; Leipski, Christian; Kuraszkiewicz, Joanna; Worrall, Diana; Birkinshaw, Mark; Willner, Steven P.

2014-08-01

A critical problem in understanding active galaxies (AGN) is the separation of intrinsic physical differences from observed differences that are due to orientation. Obscuration of the active nucleus is anisotropic and strongly frequency dependent leading to complex selection effects for observations in most wavebands. These can only be quantified using a sample that is sufficiently unbiased to test orientation effects. Low-frequency radio emission is one way to select a close-to orientation-unbiased sample, albeit limited to the minority of AGN with strong radio emission.Recent Chandra, Spitzer and Herschel observations combined with multi-wavelength data for a complete sample of high-redshift (1half the sample is significantly obscured with ratios of unobscured: Compton thin (22 24.2) = 2.5:1.4:1 in these high-luminosity (log L(0.3-8keV) ~ 44-46) sources. These ratios are consistent with current expectations based on modelingthe Cosmic X-ray Background. A strong correlation with radio orientation constrains the geometry of the obscuring disk/torus to have a ~60 degree opening angle and ~12 degree Compton-thick cross-section. The deduced ~50% obscured fraction of the population contrasts with typical estimates of ~20% obscured in optically- and X-ray-selected high-luminosity samples. Once the primary nuclear emission is obscured, AGN X-ray spectra are frequently dominated by unobscured non-nuclear or scattered nuclear emission which cannot be distinguished from direct nuclear emission with a lower obscuration level unless high quality data is available. As a result, both the level of obscuration and the estimated instrinsic luminosities of highly-obscured AGN are likely to be significantly (*10-1000) underestimated for 25-50% of the population. This may explain the lower obscured fractions reported for optical and X-ray samples which have no independent measure of the AGN luminosity. Correcting AGN samples for these underestimated luminosities would result in

THE GEOMETRY OF THE INFRARED AND X-RAY OBSCURER IN A DUSTY HYPERLUMINOUS QUASAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farrah, Duncan; Harris, Kathryn [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Baloković, Mislav; Brightman, Murray [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stern, Daniel; Walton, Dominic J. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Kunimoto, Michelle; Clements, David L. [Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Alexander, David M. [Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Arévalo, Patricia [Instituto de Física y Astronomía, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Gran Bretana N 1111, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso (Chile); Ballantyne, David R. [Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 837 State Street, Atlanta, GA 30332-0430 (United States); Bauer, Franz E. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Boggs, Steven [Space Science Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Brandt, William N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Christensen, Finn [DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Craig, William [EMBIGGEN Anillo, Concepción (Chile); Fabian, Andrew, E-mail: farrah@vt.edu [Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); and others

2016-11-01

We study the geometry of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscurer in IRAS 09104+4109, an IR-luminous, radio-intermediate FR-I source at z = 0.442, using infrared data from Spitzer and Herschel , X-ray data from NuSTAR , Swift , Suzaku , and Chandra , and an optical spectrum from Palomar. The infrared data imply a total rest-frame 1–1000 μ m luminosity of 5.5 × 10{sup 46} erg s{sup −1} and require both an AGN torus and a starburst model. The AGN torus has an anisotropy-corrected IR luminosity of 4.9 × 10{sup 46} erg s{sup −1} and a viewing angle and half-opening angle both of approximately 36° from pole-on. The starburst has a star formation rate of (110 ± 34) M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} and an age of <50 Myr. These results are consistent with two epochs of luminous activity in IRAS 09104+4109: one approximately 150 Myr ago, and one ongoing. The X-ray data suggest a photon index of Γ ≃ 1.8 and a line-of-sight column density of N {sub H} ≃ 5 × 10{sup 23} cm{sup −2}. This argues against a reflection-dominated hard X-ray spectrum, which would have implied a much higher N {sub H} and luminosity. The X-ray and infrared data are consistent with a bolometric AGN luminosity of L {sub bol} ∼ (0.5–2.5) × 10{sup 47} erg s{sup −1}. The X-ray and infrared data are further consistent with coaligned AGN obscurers in which the line of sight “skims” the torus. This is also consistent with the optical spectra, which show both coronal iron lines and broad lines in polarized but not direct light. Combining constraints from the X-ray, optical, and infrared data suggest that the AGN obscurer is within a vertical height of 20 pc, and a radius of 125 pc, of the nucleus.

The Geometry of the Infrared and X-Ray Obscurer in a Dusty Hyperluminous Quasar

Science.gov (United States)

Farrah, Duncan; Balokovic, Mislav; Stern, Daniel; Harris, Kathryn; Kunimoto, Michelle; Walton, Dominc J.; Alexander, David M.; Arevalo, Patricia; Ballantyne, David R.; Bauer, Franz E.;

Luminous Quasars Do Not Live in Overdense Regions of LBGS at z 4

Science.gov (United States)

Uchiyama, Hisakazu

2017-07-01

We present the cross-correlation between 151 luminous QSOs and 179 protoclustercandidates at z 4 using Hyper Suprime-Cam data. We found that only 2 QSOs reside inregions that are more overdense compared to the average field at > 4σ. The distributionsof the distance between QSOs and the nearest protoclusters and the signicance of theoverdensity at the position of QSOs are statistically identical to those found for LBGs,suggesting that QSOs tend to reside in almost the same environment as LBGs at thisredshift. Using stacking analysis, we found that the average density of LBGs around QSOsis slightly higher than that around LBGs on 1.0-2.5 pMpc scales, while at anti-correlated with overdensity. These findings are consistentwith a scenario in which the average QSO at z 4 resides in structures that are lessmassive than those expected for the progenitors of today's rich clusters, and possibly thatluminous QSOs may be suppressing star formation in their close vicinity.

THE STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF z ∼ 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES AND SUBMILLIMETER-SELECTED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, B. T.; Armus, L.; Desai, V.; Soifer, B. T.; Brown, M. J. I.; Gonzalez, A. H.; Melbourne, J.

2012-01-01

The Spitzer Space Telescope has identified a population of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z ∼ 2 that may play an important role in the evolution of massive galaxies. We measure the stellar masses (M * ) of two populations of Spitzer-selected ULIRGs that have extremely red R – [24] colors (dust-obscured galaxies, or DOGs) and compare our results with submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs). One set of 39 DOGs has a local maximum in their mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral energy distribution (SED) at rest frame 1.6 μm associated with stellar emission ( b ump DOGs ) , while the other set of 51 DOGs have power-law mid-IR SEDs that are typical of obscured active galactic nuclei ( p ower-law DOGs ) . We measure M * by applying Charlot and Bruzual stellar population synthesis models to broadband photometry in the rest-frame ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared of each of these populations. Assuming a simple stellar population and a Chabrier initial mass function, we find that power-law DOGs and bump DOGs are on average a factor of 2 and 1.5 more massive than SMGs, respectively (median and inter-quartile M * values for SMGs, bump DOGs, and power-law DOGs are log(M * /M ☉ ) = 10.42 +0.42 –0.36 , 10.62 +0.36 –0.32 , and 10.71 +0.40 –0.34 , respectively). More realistic star formation histories drawn from two competing theories for the nature of ULIRGs at z ∼ 2 (major merger versus smooth accretion) can increase these mass estimates by up to 0.5 dex. A comparison of our stellar masses with the instantaneous star formation rate (SFR) in these z ∼ 2 ULIRGs provides a preliminary indication supporting high SFRs for a given M * , a situation that arises more naturally in major mergers than in smooth accretion-powered systems.

On inferring extinction laws in z ~ 6 quasars as signatures of supernova dust

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjorth, Jens; Vreeswijk, P.M.; Gall, C.

2013-01-01

Unusual extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs have been taken as evidence that dust is primarily produced by supernovae at high redshift. In particular, the 3000 Å Todini-Ferrara-Maiolino kink in the extinction curve of the z = 6.20 SDSS J1048+4637 has been attributed to supernova dust. Here we...... theoretical extinction curves. In a sample of 21 QSOs at z ~ 6 we detect significant ultraviolet extinction using existing broadband optical, near-infrared, and Spitzer photometry. The median extinction curve is consistent with a Small Magellanic Cloud curve with A ~ 0.7 mag and does not exhibit any...... conspicuous (rest frame) 2175 Å or 3000 Å features. For two QSOs, SDSS J1044-0125 at z = 5.78 and SDSS J1030+0524 at z = 6.31, we further present X-shooter spectra covering the wavelength range 0.9-2.5 µm. The resulting non-parametric extinction curves do not exhibit the 3000 Å kink. Finally, in a re...

Storm in a Teacup: X-Ray View of an Obscured Quasar and Superbubble

Science.gov (United States)

Lansbury, George B.; Jarvis, Miranda E.; Harrison, Chris M.; Alexander, David M.; Del Moro, Agnese; Edge, Alastair C.; Mullaney, James R.; Thomson, Alasdair P.

2018-03-01

We present the X-ray properties of the “Teacup AGN” (SDSS J1430+1339), a z = 0.085 type 2 quasar that is interacting dramatically with its host galaxy. Spectral modeling of the central quasar reveals a powerful, highly obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a column density of N H = (4.2–6.5) × 1023 cm‑2 and an intrinsic luminosity of L 2–10 keV = (0.8–1.4) × 1044 erg s‑1. The current high bolometric luminosity inferred (L bol ≈1045–1046 erg s‑1) has ramifications for previous interpretations of the Teacup as a fading/dying quasar. High-resolution Chandra imaging data reveal a ≈10 kpc loop of X-ray emission, cospatial with the “eastern bubble” previously identified in luminous radio and ionized gas (e.g., [O III] line) emission. The X-ray emission from this structure is in good agreement with a shocked thermal gas, with T = (4–8) × 106 K, and there is evidence for an additional hot component with T ≳ 3 × 107 K. Although the Teacup is a radiatively dominated AGN, the estimated ratio between the bubble power and the X-ray luminosity is in remarkable agreement with observations of ellipticals, groups, and clusters of galaxies undergoing AGN feedback.

"Observation Obscurer" - Time Series Viewer, Editor and Processor

Science.gov (United States)

Andronov, I. L.

The program is described, which contains a set of subroutines suitable for East viewing and interactive filtering and processing of regularly and irregularly spaced time series. Being a 32-bit DOS application, it may be used as a default fast viewer/editor of time series in any compute shell ("commander") or in Windows. It allows to view the data in the "time" or "phase" mode, to remove ("obscure") or filter outstanding bad points; to make scale transformations and smoothing using few methods (e.g. mean with phase binning, determination of the statistically opti- mal number of phase bins; "running parabola" (Andronov, 1997, As. Ap. Suppl, 125, 207) fit and to make time series analysis using some methods, e.g. correlation, autocorrelation and histogram analysis: determination of extrema etc. Some features have been developed specially for variable star observers, e.g. the barycentric correction, the creation and fast analysis of "OC" diagrams etc. The manual for "hot keys" is presented. The computer code was compiled with a 32-bit Free Pascal (www.freepascal.org).

The Environments of High-Redshift Quasi-Stellar Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soyoung; Stiavelli, Massimo; Trenti, M.; Pavlovsky, C. M.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Scarlata, C.; Stern, D.; Mahabal, A.; Thompson, D.; Dickinson, M.; Panagia, N.; Meylan, G.

2009-04-01

We present a sample of i 775-dropout candidates identified in five Hubble Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) fields centered on Sloan Digital Sky Survey quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) at redshift z ~ 6. Our fields are as deep as the GOODS ACS images, which are used as a reference field sample. We find them to be overdense in two fields, underdense in two fields, and as dense as the average density of GOODS in one field. The two excess fields show significantly different color distributions from that of GOODS at the 99% confidence level, strengthening the idea that the excess objects are indeed associated with the QSO. The distribution of i 775-dropout counts in the five fields is broader than that derived from GOODS at the 80%-96% confidence level, depending on which selection criteria were adopted to identify i 775-dropouts; its width cannot be explained by cosmic variance alone. Thus, QSOs seem to affect their environments in complex ways. We suggest the picture where the highest redshift QSOs are located in very massive overdensities and are therefore surrounded by an overdensity of lower mass halos. Radiative feedback by the QSO can in some cases prevent halos from becoming galaxies, thereby generating in extreme cases an underdensity of galaxies. The presence of both enhancement and suppression is compatible with the expected differences between lines of sight at the end of reionization as the presence of residual diffuse neutral hydrogen would provide young galaxies with shielding from the radiative effects of the QSO. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities of Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.

CONSTRAINTS ON OBSCURED STAR FORMATION IN HOST GALAXIES OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatsukade, Bunyo; Ohta, Kouji; Hashimoto, Tetsuya; Nakanishi, Kouichiro; Tamura, Yoichi; Kohno, Kotaro

2012-01-01

We present the results of the 16 cm wave band continuum observations of four host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) 990705, 021211, 041006, and 051022 using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Radio emission was not detected in any of the host galaxies. The 2σ upper limits on star formation rates derived from the radio observations of the host galaxies are 23, 45, 27, and 26 M ☉ yr –1 , respectively, which are less than about 10 times those derived from UV/optical observations, suggesting that they have no significant dust-obscured star formation. GRBs 021211 and 051022 are known as the so-called dark GRBs and our results imply that dark GRBs do not always occur in galaxies enshrouded by dust. Because large dust extinction was not observed in the afterglow of GRB 021211, our result suggests the possibility that the cause of the dark GRB is the intrinsic faintness of the optical afterglow. On the other hand, by considering the high column density observed in the afterglow of GRB 051022, the likely cause of the dark GRB is the dust extinction in the line of sight of the GRB.

Probing the central engine and environment of AGN using ARIES 1.3-m and 3.6-m telescopes

Science.gov (United States)

Chand, Hum; Rakshit, Suvendu; Jalan, Priyanka; Ojha, Vineet; Srianand, Raghunathan; Vivek, Mariappan; Mishra, Sapna; Omar, Amitesh; Kumar, Parveen; Joshi, Ravi; Gopal-Krishna; Kumar, Rathna

2018-04-01

We discuss three long term observational programmes to probe the central engine and environment of active galactic nuclei (AGN) using the recently installed ARIES 1.3-m and 3.6-m telescopes. The first programme is on the photometric reverberation mapping of low luminosity AGN by mainly using the ARIES 1.3-m telescope. The major impact of this programme other than to estimate the black hole mass will be to extend the broad line region (BLR) radius-luminosity (RBLR-LAGN) relation to the unexplored low luminosity regime, and to constrain the AGN broad line region geometry. The second programme is to use long slit spectroscopy on the ARIES 3.6-m telescope to discover new high redshift quasar pairs with angular separation less than 1-arcmin. Here, the background QSOs sight-line will be used to probe the environment of the foreground QSOs at kpc-Mpc scales. The major impact of this programme will be on the discovery of new pairs which have been missed in the SDSS survey due to fiber collision below 1-arcmin separation, and use them to understand about any excess overdensity around the QSO, any anisotropic emission of QSOs, and/or any episodic activity of QSOs. The third programme is related to spectral variability studies of the C IV broad absorption line (BAL) QSOs, based on low resolution spectroscopy using the ARIES 3.6-m telescope. Here, those most interesting cases will be monitored, where the BAL flow emerges afresh or disappears completely in the C IV trough of BAL QSOs sample as seen in SDSS multi-epoch observations. Continuous monitoring of such a sample will be important for our understanding of the nature and origin of the flow, along with their stability and dynamical evolution.

The nature of the torus in the heavily obscured AGN Markarian 3: an X-ray study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guainazzi, M.; Risaliti, G.; Awaki, H.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we report the results of an X-ray monitoring campaign on the heavily obscured Seyfert galaxy, Markarian 3, carried out between the fall of 2014 and the spring of 2015 with NuSTAR, Suzaku and XMM–Newton. The hard X-ray spectrum of Markarian 3 is variable on all the time-scales probe...

Selective CT mesentericography in the diagnostics of obscure overt intestinal bleeding: preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuermann, K.; Buecker, A.; Tacke, J.; Schmitz-Rode, T.; Guenther, R.W.; Jansen, M.

2002-01-01

Aim: To evaluate intra-arterial CT mesentericography (CTM) in the diagnostics of severe obscure overt intestinal bleeding in comparison with conventional mesentericography (MG) and surgery. Methods: In 8 patients (23 - 82 years, mean 59 years), CTM was performed via the catheter left in the superior mesenteric artery after MG to detect the source of bleeding. Early and late-phase spiral CT scans were acquired after administration of contrast medium. Active bleeding was considered to be present if extravasation of contrast medium into the bowel was found. The results of MG and CTM were compared with the results of surgery. Results: With MG active bleeding was found in one patient, with CTM in five patients. In three patients, both MG and CTM were negative. Six patients underwent surgery. Five cases of bleeding detected with CTM were confirmed by surgery. In one case, bleeding found with CTM was not confirmed by surgery. One patient underwent surgery although all imaging procedures were negative. The source of bleeding remained unknown. Surgically, the site of bleeding was located in the jejunum in 3 patients (jejunitis, jejunal ulcers, carcinoid), one patient had a diverticulum in the ascending colon. The colonic bleeding site was correctly localized with CTM, whereas the small bowel bleeding could only roughly be assigned to the proximal or distal jejunum or jejunoileal transition area. Conclusion: Preliminary results indicate that selective CTM is superior to MG in the evaluation of severe obscure overt intestinal bleeding. (orig.) [de

On Inferring Extinction Laws in Z -approximately 6 Quasars as Signatures of Supernova Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Hjorth, Jens; Vreeswijk, Paul M.; Gall, Christa; Watson, Darach

2013-01-01

Unusual extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs have been taken as evidence that dust is primarily produced by supernovae at high redshift. In particular, the 3000 °A Todini-Ferrara-Maiolino kink in the extinction curve of the z = 6.20 SDSS J1048+4637 has been attributed to supernova dust. Here we discuss the challenges in inferring robust extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs and critically assess previous claims of detection of supernova dust. In particular, we address the sensitivity to the choice of intrinsic QSO spectrum, the need for a long wavelength baseline, and the drawbacks in fitting theoretical extinction curves. In a sample of 21 QSOs at z 6 we detect significant ultraviolet extinction using existing broad-band optical, near-infrared, and Spitzer photometry. The median extinction curve is consistent with a Small Magellanic Cloud curve with A1450 0.7 mag and does not exhibit any conspicuous (restframe) 2175 °A or 3000 °A features. For two QSOs, SDSS J1044-0125 at z = 5.78 and SDSS J1030+0524 at z = 6.31, we further present X-shooter spectra covering the wavelength range 0.9-2.5 µm. The resulting non-parametric extinction curves do not exhibit the 3000 °A kink. Finally, in a re-analysis of literature spectra of SDSS J1048+4637, we do not find evidence for a conspicuous kink. We conclude that the existing evidence for a 3000 °A feature is weak and that the overall dust properties at high and low redshift show no significant differences. This, however, does not preclude supernovae from dominating the dust budget at high redshift.

ON INFERRING EXTINCTION LAWS IN z ∼ 6 QUASARS AS SIGNATURES OF SUPERNOVA DUST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjorth, Jens; Vreeswijk, Paul M.; Gall, Christa; Watson, Darach

2013-01-01

Unusual extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs have been taken as evidence that dust is primarily produced by supernovae at high redshift. In particular, the 3000 Å Todini-Ferrara-Maiolino kink in the extinction curve of the z = 6.20 SDSS J1048+4637 has been attributed to supernova dust. Here we discuss the challenges in inferring robust extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs and critically assess previous claims of detection of supernova dust. In particular, we address the sensitivity to the choice of intrinsic QSO spectrum, the need for a long wavelength baseline, and the drawbacks in fitting theoretical extinction curves. In a sample of 21 QSOs at z ∼ 6 we detect significant ultraviolet extinction using existing broadband optical, near-infrared, and Spitzer photometry. The median extinction curve is consistent with a Small Magellanic Cloud curve with A 1450 ∼ 0.7 mag and does not exhibit any conspicuous (rest frame) 2175 Å or 3000 Å features. For two QSOs, SDSS J1044–0125 at z = 5.78 and SDSS J1030+0524 at z = 6.31, we further present X-shooter spectra covering the wavelength range 0.9-2.5 μm. The resulting non-parametric extinction curves do not exhibit the 3000 Å kink. Finally, in a re-analysis of literature spectra of SDSS J1048+4637, we do not find evidence for a conspicuous kink. We conclude that the existing evidence for a 3000 Å feature is weak and that the overall dust properties at high and low redshifts show no significant differences. This, however, does not preclude supernovae from dominating the dust budget at high redshift.

ON INFERRING EXTINCTION LAWS IN z {approx} 6 QUASARS AS SIGNATURES OF SUPERNOVA DUST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hjorth, Jens; Vreeswijk, Paul M.; Gall, Christa; Watson, Darach, E-mail: jens@dark-cosmology.dk, E-mail: paul.vreeswijk@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: christa.gall@nasa.gov, E-mail: darach@dark-cosmology.dk [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen O (Denmark)

2013-05-10

Unusual extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs have been taken as evidence that dust is primarily produced by supernovae at high redshift. In particular, the 3000 A Todini-Ferrara-Maiolino kink in the extinction curve of the z = 6.20 SDSS J1048+4637 has been attributed to supernova dust. Here we discuss the challenges in inferring robust extinction curves of high-redshift QSOs and critically assess previous claims of detection of supernova dust. In particular, we address the sensitivity to the choice of intrinsic QSO spectrum, the need for a long wavelength baseline, and the drawbacks in fitting theoretical extinction curves. In a sample of 21 QSOs at z {approx} 6 we detect significant ultraviolet extinction using existing broadband optical, near-infrared, and Spitzer photometry. The median extinction curve is consistent with a Small Magellanic Cloud curve with A{sub 1450} {approx} 0.7 mag and does not exhibit any conspicuous (rest frame) 2175 A or 3000 A features. For two QSOs, SDSS J1044-0125 at z = 5.78 and SDSS J1030+0524 at z = 6.31, we further present X-shooter spectra covering the wavelength range 0.9-2.5 {mu}m. The resulting non-parametric extinction curves do not exhibit the 3000 A kink. Finally, in a re-analysis of literature spectra of SDSS J1048+4637, we do not find evidence for a conspicuous kink. We conclude that the existing evidence for a 3000 A feature is weak and that the overall dust properties at high and low redshifts show no significant differences. This, however, does not preclude supernovae from dominating the dust budget at high redshift.

OPTICAL/NEAR-INFRARED SELECTION OF RED QUASI-STELLAR OBJECTS: EVIDENCE FOR STEEP EXTINCTION CURVES TOWARD GALACTIC CENTERS?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fynbo, J. P. U.; Krogager, J.-K.; Vestergaard, M.; Geier, S. [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen O (Denmark); Venemans, B. [Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Noterdaeme, P. [CNRS-UPMC, UMR7095, Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, 98bis Bd. Arago, F-75014 Paris (France); Moller, P. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschildstrasse 2, D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen (Germany); Ledoux, C. [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19 (Chile)

2013-01-15

We present the results of a search for red QSOs using a selection based on optical imaging from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and near-infrared imaging from UKIDSS. Our main goal with the selection is to search for QSOs reddened by foreground dusty absorber galaxies. For a sample of 58 candidates (including 20 objects fulfilling our selection criteria that already have spectra in the SDSS), 46 (79%) are confirmed to be QSOs. The QSOs are predominantly dust-reddened except for a handful at redshifts z {approx}> 3.5. However, the dust is most likely located in the QSO host galaxies (and for two, the reddening is primarily caused by Galactic dust) rather than in the intervening absorbers. More than half of the QSOs show evidence of associated absorption (BAL absorption). Four (7%) of the candidates turned out to be late-type stars, and another four (7%) are compact galaxies. We could not identify the remaining four objects. In terms of their optical spectra, these QSOs are similar to the QSOs selected in the FIRST-2MASS Red Quasar Survey except they are on average fainter, more distant, and only two are detected in the FIRST survey. As per the usual procedure, we estimate the amount of extinction using the SDSS QSO template reddened by Small-Magellanic-Cloud-(SMC) like dust. It is possible to get a good match to the observed (rest-frame ultraviolet) spectra, but it is not possible to match the observed near-IR photometry from UKIDSS for nearly all the reddened QSOs. The most likely reasons are that the SDSS QSO template is too red at optical wavelengths due to contaminating host galaxy light and because the assumed SMC extinction curve is too shallow. Three of the compact galaxies display old stellar populations with ages of several Gyr and masses of about 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun} (based on spectral energy distribution modeling). The inferred stellar densities in these galaxies exceed 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun} kpc{sup -2}, which is among the highest measured for early

Learning From Nature: Biomimetic Polarimetry for Imaging in Obscuring Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

VanderLaan, John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Scrymgeour, David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kemme, Shanalyn A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-09-01

We find for infrared wavelengths there are broad ranges of particle sizes and refractive indices that represent fog and rain where the use of circular polarization can persist to longer ranges than linear polarization. Using polarization tracking Monte Carlo simulations for varying particle size, wavelength, and refractive index systematically, we show that for specific scene parameters circular polarization outperforms linear polarization in maintaining the intended polarization state for large optical depths. This enhancement in circular polarization can be exploited to improve range and target detection in obscurant environments that are important in many critical sensing applications. Specifically, circular polarization persists better than linear for radiation fog in the short-wave infrared, for advection fog in the short-wave infrared and the long-wave infrared, and large particle sizes of Sahara dust around the 4 micron wavelength.

SPITZER ANALYSIS OF H II REGION COMPLEXES IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS: DETERMINING A SUITABLE MONOCHROMATIC OBSCURED STAR FORMATION INDICATOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawton, B.; Gordon, K. D.; Meixner, M.; Sewilo, M.; Shiao, B.; Babler, B.; Bracker, S.; Meade, M.; Block, M.; Engelbracht, C. W.; Misselt, K.; Bolatto, A. D.; Carlson, L. R.; Hora, J. L.; Robitaille, T.; Indebetouw, R.; Madden, S. C.; Oey, M. S.; Oliveira, J. M.; Vijh, U. P.

2010-01-01

H II regions are the birth places of stars, and as such they provide the best measure of current star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies. The close proximity of the Magellanic Clouds allows us to probe the nature of these star forming regions at small spatial scales. To study the H II regions, we compute the bolometric infrared flux, or total infrared (TIR), by integrating the flux from 8 to 500 μm. The TIR provides a measure of the obscured star formation because the UV photons from hot young stars are absorbed by dust and re-emitted across the mid-to-far-infrared (IR) spectrum. We aim to determine the monochromatic IR band that most accurately traces the TIR and produces an accurate obscured SFR over large spatial scales. We present the spatial analysis, via aperture/annulus photometry, of 16 Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and 16 Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) H II region complexes using the Spitzer Space Telescope's IRAC (3.6, 4.5, 8 μm) and MIPS (24, 70, 160 μm) bands. Ultraviolet rocket data (1500 and 1900 A) and SHASSA Hα data are also included. All data are convolved to the MIPS 160 μm resolution (40 arcsec full width at half-maximum), and apertures have a minimum radius of 35''. The IRAC, MIPS, UV, and Hα spatial analysis are compared with the spatial analysis of the TIR. We find that nearly all of the LMC and SMC H II region spectral energy distributions (SEDs) peak around 70 μm at all radii, from ∼10 to ∼400 pc from the central ionizing sources. As a result, we find the following: the sizes of H II regions as probed by 70 μm are approximately equal to the sizes as probed by TIR (∼70 pc in radius); the radial profile of the 70 μm flux, normalized by TIR, is constant at all radii (70 μm ∼ 0.45TIR); the 1σ standard deviation of the 70 μm fluxes, normalized by TIR, is a lower fraction of the mean (0.05-0.12 out to ∼220 pc) than the normalized 8, 24, and 160 μm normalized fluxes (0.12-0.52); and these results are the same for the LMC and the

The Ideological Questions of Marriage in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salman Saleh, N.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As one of the prominent ideologies of the nineteenth-century— in a complex interrelation with other contemporary ideological discourses particularly femininity and marriage—religion adopts a critical stance in Hardy’s presentation of characters. Breaching the religio-conventional image of femininity as “Angel in the House” and “Cow Woman,” Hardy’s Jude the Obscure (1895 is indeed deemed to be his milestone in presenting his anti-Christian attitudes towards the contemporary religion. This study aims to present Hardy’s outright hostility towards the nineteenth-century Christianity through his creation of non-conformist characters, necessitating a parallel study with other contemporary discourses regarding marriage and femininity, and conflict with the religion of the time. Hardy’s magnum opus, the work on which he was to stake his final reputation as a novelist, was clearly Jude the Obscure which as a noticeable socio-religious experimentation of the late nineteenth-century, reveals Hardy’s perception of new ideas about femininity and marriage by presenting the hot contemporary issues of “New Woman” and “Free Union” through the development and presentation of Sue Bridehead and her free union with Jude, respectively. Hardy’s presentation of Sue Bridehead as a “New Woman,” and employing the “Free Union” in marked contrast with the nineteenth-century convention of marriage as a “Bonded Pair” is Hardy’s closing upshot of his final novelistic attempt. The non-conformist Jude and Sue are presented as figures touching the Victorian Christian standards of morality, while, the final tragic destiny of Jude and Sue’s helplessness attest to the writer’s substantial contribution as a Victorian male novelist to the ideologies circulating at the time.

Molecular Outflow and Feedback in an Obscured Quasar at z˜1.5 Revealed by ALMA

Science.gov (United States)

Brusa, Marcella

2017-11-01

We imaged with ALMA and ARGOS/LUCI the molecular gas and the dust and stellar continuum in XID2028, an obscured QSO at z=1.593, where the presence of a massive outflow in the ionized gas component traced by the [O III]5007 emission has been resolved up to 10 kpc. This target does represent a unique test case to study QSO 'feedback in action' at the peak epoch of AGN- galaxy coevolution. The QSO has been detected both in the CO(5-4) transition and in the 1.3mm continuum, with emissions confined in the central ( consumption conditions in XID2028, possibly due to feedback effects on the host galaxy. Finally, we observe an asymmetric profile of the CO(5-4) line, which suggests the presence of high velocity gas up to 700 km/s. An image of the blueshfited and redshifted CO wings provides the first detection of a spatially resolved, galaxy-scale molecular outflow at high-z, extended in opposite directions with the approaching component spatially coincident with the ionised gas outflow. The resolved, molecular outflow appear to be cospatial with the component observed int the ionised gas. XID2028 therefore represents the first example of molecular and ionised kpc scales outflows at high-z.

Arteriojejunal Fistula Presenting with Recurrent Obscure GI Hemorrhage in a Patient with a Failed Pancreas Allograft

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nirmit Desai

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We present a case of a patient with a failed pancreaticoduodenal allograft with exocrine enteric-drainage who developed catastrophic gastrointestinal (GI hemorrhage. Over the course of a week, she presented with recurrent GI bleeds of obscure etiology. Multiple esophago-gastro-duodenoscopic (EGD and colonoscopic evaluations failed to reveal the source of the hemorrhage. A capsule endoscopy and a technetium-labeled red blood cells (RBC imaging study were similarly unrevealing for source of bleeding. She subsequently developed hemorrhagic shock requiring emergent superior mesenteric arteriography. Run off images revealed an external iliac artery aneurysm with fistulization into the jejunum. Coiled embolization was attempted but abandoned because of hemodynamic instability. Deployment of a covered endovascular stent into the right external iliac artery over the fistula site resulted in immediate hemodynamic stabilization. A high index of suspicion for arterioenteric fistulae is needed for diagnosis of this uncommon but eminently treatable form of GI hemorrhage in this patient population.

Active Galactic Nucleus Obscuration from Winds: From Dusty Infrared-Driven to Warm and X-Ray Photoionized

Science.gov (United States)

Dorodnitsyn, Anton V.; Kallman, Timothy R.

2012-01-01

We present calculations of active galactic nucleus winds at approx.parsec scales along with the associated obscuration. We take into account the pressure of infrared radiation on dust grains and the interaction of X-rays from a central black hole with hot and cold plasma. Infrared radiation (IR) is incorporated in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations adopting the flux-limited diffusion approximation. We find that in the range of X-ray luminosities L = 0.05-0.6 L(sub Edd), the Compton-thick part of the flow (aka torus) has an opening angle of approximately 72deg - 75deg regardless of the luminosity. At L > or approx. 0.1, the outflowing dusty wind provides the obscuration with IR pressure playing a major role. The global flow consists of two phases: the cold flow at inclinations (theta) > or approx.70deg and a hot, ionized wind of lower density at lower inclinations. The dynamical pressure of the hot wind is important in shaping the denser IR-supported flow. At luminosities < or = 0.1 L(sub Edd) episodes of outflow are followed by extended periods when the wind switches to slow accretion. Key words: acceleration of particles . galaxies: active . hydrodynamics . methods: numerical Online-only material: color figures

Spectroscopic and polarimetric study of radio-quiet weak emission line quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Parveen; Chand, Hum; Gopal-Krishna; Srianand, Raghunathan; Stalin, Chelliah Subramonian; Petitjean, Patrick

2018-04-01

A small subset of optically selected radio-quiet QSOs with weak or no emission lines may turn out to be the elusive radio-quiet BL Lac objects, or simply be radio-quiet QSOs with an infant/shielded broad line region (BLR). High polarisation (p > 3-4%), a hallmark of BL Lacs, can be used to test whether some optically selected ‘radio-quiet weak emission line QSOs’ (RQWLQs) show a fractional polarisation high enough to qualify as radio-quiet analogues of BL Lac objects. To check this possibility, we have made optical spectral and polarisation measurements of a sample of 19 RQWLQs. Out of these, only 9 sources show a non-significant proper motion (hence very likely extragalactic) and only two of them are found to have p > 1%. For these two RQWLQs, namely J142505.59+035336.2 and J154515.77+003235.2, we found the highest polarization to be 1.59±0.53%, which is again too low to classify them as (radio-quiet) BL Lacs, although one may recall that even genuine BL Lacs sometimes appear weakly polarised. We also present a statistical comparison of the optical spectral index, for a sample of 45 RQWLQs with redshift-luminosity matched control samples of 900 QSOs and an equivalent sample of 120 blazars, assembled from the literature. The spectral index distribution of RQWLQs is found to differ, at a high significance level, from that of blazars. This, too, is consistent with the common view that the mechanism of the central engine in RQWLQs, as a population, is close to that operating in normal QSOs and the primary difference between them is related to the BLR.

The Far-Infrared Luminosity Function and Star Formation Rate Density for Dust Obscured Galaxies in the Bootes Field

Science.gov (United States)

Calanog, Jae Alyson; Wardlow, J. L.; Fu, H.; Cooray, A. R.; HerMES

2013-01-01

We present the far-Infrared (FIR) luminosity function (LF) and the star-formation rate density (SFRD) for dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in the Bootes field at redshift 2. These galaxies are selected by having a large rest frame mid-IR to UV flux density ratio ( > 1000) and are expected to be some of the most luminous and heavily obscured galaxies in the Universe at this epoch. Photometric redshifts for DOGs are estimated from optical and mid-IR data using empirically derived low resolution spectral templates for AGN and galaxies. We use HerMES Herschel-SPIRE data to fit a modified blackbody to calculate the FIR luminosity (LFIR) and dust temperature (Td) for all DOGs individually detected in SPIRE maps. A stacking analyses was implemented to measure a median sub-mm flux of undetected DOGs. We find that DOGs have LIR and Td that are similar with the sub-millimeter galaxy (SMG) population, suggesting these two populations are related. The DOG LF and SFRD at 2 are calculated and compared to SMGs.

Doing business:an obscure notion of the ethics of public associations in ordinary Chinese

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Liao Shenbai

2006-01-01

Along with the notion of being a person(zuo ren 做人), the notion of doing business(zuo shi 做事)in ordinary Chinese is basically an over-all notion of the norms in the practical and associative activities,carrying typically obscure meanings on practice and association affairs in some external world.Ordinary Chinese not only distinguishes these two notions but also defines a dictionary order of them，with the affairs of the internal world prior to those of the external.The fact that the notion of doing business refers to business(shi 事)rather than person(ren 人)makes this order clear at a deeper level.It shows that this notion regards the practical affairs of the external world less important to the person itself than those of the internal.Except for these qualities,the notion of doing business holds some normative meanings,although contains no definite rules.These meanings indirectly relate to the notion of person that people form in their private associations and emerge as some mixture with a tactical attitude out of the need of earning a life.The notion of person gives birth to some obscure requirements,for instance, the requirement of 'doing business in accordance with your conscience' and that of 'doing business seriously'.The core world of family is marginalized in the pubfic transition of associations.There are reasons to anticipate that in this process the notion of doing business will undergo more radical changes than that of being a person.

THE CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM OF SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES. I. FIRST RESULTS FROM A RADIO-IDENTIFIED SAMPLE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fu, Hai; Mutel, R.; Isbell, J.; Lang, C.; McGinnis, D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Hennawi, J. F. [Max-Planck-Institut fur Astronomie, Heidelberg (Germany); Prochaska, J. X. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Casey, C. [Department of Astronomy, the University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway Blvd, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Cooray, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Kereš, D. [Department of Physics, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States); Zhang, Z.-Y.; Michałowski, M. J. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Clements, D. [Astrophysics Group, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Mooley, K. [Oxford Centre For Astrophysical Surveys, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United States); Perley, D. [Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 København Ø (Denmark); Stockton, A. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Thompson, D. [Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2016-11-20

We present the first results from an ongoing survey to characterize the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of massive high-redshift galaxies detected as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). We constructed a parent sample of 163 SMG–QSO pairs with separations less than ∼36″ by cross-matching far-infrared-selected galaxies from Herschel with spectroscopically confirmed QSOs. The Herschel sources were selected to match the properties of the SMGs. We determined the sub-arcsecond positions of six Herschel sources with the Very Large Array and obtained secure redshift identification for three of those with near-infrared spectroscopy. The QSO sightlines probe transverse proper distances of 112, 157, and 198 kpc at foreground redshifts of 2.043, 2.515, and 2.184, respectively, which are comparable to the virial radius of the ∼10{sup 13} M {sub ⊙} halos expected to host SMGs. High-quality absorption-line spectroscopy of the QSOs reveals systematically strong H i Ly α absorption around all three SMGs, with rest-frame equivalent widths of ∼2–3 Å. However, none of the three absorbers exhibit compelling evidence for optically thick H i gas or metal absorption, in contrast to the dominance of strong neutral absorbers in the CGM of luminous z ∼ 2 QSOs. The low covering factor of optically thick H i gas around SMGs tentatively indicates that SMGs may not have as prominent cool gas reservoirs in their halos as the coeval QSOs and that they may inhabit less massive halos than previously thought.

Characterization of odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer (Takifugu obscurus using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning-Ping Tao

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The volatile and odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer (Takifugu obscurus were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry (GC–MS–O. The volatile compounds were extracted by the simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE method, then separated and identified by GC–MS. Odor-active compounds in the SDE extract were characterized by GC–MS–O. A total of 68 volatile compounds were found, including 23 aldehydes, 10 alcohols, nine ketones, 17 N- or S-containing compounds and aromatics, three acids, three alkanes, and three esters. Of these, 31 odor-active compounds were detected and identified. Trimethylamine (fishy, octanal (grassy, leafy, green, (E-2-octenal (roast, fatty, 1-octen-3-ol (fishy, fatty, mushroom, grassy, 2-ethyl-1-hexanethiol (cooked fish, (E,E-2,4-octadienal (cooked meat, sweet, 2-acetylthiazole (meaty, roast, nutty, sulfur, 2-acetylpyrrole (nutty, walnut, bread were identified as the key odorants in the cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer based on posterior intensity and time-intensity methods.

A SUBSTANTIAL POPULATION OF MASSIVE QUIESCENT GALAXIES AT z ∼ 4 FROM ZFOURGE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Straatman, Caroline M. S.; Labbé, Ivo [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Spitler, Lee R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 (Australia); Allen, Rebecca; Glazebrook, Karl; Kacprzak, Glenn G. [Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, VIC 3122 (Australia); Altieri, Bruno [European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)/ESA, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28691, Madrid (Spain); Brammer, Gabriel B. [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Casilla 19001, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile); Dickinson, Mark; Inami, Hanae [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ (United States); Van Dokkum, Pieter [Department of Astronomy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Kawinwanichakij, Lalit; Mehrtens, Nicola; Papovich, Casey [George P. and Cynthia W. Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Kelson, Daniel D.; McCarthy, Patrick J.; Monson, Andy; Murphy, David; Persson, S. Eric; Quadri, Ryan, E-mail: straatman@strw.leidenuniv.nl [Carnegie Observatories, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); and others

2014-03-01

We report the likely identification of a substantial population of massive M ∼ 10{sup 11} M {sub ☉} galaxies at z ∼ 4 with suppressed star formation rates (SFRs), selected on rest-frame optical to near-IR colors from the FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE). The observed spectral energy distributions show pronounced breaks, sampled by a set of near-IR medium-bandwidth filters, resulting in tightly constrained photometric redshifts. Fitting stellar population models suggests large Balmer/4000 Å breaks, relatively old stellar populations, large stellar masses, and low SFRs, with a median specific SFR of 2.9 ± 1.8 × 10{sup –11} yr{sup –1}. Ultradeep Herschel/PACS 100 μm, 160 μm and Spitzer/MIPS 24 μm data reveal no dust-obscured SFR activity for 15/19(79%) galaxies. Two far-IR detected galaxies are obscured QSOs. Stacking the far-IR undetected galaxies yields no detection, consistent with the spectral energy distribution fit, indicating independently that the average specific SFR is at least 10 × smaller than that of typical star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 4. Assuming all far-IR undetected galaxies are indeed quiescent, the volume density is 1.8 ± 0.7 × 10{sup –5} Mpc{sup –3} to a limit of log{sub 10} M/M {sub ☉} ≥ 10.6, which is 10 × and 80 × lower than at z = 2 and z = 0.1. They comprise a remarkably high fraction (∼35%) of z ∼ 4 massive galaxies, suggesting that suppression of star formation was efficient even at very high redshift. Given the average stellar age of 0.8 Gyr and stellar mass of 0.8 × 10{sup 11} M {sub ☉}, the galaxies likely started forming stars before z = 5, with SFRs well in excess of 100 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}, far exceeding that of similarly abundant UV-bright galaxies at z ≥ 4. This suggests that most of the star formation in the progenitors of quiescent z ∼ 4 galaxies was obscured by dust.

Parsec-scale Obscuring Accretion Disk with Large-scale Magnetic Field in AGNs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dorodnitsyn, A.; Kallman, T. [Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD, 20771 (United States)

2017-06-10

A magnetic field dragged from the galactic disk, along with inflowing gas, can provide vertical support to the geometrically and optically thick pc-scale torus in AGNs. Using the Soloviev solution initially developed for Tokamaks, we derive an analytical model for a rotating torus that is supported and confined by a magnetic field. We further perform three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of X-ray irradiated, pc-scale, magnetized tori. We follow the time evolution and compare models that adopt initial conditions derived from our analytic model with simulations in which the initial magnetic flux is entirely contained within the gas torus. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the initial conditions based on the analytic solution produce a longer-lived torus that produces obscuration that is generally consistent with observed constraints.

Small bowel enteroscopy and intraoperative enteroscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, B S; Wenger, J S; Waye, J D

1991-02-01

Intraoperative endoscopy (IOE) is accepted as the ultimate diagnostic procedure for completely evaluating the small bowel in patients with obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Small bowel enteroscopy (SBE) has been reported useful in the nonsurgical evaluation of the small intestine in these patients, but findings may be limited because of incomplete small bowel intubation and a lack of tip deflection. Twenty-three patients underwent 25 SBE exams and subsequently had 25 IOE exams during surgical exploration for continued bleeding. Patients' bleeding histories averaged 2 yr, with an average transfusion requirement of 27 units. Findings on IOE were the same as with SBE in 17/22 (77%) of examinations. We conclude that SBE and IOE are comparable in depth of insertion and ability to detect small vascular ectasias. Both procedures missed pathology due to limited visibility and the evanescent nature of ectasias. Long-term success in abolishing bleeding with these combined techniques can be expected in 55% of these patients. SBE should precede surgery, since the finding of diffuse ectasias precludes any benefit from operative intervention.

THE SPITZER MID-INFRARED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS SURVEY. I. OPTICAL AND NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF OBSCURED CANDIDATES AND NORMAL ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI SELECTED IN THE MID-INFRARED

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacy, M. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Ridgway, S. E. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Gates, E. L. [UCO/Lick Observatory, P.O. Box 85, Mount Hamilton, CA 95140 (United States); Nielsen, D. M. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, 475 N. Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Petric, A. O. [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Sajina, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tuffs University, 212 College Avenue, Medford, MA 02155 (United States); Urrutia, T. [Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam (Germany); Cox Drews, S. [946 Mangrove Avenue 102, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (United States); Harrison, C. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Seymour, N. [CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); Storrie-Lombardi, L. J. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2013-10-01

We present the results of a program of optical and near-infrared spectroscopic follow-up of candidate active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected in the mid-infrared. This survey selects both normal and obscured AGNs closely matched in luminosity across a wide range, from Seyfert galaxies with bolometric luminosities L {sub bol} ∼ 10{sup 10} L {sub ☉} to highly luminous quasars (L {sub bol} ∼ 10{sup 14} L {sub ☉}), all with redshifts ranging from 0 to 4.3. Samples of candidate AGNs were selected with mid-infrared color cuts at several different 24 μm flux density limits to ensure a range of luminosities at a given redshift. The survey consists of 786 candidate AGNs and quasars, of which 672 have spectroscopic redshifts and classifications. Of these, 137 (20%) are type 1 AGNs with blue continua, 294 (44%) are type 2 objects with extinctions A{sub V} ∼> 5 toward their AGNs, 96 (14%) are AGNs with lower extinctions (A{sub V} ∼ 1), and 145 (22%) have redshifts, but no clear signs of AGN activity in their spectra. Of the survey objects 50% have L {sub bol} > 10{sup 12} L {sub ☉}, in the quasar regime. We present composite spectra for type 2 quasars and objects with no signs of AGN activity in their spectra. We also discuss the mid-infrared—emission-line luminosity correlation and present the results of cross correlations with serendipitous X-ray and radio sources. The results show that: (1) obscured objects dominate the overall AGN population, (2) mid-infrared selected AGN candidates exist which lack AGN signatures in their optical spectra but have AGN-like X-ray or radio counterparts, and (3) X-ray and optical classifications of obscured and unobscured AGNs often differ.

Are BALQSOs extreme accretors?

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, M. J.; Wills, B. J.

2002-12-01

Broad Absorption Line (BAL) QSOs are QSOs with massive absorbing outflows up to 0.2c. Two hypothesis have been suggested in the past about the nature of BALQSOs: Every QSO might have BAL outflow with some covering factor. BALQSOs are those which happen to have outflow along our line of sight. BALQSOs have intrinsically different physical properties than non-BALQSOs. Based on BALQSO's optical emission properties and a large set of correlations linking many general QSO emission line and continuum properties, it has been suggested that BALQSOs might accrete at near Eddington limit with abundant of fuel supplies. With new BALQSO Hβ region spectroscopic observation conducted at UKIRT and re-analysis of literature data for low and high redshift non-BALQSOs, We confirm that BALQSOs have extreme Fe II and [O III] emission line properties. Using results derived from the latest QSO Hβ region reverberation mapping, we calculated Eddington ratios (˙ {M}/˙ {M}Edd) for our BAL and non-BALQSOs. The Fe II and [O III] strengths are strongly correlated with Eddington ratios. Those correlations link Eddington ratio to a large set of general QSO properties through the Boroson & Green Eigenvector 1. We find that BALQSOs have Eddington ratios close to 1. However, all high redshift, high luminosity QSOs have rather high Eddington ratios. We argue that this is a side effect from selecting the brightest objects. In fact, our high redshift sample might constitute BALQSO's high Eddington ratio orientation parent population.

Contingency blindness: location-identity binding mismatches obscure awareness of spatial contingencies and produce profound interference in visual working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiacconi, Chris M; Milliken, Bruce

2012-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to highlight the role of location-identity binding mismatches in obscuring explicit awareness of a strong contingency. In a spatial-priming procedure, we introduced a high likelihood of location-repeat trials. Experiments 1, 2a, and 2b demonstrated that participants' explicit awareness of this contingency was heavily influenced by the local match in location-identity bindings. In Experiment 3, we sought to determine why location-identity binding mismatches produce such low levels of contingency awareness. Our results suggest that binding mismatches can interfere substantially with visual-memory performance. We attribute the low levels of contingency awareness to participants' inability to remember the critical location-identity binding in the prime on a trial-to-trial basis. These results imply a close interplay between object files and visual working memory.

The dust, nebular emission, and dependence on QSO radio properties of the associated Mg II absorption line systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khare, Pushpa; Daniel, Vanden Berk; Rahmani, Hadi; York, Donald G.

2014-01-01

We studied dust reddening and [O II] emission in 1730 Mg II associated absorption systems (AAS; relative velocity with respect to QSOs, ≤3000 km s –1 ; in units of velocity of light, β, ≤0.01) with 0.4 ≤z abs ≤ 2 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, focusing on their dependence on the radio and other QSO properties. We used control samples, several with matching radio properties, to show that (1) AAS in radio-detected (RD) QSOs cause 2.6 ± 0.2 times higher dust extinction than those in radio-undetected (RUD) ones, which in turn cause 2.9 ± 0.7 times the dust extinction in the intervening systems; (2) AAS in core-dominated QSOs cause 2.0 ± 0.1 times higher dust extinction than those in lobe-dominated QSOs; (3) the occurrence of AAS is 2.1 ± 0.2 times more likely in RD QSOs than in RUD QSOs and 1.8 ± 0.1 time more likely in QSOs having black holes with masses larger than 1.23 × 10 9 M ☉ than in those with lower-mass black holes; and (4) there is excess flux in [O II]λ3727 emission in the composite spectra of the AAS samples compared with those of the control samples, which is at the emission redshift. The presence of AAS enhances the O II emission from the active galactic nucleus and/or the host galaxy. This excess is similar for both RD and RUD samples and is 2.5 ± 0.4 times higher in lobe-dominated samples than in core-dominated samples. The excess depends on the black hole mass and Eddington ratio. All these point to the intrinsic nature of the AAS except for the systems with z abs > z em , which could be infalling galaxies.

Diagnostic role of capsule endoscopy in patients of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding after negative CT enterography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaswinder Singh Sodhi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Computed tomographic enterography (CT-EG has emerged a useful tool for the evaluation of small bowel in patients of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB. However, CT-EG may be negative in about 50-60% of patients. We aimed to see the efficacy of capsule endoscopy (CE in patients of OGIB, who had initial negative CT-EG. Materials and Methods: All consecutive patients of OGIB after initial hemodynamic stabilization were subjected to CT-EG. Those having negative CT-EG were further evaluated with CE. Results: Fifty-five patients of OGIB with mean standard deviation age, 52.7 (19.0, range 18-75 years, women 31/55 (56.4% were subjected to CT-EG. Nine (17.6% patients had positive findings on CT-EG, which included mass lesions in six, thickened wall of distal ileal loops, narrowing, and wall enhancement in two and jejunal wall thickening with wall hyperenhancement in one patient. Forty-two patients had negative CT-EG of which 25 underwent CE for further evaluation. CE detected positive findings in 11 of 25 (48% patients which included vascular malformations in three, ulcers in seven, and fresh blood without identifiable source in one. The diagnostic yield of CE in overt OGIB was more compared to occult OGIB ((7/14, 50% vs (4/11, 36.4% P = 0.2 and was higher if performed within 2 weeks of active gastrointestinal (GI bleed (P = 0.08. Conclusions: In conclusion, CE is an additional tool in the evaluation of obscure GI bleed, especially mucosal lesions which can be missed by CT-EG.

Environmental and health effects review for obscurant graphite flakes. Final report, 1991 July--1993 May

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Driver, C.J.; Ligotke, M.W.; Landis, W.G.; Downs, J.L.; Tiller, B.L.; Moore, E.B. Jr.; Cataldo, D.A.

1993-07-01

The health and environmental effects of obscurant graphite flakes were reviewed and compared to predicted levels of graphite flake material in the field during typical testing and training scenarios. Graphite flake dispersion and deposition for simulated mechanical and pyrotechnic releases were determined using a modified Gaussian atmospheric plume-dispersion model. The potential for wind resuspension of graphite flakes is controlled by weathering processes and incorporation rates in soil. Chemically, graphite flakes pose little risk to aquatic or terrestrial systems. Mechanical damage to plants and invertebrate and vertebrate organisms from the flakes is also minimal. In humans, the pathological and physiological response to inhaled graphite flake is similar to that induced by nuisance dusts and cause only transient pulmonary changes. Repeated exposure to very high concentrations (such as those near the source generator) may overwhelm the clearance mechanisms of the lung and result in pulmonary damage from the retained particles in unprotected individuals. However, these lesions either resolve with time or are of limited severity. Health effects of mixed aerosols of mixed aerosols of graphite and fog oil are similar to those produced by graphite flakes alone. Environmental impacts of fog oil-coated graphite flakes are not well known.

The nature of the torus in the heavily obscured AGN Markarian 3: an X-ray study

OpenAIRE

Guainazzi, M.; Risaliti, G.; Awaki, H.; Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Bianchi, S.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, Finn Erland; Craig, W. W.; Forster, K.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F.; Koss, M.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we report the results of an X-ray monitoring campaign on the heavily obscured Seyfert galaxy, Markarian 3, carried out between the fall of 2014 and the spring of 2015 with NuSTAR, Suzaku and XMM–Newton. The hard X-ray spectrum of Markarian 3 is variable on all the time-scales probed by our campaign, down to a few days. The observed continuum variability is due to an intrinsically variable primary continuum seen in transmission through a large, but still Compton-thin column dens...

UV CONTINUUM SLOPE AND DUST OBSCURATION FROM z ∼ 6 TO z ∼ 2: THE STAR FORMATION RATE DENSITY AT HIGH REDSHIFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouwens, R. J.; Illingworth, G. D.; Franx, M.; Chary, R.-R.; Meurer, G. R.; Ford, H.; Conselice, C. J.; Giavalisco, M.; Van Dokkum, P.

2009-01-01

We provide a systematic measurement of the rest-frame UV continuum slope β over a wide range in redshift (z ∼ 2-6) and rest-frame UV luminosity (0.1 L* z = 3 to 2 L* z= 3 ) to improve estimates of the star formation rate (SFR) density at high redshift. We utilize the deep optical and infrared data (Advanced Camera for Surveys/NICMOS) over the Chandra Deep Field-South and Hubble Deep Field-North Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey fields, as well as the UDF for our primary UBVi 'dropout' Lyman Break Galaxy sample. We also use strong lensing clusters to identify a population of very low luminosity, high-redshift dropout galaxies. We correct the observed distributions for both selection biases and photometric scatter. We find that the UV-continuum slope of the most luminous galaxies is substantially redder at z ∼ 2-4 than it is at z ∼ 5-6 (from ∼-2.4 at z ∼ 6 to ∼-1.5 at z ∼ 2). Lower luminosity galaxies are also found to be bluer than higher luminosity galaxies at z ∼ 2.5 and z ∼ 4. We do not find a large number of galaxies with β's as red as -1 in our dropout selections at z ∼ 4, and particularly at z ∼> 5, even though such sources could be readily selected from our data (and also from Balmer Break Galaxy searches at z ∼ 4). This suggests that star-forming galaxies at z ∼> 5 almost universally have very blue UV-continuum slopes, and that there are not likely to be a substantial number of dust-obscured galaxies at z ∼> 5 that are missed in 'dropout' searches. Using the same relation between UV-continuum slope and dust extinction as has been found to be appropriate at both z ∼ 0 and z ∼ 2, we estimate the average dust extinction of galaxies as a function of redshift and UV luminosity in a consistent way. As expected, we find that the estimated dust extinction increases substantially with cosmic time for the most UV luminous galaxies, but remains small (∼ 4.

The COSPIX Mission: Focusing on the Energetic and Obscured Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrando, P.; Goldwurm, A.; Laurent, P.; Limousin, O.; Beckmann, V; Arnaud, M.; Barcons, X.; Bomans, D.; Caballero, I.; Carrera, F.;

NuSTAR observations of heavily obscured quasars at z ∼ 0.5

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lansbury, G. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Moro, A. Del; Gandhi, P.; Aird, J. [Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Assef, R. J. [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-221, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Ballantyne, D. R. [Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 (United States); Baloković, M.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Harrison, F. A. [Cahill Center for Astrophysics, 1216 East California Boulevard, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bauer, F. E. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Catlica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Boggs, S. E. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Brandt, W. N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W. [DTU Space-National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Elvis, M. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Hailey, C. J. [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, 550 W 120th Street, Columbia University, NY 10027 (United States); Hickox, R. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Koss, M., E-mail: g.b.lansbury@durham.ac.uk [Institute for Astronomy, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); and others

2014-04-10

We present NuSTAR hard X-ray observations of three Type 2 quasars at z ≈ 0.4-0.5, optically selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Although the quasars show evidence for being heavily obscured, Compton-thick systems on the basis of the 2-10 keV to [O III] luminosity ratio and multiwavelength diagnostics, their X-ray absorbing column densities (N {sub H}) are poorly known. In this analysis, (1) we study X-ray emission at >10 keV, where X-rays from the central black hole are relatively unabsorbed, in order to better constrain N {sub H}. (2) We further characterize the physical properties of the sources through broad-band near-UV to mid-IR spectral energy distribution analyses. One of the quasars is detected with NuSTAR at >8 keV with a no-source probability of <0.1%, and its X-ray band ratio suggests near Compton-thick absorption with N {sub H} ≳ 5 × 10{sup 23} cm{sup –2}. The other two quasars are undetected, and have low X-ray to mid-IR luminosity ratios in both the low-energy (2-10 keV) and high-energy (10-40 keV) X-ray regimes that are consistent with extreme, Compton-thick absorption (N {sub H} ≳ 10{sup 24} cm{sup –2}). We find that for quasars at z ∼ 0.5, NuSTAR provides a significant improvement compared to lower energy (<10 keV) Chandra and XMM-Newton observations alone, as higher column densities can now be directly constrained.

