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Connecting collisional and photofragmentation resonances in the ungerade symmetry states of H 2
A recently developed energy-dependent frame transformation theory that incorporates both ionisation and dissociation channels of the H 2 molecule, is extended to treat the ungerade states that occur both in dissociative recombination and as the final state in ground state photoabsorption. The theoretical treatment includes the rotational degrees of freedom and is benchmarked against a two-dimensional model that can be solved with high accuracy and also compared with photoabsorption experiments. Analysis of the resulting spectra demonstrates how the same resonances appear in very different observables, often with quite different line shapes.
Connection and Implication of Molecular Structure with Nutrient Profiles and Bioavailability of Different Co-Products and By-Products after Processing Using Advanced Grading and Vibrational Molecular Spectroscopy
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A lincRNA connected to cell mortality and epigenetically-silenced in most common human cancers
Immortality is an essential characteristic of human carcinoma cells. We recently developed an efficient, reproducible method that immortalizes human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) in the absence of gross genomic changes by targeting 2 critical senescence barriers. Consistent transcriptomic changes associated with immortality were identified using microarray analysis of isogenic normal finite pre-stasis, abnormal finite post-stasis, and immortal HMECs from 4 individuals. A total of 277 genes consistently changed in cells that transitioned from post-stasis to immortal. Gene ontology analysis of affected genes revealed biological processes significantly altered in the immortalization process. These immortalization-associated changes showed striking similarity to the gene expression changes seen in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) clinical breast cancer data. The most dramatic change in gene expression seen during the immortalization step was the downregulation of an unnamed, incompletely annotated transcript that we called MORT, for mortality, since its expression was closely associated with the mortal, finite lifespan phenotype. We show here that MORT (ZNF667-AS1) is expressed in all normal finite lifespan human cells examined to date and is lost in immortalized HMEC. MORT gene silencing at the mortal/immortal boundary was due to DNA hypermethylation of its CpG island promoter. This epigenetic silencing is also seen in human breast cancer cell lines and in a majority of human breast tumor tissues. The functional importance of DNA hypermethylation in MORT gene silencing is supported by the ability of 5-aza-2'- deoxycytidine to reactivate MORT expression. Analysis of TCGA data revealed deregulation of MORT expression due to DNA hypermethylation in 15 out of the 17 most common human cancers. In conclusion, the epigenetic silencing of MORT in a large majority of the common human cancers suggests a potential fundamental role in cellular immortalization during human carcinogenesis.
Is there a connection between broad absorption line quasars and narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies?
We consider whether broad absorption line quasars (BAL QSOs) and narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) are similar, as suggested by Brandt and Gallagher and Boroson. For this purpose, we constructed a sample of 11 BAL QSOs from existing Chandra and Swift observations. We found that BAL QSOs and NLS1s both operate at high Eddington ratios L/L{sub Edd}, although BAL QSOs have slightly lower L/L{sub Edd}. BAL QSOs and NLS1s in general have high Fe ii/Hβ and low [O iii]/Hβ ratios following the classic “Boroson and Green” eigenvector 1 relation. We also found that the mass accretion rates M-dot of BAL QSOs and NLS1s are more similar than previously thought, although some BAL QSOs exhibit extreme mass accretion rates of more than 10 M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. These extreme mass accretion rates may suggest that the black holes in BAL QSOs are relativistically spinning. Black hole masses in BAL QSOs are a factor of 100 larger than NLS1s. From their location on a M−σ plot, we find that BAL QSOs contain fully developed black holes. Applying a principal component analysis to our sample, we find eigenvector 1 to correspond to the Eddington ratio L/L{sub Edd}, and eigenvector 2 to black hole mass.
Pursuing the planet-debris disk connection: Analysis of upper limits from the Anglo-Australian planet search
Solid material in protoplanetary disks will suffer one of two fates after the epoch of planet formation; either being bound up into planetary bodies, or remaining in smaller planetesimals to be ground into dust. These end states are identified through detection of sub-stellar companions by periodic radial velocity (or transit) variations of the star, and excess emission at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths, respectively. Since the material that goes into producing the observable outcomes of planet formation is the same, we might expect these components to be related both to each other and their host star. Heretofore, our knowledge of planetary systems around other stars has been strongly limited by instrumental sensitivity. In this work, we combine observations at far-infrared wavelengths by IRAS, Spitzer, and Herschel with limits on planetary companions derived from non-detections in the 16 year Anglo-Australian Planet Search to clarify the architectures of these (potential) planetary systems and search for evidence of correlations between their constituent parts. We find no convincing evidence of such correlations, possibly owing to the dynamical history of the disk systems, or the greater distance of the planet-search targets. Our results place robust limits on the presence of Jupiter analogs which, in concert with the debris disk observations, provides insights on the small-body dynamics of these nearby systems.