Evaluate and characterize mechanisms controlling transport, fate and effects of army smokes in an aerosol wind tunnel: Transport, transformations, fate and terrestrial ecological effects of fog oil obscurant smokes: Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cataldo, D.A.; Van Voris, P.; Ligotke, M.W.; Fellows, R.J.; McVeety, B.D.; Li, Shu-mei W.; Bolton, H. Jr.; Fredrickson, J.K.

1989-01-01

The terrestrial transport, chemical fate, and ecological effects of fog oil (FO) smoke obscurants were evaluated under controlled wind tunnel conditions. The primary objectives of this research program are to characterize and assess the impacts of smoke and obscurants on: (1) natural vegetation characteristic of US Army training sites in the United States; (2) physical and chemical properties of soils representative of these training sites; and (3) soil microbiological and invertebrate communities. Impacts and dose/responses were evaluated based on an exposure scenario, including exposure duration, exposure rate, and sequential cumulative dosing. Key to understanding the environmental impacts of fog oil smoke/obscurants is establishing the importance of environmental parameters, such as relative humidity and wind speed on airborne aerosol characteristics and deposition to receptor surfaces. Direct and indirect biotic effects were evaluated using five plant species and three soil types. 29 refs., 35 figs., 32 tabs.

Optical colours of AGN in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: Obscured black holes in early type galaxies

OpenAIRE

Rovilos, E.; Georgantopoulos, I.

2007-01-01

We investigate the optical colours of X-ray sources from the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDFS) using photometry from the COMBO-17 survey, aiming to explore AGN - galaxy feedback models. The X-ray sources populate both the ``blue'' and the ``red sequence'' on the colour-magnitude diagram. However, sources in the ``red sequence'' appear systematically more obscured. HST imaging from the GEMS survey demonstrates that the nucleus does not affect significantly the observed colours, and the...

NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: direct constraints on the Compton reflection in a heavily obscured quasar at z ≈ 2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Del Moro, A.; Mullaney, J. R.; Alexander, D. M.

2014-01-01

We report Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, a heavily obscured, radio-loud quasar detected in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South, the deepest layer of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey (∼400 ks, at its deepest). NuSTAR J033202-2746.8 is reliably......-2746.8, indicating that this source is a heavily obscured quasar (NH = 5.6+−0.80.9 × 1023 cm−2) with luminosity L10-40 keV ≈ 6.4 × 1044 erg s−1. Although existing optical and near-infrared (near-IR) data, as well as follow-up spectroscopy with the Keck and VLT telescopes, failed to provide a secure redshift......-Newton data alone. The measured reflection fraction is higher than the R∼0 typically observed in bright radio-loud quasars such as NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, which has L1.4 GHz≈1027 W Hz−1. Constraining the spectral shape of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including bright quasars, is very important...

Obscure phenomena in statistical analysis of quantitative structure-activity relationships. Part 1: Multicollinearity of physicochemical descriptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Mager, P P; Rothe, H

1990-10-01

Multicollinearity of physicochemical descriptors leads to serious consequences in quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis, such as incorrect estimators and test statistics of regression coefficients of the ordinary least-squares (OLS) model applied usually to QSARs. Beside the diagnosis of the known simple collinearity, principal component regression analysis (PCRA) also allows the diagnosis of various types of multicollinearity. Only if the absolute values of PCRA estimators are order statistics that decrease monotonically, the effects of multicollinearity can be circumvented. Otherwise, obscure phenomena may be observed, such as good data recognition but low predictive model power of a QSAR model.

The dust, nebular emission, and dependence on QSO radio properties of the associated Mg II absorption line systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khare, Pushpa [CSIR Emeritus Scientist, IUCAA, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007 (India); Daniel, Vanden Berk [Physics Department, St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA 15650 (United States); Rahmani, Hadi [School of Astronomy, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395-5531, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); York, Donald G., E-mail: pushpakhare@gmail.com [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2014-10-10

We studied dust reddening and [O II] emission in 1730 Mg II associated absorption systems (AAS; relative velocity with respect to QSOs, ≤3000 km s{sup –1}; in units of velocity of light, β, ≤0.01) with 0.4 ≤z {sub abs} ≤ 2 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7, focusing on their dependence on the radio and other QSO properties. We used control samples, several with matching radio properties, to show that (1) AAS in radio-detected (RD) QSOs cause 2.6 ± 0.2 times higher dust extinction than those in radio-undetected (RUD) ones, which in turn cause 2.9 ± 0.7 times the dust extinction in the intervening systems; (2) AAS in core-dominated QSOs cause 2.0 ± 0.1 times higher dust extinction than those in lobe-dominated QSOs; (3) the occurrence of AAS is 2.1 ± 0.2 times more likely in RD QSOs than in RUD QSOs and 1.8 ± 0.1 time more likely in QSOs having black holes with masses larger than 1.23 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉} than in those with lower-mass black holes; and (4) there is excess flux in [O II]λ3727 emission in the composite spectra of the AAS samples compared with those of the control samples, which is at the emission redshift. The presence of AAS enhances the O II emission from the active galactic nucleus and/or the host galaxy. This excess is similar for both RD and RUD samples and is 2.5 ± 0.4 times higher in lobe-dominated samples than in core-dominated samples. The excess depends on the black hole mass and Eddington ratio. All these point to the intrinsic nature of the AAS except for the systems with z {sub abs} > z {sub em}, which could be infalling galaxies.

Imaging through obscurations for sluicing operations in the waste storage tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, T.J.; McMakin, D.L.; Sheen, D.M.; Chieda, M.A.

1994-08-01

Waste remediators have identified that surveillance of waste remediation operations and periodic inspections of stored waste are required under very demanding and difficult viewing environments. In many cases, obscurants such as dust or water vapor are generated as part of the remediation activity. Methods are required for viewing or imaging beyond the normal visual spectrum. Work space images guide the movement of remediation equipment, creating a need for rapidly updated, near real-time imaging capability. In addition, there is a need for three-dimensional topographical data to determine the contours of the wastes, to plan retrieval campaigns, and to provide a three-dimensional map of a robot's work space as basis for collision avoidance. Three basic imaging techniques were evaluated: optical, acoustic and radar. The optical imaging methods that were examined used cameras which operated in the visible region and near-infrared region and infrared cameras which operated in the 3--5 micron and 8--12 micron wavelength regions. Various passive and active lighting schemes were tested, as well as the use of filters to eliminate reflection in the visible region. Image enhancement software was used to extend the range where visual techniques could be used. In addition, the operation of a laser range finder, which operated at 0.835 microns, was tested when fog/water droplets were suspended in the air. The acoustic technique involved using commercial acoustic sensors, operating at approximately 50 kHz and 215 kHz, to determine the attenuation of the acoustic beam in a high-humidity environment. The radar imaging methods involved performing millimeter wave (94 GHz) attenuation measurement sin the various simulated sluicing environments and performing preliminary experimental imaging studies using a W-Band (75--110 GHz) linearly scanned transceiver in a laboratory environment. The results of the tests are discussed

Calcium Chloride and Calcium Gluconate in Neonatal Parenteral Nutrition Solutions without Cysteine: Compatibility Studies Using Laser Light Obscuration Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert K. Huston

2018-02-01

Full Text Available There are no compatibility studies for neonatal parenteral nutrition solutions without cysteine containing calcium chloride or calcium gluconate using light obscuration as recommended by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP. The purpose of this study was to do compatibility testing for solutions containing calcium chloride and calcium gluconate without cysteine. Solutions of TrophAmine and Premasol (2.5% amino acids, containing calcium chloride or calcium gluconate were compounded without cysteine. Solutions were analyzed for particle counts using light obscuration. Maximum concentrations tested were 15 mmol/L of calcium and 12.5 mmol/L of phosphate. If the average particle count of three replicates exceeded USP guidelines, the solution was determined to be incompatible. This study found that 12.5 and 10 mmol/L of calcium and phosphate, respectively, are compatible in neonatal parenteral nutrition solutions compounded with 2.5% amino acids of either TrophAmine or Premasol. There did not appear to be significant differences in compatibility for solutions containing TrophAmine or Premasol when solutions were compounded with either CaCl2 or CaGlu-Pl. This study presents data in order to evaluate options for adding calcium and phosphate to neonatal parenteral nutrition solutions during shortages of calcium and cysteine.

Effect of Transitioning from Standard Reference Material 2806a to Standard Reference Material 2806b for Light Obscuration Particle Countering

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

gravimetric mass limits. The light obscuration particle counters utilized to perform this testing are calibrated to ISO 11171, Hydraulic fluid power...Calibration of automatic particle counters for liquids (2) and operated according to the following test methods : • IP 564: Determination of the...level of cleanliness of aviation turbine fuel - Laboratory automatic particle counter method (3) • IP 565: Determination of the level of cleanliness of

PROVIDING STRINGENT STAR FORMATION RATE LIMITS OF z ∼ 2 QSO HOST GALAXIES AT HIGH ANGULAR RESOLUTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vayner, Andrey; Wright, Shelley A. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H4 (Canada); Do, Tuan [Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H4 (Canada); Larkin, James E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Armus, Lee [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Gallagher, S. C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7 (Canada)

2016-04-10

We present integral field spectrograph (IFS) with laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS-AO) observations of z ∼ 2 quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) designed to resolve extended nebular line emission from the host galaxy. Our data was obtained with W. M. Keck and Gemini North Observatories, using OSIRIS and NIFS coupled with the LGS-AO systems, respectively. We have conducted a pilot survey of five QSOs, three observed with NIFS+AO and two observed with OSIRIS+AO at an average redshift of z = 2.2. We demonstrate that the combination of AO and IFSs provides the necessary spatial and spectral resolutions required to separate QSO emission from its host. We present our technique for generating a point-spread function (PSF) from the broad-line region of the QSO and performing PSF subtraction of the QSO emission to detect the host galaxy emission at a separation of ∼0.″2 (∼1.4 kpc). We detect Hα narrow-line emission for two sources, SDSS J1029+6510 (z{sub Hα} = 2.182) and SDSS J0925+0655 (z{sub Hα} = 2.197), that have evidence for both star formation and extended narrow-line emission. Assuming that the majority of narrow-line Hα emission is from star formation, we infer a star formation rate (SFR) for SDSS J1029+6510 of 78.4 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} originating from a compact region that is kinematically offset by 290–350 km s{sup −1}. For SDSS J0925+0655 we infer a SFR of 29 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} distributed over three clumps that are spatially offset by ∼7 kpc. The null detections on three of the QSOs are used to infer surface brightness limits and we find that at 1.4 kpc from the QSO the un-reddened star formation limit is ≲0.3 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}. If we assume typical extinction values for z = 2 type-1 QSOs, the dereddened SFR for our null detections would be ≲0.6 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} kpc{sup −2}. These IFS observations indicate that while the central black hole is accreting mass at 10%–40% of the Eddington rate, if

"Lansania Journal of Arachnology and Zoology" - a rare and obscure Japanese natural history journal.

Science.gov (United States)

Tennent, W John; Yasuda, Masatoshi; Morimoto, Katsura

2008-01-01

Publication data relating to a rare and obscure Japanese journal "Lansania Journal of Arachnology and Zoology" (1929-1941) are examined. Available facts, together with a substantial body of circumstantial and anecdotal evidence suggest that many planned issues, including several cited by independent sources as having been published, were not published. Some biographical data relating to the editor, Kyukichi Kishida (1888-1968), are provided. Titles of all papers known to have been published in "Lansania," with page numbers and claimed publication dates are presented, together with a list of 113 new zoological names proposed in the journal. Known library holdings of the journal worldwide are indicated. Details are provided of unpublished manuscripts in proof obtained from Kishida in the 1960s. The strong probability that some printed publication dates are inaccurate is discussed in detail.

Absorption lines, Faraday rotation, and magnetic field estimates for QSO absorption-line clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kronberg, P.P.; Perry, J.J.

1982-01-01

We have estimated the extragalactic component of Faraday rotation for a sample of 37 QSOs for which there is good absorption line data, which we have also analyzed. Statistical evidence is presented which suggests that we have isolated a component of Faraday rotation which is occurring in the absorption clouds of some QSOs

Suzaku  Observations of Heavily Obscured (Compton-thick) Active Galactic Nuclei Selected by the Swift/BAT Hard X-Ray Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Tanimoto, Atsushi; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Kawamuro, Taiki; Ricci, Claudio; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Terashima, Yuichi

2018-02-01

We present a uniform broadband X-ray (0.5–100.0 keV) spectral analysis of 12 Swift/Burst Alert Telescope selected Compton-thick ({log}{N}{{H}}/{{cm}}-2≥slant 24) active galactic nuclei (CTAGNs) observed with Suzaku. The Suzaku data of three objects are published here for the first time. We fit the Suzaku and Swift spectra with models utilizing an analytic reflection code and those utilizing the Monte-Carlo-based model from an AGN torus by Ikeda et al. The main results are as follows: (1) The estimated intrinsic luminosity of a CTAGN strongly depends on the model; applying Compton scattering to the transmitted component in an analytic model may largely overestimate the intrinsic luminosity at large column densities. (2) Unabsorbed reflection components are commonly observed, suggesting that the tori are clumpy. (3) Most of CTAGNs show small scattering fractions (<0.5%), implying a buried AGN nature. (4) Comparison with the results obtained for Compton-thin AGNs suggests that the properties of these CTAGNs can be understood as a smooth extension from Compton-thin AGNs with heavier obscuration; we find no evidence that the bulk of the population of hard-X-ray-selected CTAGNs are different from less obscured objects.

Infrared spectroscopy of a Cygnus A - Implications for the obscured active nucleus

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Martin J.; Blanco, Philip R.; Wilson, Andrew S.; Nishida, Minoru

1991-01-01

Near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the central regions of the luminous radio galaxy Cygnus A are presented and interpreted in terms of an obscured quasar nucleus. Strong emission is detected in the molecular hydrogen lines 1-0 S(1) and 1-0 S(3), the strengths of which are accounted for through heating by the nuclear hard X-ray source. The large equivalent widths of these molecular hydrogen lines and the near-infrared narrow hydrogen recombination lines suggest that the observed nuclear continuum is strongly attenuated at 2 microns. The observed upper limit to the flux of broad Pa-alpha implies an extinction to the putative broad line region AV(BL) of at least 24 mag, and the observed continuum intensity of the nuclear point source at 2.2 microns gives an extinction of 43 +/-9 mag toward the optical-infrared continuum. These estimates are consistent with the gas column density inferred from the low-energy X-ray cutoff. Strong forbidden Si VI 1.962-micron line emission from Cygnus A is also reported.

Obscured AGN at z similar to 1 from the zCOSMOS-Bright Survey : I. Selection and optical properties of a [Ne v]-selected sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mignoli, M.; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.; Bolzonella, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Lamareille, F.; Nair, P.; Pozzetti, L.; Lilly, S. J.; Carollo, C. M.; Contini, T.; Kneib, J. -P.; Le Fevre, O.; Mainieri, V.; Renzini, A.; Scodeggio, M.; Bardelli, S.; Caputi, K.; Cucciati, O.; de la Torre, S.; de Ravel, L.; Franzetti, P.; Garilli, B.; Iovino, A.; Kampczyk, P.; Knobel, C.; Kovac, K.; Le Borgne, J. -F.; Le Brun, V.; Maier, C.; Pello, R.; Peng, Y.; Montero, E. Perez; Presotto, V.; Silverman, J. D.; Tanaka, M.; Tasca, L.; Tresse, L.; Vergani, D.; Zucca, E.; Bordoloi, R.; Cappi, A.; Cimatti, A.; Koekemoer, A. M.; McCracken, H. J.; Moresco, M.; Welikala, N.

Aims. The application of multi-wavelength selection techniques is essential for obtaining a complete and unbiased census of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We present here a method for selecting z similar to 1 obscured AGN from optical spectroscopic surveys. Methods. A sample of 94 narrow-line AGN

The Nature of the Torus in the Heavily Obscured AGN Markarian 3: an X-Ray Study

Science.gov (United States)

Guainazzi, M.; Risaliti, G.; Awaki, H.; Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Bianchi, S.; Boggs, S.E; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.;

Spectroscopy of 125 QSO candidates and radio galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wills, B.J.; Wills, D.

1980-01-01

Spectroscopic observations of 125 QSO candidates and radio galaxies are reported, many of which are optical identifications of radio sources in the deep survey in progress at the University of Texas Radio Astronomy Observatory (UTRAO). The remainder include optical identifications of sources in other radio surveys and radio-quiet objects selected by their ultraviolet continua or optical variability. Optical positions are given with O''.5 accuracy for 56 of the objects.Forty objects are confirmed as QSOs; redshifts are given for 38 of them and for 18 galaxies. There are also seven objects with apparently continuous spectra: some of them were already known or suspected to be BL Lacertae objects. Twenty-nine objects were found to be Galactic stars, and the results for the remaining 31 are inconclusive, although 12 of them are probable QSOs and six are probable stars.Our spectroscopy of a sample of 90 blue stellar objects found within 3'' of the UTRAO radio positions (including results from two earlier papers) shows that 81 (90%) are QSOs, with inconclusive results fo the other nine; none of the 90 is known to be a star. Even within 5'' of the UTRAO positions, 111 of 128 blue objects (87%) are QSOs, and only five (4%) are known or suspected to be stars. Among 21 red or neutral-color, apparently stellar objects within 3'' of the UTRAO positions, six are QSOs or compact galaxies, 13 are stars, and the results for two more are inconclusive

Effects of dietary amylose/amylopectin ratio on growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzymes, and postprandial metabolic responses in juvenile obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiang-he; Ye, Chao-xia; Ye, Ji-dan; Shen, Bi-duan; Wang, Chun-yan; Wang, An-li

2014-10-01

The effect of dietary amylose/amylopectin (AM/AP) ratio on growth, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activities, plasma parameters, and postprandial blood glucose responses was evaluated in juvenile obscure puffer, Takifugu obscurus. Five isonitrogenous (430 g kg(-1) crude protein) and isolipidic (90 g kg(-1) crude lipid) diets containing an equal starch level (250 g kg(-1) starch) with different AM/AP ratio diets of 0/25, 3/22, 6/19, 9/16 and 12/13 were formulated. Each experimental diet was fed to triplicate groups (25 fish per tank), twice daily during a period of 60 days. After the growth trial, a postprandial blood response test was carried out. Fish fed diet 6/19 showed best growth, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio. Hepatosomatic index, plasma total cholesterol concentration, liver glycogen and lipid content, and gluconokinase, pyruvate kinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activities were lower in fish fed highest AM/AP diet (12/13) than in fish fed the low-amylose diets. Activities of liver and intestinal trypsin in fish fed diet 3/22 and diet 6/19 were higher than in fish fed diet 9/16 and diet 12/13. Activities of liver and intestinal amylase and intestinal lipase, and starch digestibility were negatively correlated with dietary AM/AP ratio. Fish fed diet 3/22 and diet 6/19 showed higher plasma total amino acid concentration than fish fed the other diets, while plasma urea nitrogen concentration and activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase showed the opposite trend. Equal values were found for viscerosomatic index and condition factor, whole body and muscle composition, plasma high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, and activities of lipase and hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase in liver. Postprandial plasma glucose and triglyceride peak value of fish fed diet 12/13 were lower than in fish fed the low-amylose diets, and the peak time of plasma glucose was later than in fish fed the

UV Continuum Slope and Dust Obscuration from z ~ 6 to z ~ 2: The Star Formation Rate Density at High Redshift

Science.gov (United States)

Bouwens, R. J.; Illingworth, G. D.; Franx, M.; Chary, R.-R.; Meurer, G. R.; Conselice, C. J.; Ford, H.; Giavalisco, M.; van Dokkum, P.

2009-11-01

We provide a systematic measurement of the rest-frame UV continuum slope β over a wide range in redshift (z ~ 2-6) and rest-frame UV luminosity (0.1 L* z = 3 to 2 L* z = 3) to improve estimates of the star formation rate (SFR) density at high redshift. We utilize the deep optical and infrared data (Advanced Camera for Surveys/NICMOS) over the Chandra Deep Field-South and Hubble Deep Field-North Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey fields, as well as the UDF for our primary UBVi "dropout" Lyman Break Galaxy sample. We also use strong lensing clusters to identify a population of very low luminosity, high-redshift dropout galaxies. We correct the observed distributions for both selection biases and photometric scatter. We find that the UV-continuum slope of the most luminous galaxies is substantially redder at z ~ 2-4 than it is at z ~ 5-6 (from ~-2.4 at z ~ 6 to ~-1.5 at z ~ 2). Lower luminosity galaxies are also found to be bluer than higher luminosity galaxies at z ~ 2.5 and z ~ 4. We do not find a large number of galaxies with β's as red as -1 in our dropout selections at z ~ 4, and particularly at z gsim 5, even though such sources could be readily selected from our data (and also from Balmer Break Galaxy searches at z ~ 4). This suggests that star-forming galaxies at z gsim 5 almost universally have very blue UV-continuum slopes, and that there are not likely to be a substantial number of dust-obscured galaxies at z gsim 5 that are missed in "dropout" searches. Using the same relation between UV-continuum slope and dust extinction as has been found to be appropriate at both z ~ 0 and z ~ 2, we estimate the average dust extinction of galaxies as a function of redshift and UV luminosity in a consistent way. As expected, we find that the estimated dust extinction increases substantially with cosmic time for the most UV luminous galaxies, but remains small (lsim2 times) at all times for lower luminosity galaxies. Because these same lower luminosity galaxies

Interferometric follow-up of WISE hyper-luminous hot, dust-obscured galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Jingwen; Wright, Edward L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Bussmann, R. Shane [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., MS78, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Tsai, Chao-Wei; Eisenhardt, Peter R. M.; Stern, Daniel; Moustakas, Leonidas [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Petric, Andreea [Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822-1839 (United States); Blain, Andrew [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Bridge, Carrie R. [Division of Physics, Math, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Benford, Dominic J. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Assef, Roberto J. [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av., Santiago, Ejército Libertador 441 (Chile); Gelino, Christopher R., E-mail: jingwen@astro.ucla.edu [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2014-09-20

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has discovered an extraordinary population of hyper-luminous dusty galaxies that are faint in the two bluer passbands (3.4 μm and 4.6 μm) but are bright in the two redder passbands of WISE (12 μm and 22 μm). We report on initial follow-up observations of three of these hot, dust-obscured galaxies, or Hot DOGs, using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy and the Submillimeter Array interferometer arrays at submillimeter/millimeter wavelengths. We report continuum detections at ∼1.3 mm of two sources (WISE J014946.17+235014.5 and WISE J223810.20+265319.7, hereafter W0149+2350 and W2238+2653, respectively), and upper limits to CO line emission at 3 mm in the observed frame for two sources (W0149+2350 and WISE J181417.29+341224.8, hereafter W1814+3412). The 1.3 mm continuum images have a resolution of 1''-2'' and are consistent with single point sources. We estimate the masses of cold dust are 2.0 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉} for W0149+2350 and 3.9 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉} for W2238+2653, comparable to cold dust masses of luminous quasars. We obtain 2σ upper limits to the molecular gas masses traced by CO, which are 3.3 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} and 2.3 × 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} for W0149+2350 and W1814+3412, respectively. We also present high-resolution, near-IR imaging with the WFC3 on the Hubble Space Telescope for W0149+2653 and with NIRC2 on Keck for W2238+2653. The near-IR images show morphological structure dominated by a single, centrally condensed source with effective radius less than 4 kpc. No signs of gravitational lensing are evident.

THE HALO MASSES AND GALAXY ENVIRONMENTS OF HYPERLUMINOUS QSOs AT z ≅ 2.7 IN THE KECK BARYONIC STRUCTURE SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trainor, Ryan F.; Steidel, Charles C.

2012-01-01

We present an analysis of the galaxy distribution surrounding 15 of the most luminous (∼> 10 14 L ☉ ; M 1450 ≅ –30) QSOs in the sky with z ≅ 2.7. Our data are drawn from the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey, which has been optimized to examine the small-scale interplay between galaxies and the intergalactic medium during the peak of the galaxy formation era at z ∼ 2-3. In this work, we use the positions and spectroscopic redshifts of 1558 galaxies that lie within ∼3' (4.2 h –1 comoving Mpc; cMpc) of the hyperluminous QSO (HLQSO) sight line in 1 of 15 independent survey fields, together with new measurements of the HLQSO systemic redshifts. By combining the spatial and redshift distributions, we measure the galaxy-HLQSO cross-correlation function, the galaxy-galaxy autocorrelation function, and the characteristic scale of galaxy overdensities surrounding the sites of exceedingly rare, extremely rapid, black hole accretion. On average, the HLQSOs lie within significant galaxy overdensities, characterized by a velocity dispersion σ v ≅ 200 km s –1 and a transverse angular scale of ∼25'' (∼200 physical kpc). We argue that such scales are expected for small groups with log (M h /M ☉ ) ≅ 13. The galaxy-HLQSO cross-correlation function has a best-fit correlation length r GQ 0 = (7.3 ± 1.3) h –1 cMpc, while the galaxy autocorrelation measured from the spectroscopic galaxy sample in the same fields has r GG 0 = (6.0 ± 0.5) h –1 cMpc. Based on a comparison with simulations evaluated at z ∼ 2.6, these values imply that a typical galaxy lives in a host halo with log (M h /M ☉ ) = 11.9 ± 0.1, while HLQSOs inhabit host halos of log (M h /M ☉ ) = 12.3 ± 0.5. In spite of the extremely large black hole masses implied by their observed luminosities [log (M BH /M ☉ ) ∼> 9.7], it appears that HLQSOs do not require environments very different from their much less luminous QSO counterparts. Evidently, the exceedingly low space density of

Spectroscopy of QSO candidates from the Jodrell Bank 966 MHz survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walsh, D.; Wills, B.J.; Wills, D.

1979-01-01

Forty-two QSO candidates from the Jodrell Bank 966 MHz survey have been observed spectroscopically at McDonald Observatory. Twenty-five are confirmed as QSOs, and redshifts are given for 19 of them. Two objects are compact galaxies, and another probably is; redshifts are given for these. Seven objects are stars. Of the remaining seven objects, six are probably QSOs and one is probably a star. (author)

The shape of the cosmic X-ray background: nuclear starburst discs and the redshift evolution of AGN obscuration

Science.gov (United States)

Gohil, R.; Ballantyne, D. R.

2018-04-01

A significant number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are observed to be hidden behind dust and gas. The distribution of material around AGNs plays an important role in modelling the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), especially the fraction of type 2 AGNs (f2). One of the possible explanations for obscuration in Seyfert galaxies at intermediate redshifts is dusty starburst discs. We compute the two-dimensional (2D) hydrostatic structure of 768 nuclear starburst discs (NSDs) under various physical conditions and also the distribution of column density along the line of sight (NH) associated with these discs. Then the NH distribution is evolved with redshift by using the redshift-dependent distribution function of input parameters. Parameter f2 shows a strong positive evolution up to z = 2, but only a weak level of enhancement at higher z. The Compton-thin and Compton-thick AGN fractions associated with these starburst regions increase ∝ (1 + z)δ, where δ is estimated to be 1.12 and 1.45, respectively. The reflection parameter Rf associated with column density NH ≥ 1023.5 cm-2 extends from 0.13 at z = 0 to 0.58 at z = 4. A CXB model employing this evolving NH distribution indicates that more compact (Rout < 120 pc) NSDs provide a better fit to the CXB. In addition to `Seyfert-like' AGNs obscured by nuclear starbursts, we predict that 40-60 per cent of quasars must be Compton-thick to produce a peak of the CXB spectrum within the observational uncertainty. The predicted total number counts of AGNs in 8-24 keV bands are in fair agreement with observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR).

Dust Formation, Evolution, and Obscuration Effects in the Very High-Redshift Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Dwek, Eli; Staguhn, Johannes; Arendt, Richard G.; Kovacs, Attila; Su, Ting; Benford, Dominic J.

2014-01-01

The evolution of dust at redshifts z > or approx. 9, and consequently the dust properties, differs greatly from that in the local universe. In contrast to the local universe, core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are the only source of thermally-condensed dust. Because of the low initial dust-to-gas mass ratio, grain destruction rates are low, so that CCSNe are net producers of interstellar dust. Galaxies with large initial gas mass or high mass infall rate will therefore have a more rapid net rate of dust production comported to galaxies with lower gas mass, even at the same star formation rate. The dust composition is dominated by silicates, which exhibit a strong rise in the UV opacity near the Lyman break. This "silicate-UV break" may be confused with the Lyman break, resulting in a misidentification of a galaxies' photometric redshift. In this paper we demonstrate these effects by analyzing the spectral energy distribution (SED) of MACS1149-JD, a lensed galaxy at z = 9.6. A potential 2mm counterpart of MACS1149-JD has been identified with GISMO. While additional observations are required to corroborate this identification, we use this possible association to illustrate the physical processes and the observational effects of dust in the very high redshift universe. Subject headings: galaxies: high-redshift - galaxies: evolution - galaxies: individual (MACS1149- JD) - Interstellar medium (ISM), nebulae: dust, extinction - physical data and processes: nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances.

Spectrophotometry of the QSO NRAO 530

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Junkkarinen, V.

1984-01-01

Spectrophotometry of the QSO NRAO 530 with the KPNO Cryogenic Camera is reported. A redshift of 0.902 is determined from the H-beta, H-gamma, and 3727 A forbidden O II emission lines, confirming a redshift that had been based on a single line, the 2798 A Mg II. The H-beta equivalent is smaller than in normal QSOs, which may be characteristic of optically variable QSOs. 16 references

Those Obscure Objects: Projections and Puppets of Desire Between Literature and Cinema

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Panella

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with one of the most popular female projections or phantoms of male desire, that is the charmer who never cedes, by comparing some literary and cinematic texts. This “allumeuse” which turns men into puppets in a dynamic of impossible seduction is the protagonist of La Femme et le Pantin (1898 by Pierre Louÿs (1870-1925, whose unforgettable Conchita from Sevilla was inspired by the young Charpillon who maddened the expert seducer Casanova. Conchita’s fame was deepened by the numerous adaptations of the text for the screen, especially von Sternberg’s The Devil is a Woman (1935 starring Marlene Dietrich, Duvivier’s La Femme et le Pantin (1959 with Brigitte Bardot, and Buñuel’s free and outstanding reinterpretation in Cet obscur objet du désir (1977. In the end, the adaptation of the novel Singularidades de uma Rapariga Loura (1874 by Portuguese Eça de Queirós (1845-1900 which Manoel de Oliveira directed in 2009 will be evoked  to argue that the unattainable female character could represent a projection of the male protagonists’ desire and romantic idealizations as well as of their fears and bourgeois conventions.

QUASI-STELLAR OBJECT SELECTION ALGORITHM USING TIME VARIABILITY AND MACHINE LEARNING: SELECTION OF 1620 QUASI-STELLAR OBJECT CANDIDATES FROM MACHO LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD DATABASE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dae-Won; Protopapas, Pavlos; Alcock, Charles; Trichas, Markos; Byun, Yong-Ik; Khardon, Roni

2011-01-01

We present a new quasi-stellar object (QSO) selection algorithm using a Support Vector Machine, a supervised classification method, on a set of extracted time series features including period, amplitude, color, and autocorrelation value. We train a model that separates QSOs from variable stars, non-variable stars, and microlensing events using 58 known QSOs, 1629 variable stars, and 4288 non-variables in the MAssive Compact Halo Object (MACHO) database as a training set. To estimate the efficiency and the accuracy of the model, we perform a cross-validation test using the training set. The test shows that the model correctly identifies ∼80% of known QSOs with a 25% false-positive rate. The majority of the false positives are Be stars. We applied the trained model to the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) data set, which consists of 40 million light curves, and found 1620 QSO candidates. During the selection none of the 33,242 known MACHO variables were misclassified as QSO candidates. In order to estimate the true false-positive rate, we crossmatched the candidates with astronomical catalogs including the Spitzer Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution LMC catalog and a few X-ray catalogs. The results further suggest that the majority of the candidates, more than 70%, are QSOs.

NuSTAR J033202-2746.8: Direct constraints on the Compton reflection in a heavily obscured quasar at z ≈ 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Moro, A.; Mullaney, J. R.; Alexander, D. M.; Aird, J. A.; Gandhi, P. [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Comastri, A.; Vignali, C.; Gilli, R. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy); Bauer, F. E. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Treister, E. [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción (Chile); Stern, D. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 169-221, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Civano, F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, 6127 Wilder Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Ranalli, P. [National Observatory of Athens, Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, Metaxa and Pavlou St., 15236 Penteli (Greece); Ballantyne, D. R. [Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 (United States); Baloković, M. [Cahill Center for Astrophysics, 1216 East California Boulevard, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Boggs, S. E. [Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Brandt, W. N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 525 Davey Lab, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Christensen, F. E. [DTU Space-National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Elektrovej 327, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Craig, W. W. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Hailey, C. J., E-mail: agnese.del-moro@durham.ac.uk [Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, 550 W 120th Street, Columbia University, NY 10027 (United States); and others

2014-05-01

We report Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, a heavily obscured, radio-loud quasar detected in the Extended Chandra Deep Field-South, the deepest layer of the NuSTAR extragalactic survey (∼400 ks, at its deepest). NuSTAR J033202-2746.8 is reliably detected by NuSTAR only at E > 8 keV and has a very flat spectral slope in the NuSTAR energy band (Γ=0.55{sub −0.64}{sup +0.62}; 3-30 keV). Combining the NuSTAR data with extremely deep observations by Chandra and XMM-Newton (4 Ms and 3 Ms, respectively), we constrain the broad-band X-ray spectrum of NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, indicating that this source is a heavily obscured quasar (N{sub H}=5.6{sub −0.8}{sup +0.9}×10{sup 23} cm{sup –2}) with luminosity L {sub 10-40} {sub keV} ≈ 6.4 × 10{sup 44} erg s{sup –1}. Although existing optical and near-infrared (near-IR) data, as well as follow-up spectroscopy with the Keck and VLT telescopes, failed to provide a secure redshift identification for NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, we reliably constrain the redshift z = 2.00 ± 0.04 from the X-ray spectral features (primarily from the iron K edge). The NuSTAR spectrum shows a significant reflection component (R=0.55{sub −0.37}{sup +0.44}), which was not constrained by previous analyses of Chandra and XMM-Newton data alone. The measured reflection fraction is higher than the R ∼ 0 typically observed in bright radio-loud quasars such as NuSTAR J033202-2746.8, which has L {sub 1.4} {sub GHz} ≈ 10{sup 27} W Hz{sup –1}. Constraining the spectral shape of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), including bright quasars, is very important for understanding the AGN population, and can have a strong impact on the modeling of the X-ray background. Our results show the importance of NuSTAR in investigating the broad-band spectral properties of quasars out to high redshift.

Searching For Water Megamasers In Type-2 QSOs

Science.gov (United States)

Bennert, Nicola; Barvainis, R.; Henkel, C.; Antonucci, R.

2009-01-01

Using the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope and the Effelsberg 100-m radio telescope, we searched for water megamasers in 274 SDSS type-2 AGNs (0.3 intrinsic differences between these low-luminous AGNs, mainly Seyfert-2 galaxies and LINERs in the local universe, and our sample consisting of high-luminous AGNs at higher redshift. It is notable that the known megamasers reside almost exclusively in spiral galaxies while our sample most likely consists of elliptical host galaxies. Also, the properties of the dust torus, in which the maser emission is thought to arise, might evolve with AGN luminosity. However, at this point, we cannot distinguish between the different possibilities discussed. Detecting megamasers at cosmological distances remains a challenging and yet, if successful, highly rewarding project not only for its potential to determine black hole masses but especially to constrain distances and thus probe the existence and properties of the elusive dark energy.

Duodenal plexiform fibromyxoma as a cause of obscure upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Moris, Demetrios; Spanou, Evangelia; Sougioultzis, Stavros; Dimitrokallis, Nikolaos; Kalisperati, Polyxeni; Delladetsima, Ioanna; Felekouras, Evangelos

2017-01-01

We are reporting the first-to our knowledge-case of duodenal Plexiform Fibromyxoma causing obscure upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Plexiform fibromyxoma triggered recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding episodes in a 63-year-old man who remained undiagnosed, despite multiple hospitalizations, extensive diagnostic workups and surgical interventions (including gastrectomies), for almost 17 years. During hospitalization for the last bleeding episode, an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed an intestinal hemorrhagic nodule. The lesion was deemed unresectable by endoscopic means. An abdominal computerized tomography disclosed no further lesions and surgery was decided. The lesion at operation was found near the edge of the duodenal stump and treated with pancreas-preserving duodenectomy (1st and 2nd portion). Postoperative recovery was mainly uneventful and a 20-month follow-up finds the patient in good health with no need for blood transfusions.Plexiform fibromyxomas stand for a rare and widely unknown mesenchymal entity. Despite the fact that they closely resemble other gastrointestinal tumors, they distinctly vary in clinical management as well as the histopathology. Clinical awareness and further research are compulsory to elucidate its clinical course and prognosis.

An XMM-Newton study of the hard X-ray sky

Science.gov (United States)

Piconcelli, E.; Cappi, M.; Bassani, L.; Di Cocco, G.; Dadina, M.

2003-12-01

We report on the spectral properties of a sample of 90 hard X-ray selected serendipitous sources detected in 12 XMM-Newton observations with 1 law modified by Galactic absorption offers an acceptable fit to ~ 65% of the source spectra. This fit yields an average photon index of ≈ 1.55 over the whole sample. We also find that the mean slope of the QSOs in our sample turns out to remain nearly constant ( (≈ 1.8-1.9) between 0 1022 cm-2) is ~ 30%, with little evolution in the range 2 <≈ F2-10˜< 80 x 10-14 erg cm-2 s-1. Interestingly, this value is a factor ~ 2 lower than predicted by the synthesis models of the CXB. This finding, detected for the first time in this survey, therefore suggests that most of the heavily obscured objects which make up the bulk of the CXB will be found at lower fluxes (F2-10< 10-14 erg cm-2 s-1). This mismatch together with other recent observational evidences which contrast with CXB model predictions suggest that one (or more) of the assumptions usually included in these models need to be revised.

ALMA observations of the host galaxy of GRB 090423 at z = 8.23: deep limits on obscured star formation 630 million years after the big bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger, E.; Zauderer, B. A.; Chary, R.-R.; Laskar, T.; Chornock, R.; Davies, J. E. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Tanvir, N. R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Stanway, E. R.; Levan, A. J. [Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom); Levesque, E. M. [CASA, University of Colorado UCB 389, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)

2014-12-01

We present rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) and optical observations of the host galaxy of GRB 090423 at z = 8.23 from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively. The host remains undetected to 3σ limits of F {sub ν}(222 GHz) ≲ 33 μJy and F {sub ν}(3.6 μm) ≲ 81 nJy. The FIR limit is about 20 times fainter than the luminosity of the local ULIRG Arp 220 and comparable to the local starburst M 82. Comparing this with model spectral energy distributions, we place a limit on the infrared (IR) luminosity of L {sub IR}(8-1000 μm) ≲ 3 × 10{sup 10} L {sub ☉}, corresponding to a limit on the obscured star formation rate of SFR{sub IR}≲5 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}. For comparison, the limit on the unobscured star formation rate from Hubble Space Telescope rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) observations is SFR{sub UV} ≲ 1 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1}. We also place a limit on the host galaxy stellar mass of M {sub *} ≲ 5 × 10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} (for a stellar population age of 100 Myr and constant star formation rate). Finally, we compare our millimeter observations to those of field galaxies at z ≳ 4 (Lyman break galaxies, Lyα emitters, and submillimeter galaxies) and find that our limit on the FIR luminosity is the most constraining to date, although the field galaxies have much larger rest-frame UV/optical luminosities than the host of GRB 090423 by virtue of their selection techniques. We conclude that GRB host galaxies at z ≳ 4, especially those with measured interstellar medium metallicities from afterglow spectroscopy, are an attractive sample for future ALMA studies of high redshift obscured star formation.

The search for red AGN with 2MASS

Science.gov (United States)

Cutri, R. M.; Nelson, B. O.; Kirkpatrick, J. D.; Huchra, J. P.; Smith, P. S.

2001-01-01

We present the results of a simple, highly efficient 2MASS color-based survey that has already discovered 140 previously unknown red AGN and QSOs. These objects are near-infrared-bright and relatively nearby; the media redshift of the sample is z=0.25, and all but two have z<0.7.

New Evidence on the Impact of Antithrombotics in Patients Submitted to Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy for the Evaluation of Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Boal Carvalho

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE plays a decisive role in the obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB diagnosis. Antithrombotics may increase bleeding risk in patients with preexistent lesions or through direct mucosal aggression. We aimed to correlate antithrombotics usage with lesions with bleeding potential found in SBCE. Methods. Retrospective single-center study including 274 consecutive SBCE performed over 7 years for OGIB. The lesions were classified as P0 (no bleeding potential, P1 (uncertain bleeding potential: erosions, and P2 (high bleeding potential: angioectasias, ulcers, and tumors. We assessed antiplatelet and anticoagulant drug use during the 60 days preceding SBCE. Results. One-third of the patients were under antithrombotic therapy. The diagnostic yield of SBCE for P2 lesions was 30.0%. Angioectasias (20.4% were the most frequently observed lesions. There was a significant correlation between anticoagulant drug use and a higher incidence of P2 lesions in the small bowel (43.2% versus 26.5%; OR = 2.11, P=0.026. We found no significant correlation between antiplatelets and lesions with bleeding potential in SBCE. Conclusions. Small bowel lesions with high bleeding potential were more frequently detected when the patient was on anticoagulant drugs, resulting in a twofold risk. Antiplatelet drugs were not associated with small bowel lesions.

ALMA Observations of the Host Galaxy of GRB 090423 at z = 8.23: Deep Limits on Obscured Star Formation 630 Million Years after the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, E.; Zauderer, B. A.; Chary, R.-R.; Laskar, T.; Chornock, R.; Tanvir, N. R.; Stanway, E. R.; Levan, A. J.; Levesque, E. M.; Davies, J. E.

2014-12-01

We present rest-frame far-infrared (FIR) and optical observations of the host galaxy of GRB 090423 at z = 8.23 from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively. The host remains undetected to 3σ limits of F ν(222 GHz) Space Telescope rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) observations is SFRUV ~ 4 (Lyman break galaxies, Lyα emitters, and submillimeter galaxies) and find that our limit on the FIR luminosity is the most constraining to date, although the field galaxies have much larger rest-frame UV/optical luminosities than the host of GRB 090423 by virtue of their selection techniques. We conclude that GRB host galaxies at z >~ 4, especially those with measured interstellar medium metallicities from afterglow spectroscopy, are an attractive sample for future ALMA studies of high redshift obscured star formation.

Partial dust obscuration in active galactic nuclei as a cause of broad-line profile and lag variability, and apparent accretion disc inhomogeneities

Science.gov (United States)

Gaskell, C. Martin; Harrington, Peter Z.

2018-04-01

The profiles of the broad emission lines of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the time delays in their response to changes in the ionizing continuum ("lags") give information about the structure and kinematics of the inner regions of AGNs. Line profiles are also our main way of estimating the masses of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However, the profiles often show ill-understood, asymmetric structure and velocity-dependent lags vary with time. Here we show that partial obscuration of the broad-line region (BLR) by outflowing, compact, dusty clumps produces asymmetries and velocity-dependent lags similar to those observed. Our model explains previously inexplicable changes in the ratios of the hydrogen lines with time and velocity, the lack of correlation of changes in line profiles with variability of the central engine, the velocity dependence of lags, and the change of lags with time. We propose that changes on timescales longer than the light-crossing time do not come from dynamical changes in the BLR, but are a natural result of the effect of outflowing dusty clumps driven by radiation pressure acting on the dust. The motion of these clumps offers an explanation of long-term changes in polarization. The effects of the dust complicate the study of the structure and kinematics of the BLR and the search for sub-parsec SMBH binaries. Partial obscuration of the accretion disc can also provide the local fluctuations in luminosity that can explain sizes deduced from microlensing.

Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding from an Ampullary Tumour in a Patient with a Remote History of Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Diagnostic Conundrum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rhonda M Janzen

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Metastasis of renal cell carcinoma to the ampulla of Vater is a rare occurrence. The outlined case, which presented as an upper gastrointestinal bleed, is only the eighth such reported case in the English-language literature. This case is the longest reported time interval between surgical nephrectomy to presentation with ampullary metastasis at 17.5 years. The ampullary source of bleeding in this case was initially obscure and missed by conventional gastroscopy. Diagnosis was made with a side-viewing endoscope, emphasizing the usefulness of this instrument in the investigation of active bleeding from a small bowel source.

NuSTAR Observations of WISE J1036+0449, A Galaxy at zeta approx 1 Obscured by Hot Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, C.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, Daniel K.; Nikutta, R.; Alexander, D. M.; Asmus, D.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Blain, A.W.; Zhang, William W.;

NuSTAR Observations of WISE J1036+0449, A Galaxy at Z Approx. 1 Obscured by Hot Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, C.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, D.; Nikutta, R.; Alexander, D. M.; Asmus, D.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Blain, A. W.; Boggs, S.;

Obscured flat spectrum radio active galactic nuclei as sources of high-energy neutrinos

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maggi, G.; Buitink, S.; Correa, P.; de Vries, K. D.; Gentile, G.; Tavares, J. León; Scholten, O.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vereecken, M.; Winchen, T.

2016-01-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are believed to be one of the main source candidates for the high-energy (TeV-PeV) cosmic neutrino flux recently discovered by the IceCube neutrino observatory. Nevertheless, several correlation studies between AGN and the cosmic neutrinos detected by IceCube show no

PG 1700 + 518 - a low-redshift, broad absorption line QSO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pettini, M.; Boksenberg, A.

1985-01-01

The first high-resolution optical spectra and lower resolution UV spectra of PG 1700 + 518, the only known broad-absorption-line (BAL) QSO at low emission redshift (0.288) are presented. The optical data were obtained with the Isaac Newton Telescope on the island of La Palma and the UV data with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. The outstanding feature of the optical spectrum is a strong, broad Mg II absorption trough, detached from the Mg II emission line and indicative of ejection velocities of between 7000 and 18,000 km/s. Also detected were narrow (FWHM = 350 km/s) Mg II absorption lines at absolute z = 0.2698, which are probably related to the mass ejection phenomenon. It is concluded that the emission-line spectrum is similar to that of other low-redshift QSOs although there are some obvious differences from typical BAL QSOs, most notably in the unusually low level of ionization of both emission-line and broad absorption line gas. 21 references

Glimpse of the highly obscured HMXB IGR J16318-4848 with Hitomi

Science.gov (United States)

Hitomi Collaboration; Aharonian, Felix; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Akimoto, Fumie; Allen, Steven W.; Angelini, Lorella; Audard, Marc; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Axelsson, Magnus; Bamba, Aya; Bautz, Marshall W.; Blandford, Roger; Brenneman, Laura W.; Brown, Gregory V.; Bulbul, Esra; Cackett, Edward M.; Chernyakova, Maria; Chiao, Meng P.; Coppi, Paolo S.; Costantini, Elisa; de Plaa, Jelle; de Vries, Cor P.; den Herder, Jan-Willem; Done, Chris; Dotani, Tadayasu; Ebisawa, Ken; Eckart, Megan E.; Enoto, Teruaki; Ezoe, Yuichiro; Fabian, Andrew C.; Ferrigno, Carlo; Foster, Adam R.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Galeazzi, Massimiliano; Gallo, Luigi C.; Gandhi, Poshak; Giustini, Margherita; Goldwurm, Andrea; Gu, Liyi; Guainazzi, Matteo; Haba, Yoshito; Hagino, Kouichi; Hamaguchi, Kenji; Harrus, Ilana M.; Hatsukade, Isamu; Hayashi, Katsuhiro; Hayashi, Takayuki; Hayashida, Kiyoshi; Hiraga, Junko S.; Hornschemeier, Ann; Hoshino, Akio; Hughes, John P.; Ichinohe, Yuto; Iizuka, Ryo; Inoue, Hajime; Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Ishida, Manabu; Ishikawa, Kumi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Iwai, Masachika; Kaastra, Jelle; Kallman, Tim; Kamae, Tsuneyoshi; Kataoka, Jun; Katsuda, Satoru; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Kitaguchi, Takao; Kitamoto, Shunji; Kitayama, Tetsu; Kohmura, Takayoshi; Kokubun, Motohide; Koyama, Katsuji; Koyama, Shu; Kretschmar, Peter; Krimm, Hans A.; Kubota, Aya; Kunieda, Hideyo; Laurent, Philippe; Lee, Shiu-Hang; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Limousin, Olivier O.; Loewenstein, Michael; Long, Knox S.; Lumb, David; Madejski, Greg; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Maier, Daniel; Makishima, Kazuo; Markevitch, Maxim; Matsumoto, Hironori; Matsushita, Kyoko; McCammon, Dan; McNamara, Brian R.; Mehdipour, Missagh; Miller, Eric D.; Miller, Jon M.; Mineshige, Shin; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Miyazawa, Takuya; Mizuno, Tsunefumi; Mori, Hideyuki; Mori, Koji; Mukai, Koji; Murakami, Hiroshi; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Nakagawa, Takao; Nakajima, Hiroshi; Nakamori, Takeshi; Nakashima, Shinya; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Nobukawa, Kumiko K.; Nobukawa, Masayoshi; Noda, Hirofumi; Odaka, Hirokazu; Ohashi, Takaya; Ohno, Masanori; Okajima, Takashi; Ota, Naomi; Ozaki, Masanobu; Paerels, Frits; Paltani, Stéphane; Petre, Robert; Pinto, Ciro; Porter, Frederick S.; Pottschmidt, Katja; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Safi-Harb, Samar; Saito, Shinya; Sakai, Kazuhiro; Sasaki, Toru; Sato, Goro; Sato, Kosuke; Sato, Rie; Sawada, Makoto; Schartel, Norbert; Serlemtsos, Peter J.; Seta, Hiromi; Shidatsu, Megumi; Simionescu, Aurora; Smith, Randall K.; Soong, Yang; Stawarz, Łukasz; Sugawara, Yasuharu; Sugita, Satoshi; Szymkowiak, Andrew; Tajima, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Takahashi, Tadayuki; Takeda, Shiníchiro; Takei, Yoh; Tamagawa, Toru; Tamura, Takayuki; Tanaka, Takaaki; Tanaka, Yasuo; Tanaka, Yasuyuki T.; Tashiro, Makoto S.; Tawara, Yuzuru; Terada, Yukikatsu; Terashima, Yuichi; Tombesi, Francesco; Tomida, Hiroshi; Tsuboi, Yohko; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Tsuru, Takeshi Go; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Uchiyama, Hideki; Uchiyama, Yasunobu; Ueda, Shutaro; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Uno, Shiníchiro; Urry, C. Megan; Ursino, Eugenio; Watanabe, Shin; Werner, Norbert; Wilkins, Dan R.; Williams, Brian J.; Yamada, Shinya; Yamaguchi, Hiroya; Yamaoka, Kazutaka; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.; Yamauchi, Makoto; Yamauchi, Shigeo; Yaqoob, Tahir; Yatsu, Yoichi; Yonetoku, Daisuke; Zhuravleva, Irina; Zoghbi, Abderahmen; Nakaniwa, Nozomi

2018-03-01

We report on a Hitomi observation of IGR J16318-4848, a high-mass X-ray binary system with an extremely strong absorption of NH ˜ 1024 cm-2. Previous X-ray studies revealed that its spectrum is dominated by strong fluorescence lines of Fe as well as continuum emission lines. For physical and geometrical insight into the nature of the reprocessing material, we utilized the high spectroscopic resolving power of the X-ray microcalorimeter (the soft X-ray spectrometer: SXS) and the wide-band sensitivity by the soft and hard X-ray imagers (SXI and HXI) aboard Hitomi. Even though the photon counts are limited due to unintended off-axis pointing, the SXS spectrum resolves Fe Kα1 and Kα2 lines and puts strong constraints on the line centroid and line width. The line width corresponds to a velocity of 160^{+300}_{-70} km s-1. This represents the most accurate, and smallest, width measurement of this line made so far from the any X-ray binary, much less than the Doppler broadening and Doppler shift expected from speeds that are characteristic of similar systems. Combined with the K-shell edge energy measured by the SXI and HXI spectra, the ionization state of Fe is estimated to be in the range of Fe I-IV. Considering the estimated ionization parameter and the distance between the X-ray source and the absorber, the density and thickness of the materials are estimated. The extraordinarily strong absorption and the absence of a Compton shoulder component have been confirmed. These characteristics suggest reprocessing materials that are distributed in a narrow solid angle or scattering, primarily by warm free electrons or neutral hydrogen. This measurement was achieved using the SXS detection of 19 photons. It provides strong motivation for follow-up observations of this and other X-ray binaries using the X-ray Astrophysics Recovery Mission and other comparable future instruments.

High-z objects and cold dark matter cosmogonies - Constraints on the primordial power spectrum on small scales

Science.gov (United States)

Kashlinsky, A.

1993-01-01

Modified cold dark matter (CDM) models were recently suggested to account for large-scale optical data, which fix the power spectrum on large scales, and the COBE results, which would then fix the bias parameter, b. We point out that all such models have deficit of small-scale power where density fluctuations are presently nonlinear, and should then lead to late epochs of collapse of scales M between 10 exp 9 - 10 exp 10 solar masses and (1-5) x 10 exp 14 solar masses. We compute the probabilities and comoving space densities of various scale objects at high redshifts according to the CDM models and compare these with observations of high-z QSOs, high-z galaxies and the protocluster-size object found recently by Uson et al. (1992) at z = 3.4. We show that the modified CDM models are inconsistent with the observational data on these objects. We thus suggest that in order to account for the high-z objects, as well as the large-scale and COBE data, one needs a power spectrum with more power on small scales than CDM models allow and an open universe.

The low-ion QSO absorption-line systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanzetta, K.M.

1988-01-01

Various techniques are used to investigate the class of QSO absorption-line systems that exhibit low-ion absorption lines. Four separate investigations are conducted as follows: Spectroscopy of 32 QSOs at red wavelengths is presented and used to investigate intermediate-redshift MgII absorption. A total of 22 Mg II doublets are detected, from which properties of the Mg II absorbers are derived. Marginal evidence for intrinsic evolution of the number density of the Mg II absorbers with redshift is found. The data are combined with previous observations of C IV and C II seen in the same QSOs at blue wavelengths, and the properties of Mg II- and C IV-selected systems are compared. A sample is constructed of 129 QSOs for which are available published data suitable for detecting absorption-line systems that are optically thick to Lyman continuum radiation. A total of 53 such Lyman-limit systems are found, from which properties of the Lyman-limit systems are derived. It is found that the rate of incidence of the systems does not strongly evolved with redshift. This result is contrasted with the evolution found previously for systems selected on the basis of Mg II absorption. Spectroscopy at red wavelengths of eight QSOs with known damped Lyα absorption systems is presented. Spectroscopic and spectrophotometric observations aimed at detecting molecular hydrogen and dust in the z = 2.796 damped Lyα absorber toward Q1337 + 113 are presented

Identification of southern radio sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savage, A.; Bolton, J.G.; Wright, A.E.

1977-01-01

Identifications are suggested for 53 radio sources from the southern zones of the Parkes 2700-MHz survey, 32 with galaxies, 11 with suggested QSOs and 10 with confirmed QSOs. The identifications were made from the ESO quick blue survey plates, the SRC IIIa-J deep survey plates and the Palomar Sky Survey prints. Accurate optical positions have been measured for four of the new identifications and for two previously suggested identifications. A further nine previously suggested QSO identifications have also been confirmed by two-colour photography or spectroscopy. (author)

Maximal lens bounds on QSO-galaxy association

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovner, I.

1989-01-01

The maximal possible enhancement of QSO number counts that can be produced by any ensemble of lenses which conserve brightness and in which the magnification probability is negligibly correlated with the intrinsic QSO flux is obtained. Under the assumption of the Boyle et al. (1988) number-magnitude relation for the QSOs unaffected by lenses, the theory is applied to the QSO-galaxy association sample of Webster et al. (1988). The results suggest that the background QSOs of Webster et al. may be appreciably affected by lensing. 17 refs

HerMES: THE FAR-INFRARED EMISSION FROM DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calanog, J. A.; Wardlow, J.; Fu, Hai; Cooray, A.; Assef, R. J.; Bock, J.; Riechers, D.; Schulz, B.; Casey, C. M.; Conley, A.; Farrah, D.; Oliver, S. J.; Roseboom, I. G.; Ibar, E.; Kartaltepe, J.; Magdis, G.; Rigopoulou, D.; Marchetti, L.; Pérez-Fournon, I.; Scott, Douglas

2013-01-01

Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are an ultraviolet-faint, infrared-bright galaxy population that reside at z ∼ 2 and are believed to be in a phase of dusty star-forming and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. We present far-infrared (far-IR) observations of a complete sample of DOGs in the 2 deg 2 of the Cosmic Evolution Survey. The 3077 DOGs have (z) = 1.9 ± 0.3 and are selected from 24 μm and r + observations using a color cut of r + – [24] ≥ 7.5 (AB mag) and S 24 ≥ 100 μJy. Based on the near-IR spectral energy distributions, 47% are bump DOGs (star formation dominated) and 10% are power-law DOGs (AGN-dominated). We use SPIRE far-IR photometry from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey to calculate the IR luminosity and characteristic dust temperature for the 1572 (51%) DOGs that are detected at 250 μm (≥3σ). For the remaining 1505 (49%) that are undetected, we perform a median stacking analysis to probe fainter luminosities. Herschel-detected and undetected DOGs have average luminosities of (2.8 ± 0.4) × 10 12 L ☉ and (0.77 ± 0.08) × 10 12 L ☉ , and dust temperatures of (33 ± 7) K and (37 ± 5) K, respectively. The IR luminosity function for DOGs with S 24 ≥ 100 μJy is calculated, using far-IR observations and stacking. DOGs contribute 10%-30% to the total star formation rate (SFR) density of the universe at z = 1.5-2.5, dominated by 250 μm detected and bump DOGs. For comparison, DOGs contribute 30% to the SFR density for all z = 1.5-2.5 galaxies with S 24 ≥ 100 μJy. DOGs have a large scatter about the star formation main sequence and their specific SFRs show that the observed phase of star formation could be responsible for their total observed stellar mass at z ∼ 2

HerMES: THE FAR-INFRARED EMISSION FROM DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calanog, J. A.; Wardlow, J.; Fu, Hai; Cooray, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Assef, R. J. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Bock, J.; Riechers, D.; Schulz, B. [California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Casey, C. M. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Conley, A. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy 389-UCB, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Farrah, D.; Oliver, S. J.; Roseboom, I. G. [Astronomy Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH (United Kingdom); Ibar, E. [Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 306, Santiago 22 (Chile); Kartaltepe, J. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Magdis, G.; Rigopoulou, D. [Department of Astrophysics, Denys Wilkinson Building, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Marchetti, L. [Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA (United Kingdom); Pérez-Fournon, I. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), E-38200 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Scott, Douglas [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 (Canada); and others

2013-09-20

Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are an ultraviolet-faint, infrared-bright galaxy population that reside at z ∼ 2 and are believed to be in a phase of dusty star-forming and active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity. We present far-infrared (far-IR) observations of a complete sample of DOGs in the 2 deg{sup 2} of the Cosmic Evolution Survey. The 3077 DOGs have (z) = 1.9 ± 0.3 and are selected from 24 μm and r {sup +} observations using a color cut of r {sup +} – [24] ≥ 7.5 (AB mag) and S{sub 24} ≥ 100 μJy. Based on the near-IR spectral energy distributions, 47% are bump DOGs (star formation dominated) and 10% are power-law DOGs (AGN-dominated). We use SPIRE far-IR photometry from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey to calculate the IR luminosity and characteristic dust temperature for the 1572 (51%) DOGs that are detected at 250 μm (≥3σ). For the remaining 1505 (49%) that are undetected, we perform a median stacking analysis to probe fainter luminosities. Herschel-detected and undetected DOGs have average luminosities of (2.8 ± 0.4) × 10{sup 12} L{sub ☉} and (0.77 ± 0.08) × 10{sup 12} L{sub ☉}, and dust temperatures of (33 ± 7) K and (37 ± 5) K, respectively. The IR luminosity function for DOGs with S{sub 24} ≥ 100 μJy is calculated, using far-IR observations and stacking. DOGs contribute 10%-30% to the total star formation rate (SFR) density of the universe at z = 1.5-2.5, dominated by 250 μm detected and bump DOGs. For comparison, DOGs contribute 30% to the SFR density for all z = 1.5-2.5 galaxies with S{sub 24} ≥ 100 μJy. DOGs have a large scatter about the star formation main sequence and their specific SFRs show that the observed phase of star formation could be responsible for their total observed stellar mass at z ∼ 2.

CT enterography in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhen; Chen, Jun-qiang; Liu, Jin-lu; Qin, Xin-gan; Huang, Yuan

2013-01-01

The objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive and update overview of clinical application of CT enterography (CTE) in the evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). We performed a systematic review of relevant literatures in PubMed, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library and pooled the yield of CTE and the incremental yield (IY) of CTE over an alternate modality. A total of 18 studies (n=660) reported the yield of CTE in evaluating OGIB and the pooled yield was 40% (95% confidence interval (CI): 33–49%). Seven studies (n=279) compared the yield of CTE with capsule endoscopy (CE). The yield for CTE and CE for all findings was 34% and 53%, respectively (IY=−19%, 95% CI=−34% to −4%). When considering the types of identified lesions, the yield was significantly different for vascular and inflammatory lesions but not significantly different for neoplastic or other lesions. Two studies (n=63) compared the yield of CTE with double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE). The yield for CTE and DBE was 38% and 78%, respectively (IY=−40%, 95% CI=−55% to −25%). Three studies (n=49) compared the yield of CTE with digital subtraction angiography. The yield for CTE and digital subtraction angiography was 64% and 60%, respectively (IY=4%, 95% CI=−40% to 47%). CTE is an excellent diagnostic tool in patients with OGIB. It may play a complementary role to CE and can be used as a triage tool prior to DBE in evaluating OGIB.

Far-infrared constraints on the contamination by dust-obscured galaxies of high-z dropout searches.

OpenAIRE

Boone, F.; Schaerer, D.; Pelló, R.; Lutz, D.; Weiss, A.; Egami, E.; Smail, I.; Rex, M.; Rawle, T.; Ivison, R.; Laporte, N.; Beelen, A.; Combes, F.; Blain, A.W.; Richard, J.

2011-01-01

The spectral energy distributions (SED) of dusty galaxies at intermediate redshift may look similar to very high-redshift galaxies in the optical/near infrared (NIR) domain. This can lead to the contamination of high-redshift galaxy searches based on broad-band optical/NIR photometry by lower redshift dusty galaxies because both kind of galaxies cannot be distinguished. The contamination rate could be as high as 50%. This work shows how the far-infrared (FIR) domain can help to recognize like...

INFRARED LUMINOSITIES AND DUST PROPERTIES OF z ∼ 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bussmann, R. S.; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, B. T.; Borys, C.; Desai, V.; Sheth, K.; Soifer, B. T.; Le Floc'h, E.; Melbourne, J.

2009-01-01

We present SHARC-II 350 μm imaging of twelve 24 μm bright (F 24μm > 0.8 mJy) Dust-Obscured Galaxies (DOGs) and Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) 1 mm imaging of a subset of two DOGs. These objects are selected from the Booetes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Detections of four DOGs at 350 μm imply infrared (IR) luminosities which are consistent to within a factor of 2 of expectations based on a warm-dust spectral energy distribution (SED) scaled to the observed 24 μm flux density. The 350 μm upper limits for the 8 non-detected DOGs are consistent with both Mrk 231 and M82 (warm-dust SEDs), but exclude cold dust (Arp 220) SEDs. The two DOGs targeted at 1 mm were not detected in our CARMA observations, placing strong constraints on the dust temperature: T dust > 35-60 K. Assuming these dust properties apply to the entire sample, we find dust masses of ∼3 x 10 8 M sun . In comparison to other dusty z ∼ 2 galaxy populations such as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) and other Spitzer-selected high-redshift sources, this sample of DOGs has higher IR luminosities (2 x 10 13 L sun versus 6 x 10 12 L sun for the other galaxy populations) that are driven by warmer dust temperatures (>35-60 K versus ∼30 K) and lower inferred dust masses (3 x 10 8 M sun versus 3 x 10 9 M sun ). Wide-field Herschel and Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 surveys should be able to detect hundreds of these power-law-dominated DOGs. We use the existing Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera data to estimate stellar masses of these sources and find that the stellar to gas mass ratio may be higher in our 24 μm bright sample of DOGs than in SMGs and other Spitzer-selected sources. Although much larger sample sizes are needed to provide a definitive conclusion, the data are consistent with an evolutionary trend in which the formation of massive galaxies at z ∼ 2 involves a submillimeter bright, cold-dust, and star

X-ray effects on karyotype of Drosophila pseudo obscure. Pilot experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salceda, V. M.

2009-10-01

Four groups of 100 males of Drosophila pseudo obscure carriers of genetic sequence Tree Line were treated with X-rays, through the use of a X-ray equipment Phillips MCN321; with absorbed individual doses of 28.2 Gy, 37.6 Gy, 47.6 Gy and 56.4 Gy, once irradiated these were crossed individually with two or three virgin females of the same constitution and the descendant emergency was took a larva of each crossing in order to detect the radiation effect on karyotype Tree Line of these organisms, chromosomal aberrations fundamentally, as well as on masculine sterility. Our observations gave as result for smaller dose, in a total of 61 analyzed larva, the obtaining of seven translocations equivalent to 11.5% as well as an inversion of 1.6%; with the following dose (58 analyzed larva) were obtained four translocations equal to 6.9%, two corresponding inversions to 3.4%, a mosaic and a deletion equivalent to 1.7%; with the dose of 47.6 Gy four translocations were induced 6.8% and deletion corresponding to 1.1%, again two respective inversions to 3.4% and a mosaic 1.7% in 59 analyzed larvas, meantime with the dose of 56.4 Gy appeared two translocations only equal to 3.7% in a sample of 54 individuals. The effect about masculine sterility was equal that the witness of 12% and for two following doses and finally of 41 and 46% respectively for the remaining doses. Comparisons with another authors gave similar values in the total cases. In accordance with our main objective, it is suggested to increase the sample size and to repeat the experiments using different genetic sequences as well as the possibility to use different radiation sources like gamma radiation and this way to utilize this system like a biological dosemeter. (Author)

VizieR Online Data Catalog: FIR data of IR-bright dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) (Toba+, 2017)

Science.gov (United States)

Toba, Y.; Nagao, T.; Wang, W.-H.; Matsuhara, H.; Akiyama, M.; Goto, T.; Koyama, Y.; Ohyama, Y.; Yamamura, I.

2017-11-01

We investigate the star-forming activity of a sample of infrared (IR)-bright dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) that show an extreme red color in the optical and IR regime, (i-[22])AB>7.0. Combining an IR-bright DOG sample with the flux at 22μm>3.8mJy discovered by Toba & Nagao (2016ApJ...820...46T) with the IRAS faint source catalog version 2 and AKARI far-IR (FIR) all-sky survey bright source catalog version 2, we selected 109 DOGs with FIR data. For a subsample of seven IR-bright DOGs with spectroscopic redshifts (0.07DOGs and (2) the contribution of the active galactic nucleus to IR luminosity increases with IR luminosity. By comparing the stellar mass and SFR relation for our DOG sample and the literature, we found that most of the IR-bright DOGs lie significantly above the main sequence of star-forming galaxies at similar redshift, indicating that the majority of IRAS- or AKARI-detected IR-bright DOGs are starburst galaxies. (1 data file).

Thermal-nonthermal relationships in active galactic nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waard, G.J. de.

1986-01-01

This dissertation reports on optical and radio observations of active galactic nuclei, selected on the basis of the presence of dominant narrow (narrow line radio galaxies, Seyfert II galaxies, QSOs) and/or broad (broad line radio galaxies, Seyfert I galaxies, QSOs) optical emission lines in their spectra. Special attention is drawn to possible relationships and physical links between the two regimes responsible for the optical (thermal) and radio (non-thermal) emission. Several projects, each studying such relationships on different angular (and thus linear) scales and at different observational frequencies were conceived with a variety of detection devices. (Auth.)

NuSTAR observations of WISE J1036+0449, a galaxy at z ∼ 1 obscured by hot dust

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ricci, C.; Assef, R. J.; Stern, D.

2017-01-01

Hot dust-obscured galaxies (hot DOGs), selected from Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer’s all-sky infrared survey, host some of the most powerful active galactic nuclei known and may represent an important stage in the evolution of galaxies. Most known hot DOGs are located at z > 1.5, due in part...... to a strong bias against identifying them at lower redshift related to the selection criteria. We present a new selection method that identifies 153 hot DOG candidates at z ~ 1, where they are significantly brighter and easier to study. We validate this approach by measuring a redshift z = 1.009 and finding...... the mid-infrared/X-ray correlation. We also find that other hot DOGs observed by X-ray facilities show a similar deficiency of X-ray flux. We discuss the origin of the X-ray weakness and the absorption properties of hot DOGs. Hot DOGs at z ≲ 1 could be excellent laboratories to probe the characteristics...

Why high-latitude clouds in our galaxy and the highly redshifted clouds observed in front of QSOs do not belong to the same parent population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfe, A.M.

1983-01-01

International Ultraviolet Explorer observations of high-latitude gas in our Galaxy reveal the presence of both C II and C IV absorption in the spectra of stars with z>2 kpc. On the other hand, C II is generally absent from unbiased samples of QSO redshift systems with C IV absorption. Comparison between the equivalent-width distributions of the QSO sample and of the galactic sample (which is suitably corrected for contamination by disk absorption) shows that a probability that the two samples are drawn from the same parent population is less than 1% for C II and less than 10% for C IV. Thus, contrary to prevailing opinion, it is highly unlikely that gaseous halos comprised of material with properties of the high-latitude gas are responsible for the bulk of known QSO redshift systems. However, gaseous halos with bimodal states of ionization, or in which the ionization state is a unique function of redshift, are compatible with QSO absorption statistics

Black hole growth and starburst activity at z = 0.6-4 in the Chandra Deep Field South. Host galaxies properties of obscured AGN

Science.gov (United States)

Brusa, M.; Fiore, F.; Santini, P.; Grazian, A.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.; Hasinger, G.; Merloni, A.; Civano, F.; Fontana, A.; Mainieri, V.

2009-12-01

Aims: The co-evolution of host galaxies and the active black holes which reside in their centre is one of the most important topics in modern observational cosmology. Here we present a study of the properties of obscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) detected in the CDFS 1 Ms observation and their host galaxies. Methods: We limited the analysis to the MUSIC area, for which deep K-band observations obtained with ISAAC@VLT are available, ensuring accurate identifications of the counterparts of the X-ray sources as well as reliable determination of photometric redshifts and galaxy parameters, such as stellar masses and star formation rates. In particular, we: 1) refined the X-ray/infrared/optical association of 179 sources in the MUSIC area detected in the Chandra observation; 2) studied the host galaxies observed and rest frame colors and properties. Results: We found that X-ray selected (LX ⪆ 1042 erg s-1) AGN show Spitzer colors consistent with both AGN and starburst dominated infrared continuum; the latter would not have been selected as AGN from infrared diagnostics. The host galaxies of X-ray selected obscured AGN are all massive (Mast > 1010 M_⊙) and, in 50% of the cases, are also actively forming stars (1/SSFR mass up to a value of 30% at z > 1 and Mast > 3 × 1011 M_⊙, a fraction significantly higher than in the local Universe for AGN of similar luminosities. Tables [see full textsee full textsee full text] and [see full textsee full textsee full text] are only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Jekyll & Hyde: quiescence and extreme obscuration in a pair of massive galaxies 1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Schreiber, C.; Labbé, I.; Glazebrook, K.; Bekiaris, G.; Papovich, C.; Costa, T.; Elbaz, D.; Kacprzak, G. G.; Nanayakkara, T.; Oesch, P.; Pannella, M.; Spitler, L.; Straatman, C.; Tran, K.-V.; Wang, T.

2018-03-01

We obtained ALMA spectroscopy and deep imaging to investigate the origin of the unexpected sub-millimeter emission toward the most distant quiescent galaxy known to date, ZF-COSMOS-20115 at z = 3.717. We show here that this sub-millimeter emission is produced by another massive (M* 1011 M⊙), compact (r1/2 = 0.67 ± 0.14 kpc) and extremely obscured galaxy (AV 3.5), located only 0.43'' (3.1 kpc) away from the quiescent galaxy. We dub the quiescent and dusty galaxies Jekyll and Hyde, respectively. No dust emission is detected at the location of the quiescent galaxy, implying SFR < 13 M⊙ yr-1 which is the most stringent upper limit ever obtained for a quiescent galaxy at these redshifts. The two sources are spectroscopically confirmed to lie at the same redshift thanks to the detection of [C II]158 in Hyde (z = 3.709), which provides one the few robust redshifts for a highly-obscured "H-dropout" galaxy (H - [4.5] = 5.1 ± 0.8). The [C II] line shows a clear rotating-disk velocity profile which is blueshifted compared to the Balmer lines of Jekyll by 549 ± 60 km s-1, demonstrating that it is produced by another galaxy. Careful de-blending of the Spitzer imaging confirms the existence of this new massive galaxy, and its non-detection in the Hubble images requires extremely red colors and strong attenuation by dust. Full modeling of the UV-to-far-IR emission of both galaxies shows that Jekyll has fully quenched at least 200Myr prior to observation and still presents a challenge for models, while Hyde only harbors moderate star-formation with SFR ≲ 120 M⊙ yr-1, and is located at least a factor 1.4 below the z 4 main sequence. Hyde could also have stopped forming stars less than 200 Myr before being observed; this interpretation is also suggested by its compactness comparable to that of z 4 quiescent galaxies and its low [C II]/FIR ratio, but significant on-going star-formation cannot be ruled out. Lastly, we find that despite its moderate SFR, Hyde hosts a dense

Computed tomography versus digital subtraction angiography for the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wildgruber, Moritz, E-mail: moritzwildgruber@ukmuenster.de [Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg (Germany); Institut für klinische Radiologie, Universitätsklinikum Münster, D-48149 Münster (Germany); Wrede, Christian E. [Notfallzentrum, Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch, D-13125 Berlin (Germany); Zorger, Niels [Institut für Radiologie, Neuroradiologie und Nuklearmedizin, Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder, D-93049 Regensburg (Germany); Müller-Wille, René; Hamer, Okka W. [Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg (Germany); Zeman, Florian [Zentrum für Klinische Studien, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg (Germany); Stroszczynski, Christian; Heiss, Peter [Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg (Germany)

2017-03-15

Purpose: The diagnostic yield of computed tomography angiography (CTA) compared to digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for major obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is not known. Aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic yield of CTA versus DSA for the diagnosis of major OGIB. Material and methods: The institutional review board approved the study and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Patients with major OGIB were prospectively enrolled to undergo both CTA and DSA. Two blinded radiologists each reviewed the CTA and DSA images retrospectively and independently. Contrast material extravasation into the gastrointestinal lumen was considered diagnostic for active bleeding. Primary end point of the study was the diagnostic yield, defined as the frequency a technique identified an active bleeding or a potential bleeding lesion. The diagnostic yield of CTA and DSA were compared by McNemar's test. Results: 24 consecutive patients (11 men; median age 64 years) were included. CTA and DSA identified an active bleeding or a potential bleeding lesion in 92% (22 of 24 patients; 95% CI 72%–99%) and 29% (7 of 24 patients; 95% CI 12%–49%) of patients, respectively (p < 0.001). CTA and DSA identified an active bleeding in 42% (10 of 24; 95% CI 22%–63%) and 21% (5 of 24; 95% CI 7%–42%) of patients, respectively (p = 0.06). Conclusion: Due to the lower invasiveness and higher diagnostic yield CTA should be favored over DSA for the diagnosis of major OGIB.

Computed tomography versus digital subtraction angiography for the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wildgruber, Moritz; Wrede, Christian E.; Zorger, Niels; Müller-Wille, René; Hamer, Okka W.; Zeman, Florian; Stroszczynski, Christian; Heiss, Peter

2017-01-01

Purpose: The diagnostic yield of computed tomography angiography (CTA) compared to digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for major obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is not known. Aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic yield of CTA versus DSA for the diagnosis of major OGIB. Material and methods: The institutional review board approved the study and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Patients with major OGIB were prospectively enrolled to undergo both CTA and DSA. Two blinded radiologists each reviewed the CTA and DSA images retrospectively and independently. Contrast material extravasation into the gastrointestinal lumen was considered diagnostic for active bleeding. Primary end point of the study was the diagnostic yield, defined as the frequency a technique identified an active bleeding or a potential bleeding lesion. The diagnostic yield of CTA and DSA were compared by McNemar's test. Results: 24 consecutive patients (11 men; median age 64 years) were included. CTA and DSA identified an active bleeding or a potential bleeding lesion in 92% (22 of 24 patients; 95% CI 72%–99%) and 29% (7 of 24 patients; 95% CI 12%–49%) of patients, respectively (p < 0.001). CTA and DSA identified an active bleeding in 42% (10 of 24; 95% CI 22%–63%) and 21% (5 of 24; 95% CI 7%–42%) of patients, respectively (p = 0.06). Conclusion: Due to the lower invasiveness and higher diagnostic yield CTA should be favored over DSA for the diagnosis of major OGIB.

Report on Ultra-high Resolution Gamma-/X-ray Analysis of Uranium Skull Oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedrich, S.; Velazquez, M.; Drury, O.; Salaymeh, S.

2009-01-01

We have utilized the high energy resolution and high peak-to-background ratio of superconducting TES γ-detectors at very low energies for non-destructive analysis of a skull oxide derived from reprocessed nuclear fuel. Specifically, we demonstrate that superconducting detectors can separate and analyze the strong actinide emission lines in the spectral region below 60 keV that are often obscured in γ-measurements with conventional Ge detectors.

Pulsed-High Field/High-Frequency EPR Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Fuhs, Michael; Moebius, Klaus

Pulsed high-field/high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is used to disentangle many kinds of different effects often obscured in continuous wave (cw) EPR spectra at lower magnetic fields/microwave frequencies. While the high magnetic field increases the resolution of G tensors and of nuclear Larmor frequencies, the high frequencies allow for higher time resolution for molecular dynamics as well as for transient paramagnetic intermediates studied with time-resolved EPR. Pulsed EPR methods are used for example for relaxation-time studies, and pulsed Electron Nuclear DOuble Resonance (ENDOR) is used to resolve unresolved hyperfine structure hidden in inhomogeneous linewidths. In the present article we introduce the basic concepts and selected applications to structure and mobility studies on electron transfer systems, reaction centers of photosynthesis as well as biomimetic models. The article concludes with an introduction to stochastic EPR which makes use of an other concept for investigating resonance systems in order to increase the excitation bandwidth of pulsed EPR. The limited excitation bandwidth of pulses at high frequency is one of the main limitations which, so far, made Fourier transform methods hardly feasible.

How Simbol-X Will Reveal the Most Obscured High Energy Sources of our Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Chaty, S.

2009-05-01

The INTEGRAL satellite has revealed a major population of supergiant High Mass X-ray Binaries in our Galaxy, revolutionizing our understanding of binary systems and their evolution. This population, constituted of a compact object orbiting around a supergiant star, have unusual properties, either being extremely absorbed, or exhibiting very short flares. I will first describe the characteristics of these sources, that only intensive multi-wavelength observations have led us to disentangle, before showing that Simbol-X, thanks to its energy range and sensitivity, will allow us to go further in the understanding of these supergiant HMXBs.

GEMINI/GeMS Observations Unveil the Structure of the Heavily Obscured Globular Cluster Liller 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Saracino, S.; Dalessandro, E.; Ferraro, F. R.; Lanzoni, B.; Geisler, D.; Mauro, F.; Villanova, S.; Moni Bidin, C.; Miocchi, P.; Massari, D.

2015-06-01

By exploiting the exceptional high-resolution capabilities of the near-IR camera GSAOI combined with the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive System at the GEMINI South Telescope, we investigated the structural and physical properties of the heavily obscured globular cluster Liller 1 in the Galactic bulge. We have obtained the deepest and most accurate color-magnitude diagram published so far for this cluster, reaching {{K}s}˜ 19 (below the main-sequence turnoff level). We used these data to redetermine the center of gravity of the system, finding that it is located about 2.″2 southeast from the literature value. We also built new star density and surface brightness profiles for the cluster and rederived its main structural and physical parameters (scale radii, concentration parameter, central mass density, total mass). We find that Liller 1 is significantly less concentrated (concentration parameter c=1.74) and less extended (tidal radius {{r}t}=298\\prime\\prime and core radius {{r}c}=5\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 39) than previously thought. By using these newly determined structural parameters, we estimated the mass of Liller 1 to be {{M}tot}=2.3+0.3-0.1× {{10}6} {{M}⊙ } ({{M}tot}=1.5+0.2-0.1× {{10}6} {{M}⊙ } for a Kroupa initial mass function), which is comparable to that of the most massive clusters in the Galaxy (ω Centari and Terzan 5). Also, Liller 1 has the second-highest collision rate (after Terzan 5) among all star clusters in the Galaxy, thus confirming that it is an ideal environment for the formation of collisional objects (such as millisecond pulsars). Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da

Cosmology from angular size counts of extragalactic radio sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapahi, V.K.

1975-01-01

The cosmological implications of the observed angular sizes of extragalactic radio sources are investigated using (i) the log N-log theta relation, where N is the number of sources with an angular size greater than a value theta, for the complete sample of 3CR sources, and (ii) the thetasub(median) vs flux density (S) relation derived from the 3CR, the All-sky, and the Ooty occulation surveys, spanning a flux density range of about 300:1. The method of estimating the expected N(theta) and thetasub(m)(S) relations for a uniform distribution of sources in space is outlined. Since values of theta>approximately 100second arc in the 3C sample arise from sources of small z, the slope of the N(theta) relation in this range is practically independent of the world model and the distribution of source sizes, but depends strongly on the radio luminosity function (RLF). From the observed slope the RLF is derived in the luminosity range of about 10 23 178 26 W Hz -1 sr -1 to be of the form rho(P)dP proportional to Psup(-2.1)dP. It is shown that the angular size data provide independent evidence of evolution in source properties with epoch. It is difficult to explain the data with the simple steady-state theory even if identified QSOs are excluded from ths source samples and a local deficiency of strong source is postulated. The simplest evolutionary scheme that fits the data in the Einstein-de Sitter cosmology indicates that (a) the local RLF steepens considerably at high luminosities, (b) the comoving density of high luminosity sources increases with z in a manner similar to that implied by the log N-log S data and by the V/Vsub(m) test for QSOs, and (c) the mean physical sizes of radio sources evolve with z approximately as (1+z) -1 . Similar evolutionary effects appear to be present for QSOs as well as radio galaxies. (author)

Remote Optical Imagery of Obscured Objects in Low-Visibility Environments Using Parametric Amplification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asher, R.B.; Bliss, D.E.; Cameron, S.M.; Hamil, R.A.

1998-10-14

The development of unconventional active optical sensors to remotely detect and spatially resolve suspected threats obscured by low-visibility observation conditions (adverse weather, clouds, dust, smoke, precipitation, etc.) is fundamental to maintaining tactical supremacy in the battlespace. In this report, the authors describe an innovative frequency-agile image intensifier technology based on time-gated optical parametic amplification (OPA) for enhanced light-based remote sensing through pervasive scattering and/or turbulent environments. Improved dynamic range characteristics derived from the amplified passband of the OPA receiver combined with temporal discrimination in the image capture process will offset radiant power extinction losses, while defeating the deugradative effects & multipath dispersion and ,diffuse backscatter noise along the line-of-sight on resultant image contrast and range resolution. Our approach extends the operational utility of the detection channel in existing laser radar systems by increasing sensitivity to low-level target reffectivities, adding ballistic rejection of scatter and clutter in the range coordinate, and introducing multispectral and polarization discrimination capability in a wavelen~h-tunable, high gain nonlinear optical component with strong potential for source miniaturization. A key advantage of integrating amplification and tlequency up-conversion functions within a phasematched three-wave mixing parametric device is the ability to petiorm background-free imaging with eye-safe or longer inilared illumination wavelengths (idler) less susceptible to scatter without sacrificing quantum efficiency in the detection process at the corresponding signal wavelength. We report benchmark laboratory experiments in which the OPA gating process has been successfidly demonstrated in both transillumination and reflection test geometries with extended pathlengths representative of realistic coastal sea water and cumulus cloud

Gemini long-slit observations of luminous obscured quasars: Further evidence for an upper limit on the size of the narrow-line region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hainline, Kevin N.; Hickox, Ryan C.; Greene, Jenny E.; Myers, Adam D.; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Liu, Guilin; Liu, Xin

2014-01-01

We examine the spatial extent of the narrow-line regions (NLRs) of a sample of 30 luminous obscured quasars at 0.4 < z < 0.7 observed with spatially resolved Gemini-N GMOS long-slit spectroscopy. Using the [O III] λ5007 emission feature, we estimate the size of the NLR using a cosmology-independent measurement: the radius where the surface brightness falls to 10 –15 erg s –1 cm –2 arcsec –2 . We then explore the effects of atmospheric seeing on NLR size measurements and conclude that direct measurements of the NLR size from observed profiles are too large by 0.1-0.2 dex on average, as compared to measurements made to best-fit Sérsic or Voigt profiles convolved with the seeing. These data, which span a full order of magnitude in IR luminosity (log (L 8 μm /erg s –1 ) = 44.4-45.4), also provide strong evidence that there is a flattening of the relationship between NLR size and active galactic nucleus luminosity at a seeing-corrected size of ∼7 kpc. The objects in this sample have high luminosities which place them in a previously under-explored portion of the size-luminosity relationship. These results support the existence of a maximal size of the NLR around luminous quasars; beyond this size, there is either not enough gas or the gas is over-ionized and does not produce enough [O III] λ5007 emission.

ATLAS: A High-cadence All-sky Survey System

Science.gov (United States)

Tonry, J. L.; Denneau, L.; Heinze, A. N.; Stalder, B.; Smith, K. W.; Smartt, S. J.; Stubbs, C. W.; Weiland, H. J.; Rest, A.

2018-06-01

Technology has advanced to the point that it is possible to image the entire sky every night and process the data in real time. The sky is hardly static: many interesting phenomena occur, including variable stationary objects such as stars or QSOs, transient stationary objects such as supernovae or M dwarf flares, and moving objects such as asteroids and the stars themselves. Funded by NASA, we have designed and built a sky survey system for the purpose of finding dangerous near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). This system, the “Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System” (ATLAS), has been optimized to produce the best survey capability per unit cost, and therefore is an efficient and competitive system for finding potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) but also for tracking variables and finding transients. While carrying out its NASA mission, ATLAS now discovers more bright (m day cadence. ATLAS discovered the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst independent of the high energy trigger and has released a variable star catalog of 5 × 106 sources. This is the first of a series of articles describing ATLAS, devoted to the design and performance of the ATLAS system. Subsequent articles will describe in more detail the software, the survey strategy, ATLAS-derived NEA population statistics, transient detections, and the first data release of variable stars and transient light curves.

Stressors and Turning Points in High School and Dropout: A Stress Process, Life Course Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Dupéré, Véronique; Leventhal, Tama; Dion, Eric; Crosnoe, Robert; Archambault, Isabelle; Janosz, Michel

2015-01-01

High school dropout is commonly seen as the result of a long-term process of failure and disengagement. As useful as it is, this view has obscured the heterogeneity of pathways leading to dropout. Research suggests, for instance, that some students leave school not as a result of protracted difficulties but in response to situations that emerge…

Fueling QSOs: the relevance of mergers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bennert, N.; Canalizo, G.; Jungwiert, Bruno; Stockton, A.; Schweizer, F.; Peng, Ch.; Lacy, M.

2008-01-01

Roč. 79, č. 4 (2008), s. 1247-1250 ISSN 0037-8720 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06014 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : galaxy mergers * quasars * photometry Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics

Discovery of Highly Obscured Galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance

Science.gov (United States)

2008-08-01

the optical (e.g., Roman et al. 2000), near-infrared (DENIS, Schroder et al. 1999; Two Micron All Sky Survey ( 2MASS ), Jarrett et al. 2000), far... 2MASS (Skrutskie et al. 2006), downloaded directly from the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA).5 The boundaries of our search were set by the...Figure 3. 2MASS J (blue), H (green), and /is (red) color composite images of the same galaxies. The galaxies are displayed in the same order as shown

Evaluate and characterize mechanisms controlling transport, fate, and effects of army smokes in the aerosol wind tunnel: Transport, transformations, fate, and terrestrial ecological effects of hexachloroethane obscurant smokes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cataldo, D.A.; Ligotke, M.W.; Bolton, H. Jr.; Fellows, R.J.; Van Voris, P.; McVeety, B.D.; Li, Shu-mei W.; McFadden, K.M.

1989-09-01

The terrestrial transport, chemical fate, and ecological effects of hexachloroethane (HC) smoke were evaluated under controlled wind tunnel conditions. The primary objectives of this research program are to characterize and assess the impacts of smoke and obscurants on: (1) natural vegetation characteristic of US Army training sites in the United States; (2) physical and chemical properties of soils representative of these training sites; and (3) soil microbiological and invertebrate communities. Impacts and dose/responses were evaluated based on exposure scenarios, including exposure duration, exposure rate, and sequential cumulative dosing. Key to understanding the environmental impacts of HC smoke/obscurants is establishing the importance of environmental parameters such as relative humidity and wind speed on airborne aerosol characteristics and deposition to receptor surfaces. Direct and indirect biotic effects were evaluated using five plant species and two soil types. HC aerosols were generated in a controlled atmosphere wind tunnel by combustion of hexachloroethane mixtures prepared to simulate normal pot burn rates and conditions. The aerosol was characterized and used to expose plant, soil, and other test systems. Particle sizes of airborne HC ranged from 1.3 to 2.1 {mu}m mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), and particle size was affected by relative humidity over a range of 20% to 85%. Air concentrations employed ranged from 130 to 680 mg/m{sup 3}, depending on exposure scenario. Chlorocarbon concentrations within smokes, deposition rates for plant and soil surfaces, and persistence were determined. The fate of principal inorganic species (Zn, Al, and Cl) in a range of soils was assessed.

STAR FORMATION AND DUST OBSCURATION AT z ∼ 2: GALAXIES AT THE DAWN OF DOWNSIZING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pannella, M.; Carilli, C. L.; Owen, F. N.; Strazzullo, V.; Daddi, E.; Aussel, H.; McCracken, H. J.; Mellier, Y.; Renzini, A.; Civano, F.; Koekemoer, A. M.; Schinnerer, E.; Scoville, N.; Smolcic, V.; Salvato, M.; Taniguchi, Y.; Kneib, J. P.; Ilbert, O.; Thompson, D.; Willott, C. J.

2009-01-01

We present first results of a study aimed to constrain the star formation rate (SFR) and dust content of galaxies at z ∼ 2. We use a sample of BzK-selected star-forming galaxies, drawn from the Cosmic Evolution Survey, to perform a stacking analysis of their 1.4 GHz radio continuum as a function of different stellar population properties, after cleaning the sample from contamination by active galactic nuclei. Dust unbiased SFRs are derived from radio fluxes assuming the local radio-IR correlation. The main results of this work are: (1) specific star formation rate (SSFR)s are constant over about 1 dex in stellar mass and up to the highest stellar mass probed, (2) the dust attenuation is a strong function of galaxy stellar mass with more massive galaxies being more obscured than lower mass objects, (3) a single value of the UV extinction applied to all galaxies would lead to a gross underestimate of the SFR in massive galaxies, (4) correcting the observed UV luminosities for dust attenuation based on the Calzetti recipe provides results in very good agreement with the radio derived ones, (5) the mean SSFR of our sample steadily decreases by a factor of ∼4 with decreasing redshift from z = 2.3 to 1.4 and a factor of ∼40 down the local universe. These empirical SFRs would cause galaxies to dramatically overgrow in mass if maintained all the way to low redshifts; we suggest that this does not happen because star formation is progressively quenched, likely starting from the most massive galaxies.

Upper gastrointestinal findings detected by capsule endoscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding Hallazgos digestivos altos de la cápsula endoscópica en la hemorragia digestiva de origen oscuro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Velayos

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: we analyzed our experience with the use of capsule endoscopy in areas that can be explored with gastroscopy to justify obscure bleeding, as well as the outcome after a new recommended gastroscopy in order to determine if a second gastroscopy before the capsule study can provide any benefit in the management of this disease. Methods: we retrospectively studied 82 patients who were explored with capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding who had undergone previously only one gastroscopy. Findings in the zones which were accessible by gastroscopy were normal, mild/known and severe/unknown. In the latter cases we recommended a second gastroscopy, and their treatment and outcome were subjected to further study. Results: capsule endoscopy did not find any unknown esophageal findings. In 63% of cases, no gastric or duodenal lesions were shown; in 20%, lesions were mild or had been previously diagnosed, and in 17%, a new gastroscopy was recommended due to the discovery of an unknown condition which could be the cause of the obscure bleeding. This new information brought about a change in treatment for 78% of patients in this group, all of whom improved from their illness. Capsule endoscopy found significant intercurrent alterations in the small intestine in only 14% of cases. Conclusions: the performance of a second gastroscopy, previous to capsule endoscopy, in the study of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding can offer benefits in diagnostic terms and may introduce therapeutic changes. A detailed analysis of the upper tract frames in intestinal capsule endoscopy studies is mandatory since it may provide relevant information with clinical impact on the management of these patients.Objetivo: hemos analizado los hallazgos que la cápsula endoscópica aportó de las zonas accesibles a una gastroscopia que podrían justificar un sangrado digestivo oscuro, así como la evolución de estos enfermos tras la nueva gastroscopia recomendada

On the Masses of the quasi-stellar objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burbidge, G.; Perry, J.

1976-01-01

If it is assumed that the gas giving rise to the emission and absorption lines in quasi-stellar objects has been driven out of the central object by radiation pressure, arguments based on the dynamics of radiation-driven gas flows enable us to establish limits on the central masses and the rates of mass loss. For QSOs at cosmological distances it is found that the masses of the central objects must lie in the range 5 x 10 7 M/sub sun/approximately-less-thanMapproximately-less-than2 x 10 9 m/sub sun/ and that the mass loss rates should be M/Mapprox. =10 -7 yr -1 . If the QSOs are local objects, the upper limits to the masses are about 2 x 10 7 M/sub sun/

RX J1759.4+6638: An x-ray selected quasars at a redshift of 4.320

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, J. P.; Gioia, I. M.; Boehringer, H.; Bower, R. G.; Briel, U. G.; Hasinger, G. H.; Aragon-Salamanca, A.; Castander, F. J.; Ellis, R. S.; Huchra, J. P.

1994-01-01

We report the discovery of an x-ray selected Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSO) at a redshift of 4.320 +/- 0.005. This is the most distant x-ray selected object known, and it is the eighth most distant QSO known. The properties of this QSO are very similar to other QSOs at redshifts greater than 4. The x-ray discovery of this object, and that of high redshift clusters of galaxies, shows that present x-ray surveys are reaching depths competitive with other methods.

The early detection and follow-up of the highly obscured Type II supernova 2016ija/DLT16am

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tartaglia, L.; Sand, D. J.; Valenti, S.

2018-01-01

We present our analysis of the Type II supernova DLT16am (SN~2016ija). The object was discovered during the ongoing $\\rm{D}`edge-on nearby ($D=20.0\\pm1.9\\,\\rm{Mpc}$) galaxy NGC~1532. The subsequent prompt and high-cadenced spectroscopic and photometric follow-up revealed a highly extincted...

WITNESSING THE KEY EARLY PHASE OF QUASAR EVOLUTION: AN OBSCURED ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS PAIR IN THE INTERACTING GALAXY IRAS 20210+1121

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piconcelli, Enrico; Fiore, Fabrizio; Maiolino, Roberto; Nicastro, Fabrizio; Vignali, Cristian; Bianchi, Stefano; Mathur, Smita; Guainazzi, Matteo; Lanzuisi, Giorgio

2010-01-01

We report the discovery of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) pair in the interacting galaxy system IRAS 20210+1121 at z = 0.056. An XMM-Newton observation reveals the presence of an obscured (N H ∼ 5 x 10 23 cm -2 ), Seyfert-like (L 2-10keV = 4.7 x 10 42 erg s -1 ) nucleus in the northern galaxy, which lacks unambiguous optical AGN signatures. Our spectral analysis also provides strong evidence that the IR-luminous southern galaxy hosts a Type 2 quasar embedded in a bright starburst emission. In particular, the X-ray primary continuum from the nucleus appears totally depressed in the XMM-Newton band as expected in the case of a Compton-thick absorber, and only the emission produced by Compton scattering ('reflection') of the continuum from circumnuclear matter is seen. As such, IRAS 20210+1121 seems to provide an excellent opportunity to witness a key, early phase in the quasar evolution predicted by the theoretical models of quasar activation by galaxy collisions.

THE SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS AND INFRARED LUMINOSITIES OF z ≈ 2 DUST-OBSCURED GALAXIES FROM Herschel AND Spitzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melbourne, J.; Soifer, B. T.; Desai, Vandana; Armus, Lee; Pope, Alexandra; Alberts, Stacey; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, B. T.; Bussmann, R. S.

2012-01-01

Dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) are a subset of high-redshift (z ≈ 2) optically-faint ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs, e.g., L IR > 10 12 L ☉ ). We present new far-infrared photometry, at 250, 350, and 500 μm (observed-frame), from the Herschel Space Telescope for a large sample of 113 DOGs with spectroscopically measured redshifts. Approximately 60% of the sample are detected in the far-IR. The Herschel photometry allows the first robust determinations of the total infrared luminosities of a large sample of DOGs, confirming their high IR luminosities, which range from 10 11.6 L ☉ IR (8-1000 μm) 13.6 L ☉ . 90% of the Herschel-detected DOGs in this sample are ULIRGs and 30% have L IR > 10 13 L ☉ . The rest-frame near-IR (1-3 μm) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the Herschel-detected DOGs are predictors of their SEDs at longer wavelengths. DOGs with 'power-law' SEDs in the rest-frame near-IR show observed-frame 250/24 μm flux density ratios similar to the QSO-like local ULIRG, Mrk 231. DOGs with a stellar 'bump' in their rest-frame near-IR show observed-frame 250/24 μm flux density ratios similar to local star-bursting ULIRGs like NGC 6240. None show 250/24 μm flux density ratios similar to extreme local ULIRG, Arp 220; though three show 350/24 μm flux density ratios similar to Arp 220. For the Herschel-detected DOGs, accurate estimates (within ∼25%) of total IR luminosity can be predicted from their rest-frame mid-IR data alone (e.g., from Spitzer observed-frame 24 μm luminosities). Herschel-detected DOGs tend to have a high ratio of infrared luminosity to rest-frame 8 μm luminosity (the IR8 = L IR (8-1000 μm)/νL ν (8 μm) parameter of Elbaz et al.). Instead of lying on the z = 1-2 'infrared main sequence' of star-forming galaxies (like typical LIRGs and ULIRGs at those epochs) the DOGs, especially large fractions of the bump sources, tend to lie in the starburst sequence. While, Herschel-detected DOGs are similar to scaled up

THE PHOTOMETRIC CLASSIFICATION SERVER FOR Pan-STARRS1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saglia, R. P.; Bender, R.; Seitz, S.; Senger, R.; Snigula, J.; Phleps, S.; Wilman, D.; Tonry, J. L.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Heasley, J. N.; Kaiser, N.; Magnier, E. A.; Morgan, J. S.; Greisel, N.; Bailer-Jones, C. A. L.; Klement, R. J.; Rix, H.-W.; Smith, K.; Green, P. J.

2012-01-01

The Pan-STARRS1 survey is obtaining multi-epoch imaging in five bands (g P1 r P1 i P1 z P1 y P1 ) over the entire sky north of declination –30 deg. We describe here the implementation of the Photometric Classification Server (PCS) for Pan-STARRS1. PCS will allow the automatic classification of objects into star/galaxy/quasar classes based on colors and the measurement of photometric redshifts for extragalactic objects, and will constrain stellar parameters for stellar objects, working at the catalog level. We present tests of the system based on high signal-to-noise photometry derived from the Medium-Deep Fields of Pan-STARRS1, using available spectroscopic surveys as training and/or verification sets. We show that the Pan-STARRS1 photometry delivers classifications and photometric redshifts as good as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry to the same magnitude limits. In particular, our preliminary results, based on this relatively limited data set down to the SDSS spectroscopic limits, and therefore potentially improvable, show that stars are correctly classified as such in 85% of cases, galaxies in 97%, and QSOs in 84%. False positives are less than 1% for galaxies, ≈19% for stars, and ≈28% for QSOs. Moreover, photometric redshifts for 1000 luminous red galaxies up to redshift 0.5 are determined to 2.4% precision (defined as 1.48 × Median|z phot – z spec |/(1 + z)) with just 0.4% catastrophic outliers and small (–0.5%) residual bias. For bluer galaxies up to the same redshift, the residual bias (on average –0.5%) trend, percentage of catastrophic failures (1.2%), and precision (4.2%) are higher, but still interestingly small for many science applications. Good photometric redshifts (to 5%) can be obtained for at most 60% of the QSOs of the sample. PCS will create a value-added catalog with classifications and photometric redshifts for eventually many millions of sources.

Travels Through Heterotopia: The Textual Realms of Patrick Modiano's Rue des Boutiques Obscures and Mikhail Kuraev's Kapitan Dikshtein

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vitaly Chernetsky

1998-06-01

Full Text Available Within contemporary prose, one distinct mode or paradigm that can be discerned is constituted by the texts that daringly tackle the dark, suppressed, erased parts of our history and mentality; however, they approach this task not by way of self-righteous denunciatory investigations, but by provocatively problematizing the most established everyday facts, by depriving the reader of the possibility of even conceiving any firm ground of the stable construct of an origin or a self-identification—historically and culturally. Their irreverent and playful deconstruction of the all-pervasive national cultural mythologies has mounted a powerful challenge to ideological constructs big and small. This article considers two representative examples of texts of this kind, which the author proposes to call heterotopic: Patrick Modiano's Rue des Boutiques Obscures and Mikhail Kuraev's Kapitan Dikshtein . It offers an attempt at defining this paradigm through a reading of these two novels, drawing upon Michel Foucault's usage of the term "heterotopia" for the purpose of designating the "other" cultural spaces of our civilization, as well as on Deleuze and Guattari's concept of "minor literature" and the work of several other theorists. The texts of the kind exemplified by these two novels are considered as an instance of successful partaking in the project of cognitive mapping, which has been proposed by Fredric Jameson and others as the positive political edge of postmodern culture.

The Role of the Most Luminous Obscured AGNs in Galaxy Assembly at z ∼ 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farrah, Duncan [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Petty, Sara [Green Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, CA 94709 (United States); Connolly, Brian [Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229 (United States); Blain, Andrew [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Efstathiou, Andreas [School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Diogenes Street, Engomi, 1516 Nicosia (Cyprus); Lacy, Mark [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); Stern, Daniel; Bridge, Carrie; Eisenhardt, Peter; Moustakas, Leonidas [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Lake, Sean; Tsai, Chao-Wei [Physics and Astronomy Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Jarrett, Tom [Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, 7700 Rondebosch, Capetown 7700 (South Africa); Benford, Dominic [Observational Cosmology Lab., Code 665, NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Jones, Suzy [Department of Space, Earth, and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, SE-43992 Onsala (Sweden); Assef, Roberto [Núcleo de Astronomía de la Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Diego Portales, Av. Ejército Libertador 441, Santiago (Chile); Wu, Jingwen [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100012 (China)

2017-08-01

We present Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 F160W imaging and infrared spectral energy distributions for 12 extremely luminous, obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 1.8 < z < 2.7 selected via “hot, dust-obscured” mid-infrared colors. Their infrared luminosities span (2–15) × 10{sup 13} L {sub ⊙}, making them among the most luminous objects in the universe at z ∼ 2. In all cases, the infrared emission is consistent with arising at least for the most part from AGN activity. The AGN fractional luminosities are higher than those in either submillimeter galaxies or AGNs selected via other mid-infrared criteria. Adopting the G , M {sub 20}, and A morphological parameters, together with traditional classification boundaries, infers that three-quarters of the sample are mergers. Our sample does not, however, show any correlation between the considered morphological parameters and either infrared luminosity or AGN fractional luminosity. Moreover, the asymmetries and effective radii of our sample are distributed identically to those of massive galaxies at z ∼ 2. We conclude that our sample is not preferentially associated with mergers, though a significant merger fraction is still plausible. Instead, we propose that our sample includes examples of the massive galaxy population at z ∼ 2 that harbor a briefly luminous, “flickering” AGN and in which the G and M {sub 20} values have been perturbed due to either the AGN and/or the earliest formation stages of a bulge in an inside-out manner. Furthermore, we find that the mass assembly of the central black holes in our sample leads the mass assembly of any bulge component. Finally, we speculate that our sample represents a small fraction of the immediate antecedents of compact star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2.

Capsule Endoscopy in the Assessment of Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding: An Evidence-Based Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Background Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) is defined as persistent or recurrent bleeding associated with negative findings on upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic evaluations. The diagnosis and management of patients with OGIB is particularly challenging because of the length and complex loops of the small intestine. Capsule endoscopy (CE) is 1 diagnostic modality that is used to determine the etiology of bleeding. Objectives The objective of this analysis was to review the diagnostic accuracy, safety, and impact on health outcomes of CE in patients with OGIB in comparison with other diagnostic modalities. Data Sources A literature search was performed using Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid Embase, the Wiley Cochrane Library, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination database, for studies published between 2007 and 2013. Review Methods Data on diagnostic accuracy, safety, and impact on health outcomes were abstracted from included studies. Quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). Results The search yielded 1,189 citations, and 24 studies were included. Eight studies reported diagnostic accuracy comparing CE with other diagnostic modalities. Capsule endoscopy has a higher sensitivity and lower specificity than magnetic resonance enteroclysis, computed tomography, and push enteroscopy. Capsule endoscopy has a good safety profile with few adverse events, although comparative safety data with other diagnostic modalities are limited. Capsule endoscopy is associated with no difference in patient health-related outcomes such as rebleeding or follow-up treatment compared with push enteroscopy, small-bowel follow-through, and angiography. Limitations There was significant heterogeneity in estimates of diagnostic accuracy, which prohibited a statistical summary of findings. The analysis was also limited by the fact that there is no

VizieR Online Data Catalog: HI-selected Lyman limit systems metallicities (Lehner+, 2016)

Science.gov (United States)

Lehner, N.; O'Meara, J. M.; Howk, J. C.; Prochaska, J. X.; Fumagalli, M.

2018-04-01

All the new data presented here are from our Keck Observatory Database of Ionized Absorption toward Quasars (KODIAQ) database as part of our new KODIAQ Z survey (Lehner+ 2014, J/ApJ/788/119 ; O'Meara+ 2015, J/AJ/150/111). In short, these data were acquired with the HIgh Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) on the Keck I telescope on Maunakea. These data were obtained by different PIs from different institutions with Keck access, and hundreds of spectra of QSOs at 0

Seafood substitutions obscure patterns of mercury contamination in Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides or "Chilean sea bass".

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter B Marko

Full Text Available Seafood mislabeling distorts the true abundance of fish in the sea, defrauds consumers, and can also cause unwanted exposure to harmful pollutants. By combining genetic data with analyses of total mercury content, we have investigated how species substitutions and fishery-stock substitutions obscure mercury contamination in Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides, also known as "Chilean sea bass". Patagonian toothfish show wide variation in mercury concentrations such that consumers may be exposed to either acceptable or unacceptable levels of mercury depending on the geographic origins of the fish and the allowable limits of different countries. Most notably, stocks of Patagonian toothfish in Chile accumulate significantly more mercury than stocks closer to the South Pole, including the South Georgia/Shag Rocks stock, a fishery certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC as sustainably fished. Consistent with the documented geography of mercury contamination, our analysis showed that, on average, retail fish labeled as MSC-certified Patagonian toothfish had only half the mercury of uncertified fish. However, consideration of genetic data that were informative about seafood substitutions revealed a complex pattern of contamination hidden from consumers: species substitutions artificially inflated the expected difference in mercury levels between MSC-certified and uncertified fish whereas fishery stock substitutions artificially reduced the expected difference in mercury content between MSC-certified and uncertified fish that were actually D. eleginoides. Among MSC-certified fish that were actually D. eleginoides, several with exogenous mtDNA haplotypes (i.e., not known from the certified fishery had mercury concentrations on par with uncertified fish from Chile. Overall, our analysis of mercury was consistent with inferences from the genetic data about the geographic origins of the fish, demonstrated the potential negative impact of

In the workup of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleed, does 64-slice MDCT have a role?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, Chinmay; Moorthy, Srikanth; Sreekumar, KP; Rajeshkannan, R; Nazar, PK; Sandya, CJ; Sivasubramanian, S; Ramchandran, PV

2012-01-01

The purpose was to prospectively determine the sensitivity of 64-slice MDCT in detecting and diagnosing the cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleed (OGIB). Our study included 50 patients (male 30, female 20) in the age range of 3–82 years (average age: 58.52 years) who were referred to our radiology department as part of their workup for clinically evident gastrointestinal (GI) bleed or as part of workup for anemia (with and without positive fecal occult blood test). All patients underwent conventional upper endoscopy and colonoscopy before undergoing CT scan. Following a noncontrast scan, all patients underwent triple-phase contrast CT scan using a 64-slice CT scan system. The diagnostic performance of 64-slice MDCT was compared to the results of capsule endoscopy, 99m-technetium-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy (99mTc-RBC scintigraphy), digital subtraction angiography, and surgery whenever available. CT scan showed positive findings in 32 of 50 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values of MDCT for detection of bleed were 72.2%, 42.8%, 81.2%, and 44.4%, respectively. Capsule endoscopy was done in 15 patients and was positive in 10 patients; it had a sensitivity of 71.4%. Eleven patients had undergone 99mTc-RBC scintigraphy prior to CT scan, and the result was positive in seven patients (sensitivity 70%). Digital subtraction angiography was performed in only eight patients and among them all except one patient showed findings consistent with the lesions detected on MDCT. MDCT is a sensitive and noninvasive tool that allows rapid detection and localization of OGIB. It can be used as the first-line investigation in patients with negative endoscopy and colonoscopy studies. MDCT and capsule endoscopy have complementary roles in the evaluation of OGIB

Robust forecasts on fundamental physics from the foreground-obscured, gravitationally-lensed CMB polarization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Errard, Josquin [Sorbonne Universités, Institut Lagrange de Paris (ILP), 98 bis Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris (France); Feeney, Stephen M.; Jaffe, Andrew H. [Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Peiris, Hiranya V., E-mail: josquin.errard@lpnhe.in2p3.fr, E-mail: s.feeney@imperial.ac.uk, E-mail: h.peiris@ucl.ac.uk, E-mail: a.jaffe@imperial.ac.uk [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2016-03-01

Recent results from the BICEP, Keck Array and Planck Collaborations demonstrate that Galactic foregrounds are an unavoidable obstacle in the search for evidence of inflationary gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization. Beyond the foregrounds, the effect of lensing by intervening large-scale structure further obscures all but the strongest inflationary signals permitted by current data. With a plethora of ongoing and upcoming experiments aiming to measure these signatures, careful and self-consistent consideration of experiments' foreground- and lensing-removal capabilities is critical in obtaining credible forecasts of their performance. We investigate the capabilities of instruments such as Advanced ACTPol, BICEP3 and Keck Array, CLASS, EBEX10K, PIPER, Simons Array, SPT-3G and SPIDER, and projects as COrE+, LiteBIRD-ext, PIXIE and Stage IV, to clean contamination due to polarized synchrotron and dust from raw multi-frequency data, and remove lensing from the resulting co-added CMB maps (either using iterative CMB-only techniques or through cross-correlation with external data). Incorporating these effects, we present forecasts for the constraining power of these experiments in terms of inflationary physics, the neutrino sector, and dark energy parameters. Made publicly available through an online interface, this tool enables the next generation of CMB experiments to foreground-proof their designs, optimize their frequency coverage to maximize scientific output, and determine where cross-experimental collaboration would be most beneficial. We find that analyzing data from ground, balloon and space instruments in complementary combinations can significantly improve component separation performance, delensing, and cosmological constraints over individual datasets. In particular, we find that a combination of post-2020 ground- and space-based experiments could achieve constraints such as σ(r)∼1.3×10{sup −4}, σ(n{sub t})∼0

High current precision long pulse electron beam position monitor

CERN Document Server

Nelson, S D; Fessenden, T J; Holmes, C

2000-01-01

Precision high current long pulse electron beam position monitoring has typically experienced problems with high Q sensors, sensors damped to the point of lack of precision, or sensors that interact substantially with any beam halo thus obscuring the desired signal. As part of the effort to develop a multi-axis electron beam transport system using transverse electromagnetic stripline kicker technology, it is necessary to precisely determine the position and extent of long high energy beams for accurate beam position control (6 - 40 MeV, 1 - 4 kA, 2 μs beam pulse, sub millimeter beam position accuracy.) The kicker positioning system utilizes shot-to-shot adjustments for reduction of relatively slow (< 20 MHz) motion of the beam centroid. The electron beams passing through the diagnostic systems have the potential for large halo effects that tend to corrupt position measurements.

Quasars at the Cosmic Dawn: effects on Reionization properties in cosmological simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Garaldi, Enrico; Compostella, Michele; Porciani, Cristiano

2018-05-01

We study a model of cosmic reionization where quasars (QSOs) are the dominant source of ionizing photons at all relevant epochs. We employ a suite of adaptive hydrodynamical simulations post-processed with a multi-wavelength Monte Carlo radiative-transfer code and calibrate them in order to accurately reproduce the observed quasar luminosity function and emissivity evolution. Our results show that the QSO-only model fails in reproducing key observables linked to the Helium reionization, as the temperature evolution of the inter-galactic medium (IGM) and the HeII effective optical depth in synthetic Lyα spectra. Nevertheless, we find hints that an increased quasar contribution can explain recent measurements of a large inhomogeneity in the IGM at redshift z ~ 5. Finally, we devise a method capable of constraining the QSOs contribution to the reionization from the properties of the HeII Lyα forest at z ~ 3.5.