Toward connecting core-collapse supernova theory with observations. I. Shock revival in a 15 M {sub ☉} blue supergiant progenitor with SN 1987A energetics
We study the evolution of the collapsing core of a 15 M {sub ☉} blue supergiant supernova progenitor from the core bounce until 1.5 s later. We present a sample of hydrodynamic models parameterized to match the explosion energetics of SN 1987A. We find the spatial model dimensionality to be an important contributing factor in the explosion process. Compared to two-dimensional (2D) simulations, our three-dimensional (3D) models require lower neutrino luminosities to produce equally energetic explosions. We estimate that the convective engine in our models is 4% more efficient in 3D than in 2D. We propose that the greater efficiency of the convective engine found in 3D simulations might be due to the larger surface-to-volume ratio of convective plumes, which aids in distributing energy deposited by neutrinos. We do not find evidence of the standing accretion shock instability or turbulence being a key factor in powering the explosion in our models. Instead, the analysis of the energy transport in the post-shock region reveals characteristics of penetrative convection. The explosion energy decreases dramatically once the resolution is inadequate to capture the morphology of convection on large scales. This shows that the role of dimensionality is secondary to correctly accounting for the basic physics of the explosion. We also analyze information provided by particle tracers embedded in the flow and find that the unbound material has relatively long residency times in 2D models, while in 3D a significant fraction of the explosion energy is carried by particles with relatively short residency times.
WISE Y dwarfs as probes of the brown dwarf-exoplanet connection
We have determined astrometric positions for 15 WISE-discovered late-type brown dwarfs (six T8-9 and nine Y dwarfs) using the Keck-II telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Combining data from 8 to 20 epochs we derive parallactic and proper motions for these objects, which puts the majority within 15 pc. For ages greater than a few Gyr, as suggested from kinematic considerations, we find masses of 10-30 M {sub Jup} based on standard models for the evolution of low-mass objects with a range of mass estimates for individual objects, depending on the model in question. Three of the coolest objects have effective temperatures ∼350 K and inferred masses of 10-15 M {sub Jup}. Our parallactic distances confirm earlier photometric estimates and direct measurements and suggest that the number of objects with masses below about 15 M {sub Jup} must be flat or declining, relative to higher mass objects. The masses of the coldest Y dwarfs may be similar to those inferred for recently imaged planet-mass companions to nearby young stars. Objects in this mass range, which appear to be rare in both the interstellar and protoplanetary environments, may both have formed via gravitational fragmentation—the brown dwarfs in interstellar clouds and companion objects in a protoplanetary disk. In both cases, however, the fact that objects in this mass range are relatively infrequent suggests that this mechanism must be inefficient in both environments.
A tale of two anomalies: Depletion, dispersion, and the connection between the stellar lithium spread and inflated radii on the pre-main sequence
We investigate lithium depletion in standard stellar models (SSMs) and main sequence (MS) open clusters, and explore the origin of the Li dispersion in young, cool stars of equal mass, age, and composition. We first demonstrate that SSMs accurately predict the Li abundances of solar analogs at the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) within theoretical uncertainties. We then measure the rate of MS Li depletion by removing the [Fe/H]-dependent ZAMS Li pattern from three well-studied clusters, and comparing the detrended data. MS depletion is found to be mass-dependent, in the sense of more depletion at low mass. A dispersion in Li abundance at fixed T{sub eff} is nearly universal, and sets in by ∼200 Myr. We discuss mass and age dispersion trends, and the pattern is mixed. We argue that metallicity impacts the ZAMS Li pattern, in agreement with theoretical expectations but contrary to the findings of some previous studies, and suggest Li as a test of cluster metallicity. Finally, we argue that a radius dispersion in stars of fixed mass and age, during the epoch of pre-MS Li destruction, is responsible for the spread in Li abundances and the correlation between rotation and Li in young cool stars, most well known in the Pleiades. We calculate stellar models, inflated to match observed radius anomalies in magnetically active systems, and the resulting range of Li abundances reproduces the observed patterns of young clusters. We discuss ramifications for pre-MS evolutionary tracks and age measurements of young clusters, and suggest an observational test.