ON THE 10 μm SILICATE FEATURE IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikutta, Robert; Elitzur, Moshe; Lacy, Mark

2009-01-01

The 10 μm silicate feature observed with Spitzer in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) reveals some puzzling behavior. It (1) has been detected in emission in type 2 sources, (2) shows broad, flat-topped emission peaks shifted toward long wavelengths in several type 1 sources, and (3) is not seen in deep absorption in any source observed so far. We solve all three puzzles with our clumpy dust radiative transfer formalism. Addressing (1), we present the spectral energy distribution (SED) of SST1721+6012, the first type 2 quasar observed to show a clear 10 μm silicate feature in emission. Such emission arises in models of the AGN torus easily when its clumpy nature is taken into account. We constructed a large database of clumpy torus models and performed extensive fitting of the observed SED. We find that the cloud radial distribution varies as r -1.5 and the torus contains 2-4 clouds along radial equatorial rays, each with optical depth at visual ∼60-80. The source bolometric luminosity is ∼3 x 10 12 L sun . Our modeling suggests that ∼<35% of objects with tori sharing these characteristics and geometry would have their central engines obscured. This relatively low obscuration probability can explain the clear appearance of the 10 μm emission feature in SST1721+6012 together with its rarity among other QSO2. Investigating (2), we also fitted the SED of PG1211+143, one of the first type 1 QSOs with a 10 μm silicate feature detected in emission. Together with other similar sources, this QSO appears to display an unusually broadened feature whose peak is shifted toward longer wavelengths. Although this led to suggestions of non-standard dust chemistry in these sources, our analysis fits such SEDs with standard galactic dust; the apparent peak shifts arise from simple radiative transfer effects. Regarding (3), we find additionally that the distribution of silicate feature strengths among clumpy torus models closely resembles the observed distribution, and the

On the 10 μm Silicate Feature in Active Galactic Nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Nikutta, Robert; Elitzur, Moshe; Lacy, Mark

2009-12-01

The 10 μm silicate feature observed with Spitzer in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) reveals some puzzling behavior. It (1) has been detected in emission in type 2 sources, (2) shows broad, flat-topped emission peaks shifted toward long wavelengths in several type 1 sources, and (3) is not seen in deep absorption in any source observed so far. We solve all three puzzles with our clumpy dust radiative transfer formalism. Addressing (1), we present the spectral energy distribution (SED) of SST1721+6012, the first type 2 quasar observed to show a clear 10 μm silicate feature in emission. Such emission arises in models of the AGN torus easily when its clumpy nature is taken into account. We constructed a large database of clumpy torus models and performed extensive fitting of the observed SED. We find that the cloud radial distribution varies as r -1.5 and the torus contains 2-4 clouds along radial equatorial rays, each with optical depth at visual ~60-80. The source bolometric luminosity is ~3 × 1012 Lsun. Our modeling suggests that lsim35% of objects with tori sharing these characteristics and geometry would have their central engines obscured. This relatively low obscuration probability can explain the clear appearance of the 10 μm emission feature in SST1721+6012 together with its rarity among other QSO2. Investigating (2), we also fitted the SED of PG1211+143, one of the first type 1 QSOs with a 10 μm silicate feature detected in emission. Together with other similar sources, this QSO appears to display an unusually broadened feature whose peak is shifted toward longer wavelengths. Although this led to suggestions of non-standard dust chemistry in these sources, our analysis fits such SEDs with standard galactic dust; the apparent peak shifts arise from simple radiative transfer effects. Regarding (3), we find additionally that the distribution of silicate feature strengths among clumpy torus models closely resembles the observed distribution, and the feature

Compton-thick AGN at high and low redshift

Science.gov (United States)

Akylas, A.; Georgantopoulos, I.; Corral, A.; Ranalli, P.; Lanzuisi, G.

2017-10-01

The most obscured sources detected in X-ray surveys, the Compton-thick AGN present great interest both because they represent the hidden side of accretion but also because they may signal the AGN birth. We analyse the NUSTAR observations from the serendipitous observations in order to study the Compton-thick AGN at the deepest possible ultra-hard band (>10 keV). We compare our results with our SWIFT/BAT findings in the local Universe, as well as with our results in the CDFS and COSMOS fields. We discuss the comparison with X-ray background synthesis models finding that a low fraction of Compton-thick sources (about 15 per cent of the obscured population) is compatible with both the 2-10keV band results and those at harder energies.

An X-Shooter composite of bright 1 < z < 2 quasars from UV to infrared

Science.gov (United States)

Selsing, J.; Fynbo, J. P. U.; Christensen, L.; Krogager, J.-K.

2016-01-01

Quasi-stellar object (QSO) spectral templates are important both to QSO physics and for investigations that use QSOs as probes of intervening gas and dust. However, combinations of various QSO samples obtained at different times and with different instruments so as to expand a composite and to cover a wider rest frame wavelength region may create systematic effects, and the contribution from QSO hosts may contaminate the composite. We have constructed a composite spectrum from luminous blue QSOs at 1 contamination. Assuming a power-law continuum for the composite we find a spectral slope of αλ = 1.70 ± 0.01, which is steeper than previously found in the literature. We attribute the differences to our broader spectral wavelength coverage, which allows us to effectively avoid fitting any regions that are affected either by strong QSO emissions lines (e.g., Balmer lines and complex [Fe II] blends) or by intrinsic host galaxy emission. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the QSO composite spectrum for evaluating the reddening in other QSOs. Based on observations made with telescopes at the European Southern Observatory at La Silla/Paranal, Chile under program 090.A-0147(A).The quasar composite is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/585/A87 Source code and composite is also made public at http://https://github.com/jselsing/QuasarComposite

Historical collections reveal patterns of diffusion of sweet potato in Oceania obscured by modern plant movements and recombination.

Science.gov (United States)

Roullier, Caroline; Benoit, Laure; McKey, Doyle B; Lebot, Vincent

2013-02-05

The history of sweet potato in the Pacific has long been an enigma. Archaeological, linguistic, and ethnobotanical data suggest that prehistoric human-mediated dispersal events contributed to the distribution in Oceania of this American domesticate. According to the "tripartite hypothesis," sweet potato was introduced into Oceania from South America in pre-Columbian times and was then later newly introduced, and diffused widely across the Pacific, by Europeans via two historically documented routes from Mexico and the Caribbean. Although sweet potato is the most convincing example of putative pre-Columbian connections between human occupants of Polynesia and South America, the search for genetic evidence of pre-Columbian dispersal of sweet potato into Oceania has been inconclusive. Our study attempts to fill this gap. Using complementary sets of markers (chloroplast and nuclear microsatellites) and both modern and herbarium samples, we test the tripartite hypothesis. Our results provide strong support for prehistoric transfer(s) of sweet potato from South America (Peru-Ecuador region) into Polynesia. Our results also document a temporal shift in the pattern of distribution of genetic variation in sweet potato in Oceania. Later reintroductions, accompanied by recombination between distinct sweet potato gene pools, have reshuffled the crop's initial genetic base, obscuring primary patterns of diffusion and, at the same time, giving rise to an impressive number of local variants. Moreover, our study shows that phenotypes, names, and neutral genes do not necessarily share completely parallel evolutionary histories. Multidisciplinary approaches, thus, appear necessary for accurate reconstruction of the intertwined histories of plants and humans.

Spitzer Imaging of Planck-Herschel Dusty Proto-Clusters at z=2-3

Science.gov (United States)

Cooray, Asantha; Ma, Jingzhe; Greenslade, Joshua; Kubo, Mariko; Nayyeri, Hooshang; Clements, David; Cheng, Tai-An

2018-05-01

We have recently introduced a new proto-cluster selection technique by combing Herschel/SPIRE imaging data and Planck/HFIk all-sky survey point source catalog. These sources are identified as Planck point sources with clumps of Herschel source over-densities with far-IR colors comparable to z=0 ULIRGS redshifted to z=2 to 3. The selection is sensitive to dusty starbursts and obscured QSOs and we have recovered couple of the known proto-clusters and close to 30 new proto-clusters. The candidate proto-clusters selected from this technique have far-IR flux densities several times higher than those that are optically selected, such as using LBG selection, implying that the member galaxies are in a special phase of heightened dusty starburst and dusty QSO activity. This far-IR luminous phase may be short but likely to be necessary piece to understand the whole stellar mass assembly history of clusters. Moreover, our photo-clusters are missed in optical selections, suggesting that optically selected proto-clusters alone do not provide adequate statistics and a comparison of the far-IR and optical selected clusters may reveal the importance of the dusty stellar mass assembly. Here, we propose IRAC observations of six of the highest priority new proto-clusters, to establish the validity of the technique and to determine the total stellar mass through SED models. For a modest observing time the science program will have a substantial impact on an upcoming science topic in cosmology with implications for observations with JWST and WFIRST to understand the mass assembly in the universe.

Cosmological applications of strong gravitational lensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paraficz, Danuta

value of the energy density of the two above components, together with measuring the Hubble constant that determines the age of the Universe, is a major goal of modern astrophysics. An interesting method for estimating these parameters is strong gravitational lensing of quasars (QSOs). As shown...

Conceptualising the agency of highly marginalised women: Intimate partner violence in extreme settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Catherine; Mannell, Jenevieve

2016-01-01

How is the agency of women best conceptualised in highly coercive settings? We explore this in the context of international efforts to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in heterosexual relationships. Articles critique the tendency to think of women's agency and programme endpoints in terms of individual actions, such as reporting violent men or leaving violent relationships, whilst neglecting the interlocking social, economic and cultural contexts that make such actions unlikely or impossible. Three themes cut across the articles. (1) Unhelpful understandings of gender and power implicit in commonly used 'men-women' and 'victim-agent' binaries obscure multi-faceted and hidden forms of women's agency, and the complexity of agency-violence intersections. (2) This neglect of complexity results in a poor fit between policy and interventions to reduce IPV, and women's lives. (3) Such neglect also obscures the multiplicities of women's agency, including the competing challenges they juggle alongside IPV, differing levels of response, and the temporality of agency. We outline a notion of 'distributed agency' as a multi-level, incremental and non-linear process distributed across time, space and social networks, and across a continuum of action ranging from survival to resistance. This understanding of agency implies a different approach to those currently underpinning policies and interventions.

Black tide model of QSOs. II. Destruction in an isothermal sphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, P.J.

1977-01-01

The quasar models employing a black hole in a galactic nucleus are considered; it is shown that the black hole may be able to destroy the stellar population of the galactic nucleus in sufficient numbers to provide a power source for QSO, Seyfert nucleus, and radio galaxy phenomena.The basic model is of a black hole embedded in an isothermal sphere. When the mass of the hole M/sub H/9 or approx. =10 6 M/sub sun/it grows mainly by tidally disrupting stars which stray within its Roche limit. This source of gaseous debris for the hole to accrete is cut off due to falling stellar densities outside the galactic nucleus coupled with insufficiently fast relaxation of the stellar population into low angular momentum orbits; luminosities above 10 9 L/sub sun/are not possible. However, when M/sub H/9 or approx. =10 6 M/sub sun/a high-density cusp of stars bound to the black hole generates gaseous debris from stellar collisions and gravitational diffusion processes and allows sufficient fuel to boost the power output of the black hole to > or approx. =10 12 L/sub sun/in superdense galactic nuclei. This is cut off as the hole consumes the nucleus and lengthening relaxation times freeze the quasar into oblivion. This decay occurs only slowly with Lproportionalt/sup -1/2/

GALAXY EVOLUTION AT HIGH REDSHIFT: OBSCURED STAR FORMATION, GRB RATES, COSMIC REIONIZATION, AND MISSING SATELLITES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lapi, A.; Mancuso, C.; Celotti, A.; Danese, L. [SISSA, Via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste (Italy)

2017-01-20

We provide a holistic view of galaxy evolution at high redshifts z ≳ 4, which incorporates the constraints from various astrophysical/cosmological probes, including the estimate of the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) density from UV/IR surveys and long gamma-ray burst (GRBs) rates, the cosmic reionization history following the latest Planck measurements, and the missing satellites issue. We achieve this goal in a model-independent way by exploiting the SFR functions derived by Mancuso et al. on the basis of an educated extrapolation of the latest UV/far-IR data from HST / Herschel , and already tested against a number of independent observables. Our SFR functions integrated down to a UV magnitude limit M {sub UV} ≲ −13 (or SFR limit around 10{sup −2} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}) produce a cosmic SFR density in excellent agreement with recent determinations from IR surveys and, taking into account a metallicity ceiling Z ≲ Z {sub ⊙}/2, with the estimates from long GRB rates. They also yield a cosmic reionization history consistent with that implied by the recent measurements of the Planck mission of the electron scattering optical depth τ {sub es} ≈ 0.058; remarkably, this result is obtained under a conceivable assumption regarding the average value f {sub esc} ≈ 0.1 of the escape fraction for ionizing photons. We demonstrate via the abundance-matching technique that the above constraints concurrently imply galaxy formation becoming inefficient within dark matter halos of mass below a few 10{sup 8} M {sub ⊙}; pleasingly, such a limit is also required so as not to run into the missing satellites issue. Finally, we predict a downturn of the Galaxy luminosity function faintward of M {sub UV} ≲ −12, and stress that its detailed shape, to be plausibly probed in the near future by the JWST , will be extremely informative on the astrophysics of galaxy formation in small halos, or even on the microscopic nature of the dark matter.

High frequency of sub-optimal semen quality in an unselected population of young men

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, A G; Jensen, T K; Carlsen, E

2000-01-01

for military service, this provided a unique opportunity to study the reproductive function in an unbiased population. Altogether 891 young men delivered a blood sample in which reproductive hormones were measured. From 708 of these men data were also obtained on semen quality and testis size. The median sperm...... immotile spermatozoa and follicle stimulating hormone. Possible causes for this high frequency of young men with suboptimal semen quality are obscure and need to be explored. Whether these findings apply for young male populations of comparable countries remains to be seen....

Cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography for variant hemoglobins and HbF/A2: What must hematopathologists know about methodology?

OpenAIRE

Sharma, Prashant; Das, Reena

2016-01-01

Cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC) is a widely used laboratory test to detect variant hemoglobins as well as quantify hemoglobins F and A2 for the diagnosis of thalassemia syndromes. It’s versatility, speed, reproducibility and convenience have made CE-HPLC the method of choice to initially screen for hemoglobin disorders. Despite its popularity, several methodological aspects of the technology remain obscure to pathologists and this may have consequences in spec...

Herschel OBSERVATIONS OF DUST AROUND THE HIGH-MASS X-RAY BINARY GX 301-2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Servillat, M. [Laboratoire Univers et Théories (CNRS/INSU, Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris Diderot), 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon (France); Coleiro, A.; Chaty, S. [Laboratoire AIM (CEA/Irfu/SAp, CNRS/INSU, Universit Paris Diderot), CEA Saclay, Bat. 709, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Rahoui, F. [Harvard University, Department of Astronomy, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Zurita Heras, J. A., E-mail: mathieu.servillat@obspm.fr [AstroParticule et Cosmologie (Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/DSM, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité), 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13 (France)

2014-12-20

We aim at characterizing the structure of the gas and dust around the high-mass X-ray binary GX 301-2, a highly obscured X-ray binary hosting a hypergiant (HG) star and a neutron star, in order to better constrain its evolution. We used Herschel PACS to observe GX 301-2 in the far infrared and completed the spectral energy distribution of the source using published data or catalogs from the optical to the radio range (0.4 to 4 × 10{sup 4} μm). GX 301-2 is detected for the first time at 70 and 100 μm. We fitted different models of circumstellar (CS) environments to the data. All tested models are statistically acceptable, and consistent with an HG star at ∼3 kpc. We found that the addition of a free-free emission component from the strong stellar wind is required and could dominate the far-infrared flux. Through comparisons with similar systems and discussion on the estimated model parameters, we favor a disk-like CS environment of ∼8 AU that would enshroud the binary system. The temperature goes down to ∼200 K at the edge of the disk, allowing for dust formation. This disk is probably a rimmed viscous disk with an inner rim at the temperature of the dust sublimation temperature (∼1500 K). The similarities between the HG GX 301-2, B[e] supergiants, and the highly obscured X-ray binaries (particularly IGR J16318-4848) are strengthened. GX 301-2 might represent a transition stage in the evolution of massive stars in binary systems, connecting supergiant B[e] systems to luminous blue variables.

Introduction to neural networks in high energy physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Therhaag, J.

2013-01-01

Artificial neural networks are a well established tool in high energy physics, playing an important role in both online and offline data analysis. Nevertheless they are often perceived as black boxes which perform obscure operations beyond the control of the user, resulting in a skepticism against any results that may be obtained using them. The situation is not helped by common explanations which try to draw analogies between artificial neural networks and the human brain, for the brain is an even more complex black box itself. In this introductory text, I will take a problem-oriented approach to neural network techniques, showing how the fundamental concepts arise naturally from the demand to solve classification tasks which are frequently encountered in high energy physics. Particular attention is devoted to the question how probability theory can be used to control the complexity of neural networks. (authors)

High-resolution coherent three-dimensional spectroscopy of Br2.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Peter C; Wells, Thresa A; Strangfeld, Benjamin R

2013-07-25

In the past, high-resolution spectroscopy has been limited to small, simple molecules that yield relatively uncongested spectra. Larger and more complex molecules have a higher density of peaks and are susceptible to complications (e.g., effects from conical intersections) that can obscure the patterns needed to resolve and assign peaks. Recently, high-resolution coherent two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy has been used to resolve and sort peaks into easily identifiable patterns for molecules where pattern-recognition has been difficult. For very highly congested spectra, however, the ability to resolve peaks using coherent 2D spectroscopy is limited by the bandwidth of instrumentation. In this article, we introduce and investigate high-resolution coherent three-dimensional spectroscopy (HRC3D) as a method for dealing with heavily congested systems. The resulting patterns are unlike those in high-resolution coherent 2D spectra. Analysis of HRC3D spectra could provide a means for exploring the spectroscopy of large and complex molecules that have previously been considered too difficult to study.

Hexachloroethane Obscurant Replacement

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

were not totally dispersed in aerosol form; significant solid slag formation was observed. Thus, smoke density efficiency was only one quarter of that...determine smoke density and analyze for toxicity of combustion gases and particulates. Results: Compositions containing divalent zinc and...solid slag formation was observed. Thus, smoke density efficiency was only one quarter of that of the hexachloroethane containing baseline. The

Anglo-Australian Telescope 1982/83

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

Brief details of research on galaxies, QSOs, stars, SNRs and interstellar materials are noted. Some specific research projects are: gas motions in barred galaxies, a collapsing supercluster, an infrared nucleus in M104, asymmetric supernova explosion, NGC 4696, and supernovae and the liberation of dust. A list of pubications is included

High Contrast Internal and External Coronagraph Masks Produced by Various Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatha; Wilson, Daniel; White, Victor; Muller, Richard; Dickie, Matthew; Yee, Karl; Ruiz, Ronald; Shaklan, Stuart; Cady, Eric; Kern, Brian;

What BOSS has taught us about Quasars.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Nicholas; SDSS-III BOSS Quasar Science Working Group

2015-01-01

This talk presents science highlights from the SDSS-III BOSS Quasar Survey, which has obtained spectra for over 300,000 quasars, 200,000 of which are at redshift z>2. Using this dataset, new measurements of the luminosity function have been made, with the faint end of the luminosity function now measured to z~5. New clustering results from DR12 are presented, and the weak luminosity dependence of quasar clustering at z~0.5 is also discussed.New studies of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasar population have also been performed, with a sample of BAL quasars from the original SDSS being re-observed. These new data have shown the disappearance of CIV BAL troughs and indeed the transformation of BAL QSOs to non-BAL QSOs. BAL disappearance, and emergence, events appear to be extremes of general BAL variability, and have shed light on accretion-disk wind models.We highlight the discovery of new classes of quasars including: a population of broad-line Mg II emitters found in a passive galaxy sample; objects with extremely red optical-to-mid infrared colors; objects with very curious UV line (LyA:NV) ratios and potentially the long-sought after high-redshift Type 2 Quasar population.Finally, we describe two new dedicated programs, one focusing on reverberation mapping, the other on X-ray selected quasars.A full list of papers connected to the BOSS Quasar Survey is given at: http://www.sdss3.org/science/publications.php

The variable sky of deep synoptic surveys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ridgway, Stephen T.; Matheson, Thomas; Mighell, Kenneth J.; Olsen, Knut A. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85725 (United States); Howell, Steve B., E-mail: ridgway@noao.edu [NASA Ames Research Center, P.O. Box 1, M/S 244-30, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States)

2014-11-20

The discovery of variable and transient sources is an essential product of synoptic surveys. The alert stream will require filtering for personalized criteria—a process managed by a functionality commonly described as a Broker. In order to understand quantitatively the magnitude of the alert generation and Broker tasks, we have undertaken an analysis of the most numerous types of variable targets in the sky—Galactic stars, quasi-stellar objects (QSOs), active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and asteroids. It is found that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be capable of discovering ∼10{sup 5} high latitude (|b| > 20°) variable stars per night at the beginning of the survey. (The corresponding number for |b| < 20° is orders of magnitude larger, but subject to caveats concerning extinction and crowding.) However, the number of new discoveries may well drop below 100 per night within less than one year. The same analysis applied to GAIA clarifies the complementarity of the GAIA and LSST surveys. Discovery of AGNs and QSOs are each predicted to begin at ∼3000 per night and decrease by 50 times over four years. Supernovae are expected at ∼1100 per night, and after several survey years will dominate the new variable discovery rate. LSST asteroid discoveries will start at >10{sup 5} per night, and if orbital determination has a 50% success rate per epoch, they will drop below 1000 per night within two years.

The variable sky of deep synoptic surveys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ridgway, Stephen T.; Matheson, Thomas; Mighell, Kenneth J.; Olsen, Knut A.; Howell, Steve B.

2014-01-01

The discovery of variable and transient sources is an essential product of synoptic surveys. The alert stream will require filtering for personalized criteria—a process managed by a functionality commonly described as a Broker. In order to understand quantitatively the magnitude of the alert generation and Broker tasks, we have undertaken an analysis of the most numerous types of variable targets in the sky—Galactic stars, quasi-stellar objects (QSOs), active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and asteroids. It is found that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will be capable of discovering ∼10 5 high latitude (|b| > 20°) variable stars per night at the beginning of the survey. (The corresponding number for |b| < 20° is orders of magnitude larger, but subject to caveats concerning extinction and crowding.) However, the number of new discoveries may well drop below 100 per night within less than one year. The same analysis applied to GAIA clarifies the complementarity of the GAIA and LSST surveys. Discovery of AGNs and QSOs are each predicted to begin at ∼3000 per night and decrease by 50 times over four years. Supernovae are expected at ∼1100 per night, and after several survey years will dominate the new variable discovery rate. LSST asteroid discoveries will start at >10 5 per night, and if orbital determination has a 50% success rate per epoch, they will drop below 1000 per night within two years.

BLAZAR OPTICAL VARIABILITY IN THE PALOMAR-QUEST SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, Anne; Baltay, Charles; Coppi, Paolo; Ellman, Nancy; Jerke, Jonathan; Rabinowitz, David; Scalzo, Richard

2009-01-01

We study the ensemble optical variability of 276 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and 86 BL Lacs in the Palomar-QUEST Survey with the goal of searching for common fluctuation properties, examining the range of behavior across the sample, and characterizing the appearance of blazars in such a survey so that future work can more easily identify such objects. The survey, which covers 15,000 deg 2 multiple times over 3.5 years, allows for the first ensemble blazar study of this scale. Variability amplitude distributions are shown for the FSRQ and BL Lac samples for numerous time lags, and also studied through structure function analyses. Individual blazars show a wide range of variability amplitudes, timescales, and duty cycles. Of the best-sampled objects, 35% are seen to vary by more than 0.4 mag; for these, the fraction of measurements contributing to the high-amplitude variability ranges constantly from about 5% to 80%. Blazar variability has some similarities to that of type I quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) but includes larger amplitude fluctuations on all timescales. FSRQ variability amplitudes are particularly similar to those of QSOs on timescales of several months, suggesting significant contributions from the accretion disk to the variable flux at these timescales. Optical variability amplitudes are correlated with the maximum apparent velocities of the radio jet for the subset of FSRQs with MOJAVE Very Long Baseline Array measurements, implying that the optically variable flux's strength is typically related to that of the radio emission. We also study CRATES radio-selected FSRQ candidates, which show similar variability characteristics to known FSRQs; this suggests a high purity for the CRATES sample.

High Resolution Stellar Spectroscopy with VBT Echelle Spectrometer

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Easy operations. We finally preferred the all transmitting system for the spectrometer with the optical surfaces anti-reflection coated to optimize the throughput rather than reflecting cameras with central obscurations. Following other optimized throughput spectrometers like. Sandiford at McDonald Observatory (McCarthy et al ...

Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Quasars: absorption lines; diffuse radiation. Abstract. We have tried to determine the flux of the ultraviolet background radiation field from the column density ratios of various ions in several absorption systems observed in the spectra of QSOs. We find that in most cases the flux is considerably higher than what has been ...

QSO Pairs across Active Galaxies

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2016-01-27

Jan 27, 2016 ... Several QSO pairs have been reported and their redshifts determined, where the two objects in each pair are located across an active galaxy. The usually accepted explanation of such occurrences is that the pair is ejected from the parent galaxy. Currently interpreted redshifted spectra for both the QSOs ...

Frequency locking, quasiperiodicity, subharmonic bifurcations and chaos in high frequency modulated stripe geometry DH semiconductor lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Yiguang

1991-01-01

The method of obtaining self-consistent solutions of the field equation and the rate equations of photon density and carrier concentration has been used to study frequecny locking, quasiperiodicity, subharmonic bifurcations and chaos in high frequency modulated stripe geometry DH semiconductor lasers. The results show that the chaotic behavior arises in self-pulsing stripe geometry semiconductor lasers. The route to chaos is not period-double, but quasiperiodicity to chaos. All of the results agree with the experiments. Some obscure points in previous theory about chaos have been cleared up

SPIRITS 15c and SPIRITS 14buu: Two Obscured Supernovae in the Nearby Star-forming Galaxy IC 2163

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jencson, Jacob E.; Kasliwal, Mansi M.; Cao, Yi [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Johansson, Joel [Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel); Contreras, Carlos; Castellón, Sergio; Morrell, Nidia; Phillips, Mark [Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories, Casilla 601, La Serena (Chile); Bond, Howard E.; Monson, Andrew J. [Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Masci, Frank J.; Helou, George [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Cody, Ann Marie [NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Andrews, Jennifer E. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Bally, John; Green, Wayne [Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, 389 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Fox, Ori D. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Gburek, Timothy; Gehrz, Robert D. [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street, S. E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Hsiao, Eric, E-mail: jj@astro.caltech.edu [Department of Physics, Florida State University, 77 Chieftain Way, Tallahassee, FL, 32306 (United States); and others

2017-03-10

SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey—SPIRITS—is an ongoing survey of nearby galaxies searching for infrared (IR) transients with Spitzer /IRAC. We present the discovery and follow-up observations of one of our most luminous ( M {sub [4.5]} = −17.1 ± 0.4 mag, Vega) and reddest ([3.6] − [4.5] = 3.0 ± 0.2 mag) transients, SPIRITS 15c. The transient was detected in a dusty spiral arm of IC 2163 ( D ≈ 35.5 Mpc). Pre-discovery ground-based imaging revealed an associated, shorter-duration transient in the optical and near-IR (NIR). NIR spectroscopy showed a broad (≈8400 km s{sup −1}), double-peaked emission line of He i at 1.083 μ m, indicating an explosive origin. The NIR spectrum of SPIRITS 15c is similar to that of the Type IIb SN 2011dh at a phase of ≈200 days. Assuming an A {sub V} = 2.2 mag of extinction in SPIRITS 15c provides a good match between their optical light curves. The NIR light curves, however, show some minor discrepancies when compared with SN 2011dh, and the extreme [3.6]–[4.5] color has not been previously observed for any SN IIb. Another luminous ( M {sub 4.5} = −16.1 ± 0.4 mag) event, SPIRITS 14buu, was serendipitously discovered in the same galaxy. The source displays an optical plateau lasting ≳80 days, and we suggest a scenario similar to the low-luminosity Type IIP SN 2005cs obscured by A{sub V} ≈ 1.5 mag. Other classes of IR-luminous transients can likely be ruled out in both cases. If both events are indeed SNe, this may suggest that ≳18% of nearby core-collapse SNe are missed by currently operating optical surveys.

SPIRITS 15c and SPIRITS 14buu: Two Obscured Supernovae in the Nearby Star-forming Galaxy IC 2163

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jencson, Jacob E.; Kasliwal, Mansi M.; Cao, Yi; Johansson, Joel; Contreras, Carlos; Castellón, Sergio; Morrell, Nidia; Phillips, Mark; Bond, Howard E.; Monson, Andrew J.; Masci, Frank J.; Helou, George; Cody, Ann Marie; Andrews, Jennifer E.; Bally, John; Green, Wayne; Fox, Ori D.; Gburek, Timothy; Gehrz, Robert D.; Hsiao, Eric

2017-01-01

SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey—SPIRITS—is an ongoing survey of nearby galaxies searching for infrared (IR) transients with Spitzer /IRAC. We present the discovery and follow-up observations of one of our most luminous ( M [4.5] = −17.1 ± 0.4 mag, Vega) and reddest ([3.6] − [4.5] = 3.0 ± 0.2 mag) transients, SPIRITS 15c. The transient was detected in a dusty spiral arm of IC 2163 ( D ≈ 35.5 Mpc). Pre-discovery ground-based imaging revealed an associated, shorter-duration transient in the optical and near-IR (NIR). NIR spectroscopy showed a broad (≈8400 km s −1 ), double-peaked emission line of He i at 1.083 μ m, indicating an explosive origin. The NIR spectrum of SPIRITS 15c is similar to that of the Type IIb SN 2011dh at a phase of ≈200 days. Assuming an A V = 2.2 mag of extinction in SPIRITS 15c provides a good match between their optical light curves. The NIR light curves, however, show some minor discrepancies when compared with SN 2011dh, and the extreme [3.6]–[4.5] color has not been previously observed for any SN IIb. Another luminous ( M 4.5 = −16.1 ± 0.4 mag) event, SPIRITS 14buu, was serendipitously discovered in the same galaxy. The source displays an optical plateau lasting ≳80 days, and we suggest a scenario similar to the low-luminosity Type IIP SN 2005cs obscured by A V ≈ 1.5 mag. Other classes of IR-luminous transients can likely be ruled out in both cases. If both events are indeed SNe, this may suggest that ≳18% of nearby core-collapse SNe are missed by currently operating optical surveys.

Near-infrared and optical studies of the highly obscured nova V1831 Aquilae (Nova Aquilae 2015)

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, D. P. K.; Srivastava, Mudit K.; Ashok, N. M.; Munari, U.; Hambsch, F.-J.; Righetti, G. L.; Maitan, A.

2018-01-01

Near-infrared (NIR) and optical photometry and spectroscopy are presented for the nova V1831 Aquilae, covering the early decline and dust-forming phases during the first ∼90 d after its discovery. The nova is highly reddened due to interstellar extinction. Based solely on the nature of the NIR spectrum, we are able to classify the nova to be of the Fe II class. The distance and extinction to the nova are estimated to be 6.1 ± 0.5 kpc and Av ∼ 9.02, respectively. Lower limits of the electron density, emission measure and ionized ejecta mass are made from a Case B analysis of the NIR Brackett lines, while the neutral gas mass is estimated from the optical [O I] lines. We discuss the cause of the rapid strengthening of the He I 1.0830-μm line during the early stages. V1831 Aql formed a modest amount of dust fairly early (∼19.2 d after discovery); the dust shell is not seen to be optically thick. Estimates of the dust temperature, dust mass and grain size are made. Dust formation commences around day 19.2 at a condensation temperature of 1461 ± 15 K, suggestive of a carbon composition, following which the temperature is seen to decrease gradually to 950 K. The dust mass shows a rapid initial increase, which we interpret as being due to an increase in the number of grains, followed by a period of constancy, suggesting the absence of grain destruction processes during this latter time. A discussion of the evolution of these parameters is made, including certain peculiarities seen in the grain radius evolution.

The Hyperluminous Infrared Quasar 3C 318 and Its Implications for Interpreting Sub-MM Detections of High-Redshift Radio Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Willott, Chris J.; Rawlings, Steve; Jarvis, Matt J.

1999-01-01

We present near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging of the compact steep-spectrum radio source 3C 318 which shows it to be a quasar at redshift z = 1.574 (the z = 0.752 value previously reported is incorrect). 3C 318 is an IRAS, ISO and SCUBA source so its new redshift makes it the most intrinsically luminous far-infrared (FIR) source in the 3C catalogue (there is no evidence of strong gravitational lensing effects). Its bolometric luminosity greatly exceeds the 10(exp 13) solar luminosity level above which an object is said to be hyperluminous. Its spectral energy distribution (SED) requires that the quasar heats the dust responsible for the FIR flux, as is believed to be the case in other hyperluminous galaxies, and contributes (at the greater than 10% level) to the heating of the CIA dust responsible for the sub-mm emission. We cannot determine whether a starburst makes an important contribution to the heating of the coolest dust, so evidence for a high star-formation rate is circumstantial being based on the high dust, and hence gas, C-1 mass required by its sub-mm detection. We show that the current sub-mm and FIR data available for the highest-redshift radio galaxies are consistent with SEDs similar to that of 3C 318. This indicates that at least some of this population may be detected in the sub-mm because of dust heated by the quasar nucleus, and that interpreting sub-mm detection as evidence for very high (approx. less than 1000 solar mass/yr) star-formation rates may not always be valid. We show that the 3C318 quasar is slightly reddened (A(sub v) approx. = 0.5), the most likely cause of which is SMC-type dust in the host galaxy. If very distant radio galaxies are reddened in a similar way then we show that only slightly greater amounts of dust could obscure the quasars in these sources. We speculate that the low fraction of quasars amongst the very high redshift (z approx. greater than 3) objects in low-frequency radio-selected samples is the result of

Application of curium measurements for safeguarding at reprocessing plants. Study 1: High-level liquid waste and Study 2: Spent fuel assemblies and leached hulls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rinard, P.M.; Menlove, H.O.

1996-03-01

In large-scale reprocessing plants for spent fuel assemblies, the quantity of plutonium in the waste streams each year is large enough to be important for nuclear safeguards. The wastes are drums of leached hulls and cylinders of vitrified high-level liquid waste. The plutonium amounts in these wastes cannot be measured directly by a nondestructive assay (NDA) technique because the gamma rays emitted by plutonium are obscured by gamma rays from fission products, and the neutrons from spontaneous fissions are obscured by those from curium. The most practical NDA signal from the waste is the neutron emission from curium. A diversion of waste for its plutonium would also take a detectable amount of curium, so if the amount of curium in a waste stream is reduced, it can be inferred that there is also a reduced amount of plutonium. This report studies the feasibility of tracking the curium through a reprocessing plant with neutron measurements at key locations: spent fuel assemblies prior to shearing, the accountability tank after dissolution, drums of leached hulls after dissolution, and canisters of vitrified high-level waste after separation. Existing pertinent measurement techniques are reviewed, improvements are suggested, and new measurements are proposed. The authors integrate these curium measurements into a safeguards system

The Faint End of the Quasar Luminosity Function at z ~ 4: Implications for Ionization of the Intergalactic Medium and Cosmic Downsizing

Science.gov (United States)

Glikman, Eilat; Djorgovski, S. G.; Stern, Daniel; Dey, Arjun; Jannuzi, Buell T.; Lee, Kyoung-Soo

2011-02-01

We present an updated determination of the z ~ 4 QSO luminosity function (QLF), improving the quality of the determination of the faint end of the QLF presented by Glikman et al. (2010). We have observed an additional 43 candidates from our survey sample, yielding one additional QSO at z = 4.23 and increasing the completeness of our spectroscopic follow-up to 48% for candidates brighter than R = 24 over our survey area of 3.76 deg2. We study the effect of using K-corrections to compute the rest-frame absolute magnitude at 1450 Å compared with measuring M 1450 directly from the object spectra. We find a luminosity-dependent bias: template-based K-corrections overestimate the luminosity of low-luminosity QSOs, likely due to their reliance on templates derived from higher luminosity QSOs. Combining our sample with bright quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and using spectrum-based M 1450 for all the quasars, we fit a double power law to the binned QLF. Our best fit has a bright-end slope, α = 3.3 ± 0.2, and faint-end slope, β = 1.6+0.8 -0.6. Our new data revise the faint-end slope of the QLF down to flatter values similar to those measured at z ~ 3. The break luminosity, though poorly constrained, is at M* = -24.1+0.7 -1.9, approximately 1-1.5 mag fainter than at z ~ 3. This QLF implies that QSOs account for about half the radiation needed to ionize the intergalactic medium at these redshifts. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Absorption in the spectra of quasi stellar objects and BL Lac objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perry, J.J.; Burbidge, E.M.; Burbidge, G.R.

1978-06-01

An extensive review is given of the observations of absorption in the spectra of QSOs and BL Lac objects. In Table Ia we summarize all of the information available up to May 1, 1978 on objects which show absorption. Following discussion of the observations in Section II, possible interpretations are critically discussed. (orig.) [de

Does Lateral Transmission Obscure Inheritance in Hunter-Gatherer Languages?

Science.gov (United States)

Bowern, Claire; Epps, Patience; Gray, Russell; Hill, Jane; Hunley, Keith; McConvell, Patrick; Zentz, Jason

2011-01-01

In recent years, linguists have begun to increasingly rely on quantitative phylogenetic approaches to examine language evolution. Some linguists have questioned the suitability of phylogenetic approaches on the grounds that linguistic evolution is largely reticulate due to extensive lateral transmission, or borrowing, among languages. The problem may be particularly pronounced in hunter-gatherer languages, where the conventional wisdom among many linguists is that lexical borrowing rates are so high that tree building approaches cannot provide meaningful insights into evolutionary processes. However, this claim has never been systematically evaluated, in large part because suitable data were unavailable. In addition, little is known about the subsistence, demographic, ecological, and social factors that might mediate variation in rates of borrowing among languages. Here, we evaluate these claims with a large sample of hunter-gatherer languages from three regions around the world. In this study, a list of 204 basic vocabulary items was collected for 122 hunter-gatherer and small-scale cultivator languages from three ecologically diverse case study areas: northern Australia, northwest Amazonia, and California and the Great Basin. Words were rigorously coded for etymological (inheritance) status, and loan rates were calculated. Loan rate variability was examined with respect to language area, subsistence mode, and population size, density, and mobility; these results were then compared to the sample of 41 primarily agriculturalist languages in [1]. Though loan levels varied both within and among regions, they were generally low in all regions (mean 5.06%, median 2.49%, and SD 7.56), despite substantial demographic, ecological, and social variation. Amazonian levels were uniformly very low, with no language exhibiting more than 4%. Rates were low but more variable in the other two study regions, in part because of several outlier languages where rates of borrowing were

High Level Human Herpesvirus-6 Viremia Associated with onset of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome: Report of 2 Cases

Science.gov (United States)

Peppercorn, Amanda F.; Miller, Melissa B.; Fitzgerald, David; Weber, David J.; Groben, Pamela A.; Cairns, Bruce A.

2015-01-01

The pathogenesis of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) remains obscure but it has been associated with various infectious agents, including members of the Herpes virus family. We present the first report of high level human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) viremia at the onset of SJS suggesting a possible new association. This finding supports the need for further investigation into the possible relationship between HHV-6 and SJS which may illuminate the pathogenesis of SJS and bring us closer to achieving enhanced prevention and treatment of this rare disease. PMID:20182379

Detection of an apparent, distant cluster of galaxies associated with the radio-tail QSO 3C 275.1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hintzen, P.; Boeshaar, G.O.; Scott, J.S.

1981-01-01

Based on the suggestion that QSOs with distorted radio structures are likely to be members of clusters of galaxies (Hintzen and Scott), we have obtained deep direct observations of the fields containing 3C 270.1 and 3C 275.1, the most reliably substantiated cases of wide-angle radio tails associated with QSOs. Our 75'' square field centered on 3C 275.1 (z = 0.557) contains over three-dozen objects, many of which are nonstellar, between m/sub R/ = 19.8 and m/sub R/ = 23.5. The quasar itself lies at the center of an illiptical nebulosity. The size of this nebulosity and the magnitude distribution of the surrounding objects are consistent with the interpretation that the QSO is the nucleus of a giant elliptical galaxy which is a member of a cluster of galaxies at zapprox.0.55. Our observations of 3C 270.1 (z = 1.519) show no definitive evidence of an associated cluster of galaxies, which is consistent with the cosmological interpretation of QSO redshifts

Physical models for the hypothesized F(nu) varies as the inverse of nu infrared to X-ray continuum of quasi-stellar objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stein, W.A.

1991-01-01

Models for producing the large ultraviolet bump, low-energy X-rays and the hypothesized F(nu) varies as the inverse of nu IR to X-ray continua of QSOs are investigated. Thermal Comptonization in a hot corona of an accretion disk appears to offer the best potential. However, under the energy input conditions in QSOs a corona will reach T above 100 million K. It must be optically thin, so as to not Comptonize the accretion disk ultraviolet emission to an unacceptable extent. However, it then cannot Comptonize a low-frequency source to an F(nu) varies as the inverse of nu continuum extending from the infrared to X-rays. An inner corona, possibly optically thick because of n varies as the sq rt of r density increase, is required for the F(nu) varies as the inverse of nu continuum, but it cannot therefore cover the UV-emitting accretion disk. However, then a Wien peak associated with this inner volume may be implied at 10 keV, contrary to observations. 42 refs

High performance light-colored nitrile-butadiene rubber nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Yanda; Guo, Baochun; Chen, Feng; Zhu, Lixin; Zhou, Wenyou; Jia, Demin

2011-12-01

High mechanical performance nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) with light color was fabricated by the method of in situ formation of zinc disorbate (ZDS) or magnesium disorbate (MDS). The in situ formed ZDS and its polymerization via internal mixing was confirmed by X-ray diffaraction. The mechanical properties, ageing resistance, morphology and the dynamic mechanical analysis were fully studied. It was found that with increasing loading of metallic disorbate both the curing rate and the ionic crosslink density was largely increased. The modulus, tensile strength and tear strength were largely increased. With a comparison between internal mixing and opening mixing, the mechanical performance for the former one was obviously better than the latter one. The high performance was ascribed to the finely dispersion nano domains with irregular shape and obscure interfacial structures. Except for the NBR vulcanizate with a high loading of MDS, the others' ageing resistance with incorporation of these two metallic disorbate was found to be good. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that, with increasing loading of metallic disorbate, the highly increased storage modulus above -20 degrees C, the up-shifted glass transition temperature (Tg) and the reduced mechanical loss were ascribed to strengthened interfacial interactions.

Avances en el tratamiento farmacológico de la hemorragia digestiva de origen oscuro Update on medical therapy for obscure gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Molina Infante

2007-08-01

Full Text Available El desarrollo de la cápsula endoscópica y la enteroscopia de doble balón ha aumentado las tasas de diagnóstico y tratamiento en la hemorragia digestiva de origen oscuro, en la que las angiodisplasias del intestino delgado son la causa más frecuente. Sin embargo, el 25-40% de los pacientes, no subsidiarios o no respondedores a la terapéutica endoscópica, angiográfica o quirúrgica, pueden tener alto riesgo de resangrado y carecen de tratamiento médico claramente eficaz. La utilidad de la terapia hormonal está cuestionada actualmente, sin olvidar los frecuentes y limitantes efectos secundarios. El octreótido suele ser eficaz en el control de la hemorragia pero no parece la terapia de mantenimiento más óptima. Los beta-bloqueantes no selectivos, de igual manera que en la profilaxis de la hemorragia por hipertensión portal, pueden ser útiles en combinación con otros fármacos. Recientemente, el octreotido LAR, una formulación de liberación retardada que se administra una vez al mes por vía intramuscular, y la talidomida oral, un potente inhibidor de la angiogénesis, han demostrado su eficacia y seguridad a largo plazo en casos graves aislados.The development of capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy has increased diagnostic and therapeutic rates in obscure gastrointestinal hemorrhage, where angiodysplasia of the small bowel is the most frequent cause. Nevertheless, almost 25-40% of patients who are not candidates or do not respond to endoscopic, angiographic, or surgical management may be at high risk of rebleeding, and therefore lack a clearly effective medical therapy. The utility of hormonal therapy remains unclear and is burdened by adverse effects. Subcutaneous octreotide usually controls bleeding but does not seem adequate for mainteinance therapy. Non-selective beta-blockers alone or in combination with other treatments, as in the prophylaxis of portal hypertension variceal bleeding, may be helpful. Recently

The Bright and Dark Sides of High-redshift Starburst Galaxies from Herschel and Subaru Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puglisi, A.; Rodighiero, G.; Rodríguez-Muñoz, L.; Mancini, C.; Franceschini, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, vicolo dell’Osservatorio 2, I-35122 Padova (Italy); Daddi, E.; Valentino, F.; Calabrò, A.; Jin, S. [Laboratoire AIM-Paris-Saclay, CEA/DSM-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, IRFU/Service d’Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Renzini, A. [INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio, 5, I-35122 Padova (Italy); Silverman, J. D. [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), Todai Institutes for for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Kashino, D. [Institute for Astronomy, Department of Physics, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-strasse 27, CH-8093 Zürich (Switzerland); Mainieri, V.; Man, A. [ESO, Karl-Schwarschild-Straße 2, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany); Darvish, B. [Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1216 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Maier, C. [University of Vienna, Department of Astrophysics, Tuerkenschanzstrasse 17, A-1180 Vienna (Austria); Kartaltepe, J. S. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Sanders, D. B. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

2017-04-01

We present rest-frame optical spectra from the FMOS-COSMOS survey of 12 z ∼ 1.6 Herschel starburst galaxies, with star formation rate (SFR) elevated by ×8, on average, above the star-forming main sequence (MS). Comparing the H α to IR luminosity ratio and the Balmer decrement, we find that the optically thin regions of the sources contain on average only ∼10% of the total SFR, whereas ∼90% come from an extremely obscured component that is revealed only by far-IR observations and is optically thick even in H α . We measure the [N ii]{sub 6583}/H α ratio, suggesting that the less obscured regions have a metal content similar to that of the MS population at the same stellar masses and redshifts. However, our objects appear to be metal-rich outliers from the metallicity–SFR anticorrelation observed at fixed stellar mass for the MS population. The [S ii]{sub 6732}/[S ii]{sub 6717} ratio from the average spectrum indicates an electron density n {sub e} ∼ 1100 cm{sup −3} , larger than what was estimated for MS galaxies but only at the 1.5 σ level. Our results provide supporting evidence that high- z MS outliers are analogous of local ULIRGs and are consistent with a major-merger origin for the starburst event.

Probing HeII Reionization at z>3.5 with Resolved HeII Lyman Alpha Forest Spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Worseck, Gabor

2017-08-01

The advent of GALEX and COS have revolutionized our view of HeII reionization, the final major phase transition of the intergalactic medium. COS spectra of the HeII Lyman alpha forest have confirmed with high confidence the high HeII transmission that signifies the completion of HeII reionization at z 2.7. However, the handful of z>3.5 quasars observed to date show a set of HeII transmission 'spikes' and larger regions with non-zero transmission that suggest HeII reionization was well underway by z=4. This is in striking conflict with predictions from state-of-the-art radiative transfer simulations of a HeII reionization driven by bright quasars. Explaining these measurements may require either faint quasars or more exotic sources of hard photons at z>4, with concomitant implications for HI reionization. However, many of the observed spikes are unresolved in G140L spectra and are significantly impacted by Poisson noise. Current data cannot reliably probe the ionization state of helium at z>3.5.We request 41 orbits to obtain science-grade G130M spectra of the two UV-brightest HeII-transmitting QSOs at z>3.5 to confirm and resolve their HeII transmission spikes as an unequivocal test of early HeII reionization. These spectra are complemented by recently obtained data from 8m telescopes: (1) Echelle spectra of the coeval HI Lya forest to map the underlying density field that modulates the HeII absorption, and (2) Our dedicated survey for foreground QSOs that may source the HeII transmission. Our recent HST programs revealed the only two viable targets to resolve the z>3.5 HeII Lyman alpha forest, and to conclusively solve this riddle.

Line-driven disk winds in active galactic nuclei: The critical importance of ionization and radiative transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higginbottom, Nick; Knigge, Christian; Matthews, James H. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom); Proga, Daniel [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4002 (United States); Long, Knox S. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Sim, Stuart A., E-mail: nick_higginbottom@fastmail.fm [School of Mathematics and Physics, Queens University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN (United Kingdom)

2014-07-01

Accretion disk winds are thought to produce many of the characteristic features seen in the spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasi-stellar objects (QSOs). These outflows also represent a natural form of feedback between the central supermassive black hole and its host galaxy. The mechanism for driving this mass loss remains unknown, although radiation pressure mediated by spectral lines is a leading candidate. Here, we calculate the ionization state of, and emergent spectra for, the hydrodynamic simulation of a line-driven disk wind previously presented by Proga and Kallman. To achieve this, we carry out a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation of the radiative transfer through, and energy exchange within, the predicted outflow. We find that the wind is much more ionized than originally estimated. This is in part because it is much more difficult to shield any wind regions effectively when the outflow itself is allowed to reprocess and redirect ionizing photons. As a result, the calculated spectrum that would be observed from this particular outflow solution would not contain the ultraviolet spectral lines that are observed in many AGN/QSOs. Furthermore, the wind is so highly ionized that line driving would not actually be efficient. This does not necessarily mean that line-driven winds are not viable. However, our work does illustrate that in order to arrive at a self-consistent model of line-driven disk winds in AGN/QSO, it will be critical to include a more detailed treatment of radiative transfer and ionization in the next generation of hydrodynamic simulations.

LIFTING THE VEIL ON OBSCURED ACCRETION: ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI NUMBER COUNTS AND SURVEY STRATEGIES FOR IMAGING HARD X-RAY MISSIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballantyne, D. R.; Draper, A. R.; Madsen, K. K.; Rigby, J. R.; Treister, E.

2011-01-01

Finding and characterizing the population of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that produces the X-ray background (XRB) is necessary to connect the history of accretion to observations of galaxy evolution at longer wavelengths. The year 2012 will see the deployment of the first hard X-ray imaging telescope which, through deep extragalactic surveys, will be able to measure the AGN population at the energies where the XRB peaks (∼20-30 keV). Here, we present predictions of AGN number counts in three hard X-ray bandpasses: 6-10 keV, 10-30 keV, and 30-60 keV. Separate predictions are presented for the number counts of Compton thick AGNs, the most heavily obscured active galaxies. The number counts are calculated for five different models of the XRB that differ in the assumed hard X-ray luminosity function, the evolution of the Compton thick AGNs, and the underlying AGN spectral model. The majority of the hard X-ray number counts will be Compton thin AGNs, but there is a greater than tenfold increase in the Compton thick number counts from the 6-10 keV to the 10-30 keV band. The Compton thick population shows enough variation that a hard X-ray number counts measurement will constrain the models. The computed number counts are used to consider various survey strategies for the NuSTAR mission, assuming a total exposure time of 6.2 Ms. We find that multiple surveys will allow a measurement of Compton thick evolution. The predictions presented here should be useful for all future imaging hard X-ray missions.

Probabilistic object and viewpoint models for active object recognition

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Govender, N

2013-09-01

Full Text Available ,θ′(f occ). V. EXPERIMENTS A. Dataset For our experiments, we use the active recognition dataset introduced by [12]. The training data consists of everyday objects such as cereal boxes, ornaments, spice bottle, etc. Images were captured every 20 degrees... are to be verified TABLE I CONFUSION MATRIX FOR BINARY A MODEL Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Obscured Cereal Battery Curry box Elephant Handbag MrMin Salad Bottle Spice Bottle Spray Can Spray Can 1 Cereal 0.9800 0...

IC 3639—a New Bona Fide Compton-Thick AGN Unveiled by NuSTAR

Science.gov (United States)

Boorman, Peter G.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Annuar, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Farrah, D.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Hönig, S. F.; Koss, M.; LaMassa, S. M.; Masini, A.; Ricci, C.; Risaliti, G.; Stern, D.; Zhang, W. W.

2016-12-01

We analyze high-quality NuSTAR observations of the local (z = 0.011) Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) IC 3639, in conjunction with archival Suzaku and Chandra data. This provides the first broadband X-ray spectral analysis of the source, spanning nearly two decades in energy (0.5-30 keV). Previous X-ray observations of the source below 10 keV indicated strong reflection/obscuration on the basis of a pronounced iron fluorescence line at 6.4 keV. The hard X-ray energy coverage of NuSTAR, together with self-consistent toroidal reprocessing models, enables direct broadband constraints on the obscuring column density of the source. We find the source to be heavily Compton-thick (CTK) with an obscuring column in excess of 3.6× {10}24 cm-2, unconstrained at the upper end. We further find an intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity of {{log}}10({L}2{--10{keV}} [{erg} {{{s}}}-1])={43.4}-1.1+0.6 to 90% confidence, almost 400 times the observed flux, and consistent with various multiwavelength diagnostics. Such a high ratio of intrinsic to observed flux, in addition to an Fe-Kα fluorescence line equivalent width exceeding 2 keV, is extreme among known bona fide CTK AGNs, which we suggest are both due to the high level of obscuration present around IC 3639. Our study demonstrates that broadband spectroscopic modeling with NuSTAR enables large corrections for obscuration to be carried out robustly and emphasizes the need for improved modeling of AGN tori showing intense iron fluorescence.

Transverse and Longitudinal proximity effect

Science.gov (United States)

Jalan, Pryianka; Chand, Hum; Srianand, Raghunathan

2018-04-01

With close pairs (˜1.5arcmin) of quasars (QSOs), absorption in the spectra of a background quasar in the vicinity of a foreground quasar can be used to study the environment of the latter quasar at kpc-Mpc scales. For this we used a sample of 205 quasar pairs from the Sloan Digital Sky-Survey Data Release 12 (SDSS DR12) in the redshift range of 2.5 to 3.5 by studying their H I Ly-α absorption. We study the environment of QSOs both in the longitudinal as well as in the transverse direction by carrying out a statistical comparison of the Ly-α absorption lines in the quasar vicinity to that of the absorption lines caused by the inter-galactic medium (IGM). This comparison was done with IGM, matched in absorption redshift and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to that of the proximity region. In contrast to the measurements along the line-of-sight, the regions transverse to the quasars exhibit enhanced H I Ly-α absorption. This discrepancy can either be interpreted as due to an anisotropic emission from the quasars or as a consequence of their finite lifetime.

Obscure pulmonary masses: bronchial impaction revealed by CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pugatch, R.D.; Gale, M.E.

1983-01-01

Dilated bronchi impacted with mucus or tumor are recognized on standard chest radiographs because they are surrounded by aerated pulmonary parenchyma. When imaged in different projections, these lesions produce a variety of appearances that are generally familiar. This report characterizes less familiar computed tomographic (CT) findings in eight patients with pathologic bronchial distension of congenital, neoplastic, or infectious etiologies and correlates them with chest films. In seven patients, CT readily revealed dilated bronchi and/or regional lung hypodensity. In four of these cases, CT led to the initial suspicion of dilated bronchi. CT should be used early in the evaluation of atypical pulmonary mass lesions or to confirm suspected bronchial impaction because of the high probability it will reveal diagnostic features

Dark Matter remains obscure

CERN Multimedia

Fabio Capello

2011-01-01

It is one of the hidden secrets that literally surround the Universe. Experiments have shown no result so far because trying to capture particles that do not seem to interact with ordinary matter is no trivial exercise. The OSQAR experiment at CERN is dedicated to the search for axions, one of the candidates for Dark Matter. For its difficult challenge, OSQAR counts on one of the world’s most powerful magnets borrowed from the LHC. In a recent publication, the OSQAR collaboration was able to confirm that no axion signal appears out of the background. In other words: the quest is still on.   The OSQAR experiment installed in the SM18 hall. (Photo by F. Capello) The OSQAR “Light Shining Through a Wall” experiment was officially launched in 2007 with the aim of detecting axions, that is, particles that might be the main components of Dark Matter. OSQAR uses the powerful LHC dipole magnet to intensify the predicted photon-axion conversions in the presence of strong m...

BL Lacertae objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, J.S.

1978-01-01

An overview is given of the principal characteristics and problems associated with the prototype BL Lacertae. The most important characteristics of this group and its relevance, the consideration of a few particular objects in moderate detail, the relation between these objects QSOs, and normal galaxies, and finally the possible physical nature of BL Lac objects and the important questions they raise are treated. 15 references

CompaGB: An open framework for genome browsers comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiapello Hélène

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tools to visualize and explore genomes hold a central place in genomics and the diversity of genome browsers has increased dramatically over the last few years. It often turns out to be a daunting task to compare and choose a well-adapted genome browser, as multidisciplinary knowledge is required to carry out this task and the number of tools, functionalities and features are overwhelming. Findings To assist in this task, we propose a community-based framework based on two cornerstones: (i the implementation of industry promoted software qualification method (QSOS adapted for genome browser evaluations, and (ii a web resource providing numerous facilities either for visualizing comparisons or performing new evaluations. We formulated 60 criteria specifically for genome browsers, and incorporated another 65 directly from QSOS's generic section. Those criteria aim to answer versatile needs, ranging from a biologist whose interest primarily lies into user-friendly and informative functionalities, a bioinformatician who wants to integrate the genome browser into a wider framework, or a computer scientist who might choose a software according to more technical features. We developed a dedicated web application to enrich the existing QSOS functionalities (weighting of criteria, user profile with features of interest to a community-based framework: easy management of evolving data, user comments... Conclusions The framework is available at http://genome.jouy.inra.fr/CompaGB. It is open to anyone who wishes to participate in the evaluations. It helps the scientific community to (1 choose a genome browser that would better fit their particular project, (2 visualize features comparatively with easily accessible formats, such as tables or radar plots and (3 perform their own evaluation against the defined criteria. To illustrate the CompaGB functionalities, we have evaluated seven genome browsers according to the implemented methodology

21-cm signature of the first sources in the Universe: prospects of detection with SKA

Science.gov (United States)

Ghara, Raghunath; Choudhury, T. Roy; Datta, Kanan K.

2016-07-01

Currently several low-frequency experiments are being planned to study the nature of the first stars using the redshifted 21-cm signal from the cosmic dawn and Epoch of Reionization. Using a one-dimensional radiative transfer code, we model the 21-cm signal pattern around the early sources for different source models, I.e. the metal-free Population III (PopIII) stars, primordial galaxies consisting of Population II (PopII) stars, mini-QSOs and high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). We investigate the detectability of these sources by comparing the 21-cm visibility signal with the system noise appropriate for a telescope like the SKA1-low. Upon integrating the visibility around a typical source over all baselines and over a frequency interval of 16 MHz, we find that it will be possible to make a ˜9σ detection of the isolated sources like PopII galaxies, mini-QSOs and HMXBs at z ˜ 15 with the SKA1-low in 1000 h. The exact value of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) will depend on the source properties, in particular on the mass and age of the source and the escape fraction of ionizing photons. The predicted SNR decreases with increasing redshift. We provide simple scaling laws to estimate the SNR for different values of the parameters which characterize the source and the surrounding medium. We also argue that it will be possible to achieve an SNR ˜9 even in the presence of the astrophysical foregrounds by subtracting out the frequency-independent component of the observed signal. These calculations will be useful in planning 21-cm observations to detect the first sources.

IC 3639 - A New Bona Fide Compton-Thick AGN Unveiled By NuSTAR

Science.gov (United States)

Boorman, Peter G.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Annuar, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.;

Cultural clashes in a "merger of equals" : The case of high-tech start-ups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Drori, Israel; Wrzesniewski, Amy; Ellis, Shmuel

Mergers of equals are often considered simply symbolic. Whereas existing literature on the topic views equality as underscoring the importance of distributive justice, power, or identity, the role of culture remains relatively obscure. In this study, the authors explore equality as a dynamic

Critical fields in high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finnemore, D.K.

1991-01-01

An analysis of various methods to obtain the critical fields of the high temperature superconductors from experimental data is undertaken in order to find definitions of these variables that are consistent with the models used to define them. Characteristic critical fields of H c1 , H c2 and H c that occur in the Ginsburg-Landau theory are difficult to determine experimentally in the high temperature superconductors because there are additional physical phenomena that obscure the results. The lower critical field is difficult to measure because there are flux pinning and surface barrier effects to flux entry; the upper critical field is difficult because fluctuation effects are large at this phase boundary; the thermodynamic critical field is difficult because fluctuations make it difficult to know the field where the magnetization integral should be terminated. In addition to these critical fields there are at least two other cross-over fields. There is the so called irreversibility line where the vortices transform from a rigid flux line lattice to a fluid lattice and there is a second cross-over field associated with the transition from the fluctuation to the Abrikosov vortex regime. The presence of these new physical effects may require new vocabulary

Edge placement error control and Mask3D effects in High-NA anamorphic EUV lithography

Science.gov (United States)

van Setten, Eelco; Bottiglieri, Gerardo; de Winter, Laurens; McNamara, John; Rusu, Paul; Lubkoll, Jan; Rispens, Gijsbert; van Schoot, Jan; Neumann, Jens Timo; Roesch, Matthias; Kneer, Bernhard

2017-10-01

To enable cost-effective shrink at the 3nm node and beyond, and to extend Moore's law into the next decade, ASML is developing a new high-NA EUV platform. The high-NA system is targeted to feature a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.55 to extend the single exposure resolution limit to 8nm half pitch. The system is being designed to achieve an on-product-overlay (OPO) performance well below 2nm, a high image contrast to drive down local CD errors and to obtain global CDU at sub-1nm level to be able to meet customer edge placement error (EPE) requirements for the devices of the future. EUV scanners employ reflective Bragg multi-layer mirrors in the mask and in the Projection Optics Box (POB) that is used to project the mask pattern into the photoresist on the silicon wafer. These MoSi multi-layer mirrors are tuned for maximum reflectivity, and thus productivity, at 13.5nm wavelength. The angular range of incident light for which a high reflectivity at the reticle can be obtained is limited to +/- 11o, exceeding the maximum angle occurring in current 0.33NA scanners at 4x demagnification. At 0.55NA the maximum angle at reticle level would extend up to 17o in the critical (scanning) direction and compromise the imaging performance of horizontal features severely. To circumvent this issue a novel anamorphic optics design has been introduced, which has a 4x demagnification in the X- (slit) direction and 8x demagnification in the Y- (scanning) direction as well as a central obscuration in the exit pupil. In this work we will show that the EUV high-NA anamorphic concept can successfully solve the angular reflectivity issues and provide good imaging performance in both directions. Several unique imaging challenges in comparison to the 0.33NA isomorphic baseline are being studied, such as the impact of the central obscuration in the POB and Mask-3D effects at increased NA that seem most pronounced for vertical features. These include M3D induced contrast loss and non

QSO evolution in the interaction model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Robertis, M.

1985-01-01

QSO evolution is investigated according to the interaction hypothesis described most recently by Stockton (1982), in which activity results from an interaction between two galaxies resulting in the transfer of gas onto a supermassive black hole (SBH) at the center of at least one participant. Explicit models presented here for interactions in cluster environments show that a peak QSO population can be formed in this way at zroughly-equal2--3, with little activity prior to this epoch. Calculated space densities match those inferred from observations for this epoch. Substantial density evolution is expected in such models, since, after virialization, conditions in the cores of rich clusters lead to the depletion of gas-rich systems through ram-pressure stripping. Density evolution parameters of 6--12 are easily accounted for. At smaller redshifts, however, QSOs should be found primarily in poor clusters or groups. Probability estimates provided by this model are consistent with local estimates for the observed number of QSOs per interaction. Significant luminosity-dependent evolution might also be expected in these models. It is suggested that the mean SBH mass increases with lookback time, leading to a statistical brightening with redshift. Undoubtedly, both forms of evolution contribute to the overall QSO luminosity function

A Full Year's Chandra Exposure on Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasars from the Chandra Multiwavelength Project

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Paul J.; Aldcroft, T. L.; Richards, G. T.; Barkhouse, W. A.; Constantin, A.; Haggard, D.; Karovska, M.; Kim, D.-W.; Kim, M.; Vikhlinin, A.; Anderson, S. F.; Mossman, A.; Kashyap, V.; Myers, A. D.; Silverman, J. D.; Wilkes, B. J.; Tananbaum, H.

2009-01-01

We study the spectral energy distributions and evolution of a large sample of optically selected quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey that were observed in 323 Chandra images analyzed by the Chandra Multiwavelength Project. Our highest-confidence matched sample includes 1135 X-ray detected quasars in the redshift range 0.2 3, substantially expanding the known sample. We find no evidence for evolution out to z ~ 5 for either the X-ray photon index Γ or for the ratio of optical/UV to X-ray flux αox. About 10% of detected QSOs show best-fit intrinsic absorbing columns greater than 1022 cm-2, but the fraction might reach ~1/3 if most nondetections are absorbed. We confirm a significant correlation between αox and optical luminosity, but it flattens or disappears for fainter (MB gsim -23) active galactic nucleus (AGN) alone. We report significant hardening of Γ both toward higher X-ray luminosity, and for relatively X-ray loud quasars. These trends may represent a relative increase in nonthermal X-ray emission, and our findings thereby strengthen analogies between Galactic black hole binaries and AGN. For uniformly selected subsamples of narrow-line Seyfert 1s and narrow absorption line QSOs, we find no evidence for unusual distributions of either αox or Γ.

Mechanisms of Evolution in High-Consequence Drug Resistance Plasmids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susu He

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The dissemination of resistance among bacteria has been facilitated by the fact that resistance genes are usually located on a diverse and evolving set of transmissible plasmids. However, the mechanisms generating diversity and enabling adaptation within highly successful resistance plasmids have remained obscure, despite their profound clinical significance. To understand these mechanisms, we have performed a detailed analysis of the mobilome (the entire mobile genetic element content of a set of previously sequenced carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. This analysis revealed that plasmid reorganizations occurring in the natural context of colonization of human hosts were overwhelmingly driven by genetic rearrangements carried out by replicative transposons working in concert with the process of homologous recombination. A more complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary forces driving rearrangements in resistance plasmids may lead to fundamentally new strategies to address the problem of antibiotic resistance.

A TALE OF TWO NARROW-LINE REGIONS: IONIZATION, KINEMATICS, AND SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS FOR A LOCAL PAIR OF MERGING OBSCURED ACTIVE GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hainline, Kevin N.; Hickox, Ryan C.; Chen, Chien-Ting; Carroll, Christopher M.; Jones, Mackenzie L.; Zervos, Alexandros S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Goulding, Andrew D. [Department Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2016-05-20

We explore the gas ionization and kinematics, as well as the optical-IR spectral energy distributions for UGC 11185, a nearby pair of merging galaxies hosting obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs), also known as SDSS J181611.72+423941.6 and J181609.37+423923.0 (J1816NE and J1816SW, z ≈ 0.04). Due to the wide separation between these interacting galaxies (∼23 kpc), observations of these objects provide a rare glimpse of the concurrent growth of supermassive black holes at an early merger stage. We use BPT line diagnostics to show that the full extent of the narrow-line emission in both galaxies is photoionized by an AGN, and confirm the existence of a 10 kpc-scale ionization cone in J1816NE, while in J1816SW the AGN narrow-line region is much more compact (1–2 kpc) and relatively undisturbed. Our observations also reveal the presence of ionized gas that nearly spans the entire distance between the galaxies, which is likely in a merger-induced tidal stream. In addition, we carry out a spectral analysis of the X-ray emission using data from XMM-Newton . These galaxies represent a useful pair to explore how the [O iii] luminosity of an AGN is dependent on the size of the region used to explore the extended emission. Given the growing evidence for AGN “flickering” over short timescales, we speculate that the appearances and impacts of these AGNs may change multiple times over the course of the galaxy merger, which is especially important given that these objects are likely the progenitors of the types of systems commonly classified as “dual AGNs.”.

The extragalactic Universe: an alternative view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arp, H.C.

1990-01-01

This article challenges the generally accepted Big Bang model for the origin of the Universe as much observational data does not fit the model, and non-thermal objects with large redshifts such as quasi stellar objects (QSOs) seem to have these values intrinsically and to be closer than was originally postulated. Each of these difficulties is examined in detail. The authors offer several alternative theories which may be moulded into future cosmological models. (UK)

Quasars in the field of SA94. III. A colour survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cristiani, S.; Barbieri, C.; La Franca, F.; Nota, A.

1989-01-01

A new sample of quasars has been selected in the central 10 square degrees of SA 94. The colour-colour U - B, B - V diagram has been used to identify low-redshift quasar candidates down to B = 19.8.99 extragalactic emission-line objects have been spectroscopically confirmed. The quasar surface density for QSOs with z ≤ 2.25 and other properties of this sample are derived and compared with other surveys

The Simbol-X Perspective on the Physics of Quasar Outflows

Science.gov (United States)

Giustini, M.; Cappi, M.; Vignali, C.; Palumbo, G. G. C.; Fiore, F.; Malaguti, G.

2009-05-01

There is increasing evidence that quasar outflows may play a key role in providing the feedback between AGN/QSOs and their surrounding (and feeding) media, in regulating the central supermassive black hole growth and the galaxy formation and, on larger scales, in shaping the growth of cosmic structures (see e.g. [1]). X-ray observations of quasar outflows are crucial to probe their innermost parts and assess the global energetics entrained in the outflow by studying its most extreme (in terms of velocity, ionization state, mass outflow rate) phases. Simbol-X-with its high effective area in the Fe K energy band and above-will allow the detection and the characterization of powerful outflows in bright, nearby AGN and notably also in moderately faint AGN, thus shedding light on feedback processes in these objects.

Early Growth and Efficient Accretion of Massive Black Holes at High Redshift

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Marianne

2003-01-01

Black-hole masses of the highest redshift quasars (4 ~ 4 quasars are very massive (>~ 10^9 solar masses). It is argued that the mass estimates of the high-z quasars are not subject to larger uncertainties than those for nearby quasars. Specifically, the large masses are not overestimates and the ......Black-hole masses of the highest redshift quasars (4 ~ 4 quasars are very massive (>~ 10^9 solar masses). It is argued that the mass estimates of the high-z quasars are not subject to larger uncertainties than those for nearby quasars. Specifically, the large masses are not overestimates...... and the lack of similarly large black-hole masses in the nearby Universe does not rule out their existence at high-z. However, AGN host galaxies do not typically appear fully formed or evolved at these early epochs. This supports scenarios in which black holes build up mass very fast in a radiatively...... inefficient (or obscured) phase relative to the stars in their galaxies. Additionally, upper envelopes of black-hole mass of approximately 10^{10} solar masses and bolometric luminosity of ~ 10^{48} erg/s are observed at all redshifts....

Concurrent Supermassive Black Hole and Galazy Growth: Linking Environment and Nuclear Activity in Zeta Equals 2.23 H Alpha Emitters

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmer, B. D.; Lucy, A. B.; Alexander, D. M.; Best, P. N.; Geach, J. E.; Harrison, C. M.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Matsuda, Y.; Mullaney, J. R.; Smail, Ian;

Pinus ponderosa: A checkered past obscured four species.

Science.gov (United States)

Willyard, Ann; Gernandt, David S; Potter, Kevin; Hipkins, Valerie; Marquardt, Paula; Mahalovich, Mary Frances; Langer, Stephen K; Telewski, Frank W; Cooper, Blake; Douglas, Connor; Finch, Kristen; Karemera, Hassani H; Lefler, Julia; Lea, Payton; Wofford, Austin

2017-01-01

Molecular genetic evidence can help delineate taxa in species complexes that lack diagnostic morphological characters. Pinus ponderosa (Pinaceae; subsection Ponderosae) is recognized as a problematic taxon: plastid phylogenies of exemplars were paraphyletic, and mitochondrial phylogeography suggested at least four subdivisions of P. ponderosa. These patterns have not been examined in the context of other Ponderosae species. We hypothesized that putative intraspecific subdivisions might each represent a separate taxon. We genotyped six highly variable plastid simple sequence repeats in 1903 individuals from 88 populations of P. ponderosa and related Ponderosae (P. arizonica, P. engelmannii, and P. jeffreyi). We used multilocus haplotype networks and discriminant analysis of principal components to test clustering of individuals into genetically and geographically meaningful taxonomic units. There are at least four distinct plastid clusters within P. ponderosa that roughly correspond to the geographic distribution of mitochondrial haplotypes. Some geographic regions have intermixed plastid lineages, and some mitochondrial and plastid boundaries do not coincide. Based on relative distances to other species of Ponderosae, these clusters diagnose four distinct taxa. Newly revealed geographic boundaries of four distinct taxa (P. benthamiana, P. brachyptera, P. scopulorum, and a narrowed concept of P. ponderosa) do not correspond completely with taxonomies. Further research is needed to understand their morphological and nuclear genetic makeup, but we suggest that resurrecting originally published species names would more appropriately reflect the taxonomy of this checkered classification than their current treatment as varieties of P. ponderosa. © 2017 Willyard et al. Published by the Botanical Society of America. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons public domain license (CC0 1.0).

Variants in the CDKN2B and RTEL1 regions are associated with high-grade glioma susceptibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Wrensch, Margaret; Jenkins, Robert B; Chang, Jeffrey S; Yeh, Ru-Fang; Xiao, Yuanyuan; Decker, Paul A; Ballman, Karla V; Berger, Mitchel; Buckner, Jan C; Chang, Susan; Giannini, Caterina; Halder, Chandralekha; Kollmeyer, Thomas M; Kosel, Matthew L; LaChance, Daniel H; McCoy, Lucie; O'Neill, Brian P; Patoka, Joe; Pico, Alexander R; Prados, Michael; Quesenberry, Charles; Rice, Terri; Rynearson, Amanda L; Smirnov, Ivan; Tihan, Tarik; Wiemels, Joe; Yang, Ping; Wiencke, John K

2009-08-01

The causes of glioblastoma and other gliomas remain obscure. To discover new candidate genes influencing glioma susceptibility, we conducted a principal component-adjusted genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 275,895 autosomal variants among 692 adult high-grade glioma cases (622 from the San Francisco Adult Glioma Study (AGS) and 70 from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)) and 3,992 controls (602 from AGS and 3,390 from Illumina iControlDB (iControls)). For replication, we analyzed the 13 SNPs with P RTEL1 had discovery P = 1.5 x 10(-7), replication P = 0.00035 and combined P = 3.40 x 10(-9). For both SNPs, the direction of association was the same in discovery and replication phases.

Linking Drugs to Obscure Illnesses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bennett, Charles L; Starko, Karen M; Thomsen, Henrik S

2012-01-01

Identification of serious adverse drug reactions (sADRS) associated with commonly used drugs can elude detection for years. Reye's syndrome (RS), nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), and pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients were recognized in 1951, 2000, and 1998......-savings considerations, and a European regulatory requirement requiring removal of albumin as a stabilizer, led to toxicity. Overall, 81, 13, and 17 years elapsed between drug introduction into practice and identification of a causal relationship for aspirin, erythropoietin, and gadodiamide, respectively. A substantial...... decline in new cases of these sADRs occurred within two years of identification of the offending drug. Clinicians should be vigilant for sADRs, even for frequently-prescribed pharmaceuticals, particularly in settings where formulation or regulatory changes have occurred, or when over-the-counter, off...

Rates and causes of accidents for general aviation aircraft operating in a mountainous and high elevation terrain environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguiar, Marisa; Stolzer, Alan; Boyd, Douglas D

2017-10-01

Flying over mountainous and/or high elevation terrain is challenging due to rapidly changeable visibility, gusty/rotor winds and downdrafts and the necessity of terrain avoidance. Herein, general aviation accident rates and mishap cause/factors were determined (2001-2014) for a geographical region characterized by such terrain. Accidents in single piston engine-powered aircraft for states west of the US continental divide characterized by mountainous terrain and/or high elevation (MEHET) were identified from the NTSB database. MEHET-related-mishaps were defined as satisfying any one, or more, criteria (controlled flight into terrain/obstacles (CFIT), downdrafts, mountain obscuration, wind-shear, gusting winds, whiteout, instrument meteorological conditions; density altitude, dust-devil) cited as factors/causal in the NTSB report. Statistics employed Poisson distribution and contingency tables. Although the MEHET-related accident rate declined (pairplanes and flying under IFR to assure terrain clearance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of high altitude training on exercise capacity: fact or myth.

Science.gov (United States)

de Paula, Paula; Niebauer, Josef

2012-03-01

High altitude training has become a mainstay in endurance sports, with live high-train low as the current protocol of choice. Athletes either live or sleep in artificial or natural hypoxic conditions with the aim to increase serum erythropoietin concentrations, which are thought to improve maximum oxygen uptake and thus exercise performance. Changes, however, are not very striking and only apparent in so-called responders, who are not a well-defined group and may be as little as 50% of the trained study population. Whereas some studies show minor improvement, others report no change or even worsening. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind the proposed beneficial changes remain obscure and are far from being proven. There is an evident lack of sufficiently powered randomized, double-blinded studies, with training protocols that are identical for all groups and groups that are indeed comparable. Several studies discriminate between responders and non-responders, without clearly assessing the characteristics of the so-called responders. Until this has been done, it remains unclear if such a group really exists and how these subjects are characterized. This, however, would be of immense value, so protocols could be tailored to athletes' needs. Taken together, the current literature on natural or artificial hypoxia somewhat documents improved performance at high but not low altitude.

The Overdense Environments of WISE-Selected, Ultra-Luminous, High-Redshift AGN in the Submillimeter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, Suzy F., E-mail: suzy.jones@chalmers.se [Department of Space, Earth, and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory, Onsala (Sweden)

2017-11-21

The environments around WISE-selected hot dust obscured galaxies (Hot DOGs) and WISE/radio-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at average redshifts of z = 2.7 and z = 1.7, respectively, were found to have overdensities of companion Submillimeter-selected sources. The overdensities were of ~2–3 and ~5–6, respectively, compared with blank field submm surveys. The space densities in both samples were found to be overdense compared to normal star-forming galaxies and Submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). All of the companion sources have consistent mid-IR colors and mid-IR to submm ratios to SMGs. Monte Carlo simulations show no angular correlation, which could indicate protoclusters on scales larger than the SCUBA-2 1.5 arcmin scale maps. WISE-selected AGNs appear to be good indicators of overdense areas of active galaxies at high redshift.

Revisiting the incidence of Mg II absorbers along the blazar sightlines

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Sapna; Chand, Hum; Gopal-Krishna; Joshi, Ravi

2018-04-01

It is believed that the cool gas clouds traced by Mg II absorption, within a velocity offset of 5000 km/s from the background quasar, are associated with the quasar itself, whereas the absorbers seen at larger velocity offsets towards us are intervening systems and hence their existence is completely independent of the background quasar. Recent evidence by Bergeron et al. 2011 (hereafter BBM), however, seriously questions this canonical view, by showing that the number density of intervening Mg II absorbers along the sightlines towards 45 blazars is, on average, 2 times the expectation based on the Mg II absorption systems seen on the sightlines to normal QSOs. Given the serious implications of this finding, it becomes important to revisit this issue by enlarging the source sample and subjecting it to an independent analysis. Here, we first report our results based on a re-analysis of the spectroscopic data for the BBM sample; this has reproduced their factor 2 excess in dN/dz along blazar sightlines, vis-a-vis the normal QSOs. Next, we assemble a 6 times larger sample of blazar sightlines, albeit with lower SNR. Using this enlarged sample together with the BBM sample, our analysis shows that the dN/dz of Mg II absorbers statistically matches that known for normal QSO sightlines.

The response of film badge dosemeters to high energy photon radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Playle, T.S.

1988-12-01

The sites of the earlier magnox reactor power stations at Berkeley and Bradwell in the United Kingdom are subject to 6 MeV photon radiation from the coolant gas. Since 1966 the Central Electricity Generating Board has included in its film badge personal dosimetry procedures an algorithm for applying a correction for over-response to high energy photon radiation. The correction is based on laboratory irradiations using a source of pure 6 MeV photon radiation. Recently, the opportunity arose to evaluate the response of the film badges at locations around the Berkeley reactors where spectrum-dependent dose equivalent rates had been measured. This report compares the response of the film badge in these characterised radiation environments with the response measured in the calibration laboratory. It is concluded that in the location where measurements were made, the high energy enhancement of measured dose was obscured by the effects of low energy scattered radiation, and it is considered that this will be the case for all practical situations on the power station site. There is therefore no advantage in using the 6 MeV correction factors for routine film badge dosimetry in these locations. (author)

High-Accuracy Near-Surface Large-Eddy Simulation with Planar Topography

Science.gov (United States)

2015-08-03

parabolic profile characteristic of laminar Newtonian channel flow. Thus, although the LES equation contains no true frictional term, the numerical LES...least five times than the spurious viscous length scale. The inequality (30) is satisfied when * , so that the first and second criteria are met...lines of constant slope 2 1 / N  . However the variation in 1 is not so great as to obscure the strong inverse relationship between the slopes

X-ray effects on karyotype of Drosophila pseudo obscure. Pilot experience; Efecto de los rayos X en el cariotipo de Drosophila pseudoobscura. Experimento piloto

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salceda, V. M. [ININ, Departamento de Biologia, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)], e-mail: victor.salceda@inin.gob.mx

2009-10-15

Four groups of 100 males of Drosophila pseudo obscure carriers of genetic sequence Tree Line were treated with X-rays, through the use of a X-ray equipment Phillips MCN321; with absorbed individual doses of 28.2 Gy, 37.6 Gy, 47.6 Gy and 56.4 Gy, once irradiated these were crossed individually with two or three virgin females of the same constitution and the descendant emergency was took a larva of each crossing in order to detect the radiation effect on karyotype Tree Line of these organisms, chromosomal aberrations fundamentally, as well as on masculine sterility. Our observations gave as result for smaller dose, in a total of 61 analyzed larva, the obtaining of seven translocations equivalent to 11.5% as well as an inversion of 1.6%; with the following dose (58 analyzed larva) were obtained four translocations equal to 6.9%, two corresponding inversions to 3.4%, a mosaic and a deletion equivalent to 1.7%; with the dose of 47.6 Gy four translocations were induced 6.8% and deletion corresponding to 1.1%, again two respective inversions to 3.4% and a mosaic 1.7% in 59 analyzed larvas, meantime with the dose of 56.4 Gy appeared two translocations only equal to 3.7% in a sample of 54 individuals. The effect about masculine sterility was equal that the witness of 12% and for two following doses and finally of 41 and 46% respectively for the remaining doses. Comparisons with another authors gave similar values in the total cases. In accordance with our main objective, it is suggested to increase the sample size and to repeat the experiments using different genetic sequences as well as the possibility to use different radiation sources like gamma radiation and this way to utilize this system like a biological dosemeter. (Author)

Damped Lyman-alpha absorption by disk galaxies with large redshifts. III. Intermediate-resolution spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turnshek, D.A.; Wolfe, A.M.; Lanzetta, K.M.; Briggs, F.H.; Cohen, R.D.

1989-01-01

New intermediate-resolution spectroscopy for six members of a sample of 68 moderate- to high-redshift QSOs is presented. Evidence is reported which indicates that seven strong absorption features in the QSO spectra are due to damped Ly-alpha absorption. A standard curve-of-growth analysis on five of the damped systems is performed, and relevant properties are tabulated and discussed. Six of the seven damped Ly-alpha systems have H I column densities of 2 x 10 to the 20th/sq cm or larger, while the remaining system has an H I column density of about 10 to the 20th/sq cm. It is suggested that damped Ly-alpha systems arise when a sight line intercepts a high-redshift protogalaxy disk containing a quiescent cloud component characterized by high column density and low effective velocity dispersion. At the same time, the sight line usually intercepts a broader turbulent component, which is identified as the halo, characterized by much lower column density and higher effective velocity dispersion. 42 refs

Natural Selection on Genes Related to Cardiovascular Health in High-Altitude Adapted Andeans.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Jacob E; Amaru, Ricardo; Song, Jihyun; Julian, Colleen G; Racimo, Fernando; Cheng, Jade Yu; Guo, Xiuqing; Yao, Jie; Ambale-Venkatesh, Bharath; Lima, João A; Rotter, Jerome I; Stehlik, Josef; Moore, Lorna G; Prchal, Josef T; Nielsen, Rasmus

2017-11-02

The increase in red blood cell mass (polycythemia) due to the reduced oxygen availability (hypoxia) of residence at high altitude or other conditions is generally thought to be beneficial in terms of increasing tissue oxygen supply. However, the extreme polycythemia and accompanying increased mortality due to heart failure in chronic mountain sickness most likely reduces fitness. Tibetan highlanders have adapted to high altitude, possibly in part via the selection of genetic variants associated with reduced polycythemic response to hypoxia. In contrast, high-altitude-adapted Quechua- and Aymara-speaking inhabitants of the Andean Altiplano are not protected from high-altitude polycythemia in the same way, yet they exhibit other adaptive features for which the genetic underpinnings remain obscure. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing to scan high-altitude Andeans for signals of selection. The genes showing the strongest evidence of selection-including BRINP3, NOS2, and TBX5-are associated with cardiovascular development and function but are not in the response-to-hypoxia pathway. Using association mapping, we demonstrated that the haplotypes under selection are associated with phenotypic variations related to cardiovascular health. We hypothesize that selection in response to hypoxia in Andeans could have vascular effects and could serve to mitigate the deleterious effects of polycythemia rather than reduce polycythemia itself. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

High-Throughput Mapping of Single-Neuron Projections by Sequencing of Barcoded RNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Kebschull, Justus M; Garcia da Silva, Pedro; Reid, Ashlan P; Peikon, Ian D; Albeanu, Dinu F; Zador, Anthony M

2016-09-07

Neurons transmit information to distant brain regions via long-range axonal projections. In the mouse, area-to-area connections have only been systematically mapped using bulk labeling techniques, which obscure the diverse projections of intermingled single neurons. Here we describe MAPseq (Multiplexed Analysis of Projections by Sequencing), a technique that can map the projections of thousands or even millions of single neurons by labeling large sets of neurons with random RNA sequences ("barcodes"). Axons are filled with barcode mRNA, each putative projection area is dissected, and the barcode mRNA is extracted and sequenced. Applying MAPseq to the locus coeruleus (LC), we find that individual LC neurons have preferred cortical targets. By recasting neuroanatomy, which is traditionally viewed as a problem of microscopy, as a problem of sequencing, MAPseq harnesses advances in sequencing technology to permit high-throughput interrogation of brain circuits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcription of highly repetitive tandemly organized DNA in amphibians and birds: A historical overview and modern concepts.

Science.gov (United States)

Trofimova, Irina; Krasikova, Alla

2016-12-01

Tandemly organized highly repetitive DNA sequences are crucial structural and functional elements of eukaryotic genomes. Despite extensive evidence, satellite DNA remains an enigmatic part of the eukaryotic genome, with biological role and significance of tandem repeat transcripts remaining rather obscure. Data on tandem repeats transcription in amphibian and avian model organisms is fragmentary despite their genomes being thoroughly characterized. Review systematically covers historical and modern data on transcription of amphibian and avian satellite DNA in somatic cells and during meiosis when chromosomes acquire special lampbrush form. We highlight how transcription of tandemly repetitive DNA sequences is organized in interphase nucleus and on lampbrush chromosomes. We offer LTR-activation hypotheses of widespread satellite DNA transcription initiation during oogenesis. Recent explanations are provided for the significance of high-yield production of non-coding RNA derived from tandemly organized highly repetitive DNA. In many cases the data on the transcription of satellite DNA can be extrapolated from lampbrush chromosomes to interphase chromosomes. Lampbrush chromosomes with applied novel technical approaches such as superresolution imaging, chromosome microdissection followed by high-throughput sequencing, dynamic observation in life-like conditions provide amazing opportunities for investigation mechanisms of the satellite DNA transcription.

The light up and early evolution of high redshift Supermassive Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Comastri, Andrea; Brusa, Marcella; Aird, James; Lanzuisi, Giorgio

2016-07-01

The known AGN population at z > 6 is made by luminous optical QSO hosting Supermassive Black Holes (M > 10 ^{9}solar masses), likely to represent the tip of the iceberg of the luminosity and mass function. According to theoretical models for structure formation, Massive Black Holes (M _{BH} 10^{4-7} solar masses) are predicted to be abundant in the early Universe (z > 6). The majority of these lower luminosity objects are expected to be obscured and severely underepresented in current optical near-infrared surveys. The detection of such a population would provide unique constraints on the Massive Black Holes formation mechanism and subsequent growth and is within the capabilities of deep and large area ATHENA surveys. After a summary of the state of the art of present deep XMM and Chandra surveys, at z >3-6 also mentioning the expectations for the forthcoming eROSITA all sky survey; I will present the observational strategy of future multi-cone ATHENA Wide Field Imager (WFI) surveys and the expected breakthroughs in the determination of the luminosity function and its evolution at high (> 4) and very high (>6) redshifts.

Approaches to Determining the Oxidation State of Nitrogen and Carbon Atoms in Organic Compounds for High School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Jurowski, Kamil; Krzeczkowska, Malgorzata Krystyna; Jurowska, Anna

2015-01-01

The concept of oxidation state (or oxidation number) and related issues have always been difficult for students. In addition, there are misunderstandings and obscurities, which can cause improper balancing of the chemical equations (mostly in organic reactions). In particular, these problems are related to determination of the oxidation state of…

Erratum: "Space Density of Optically Selected Type 2 Quasars" (2008, AJ, 136, 2373)

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Reinabelle; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Strauss, Michael A.; Green, Joshua; Krolik, Julian H.; Shen, Yue; Richards, Gordon T.; Anderson, Scott F.; Schneider, Donald P.

2010-03-01

Figure 12 of the paper "Space Density of Optically Selected Type 2 Quasars" compares the obscured quasar fractions derived in our work with those of other studies. Unfortunately, some of the points from these other studies were shown incorrectly. Specifically, the results from X-ray data—Hasinger (2004; open circles) and Ueda et al. (2003; open squares)—which we had taken from Figure 16 of Hopkins et al. (2006), were affected by a luminosity conversion error, in the sense that the displayed luminosities for these data were too high by ~1 dex. With this erratum, we correct this problem and update the figure. The new version (Figure 12) shows more recent results from Hasinger (2008), in lieu of the Hasinger (2004) data points. These are based on data in the redshift range z = 0.2-3.2 (open circles) in that work. The best linear fit to these data (black dashed line) is consistent with that derived for the redshift slice z = 0.4-0.8, which overlaps with the highest redshift bin in our study, and is higher than that derived for redshifts smaller than 0.4 (corresponding to a shift of ~0.7 dex in luminosity). Figure 12 also shows estimates of the obscured quasar fraction derived from the ratio of IR to bolometric luminosities of an AGN sample at redshift z ~ 1 (Treister et al. 2008; filled triangles). Because the obscured quasar fractions derived from our analysis (colored arrows) are strict lower limits, there was already a hint in the previous version of Figure 12 that at high quasar luminosities, we find higher obscured quasar fractions than X-ray surveys. The correction and updates of Figure 12 strengthen this conclusion. At face value, our derived obscured quasar fractions are consistent with those from IR data (Treister et al. 2008; filled triangles). However, we find that they are significantly higher than those derived from X-ray surveys at L_[O\\,\\mathsc {iii]}\\gtrsim 10^{9.5}\\;L_{\\odot }, especially those from the recent analysis by Hasinger (2008). This

Inhalation Toxicity of Cogenerated Graphite Flake and Fog Oil Smoke in the Brown-Headed Cowbird and the Red-Winged Blackbird, Size-Specific Inhalation Surrogates for the Red-Cockaged Woodpecker

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Driver, Crystal; Fulton, Robert; Ollero, Jennifer; Clark, Mark; Dennis, Gary; Tiller, Brett; Balbach, Harold E

2005-01-01

.... Conducting maneuvers under obscurant cover is important for realistic training. Generators that combine fog oil for visual obscuration with graphite flakes for infrared obscuration are being deployed for training scenarios...

Pulmonary Effects of Pyrotechnically Disseminated Titanium Dioxide Smoke in Rats

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Anthony, J. S; Kristovich, Robert L; McCaskey, David A; Davis, Emily A; Matson, Kathy L; Burnett, David; Gaviola, Bernardita P; Crouse, Charles L; Horsmon, Michael S; Kimmel, Edgar C

2007-01-01

The Fast Obscurant Grenade (FOG) is a bursting type grenade that has been developed within the Family of Tactical Obscuration Devices to fulfill the small through medium area screening obscuration need...

Erratum: Wise Detections of Known Qsos at Redshifts Greater than Six

Science.gov (United States)

Blain, Andrew W.; Assef, Roberto; Stern, Daniel K.; Tsai, Chao-Wei; Eisenhardt, Peter; Bridge, Carrie; Benford, Dominic J; Jarrett, Tom; Cutri, Roc; Petty, Sara;

Intraday X-Ray Variability of QSOs/AGN Using the Chandra Archives

Science.gov (United States)

Tartamella, C.; Busche, J.

2005-05-01

X-ray variability is a common characteristic of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and it can be used to probe the nuclear region at short time scales. Quantitative analysis of this variability has been difficult due to low signal-to-noise ratios and short time baselines, but serendipitous Chandra data acquired within the last six years have opened the door to such analysis. Cross-correlation of the Chandra archives with QSO/AGN catalogs on NASA's HEASARC website (e.g. Veron, Sloan) yields a sample of 50+ objects that satisfy the following criteria: absolute magnitude M≤ -22.5, proper time baselines greater than 2 hours, and count rates leading to 10% error bars for 8+ flux points on the light curve. The sample includes a range of red-shifts, magnitudes, and type (e.g. radio loud, radio quiet), and hence may yield empirical clues about luminosity or evolutionary trends. As a beginning of such analysis, we present 11 light curves for 9 objects for which the exposure time was greater than 10 hours. The variability was analyzed using three different statistical methods. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test proved to be impractical because of the unavoidably small number of data points and the simplistic nature of the test. A χ2 test indicated in most cases that there were significant departures from constant brightness (as expected). Autocorrelation plots were also generated for each light curve. With more work and a larger sample size, these plots can be used to identify any trends in the lightcurve such as whether the variability is stochastic or periodic in nature. This test was useful even with the small number of datapoints available. In future work, more sophisticated analyses based on Fourier series, power density spectra, or wavelets are likely to yield more meaningful and useful results.

Identification of southern radio sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savage, A.

1976-01-01

Identifications are suggested for 32 radio sources from the southern zones of the Parkes 2700 MHz survey, 18 with galaxies, one with a confirmed and 12 with possible quasistellar objects, and one with a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The identifications were made from the ESO IIa-O quick blue survey plates, the SRC IIIa-J deep survey plates and the Palomar sky survey prints. Accurate optical positions have also been measured for 10 of the objects and for five previously suggested QSOs. (author)

Highly derived eutherian mammals from the earliest Cretaceous of southern Britain

OpenAIRE

Steven C. Sweetman; Grant Smith; David M. Martill

2017-01-01

Eutherian mammals (Placentalia and all mammals phylogenetically closer to placentals than to marsupials) comprise the vast majority of extant Mammalia. Among these there is a phenomenal range of forms and sizes, but the origins of crown group placentals are obscure. They lie within the generally tiny mammals of the Mesozoic, represented for the most part by isolated teeth and jaws, and there is strongly conflicting evidence from phenomic and molecular data as to the date of origin of both Eut...

WARM GAS IN THE VIRGO CLUSTER. I. DISTRIBUTION OF Lyα ABSORBERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Joo Heon; Putman, Mary E.; Bryan, Greg L.; Thom, Christopher; Chen, Hsiao-Wen

2012-01-01

The first systematic study of the warm gas (T = 10 4–5 K) distribution across a galaxy cluster is presented using multiple background QSOs in and around the Virgo Cluster. We detect 25 Lyα absorbers (N HI = 10 13.1–15.4 cm –2 ) in the Virgo velocity range toward 9 of 12 QSO sightlines observed with the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph, with a cluster impact parameter range of 0.36-1.65 Mpc (0.23-1.05 R vir ). Including 18 Lyα absorbers previously detected by STIS or GHRS toward 7 of 11 background QSOs in and around the Virgo Cluster, we establish a sample of 43 absorbers toward a total of 23 background probes for studying the incidence of Lyα absorbers in and around the Virgo Cluster. With these absorbers, we find (1) warm gas is predominantly in the outskirts of the cluster and avoids the X-ray-detected hot intracluster medium (ICM). Also, Lyα absorption strength increases with cluster impact parameter. (2) Lyα-absorbing warm gas traces cold H I-emitting gas in the substructures of the Virgo Cluster. (3) Including the absorbers associated with the surrounding substructures, the warm gas covering fraction (100% for N HI > 10 13.1 cm –2 ) is in agreement with cosmological simulations. We speculate that the observed warm gas is part of large-scale gas flows feeding the cluster both in the ICM and galaxies.

The properties of X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei. I - Luminosity function, cosmological evolution, and contribution to the diffuse X-ray background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maccacaro, T.; Della ceca, R.; Gioia, I.M.; Morris, S.L.; Stocke, J.T.

1991-01-01

X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) and their implications for cosmological evolution are determined for 420 X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN). The local XLFs flatten considerably when L(x) is less than or equal to 5 x 10 to the 42nd ergs/s, and higher-luminosity XLF are demonstrated to fit a power-law approximation. Cosmological evolution in terms of two pure-luminosity evolutionary models is directly supported by model-independent AGN XLF, showing weak evolution when z is less than 0.4 and more pronounced evolution at higher z. The parameter C is determined for the two models, and the values support the 'slower' evolution of these AGN relative to QSOs selected optically. The deevolved XLF best-fit slope is found to be 3.05 for high luminosities and 1.35 for low luminosities, with no evidence of slope changes for other luminosities. 38 refs

Mining the Obscured OB Star Population in Carina

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Michael

2016-04-01

Massive OB stars are very influential objects in the ecology of galaxies like our own. Current catalogues of Galactic OB stars are heavily biased towards bright (g selected OB stars across the entire Southern Galactic plane, both within clusters and in the field, down to ∼20th magnitude in g. For the first time, a complete accounting of the OB star runaway phenomenon becomes possible. Along with making the primary selection using VPHAS+ colours, I have performed Markov-Chain Monte Carlo fitting of the spectral energy distributions of the selected stars by combining VPHAS+ u, g, r, i with published J, H, K photometry. This gives rough constraints on effective temperature and distance, whilst delivering much more precise reddening parameters A0 and RV - allowing us to build a much richer picture of how extinction and extinction laws vary across the Galactic Plane. My thesis begins with a description of the method of photometric selection of OB star candidates and its validation across a 2 square degree field including the well-known young massive star cluster Westerlund 2 (Mohr-Smith et al., 2015). Following on from this I present spectroscopy with AAOmega of 283 candidates identified by our method, which confirms that ∼94% of the sample are the expected O and early B stars. I then develop this method further and apply it to a Galactic Plane strip of 42 square-degrees that runs from the Carina Arm tangent region to the much studied massive cluster in NGC 3603. A new aspect I attend to in this expansion of method is tightening up the uniform photometric calibration of the data, paying particular attention to the always-challenging u band. This leads to a new and reliable catalogue of 5915 OB stars. As well as increasing the numbers of identified massive stars in this large region of the sky by nearly an order of magnitude, a more complete picture of massive star formation in the Carina Arm has emerged. I have found a broad over-density of O stars around the highly

Sample size effect on the determination of the irreversibility line of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Q.; Suenaga, M.; Li, Q.; Freltoft, T.

1994-01-01

The irreversibility lines of a high-J c superconducting Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O x /Ag tape were systematically measured upon a sequence of subdivisions of the sample. The irreversibility field H r (T) (parallel to the c axis) was found to change approximately as L 0.13 , where L is the effective dimension of the superconducting tape. Furthermore, it was found that the irreversibility line for a grain-aligned Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O x specimen can be approximately reproduced by the extrapolation of this relation down to a grain size of a few tens of micrometers. The observed size effect could significantly obscure the real physical meaning of the irreversibility lines. In addition, this finding surprisingly indicated that the Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 2 O x /Ag tape and grain-aligned specimen may have similar flux line pinning strength

High-contrast visible nulling coronagraph for segmented and arbitrary telescope apertures

Science.gov (United States)

Hicks, Brian A.; Lyon, Richard G.; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Clampin, Mark; Petrone, Peter

2014-08-01

Exoplanet coronagraphy will be driven by the telescope architectures available and thus the system designer must have available one or more suitable coronagraphic instrument choices that spans the set of telescope apertures, including filled (off-axis), obscured (e.g. with secondary mirror spiders and struts), segmented apertures, such as JWST, and interferometric apertures. In this work we present one such choice of coronagraph, known as the visible nulling coronagraph (VNC), that spans all four types of aperture and also employs differential sensing and control.

Confrontation of the Magnetically Arrested Disc Scenario with Observations of FR II Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rusinek, Katarzyna; Sikora, Marek, E-mail: krusinek@camk.edu.pl [Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw (Poland)

2017-10-12

The main aim of our work was to check whether powers of jets in FR II radio galaxies (RGs) and quasars (QSOs) can be reproduced by the Magnetically Arrested Disc (MAD) scenario. Assuming that established in the recent numerical simulations of the MAD scenario the (H/R){sup 2} dependence of the jet production efficiency is correct, we demonstrate that in order to reproduce the observed jet powers in FR II sources: (i) accretion discs must be geometrically much thicker than the standard ones; (ii) and/or that the jet production is strongly modulated.

ANÁLISIS COMPARATIVO DE FRAMEWORKS PARA EL DESARROLLO DE APLICACIONES WEB EN JAVA

OpenAIRE

Sánchez Acosta, Carlos; Universidad Señor de Sipán; Tuesta Monteza, Victor; Universidad Señor de Sipán; Mejía Cabrera, Iván

2015-01-01

En éste documento se presenta un análisis comparativo de frameworks en Java para el desarrollo de aplicaciones web, aplicando una matriz de un modelo de evaluación. Para analizar los frameworks y seleccionarlos se realizó en base a criterios de madurez y documentación, obteniendo como resultado los Frameworks Spring, Struts, JSF, Angular JS para su evaluación.  Asimismo para el análisis teórico de frameworks se formuló un método QSOS, concebido para definir características comparativas del so...

CHARACTERIZING THE MID-INFRARED EXTRAGALACTIC SKY WITH WISE AND SDSS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Lin; Donoso, E.; Tsai, Chao-Wei; Cutri, R.; Jarrett, T.; Stern, D.; Assef, R. J.; Eisenhardt, P.; Blain, A. W.; Stanford, S. A.; Wright, E.; Bridge, C.; Riechers, D. A.

2013-01-01

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has completed its all-sky survey in four channels at 3.4-22 μm, detecting hundreds of millions of objects. We merge the WISE mid-infrared data with optical data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and provide a phenomenological characterization of WISE extragalactic sources. WISE is most sensitive at 3.4 μm (W1) and least sensitive at 22 μm (W4). The W1 band probes massive early-type galaxies out to z ∼> 1. This is more distant than SDSS identified early-type galaxies, consistent with the fact that 28% of 3.4 μm sources have faint or no r-band counterparts (r > 22.2). In contrast, 92%-95% of 12 μm and 22 μm sources have SDSS optical counterparts with r ≤ 22.2. WISE 3.4 μm detects 89.8% of the entire SDSS QSO catalog at S/N W1 >7σ, but only 18.9% at 22 μm with S/N W4 > 5σ. We show that WISE colors alone are effective in isolating stars (or local early-type galaxies), star-forming galaxies, and strong active galactic nuclei (AGNs)/QSOs at z ∼ 0.8 and W2 –2 . (2) Selection of dust-obscured, type-2 AGN/QSO candidates. We show that WISE W1 – W2 > 0.8, W2 6 (Vega) colors can be used to identify type-2 AGN candidates. The fraction of these type-2 AGN candidates is one-third of all WISE color-selected AGNs. (3) Selection of ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z ∼ 2 with extremely red colors, r – W4 > 14 or well-detected 22 μm sources lacking detections in the 3.4 and 4.6 μm bands. The surface density of z ∼ 2 ULIRG candidates selected with r – W4 > 14 is 0.9 ± 0.07 deg –2 at S/N W4 ≥ 5 (the corresponding, lowest flux density of 2.5 mJy), which is consistent with that inferred from smaller area Spitzer surveys. Optical spectroscopy of a small number of these high-redshift ULIRG candidates confirms our selection, and reveals a possible trend that optically fainter or r – W4 redder candidates are at higher redshifts.

Focusing polycapillary to reduce parasitic scattering for inelastic x-ray measurements at high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, P.; Xiao, Y. M.; Rod, E.; Bai, L. G.; Shen, G. Y.; Sinogeikin, S.; Gao, N.; Ding, Y.; Mao, H.-K.

2015-01-01

The double-differential scattering cross-section for the inelastic scattering of x-ray photons from electrons is typically orders of magnitude smaller than that of elastic scattering. With samples 10-100 μm size in a diamond anvil cell at high pressure, the inelastic x-ray scattering signals from samples are obscured by scattering from the cell gasket and diamonds. One major experimental challenge is to measure a clean inelastic signal from the sample in a diamond anvil cell. Among the many strategies for doing this, we have used a focusing polycapillary as a post-sample optic, which allows essentially only scattered photons within its input field of view to be refocused and transmitted to the backscattering energy analyzer of the spectrometer. We describe the modified inelastic x-ray spectrometer and its alignment. With a focused incident beam which matches the sample size and the field of view of polycapillary, at relatively large scattering angles, the polycapillary effectively reduces parasitic scattering from the diamond anvil cell gasket and diamonds. Raw data collected from the helium exciton measured by x-ray inelastic scattering at high pressure using the polycapillary method are compared with those using conventional post-sample slit collimation

A Battlefield Obscuration Model (Smoke & Dust)

Science.gov (United States)

1979-10-01

ia £ utace of clouds, izsclacioon (incoming radiation) during :he day ts dependent upon solar ali.::ude, which is a fuc nof time of: d&7 and time of...year. ’Irnn clouds exisc, chai~r cover and :b*ickness decrease incoming and ouzgoingS radiation. Z-a this syscea iasola:ion ts estimated b7 solar ...alzictude and =odi44ed -or existing condi:±ons of total cloud cover and cloud ceiling height. kc zig~ic, estimates of oucgoing radiacion are =ade by

Anders Breivik: On Copying the Obscure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Co-author of Follow Us or Die (Atropos Press, 2009—a collection of journal entries, manifestoes and even a play from people that would go on to massacre their fellow classates and students at their local schools—van Gerven Oei presents a critical analysis of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer.

Heavily Obscured AGN with SIMBOL-X

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceca, R. Della; Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.

2009-01-01

By comparing an optically selected sample of narrow lines AGN with an X-ray selected sample of AGN we have recently derived an estimate of the intrinsic (i.e. before absorption) 2-10 keV luminosity function (XLF) of Compton Thick AGNs. We will use this XLF to derive the number of Compton Thick AGN that will be found in the SIMBOL-X survey(s).

Heavily Obscured AGN with SIMBOL-X

Science.gov (United States)

Della Ceca, R.; Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.

2009-05-01

By comparing an optically selected sample of narrow lines AGN with an X-ray selected sample of AGN we have recently derived an estimate of the intrinsic (i.e. before absorption) 2-10 keV luminosity function (XLF) of Compton Thick AGNs. We will use this XLF to derive the number of Compton Thick AGN that will be found in the SIMBOL-X survey(s).

Developmentalism: An Obscure but Pervasive Restriction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. E. Stone

1996-04-01

Full Text Available Despite continuing criticism of public education, experimentally demonstrated and field tested teaching methods have been ignored, rejected, and abandoned. Instead of a stable consensus regarding best teaching practices, there seems only an unending succession of innovations. A longstanding educational doctrine appears to underlie this anomalous state of affairs. Termed developmentalism, it presumes "natural" ontogenesis to be optimal and it requires experimentally demonstrated teaching practices to overcome a presumption that they interfere with an optimal developmental trajectory. It also discourages teachers and parents from asserting themselves with children. Instead of effective interventions, it seeks the preservation of a postulated natural perfection. Developmentalism's rich history is expressed in a literature extending over 400 years. Its notable exponents include Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Dewey, and Jean Piaget; and its most recent expressions include "developmentally appropriate practice" and "constructivism." In the years during which it gained ascendance, developmentalism served as a basis for rejecting harsh and inhumane teaching methods. Today it impedes efforts to hold schools accountable for student academic achievement.

PROPERTIES OF QSO METAL-LINE ABSORPTION SYSTEMS AT HIGH REDSHIFTS: NATURE AND EVOLUTION OF THE ABSORBERS AND NEW EVIDENCE ON ESCAPE OF IONIZING RADIATION FROM GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boksenberg, Alec [Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA (United Kingdom); Sargent, Wallace L. W., E-mail: boksy@ast.cam.ac.uk [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2015-05-15

Using Voigt-profile-fitting procedures on Keck High Resolution Spectrograph spectra of nine QSOs, we identify 1099 C IV absorber components clumped in 201 systems outside the Lyman forest over 1.6 ≲ z ≲ 4.4. With associated Si IV, C II, Si II  and N V where available, we investigate the bulk statistical and ionization properties of the components and systems and find no significant change in redshift for C IV and Si IV while C II, Si II  and N V change substantially. The C IV components exhibit strong clustering, but no clustering is detected for systems on scales from 150 km s{sup –1} out to 50,000 km s{sup –1}. We conclude that the clustering is due entirely to the peculiar velocities of gas present in the circumgalactic media of galaxies. Using specific combinations of ionic ratios, we compare our observations with model ionization predictions for absorbers exposed to the metagalactic ionizing radiation background augmented by proximity radiation from their associated galaxies and find that the generally accepted means of radiative escape by transparent channels from the internal star-forming sites is spectrally not viable for our stronger absorbers. We develop an active scenario based on runaway stars with resulting changes in the efflux of radiation that naturally enable the needed spectral convergence, and in turn provide empirical indicators of morphological evolution in the associated galaxies. Together with a coexisting population of relatively compact galaxies indicated by the weaker absorbers in our sample, the collective escape of radiation is sufficient to maintain the intergalactic medium ionized over the full range 1.9 < z ≲ 4.4.

Empirical high-latitude electric field models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heppner, J.P.; Maynard, N.C.

1987-01-01

Electric field measurements from the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite have been analyzed to extend the empirical models previously developed from dawn-dusk OGO 6 measurements (J.P. Heppner, 1977). The analysis embraces large quantities of data from polar crossings entering and exiting the high latitudes in all magnetic local time zones. Paralleling the previous analysis, the modeling is based on the distinctly different polar cap and dayside convective patterns that occur as a function of the sign of the Y component of the interplanetary magnetic field. The objective, which is to represent the typical distributions of convective electric fields with a minimum number of characteristic patterns, is met by deriving one pattern (model BC) for the northern hemisphere with a +Y interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and southern hemisphere with a -Y IMF and two patterns (models A and DE) for the northern hemisphere with a -Y IMF and southern hemisphere with a +Y IMF. The most significant large-scale revisions of the OGO 6 models are (1) on the dayside where the latitudinal overlap of morning and evening convection cells reverses with the sign of the IMF Y component, (2) on the nightside where a westward flow region poleward from the Harang discontinuity appears under model BC conditions, and (3) magnetic local time shifts in the positions of the convection cell foci. The modeling above was followed by a detailed examination of cases where the IMF Z component was clearly positive (northward). Neglecting the seasonally dependent cases where irregularities obscure pattern recognition, the observations range from reasonable agreement with the new BC and DE models, to cases where different characteristics appeared primarily at dayside high latitudes

EVIDENCE FROM THE VERY LONG BASELINE ARRAY THAT J1502SE/SW ARE DOUBLE HOTSPOTS, NOT A SUPERMASSIVE BINARY BLACK HOLE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wrobel, J. M.; Walker, R. C.; Fu, H.

2014-01-01

SDSS J150243.09+111557.3 is a merging system at z = 0.39 that hosts two confirmed active galactic nuclei (AGNs), one unobscured and one dust-obscured, offset by several kiloparsecs. Deane et al. recently reported evidence from the European VLBI Network (EVN) that the dust-obscured AGN exhibits two flat-spectrum radio sources, J1502SE/SW, offset by 26 mas (140 pc), with each source being energized by its own supermassive black hole (BH). This intriguing interpretation of a close binary BH was reached after ruling out a double-hotspot scenario, wherein both hotspots are energized by a single, central BH, a configuration occurring in the well-studied compact symmetric objects. When observed with sufficient sensitivity and resolution, an object with double hotspots should have an edge-brightened structure. We report evidence from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) for just such a structure in an image of the obscured AGN with higher sensitivity and resolution than the EVN images. We thus conclude that a double-hotspot scenario should be reconsidered as a viable interpretation for J1502SE/SW, and suggest further VLBA tests of that scenario. A double-hotspot scenario could have broad implications for feedback in obscured AGNs. We also report a VLBA detection of high-brightness-temperature emission from the unobscured AGN that is offset several kiloparsecs from J1502SE/SW

Understanding the build-up of supermassive black holes and galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carrera, Francisco; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Georgakakis, Antonis

2016-07-01

One of the main open questions in modern Astrophysics is understanding the coupled growth of supermassive black holes by accretion and their host galaxies via star formation, from their peak at redshifts z~ 1-4 to the present time. The generic scenario proposed involves an early phase of intense black hole growth that takes place behind large obscuring columns of inflowing dust and gas clouds. It is postulated that this is followed by a blow-out stage during which some form of AGN feedback controls the fate of the interstellar medium and hence, the evolution of the galaxy. X-rays are essential for testing this scenario as they uniquely probe AGN at both the early heavily obscured stage and the later blow-out phase. X-ray spectral analysis can identify the smoking gun evidence of heavily obscured black hole growth (e.g. intense iron Kalpha line). It therefore provides the most robust method for compiling clean samples of deeply shrouded AGN with well-defined selection functions and unbiased determinations of their intrinsic properties (accretion luminosity, obscuring column). X-rays are also the best window for studying in detail AGN feedback. This process ultimately originates in the innermost regions close to the supermassive black hole and is dominated, in terms of energy and mass flux, by highly ionisedmaterial that remains invisible at other wavelengths. The most important epoch for investigating the relation between AGN and galaxies is the redshift range z~1-4, when most black holes and stars we see in the present-day Universe were put in place. Unfortunately, exhaustive efforts with current high-energy telescopes only scrape the tip of the iceberg of the most obscured AGN population. Moreover, Xray studies of the incidence, nature and energetics of AGN feedback are limited to the local Universe. The Athena observatory will provide the technological leap required for a breakthrough in our understanding of AGN and galaxy evolution at the heyday of the Universe

Understanding the build-up of SMBH and Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Carrera, Francisco; Georgakakis, Antonis; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Akylas, Thanassis; Lanzuisi, Giorgio; Castello, N.