Exploring the prominence-corona connection and its expansion into the outer corona using total solar eclipse observations
Prominences constitute the most complex magnetic structures in the solar corona. The ubiquitous presence of their seemingly confined dense and cool plasma in an otherwise million-degree environment remains a puzzle. Using a decade of white light total solar eclipse observations, we show how these images reveal an intricate relationship between prominences and coronal structures both in their immediate vicinity, known as coronal cavities, and in the extended corona out to several solar radii. Observations of suspended prominences and twisted helical structures spanning several solar radii are central to these findings. The different manifestations of the prominence-corona interface that emerge from this study underscore the fundamental role played by prominences in defining and controlling the complex expansion and dynamic behavior of the solar magnetic field in the neighborhood of magnetic polarity reversal regions. This study suggests that the unraveling of prominences and the outward expansion of the helical twisted field lines linked to them could be the solar origin of twisted magnetic flux ropes detected in interplanetary space, and of the mechanism by which the Sun sheds its magnetic helicity. This work also underscores the likely role of the prominence-corona interface as a source of the slow solar wind.
A connection between obscuration and star formation in luminous quasars
We present a measurement of the star formation properties of a uniform sample of mid-IR-selected, optically unobscured, and obscured quasars (QSO1s and QSO2s) in the Boötes survey region. We use a spectral energy distribution analysis for photometric data spanning optical to far-IR wavelengths to separate the active galactic nucleus (AGN) and host galaxy components. We find that when compared to a matched sample of QSO1s, the QSO2s have roughly twice the far-IR detection fractions, far-IR fluxes, and infrared star formation luminosities (L{sub IR}{sup SF}). Correspondingly, we show that the AGN obscured fraction rises from 0.3 to 0.7 between (4–40) × 10{sup 11}L{sub ⊙}. We also find evidence associating X-ray absorption with the presence of far-IR-emitting dust. Overall, these results are consistent with galaxy evolution models in which quasar obscuration is associated with dust-enshrouded starburst galaxies.
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATION OF THE X2.2 SOLAR FLARE ON 2011 FEBRUARY 15. II. DYNAMICS CONNECTING THE SOLAR FLARE AND THE CORONAL MASS EJECTION
We clarify a relationship between the dynamics of a solar flare and a growing coronal mass ejection (CME) by investigating the dynamics of magnetic fields during the X2.2-class flare taking place in the solar active region 11158 on 2011 February 15, based on simulation results obtained from Inoue et al. We found that the strongly twisted lines formed through tether-cutting reconnection in the twisted lines of a nonlinear force-free field can break the force balance within the magnetic field, resulting in their launch from the solar surface. We further discover that a large-scale flux tube is formed during the eruption as a result of the tether-cutting reconnection between the eruptive strongly twisted lines and these ambient weakly twisted lines. The newly formed large flux tube exceeds the critical height of the torus instability. Tether-cutting reconnection thus plays an important role in the triggering of a CME. Furthermore, we found that the tangential fields at the solar surface illustrate different phases in the formation of the flux tube and its ascending phase over the threshold of the torus instability. We will discuss these dynamics in detail.
Experimental constraints on γ-ray pulsar gap models and the pulsar GeV to pulsar wind nebula TeV connection
The pulsar emission mechanism in the gamma ray energy band is poorly understood. Currently, there are several models under discussion in the pulsar community. These models can be constrained by studying the collective properties of a sample of pulsars, which became possible with the large sample of gamma ray pulsars discovered by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. In this paper we develop a new experimental multi-wavelength technique to determine the beaming factor (f{sub Ω}) dependance on spin-down luminosity of a set of GeV pulsars. This technique requires three input parameters: pulsar spin-down luminosity, pulsar phase-averaged GeV flux, and TeV or X-ray flux from the associated pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The analysis presented in this paper uses the PWN TeV flux measurements to study the correlation between f{sub Ω} and E-dot . The measured correlation has some features that favor the Outer Gap model over the Polar Cap, Slot Gap, and One Pole Caustic models for pulsar emission in the energy range of 0.1–100 GeV, but one must keep in mind that these simulated models failed to explain many of the most important pulsar population characteristics. A tight correlation between the pulsar GeV emission and PWN TeV emission was also observed, which suggests the possibility of a linear relationship between the two emission mechanisms. In this paper we also discuss a possible mechanism to explain this correlation.