2015-09-01

One of the main open questions in modern Astrophysics is understanding the coupled growth of supermassive black holes by accretion and their host galaxies via star formation, from their peak at redshifts z~ 1-4 to the present time. The generic scenario proposed involves an early phase of intense black hole growth that takes place behind large obscuring columns of inflowing dust and gas clouds. It is postulated that this is followed by a blow-out stage during which some form of AGN feedback controls the fate of the interstellar medium and hence, the evolution of the galaxy. X-rays are essential for testing this scenario as they uniquely probe AGN at both the early heavily obscured stage and the later blow-out phase. X-ray spectral analysis can identify the smoking gun evidence of heavily obscured black hole growth (e.g. intense iron Kalpha line). It therefore provides the most robust method for compiling clean samples of deeply shrouded AGN with well-defined selection functions and unbiased determinations of their intrinsic properties (accretion luminosity, obscuring column). X-rays are also the best window for studying in detail AGN feedback. This process ultimately originates in the innermost regions close to the supermassive black hole and is dominated, in terms of energy and mass flux, by highly ionised material that remains invisible at other wavelengths. The most important epoch for investigating the relation between AGN and galaxies is the redshift range z~1-4, when most black holes and stars we see in the present-day Universe were put in place. Unfortunately, exhaustive efforts with current high-energy telescopes only scrape the tip of the iceberg of the most obscured AGN population. Moreover, Xray studies of the incidence, nature and energetics of AGN feedback are limited to the local Universe. The Athena observatory will provide the technological leap required for a breakthrough in our understanding of AGN and galaxy evolution at the heyday of the Universe

Membranous glomerulopathy with spherules: an uncommon variant with obscure pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalewska, Jolanta; Smith, Kelly D; Hudkins, Kelly L; Chang, Anthony; Fogo, Agnes B; Houghton, Donald; Leslie, Deena; Aitchison, John; Nicosia, Roberto F; Alpers, Charles E

2006-06-01

Occasional case reports of membranous glomerulopathy described unique subepithelial accumulations of an unusual type of immune deposit composed of spherular structures. The identity of such structures as nuclear pores has been suggested, but not established. We identified a cohort of patients (n = 14, including 1 patient with disease recurrence in an allograft) who presented with nephrotic syndrome and had renal biopsy specimens with light and immunofluorescence microscopic findings characteristic of membranous glomerulopathy. These patients were distinguished by ultrastructural studies that showed glomerular capillary wall accumulations of subepithelial immune deposits composed of uniform spherular structures, while lacking the typical granular electron-dense deposits seen in membranous glomerulopathy. The molecular identity of these spherular structures as nuclear pores was tested by using immunofluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry with mouse monoclonal antinuclear pore antibodies (Covance, Princeton, NJ) and anti-Nuclear Pore-O-Linked Glycoprotein (Affinity BioReagents Inc, Golden, CO) antibodies. Measurement of spherular structures by using high-magnification electron microscopy showed an average diameter of 84.5 nm, which correlated well with accepted diameters of nuclear pores (80 to 120 nm). Immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoperoxidase staining with both antibodies showed characteristic beaded staining of nuclear membranes of multiple cell types within normal control kidney, but no staining of immune-type deposits within glomerular basement membranes. These cases form a rare, but distinctive, morphological subclass of membranous glomerulopathy. The antigenic specificity of immune deposits in these cases remains elusive.

Dark matter and galaxy formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umemura, Masayuki

1987-01-01

We propose a hybrid model of universe for galaxy formation, that is, an Einstein- de Sitter universe dominated by two-component dark matter: massive neutrinos and cold dark matter. In this hybrid model, the first luminous objects are dwarf galaxies. The neutrino density fluctuations produce large-scale high density and low density regions, which consequently evolve to superclusters of galaxies and voids, respectively. Dwarf galaxies are formed preferentially in supercluster regions. In voids, the formation of dwarf galaxies is fairly suppressed by diffuse UV flux from QSOs, and instead a number of expanding clouds are born, which produce Lyα forest as seen in QSO spectra. Ordinary galaxies are expected to form as aggregations of dwarf galaxies. In this model, some galaxies are born also in voids, and they tend to evolve to spiral galaxies. Additionally, if the same number of globular clusters are formed in a dwarf, the specific globular cluster frequencies are expected to be much larger in ellipticals than in spirals. (author)

The Evolution of Swift/BAT blazars and the origin of the MeV background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ajello, M.; /SLAC /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Costamante, L.; /Stanford U., HEPL /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Sambruna, R.M.; Gehrels, N.; /NASA, Goddard; Chiang, J.; /SLAC /KIPAC, Menlo Park; Rau, A.; /Caltech; Escala, A.; /SLAC /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Cerro Calan Observ.; Greiner, J.; /Garching, Max Planck Inst., MPE; Tueller, J.; /NASA, Goddard; Wall, J.V.; /British Columbia U.; Mushotzky, R.F.; /NASA, Goddard

2009-10-17

We use 3 years of data from the Swift/BAT survey to select a complete sample of X-ray blazars above 15 keV. This sample comprises 26 Flat-Spectrum Radio Quasars (FSRQs) and 12 BL Lac objects detected over a redshift range of 0.03 < z < 4.0. We use this sample to determine, for the first time in the 15-55 keV band, the evolution of blazars. We find that, contrary to the Seyfert-like AGNs detected by BAT, the population of blazars shows strong positive evolution. This evolution is comparable to the evolution of luminous optical QSOs and luminous X-ray selected AGNs. We also find evidence for an epoch-dependence of the evolution as determined previously for radio-quiet AGNs. We interpret both these findings as a strong link between accretion and jet activity. In our sample, the FSRQs evolve strongly, while our best-fit shows that BL Lacs might not evolve at all. The blazar population accounts for 10-20% (depending on the evolution of the BL Lacs) of the Cosmic X-ray background (CXB) in the 15-55 keV band. We find that FSRQs can explain the entire CXB emission for energies above 500 keV solving the mystery of the generation of the MeV background. The evolution of luminous FSRQs shows a peak in redshift (z{sub c} = 4.3 {+-} 0.5) which is larger than the one observed in QSOs and X-ray selected AGNs. We argue that FSRQs can be used as tracers of massive elliptical galaxies in the early Universe.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: QSOs narrow absorption line variability (Hacker+, 2013)

Science.gov (United States)

Hacker, T. L.; Brunner, R. J.; Lundgren, B. F.; York, D. G.

2013-06-01

Catalogues of 2,522 QAL systems and 33 variable NAL systems detected in SDSS DR7 quasars with repeat observations. The object identifiers, position coordinates, and plate-MJD-fibre designations are taken from the SpecObjAll table in the SDSS Catalogue Archive Server (CAS) while the quasar redshifts (zqso) are from Hewett & Wild (2010, Cat. J/MNRAS/405/2302). The absorption system redshift (zabs), system grade, and detected lines are outputs of the York et al. (2013, in. prep.) QAL detection pipeline. Some absorption lines are flagged based on alternate identifications (a), proximity of masked pixels (b), or questionable continuum fits (c). (3 data files).

Counting Highly Cited Papers for University Research Assessment: Conceptual and Technical Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Navarro, Alonso

2012-01-01

A Kuhnian approach to research assessment requires us to consider that the important scientific breakthroughs that drive scientific progress are infrequent and that the progress of science does not depend on normal research. Consequently, indicators of research performance based on the total number of papers do not accurately measure scientific progress. Similarly, those universities with the best reputations in terms of scientific progress differ widely from other universities in terms of the scale of investments made in research and in the higher concentrations of outstanding scientists present, but less so in terms of the total number of papers or citations. This study argues that indicators for the 1% high-citation tail of the citation distribution reveal the contribution of universities to the progress of science and provide quantifiable justification for the large investments in research made by elite research universities. In this tail, which follows a power low, the number of the less frequent and highly cited important breakthroughs can be predicted from the frequencies of papers in the upper part of the tail. This study quantifies the false impression of excellence produced by multinational papers, and by other types of papers that do not contribute to the progress of science. Many of these papers are concentrated in and dominate lists of highly cited papers, especially in lower-ranked universities. The h-index obscures the differences between higher- and lower-ranked universities because the proportion of h-core papers in the 1% high-citation tail is not proportional to the value of the h-index. PMID:23071759

Discovery of an infrared nucleus in Cygnus A - An obscured quasar revealed?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djorgovski, S.; Weir, N.; Matthews, K.; Graham, J.R.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the discovery of a compact, unresolved infrared nucleus, coincident with the radio core, in the prototypical powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A (3C 405). The infrared colors and magnitudes of the nucleus can be explained as a highly reddened extension of the radio continuum. The implied restframe extinction is A(V) equal to about 50 + or - 30 magnitudes. The extinction-corrected luminosity of the object is in the quasar range. This discovery gives some support to the unification models for quasars and powerful radio galaxies. 35 refs

An Archival Chandra and XMM-Newton Survey of Type 2 Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Jianjun; Ptak, Andrew Francis; Heckman, Timothy; Zakamska, Nadia L.

2013-01-01

In order to investigate obscuration in high-luminosity type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we analyzed Chandra and XMM-Newton archival observations for 71 type 2 quasars detected at 0.05 100 eV in the rest frame) and we detect this line in the other sources through a joint fit (spectral stacking). The correlation between the Fe K alpha and [O III] fluxes and the inverse correlation of the equivalent width of the Fe Ka line with the ratio of hard X-ray and [O III] fluxes is consistent with previous results for lower luminosity Seyfert 2 galaxies. We conclude that obscuration is the cause of the weak hard X-ray emission rather than intrinsically low X-ray luminosities. We find that about half of the population of optically selected type 2 quasars are likely to be Compton thick. We also find no evidence that the amount of X-ray obscuration depends on the AGN luminosity (over a range of more than three orders of magnitude in luminosity).

A COMPACT HIGH VELOCITY CLOUD NEAR THE MAGELLANIC STREAM: METALLICITY AND SMALL-SCALE STRUCTURE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumari, Nimisha [Ecole Polytechnique, Route de Saclay, F-91128 Palaiseau (France); Fox, Andrew J.; Tumlinson, Jason; Thom, Christopher; Ely, Justin [Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Westmeier, Tobias [ICRAR, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009 (Australia)

2015-02-10

The Magellanic Stream (MS) is a well-resolved gaseous tail originating from the Magellanic Clouds. Studies of its physical properties and chemical composition are needed to understand its role in Galactic evolution. We investigate the properties of a compact HVC (CHVC 224.0-83.4-197) lying close on the sky to the MS to determine whether it is physically connected to the Stream and to examine its internal structure. Our study is based on analysis of HST/COS spectra of three QSOs (Ton S210, B0120-28, and B0117-2837) all of which pass through this single cloud at small angular separation (≲0.°72), allowing us to compare physical conditions on small spatial scales. No significant variation is detected in the ionization structure from one part of the cloud to the other. Using Cloudy photoionization models, toward Ton S210 we derive elemental abundances of [C/H] = –1.21 ± 0.11, [Si/H] = –1.16 ± 0.11, [Al/H] = –1.19 ± 0.17, and [O/H] = –1.12 ± 0.22, which agree within 0.09 dex. The CHVC abundances match the 0.1 solar abundances measured along the main body of the Stream. This suggests that the CHVC (and by extension the extended network of filaments to which it belongs) has an origin in the MS. It may represent a fragment that has been removed from the Stream as it interacts with the gaseous Galactic halo.

Analysing the advantages of high temporal resolution geostationary MSG SEVIRI data compared to Polar operational environmental satellite data for land surface monitoring in Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fensholt, Rasmus; Anyamba, Assaf; Huber Gharib, Silvia

2011-01-01

Since 1972, satellite remote sensing of the environment has been dominated by polar-orbiting sensors providing useful data for monitoring the earth’s natural resources. However their observation and monitoring capacity are inhibited by daily to monthly looks for any given ground surface which often...... is obscured by frequent and persistent cloud cover creating large gaps in time series measurements. The launch of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite into geostationary orbit has opened new opportunities for land surface monitoring. The Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI...... affected by droughts and floods in 2008 caused by periods of abnormally low and high rainfall, respectively. Based on the effectiveness of monitoring these events from Earth Observation (EO) data the current analyses show that the new generation of geostationary remote sensing data can provide higher...

Highly derived eutherian mammals from the earliest Cretaceous of southern Britain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven C. Sweetman

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Eutherian mammals (Placentalia and all mammals phylogenetically closer to placentals than to marsupials comprise the vast majority of extant Mammalia. Among these there is a phenomenal range of forms and sizes, but the origins of crown group placentals are obscure. They lie within the generally tiny mammals of the Mesozoic, represented for the most part by isolated teeth and jaws, and there is strongly conflicting evidence from phenomic and molecular data as to the date of origin of both Eutheria and Placentalia. The oldest purported eutherians are Juramaia from the Upper Jurassic of China, and Eomaia and Acristatherium from the Lower Cretaceous, also of China. Based on dental characters and analyses of other morphological and molecular data, doubt has recently been cast on the eutherian affinities of the Chinese taxa and consequently on the date of emergence of Eutheria. Until now, the only tribosphenic mammal recorded from the earliest Cretaceous (Berriasian Purbeck Group of Britain was the stem tribosphenidan Tribactonodon. Here we document two new tribosphenic mammals from the Purbeck Group, Durlstotherium gen. nov. and Durlstodon gen. nov., showing highly derived eutherian molar characters that support the early emergence of this clade, prior to the Cretaceous.

Ground based THz Spectroscopy of Obscured Starbursts in the Early Universe enabled by the 2nd generation Redshift (z) & Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS-2)

Science.gov (United States)

Vishwas, Amit; Stacey, Gordon; Nikola, Thomas; Ferkinhoff, Carl; Parshley, Stephen; Schoenwald, Justin; Lamarche, Cody James; Higdon, James; Higdon, Sarah; Brisbin, Drew; Güesten, Rolf; Weiss, Axel; Menten, Karl; Irwin, Kent; Cho, Hsiao-Mei; Niemack, Michael; Hilton, Gene; Hubmayr, Johannes; Amiri, Mandana; Halpern, Mark; Wiebe, Donald; Hasselfield, Matthew; Ade, Peter; Tucker, Carole

2018-01-01

Galaxies were surprisingly dusty in the early Universe, with more than half of the light emitted from stars being absorbed by dust within the system and re-radiated into far infrared (FIR, ~50-150μm) wavelengths. Dusty star forming galaxies (DSFGs) dominate the co-moving star formation rate density of the Universe that peaks around redshift, z~2, making it compelling to study them in rest frame FIR bands. From galaxies at z > 1, the FIR line emission from abundant ions like [O III], [C II] and [N II], are redshifted into the short sub-mm telluric windows. My thesis work is based on building and deploying the 2nd Generation Redshift (z) and Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS-2), a long-slit, echelle grating spectrometer optimized to study broad (Δv = 300km/s) spectral lines from galaxies in the 200-650µm telluric windows using TES bolometers. These far-IR lines being extinction free and major coolants of the gas heated by (young) massive stars, are powerful probes of the physical conditions of the gas and the stellar radiation field. I present results from our survey of the [O III] 88µm line in galaxies at redshift, z ~ 2.8 to 4.6, with ZEUS-2 at the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) Telescope. To interpret our observations along with ancillary data from optical to radio facilities, we apply photoionization models for HII regions and Photo Dissociation Region (PDR) models and confirm that the galaxies host substantial ongoing obscured star formation. The presence of doubly ionized oxygen suggests hard radiation fields and hence, elevated ionization parameters that can only be accounted for by a large population of massive stars formed during the ongoing starburst, that contribute a large fraction of the infrared luminosity. This study highlights the use of FIR line emission to trace the assembly of current day massive galaxies, conditions of star formation and details of their stellar populations. The construction and operation of ZEUS-2 were funded by NSF ATI

Huygens triviality of the time-independent Schrödinger equation. Applications to atomic and high energy physics

Science.gov (United States)

Kholodenko, Arkady L.; Kauffman, Louis H.

2018-03-01

Huygens triviality - a concept invented by Jacques Hadamard - describes an equivalence class connecting those 2nd order partial differential equations which are transformable into the wave equation. In this work it is demonstrated, that the Schrödinger equation with the time-independent Hamiltonian belongs to such an equivalence class. The wave equation is the equation for which Huygens' principle (HP) holds. The HP was a subject of confusion in both physics and mathematics literature for a long time. Not surprisingly, the role of this principle was obscured from the beginnings of quantum mechanics causing some theoretical and experimental misunderstandings. The purpose of this work is to bring the full clarity into this topic. By doing so, we obtained a large amount of new results related to uses of Lie sphere geometry, of twistors, of Dupin cyclides, of null electromagnetic fields, of AdS-CFT correspondence, of Penrose limits, of geometric algebra, etc. in physical problems ranging from the atomic to high energy physics and cosmology.

On orthogonality preserving quadratic stochastic operators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukhamedov, Farrukh; Taha, Muhammad Hafizuddin Mohd [Department of Computational and Theoretical Sciences, Faculty of Science International Islamic University Malaysia, P.O. Box 141, 25710 Kuantan, Pahang Malaysia (Malaysia)

2015-05-15

A quadratic stochastic operator (in short QSO) is usually used to present the time evolution of differing species in biology. Some quadratic stochastic operators have been studied by Lotka and Volterra. In the present paper, we first give a simple characterization of Volterra QSO in terms of absolutely continuity of discrete measures. Further, we introduce a notion of orthogonal preserving QSO, and describe such kind of operators defined on two dimensional simplex. It turns out that orthogonal preserving QSOs are permutations of Volterra QSO. The associativity of genetic algebras generated by orthogonal preserving QSO is studied too.

On orthogonality preserving quadratic stochastic operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhamedov, Farrukh; Taha, Muhammad Hafizuddin Mohd

2015-01-01

A quadratic stochastic operator (in short QSO) is usually used to present the time evolution of differing species in biology. Some quadratic stochastic operators have been studied by Lotka and Volterra. In the present paper, we first give a simple characterization of Volterra QSO in terms of absolutely continuity of discrete measures. Further, we introduce a notion of orthogonal preserving QSO, and describe such kind of operators defined on two dimensional simplex. It turns out that orthogonal preserving QSOs are permutations of Volterra QSO. The associativity of genetic algebras generated by orthogonal preserving QSO is studied too

Integral Field Spectroscopy of Markarian 273: Mapping High-Velocity Gas Flows and an Off-Nucleus Seyfert 2 Nebula.

Science.gov (United States)

Colina; Arribas; Borne

1999-12-10

Integral field optical spectroscopy with the INTEGRAL fiber-based system is used to map the extended ionized regions and gas flows in Mrk 273, one of the closest ultraluminous infrared galaxies. The Hbeta and [O iii] lambda5007 maps show the presence of two distinct regions separated by 4&arcsec; (3.1 kpc) along position angle (P.A.) 240 degrees. The northeastern region coincides with the optical nucleus of the galaxy and shows the spectral characteristics of LINERs. The southwestern region is dominated by [O iii] emission and is classified as a Seyfert 2. Therefore, in the optical, Mrk 273 is an ultraluminous infrared galaxy with a LINER nucleus and an extended off-nucleus Seyfert 2 nebula. The kinematics of the [O iii] ionized gas shows (1) the presence of highly disturbed gas in the regions around the LINER nucleus, (2) a high-velocity gas flow with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 2.4x103 km s-1, and (3) quiescent gas in the outer regions (at 3 kpc). We hypothesize that the high-velocity flow is the starburst-driven superwind generated in an optically obscured nuclear starburst and that the quiescent gas is directly ionized by a nuclear source, similar to the ionization cones typically seen in Seyfert galaxies.

Direct high-pressure NMR observation of dipicolinic acid leaking from bacterial spore: A crucial step for thermal inactivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Akasaka, Kazuyuki; Maeno, Akihiro; Yamazaki, Akira

2017-12-01

A bacterial spore protects itself with an unusually high concentration (~10% in dry weight of spore) of dipicolinic acid (DPA), the release of which is considered the crucial step for inactivating it under mild pressure and temperature conditions. However, the process of how the spore releases DPA in response to pressure remains obscure. Here we apply 1 H high-resolution high-pressure NMR spectroscopy, for the first time, to the spore suspension of Bacillus subtilis natto and monitor directly and in real-time the leaking process of DPA in response to pressure of 200MPa at 20°C. We find that about one third of the total DPA leaks immediately upon applying pressure, but that the rest leaks slowly in hrs upon decreasing the pressure. Once DPA is fully released from the spore, the proteins of the spore become easily denatured at a mild temperature, e.g., 80°C, much below the temperature commonly used to inactivate spores (121°C). The success of the present experiment opens a new avenue for studying bacterial spores and cells at the molecular level in response to pressure, temperature and other perturbations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Below the Surface: Solving the Hidden Graduation Rate Crisis. Updated

Science.gov (United States)

Cardichon, Jessica; Lovell, Phillip

2015-01-01

The U.S. national high school graduation rate recently reached a record high with 81 percent of the Class of 2013 graduating within four years. While this accomplishment is laudable, it should not obscure the fact that more than 1,200 high schools, serving more than 1.1 million students, still fail to graduate one-third or more of their students…

Characterization, propagation, and simulation of sources and backgrounds; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 2, 3, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Watkins, Wendell R.; Clement, Dieter

The present conference discusses the design of IR imaging radiometers, IR clutter measurements of marine backgrounds, a global evaluation of thermal IR countermeasures, the estimation of scene-correlation lengths, the dimension and lacunarity measurement of IR images using Hilbert scanning, modeling the time-dependent obscuration in simulated imaging of dust and smoke clouds, and the thermal and radiometric modeling of terrain backgrounds. Also discussed are the simulation of partially obscured scenes using the 'radiosity' method, dynamic sea-image generation, atmospheric propagation effects on pattern recognition by neural networks, a thermal model for real-time textured IR background simulation, and interferometric measurements of a high velocity mixing/shear layer. (No individual items are abstracted in this volume)

The Swift BAT Hard X-ray Survey - A New Window on the Local AGN Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Mushotzky, Richard

2009-01-01

The Swift Burst and Transient telescope (BAT) has surveyed the entire sky for the last 3.5 years obtaining the first sensitive all sky survey of the 14-195 keV sky. At high galactic latitudes the vast majority of the detected sources are AGN. Since hard x-rays penetrate all but Compton thick obscuring material (Column densities of 1.6E24 atms/cm2) this survey is unbiased with respect to obscuration, host galaxy type, optical , radio or IR properties. We will present results on the broad band x-ray properties, the nature of the host galaxies, the luminosity function and will discuss a few of the optical, IR and x-ray results in detail.

High-Resolution Patterns of Meiotic Recombination across the Human Major Histocompatibility Complex

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, Michael; Perfetto, Stephen P.; Klitz, William; Nelson, George; Carrington, Mary

2002-01-01

Definitive characteristics of meiotic recombination events over large (i.e., >1 Mb) segments of the human genome remain obscure, yet they are essential for establishing the haplotypic structure of the genome and for efficient mapping of complex traits. We present a high-resolution map of recombination at the kilobase level across a 3.3-Mb interval encompassing the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Genotyping of 20,031 single sperm from 12 individuals resulted in the identification and fine mapping of 325 recombinant chromosomes within genomic intervals as small as 7 kb. Several principal characteristics of recombination in this region were observed: (1) rates of recombination can differ significantly between individuals; (2) intense hot spots of recombination occur at least every 0.8 Mb but are not necessarily evenly spaced; (3) distribution in the location of recombination events can differ significantly among individuals; (4) between hot spots, low levels of recombination occur fairly evenly across 100-kb segments, suggesting the presence of warm spots of recombination; and (5) specific sequence motifs associate significantly with recombination distribution. These data provide a plausible model for recombination patterns of the human genome overall. PMID:12297984

The Compton-thick Growth of Supermassive Black Holes constrained

Science.gov (United States)

Buchner, J.; Georgakakis, A.; Nandra, K.

2017-10-01

A heavily obscured growth phase of supermassive black holes (SMBH) is thought to be important in the co-evolution with galaxies. X-rays provide a clean and efficient selection of unobscured and obscured AGN. Recent work with deeper observations and improved analysis methodology allowed us to extend constraints to Compton-thick number densities. We present the first luminosity function of Compton-thick AGN at z=0.5-4 and constrain the overall mass density locked into black holes over cosmic time, a fundamental constraint for cosmological simulations. Recent studies including ours find that the obscuration is redshift and luminosity-dependent in a complex way, which rules out entire sets of obscurer models. A new paradigm, the radiation-lifted torus model, is proposed, in which the obscurer is Eddington-rate dependent and accretion creates and displaces torus clouds. We place observational limits on the behaviour of this mechanism.

High-resolution fluorescence imaging for red and far-red SIF retrieval at leaf and canopy scales

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, L.; Alonso, L.; Cushman, K.; Kellner, J. R.

2017-12-01

New commercial-off-the-shelf imaging spectrometers promise the combination of high spatial and spectral resolution needed to retrieve solar induced fluorescence (SIF) at multiple wavelengths for individual plants and even individual leaves from low-altitude airborne or ground-based platforms. Data from these instruments could provide insight into the status of the photosynthetic apparatus at scales of space and time not observable from high-altitude and space-based platforms, and could support calibration and validation activities of current and forthcoming space missions to quantify SIF (OCO-2, OCO-3, FLEX, and GEOCARB). High-spectral resolution enables SIF retrieval from regions of strong telluric absorption by molecular oxygen, and also within numerous solar Fraunhofer lines in atmospheric windows not obscured by oxygen or water absorptions. Here we evaluate algorithms for SIF retrieval using a commercial-off-the-shelf diffraction-grating imaging spectrometer with a spectral sampling interval of 0.05 nm and a FWHM 650 or 700 nm. These filters enable a direct measurement of SIF emission > 650 or 700 nm that serves as a benchmark against which retrievals from reflectance spectra can be evaluated. We repeated this comparison between leaf-level SIF emission spectra and retrieved SIF emission spectra for leaves treated with drought stress and an herbicide (DCMU) that inhibits electron transfer from QA to QB of PSII.

A Relative Ranking Approach for Nano-Enabled Applications to Improve Risk-Based Decision Making: A Case Study of Army Materiel

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-24

accidental expo- sures to carbon nanotubes and copper flakes incorporated into energy and obscurant materiel by Army workers rank highest relative to...that inhalation from accidental exposures to carbon nanotubes and copper flakes incorporated into energy and obscurant materiel by Army workers rank... copper (Cu), and titanium (Ti) flakes used in smokes and obscurants ranked the highest on the risk scale for sce- narios primarily involving accidental

T1 and T2 Mapping in Cardiology: "Mapping the Obscure Object of Desire".

Science.gov (United States)

Mavrogeni, Sophie; Apostolou, Dimitris; Argyriou, Panayiotis; Velitsista, Stella; Papa, Lilika; Efentakis, Stelios; Vernardos, Evangelos; Kanoupaki, Mikela; Kanoupakis, George; Manginas, Athanassios

The increasing use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is based on its capability to perform biventricular function assessment and tissue characterization without radiation and with high reproducibility. The use of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) gave the potential of non-invasive biopsy for fibrosis quantification. However, LGE is unable to detect diffuse myocardial disease. Native T1 mapping and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) provide knowledge about pathologies affecting both the myocardium and interstitium that is otherwise difficult to identify. Changes of myocardial native T1 reflect cardiac diseases (acute coronary syndromes, infarction, myocarditis, and diffuse fibrosis, all with high T1) and systemic diseases such as cardiac amyloid (high T1), Anderson-Fabry disease (low T1), and siderosis (low T1). The ECV, an index generated by native and post-contrast T1 mapping, measures the cellular and extracellular interstitial matrix (ECM) compartments. This myocyte-ECM dichotomy has important implications for identifying specific therapeutic targets of great value for heart failure treatment. On the other hand, T2 mapping is superior compared with myocardial T1 and ECM for assessing the activity of myocarditis in recent-onset heart failure. Although these indices can significantly affect the clinical decision making, multicentre studies and a community-wide approach (including MRI vendors, funding, software, contrast agent manufacturers, and clinicians) are still missing. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Pseudomonad Swarming Motility Is Restricted to a Narrow Range of High Matric Water Potentials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dechesne, Arnaud; Smets, Barth F.

2012-01-01

Using a novel experimental system that allows control of the matric potential of an agar slab, we explored the hydration conditions under which swarming motility is possible. If there is recognition that this physical parameter is a key determinant of swarming, it is usually neither controlled nor...... measured rigorously but only manipulated through proxies, namely, the agar concentration and the drying time of "soft" agar plates (swarming plates). We contend that this not only obscures the biophysical mechanisms underlying swarming but also impedes a full assessment of its clinical and environmental...

Compensatory hyperinsulinemia in high-fat diet-induced obese mice is associated with enhanced insulin translation in islets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanno, Ayumi, E-mail: akanno@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Asahara, Shun-ichiro, E-mail: asahara@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Masuda, Katsuhisa, E-mail: katsuhisa.m.0707@gmail.com [Division of Medical Chemistry, Department of Biophysics, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe 654-0142 (Japan); Matsuda, Tomokazu, E-mail: tomokazu@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Kimura-Koyanagi, Maki, E-mail: koyanagi@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Seino, Susumu, E-mail: seino@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Molecular and Metabolic Medicine, Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0047 (Japan); Ogawa, Wataru, E-mail: ogawa@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Kido, Yoshiaki, E-mail: kido@med.kobe-u.ac.jp [Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017 (Japan); Division of Medical Chemistry, Department of Biophysics, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe 654-0142 (Japan)

2015-03-13

A high-fat diet (HF) is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia. Animal studies have shown compensatory mechanisms in pancreatic β-cells after high fat load, such as increased pancreatic β-cell mass, enhanced insulin secretion, and exocytosis. However, the effects of high fat intake on insulin synthesis are obscure. Here, we investigated whether insulin synthesis was altered in correlation with an HF diet, for the purpose of obtaining further understanding of the compensatory mechanisms in pancreatic β-cells. Mice fed an HF diet are obese, insulin resistant, hyperinsulinemic, and glucose intolerant. In islets of mice fed an HF diet, more storage of insulin was identified. We analyzed insulin translation in mouse islets, as well as in INS-1 cells, using non-radioisotope chemicals. We found that insulin translational levels were significantly increased in islets of mice fed an HF diet to meet systemic demand, without altering its transcriptional levels. Our data showed that not only increased pancreatic β-cell mass and insulin secretion but also elevated insulin translation is the major compensatory mechanism of pancreatic β-cells. - Highlights: • More stored insulin was recognized in islets of mice fed a high-fat diet. • Insulin translation was not enhanced by fatty acids, but by insulin demand. • Insulin transcription was not altered in islets of mice fed a high-fat diet. • Insulin translation was markedly enhanced in islets of mice fed a high-fat diet. • Non-radioisotope chemicals were used to measure insulin translation in mouse islets.

Compensatory hyperinsulinemia in high-fat diet-induced obese mice is associated with enhanced insulin translation in islets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanno, Ayumi; Asahara, Shun-ichiro; Masuda, Katsuhisa; Matsuda, Tomokazu; Kimura-Koyanagi, Maki; Seino, Susumu; Ogawa, Wataru; Kido, Yoshiaki

2015-01-01

A high-fat diet (HF) is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia. Animal studies have shown compensatory mechanisms in pancreatic β-cells after high fat load, such as increased pancreatic β-cell mass, enhanced insulin secretion, and exocytosis. However, the effects of high fat intake on insulin synthesis are obscure. Here, we investigated whether insulin synthesis was altered in correlation with an HF diet, for the purpose of obtaining further understanding of the compensatory mechanisms in pancreatic β-cells. Mice fed an HF diet are obese, insulin resistant, hyperinsulinemic, and glucose intolerant. In islets of mice fed an HF diet, more storage of insulin was identified. We analyzed insulin translation in mouse islets, as well as in INS-1 cells, using non-radioisotope chemicals. We found that insulin translational levels were significantly increased in islets of mice fed an HF diet to meet systemic demand, without altering its transcriptional levels. Our data showed that not only increased pancreatic β-cell mass and insulin secretion but also elevated insulin translation is the major compensatory mechanism of pancreatic β-cells. - Highlights: • More stored insulin was recognized in islets of mice fed a high-fat diet. • Insulin translation was not enhanced by fatty acids, but by insulin demand. • Insulin transcription was not altered in islets of mice fed a high-fat diet. • Insulin translation was markedly enhanced in islets of mice fed a high-fat diet. • Non-radioisotope chemicals were used to measure insulin translation in mouse islets

A dust-obscured massive maximum-starburst galaxy at a redshift of 6.34.

Science.gov (United States)

Riechers, Dominik A; Bradford, C M; Clements, D L; Dowell, C D; Pérez-Fournon, I; Ivison, R J; Bridge, C; Conley, A; Fu, Hai; Vieira, J D; Wardlow, J; Calanog, J; Cooray, A; Hurley, P; Neri, R; Kamenetzky, J; Aguirre, J E; Altieri, B; Arumugam, V; Benford, D J; Béthermin, M; Bock, J; Burgarella, D; Cabrera-Lavers, A; Chapman, S C; Cox, P; Dunlop, J S; Earle, L; Farrah, D; Ferrero, P; Franceschini, A; Gavazzi, R; Glenn, J; Solares, E A Gonzalez; Gurwell, M A; Halpern, M; Hatziminaoglou, E; Hyde, A; Ibar, E; Kovács, A; Krips, M; Lupu, R E; Maloney, P R; Martinez-Navajas, P; Matsuhara, H; Murphy, E J; Naylor, B J; Nguyen, H T; Oliver, S J; Omont, A; Page, M J; Petitpas, G; Rangwala, N; Roseboom, I G; Scott, D; Smith, A J; Staguhn, J G; Streblyanska, A; Thomson, A P; Valtchanov, I; Viero, M; Wang, L; Zemcov, M; Zmuidzinas, J

2013-04-18

Massive present-day early-type (elliptical and lenticular) galaxies probably gained the bulk of their stellar mass and heavy elements through intense, dust-enshrouded starbursts--that is, increased rates of star formation--in the most massive dark-matter haloes at early epochs. However, it remains unknown how soon after the Big Bang massive starburst progenitors exist. The measured redshift (z) distribution of dusty, massive starbursts has long been suspected to be biased low in z owing to selection effects, as confirmed by recent findings of systems with redshifts as high as ~5 (refs 2-4). Here we report the identification of a massive starburst galaxy at z = 6.34 through a submillimetre colour-selection technique. We unambiguously determined the redshift from a suite of molecular and atomic fine-structure cooling lines. These measurements reveal a hundred billion solar masses of highly excited, chemically evolved interstellar medium in this galaxy, which constitutes at least 40 per cent of the baryonic mass. A 'maximum starburst' converts the gas into stars at a rate more than 2,000 times that of the Milky Way, a rate among the highest observed at any epoch. Despite the overall downturn in cosmic star formation towards the highest redshifts, it seems that environments mature enough to form the most massive, intense starbursts existed at least as early as 880 million years after the Big Bang.

MISALIGNED DISKS AS OBSCURERS IN ACTIVE GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, Andy; Elvis, Martin

2010-01-01

We critically review the evidence concerning the fraction of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that appear as Type 2 AGNs, carefully distinguishing strict Type 2 AGNs from both more lightly reddened Type 1 AGNs, and from low excitation narrow line AGNs, which may represent a different mode of activity. Low-excitation AGNs occur predominantly at low luminosities; after removing these, true Type 2 AGNs represent 58% ± 5% of all AGNs, and lightly reddened Type 1 AGNs a further ∼15%. Radio, IR, and volume-limited samples all agree in showing no change of Type 2 fraction with luminosity. X-ray samples do show a change with luminosity; we discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy. We test a very simple picture which produces this Type 2 fraction with minimal assumptions. In this picture, infall from large scales occurs in random directions, but must eventually align with the inner accretion flow, producing a severely warped disk on parsec scales. If the re-alignment is dominated by tilt, with minimal twist, a wide range of covering factors is predicted in individual objects, but with an expected mean fraction of Type 2 AGNs of exactly 50%. This 'tilted disk' picture predicts reasonable alignment of observed nuclear structures on average, but with distinct misalignments in individual cases. Initial case studies of the few well-resolved objects show that such misalignments are indeed present.

A case of jaundice of obscure origin.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Fahad M; Alcorn, Joseph; Hanson, Joshua

2014-05-01

Idiopathic painless jaundice with significant elevations in serum transaminases, occurring in a previously healthy patient, invokes a circumscribed set of possibilities including viral hepatitis, auto-immune hepatitis (AIH) and drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In this described case, common causes of cholestatic jaundice were considered including drug-induced liver injury, viral causes of hepatitis, and auto-immune antibodies. Biliary obstruction was excluded by appropriate imaging studies. Liver biopsy was obtained, though not definitive. After detailed investigation failed to reveal a cause of the jaundice, an empiric trial of steroids was initiated on the possibility that our patient had antibody-negative AIH and not DILI, with an associated grave prognosis. Empiric treatment with prednisone led to rapid resolution of jaundice and to the conclusion that the correct diagnosis was antibody-negative AIH.

Light Obscuration Particle Counter Fuel Contamination Limits

Science.gov (United States)

2015-10-08

two methods for measuring particulate contamination by gravimetric analysis: ASTM D2276 - Standard Test Method for Particulate Contaminant in Aviation...problems with the gravimetric methods is the poor repeatability and reproducibility of the methods , ASTM D2276 has a repeatability of 0.25 mg/L and...collected failing either the particle count or the gravimetric limit, 314 of which failed both methods . 245 false negatives were recorded where the

Evidence for circumstellar obscuration of OB stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohannan, B.

1975-01-01

Reddish found a strong increase of color excess with increasing stellar luminosity: here referred to as the Reddish Effect: in ten young galactic clusters and associations. New photometric and spectroscopic observations drawn from the literature are combined with data used by Reddish to reconsider the color excess versus intrinsic magnitude diagrams of the same ten stellar groups. The reality of the Effect is questioned in all but one of the systems; this was accomplished by identifying possible foreground stars and by recognizing some of the brightest stars as supergiants, then applying correct intrinsic color indices. After careful reanalysis, the one stellar group to retain an indication of the Reddish Effect is Cygnus OB2. No correlation of reddening with luminosity was found for five additional very young stellar groups in the southern hemisphere; these groups should exhibit the Effect if it is a natural consequence of stellar evolution. Reddish ascribed the correlation to massive circumstellar remnants of material from which the stars formed. However, a peculiar dispersion in color excess could also be attributed to patchy dust within the stellar group. In several stellar systems previously identified as displaying the Reddish Effect, a correlation of observed color excess with dust and gas concentrations is noted on Palomar Sky Survey prints. If present, circumstellar dust clouds should []anifest their existence in modes other than a correlation of color excess with luminosity. The following possibilities are considered and all show negative results: correlation of color excess with spectral type; correlation of reddening slope E/subU//sub -//subB//E/subB//sub -//subV/ with spectral type; observable infrared excess. The preceding astrophysical arguments strongly imply that circumstellar dust remnants from stellar formation do not remain around stars during their main-sequence lifetimes. (auth)

ROLE OF DIAGNOSTIC LAPAROSCOPY IN OBSCURE ASCITES ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Scientific Medical Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 12, No 4 (2000) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Annihilation model of quasi-stellar objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfven, H.

1979-01-01

The possibility that annihilation is a major source of energy in cosmic physics is discussed. Since Klein suggested that the Universe might be matter-antimatter symmetric over two decades ago, there have been a significant number of papers developing the consequences of this view. These, however, have been largely ignored in the general literature. There have also been a number of papers claiming to prove that there cannot be antimatter anywhere in the observable Universe. In the first part of this paper an assessment of the differing views is given, and it is shown that none of the arguments against antimatter is convincing. The existence of antimatter is not in conflict with any observational fact. The reason for the negative attitude towards the existence of antimatter seems to be that this view is in conflict with a number of speculative but 'generally accepted' theories. However, recent magnetospheric and heliospheric research, including in situ measurements of cosmic plasmas, is now drastically changing cosmic plasma physics in a way that leads to growing scepticism about quite a few of the speculative theories. An attempt is made to develop a simple phenomenological model of QSOs based on star-antistar collisions. This model can account for such basic observational properties as the acceleration to very large (non-cosmological) velocities, the existence of broad emission lines, and at the same time narrow absorption lines with different redshifts. The absence of blueshifts is also explained. The model predicts that relatively young QSOs should be at cosmological distances whereas the old ones may very well be much closer to us than indicated by their redshift. (Auth.)

Evaluation of peripheral neuropathy of lower limbs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by high-frequency ultrasonography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jia-bei HE

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Objective To observe the abnormalities of femoral and saphenous nerves in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM with or without diabetic periphery neuropathy (DPN by high-frequency ultrasonography.  Methods Eighty-one T2DM patients were enrolled and divided into 2 groups: group B (T2DM without DPN, N = 40, group C (T2DM with DPN, N = 41. Forty-two healthy subjects were enrolled as control group (group A. LOGIQ-E9 color Doppler ultrasound instrument was used. Between inguinal ligment and inguinal fold, the femoral nerve was slightly hyperechoic with reticular structure near by the femoral artery on transverse section. In the inner thigh, the saphenous nerve was slightly hyperechoic with reticular structure along with adductor canal on transverse section. The internal echo and succession of the two nerves in 3 groups were observed. The width, thickness and cross-sectional areas of the two nerves were measured and compared.  Results In group A, the internal echo of the two nerves appeared as slightly hyperechoic with reticular structure on transverse section, and strips of hypoechogenicity and parallel structure of slightly hyperechogenicity on longitudinal section. Compared with group A, the internal echo of group B was decreased slightly, and the reticular structure was slightly obscure and strips of echo on longitudinal section were less clear; while the internal echo of group C was decreased obviously, the reticular structure was not clear and strips of echo on longitudinal section were obscure. Compared with group A, both the width (P = 0.000, for all, thickness (P = 0.023, 0.036 and cross-sectional area (P = 0.000, for all of femoral nerve and the width (P = 0.010, 0.014, thickness (P = 0.001, for all and cross-sectional area (P = 0.002, 0.004 of saphenous nerve in group B and C were increased. Besides, compared with group B, thickness (P = 0.048, 0.012 and cross-sectional area (P = 0.031, 0.034 of femoral and saphenous nerves in

Impact of multidetector computed tomography on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schleder, S.; Luerken, L.; Dendl, L.M.; Stroszczynski, C.; Schreyer, A.G. [University Medical Centre Regensburg, Department of Radiology, Regensburg (Germany); Redel, A. [University Medical Centre Regensburg, Department of Anaesthesiology, Regensburg (Germany); Selgrad, M. [University Medical Centre Regensburg, Department of Internal Medicine I, Regensburg (Germany); Renner, P. [University Medical Centre Regensburg, Department of Surgery, Regensburg (Germany)

2017-11-15

To evaluate the impact of CT scans on diagnosis or change of therapy in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis and obscure clinical infection. CT records of patients with obscure clinical infection and SIRS or sepsis were retrospectively evaluated. Both confirmation of and changes in the diagnosis or therapy based on CT findings were analysed by means of the hospital information system and radiological information system. A sub-group analysis included differences with regard to anatomical region, medical history and referring department. Of 525 consecutive patients evaluated, 59% had been referred from internal medicine and 41% from surgery. CT examination had confirmed the suspected diagnosis in 26% and had resulted in a different diagnosis in 33% and a change of therapy in 32%. Abdominal scans yielded a significantly higher (p=0.013) change of therapy rate (42%) than thoracic scans (22%). Therapy was changed significantly more often (p=0.016) in surgical patients (38%) than in patients referred from internal medicine (28%). CT examination for detecting an unknown infection focus in patients with SIRS or sepsis is highly beneficial and should be conducted in patients with obscure clinical infection. (orig.)

Hypocaloric high-protein diet improves fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia in sucrose-fed obese rats via two pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Uebanso, Takashi; Taketani, Yutaka; Fukaya, Makiko; Sato, Kazusa; Takei, Yuichiro; Sato, Tadatoshi; Sawada, Naoki; Amo, Kikuko; Harada, Nagakatsu; Arai, Hidekazu; Yamamoto, Hironori; Takeda, Eiji

2009-07-01

The mechanism by which replacement of some dietary carbohydrates with protein during weight loss favors lipid metabolism remains obscure. In this study, we investigated the effect of an energy-restricted, high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet on lipid metabolism in obese rats. High-sucrose-induced obese rats were assigned randomly to one of two energy-restricted dietary interventions: a carbohydrate-based control diet (CD) or a high-protein diet (HPD). Lean rats of the same age were assigned as normal control. There was significantly greater improvement in fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia with the HPD diet relative to the CD diet. Expression of genes regulated by fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) and involved in liver lipolysis and lipid utilitization, such as lipase and acyl-CoA oxidase, increased in obese rats fed the HPD. Furthermore, there was an inverse correlation between levels of FGF21 gene expression (regulated by glucagon/insulin balance) and increased triglyceride concentrations in liver from obese rats. Expression of hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1), regulated primarily by the dietary carbohydrate, was also markedly reduced in the HPD group (similar to plasma triglyceride levels in fasting animals) relative to the CD group. In conclusion, a hypocaloric high-protein diet improves fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia effectively relative to a carbohydrate diet. The two cellular pathways at work behind these benefits include stimulation of hepatic lipolysis and lipid utilization mediated by FGF21 and reduction of hepatic VLDL-TG production by SCD1 regulation.

THE MULTIPHASE STRUCTURE AND POWER SOURCES OF GALACTIC WINDS IN MAJOR MERGERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rupke, David S. N.; Veilleux, Sylvain

2013-01-01

Massive, galaxy-scale outflows are known to be ubiquitous in major mergers of disk galaxies in the local universe. In this paper, we explore the multiphase structure and power sources of galactic winds in six ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) at z –1 , and the highest velocities (2000-3000 km s –1 ) are seen only in ionized gas. The outflow energy and momentum in the QSOs are difficult to produce from a starburst alone, but are consistent with the QSO contributing significantly to the driving of the flow. Finally, when all gas phases are accounted for, the outflows are massive enough to provide negative feedback to star formation.

Evidence for merger remnants in early-type host galaxies of low-redshift QSOs

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bennert, N.; Canalizo, G.; Jungwiert, Bruno; Stockton, A.; Schweizer, F.; Peng, Ch.; Lacy, M.

2008-01-01

Roč. 677, č. 2 (2008), s. 846-857 ISSN 0004-637X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06014 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : galaxy mergers * quasars * photometry Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 6.331, year: 2008

VizieR Online Data Catalog: BAL QSOs from SDSS DR3 (Trump+, 2006)

Science.gov (United States)

Trump, J. R.; Hall, P. B.; Reichard, T. A.; Richards, G. T.; Schneider, D. P.; vanden Berk, D. E.; Knapp, G. R.; Anderson, S. F.; Fan, X.; Brinkman, J.; Kleinman, S. J.; Nitta, A.

2007-11-01

We present a total of 4784 unique broad absorption line quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Third Data Release (Cat. ). An automated algorithm was used to match a continuum to each quasar and to identify regions of flux at least 10% below the continuum over a velocity range of at least 1000km/s in the CIV and MgII absorption regions. The model continuum was selected as the best-fit match from a set of template quasar spectra binned in luminosity, emission line width, and redshift, with the power-law spectral index and amount of dust reddening as additional free parameters. We characterize our sample through the traditional balnicity index and a revised absorption index, as well as through parameters such as the width, outflow velocity, fractional depth, and number of troughs. (1 data file).

Search for HRV-parameters that detect a sympathetic shift in heart failure patients on beta-blocker treatment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Yanru; de Peuter, Olav R.; Kamphuisen, Pieter W.; Karemaker, John M.

2013-01-01

Background: A sympathetic shift in heart rate variability (HRV) from high to lower frequencies may be an early signal of deterioration in a monitored patient. Most chronic heart failure (CHF) patients receive (3-blockers. This tends to obscure HRV observation by increasing the fast variations. We

Thought 2 Talk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendricks, Vincent F.

Thought2Talk is a crash course on argument, reasoning and logical method honoring the Swedish poet and Bishop of Lund, Esaias Tegnér, who once said: The words and thoughts of men are born together: To speak obscurely is to think obscurely. In 100 humorous yet erudite pages, Thought2Talk takes the...... the reader through key concepts like statement, argument, validity, fallacy, modality and demonstration.......Thought2Talk is a crash course on argument, reasoning and logical method honoring the Swedish poet and Bishop of Lund, Esaias Tegnér, who once said: The words and thoughts of men are born together: To speak obscurely is to think obscurely. In 100 humorous yet erudite pages, Thought2Talk takes...

Real-time bilinear rotation decoupling in absorptive mode J-spectroscopy: Detecting low-intensity metabolite peak close to high-intensity metabolite peak with convenience

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Ajay; Baishya, Bikash

2016-05-01

;Pure shift; NMR spectra display singlet peak per chemical site. Thus, high resolution is offered at the cost of valuable J-coupling information. In the present work, real-time BIRD (BIlinear Rotation Decoupling) is applied to the absorptive-mode 2D J-spectroscopy to provide pure shift spectrum in the direct dimension and J-coupling information in the indirect dimension. Quite often in metabolomics, proton NMR spectra from complex bio-fluids display tremendous signal overlap. Although conventional J-spectroscopy in principle overcomes this problem by separating the multiplet information from chemical shift information, however, only magnitude mode of the experiment is practical, sacrificing much of the potential high resolution that could be achieved. Few J-spectroscopy methods have been reported so far that produce high-resolution pure shift spectrum along with J-coupling information for crowded spectral regions. In the present work, high-quality J-resolved spectrum from important metabolomic mixture such as tissue extract from rat cortex is demonstrated. Many low-intensity metabolite peaks which are obscured by the broad dispersive tails from high-intensity metabolite peaks in regular magnitude mode J-spectrum can be clearly identified in real-time BIRD J-resolved spectrum. The general practice of removing such spectral overlap is tedious and time-consuming as it involves repeated sample preparation to change the pH of the tissue extract sample and subsequent spectra recording.

Ionization of cloud and intercloud hydrogen by O and B stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elmergreen, B.G.

1975-01-01

Lyman continuum radiation from OB stars may be the primary source of ionization of interstellar hydrogen. Eighty percent of Lyman continuum photons produced by these stars comes from a very small number of 05 and 06 stars, however, and if this radiation is ionized to interstellar hydrogen with the high degree of uniformity indicated by pulsar dispersion measures or by the diffuse background of Hα emission, then each 05 or 06 star must be able to maintain an H II region over a distance of several hundred parsecs. The cloudy structure of interstellar space prevents such long range ionization, however, and a large fraction of the stellar Lyman continuum photons will be converted to Balmer photons in the high-density ionized surfaces of the exposed clouds. Two questions concerning this cloudy obscuration naturally arise: what will be the consequences of a cloud's exposure to Lyman continuum radiation, and to what extent can low-density, intercloud hydrogen be ionized in the obscured regions. These questions are considered

HIGH-REDSHIFT METALS. I. THE DECLINE OF C IV AT z > 5.3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, George D.; Rauch, Michael; Sargent, Wallace L. W.

2009-01-01

We present the results from our search for C IV absorption systems at redshifts z = 5.3-6.0. We have observed four z ∼ 6 QSOs with Keck/NIRSPEC in echelle mode. The data are the most sensitive yet taken to search for C IV at these redshifts, being 50% complete at column densities log N CIV ∼ 13.4(cm -2 ). We find no clear C IV systems in any of the four sight lines. Taking into account our completeness, this translates into a decline in the number density of C IV absorbers in the range 13.2 CIV < 15.0 of at least a factor ∼4.1 (95% confidence) from z ∼ 2-4.5, over which the number density is relatively constant. We use our lack of detections, along with results from previous studies, to set limits on the slope and normalization of the column density distribution at z = 5.3-6.0. The rapid evolution of C IV at these redshifts suggests that the decrease in the number density may largely be due to ionization effects, in which case many of the metals in the z ∼ 4.5 intergalactic medium (IGM) could already be in place at z ∼ 5.3, but in lower ionization states. The lack of weak systems in our data, combined with the presence of strong C IV absorbers along at least one other sight line, further suggests that there may be large-scale variations in the enrichment and/or ionization state of the z ∼ 6 IGM. Alternatively, the known C IV absorbers at these redshifts may not reside in the general IGM, but may be associated with rare, UV-bright star-forming galaxies.

Recalculating the quasar luminosity function of the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Caditz, David M.

2017-12-01

Aims: The extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey provides a uniform sample of over 13 000 variability selected quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) in the redshift range 0.68 based on this survey may be in error because the k-correction has apparently been misapplied, which results in underestimating the intrinsic brightness of roughly half of the eBOSS sources. This work provides new estimates of the QLF based on a corrected eBOSS dataset. Methods: Intrinsic luminosities were recalculated using the appropriate g-band k-correction function. The QLF was determined for the corrected dataset using a model-weighted estimator, and parametric models were refit to the corrected luminosity function. Projected number counts based on the corrected models are also provided. Results: At redshifts higher than the "pivot" redshift, zp = 2.2, the original and recalculated results differ significantly; in particular, the new results show stronger high-redshift evolution in the best-fit models than the original eBOSS analysis. A new seven-parameter QLF model is provided that fits the corrected eBOSS dataset.

Predicting big bang deuterium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hata, N.; Scherrer, R.J.; Steigman, G.; Thomas, D.; Walker, T.P. [Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States)

1996-02-01

We present new upper and lower bounds to the primordial abundances of deuterium and {sup 3}He based on observational data from the solar system and the interstellar medium. Independent of any model for the primordial production of the elements we find (at the 95{percent} C.L.): 1.5{times}10{sup {minus}5}{le}(D/H){sub {ital P}}{le}10.0{times}10{sup {minus}5} and ({sup 3}He/H){sub {ital P}}{le}2.6{times}10{sup {minus}5}. When combined with the predictions of standard big bang nucleosynthesis, these constraints lead to a 95{percent} C.L. bound on the primordial abundance deuterium: (D/H){sub best}=(3.5{sup +2.7}{sub {minus}1.8}){times}10{sup {minus}5}. Measurements of deuterium absorption in the spectra of high-redshift QSOs will directly test this prediction. The implications of this prediction for the primordial abundances of {sup 4}He and {sup 7}Li are discussed, as well as those for the universal density of baryons. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Astronomical Society.}

New high spin states and isomers in the {sup 208}Pb and {sup 207}Pb nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broda, R.; Wrzesinski, J.; Pawlat, T. [and others

1996-12-31

The two most prominent examples of the heavy doubly closed shell (DCS) nuclei, {sup 208}Pb and {sup 132}Sn, are not accessible by conventional heavy-ion fusion processes populating high-spin states. This experimental difficulty obscured for a long time the investigation of yrast high-spin states in both DCS and neighboring nuclei and consequently restricted the study of the shell model in its most attractive regions. Recent technical development of multidetector gamma arrays opened new ways to exploit more complex nuclear processes which populate the nuclei of interest with suitable yields for gamma spectroscopy and involve population of moderately high spin states. This new possibility extended the range of accessible spin values and is a promising way to reach new yrast states. Some of these states are expected to be of high configurational purity and can be a source of important shell model parameters which possibly can be used later to check the validity of the spherical shell model description at yet higher spin and higher excitation energy. The nuclei in the closest vicinity of {sup 132}Sn are produced in spontaneous fission and states with spin values up to I=14 can be reached in fission gamma spectroscopy studies with the presently achieved sensitivity of gamma arrays. New results on yrast states in the {sup 134}Te and {sup 135}I nuclei populated in fission of the {sup 248}Cm presented at this conference illustrate such application of the resolving power offered by modern gamma techniques.

An in vitro-identified high-affinity nucleosome-positioning signal is capable of transiently positioning a nucleosome in vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gracey Lia E

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The physiological function of eukaryotic DNA occurs in the context of nucleosomal arrays that can expose or obscure defined segments of the genome. Certain DNA sequences are capable of strongly positioning a nucleosome in vitro, suggesting the possibility that favorable intrinsic signals might reproducibly structure chromatin segments. As high-throughput sequencing analyses of nucleosome coverage in vitro and in vivo have become possible, a vigorous debate has arisen over the degree to which intrinsic DNA:nucleosome affinities orchestrate the in vivo positions of nucleosomes, thereby controlling physical accessibility of specific sequences in DNA. Results We describe here the in vivo consequences of placing a synthetic high-affinity nucleosome-positioning signal, the 601 sequence, into a DNA plasmid vector in mice. Strikingly, the 601 sequence was sufficient to position nucleosomes during an early phase after introduction of the DNA into the mice (when the plasmid vector transgene was active. This positioning capability was transient, with a loss of strong positioning at a later time point when the transgenes had become silent. Conclusions These results demonstrate an ability of DNA sequences selected solely for nucleosome affinity to organize chromatin in vivo, and the ability of other mechanisms to overcome these interactions in a dynamic nuclear environment.

Measurement of Fog Oil Penetration into Model Underground Burrow and Hollow Tree Nest Cavities

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Guelta, Mark A; Balbach, Harold E

2007-01-01

.... On installations where troop readiness training is conducted, an important component of realistic troop readiness training is the generation of obscurant material and the conduct of maneuvers under obscurant cover. Fog oil (FO...

The Physical Constraints on a New LoBAL QSO at z = 4.82

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yi, Weimin; Bai, Jin-Ming [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650216 (China); Green, Richard; Fan, Xiaohui; Milne, Peter [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States); Wang, Tinggui; Yang, Chenwei [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China (China); Grier, Catherine J.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Brandt, William N. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, The Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Zuo, Wenwen [Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200030 (China); Yang, Jinyi; Wang, Feige; Wu, Xue-Bing; Jiang, Linhua; Yang, Qian [Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Zhou, Hongyan [Polar Research Institute of China, 451 Jinqiao Road, Shanghai 200136 (China); Varricatt, Watson; Kerr, Tom; Benigni, Sam [UKIRT Observatory, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); and others

2017-04-01

Very few low-ionization broad absorption line (LoBAL) QSOs have been found at high redshifts, to date. One high-redshift LoBAL QSO, J0122+1216, was recently discovered by the Lijiang 2.4 m Telescope, with an initial redshift determination of 4.76. Aiming to investigate its physical properties, we carried out follow-up observations in the optical and near-IR spectroscopy. Near-IR spectra from UKIRT and P200 confirm that it is a LoBAL, with a new redshift determination of 4.82 ± 0.01 based on the Mg ii emission-line. The new Mg ii redshift determination reveals strong blueshifts and asymmetry of the high-ionization emission lines. We estimate a black hole mass of ∼2.3 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ⊙} and Eddington ratio of ∼1.0 according to the empirical Mg ii-based single-epoch relation and bolometric correction factor. It is possible that strong outflows are the result of an extreme quasar environment driven by the high Eddington ratio. A lower limit on the outflowing kinetic power (>0.9% L {sub Edd}) is derived from both emission and absorption lines, indicating that these outflows play a significant role in the feedback process that regulates the growth of its black hole, as well as host galaxy evolution.

Acute spontaneous gastric perforation in neonates: A report of three ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Gastric perforation in neonates is a rare, serious and life-threatening problem. The precise aetiology is obscure in most cases. By virtue of its high mortality rate, it requires prompt recognition and surgical intervention. We report three cases of neonatal gastric perforation managed by early resuscitation and primary repair.

78 FR 25946 - Hardwood and Decorative Plywood From the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-03

..., ultra-violet light cured polyurethanes, oil or oil-modified or water based polyurethanes, wax, epoxy... obscure the grain, texture or markings of wood include, but are not limited to, paper, aluminum, high... to the CBP. See Notice of Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, and Negative...

High-performance passive microwave survey on Josephson junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denisov, A.G.; Radzikhovsky, V.N.; Kudeliya, A.M. [State Research Center of Superconductive Radioelectronics, Kiev (Ukraine)

1994-12-31

The quasi-optical generations of image of objects with their internal structure in millimeter (MM) and submillimeter (SMM) bands is one of the prime problems of modern radioelectronics. The main advantage of passive MM imaging systems in comparison with visible and infrared (IR) systems is small attenuation of signals in fog, cloud, smoke, dust and other obscurants. However at a panoramic scanning of space the observation time lengthens and thereby the information processing rate becomes restricted. So that single-channel system cannot image in real time. Therefore we must use many radiometers in parallel to reduce the observation time. Such system must contain receiving sensors as pixels in multibeam antenna. The use of Josephson Junctions (JJ) for this purpose together with the cryoelectronic devices like GaAs FET or SQUIDS for signal amplifications after JJ is of particular interest in this case.

High-performance passive microwave survey on Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denisov, A.G.; Radzikhovsky, V.N.; Kudeliya, A.M.

1994-01-01

The quasi-optical generations of image of objects with their internal structure in millimeter (MM) and submillimeter (SMM) bands is one of the prime problems of modern radioelectronics. The main advantage of passive MM imaging systems in comparison with visible and infrared (IR) systems is small attenuation of signals in fog, cloud, smoke, dust and other obscurants. However at a panoramic scanning of space the observation time lengthens and thereby the information processing rate becomes restricted. So that single-channel system cannot image in real time. Therefore we must use many radiometers in parallel to reduce the observation time. Such system must contain receiving sensors as pixels in multibeam antenna. The use of Josephson Junctions (JJ) for this purpose together with the cryoelectronic devices like GaAs FET or SQUIDS for signal amplifications after JJ is of particular interest in this case

Organizing Schools to Improve Student Achievement: Start Times, Grade Configurations, and Teacher Assignments. Discussion Paper 2011-08

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, Brian A.; Rockoff, Jonah E.

2011-01-01

Education reform proposals are often based on high-profile or dramatic policy changes, many of which are expensive, politically controversial, or both. In this paper, we argue that the debates over these "flashy" policies have obscured a potentially important direction for raising student performance--namely, reforms to the management or…

Experience, Poetry and Truth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gahrn-Andersen, Rasmus

2017-01-01

of philosophical thinking. Specifically, I show that, beneath a highly poetic and obscure prose, Jünger posits how subjective experience and poetry allow individuals to realize truth. I relate parts of Jünger’s insights to contributions by Husserl, Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty, arguing that Jünger offers a unique...

NuSTAR observations of water megamaser AGN

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Masini, A.; Comastri, A.; Balokovic, M.

2016-01-01

Aims. We study the connection between the masing disk and obscuring torus in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Methods. We present a uniform X-ray spectral analysis of the high energy properties of 14 nearby megamaser active galactic nuclei observed by NuSTAR. We use a simple analytical model to localize the m...

Reddening and He i{sup ∗} λ 10830 Absorption Lines in Three Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Shaohua; Zhou, Hongyan; Shi, Xiheng; Pan, Xiang; Ji, Tuo; Jiang, Peng; Wang, Shufen [Polar Research Institute of China, 451 Jinqiao Road, Shanghai, 200136 (China); Liu, Wenjuan [Key Laboratory for the Structure and Evolution of Celestial Objects, Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650011 (China); Jiang, Ning, E-mail: zhangshaohua@pric.org.cn, E-mail: zhouhongyan@pric.org.cn [Key Laboratory for Researches in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Sciences and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 (China)

2017-08-20

We report the detection of heavy reddening and the He i* λ 10830 absorption lines at the active galactic nucleus (AGN) redshift in three narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies: SDSS J091848.61+211717.0, SDSS J111354.66+124439.0, and SDSS J122749.13+321458.9. They exhibit very red optical to near-infrared colors, narrow Balmer/Paschen broad emission lines and He i* λ 10830 absorption lines. The ultraviolet-optical-infrared nucleus continua are reddened by the SMC extinction law of E ( B − V ) ∼ 0.74, 1.17, and 1.24 mag for three objects, which are highly consistent with the values obtained from the broad-line Balmer decrements, but larger than those of narrow emission lines. The reddening analysis suggests that the extinction dust simultaneously obscures the accretion disk, the broad emission-line region, and the hot dust from the inner edge of the torus. It is possible that the dust obscuring the AGN structures is the dusty torus itself. Furthermore, the Cloudy analysis of the He i* λ 10830 absorption lines proposes the distance of the absorption materials to be the extend scale of the torus, which greatly increases probabilities of the obscure and absorption materials being the dusty torus.

A review and synthesis of international proposals for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes into crystalline rock formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-05-01

Examination of the broad range of international concepts for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes into crystalline rock formations has indicated that systems based upon solid waste units provide the greatest degree of engineering control and security. Three particular disposal concepts are considered worthy of detailed evaluation. In order of priority these are:-tunnel networks with 'in-floor' waste emplacement; matrix of vertical emplacement holes drilled from the surface; tunnel networks with 'in-room' waste emplacement. A review of the international literature has shown that at least ten countries have embarked upon study programmes, but only five have developed detailed conceptual design proposals. These are:- Canada, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Differing economic, environmental, historical and political circumstances have influenced the pattern of international studies and, to the uninitiated, these factors may obscure some of the relevant technical considerations. Nevertheless, a broad technical concensus is apparent in that all countries currently favour tunnel networks with 'in-floor' waste emplacement. The subject is discussed in detail. (author)

Broad absorption line symbiotic stars: highly ionized species in the fast outflow from MWC 560

Science.gov (United States)

Lucy, Adrian B.; Knigge, Christian; Sokoloski, J. L.

2018-04-01

In symbiotic binaries, jets and disk winds may be integral to the physics of accretion onto white dwarfs from cool giants. The persistent outflow from symbiotic star MWC 560 (≡V694 Mon) is known to manifest as broad absorption lines (BALs), most prominently at the Balmer transitions. We report the detection of high-ionization BALs from C IV, Si IV, N V, and He II in International Ultraviolet Explorer spectra obtained on 1990 April 29 - 30, when an optical outburst temporarily erased the obscuring `iron curtain' of absorption troughs from Fe II and similar ions. The C IV and Si IV BALs reached maximum radial velocities at least 1000 km s-1 higher than contemporaneous Mg II and He II BALs; the same behaviors occur in the winds of quasars and cataclysmic variables. An iron curtain lifts to unveil high-ionization BALs during the P Cygni phase observed in some novae, suggesting by analogy a temporary switch in MWC 560 from persistent outflow to discrete mass ejection. At least three more symbiotic stars exhibit broad absorption with blue edges faster than 1500 km s-1; high-ionization BALs have been reported in AS 304 (≡V4018 Sgr), while transient Balmer BALs have been reported in Z And and CH Cyg. These BAL-producing fast outflows can have wider opening angles than has been previously supposed. BAL symbiotics are short-timescale laboratories for their giga-scale analogs, broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs), which display a similarly wide range of ionization states in their winds.

The UV spectrum of the BL Lac object PKS 0521-36

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danziger, I.J.; Bergeron, J.; Maraschi, L.; Treves, A.; Milan Univ.; Tanzi, E.G.

1983-01-01

Ultraviolet observations (1200 to 3000 A) with the IUE satellite of the BL Lac object PKS 0521-36 are presented. The only emission line which appears clearly in the spectrum is Lyα, which is asymmetric with a component displaced approx. 3000 km s - 1 to the red. The intensity of the line and the upper limits on other lines are compared with the model calculations on QSOs and Seyfert nuclei by Kwan and Krolik. The continuous energy distribution is discussed, combining non-simultaneous observations from the ultraviolet to the infrared. The spectral range of the non-thermal source from far IR to far UV can be described by a single power law of index -1.5. (author)

UV spectrum of the BL Lac object PKS 0521-36

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danziger, I.J. (European Southern Observatory, Garching (Germany, F.R.)); Bergeron, J. (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 75 - Paris (France). Inst. d' Astrophysique); Fosbury, R.A.E. (Royal Greenwich Observatory, Hailsham (UK)); Maraschi, L.; Treves, A. (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan (Italy). Lab. di Fisica Cosmica; Milan Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica); Tanzi, E.G. (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan (Italy). Lab. di Fisica Cosmica)

1983-05-01

Ultraviolet observations (1200 to 3000 A) with the IUE satellite of the BL Lac object PKS 0521-36 are presented. The only emission line which appears clearly in the spectrum is Ly..cap alpha.., which is asymmetric with a component displaced approx. 3000 km s/sup -1/ to the red. The intensity of the line and the upper limits on other lines are compared with the model calculations on QSOs and Seyfert nuclei by Kwan and Krolik. The continuous energy distribution is discussed, combining non-simultaneous observations from the ultraviolet to the infrared. The spectral range of the non-thermal source from far IR to far UV can be described by a single power law of index -1.5.

Some insights into statutory lawmaking in Botswana | Fombad ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Secondly, there is a need to abandon the much criticised British system of drafting statutes in highly technical, obscure and complex language that can hardly be understood either by legislators or ordinary citizens in favour of the emerging trend towards texts drafted in plain language. To be both relevant and effective, ...

NuSTAR Reveals Extreme Absorption in z <0.5 Type 2 Quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lansbury, G. B.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.

2015-01-01

The intrinsic column density (N-H) distribution of quasars is poorly known. At the high obscuration end of the quasar population and for redshifts z <1, the X-ray spectra can only be reliably characterized using broad-band measurements that extend to energies above 10 keV. Using the hard X-ray ob...

CO LINE EMISSION FROM COMPACT NUCLEAR STARBURST DISKS AROUND ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armour, J. N.; Ballantyne, D. R., E-mail: jarmour3@gatech.edu [Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 837 State Street, Atlanta, GA 30332-0430 (United States)

2012-06-20

There is substantial evidence for a connection between star formation in the nuclear region of a galaxy and growth of the central supermassive black hole. Furthermore, starburst activity in the region around an active galactic nucleus (AGN) may provide the obscuration required by the unified model of AGNs. Molecular line emission is one of the best observational avenues to detect and characterize dense, star-forming gas in galactic nuclei over a range of redshift. This paper presents predictions for the carbon monoxide (CO) line features from models of nuclear starburst disks around AGNs. These small-scale ({approx}< 100 pc), dense and hot starbursts have CO luminosities similar to scaled-down ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and quasar host galaxies. Nuclear starburst disks that exhibit a pc-scale starburst and could potentially act as the obscuring torus show more efficient CO excitation and higher brightness temperature ratios than those without such a compact starburst. In addition, the compact starburst models predict strong absorption when J{sub Upper} {approx}> 10, a unique observational signature of these objects. These findings allow for the possibility that CO spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs) could be used to determine if starburst disks are responsible for the obscuration in z {approx}< 1 AGNs. Directly isolating the nuclear CO line emission of such compact regions around AGNs from galactic-scale emission will require high-resolution imaging or selecting AGN host galaxies with weak galactic-scale star formation. Stacking individual CO SLEDs will also be useful in detecting the predicted high-J features.

Warm-hot gas in X-ray bright galaxy clusters and the H I-deficient circumgalactic medium in dense environments

Science.gov (United States)

Burchett, Joseph N.; Tripp, Todd M.; Wang, Q. Daniel; Willmer, Christopher N. A.; Bowen, David V.; Jenkins, Edward B.

2018-04-01

We analyse the intracluster medium (ICM) and circumgalactic medium (CGM) in seven X-ray-detected galaxy clusters using spectra of background quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) (HST-COS/STIS), optical spectroscopy of the cluster galaxies (MMT/Hectospec and SDSS), and X-ray imaging/spectroscopy (XMM-Newton and Chandra). First, we report a very low covering fraction of H I absorption in the CGM of these cluster galaxies, f_c = 25^{+25}_{-15} {per cent}, to stringent detection limits (N(H I) detect O VI in any cluster, and we only detect BLA features in the QSO spectrum probing one cluster. We estimate that the total column density of warm-hot gas along this line of sight totals to ˜ 3 per cent of that contained in the hot T > 107 K X-ray emitting phase. Residing at high relative velocities, these features may trace pre-shocked material outside the cluster. Comparing gaseous galaxy haloes from the low-density `field' to galaxy groups and high-density clusters, we find that the CGM is progressively depleted of H I with increasing environmental density, and the CGM is most severely transformed in galaxy clusters. This CGM transformation may play a key role in environmental galaxy quenching.

Cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography for variant hemoglobins and HbF/A2: What must hematopathologists know about methodology?

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Prashant; Das, Reena

2016-03-26

Cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC) is a widely used laboratory test to detect variant hemoglobins as well as quantify hemoglobins F and A2 for the diagnosis of thalassemia syndromes. It's versatility, speed, reproducibility and convenience have made CE-HPLC the method of choice to initially screen for hemoglobin disorders. Despite its popularity, several methodological aspects of the technology remain obscure to pathologists and this may have consequences in specific situations. This paper discusses the basic principles of the technique, the initial quality control steps and the interpretation of various controls and variables that are available on the instrument output. Subsequent sections are devoted to methodological considerations that arise during reporting of cases. For instance, common problems of misidentified peaks, totals crossing 100%, causes of total area being above or below acceptable limits and the importance of pre-integration region peaks are dealt with. Ultimately, CE-HPLC remains an investigation, the reporting of which combines in-depth knowledge of the biological basics with more than a working knowledge of the technological aspects of the technique.

Identifying driver mutations in sequenced cancer genomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raphael, Benjamin J; Dobson, Jason R; Oesper, Layla

2014-01-01

High-throughput DNA sequencing is revolutionizing the study of cancer and enabling the measurement of the somatic mutations that drive cancer development. However, the resulting sequencing datasets are large and complex, obscuring the clinically important mutations in a background of errors, nois...... patterns of mutual exclusivity. These techniques, coupled with advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing, are enabling precision medicine approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer....

EVOLUTION OF THE MOST LUMINOUS DUSTY GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weedman, Daniel W.; Houck, James R.

2009-01-01

A summary of mid-infrared continuum luminosities arising from dust is given for very luminous galaxies, L IR > 10 12 L sun , with 0.005 0.7 in the 9.7 μm silicate absorption feature (i.e., half of the continuum is absorbed) and having equivalent width of the 6.2 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon feature ν (8 μm) for the most luminous obscured AGNs is found to scale as (1+z) 2.6 to z = 2.8. For unobscured AGNs, the scaling with redshift is similar, but luminosities νL ν (8 μm) are approximately three times greater for the most luminous sources. Using both obscured and unobscured AGNs having total infrared fluxes from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, empirical relations are found between νL ν (8 μm) and L IR . Combining these relations with the redshift scaling of luminosity, we conclude that the total infrared luminosities for the most luminous obscured AGNs, L IR (AGN obscured ) in L sun , scale as log L IR (AGN obscured ) = 12.3 ± 0.25 + 2.6(±0.3)log(1+z), and for the most luminous unobscured AGNs, scale as log L IR (AGN1) = 12.6(±0.15) + 2.6(±0.3)log(1+z). We previously determined that the most luminous starbursts scale as log L IR (SB) = 11.8 ± 0.3 + 2.5(±0.3)log(1+z), indicating that the most luminous AGNs are about 10 times more luminous than the most luminous starbursts. Results are consistent with obscured and unobscured AGNs having the same total luminosities with differences arising only from orientation, such that the obscured AGNs are observed through very dusty clouds which extinct about 50% of the intrinsic luminosity at 8 μm. Extrapolations of observable f ν (24 μm) to z = 6 are made using evolution results for these luminous sources. Both obscured and unobscured AGNs should be detected to z ∼ 6 by Spitzer surveys with f ν (24 μm) > 0.3 mJy, even without luminosity evolution for z > 2.5. By contrast, the most luminous starbursts cannot be detected for z > 3, even if luminosity evolution continues beyond z = 2.5.

Exo-planet Direct Imaging with On-Axis and/or Segmented Apertures in Space: Adaptive Compensation of Aperture Discontinuities

Science.gov (United States)

Soummer, Remi

Capitalizing on a recent breakthrough in wavefront control theory for obscured apertures made by our group, we propose to demonstrate a method to achieve high contrast exoplanet imaging with on-axis obscured apertures. Our new algorithm, which we named Adaptive Compensation of Aperture Discontinuities (ACAD), provides the ability to compensate for aperture discontinuities (segment gaps and/or secondary mirror supports) by controlling deformable mirrors in a nonlinear wavefront control regime not utilized before but conceptually similar to the beam reshaping used in PIAA coronagraphy. We propose here an in-air demonstration at 1E- 7 contrast, enabled by adding a second deformable mirror to our current test-bed. This expansion of the scope of our current efforts in exoplanet imaging technologies will enabling us to demonstrate an integrated solution for wavefront control and starlight suppression on complex aperture geometries. It is directly applicable at scales from moderate-cost exoplanet probe missions to the 2.4 m AFTA telescopes to future flagship UVOIR observatories with apertures potentially 16-20 m. Searching for nearby habitable worlds with direct imaging is one of the top scientific priorities established by the Astro2010 Decadal Survey. Achieving this ambitious goal will require 1e-10 contrast on a telescope large enough to provide angular resolution and sensitivity to planets around a significant sample of nearby stars. Such a mission must of course also be realized at an achievable cost. Lightweight segmented mirror technology allows larger diameter optics to fit in any given launch vehicle as compared to monolithic mirrors, and lowers total life-cycle costs from construction through integration & test, making it a compelling option for future large space telescopes. At smaller scales, on-axis designs with secondary obscurations and supports are less challenging to fabricate and thus more affordable than the off-axis unobscured primary mirror designs

Tumor of small bowel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz Lobo, Elmer Jair; Rubio Vargas, Romulo; Cecilia Hani, Albis

2009-01-01

Young woman who is having episodes of overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding that requires transfusions. The endoscopic study consists of 2 endoscopies of the upper digestive system and two colonoscopies. The tests do not find the cause of the digestive hemorrhage. A double-balloon enteroscopy is performed and it is found that the Ileum has an ulcerate subepithelial lesion with neoplasia appearance which is marked with Chinese ink and biopsies are taken from the tissue which are not diagnosed. Studies of staging are performed ant the result is negative. A laparotomy is performed for diagnosis and treatment which includes the intestinal resection of ileum where the tumor is placed. The result of the test shows to be a neuroendocrine carcinoma of high degree of large cells undifferentiated. One appears in addition a revision to overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and neuroendocrine tumor of small

GOODS-HERSCHEL MEASUREMENTS OF THE DUST ATTENUATION OF TYPICAL STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT HIGH REDSHIFT: OBSERVATIONS OF ULTRAVIOLET-SELECTED GALAXIES AT z {approx} 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reddy, N.; Dickinson, M.; Kartaltepe, J. [National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719 (United States); Elbaz, D.; Daddi, E.; Magdis, G.; Aussel, H.; Dannerbauer, H.; Dasyra, K.; Hwang, H. S. [Laboratoire AIM-Paris-Saclay, CEA/DSM/Irfu-CNRS-Universite Paris Diderot, CE-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Morrison, G. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Giavalisco, M. [Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Ivison, R. [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Papovich, C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77845 (United States); Scott, D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 (Canada); Buat, V.; Burgarella, D. [Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille, OAMP, Universite Aix-Marseille, CNRS, 38 Rue Frederic Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille Cedex 13 (France); Charmandaris, V. [Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics, University of Crete, GR-71003, Heraklion (Greece); Murphy, E. [Spitzer Science Center, MC 314-6, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Altieri, B. [Herschel Science Centre, European Space Astronomy Centre, Villanueva de la Canada, 28691 Madrid (Spain); and others

2012-01-10

We take advantage of the sensitivity and resolution of the Herschel Space Observatory at 100 and 160 {mu}m to directly image the thermal dust emission and investigate the infrared luminosities (L{sub IR}) and dust obscuration of typical star-forming (L*) galaxies at high redshift. Our sample consists of 146 UV-selected galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts 1.5 {<=} z{sub spec} < 2.6 in the GOODS-North field. Supplemented with deep Very Large Array and Spitzer imaging, we construct median stacks at the positions of these galaxies at 24, 100, and 160 {mu}m, and 1.4 GHz. The comparison between these stacked fluxes and a variety of dust templates and calibrations implies that typical star-forming galaxies with UV luminosities L{sub UV} {approx}> 10{sup 10} L{sub Sun} at z {approx} 2 are luminous infrared galaxies with a median L{sub IR} = (2.2 {+-} 0.3) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} L{sub Sun }. Their median ratio of L{sub IR} to rest-frame 8 {mu}m luminosity (L{sub 8}) is L{sub IR}/L{sub 8} = 8.9 {+-} 1.3 and is Almost-Equal-To 80% larger than that found for most star-forming galaxies at z {approx}< 2. This apparent redshift evolution in the L{sub IR}/L{sub 8} ratio may be tied to the trend of larger infrared luminosity surface density for z {approx}> 2 galaxies relative to those at lower redshift. Typical galaxies at 1.5 {<=} z < 2.6 have a median dust obscuration L{sub IR}/L{sub UV} = 7.1 {+-} 1.1, which corresponds to a dust correction factor, required to recover the bolometric star formation rate (SFR) from the unobscured UV SFR, of 5.2 {+-} 0.6. This result is similar to that inferred from previous investigations of the UV, H{alpha}, 24 {mu}m, radio, and X-ray properties of the same galaxies studied here. Stacking in bins of UV slope ({beta}) implies that L* galaxies with redder spectral slopes are also dustier and that the correlation between {beta} and dustiness is similar to that found for local starburst galaxies. Hence, the rest-frame {approx_equal} 30 and

When Transparency Obscures: The Political Spectacle of Accountability

Science.gov (United States)

Koyama, Jill; Kania, Brian

2014-01-01

In the United States (US), an increase in standardization, quantification, competition, and large-scale comparison--cornerstones of neoliberal accountability--have been accompanied by devices of transparency, through which various forms of school data are made available to the public. Such public reporting, we are told by politicians and education…

Imaging the Obscuring Torus in Nearby Active Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Andrew S.; Storchi Bergmann, Thaisa; Morris, Simon

2000-02-01

We propose to study a sample of Seyfert galaxies with the aim of resolving spatially the torus of dense molecular gas and dust which is believed to surround the nuclei of these objects. The galaxies, selected to have strong molecular hydrogen emission and jet-like radio continuum sources, will be imaged in various molecular hydrogen lines and in [Fe II] or Br (gamma). The goals are to a) confirm the existence of such tori, b) determine whether the extended molecular gas is excited thermally or through fluorescence, and c) compare with the distribution of ionized gas, which may show an ionization cone structure from polar escape of ionizing photons. The availability of IR imaging capabilities with tip-tilt and narrow-band filters, which allow imaging in the H_2(lambda) 2.122(micron) line up to a recession velocity of 6,000 km s^-1, makes the Blanco 4m telescope very well suited to this project.

KWIK Smoke Obscuration Model: User’s Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

1982-09-01

t ’ustr ( td I IK,j) 384: prt 3o :: pr t 6 k AC 1-4G" 36~b : pr t " ~ L 3b7: if j~i;prt &t(t1,] 3 8 8: it J=2;pr. "&str(Zjl,1,KI) 3 0 9: j~r t "I 39u...t.2~t71. * j3 3 2u: w r t 7uX ,"i(Lz~j i21iJ "c3wt70, )i: lnt 4 5X, "irI I U uIL - = 01 17.2;wrt 701,kq3 j~b: Lirt. 45x,"a..~c4 uAT - LiLY = g,t4.2

How mainstream economics serves the rich, obscures reality

African Journals Online (AJOL)

12Economics of the 1%: How mainstream economics serves the rich, ... revealing analysis of economic inequality contrasts with the silence of mainstream ... been the coordinating editor of the Journal of Australian Political Economy for the last ...

Obscured and unobscured growth of supermassive black holes

OpenAIRE

X. Barcons; J. Bussons; F. J. Carrera; M. T. Ceballos; A. Corral; J. Ebrero; S. Mateos; M. J. Page; F. Panessa; M. G. Watson

2007-01-01

La acreción es el mecanismo dominante en el crecimiento de los agujeros negros presentes en los centros galácticos. Los rastreos del cielo a longitudes de onda de rayos X trazan la historia de esta acreción en el Universo y muestran que la mayor parte de ella ocurre en objetos oscurecidos. En este artículo presentamos algunos resultados obtenidos con el XMM-Newton Medium Sensitivity survey (XMS), que investiga la población de fuentes que produce aproximadamente la mitad más brilla...

A Monster CME Obscuring a Demon Star Flare

Science.gov (United States)

Moschou, Sofia-Paraskevi; Drake, Jeremy J.; Cohen, Ofer; Alvarado-Gomez, Julian D.; Garraffo, Cecilia

2017-12-01

We explore the scenario of a coronal mass ejection (CME) being the cause of the observed continuous X-ray absorption of the 1997 August 30 superflare on the eclipsing binary Algol (the Demon Star). The temporal decay of the absorption is consistent with absorption by a CME undergoing self-similar evolution with uniform expansion velocity. We investigate the kinematic and energetic properties of the CME using the ice cream cone model for its three-dimensional structure in combination with the observed profile of the hydrogen column density decline with time. Different physically justified length scales were used that allowed us to estimate lower and upper limits of the possible CME characteristics. Further consideration of the maximum available magnetic energy in starspots leads us to quantify its mass as likely lying in the range 2× {10}21 {--} 2× {10}22 g and kinetic energy in the range 7× {10}35 {--} 3× {10}38 erg. The results are in reasonable agreement with extrapolated relations between flare X-ray fluence and CME mass and kinetic energy derived for solar CMEs.

27 CFR 30.32 - Determination of proof obscuration.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... added to the temperature corrected hydrometer reading will give the true proof. (c) Distillation method... use of a precision hydrometer and thermometer in accordance with the provisions of § 13.23 to the...

Dynamics and Formation of Obscuring Tori in AGNs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bannikova, Elena Yu.; Sergeyev, Alexey V., E-mail: bannikova@astron.kharkov.ua [Institute of Radio Astronomy, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Kharkiv (Ukraine); Institute of Astronomy, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv (Ukraine)

2017-12-12

We considered the evolution of a self-gravitating clumpy torus in the gravitational field of the central mass of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the framework of the N-body problem. The initial conditions take into account winds with different opening angles. Results of our N-body simulations show that the clouds moving on orbits with a spread in inclinations and eccentricities form a toroidal region. The velocity of the clouds at the inner boundary of the torus is lower than in a disk model that can explain the observed rotation curves. We discuss the scenario of torus formation related with the beginning of the AGN stage.

Pinus ponderosa : A checkered past obscured four species

Science.gov (United States)

Ann Willyard; David S. Gernandt; Kevin Potter; Valerie Hipkins; Paula E. Marquardt; Mary Frances Mahalovich; Stephen K. Langer; Frank W. Telewski; Blake Cooper; Connor Douglas; Kristen Finch; Hassani H. Karemera; Julia Lefler; Payton Lea; Austin Wofford

2016-01-01

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Molecular genetic evidence can help delineate taxa in species complexes that lack diagnostic morphological characters. Pinus ponderosa (Pinaceae; subsection Ponderosae ) is recognized as a problematic taxon: plastid phylogenies of exemplars were paraphyletic, and mitochondrial phylogeography suggested at...

How mainstream economics serves the rich, obscures reality

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mainstream economics is in a sorry state. Books and articles criticising it have proliferated in recent years. Students are grumbling about its evident incapacity to illuminate the troubled world in which they live: they have recently formed an international organisation to coordinate and publicise their drive for reform. Leading.

Multiple Erythema Lesions Obscured As Fungal Skin Infection

OpenAIRE

Koçinaj, Allma; Gërçari, Antigona; Ferizi, Mybera; Lashi, Edlira; Gjunkshi, Lorela; Fida, Monika

2014-01-01

Erythema migrans is a ring like erythema, with a few centimeters in diameter. Usually it occur solitary, days to weeks after an infected tick bite. According to skin changes it can be manifested acutely such as erythema migrans in Lyme Borreliosis, borrelial lymphocytoma (subacute), or as a late Lyme disease with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. All stages of this disease can be treatable with antimicrobial agents. As a first case in our department with multiple lesions, we describe a 14-...

Multiple Erythema Lesions Obscured As Fungal Skin Infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allma Koçinaj

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Erythema migrans is a ring like erythema, with a few centimeters in diameter. Usually it occur solitary, days to weeks after an infected tick bite. According to skin changes it can be manifested acutely such as erythema migrans in Lyme Borreliosis, borrelial lymphocytoma (subacute, or as a late Lyme disease with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. All stages of this disease can be treatable with antimicrobial agents. As a first case in our department with multiple lesions, we describe a 14-year-old female and review the patient’s clinical and laboratory features, the causes of the disease, diagnosis as well as treatment.

The close environments of accreting massive black holes are shaped by radiative feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, Claudio; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Koss, Michael J; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Schawinski, Kevin; Oh, Kyuseok; Lamperti, Isabella; Mushotzky, Richard; Treister, Ezequiel; Ho, Luis C; Weigel, Anna; Bauer, Franz E; Paltani, Stephane; Fabian, Andrew C; Xie, Yanxia; Gehrels, Neil

2017-09-27

The majority of the accreting supermassive black holes in the Universe are obscured by large columns of gas and dust. The location and evolution of this obscuring material have been the subject of intense research in the past decades, and are still debated. A decrease in the covering factor of the circumnuclear material with increasing accretion rates has been found by studies across the electromagnetic spectrum. The origin of this trend may be driven by the increase in the inner radius of the obscuring material with incident luminosity, which arises from the sublimation of dust; by the gravitational potential of the black hole; by radiative feedback; or by the interplay between outflows and inflows. However, the lack of a large, unbiased and complete sample of accreting black holes, with reliable information on gas column density, luminosity and mass, has left the main physical mechanism that regulates obscuration unclear. Here we report a systematic multi-wavelength survey of hard-X-ray-selected black holes that reveals that radiative feedback on dusty gas is the main physical mechanism that regulates the distribution of the circumnuclear material. Our results imply that the bulk of the obscuring dust and gas is located within a few to tens of parsecs of the accreting supermassive black hole (within the sphere of influence of the black hole), and that it can be swept away even at low radiative output rates. The main physical driver of the differences between obscured and unobscured accreting black holes is therefore their mass-normalized accretion rate.

Discovery of a red quasar with recurrent activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nandi, S.; Baes, M.; Gentile, G. [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Roy, R. [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Allée du 6 Août 17, Bât B5c, B-4000 Liège (Belgium); Saikia, D.J. [National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, TIFR, Pune University Campus, Post Bag 3, Pune 411007 (India); Singh, M.; Joshi, R. [Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Manora Peak, Nainital, 263002 (India); Chandola, H.C. [Department of Physics, Kumaun University, Nainital 263001 (India); Patgiri, M., E-mail: sumana1981@gmail.com, E-mail: Sumana.Nandi@UGent.be [Cotton College, Panbazar, Guwahati 781001 (India)

2014-07-01

We report a new double-double radio quasar (DDRQ) J0746+4526 which exhibits two cycles of episodic activity. From radio continuum observations at 607 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and 1400 MHz from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-cm survey we confirm its episodic nature. We examine the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) optical spectrum and estimate the black hole mass to be (8.2 ± 0.3)×10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} from its observed Mg II emission line, and the Eddington ratio to be 0.03. The black hole mass is significantly smaller than for the other reported DDRQ, J0935+0204, while the Eddington ratios are comparable. The SDSS spectrum is significantly red-continuum-dominated, suggesting that it is highly obscured with E(B – V){sub host} = 0.70 ± 0.16 mag. This high obscuration further indicates the existence of a large quantity of dust and gas along the line of sight, which may have a key role in triggering the recurrent jet activity in such objects.

THE SPITZER HIGH-REDSHIFT RADIO GALAXY SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Breuck, Carlos; Galametz, Audrey; Vernet, Joel; Seymour, Nick; Stern, Daniel; Eisenhardt, P. R. M.; Willner, S. P.; Fazio, G. G.; Lacy, Mark; Rettura, Alessandro; Rocca-Volmerange, Brigitte

2010-01-01

We present results from a comprehensive imaging survey of 70 radio galaxies at redshifts 1 3 μ m /S 1.6 μ m versus S 5 μ m /S 3 μ m criterion, we identify 42 sources where the rest-frame 1.6 μm emission from the stellar population can be measured. For these radio galaxies, the median stellar mass is high, 2 x 10 11 M sun , and remarkably constant within the range 1 3, there is tentative evidence for a factor of two decrease in stellar mass. This suggests that radio galaxies have assembled the bulk of their stellar mass by z ∼ 3, but confirmation by more detailed decomposition of stellar and active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission is needed. The rest-frame 500 MHz radio luminosities are only marginally correlated with stellar mass but are strongly correlated with the rest-frame 5 μm hot dust luminosity. This suggests that the radio galaxies have a large range of Eddington ratios. We also present new Very Large Array 4.86 and 8.46 GHz imaging of 14 radio galaxies and find that radio core dominance-an indicator of jet orientation-is strongly correlated with hot dust luminosity. While all of our targets were selected as narrow-lined, type 2 AGNs, this result can be understood in the context of orientation-dependent models if there is a continuous distribution of orientations from obscured type 2 to unobscured type 1 AGNs rather than a clear dichotomy. Finally, four radio galaxies have nearby (<6'') companions whose mid-IR colors are suggestive of their being AGNs. This may indicate an association between radio galaxy activity and major mergers.

Wet-Bulb-Globe Temperature Data Report

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

Hour Min Pressure Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Wind Cld amt Cld type Obscuration Quest RH Kestrel RH VPSc RH S1 WBGT Q WBGT...Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Wind Cld amt Cld type Obscuration Quest RH Kestrel RH VPSc RH S1 WBGT Q WBGT K2 WBGT GMT millibars deg F...Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Wind Cld amt Cld type Obscuration Quest RH Kestrel RH VPSc RH S1 WBGT Q WBGT K2 WBGT GMT millibars deg F deg F deg

Peering Through the Dust: NuSTAR Observations of Two First-2Mass Red Quasars

Science.gov (United States)

Lamassa, Stephanie M.; Ricarte, Angelo; Glikman, Eilat; Urry, C. Megan; Stern, Daniel; Yaqoob, Tahir; Lansbury, George B.; Civano, Francesca; Boggs, Steve E.; Zhang, Will

2016-01-01

Some reddened quasars appear to be transitional objects in the paradigm of merger-induced black hole growth/ galaxy evolution, where a heavily obscured nucleus starts to be unveiled by powerful quasar winds evacuating the surrounding cocoon NuSTAR and XMM-Newton/Chandra observations of FIRST-2MASS-selected red quasars F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+3214. We find that though F2M 0830 +3759 is moderately obscured N(sub H) = (2.1 +/- 0.2) x 10 (exp 22) per square centimeter) and F2M 1227+3214 is mildly absorbed (N(sub H),Z =3.4(+0.8/-0.7) X 10(exp -2) along the line of sight, heavier global obscuration may be present in both sources, with N(sub H) = 3.7 (+4.1/-2.6) X 10 (exp 23) per square centimeter) and less than 5.5 X 10(exp 23) per square centimeter) for F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+ 3214, respectively. F2M 0830+3759 also has an excess of soft X-ray emission below 1 of dust and gas. Hard X-ray observations are able to peer through this gas and dust, revealing the properties of circumnuclear obscuration. Here, we present keV, which is well accommodated by a model where 7% of the intrinsic X-ray emission from the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is scattered into the line of sight. While F2M 1227+3214 has a dust-to-gas ratio (E(B - V)/NH) consistent with the Galactic value, the value of E(B - V)/NH for F2M 0830+3759 is lower than the Galactic standard, consistent with the paradigm that the dust resides on galactic scales while the X-ray reprocessing gas originates within the dust sublimation zone of the broad-line region. The X-ray and 6.1 µm luminosities of these red quasars are consistent with the empirical relations derived for high-luminosity, unobscured quasars, extending the parameter space of obscured AGNs previously observed by NuSTAR to higher luminosities.

Four-wavelength lidar evaluation of particle characteristics and aerosol densities

Science.gov (United States)

Uthe, E. E.; Livingston, J. M.; Delateur, S. A.; Nielsen, N. B.

1985-06-01

The SRI International four-wavelength (0.53, 1.06, 3.8, 10.6 micron) lidar systems was used during the SNOW-ONE-B and Smoke Week XI/SNOW-TWO field experiments to validate its capabilities in assessing obscurant optical and physical properties. The lidar viewed along a horizontal path terminated by a passive reflector. Data examples were analyzed in terms of time-dependent transmission, wavelength dependence of optical depth, and range-resolved extinction coefficients. Three methods were used to derive extinction data from the lidar signatures. These were target method, Klett method and experimental data method. The results of the field and analysis programs are reported in the journal and conference papers that are appended to this report, and include: comparison study of lidar extinction methods, submitted to applied optics, error analysis of lidar solution techniques for range-resolved extinction coefficients based on observational data, smoke/obscurants symposium 9, Four--Wavelength Lidar Measurements from smoke week 6/SNOW-TWO, smoke/obscurants symposium 8, SNOW-ONE-B multiple-wavelength lidar measurements. Snow symposium 3, and lidar applications for obscurant evaluations, smoke/obscurants Symposium 7. The report also provides a summary of background work leading to this project, and of project results.

Complex C: A Low-Metallicity, High-Velocity Cloud Plunging into the Milky Way

Science.gov (United States)

Tripp, Todd M.; Wakker, Bart P.; Jenkins, Edward B.; Bowers, C. W.; Danks, A. C.; Green, R. F.; Heap, S. R.; Joseph, C. L.; Kaiser, M. E.; Linsky, J. L.; Woodgate, B. E.

2003-06-01

We present evidence that high-velocity cloud (HVC) complex C is a low-metallicity gas cloud that is plunging toward the disk and beginning to interact with the ambient gas that surrounds the Milky Way. This evidence begins with a new high-resolution (7 km s-1 FWHM) echelle spectrum of 3C 351 obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). 3C 351 lies behind the low-latitude edge of complex C, and the new spectrum provides accurate measurements of O I, Si II, Al II, Fe II, and Si III absorption lines at the velocity of complex C; N I, S II, Si IV, and C IV are not detected at 3 σ significance in complex C proper. However, Si IV and C IV as well as O I, Al II, Si II and Si III absorption lines are clearly present at somewhat higher velocities associated with a ``high-velocity ridge'' (HVR) of 21 cm emission. This high-velocity ridge has a similar morphology to and is roughly centered on complex C proper. The similarities of the absorption-line ratios in the HVR and complex C suggest that these structures are intimately related. In complex C proper we find [O/H]=-0.76+0.23-0.21. For other species the measured column densities indicate that ionization corrections are important. We use collisional and photoionization models to derive ionization corrections; in both models we find that the overall metallicity Z=0.1-0.3 Zsolar in complex C proper, but nitrogen must be underabundant. The iron abundance indicates that the complex C contains very little dust. The size and density implied by the ionization models indicate that the absorbing gas is not gravitationally confined. The gas could be pressure confined by an external medium, but alternatively we may be viewing the leading edge of the HVC, which is ablating and dissipating as it plunges into the Milky Way. O VI column densities observed with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) toward nine QSOs/AGNs behind complex C support this conclusion: N(O VI) is highest near 3C 351, and the O VI/H I

Human walking estimation with radar

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dorp, Ph. van; Groen, F.C.A.

2003-01-01

Radar can be used to observe humans that are obscured by objects such as walls. These humans cannot be visually observed. The radar measurements are used to animate an obscured human in virtual reality. This requires detailed information about the motion. The radar measurements give detailed

Experimental study of proton acceleration with ultra-high intensity, high contrast laser beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flacco, A.

2008-07-01

This thesis reports experimental work in the domain of laser-matter interaction to study the production of energetic proton beams. The ion beams accelerated by laser have been increasing in quality, in energy and in repeatability as laser technology keeps improving. The presence of the pedestal before the high peak laser pulse introduces many unknowns in the accelerating conditions that are created on the front and on the rear surface of the target. The first part of the experimental activities is focused to a better comprehension and the experimental validation of the interaction of a 'pedestal-like', moderate intensity, laser pulse on Aluminum targets. The developed interferometric technique proved to be reliable and produced a complete set of maps of the early stages of the plasma expansion. The reflectometry experiment stresses the importance of the quality of the metallic targets and underlines some obscure points on the behaviour of the rear surface of the illuminated foil. For instance the reflectometry measurements on the thicker targets are significantly different from what is foreseen by the simulations about the timescale of the shock break out. In the second part, the XPW laser pulse is used in ion acceleration from thin metal foils. The laser and target parameters are varied to put in evidence the dependence of the ion beam to the experimental condition. In conclusion I can say that first, during the variation of the target thickness, an optimum is put in evidence. Secondly, the correlation between the laser pulse duration and the proton cutoff energy is qualitatively different between thicker (15 μm) and thinner (1.5 μm, 3 μm) targets. For the first, an optimal pulse duration exists while for the seconds, no variation is found - in the searched space - from the monotonic decreasing of the cutoff energy with the peak intensity. The experimental results put however in evidence some points that are not completely understood. (A.C.)

Laser-beam apodization with a graded random phase window

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haas, R.A.; Summers, M.A.; Linford, G.J.

1986-10-01

Experiments and analysis indicate that graded random phase modulation can be usesd to apodize a laser beam. In the case of an obscuration or a hard edge it can prevent the formation of Fresnel-diffraction ripples. For example, here the interaction of a 1-..mu..m-wavelength laser beam with a central obscuration of half-width a -- 100 ..mu..m is studied theoretically. It is found that if the exit surface of a window, placed immediately downstream of the obstacle, is randomly modulated with a Gaussian amplitude transverse correlation length l -- 50..mu..m and a mean-square amplitude that decreases exponentially from a peak height of --1..mu..m/sup 2/ away from the center of the obscuration with transverse scale length L -- 500 ..mu..m, then the Fresenel-diffraction ripples normally produced by the obscuration are elimated. The scaling of these results is also discussed. The calculations are in general agreement with experimental results.

Laser-beam apodization with a graded random phase window

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haas, R.A.; Summers, M.A.; Linford, G.J.

1986-01-01

Experiments and analysis indicate that graded random phase modulation can be usesd to apodize a laser beam. In the case of an obscuration or a hard edge it can prevent the formation of Fresnel-diffraction ripples. For example, here the interaction of a 1-μm-wavelength laser beam with a central obscuration of half-width a -- 100 μm is studied theoretically. It is found that if the exit surface of a window, placed immediately downstream of the obstacle, is randomly modulated with a Gaussian amplitude transverse correlation length l -- 50μm and a mean-square amplitude that decreases exponentially from a peak height of --1μm 2 away from the center of the obscuration with transverse scale length L -- 500 μm, then the Fresenel-diffraction ripples normally produced by the obscuration are elimated. The scaling of these results is also discussed. The calculations are in general agreement with experimental results

A study of the sensitivity of an imaging telescope (GRITS) for high energy gamma-ray astronomy. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yearian, M.R.

1990-08-01

When a gamma-ray telescope is placed in Earth orbit, it is bombarded by a flux of cosmic protons much greater than the flux of interesting gammas. These protons can interact in the telescope's thermal shielding to produce detectable gamma rays, most of which are vetoed. Since the proton flux is so high, the unvetoed gamma rays constitute a significant background relative to some weak sources. This background increases the observing time required to pinpoint some sources and entirely obscures other sources. Although recent telescopes have been designed to minimize this background, its strength and spectral characteristics were not previously calculated in detail. Monte Carlo calculations are presented which characterize the strength, spectrum and other features of the cosmic proton background using FLUKA, a hadronic cascade program. Several gamma-ray telescopes, including SAS-2, EGRET and the Gamma Ray Imaging Telescope System (GRITS), are analyzed, and their proton-induced backgrounds are characterized. In all cases, the backgrounds are either shown to be low relative to interesting signals or suggestions are made which would reduce the background sufficiently to leave the telescope unimpaired. In addition, several limiting cases are examined for comparison to previous estimates and calibration measurements

Genetic assessment of connectivity in the common reef sponge, Callyspongia vaginalis (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida) reveals high population structure along the Florida reef tract

Science.gov (United States)

Debiasse, M. B.; Richards, V. P.; Shivji, M. S.

2010-03-01

The genetic population structure of the common branching vase sponge, Callyspongia vaginalis, was determined along the entire length (465 km) of the Florida reef system from Palm Beach to the Dry Tortugas based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene. Populations of C. vaginalis were highly structured (overall ΦST = 0.33), in some cases over distances as small as tens of kilometers. However, nonsignificant pairwise ΦST values were also found between a few relatively distant sampling sites suggesting that some long distance larval dispersal may occur via ocean currents or transport in sponge fragments along continuous, shallow coastlines. Indeed, sufficient gene flow appears to occur along the Florida reef tract to obscure a signal of isolation by distance, but not to homogenize COI haplotype frequencies. The strong genetic differentiation among most of the sampling locations suggests that recruitment in this species is largely local source-driven, pointing to the importance of further elucidating general connectivity patterns along the Florida reef tract to guide the spatial scale of management efforts.

NGC1448 and IC 3639: Two Concealed Black Holes Lurking in our Cosmic Backyard Unveiled by NuSTAR

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Daniel; Boorman, Peter; Annuar, Ady; Gandhi, Poshak; Alexander, D. M.; Lansbury, George B.; Asmus, Daniel; Ballantyne, David R.; Bauer, Franz E.; Boggs, Steven E.; Brandt, W. Niel; Brightman, Murray; Christensen, Finn; Craig, William W.; Farrah, Duncan; Goulding, Andy D.; Hailey, Charles James; Harrison, Fiona; Hoenig, Sebastian; Koss, Michael; LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Masini, Alberto; Murray, Stephen S.; Ricci, Claudio; Risaliti, Guido; Rosario, David J.; Stanley, Flora; Zhang, William

2017-01-01

We present NuSTAR observations of two nearby Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), NGC 1448 and IC 3639, located at distances of 12 Mpc and 54 Mpc, respectively. NuSTAR high-energy X-ray (> 10 keV) observations, combined with archival lower energy X-ray observations from Chandra and Suzaku, reveal both sources to contain heavily obscured, accreting super-massive black holes. NGC 1448 is one of the nearest luminous galaxies to the Milky Way, yet the AGN at its centre was only discovered in 2009. Using state-of-the-art models, we constrain the obscuring column density (NH) of gas concealing both AGN, finding them to be extreme, with NH values well into the Compton-thick (CT) regime with N(H) > 3e24 /cm2. NGC 1448 has an intrinsic X-ray luminosity of L(24 keV) ˜ 5e40 erg/s, making it one of the lowest luminosity CT AGN known. IC 3639, on the other hand, has one of the strongest iron fluorescence emission lines known. We also discuss multi-wavelength diagnostics at optical and mid-infrared energies as indirect indicators to penetrate through the obscuring veils and probe the intrinsic properties of the AGN. Through detailed studies such as we present here, NuSTAR is showing that there are still plenty of interesting discoveries awaiting to be made, even in the nearby Universe.

Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Circumnuclear Environments of the CfA Seyfert Galaxies: Nuclear Spirals and Fueling

Science.gov (United States)

Pogge, Richard W.; Martini, Paul

2002-01-01

We present archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of the nuclear regions of 43 of the 46 Seyfert galaxies found in the volume limited,spectroscopically complete CfA Redshift Survey sample. Using an improved method of image contrast enhancement, we created detailed high-quality " structure maps " that allow us to study the distributions of dust, star clusters, and emission-line gas in the circumnuclear regions (100-1000 pc scales) and in the associated host galaxy. Essentially all of these Seyfert galaxies have circumnuclear dust structures with morphologies ranging from grand-design two-armed spirals to chaotic dusty disks. In most Seyfert galaxies there is a clear physical connection between the nuclear dust spirals on hundreds of parsec scales and large-scale bars and spiral arms in the host galaxies proper. These connections are particularly striking in the interacting and barred galaxies. Such structures are predicted by numerical simulations of gas flows in barred and interacting galaxies and may be related to the fueling of active galactic nuclei by matter inflow from the host galaxy disks. We see no significant differences in the circumnuclear dust morphologies of Seyfert 1s and 2s, and very few Seyfert 2 nuclei are obscured by large-scale dust structures in the host galaxies. If Sevfert 2s are obscured Sevfert Is, then the obscuration must occur on smaller scales than those probed by HST.

UV, X-ray, and Optical Variability of the Young Star T Cha Produced by Inner Disk Obscuration: Results from a Coordinated HST, XMM-Newton, LCOGT, and SMARTS Observing Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Alexander; France, Kevin; Walter, Frederick M.; Schneider, P. Christian; Brown, Timothy M.; Andrews, Sean M.; Wilner, David J.

2018-06-01

The young (7 Myr) 1.5 solar mass T Tauri star T Chamaeleontis shows dramatic variability. The optical extinction varies by at least 3 magnitudes on few hour time-scales with no obvious periodicity. The obscuration is produced by material at the inner edge of the circumstellar disk and therefore characterizing the absorbing material can reveal important clues regarding the transport of gas and dust within such disks. The inner disk of T Cha is particularly interesting, because T Cha has a transitional disk with a large gap at 0.2-15 AU in the dust disk and allows study of the gas and dust structure in the terrestrial planet formation zone during this important rapid phase of protoplanetary disk evolution. For this reason we have conducted a major multi-spectral-region observing campaign to study the UV/X-ray/optical variability of T Cha. During 2018 February/March we monitored the optical photometric and spectral variability using LCOGT (Chile/South Africa/Australia) and the SMARTS telescopes in Chile. These optical data provide a broad context within which to interpret our shorter UV and X-ray observations. We observed T Cha during 3 coordinated observations (each 5 HST orbits + 25 ksec XMM; on 2018 Feb 22, Feb 26, Mar 2) using the HST COS/STIS spectrographs to measure the FUV/NUV spectra and XMM-Newton to measure the corresponding X-ray energy distribution. The observed spectral changes are well correlated and demonstrate the influence of the same absorbing material in all the spectral regions observed. By examining which spectral features change and by how much we can determine the location of different emitting regions relative to the absorbers along the line-of-sight to the star. In this poster we provide an overview of the variability seen in the different spectral regions and quantify the dust and gas content of T Cha's inner disk edge.(This work is supported by grant HST-GO-15128 and time awarded by HST, XMM-Newton, LCOGT, and SMARTS. We acknowledge the

The CfA Einstein Observatory extended deep X-ray survey

Science.gov (United States)

Primini, F. A.; Murray, S. S.; Huchra, J.; Schild, R.; Burg, R.

1991-01-01

All IPC exposures in the Einstein Extended Deep X-ray Survey program have been reanalyzed. The current survey covers about 2.3 sq deg with a typical limiting sensitivity of about 5 x 10 to the -14th ergs/sq cm/s in the energy range from 0.8-3.5 keV. A total of 25 IPC sources are detected above a threshold of 4.5 sigma. A total of 18 are detected independently in the HRI, leading to the identification of six with stars and 11 with extragalactic objects. The remaining sources are classified as extragalactic. The population of identified extragalactic objects is dominated by QSOs, with one or two possible clusters. The basic conclusions of the original survey remain unchanged.

Genetic fallout in biocultural landscapes: molecular imperialism and the cultural politics of (not) seeing transgenes in Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Christophe Bonneuil; Foyer, Jean; Wynne, Brian

2014-12-01

This article explores the trajectory of the global controversy over the introgression (or not) of transgenes from genetically modified maize into Mexican indigenous maize landraces. While a plurality of knowledge-making processes were deployed to render transgenes visible or invisible, we analyze how a particular in vitro based DNA-centered knowledge came to marginalize other forms of knowledge, thus obscuring other bio-cultural dimensions key to the understanding of gene flow and maize diversity. We show that dominant molecular norms of proof and standards of detection, which co-developed with the world of industrial monocropping and gene patenting, discarded and externalized non-compliant actors (i.e. complex maize genomes, human dimensions of gene flow). Operating in the name of high science, they hence obscured the complex biological and cultural processes that maintain crop diversity and enacted a cultural-political domination over the world of Mexican landraces and indigenous communities.

Possible evidence for a variable fine-structure constant from QSO absorption lines: motivations, analysis and results

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, M. T.; Webb, J. K.; Flambaum, V. V.; Dzuba, V. A.; Churchill, C. W.; Prochaska, J. X.; Barrow, J. D.; Wolfe, A. M.

2001-11-01

An experimental search for variation in the fundamental coupling constants is strongly motivated by modern high-energy physics theories. Comparison of quasar (QSO) absorption-line spectra with laboratory spectra provides a sensitive probe for variability of the fine-structure constant, α, over cosmological time-scales. We have previously developed and applied a new method providing an order-of-magnitude gain in precision over previous optical astrophysical constraints. Here we extend that work by including new quasar spectra of damped Lyman-α absorption systems. We also reanalyse our previous lower-redshift data and confirm our initial results. The constraints on α come from simultaneous fitting of absorption lines of subsets of the following species: Mgi, Mgii, Alii, Aliii, Siii, Crii, Feii, Niii and Znii. We present a detailed description of our methods and results based on an analysis of 49 quasar absorption systems (towards 28 QSOs) covering the redshift range [formmu2]0.5quote above is the raw value, not corrected for any of these systematic effects. The only significant systematic effects so far identified, if removed from our data, would lead to a more significant deviation of [formmu5]Δα/α from zero.

Emission-line galaxies and quasars in the southern hemisphere. I. Description and applications of an objective-prism survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.G.

1975-01-01

A selection of objects from the first plates of a low-dispersion, objective-prism survey for emission-line galaxies and quasars is used to illustrate the application of the survey to the following lines of research in extragalactic astronomy: quasi-stellar objects, Seyfert galaxies, instabilities in galaxies produced by tidal interaction or explosive events, and rates of star formation and the general chemical evolution of galaxies. Included in the discussion is a description of how the survey provides a new, purely optical, color-independent method for the direct isolation of bright, high-redshift QSOs with strong emission lines (Lα is often directly visible on the Schmidt-survey plates). The newly discovered objects used for illustration are a radio-quiet QSO of redshift 2.07, a luminous, class 2 Seyfert galaxy, a compact blue emission-line galaxy with a jet or streamer, yet with no obvious interacting companion, and a blue galaxy with Hβ flux 50 times that of 30 Doradus, and low metal abundances, which is undergoing a very intense burst of star formation. These objects are to be discussed in greater detail in subsequent papers in this series

Obscuring Power Structures in the Physics Classroom: Linking Teacher Positioning, Student Engagement, and Physics Identity Development

Science.gov (United States)

Hazari, Zahra; Cass, Cheryl; Beattie, Carrie

2015-01-01

In the process of reforming physics education over the last several decades, a tension has developed between engaging students with the content in more conceptually challenging ways and helping them identify with physics so they are personally motivated in their learning. Through comparative case studies of four high school physics teachers, we…

The progenitors of the compact early-type galaxies at high redshift

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, Christina C.; Giavalisco, Mauro; Lee, Bomee; Cassata, Paolo; Tundo, Elena; Conselice, Christopher J.; Wiklind, Tommy; Guo, Yicheng; Barro, Guillermo; Faber, Sandra M.; Koo, David C.; Wuyts, Stijn; Bell, Eric F.; Dekel, Avishai; Ferguson, Henry C.; Grogin, Norman; Koekemoer, Anton; Hathi, Nimish; Huang, Kuang-Han; Kocevski, Dale

2014-01-01

We use GOODS and CANDELS images to identify progenitors of massive (M > 10 10 M ☉ ) compact early-type galaxies (ETGs) at z ∼ 1.6. Because merging and accretion increase the size of the stellar component of galaxies, if the progenitors are among known star-forming galaxies, these must be compact themselves. We select candidate progenitors among compact Lyman-break galaxies at z ∼ 3 on the basis of their mass, star-formation rate (SFR), and central stellar density, and we find that these account for a large fraction of, and possibly all, compact ETGs at z ∼ 1.6. We find that the average far-UV spectral energy distribution (SED) of the candidates is redder than that of the non-candidates, but the optical and mid-IR SED are the same, implying that the redder UV of the candidates is inconsistent with larger dust obscuration and consistent with more evolved (aging) star formation. This is in line with other evidence suggesting that compactness is a sensitive predictor of passivity among high-redshift massive galaxies. We also find that the light distribution of both the compact ETGs and their candidate progenitors does not show any extended 'halos' surrounding the compact 'core,' both in individual images and in stacks. We argue that this is generally inconsistent with the morphology of merger remnants, even if gas rich, as predicted by N-body simulations. This suggests that the compact ETGs formed via highly dissipative, mostly gaseous accretion of units whose stellar components are very small and undetected in the Hubble Space Telescope images, with their stellar mass assembling in situ, and that they have not experienced any major merging until the epoch of observations at z ∼ 1.6.