Isotope anomalies in the FE-group elements in meteorites and connections to nucleosynthesis in AGB stars
We study the effects of neutron captures in AGB stars on “Fe-group” elements, with an emphasis on Cr, Fe, and Ni. These elements show anomalies in {sup 54}Cr, {sup 58}Fe, and {sup 64}Ni in solar system materials, which are commonly attributed to supernovae (SNe). However, as large fractions of the interstellar medium (ISM) were reprocessed in AGB stars, these elements were reprocessed, too. We calculate the effects of such reprocessing on Cr, Fe, and Ni through 1.5 M{sub ⊙} and 3 M{sub ⊙} AGB models, adopting solar and 1/3 solar metallicities. All cases produce excesses of {sup 54}Cr, {sup 58}Fe, and {sup 64}Ni, while the other isotopes are little altered; hence, the observations may be explained by AGB processing. The results are robust and not dependent on the detailed initial isotopic composition. Consequences for other “Fe group” elements are then explored. They include {sup 50}Ti excesses and some production of {sup 46,47,49}Ti. In many circumstellar condensates, Ti quantitatively reflects these effects of AGB neutron captures. Scatter in the data results from small variations (granularity) in the isotopic composition of the local ISM. For Si, the main effects are instead due to variations in the local ISM from different SN sources. The problem of Ca is discussed, particularly with regard to {sup 48}Ca. The measured data are usually represented assuming terrestrial values for {sup 42}Ca/{sup 44}Ca. Materials processed in AGB stars or sources with variable initial {sup 42}Ca/{sup 44}Ca ratios can give apparent {sup 48}Ca excesses/deficiencies, attributed to SNe. The broader issue of galactic chemical evolution is also discussed in view of the isotopic granularity in the ISM.
Using FUV to IR variability to probe the star–disk connection in the transitional disk of GM Aur
We analyze three epochs of ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared (NIR) observations of the Taurus transitional disk GM Aur using the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX spectrograph. Observations were separated by one week and three months in order to study variability over multiple timescales. We calculate accretion rates for each epoch of observations using the STIS spectra and find that those separated by one week had similar accretion rates (∼1×10{sup −8} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}) while the epoch obtained three months later had a substantially lower accretion rate (∼4×10{sup −9} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}). We find that the decline in accretion rate is caused by lower densities of material in the accretion flows, as opposed to a lower surface coverage of the accretion columns. During the low accretion rate epoch, we also observe lower fluxes at both far-ultraviolet (FUV) and IR wavelengths, which trace molecular gas and dust in the disk, respectively. We find that this can be explained by a lower dust and gas mass in the inner disk. We attribute the observed variability to inhomogeneities in the inner disk, near the corotation radius, where gas and dust may co-exist near the footprints of the magnetospheric flows. These FUV–NIR data offer a new perspective on the structure of the inner disk, the stellar magnetosphere, and their interaction.
A MISSING-LINK IN THE SUPERNOVA–GRB CONNECTION: THE CASE OF SN 2012ap
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are characterized by ultra-relativistic outflows, while supernovae are generally characterized by non-relativistic ejecta. GRB afterglows decelerate rapidly, usually within days, because their low-mass ejecta rapidly sweep up a comparatively larger mass of circumstellar material. However, supernovae with heavy ejecta can be in nearly free expansion for centuries. Supernovae were thought to have non-relativistic outflows except for a few relativistic ones accompanied by GRBs. This clear division was blurred by SN 2009bb, the first supernova with a relativistic outflow without an observed GRB. However, the ejecta from SN 2009bb was baryon loaded and in nearly free expansion for a year, unlike GRBs. We report the first supernova discovered without a GRB but with rapidly decelerating mildly relativistic ejecta, SN 2012ap. We discovered a bright and rapidly evolving radio counterpart driven by the circumstellar interaction of the relativistic ejecta. However, we did not find any coincident GRB with an isotropic fluence of more than one-sixth of the fluence from GRB 980425. This shows for the first time that central engines in SNe Ic, even without an observed GRB, can produce both relativistic and rapidly decelerating outflows like GRBs.
CONNECTING FLARES AND TRANSIENT MASS-LOSS EVENTS IN MAGNETICALLY ACTIVE STARS
We explore the ramification of associating the energetics of extreme magnetic reconnection events with transient mass-loss in a stellar analogy with solar eruptive events. We establish energy partitions relative to the total bolometric radiated flare energy for different observed components of stellar flares and show that there is rough agreement for these values with solar flares. We apply an equipartition between the bolometric radiated flare energy and kinetic energy in an accompanying mass ejection, seen in solar eruptive events and expected from reconnection. This allows an integrated flare rate in a particular waveband to be used to estimate the amount of associated transient mass-loss. This approach is supported by a good correspondence between observational flare signatures on high flaring rate stars and the Sun, which suggests a common physical origin. If the frequent and extreme flares that young solar-like stars and low-mass stars experience are accompanied by transient mass-loss in the form of coronal mass ejections, then the cumulative effect of this mass-loss could be large. We find that for young solar-like stars and active M dwarfs, the total mass lost due to transient magnetic eruptions could have significant impacts on disk evolution, and thus planet formation, and also exoplanet habitability.