The progenitors of the compact early-type galaxies at high redshift

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Christina C.; Giavalisco, Mauro; Lee, Bomee [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States); Cassata, Paolo [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille) UMR 7326, F-13388 Marseille (France); Tundo, Elena; Conselice, Christopher J. [The School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Wiklind, Tommy [Joint ALMA Observatory, ESO, Santiago (Chile); Guo, Yicheng; Barro, Guillermo; Faber, Sandra M.; Koo, David C. [UCO/Lick Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Wuyts, Stijn [Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching (Germany); Bell, Eric F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Dekel, Avishai [Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Ferguson, Henry C.; Grogin, Norman; Koekemoer, Anton [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Hathi, Nimish [Carnegie Observatories, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Huang, Kuang-Han [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Kocevski, Dale, E-mail: ccwillia@astro.umass.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 (United States); and others

2014-01-01

We use GOODS and CANDELS images to identify progenitors of massive (M > 10{sup 10} M {sub ☉}) compact early-type galaxies (ETGs) at z ∼ 1.6. Because merging and accretion increase the size of the stellar component of galaxies, if the progenitors are among known star-forming galaxies, these must be compact themselves. We select candidate progenitors among compact Lyman-break galaxies at z ∼ 3 on the basis of their mass, star-formation rate (SFR), and central stellar density, and we find that these account for a large fraction of, and possibly all, compact ETGs at z ∼ 1.6. We find that the average far-UV spectral energy distribution (SED) of the candidates is redder than that of the non-candidates, but the optical and mid-IR SED are the same, implying that the redder UV of the candidates is inconsistent with larger dust obscuration and consistent with more evolved (aging) star formation. This is in line with other evidence suggesting that compactness is a sensitive predictor of passivity among high-redshift massive galaxies. We also find that the light distribution of both the compact ETGs and their candidate progenitors does not show any extended 'halos' surrounding the compact 'core,' both in individual images and in stacks. We argue that this is generally inconsistent with the morphology of merger remnants, even if gas rich, as predicted by N-body simulations. This suggests that the compact ETGs formed via highly dissipative, mostly gaseous accretion of units whose stellar components are very small and undetected in the Hubble Space Telescope images, with their stellar mass assembling in situ, and that they have not experienced any major merging until the epoch of observations at z ∼ 1.6.

Cadastral Resurvey using High Resolution Satellite Ortho Image - challenges: A case study in Odisha, India

Science.gov (United States)

Parida, P. K.; Sanabada, M. K.; Tripathi, S.

2014-11-01

Advancements in satellite sensor technology enabling capturing of geometrically accurate images of earth's surface coupled with DGPS/ETS and GIS technology holds the capability of large scale mapping of land resources at cadastral level. High Resolution Satellite Images depict field bunds distinctly. Thus plot parcels are to be delineated from cloud free ortho-images and obscured/difficult areas are to be surveyed using DGPS and ETS. The vector datasets thus derived through RS/DGPS/ETS survey are to be integrated in GIS environment to generate the base cadastral vector datasets for further settlement/title confirmation activities. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the efficacy of a hybrid methodology employed in Pitambarpur Sasana village under Digapahandi Tahasil of Ganjam district, as a pilot project, particularly in Odisha scenario where the land parcel size is very small. One of the significant observations of the study is matching of Cadastral map area i.e. 315.454 Acres, the image map area i.e. 314.887 Acres and RoR area i.e. 313.815 Acre. It was revealed that 79 % of plots derived by high-tech survey method show acceptable level of accuracy despite the fact that the mode of area measurement by ground and automated method has significant variability. The variations are more in case of Government lands, Temple/Trust lands, Common Property Resources and plots near to river/nalas etc. The study indicates that the adopted technology can be extended to other districts and cadastral resurvey and updating work can be done for larger areas of the country using this methodology.

THE QUEST FOR DUSTY STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT HIGH REDSHIFT z ≳ 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mancuso, C.; Lapi, A.; Shi, J.; Aversa, R.; Danese, L.; Gonzalez-Nuevo, J.

2016-01-01

We exploit the continuity equation approach and “main-sequence” star formation timescales to show that the observed high abundance of galaxies with stellar masses ≳ a few 10 10 M ⊙ at redshift z ≳ 4 implies the existence of a galaxy population featuring large star formation rates (SFRs) ψ ≳ 10 2 M ⊙ yr −1 in heavily dust-obscured conditions. These galaxies constitute the high-redshift counterparts of the dusty star-forming population already surveyed for z ≲ 3 in the far-IR band by the Herschel Space Observatory . We work out specific predictions for the evolution of the corresponding stellar mass and SFR functions out to z ∼ 10, determining that the number density at z ≲ 8 for SFRs ψ ≳ 30 M ⊙ yr −1 cannot be estimated relying on the UV luminosity function alone, even when standard corrections for dust extinction based on the UV slope are applied. We compute the number counts and redshift distributions (including galaxy-scale gravitational lensing) of this galaxy population, and show that current data from the AzTEC - LABOCA , SCUBA-2 , and ALMA - SPT surveys are already addressing it. We demonstrate how an observational strategy based on color preselection in the far-IR or (sub-)millimeter band with Herschel and SCUBA-2 , supplemented by photometric data from on-source observations with ALMA , can allow us to reconstruct the bright end of the SFR functions out to z ≲ 8. In parallel, such a challenging task can be managed by exploiting current UV surveys in combination with (sub-)millimeter observations by ALMA and NIKA2 and/or radio observations by SKA and its precursors.

Information theoretic measures of network coordination in high-frequency scalp EEG reveal dynamic patterns associated with seizure termination.

Science.gov (United States)

Stamoulis, Catherine; Schomer, Donald L; Chang, Bernard S

2013-08-01

How a seizure terminates is still under-studied and, despite its clinical importance, remains an obscure phase of seizure evolution. Recent studies of seizure-related scalp EEGs at frequencies >100 Hz suggest that neural activity, in the form of oscillations and/or neuronal network interactions, may play an important role in preictal/ictal seizure evolution (Andrade-Valenca et al., 2011; Stamoulis et al., 2012). However, the role of high-frequency activity in seizure termination, is unknown, if it exists at all. Using information theoretic measures of network coordination, this study investigated ictal and immediate postictal neurodynamic interactions encoded in scalp EEGs from a relatively small sample of 8 patients with focal epilepsy and multiple seizures originating in temporal and/or frontal brain regions, at frequencies ≤ 100 Hz and >100 Hz, respectively. Despite some heterogeneity in the dynamics of these interactions, consistent patterns were also estimated. Specifically, in several seizures, linear or non-linear increase in high-frequency neuronal coordination during ictal intervals, coincided with a corresponding decrease in coordination at frequencies interval, which continues during the postictal interval. This may be one of several possible mechanisms that facilitate seizure termination. In fact, inhibition of pairwise interactions between EEGs by other signals in their spatial neighborhood, quantified by negative interaction information, was estimated at frequencies ≤ 100 Hz, at least in some seizures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inverse Compton X-Ray Halos Around High-z Radio Galaxies: A Feedback Mechanism Powered by Far-Infrared Starbursts or the Cosmic Microwave Background?

Science.gov (United States)

Small, Ian; Blundell, Katherine M.; Lehmer, B. D.; Alexander, D. M.

2012-01-01

We report the detection of extended X-ray emission around two powerful radio galaxies at z approx. 3.6 (4C 03.24 and 4C 19.71) and use these to investigate the origin of extended, inverse Compton (IC) powered X-ray halos at high redshifts. The halos have X-ray luminosities of L(sub X) approx. 3 x 10(exp 44) erg/s and sizes of approx.60 kpc. Their morphologies are broadly similar to the approx.60 kpc long radio lobes around these galaxies suggesting they are formed from IC scattering by relativistic electrons in the radio lobes, of either cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons or far-infrared photons from the dust-obscured starbursts in these galaxies. These observations double the number of z > 3 radio galaxies with X-ray-detected IC halos. We compare the IC X-ray-to-radio luminosity ratios for the two new detections to the two previously detected z approx. 3.8 radio galaxies. Given the similar redshifts, we would expect comparable X-ray IC luminosities if millimeter photons from the CMB are the dominant seed field for the IC emission (assuming all four galaxies have similar ages and jet powers). Instead we see that the two z approx. 3.6 radio galaxies, which are 4 fainter in the far-infrared than those at z 3.8, also have approx.4x fainter X-ray IC emission. Including data for a further six z > or approx. 2 radio sources with detected IC X-ray halos from the literature, we suggest that in the more compact, majority of radio sources, those with lobe sizes < or approx.100-200 kpc, the bulk of the IC emission may be driven by scattering of locally produced far-infrared photons from luminous, dust-obscured starbursts within these galaxies, rather than millimeter photons from the CMB. The resulting X-ray emission appears sufficient to ionize the gas on approx.100-200 kpc scales around these systems and thus helps form the extended, kinematically quiescent Ly(alpha) emission line halos found around some of these systems. The starburst and active galactic nucleus

INVERSE COMPTON X-RAY HALOS AROUND HIGH-z RADIO GALAXIES: A FEEDBACK MECHANISM POWERED BY FAR-INFRARED STARBURSTS OR THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smail, Ian [Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Blundell, Katherine M. [Department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Lehmer, B. D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Homewood Campus, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Alexander, D. M. [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2012-12-01

We report the detection of extended X-ray emission around two powerful radio galaxies at z {approx} 3.6 (4C 03.24 and 4C 19.71) and use these to investigate the origin of extended, inverse Compton (IC) powered X-ray halos at high redshifts. The halos have X-ray luminosities of L {sub X} {approx} 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1} and sizes of {approx}60 kpc. Their morphologies are broadly similar to the {approx}60 kpc long radio lobes around these galaxies suggesting they are formed from IC scattering by relativistic electrons in the radio lobes, of either cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons or far-infrared photons from the dust-obscured starbursts in these galaxies. These observations double the number of z > 3 radio galaxies with X-ray-detected IC halos. We compare the IC X-ray-to-radio luminosity ratios for the two new detections to the two previously detected z {approx} 3.8 radio galaxies. Given the similar redshifts, we would expect comparable X-ray IC luminosities if millimeter photons from the CMB are the dominant seed field for the IC emission (assuming all four galaxies have similar ages and jet powers). Instead we see that the two z {approx} 3.6 radio galaxies, which are {approx}4 Multiplication-Sign fainter in the far-infrared than those at z {approx} 3.8, also have {approx}4 Multiplication-Sign fainter X-ray IC emission. Including data for a further six z {approx}> 2 radio sources with detected IC X-ray halos from the literature, we suggest that in the more compact, majority of radio sources, those with lobe sizes {approx}<100-200 kpc, the bulk of the IC emission may be driven by scattering of locally produced far-infrared photons from luminous, dust-obscured starbursts within these galaxies, rather than millimeter photons from the CMB. The resulting X-ray emission appears sufficient to ionize the gas on {approx}100-200 kpc scales around these systems and thus helps form the extended, kinematically quiescent Ly{alpha} emission line

Classification of findings in mammography screening

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pamilo, M; Lönnqvist, J; Halttunen, A

1991-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to find out if it is possible, by classifying screening mammograms according to the likelihood of malignancy, to divide the recalled women to a group in which there is high suspicion of malignancy, most having breast cancers, and a group with more obscure findings. DE...... a few will be proven to have breast cancer. The invitation procedure for the further studies should be improved on this basis of minimising anxiety among recalled women.......STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to find out if it is possible, by classifying screening mammograms according to the likelihood of malignancy, to divide the recalled women to a group in which there is high suspicion of malignancy, most having breast cancers, and a group with more obscure findings...... breast cancer. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--All cases classified as 5, 60% of the cases classified as 4, 6.5% of the cases classified as 3, 0% of the cases classified as 2 or 1, and 1.2% of the cases classified as 0 proved to have breast cancers. However classification 5 represented 5.9% of all...

Employing X-ray absorption technique for better detector resolution and measurement of low cross-section events

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Gaurav; Puri, Nitin K.; Kumar, Pravin; Nandi, T.

2018-03-01

The versatility of X-ray absorption technique is experimentally employed for enhancing the detector resolution and to rejuvenate the low probable transitions obscured in the pile-up region, during a beam-foil spectroscopy experiment. The multiple aluminum absorber layers (10 μm each) are used to suppress the pile-up contribution drastically and to restore a weak transition which is about 1.38 × 104 times weaker than a one-electron-one-photon transitions viz. Kα and Khα. The weak line is possibly originating from a two-electron-one-photon transition in He-like Ti. Further, the transitions, which were obscured in the spectra due to high intensity ratio, are revived by dissimilar line intensity attenuation using this technique. The measured lifetimes of Kα line with and without intensity attenuation match well within error bar. The present technique finds potential implications in understanding the structure of multiple-core-vacant ions and other low cross section processes in ion-solid collisions.

Penguin Film Periapikal Gigi untuk Pemotretan Sendi Rahang dengan Alat Bantu Condy Ray

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heru Suryonegoro

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The projection that often used for assessing the temporomandibular joint is transcranio-lateral oblique or Schueller projection. This projection still cannot provide the excellent image, since film size used in this projection (10 cm x 15 cm is too large compare to that of the temporomandibular joint image size which around 3 cm square. Also, economically the use of large film size is not efficient, as well as it will cause overlapping of the joint image with the surrounding anatomical structure that obscure the detail image and leads to misinterpretation.Transcranio-lateral Oblique projection with the aid of "Condy Ray" seems to resolve the problem of using large film, since it is enable to use small size (3 cm x 4 cm of extra oral film, focusing the image of temporomandibular joint. The purpose of this research using the dental periapical film for temporo mandibular joint projetion, is to overcome the high cost problem as well as avoiding the obscure image.

Tomosynthesis and contrast-enhanced digital mammography: recent advances in digital mammography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diekmann, Felix; Bick, Ulrich

2007-01-01

Digital mammography is more and more replacing conventional mammography. Initial concerns about an inferior image quality of digital mammography have been largely overcome and recent studies even show digital mammography to be superior in women with dense breasts, while at the same time reducing radiation exposure. Nevertheless, an important limitation of digital mammography remains: namely, the fact that summation may obscure lesions in dense breast tissue. However, digital mammography offers the option of so-called advanced applications, and two of these, contrast-enhanced mammography and tomosynthesis, are promising candidates for improving the detection of breast lesions otherwise obscured by the summation of dense tissue. Two techniques of contrast-enhanced mammography are available: temporal subtraction of images acquired before and after contrast administration and the so-called dual-energy technique, which means that pairs of low/high-energy images acquired after contrast administration are subtracted. Tomosynthesis on the other hand provides three-dimensional information on the breast. The images are acquired with different angulations of the X-ray tube while the object or detector is static. Various reconstruction algorithms can then be applied to the set of typically nine to 28 source images to reconstruct 1-mm slices with a reduced risk of obscuring pathology. Combinations of both advanced applications have only been investigated in individual experimental studies; more advanced software algorithms and CAD systems are still in their infancy and have only undergone preliminary clinical evaluation. (orig.)

Using the ionospheric response to the solar eclipse on 20 March 2015 to detect spatial structure in the solar corona

Science.gov (United States)

Bradford, J.; Bell, S. A.; Wilkinson, J.; Smith, D.; Tudor, S.

2016-01-01

The total solar eclipse that occurred over the Arctic region on 20 March 2015 was seen as a partial eclipse over much of Europe. Observations of this eclipse were used to investigate the high time resolution (1 min) decay and recovery of the Earth’s ionospheric E-region above the ionospheric monitoring station in Chilton, UK. At the altitude of this region (100 km), the maximum phase of the eclipse was 88.88% obscuration of the photosphere occurring at 9:29:41.5 UT. In comparison, the ionospheric response revealed a maximum obscuration of 66% (leaving a fraction, Φ, of uneclipsed radiation of 34±4%) occurring at 9:29 UT. The eclipse was re-created using data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory to estimate the fraction of radiation incident on the Earth’s atmosphere throughout the eclipse from nine different emission wavelengths in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray spectrum. These emissions, having varying spatial distributions, were each obscured differently during the eclipse. Those wavelengths associated with coronal emissions (94, 211 and 335 Å) most closely reproduced the time varying fraction of unobscured radiation observed in the ionosphere. These results could enable historic ionospheric eclipse measurements to be interpreted in terms of the distribution of EUV and X-ray emissions on the solar disc. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Atmospheric effects of solar eclipses stimulated by the 2015 UK eclipse’. PMID:27550766

THE RELATION BETWEEN COOL CLUSTER CORES AND HERSCHEL-DETECTED STAR FORMATION IN BRIGHTEST CLUSTER GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rawle, T. D.; Egami, E.; Rex, M.; Fiedler, A.; Haines, C. P.; Pereira, M. J.; Portouw, J.; Walth, G. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Edge, A. C. [Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Smith, G. P. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Altieri, B.; Valtchanov, I. [Herschel Science Centre, ESAC, ESA, P.O. Box 78, Villanueva de la Canada, 28691 Madrid (Spain); Perez-Gonzalez, P. G. [Departamento de Astrofisica, Facultad de CC. Fisicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid (Spain); Van der Werf, P. P. [Sterrewacht Leiden, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA, Leiden (Netherlands); Zemcov, M., E-mail: trawle@as.arizona.edu [Department of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2012-03-01

We present far-infrared (FIR) analysis of 68 brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) at 0.08 < z < 1.0. Deriving total infrared luminosities directly from Spitzer and Herschel photometry spanning the peak of the dust component (24-500 {mu}m), we calculate the obscured star formation rate (SFR). 22{sup +6.2}{sub -5.3}% of the BCGs are detected in the far-infrared, with SFR = 1-150 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}. The infrared luminosity is highly correlated with cluster X-ray gas cooling times for cool-core clusters (gas cooling time <1 Gyr), strongly suggesting that the star formation in these BCGs is influenced by the cluster-scale cooling process. The occurrence of the molecular gas tracing H{alpha} emission is also correlated with obscured star formation. For all but the most luminous BCGs (L{sub TIR} > 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} L{sub Sun }), only a small ({approx}<0.4 mag) reddening correction is required for SFR(H{alpha}) to agree with SFR{sub FIR}. The relatively low H{alpha} extinction (dust obscuration), compared to values reported for the general star-forming population, lends further weight to an alternate (external) origin for the cold gas. Finally, we use a stacking analysis of non-cool-core clusters to show that the majority of the fuel for star formation in the FIR-bright BCGs is unlikely to originate from normal stellar mass loss.

Jet-torus connection in radio galaxies. Relativistic hydrodynamics and synthetic emission

Science.gov (United States)

Fromm, C. M.; Perucho, M.; Porth, O.; Younsi, Z.; Ros, E.; Mizuno, Y.; Zensus, J. A.; Rezzolla, L.

2018-01-01

Context. High resolution very long baseline interferometry observations of active galactic nuclei have revealed asymmetric structures in the jets of radio galaxies. These asymmetric structures may be due to internal asymmetries in the jets or they may be induced by the different conditions in the surrounding ambient medium, including the obscuring torus, or a combination of the two. Aims: In this paper we investigate the influence of the ambient medium, including the obscuring torus, on the observed properties of jets from radio galaxies. Methods: We performed special-relativistic hydrodynamic (SRHD) simulations of over-pressured and pressure-matched jets using the special-relativistic hydrodynamics code Ratpenat, which is based on a second-order accurate finite-volume method and an approximate Riemann solver. Using a newly developed radiative transfer code to compute the electromagnetic radiation, we modelled several jets embedded in various ambient medium and torus configurations and subsequently computed the non-thermal emission produced by the jet and thermal absorption from the torus. To better compare the emission simulations with observations we produced synthetic radio maps, taking into account the properties of the observatory. Results: The detailed analysis of our simulations shows that the observed properties such as core shift could be used to distinguish between over-pressured and pressure matched jets. In addition to the properties of the jets, insights into the extent and density of the obscuring torus can be obtained from analyses of the single-dish spectrum and spectral index maps.

NuSTAR observations of water megamaser AGN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masini, A.; Comastri, A.; Baloković, M.; Zaw, I.; Puccetti, S.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Gandhi, P.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Koss, M. J.; Madejski, G.; Ricci, C.; Rivers, E.; Stern, D.; Zhang, W. W.

2016-04-13

Aims. We study the connection between the masing disk and obscuring torus in Seyfert 2 galaxies. Methods. We present a uniform X-ray spectral analysis of the high energy properties of 14 nearby megamaser active galactic nuclei observed by NuSTAR. We use a simple analytical model to localize the maser disk and understand its connection with the torus by combining NuSTAR spectral parameters with the available physical quantities from VLBI mapping. Results. Most of the sources that we analyzed are heavily obscured, showing a column density in excess of ~1023 cm-2; in particular, 79% are Compton-thick (NH > 1.5 × 1024 cm-2). When using column densities measured by NuSTAR with the assumption that the torus is the extension of the maser disk, and further assuming a reasonable density profile, we can predict the torus dimensions. They are found to be consistent with mid-IR interferometry parsec-scale observations of Circinus and NGC 1068. In this picture, the maser disk is intimately connected to the inner part of the torus. It is probably made of a large number of molecular clouds that connect the torus and the outer part of the accretion disk, giving rise to a thin disk rotating in most cases in Keplerian or sub-Keplerian motion. This toy model explains the established close connection between water megamaser emission and nuclear obscuration as a geometric effect.

Effective channel approach to nuclear scattering at high energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rule, D.W.

1975-01-01

The description of high energy nuclear reactions is considered within the framework of the effective channel approach. A variational procedure is used to obtain an expression for the Green's function in the effective channel, which includes the average fluctuation potential, average energy, and an additional term arising from the non-commutability of the kinetic energy operator and the effective target wave function. The resulting expression for the effective channel, containing one variational parameter, is used to obtain the coupling potential. The resulting formulation is applied to the elastic scattering of 1 GeV protons by 4 He nuclei. A simple Gaussian form is used for the spin--isospin averaged proton--nucleon interaction. The variational parameter in the effective channel wave function is fixed a posteriori via the total p-- 4 He cross section. The effect of the coupling to the effective channel is demonstrated, as well as the effect of each term in the coupled equation for this channel. The calculated elastic cross sections were compared to both the recent data from Saclay and the earlier Brookhaven data for the 1-GeV p-- 4 He elastic scattering cross section. Using proton--nucleus elastic scattering experiments to study the proton--nucleon elastic scattering amplitude is discussed. The main purpose of our study is to investigate the effects on the cross section of varying, within its estimated range of uncertainty, each parameter which enters into the coupled equations. The magnitude of these effects was found to be large enough to conclude that any effects due to dynamical correlations would be obscured by the uncertainties in the input parameters

Thermal wind model for the broad emission line region of quasars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weymann, R.J.; Scott, J.S.; Schiano, A.V.R.; Christiansen, W.A.

1982-01-01

Arguments are summarized for supposing that the clouds giving rise to the broad emission lines of QSOs are confined by the pressure of an expanding thermal gas and that a flux of relativistic particles with luminosity comparable to the photon luminosity streams through this gas. The resulting heating and momentum deposition produces a transonic thermal wind whose dynamical properties are calculated in detail. This wind accelerates and confines the emission line clouds, thereby producing the broad emission line (BEL) profiles. In a companion paper, the properties of the wind at much larger distances (approx.kpc) than the BEL region are used to explain the production of the broad absorption lines (BAL) observed in some QSOs. The same set of wind parameters can account for the properties of both the BEL and BAL regions, and this unification in the physical description of the BEL and BAL regions is one of the most important advantages of this model. A characteristic size of approx.1 pc for the QSO emission line region is one consequence of the model. This characteristic size is shown to depend upon luminosity in such a way that the ionization parameter is roughly constant over a wide range of luminosities. An X-ray luminosity due to thermal bremsstrahlung of approx.1%--10% of the optical luminosity is another consequence of the model. The trajectories of clouds under the combined influence of ram pressure acceleration and radiative acceleration are calculated. From these trajectories emission line profiles are also calculated, as well as the wind and cloud parameters yielding profiles in fair agreement with observed profiles explored. Opacity in the wind due to electron scattering displaces the line cores of optically thin lines to the blue. This is roughly compensated for by the redward skewing of optically thick lines due to preferential emission of photons from the back side of the clouds.void rapid depletion due to Compton losses are discussed

A Faraday rotation search for magnetic fields in quasar damped Ly alpha absorption systems

Science.gov (United States)

Oren, Abraham L.; Wolfe, Arthur M.

1995-01-01

We present the results of a Faraday rotation survey of 61 radio-bright QSOs conducted at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA). The Galactic contribution to the Faraday rotation is estimated and subtracted to determine the extragalactic rotation measure (RRM) for each source. Eleven of these QSOs are known to exhibit damped Ly alpha absorption. The rate of incidence of significant Faraday rotation of these 11 sources is compared to the remaining 50 and is found to be higher at the 99.8% confidence level. However, as this is based upon only two detections of Faraday rotation in the damped Ly alpha sample, the result is only tentative. If the two detections in the damped Ly alpha sample are dug to the absorbing systems, then the inferred rotation measure induced by these systems is roughly 250 rad/sq m. The two detections were for the two lowest redshift absorbers in the sample. We find that a rotation measure of 250 rad/sq m would have gone undetected for any other absorber in the damped Ly alpha sample due to the 1/(1 + 2) squared dilution of the observed RRM with redshift. Thus the data are consistent with, but do not prove, the hypothesis that Faraday rotation is a generic property of damped Ly alpha absorbers. We do not confirm the suggestion that the amplitude of RRMs increases with redshift. Rather, the data are consistent with no redshift evolution. We find that the uncertainty in the estimation of the Galactic rotation measure (GRM) is a more serious problem than previously realized for extra-galactic Faraday rotation studies of QSO absorbers. A careful analysis of current methods for estimating GRM indicate that it can be determined to an accuracy of about 15 - 20 rad/sq m. Previous studies underestimated this uncertainty by more than a factor of 2. Due to this uncertainty, rotation measures such as we suspect are associated with damped Ly alpha absorption systems can only be detected at redshifts less than z approximately

Experience of slowly infused high-iodine-dose contrast computed tomography (SHD) of intracranial tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muraoka, Kiyoaki; Numata, Hideharu; Hokama, Yasuo

1983-01-01

A study was done on 20 patients with intracranial tumors by means of the slowly infused high-iodine-dose (SHD) contrast-enhancement technique. An intravenous drip infusion of 300 ml of Angiografin was given for three hours. Computerized tomograms were taken 1 hour, (2 hours), and 3 hours after the beginning of the drip infusion. The authors divided the lesions into four groups by analyzing the sequential changes in CT numbers using a histograms or profile of the region of interest. In group I, additional lesions were visible on the SHD scan (one case of metastatic brain tumors from lung cancer). In group 2, lesions were better displayed on the SHD scan due to increased enhancement (17 cases). In group 3, SHD scans showed no change (2 cases of fibrous astrocytoma). In group 4, the enhancement was diminished, but the lesion per se was still clealy identifiable (no case). Finally, in 18 cases out of 20 (90%), an additional or better display of the lesion was detected on SHD enhanced CT. The rational for doing the SHD enhancement is to detect a lesion with a minimally impaired blood-brain barrier by exposing a prolonged high blood-iodine level, and so the scanning is delayed until detectable levels of the contrast medium have accumulated within the vascular-channel pool or extravascular space of the lesion. SHD enhancement is useful: I) for revealing any additional lesion in a metastatic brain tumor; 2) for better displaying an obscure lesion on a usual scan; 3) for differentiating the quality of the lesion (for example, malignancy or cyst formation), and 4) for predicting the prognosis of the lesion. (J.P.N.)

NuSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF THE COMPTON-THICK ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS AND ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE CANDIDATE IN NGC 5643

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annuar, A.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Lansbury, G. B.; Moro, A. Del; Arévalo, P.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Brightman, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W.; Brandt, W. N.; Christensen, F. E.; Hailey, C. J.; Hickox, R. C.; Matt, G.; Puccetti, S.; Ricci, C.

2015-01-01

We present two Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of the local Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) candidate in NGC 5643. Together with archival data from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift-BAT, we perform a high-quality broadband spectral analysis of the AGN over two decades in energy (∼0.5–100 keV). Previous X-ray observations suggested that the AGN is obscured by a Compton-thick (CT) column of obscuring gas along our line of sight. However, the lack of high-quality ≳10 keV observations, together with the presence of a nearby X-ray luminous source, NGC 5643 X–1, have left significant uncertainties in the characterization of the nuclear spectrum. NuSTAR now enables the AGN and NGC 5643 X–1 to be separately resolved above 10 keV for the first time and allows a direct measurement of the absorbing column density toward the nucleus. The new data show that the nucleus is indeed obscured by a CT column of N H ≳ 5 × 10 24 cm −2 . The range of 2–10 keV absorption-corrected luminosity inferred from the best-fitting models is L 2–10,int = (0.8–1.7) × 10 42 erg s −1 , consistent with that predicted from multiwavelength intrinsic luminosity indicators. In addition, we also study the NuSTAR data for NGC 5643 X–1 and show that it exhibits evidence of a spectral cutoff at energy E ∼ 10 keV, similar to that seen in other ULXs observed by NuSTAR. Along with the evidence for significant X-ray luminosity variations in the 3–8 keV band from 2003 to 2014, our results further strengthen the ULX classification of NGC 5643 X–1

NuSTAR Observations of the Compton-thick Active Galactic Nucleus and Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Candidate in NGC 5643

Science.gov (United States)

Annuar, A.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Lansbury, G. B.; Arévalo, P.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Craig, W. W.; Del Moro, A.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Hickox, R. C.; Matt, G.; Puccetti, S.; Ricci, C.; Rigby, J. R.; Stern, D.; Walton, D. J.; Zappacosta, L.; Zhang, W.

2015-12-01

We present two Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of the local Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) and an ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) candidate in NGC 5643. Together with archival data from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift-BAT, we perform a high-quality broadband spectral analysis of the AGN over two decades in energy (˜0.5-100 keV). Previous X-ray observations suggested that the AGN is obscured by a Compton-thick (CT) column of obscuring gas along our line of sight. However, the lack of high-quality ≳10 keV observations, together with the presence of a nearby X-ray luminous source, NGC 5643 X-1, have left significant uncertainties in the characterization of the nuclear spectrum. NuSTAR now enables the AGN and NGC 5643 X-1 to be separately resolved above 10 keV for the first time and allows a direct measurement of the absorbing column density toward the nucleus. The new data show that the nucleus is indeed obscured by a CT column of NH ≳ 5 × 1024 cm-2. The range of 2-10 keV absorption-corrected luminosity inferred from the best-fitting models is L2-10,int = (0.8-1.7) × 1042 erg s-1, consistent with that predicted from multiwavelength intrinsic luminosity indicators. In addition, we also study the NuSTAR data for NGC 5643 X-1 and show that it exhibits evidence of a spectral cutoff at energy E ˜ 10 keV, similar to that seen in other ULXs observed by NuSTAR. Along with the evidence for significant X-ray luminosity variations in the 3-8 keV band from 2003 to 2014, our results further strengthen the ULX classification of NGC 5643 X-1.

A COMPTON-THICK ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS AT z ∼ 5 IN THE 4 Ms CHANDRA DEEP FIELD SOUTH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilli, R.; Comastri, A.; Su, J.; Norman, C.; Vignali, C.; Tozzi, P.; Rosati, P.; Mainieri, V.; Stiavelli, M.; Brandt, W. N.; Xue, Y. Q.; Luo, B.; Castellano, M.; Fontana, A.; Fiore, F.; Ptak, A.

2011-01-01

We report the discovery of a Compton-thick active galactic nucleus (AGN) at z = 4.76 in the 4 Ms Chandra Deep Field South. This object was selected as a V-band dropout in HST/ACS images and previously recognized as an AGN from optical spectroscopy. The 4 Ms Chandra observations show a significant (∼4.2σ) X-ray detection at the V-band dropout position. The X-ray source displays a hardness ratio of HR = 0.23 ± 0.24, which, for a source at z ∼ 5, is highly suggestive of Compton-thick absorption. The source X-ray spectrum is seen above the background level in the energy range of ∼0.9-4 keV, i.e., in the rest-frame energy range of ∼5-23 keV. When fixing the photon index to Γ = 1.8, the measured column density is N H = 1.4 +0.9 -0.5 x 10 24 cm -2 , which is Compton thick. To our knowledge, this is the most distant heavily obscured AGN, confirmed by X-ray spectral analysis, discovered so far. The intrinsic (de-absorbed), rest-frame luminosity in the 2-10 keV band is ∼2.5 x 10 44 erg s -1 , which places this object among type-2 quasars. The spectral energy distribution shows that massive star formation is associated with obscured black hole (BH) accretion. This system may have then been caught during a major coeval episode of BH and stellar mass assembly at early times. The measure of the number density of heavily obscured AGN at high redshifts will be crucial to reconstructing the BH/galaxy evolution history from the beginning.

High Resolution Energetic X-ray Imager (HREXI)

Science.gov (United States)

Grindlay, Jonathan

IR telescope in spece, will enable GRBs to be used as probes of the formation of the first stars and structure in the Universe. HREXI on its own, with broad bandwidth and high spectral and spatial resolution, will extend both Galactic surveys for obscured young supernova remnants (44Ti sources) and for transients, black holes and flaring AGN and TDEs well at greatly increased sensitivity and spatial/spectral resolution than has been done with Swift or INTEGRAL. If the HREXI-1 technology is developed in the first year of this proposed effort, it could be used on the upcoming Brazil-US MIRAX telescope on the Lattes satellite, scheduled for a 2018 launch with imaging detector planes to be provided (under contract) by our group. Finally, the 3D stacking technology development proposed here for imaging detector arrays has broad application to Wide Field soft X-ray imaging, to CMB polarization mode (B mode) imaging detectors with very high detector-pixel count, and to Homeland Security.

Conflict amongst chloroplast DNA sequences obscures the phylogeny of a group of Asplenium ferns.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Lara D; Holland, Barbara R; Perrie, Leon R

2008-07-01

A previous study of the relationships amongst three subgroups of the Austral Asplenium ferns found conflicting signal between the two chloroplast loci investigated. Because organelle genomes like those of chloroplasts and mitochondria are thought to be non-recombining, with a single evolutionary history, we sequenced four additional chloroplast loci with the expectation that this would resolve these relationships. Instead, the conflict was only magnified. Although tree-building analyses favoured one of the three possible trees, one of the alternative trees actually had one more supporting site (six versus five) and received greater support in spectral and neighbor-net analyses. Simulations suggested that chance alone was unlikely to produce strong support for two of the possible trees and none for the third. Likelihood permutation tests indicated that the concatenated chloroplast sequence data appeared to have experienced recombination. However, recombination between the chloroplast genomes of different species would be highly atypical, and corollary supporting observations, like chloroplast heteroplasmy, are lacking. Wider taxon sampling clarified the composition of the Austral group, but the conflicting signal meant analyses (e.g., morphological evolution, biogeographic) conditional on a well-supported phylogeny could not be performed.

Major galaxy mergers and the growth of supermassive black holes in quasars.

Science.gov (United States)

Treister, Ezequiel; Natarajan, Priyamvada; Sanders, David B; Urry, C Megan; Schawinski, Kevin; Kartaltepe, Jeyhan

2010-04-30

Despite observed strong correlations between central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and star formation in galactic nuclei, uncertainties exist in our understanding of their coupling. We present observations of the ratio of heavily obscured to unobscured quasars as a function of cosmic epoch up to z congruent with 3 and show that a simple physical model describing mergers of massive, gas-rich galaxies matches these observations. In the context of this model, every obscured and unobscured quasar represents two distinct phases that result from a massive galaxy merger event. Much of the mass growth of the SMBH occurs during the heavily obscured phase. These observations provide additional evidence for a causal link between gas-rich galaxy mergers, accretion onto the nuclear SMBH, and coeval star formation.

Purchase of electric power: the obscure side of contracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard, Roger

2003-01-01

The progressive opening of the French power market prepares the spreading of eligibility to the overall professional consumers by July 1, 2004. Only the domestic market will have to wait until July 1, 2007 to be able to freely chose a power 'dealer'. However, this market opening leaves some doubts about the formalities to comply with to be able to change of power supplier. This article shows that, today, the rules are far to be fixed: an eligible client has to sign 5 types of different contracts (contract(s) of purchase, convention of connection to the grid, convention of exploitation (when the client is also producer), contract of access to the grid, contract with a balance responsible authority). Thus the commission of electricity regulation (CRE) has to elaborate a unique and simpler contract for the future consumers. (J.S.)

Collarless metal ceramic restorations to obscure the umbrella effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afroz Shaista

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Esthetics with porcelain fused to metal restoration in the anterior region can be adversely affected due to the inadequate teeth preparations and design of the prosthesis. We presented here a case report where esthetics was compromised due to darkening of the interdental papilla and marginal gingival and overcontoured restorations in relation to porcelain fused to metal restorations. Good esthetic results were obtained by using basic principles of tooth preparation and using collarless metal ceramic restorations.

Environmental and Health Effects Review for Obscurant Fog Oil

Science.gov (United States)

1993-09-01

planktonic shrimp, Luciferfaxoni. Percy and Mullin (1977) reported that minute dispersions (25 pl of oil in 500 ml seawater) reduced locomotor activity of the...Munch, R. P. Streicher, H. P. Ringhand, and F. C. Kopfler. 1984. "The Identification and Measurement of Components in Gasoline , Kerosene, and No. 2

Painting blindness and obscuring vision: Rembrandt and the senses

OpenAIRE

Smith, Samantha Leanne

2014-01-01

This thesis takes three paintings by seventeenth- century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606- 1669) and analyses them in the light of the interrelated themes of blindness, sight and touch. The choice of theme originates from Rembrandt's frequent use of blindness as subject matter. The discussion takes its inspiration from Svetlana Alpers' discussion in a chapter from her book on Rembrandt, The Master's Touch' and French philosopher Jacques Derrida's book Memoirs...

Travails of travel. Subtle and obscure causes of illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, M E

1988-07-01

Knowledge of patients' travel history is an important facet of diagnosis. Malaria, Chagas' disease, toxoplasmosis, Lyme disease, arboviruses, and many other relatively unusual diseases can be contracted while the patient is traveling, and the symptoms, which may mimic another disease, may not become obvious until the patient returns. The Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius Antoninus alerts us to easier resolutions of our daily diagnostic dilemmas: "Look within and let neither the peculiar quality of anything nor its value escape thee."

Youngest occurrences of rhomaleosaurid plesiosaurs indicate survival of an archaic marine reptile clade at high palaeolatitudes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roger B.J. Benson

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Rhomaleosaurid plesiosaurians were a common and ecologically significant component of Early Jurassic marine faunas, primarily as large-bodied predators. They declined in abundance and made their last fossil appearance in the Middle Jurassic. However, the geographic pattern of rhomaleosaurid extinction has thus far been obscured by spatial bias in the Middle Jurassic marine reptile fossil record, which is strongly focussed on low-latitude European assemblages. We report two rhomaleosaurid specimens from the Callovian (late Middle Jurassic of the UK and Russia. Along with Borealonectes from Arctic Canada, these are the youngest-known occurrences of rhomaleosaurids. The UK specimen is the first identified from the Callovian of Europe, despite intensive fossil sampling over almost 200 years and the recovery of hundreds of other plesiosaurian specimens. Its discovery indicates that rhomaleosaurids were present, but extremely rare, at low palaeolatitudes of the Callovian. The Russian specimen is one of relatively few marine reptile specimens from its mid-palaeolatitude assemblage, as is also true of Borealonectes, which occurs in a high-palaeolatitude marine assemblage. Furthermore, we suggest that a mid latitude southern hemisphere occurrence from the Callovian of Argentina, previously referred to Pliosauridae, in fact represents a rhomaleosaurid. These findings suggest that rhomaleosaurids were actually common elements of mid-high palaeolatitude marine faunas, indicating a geographically staggered pattern of declining rhomaleosaurid abundance, and demonstrating the apparent persistence of an archaic marine reptile group in cool, mid–high latitude environments of the Middle Jurassic. It is therefore possible that sustained Middle–Late Jurassic global warming accelerated the ultimate extinction of rhomaleosaurids. Our findings suggest that widening the geographical breadth of fossil exploration could considerably enhance current knowledge of

Chemical decomposition of high-level nuclear waste storage/disposal glasses under irradiation. 1997 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griscom, D.L.; Merzbacher, C.I.

1997-01-01

'The objective of this research is to use the sensitive technique of electron spin resonance (ESR) to look for evidence of radiation-induced chemical decomposition of vitreous forms contemplated for immobilization of plutonium and/or high-level nuclear wastes, to interpret this evidence in terms of existing knowledge of glass structure, and to recommend certain materials for further study by other techniques, particularly electron microscopy and measurements of gas evolution by high-vacuum mass spectroscopy. Previous ESR studies had demonstrated that an effect of y rays on a simple binary potassium silicate glass was to induce superoxide (O 2 - ) and ozonide (O 3 - ) as relatively stable product of long-term irradiation Accordingly, some of the first experiments performed as a part of the present effort involved repeating this work. A glass of composition 44 K 2 O: 56 SiO 2 was prepared from reagent grade K 2 CO3 and SiO 2 powders melted in a Pt crucible in air at 1,200 C for 1.5 hr. A sample irradiated to a dose of 1 MGy (1 MGy = 10 8 rad) indeed yielded the same ESR results as before. To test the notion that the complex oxygen ions detected may be harbingers of radiation-induced phase separation or bubble formation, a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiment was performed. SANS is theoretically capable of detecting voids or bubbles as small as 10 305 in diameter. A preliminary experiment was carried out with the collaboration of Dr. John Barker (NIST). The SANS spectra for the irradiated and unirradiated samples were indistiguishable. A relatively high incoherent background (probably due to the presence of protons) may obscure scattering from small gas bubbles and therefore decrease the effective resolution of this technique. No further SANS experiments are planned at this time.'

Physics-based simulations of aerial attacks by peregrine falcons reveal that stooping at high speed maximizes catch success against agile prey.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Robin; Hildenbrandt, Hanno; Taylor, Graham K; Hemelrijk, Charlotte K

2018-04-01

The peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus is renowned for attacking its prey from high altitude in a fast controlled dive called a stoop. Many other raptors employ a similar mode of attack, but the functional benefits of stooping remain obscure. Here we investigate whether, when, and why stooping promotes catch success, using a three-dimensional, agent-based modeling approach to simulate attacks of falcons on aerial prey. We simulate avian flapping and gliding flight using an analytical quasi-steady model of the aerodynamic forces and moments, parametrized by empirical measurements of flight morphology. The model-birds' flight control inputs are commanded by their guidance system, comprising a phenomenological model of its vision, guidance, and control. To intercept its prey, model-falcons use the same guidance law as missiles (pure proportional navigation); this assumption is corroborated by empirical data on peregrine falcons hunting lures. We parametrically vary the falcon's starting position relative to its prey, together with the feedback gain of its guidance loop, under differing assumptions regarding its errors and delay in vision and control, and for three different patterns of prey motion. We find that, when the prey maneuvers erratically, high-altitude stoops increase catch success compared to low-altitude attacks, but only if the falcon's guidance law is appropriately tuned, and only given a high degree of precision in vision and control. Remarkably, the optimal tuning of the guidance law in our simulations coincides closely with what has been observed empirically in peregrines. High-altitude stoops are shown to be beneficial because their high airspeed enables production of higher aerodynamic forces for maneuvering, and facilitates higher roll agility as the wings are tucked, each of which is essential to catching maneuvering prey at realistic response delays.

Physics-based simulations of aerial attacks by peregrine falcons reveal that stooping at high speed maximizes catch success against agile prey.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin Mills

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus is renowned for attacking its prey from high altitude in a fast controlled dive called a stoop. Many other raptors employ a similar mode of attack, but the functional benefits of stooping remain obscure. Here we investigate whether, when, and why stooping promotes catch success, using a three-dimensional, agent-based modeling approach to simulate attacks of falcons on aerial prey. We simulate avian flapping and gliding flight using an analytical quasi-steady model of the aerodynamic forces and moments, parametrized by empirical measurements of flight morphology. The model-birds' flight control inputs are commanded by their guidance system, comprising a phenomenological model of its vision, guidance, and control. To intercept its prey, model-falcons use the same guidance law as missiles (pure proportional navigation; this assumption is corroborated by empirical data on peregrine falcons hunting lures. We parametrically vary the falcon's starting position relative to its prey, together with the feedback gain of its guidance loop, under differing assumptions regarding its errors and delay in vision and control, and for three different patterns of prey motion. We find that, when the prey maneuvers erratically, high-altitude stoops increase catch success compared to low-altitude attacks, but only if the falcon's guidance law is appropriately tuned, and only given a high degree of precision in vision and control. Remarkably, the optimal tuning of the guidance law in our simulations coincides closely with what has been observed empirically in peregrines. High-altitude stoops are shown to be beneficial because their high airspeed enables production of higher aerodynamic forces for maneuvering, and facilitates higher roll agility as the wings are tucked, each of which is essential to catching maneuvering prey at realistic response delays.

THE QUEST FOR DUSTY STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT HIGH REDSHIFT z ≳ 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mancuso, C.; Lapi, A.; Shi, J.; Aversa, R.; Danese, L. [SISSA, Via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste (Italy); Gonzalez-Nuevo, J. [Departamento de Física, Universidad de Oviedo, C. Calvo Sotelo s/n, E-33007 Oviedo (Spain)

2016-06-01

We exploit the continuity equation approach and “main-sequence” star formation timescales to show that the observed high abundance of galaxies with stellar masses ≳ a few 10{sup 10} M {sub ⊙} at redshift z ≳ 4 implies the existence of a galaxy population featuring large star formation rates (SFRs) ψ ≳ 10{sup 2} M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} in heavily dust-obscured conditions. These galaxies constitute the high-redshift counterparts of the dusty star-forming population already surveyed for z ≲ 3 in the far-IR band by the Herschel Space Observatory . We work out specific predictions for the evolution of the corresponding stellar mass and SFR functions out to z ∼ 10, determining that the number density at z ≲ 8 for SFRs ψ ≳ 30 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} cannot be estimated relying on the UV luminosity function alone, even when standard corrections for dust extinction based on the UV slope are applied. We compute the number counts and redshift distributions (including galaxy-scale gravitational lensing) of this galaxy population, and show that current data from the AzTEC - LABOCA , SCUBA-2 , and ALMA - SPT surveys are already addressing it. We demonstrate how an observational strategy based on color preselection in the far-IR or (sub-)millimeter band with Herschel and SCUBA-2 , supplemented by photometric data from on-source observations with ALMA , can allow us to reconstruct the bright end of the SFR functions out to z ≲ 8. In parallel, such a challenging task can be managed by exploiting current UV surveys in combination with (sub-)millimeter observations by ALMA and NIKA2 and/or radio observations by SKA and its precursors.

Phlebotomus Sandflies of the Paloich Area in the Sudan (Diptera, Psychodidae)

Science.gov (United States)

1964-10-01

Hamster, Cricetus auratus Toad, Bufo regularis (?) Gecko, H. turicus Skink, M. striata Puff adder Snake, CMNH HH-9111’ Snake, CMNH HH-9112’ Hedgehog ...Pharynx unarmed distally or only with few, smail spines ; pigment patch not dark enough to obscure teeth .................. 8 Pharynx heavily...armed distally with numerous, dark spines ; pigment patch very dark, 1964 Quate: Sudanese sandflies 237 often obscuring teeth unless specimen well

Peering through the dust: NuSTAR observations of two first-2MASS red quasars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Ricarte, Angelo; Glikman, Eilat

2016-01-01

through this gas and dust, revealing the properties of circumnuclear obscuration. Here, we present NuSTAR and XMM-Newton/Chandra observations of FIRST-2MASS-selected red quasars F2M 0830+3759 and F2M 1227+3214. We find that though F2M 0830+3759 is moderately obscured (NH,Z = (2.1 ± 0.2) ×  1022 cm−2...

Myocardial blood flow and its transit time, oxygen utilization, and efficiency of highly endurance-trained human heart.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinonen, Ilkka; Kudomi, Nobuyuki; Kemppainen, Jukka; Kiviniemi, Antti; Noponen, Tommi; Luotolahti, Matti; Luoto, Pauliina; Oikonen, Vesa; Sipilä, Hannu T; Kopra, Jaakko; Mononen, Ilkka; Duncker, Dirk J; Knuuti, Juhani; Kalliokoski, Kari K

2014-07-01

Highly endurance-trained athlete's heart represents the most extreme form of cardiac adaptation to physical stress, but its circulatory alterations remain obscure. In the present study, myocardial blood flow (MBF), blood mean transit time (MTT), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and consumption (MVO2), and efficiency of cardiac work were quantified in highly trained male endurance athletes and control subjects at rest and during supine cycling exercise using [(15)O]-labeled radiotracers and positron emission tomography. Heart rate and MBF were lower in athletes both at rest and during exercise. OEF increased in response to exercise in both groups, but was higher in athletes (70 ± 21 vs. 63 ± 11 % at rest and 86 ± 13 vs. 73 ± 10 % during exercise). MTT was longer and vascular resistance higher in athletes both at rest and during exercise, but arterial content of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (oxygen affinity) was unchanged. MVO2 per gram of myocardium trended (p = 0.08) lower in athletes both at rest and during exercise, while myocardial efficiency of work and MVO2 per beat were not different between groups. Arterial levels of free fatty acids were ~twofold higher in athletes likely leading to higher myocardial fatty acid oxidation and hence oxygen cost, which may have blunted the bradycardia-induced decrease in MVO2. Finally, the observed group differences in MBF, OEF, MTT and vascular resistance remained significant also after they were controlled for differences in MVO2. In conclusion, in highly endurance-trained human heart, increased myocardial blood transition time enables higher oxygen extraction levels with a lower myocardial blood flow and higher vascular resistance. These physiological adaptations to exercise training occur independently of the level of oxygen consumption and together with training-induced bradycardia may serve as mechanisms to increase functional reserve of the human heart.

Recently deglaciated high-altitude soils of the Himalaya: diverse environments, heterogenous bacterial communities and long-range dust inputs from the upper troposphere.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blaz Stres

Full Text Available The Himalaya with its altitude and geographical position forms a barrier to atmospheric transport, which produces much aqueous-particle monsoon precipitation and makes it the largest continuous ice-covered area outside polar regions. There is a paucity of data on high-altitude microbial communities, their native environments and responses to environmental-spatial variables relative to seasonal and deglaciation events.Soils were sampled along altitude transects from 5000 m to 6000 m to determine environmental, spatial and seasonal factors structuring bacterial communities characterized by 16 S rRNA gene deep sequencing. Dust traps and fresh-snow samples were used to assess dust abundance and viability, community structure and abundance of dust associated microbial communities. Significantly different habitats among the altitude-transect samples corresponded to both phylogenetically distant and closely-related communities at distances as short as 50 m showing high community spatial divergence. High within-group variability that was related to an order of magnitude higher dust deposition obscured seasonal and temporal rearrangements in microbial communities. Although dust particle and associated cell deposition rates were highly correlated, seasonal dust communities of bacteria were distinct and differed significantly from recipient soil communities. Analysis of closest relatives to dust OTUs, HYSPLIT back-calculation of airmass trajectories and small dust particle size (4-12 µm suggested that the deposited dust and microbes came from distant continental, lacustrine and marine sources, e.g. Sahara, India, Caspian Sea and Tibetan plateau. Cyanobacteria represented less than 0.5% of microbial communities suggesting that the microbial communities benefitted from (codeposited carbon which was reflected in the psychrotolerant nature of dust-particle associated bacteria.The spatial, environmental and temporal complexity of the high-altitude soils of the

Recently deglaciated high-altitude soils of the Himalaya: diverse environments, heterogenous bacterial communities and long-range dust inputs from the upper troposphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Stres, Blaz; Sul, Woo Jun; Murovec, Bostjan; Tiedje, James M

2013-01-01

The Himalaya with its altitude and geographical position forms a barrier to atmospheric transport, which produces much aqueous-particle monsoon precipitation and makes it the largest continuous ice-covered area outside polar regions. There is a paucity of data on high-altitude microbial communities, their native environments and responses to environmental-spatial variables relative to seasonal and deglaciation events. Soils were sampled along altitude transects from 5000 m to 6000 m to determine environmental, spatial and seasonal factors structuring bacterial communities characterized by 16 S rRNA gene deep sequencing. Dust traps and fresh-snow samples were used to assess dust abundance and viability, community structure and abundance of dust associated microbial communities. Significantly different habitats among the altitude-transect samples corresponded to both phylogenetically distant and closely-related communities at distances as short as 50 m showing high community spatial divergence. High within-group variability that was related to an order of magnitude higher dust deposition obscured seasonal and temporal rearrangements in microbial communities. Although dust particle and associated cell deposition rates were highly correlated, seasonal dust communities of bacteria were distinct and differed significantly from recipient soil communities. Analysis of closest relatives to dust OTUs, HYSPLIT back-calculation of airmass trajectories and small dust particle size (4-12 µm) suggested that the deposited dust and microbes came from distant continental, lacustrine and marine sources, e.g. Sahara, India, Caspian Sea and Tibetan plateau. Cyanobacteria represented less than 0.5% of microbial communities suggesting that the microbial communities benefitted from (co)deposited carbon which was reflected in the psychrotolerant nature of dust-particle associated bacteria. The spatial, environmental and temporal complexity of the high-altitude soils of the Himalaya

Not all are free-living: high-throughput DNA metabarcoding reveals a diverse community of protists parasitizing soil metazoa.

Science.gov (United States)

Geisen, S; Laros, I; Vizcaíno, A; Bonkowski, M; de Groot, G A

2015-09-01

Protists, the most diverse eukaryotes, are largely considered to be free-living bacterivores, but vast numbers of taxa are known to parasitize plants or animals. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) approaches now commonly replace cultivation-based approaches in studying soil protists, but insights into common biases associated with this method are limited to aquatic taxa and samples. We created a mock community of common free-living soil protists (amoebae, flagellates, ciliates), extracted DNA and amplified it in the presence of metazoan DNA using 454 HTS. We aimed at evaluating whether HTS quantitatively reveals true relative abundances of soil protists and at investigating whether the expected protist community structure is altered by the co-amplification of metazoan-associated protist taxa. Indeed, HTS revealed fundamentally different protist communities from those expected. Ciliate sequences were highly over-represented, while those of most amoebae and flagellates were under-represented or totally absent. These results underpin the biases introduced by HTS that prevent reliable quantitative estimations of free-living protist communities. Furthermore, we detected a wide range of nonadded protist taxa probably introduced along with metazoan DNA, which altered the protist community structure. Among those, 20 taxa most closely resembled parasitic, often pathogenic taxa. Therewith, we provide the first HTS data in support of classical observational studies that showed that potential protist parasites are hosted by soil metazoa. Taken together, profound differences in amplification success between protist taxa and an inevitable co-extraction of protist taxa parasitizing soil metazoa obscure the true diversity of free-living soil protist communities. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mapping Henry: Synchrotron-sourced X-ray fluorescence mapping and ultra-high-definition scanning of an early Tudor portrait of Henry VIII

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dredge, Paula; Ives, Simon [Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, NSW (Australia); Howard, Daryl L.; Spiers, Kathryn M. [Australian Synchrotron, Clayton, VIC (Australia); Yip, Andrew [Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, NSW (Australia); University of New South Wales, Laboratory for Innovation in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (iGLAM), National Institute for Experimental Arts, Sydney, NSW (Australia); Kenderdine, Sarah [University of New South Wales, Laboratory for Innovation in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (iGLAM), National Institute for Experimental Arts, Sydney, NSW (Australia)

2015-11-15

A portrait of Henry VIII on oak panel c. 1535 has recently undergone technical examination to inform questions regarding authorship and the painting's relationship to a group of similar works in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Society of Antiquaries. Due to previous conservation treatments of the painting, the conventional transmission X-radiograph image was difficult to interpret. As a result, the painting underwent high-definition X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental mapping on the X-ray fluorescence microscopy beamline of the Australian Synchrotron. Scans were conducted at 12.6 and 18.5 keV, below and above the lead (Pb) L edges, respectively. Typical scan parameters were 120 μm pixel size at 7 ms dwell time, with the largest scan covering an area 545 x 287 mm{sup 2} collected in 23 h (10.8 MP). XRF mapping of the panel has guided the conservation treatment of the painting and the revelation of previously obscured features. It has also provided insight into the process of making of the painting. The informative and detailed elemental maps, alongside ultra-high-definition scans of the painting undertaken before and after varnish and over-paint removal, have assisted in comparison of the finely painted details with the London paintings. The resolution offered by the combination of imaging techniques identifies pigment distribution at an extremely fine scale, enabling a new understanding of the artist's paint application. (orig.)