scholarly journals Near-UV Reddening Observed in the Reflectance Spectrum of High-inclination Centaur 2012 DR30

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Tom Seccull ◽  
Wesley C. Fraser ◽  
Thomas H. Puzia

Abstract Centaurs with high orbital inclinations and perihelia (i > 60°; q ≳ 5 au) are a small group of poorly understood minor planets that are predicted to enter the giant planet region of the solar system from the inner Oort Cloud. As such, they are one of the few samples of relatively unaltered Oort Cloud material that can currently be directly observed. Here we present two new reflectance spectra of one of the largest of these objects, 2012 DR30, in order to constrain its color and surface composition. Contrary to reports that 2012 DR30 has variable optical color, we find that consistent measurements of its spectral gradient from most new and published data sets at 0.55–0.8 μm agree with a spectral gradient of S ′ ≃ 10 % ± 1 % / 0.1 μ m within their uncertainties. The spectral variability of 2012 DR30 at near-UV/blue and near-IR wavelengths, however, is still relatively unconstrained; self-consistent rotationally resolved follow-up observations are needed to characterize any spectral variation in those regions. We tentatively confirm previous detections of water ice on the surface of 2012 DR30, and we also consistently observe a steady steepening of the gradient of its spectrum from λ ∼ 0.6 μm toward near-UV wavelengths. Plausible surface materials responsible for the observed reddening may include ferric oxides contained within phyllosilicates and aromatic refractory organics.

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 1855-1861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montgomery Slatkin ◽  
Bruce Rannala

Abstract A theory is developed that provides the sampling distribution of low frequency alleles at a single locus under the assumption that each allele is the result of a unique mutation. The numbers of copies of each allele is assumed to follow a linear birth-death process with sampling. If the population is of constant size, standard results from theory of birth-death processes show that the distribution of numbers of copies of each allele is logarithmic and that the joint distribution of numbers of copies of k alleles found in a sample of size n follows the Ewens sampling distribution. If the population from which the sample was obtained was increasing in size, if there are different selective classes of alleles, or if there are differences in penetrance among alleles, the Ewens distribution no longer applies. Likelihood functions for a given set of observations are obtained under different alternative hypotheses. These results are applied to published data from the BRCA1 locus (associated with early onset breast cancer) and the factor VIII locus (associated with hemophilia A) in humans. In both cases, the sampling distribution of alleles allows rejection of the null hypothesis, but relatively small deviations from the null model can account for the data. In particular, roughly the same population growth rate appears consistent with both data sets.


2011 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Bo Liao ◽  
Zhi Ping Mi ◽  
Cai Quan Zhou ◽  
Ling Jin ◽  
Xian Han ◽  
...  

AbstractComparative studies of the relative testes size in animals show that promiscuous species have relatively larger testes than monogamous species. Sperm competition favours the evolution of larger ejaculates in many animals – they give bigger testes. In the view, we presented data on relative testis mass for 17 Chinese species including 3 polyandrous species. We analyzed relative testis mass within the Chinese data set and combining those data with published data sets on Japanese and African frogs. We found that polyandrous foam nesting species have relatively large testes, suggesting that sperm competition was an important factor affecting the evolution of relative testes size. For 4 polyandrous species testes mass is positively correlated with intensity (males/mating) but not with risk (frequency of polyandrous matings) of sperm competition.


1971 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 413-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.G. Marsden

There has long been speculation as to whether comets evolve into asteroidal objects. On the one hand, in the original version of the Oort (1950) hypothesis, the cometary cloud was supposed to have formed initially from the same material that produced the minor planets; and an obvious corollary was that the main physical difference between comets and minor planets would be that the latter had long since lost their icy surfaces on account of persistent exposure to strong solar radiation (Öpik, 1963). However, following a suggestion by Kuiper (1951), it is now quite widely believed that, whereas the terrestrial planets and minor planets condensed in the inner regions of the primordial solar nebula, icy objects such as comets would have formed more naturally in the outer parts, perhaps even beyond the orbit of Neptune (Cameron, 1962; Whipple, 1964a). Furthermore, recent studies of the evolution of the short-period comets indicate that it is not possible to produce the observed orbital distribution from the Oort cloud, even when multiple encounters with Jupiter are considered (Havnes, 1970). We must now seriously entertain the possibility that most of the short-period orbits evolved directly from low-inclination, low-eccentricity orbits with perihelia initially in the region between, say, the orbits of Saturn and Neptune, and that these comets have never been in the traditional cloud at great distances from the Sun.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S251) ◽  
pp. 327-328
Author(s):  
Mau C. Wong ◽  
Tim Cassidy ◽  
Robert E. Johnson

AbstractThe presence of an undersurface ocean renders Europa as one of the few planetary bodies in our Solar System that has been conjectured to have possibly harbored life. Some of the organic and inorganic species present in the ocean underneath are expected to transport upwards through the relatively thin ice crust and manifest themselves as impurities of the water ice surface. For this reason, together with its unique dynamic atmosphere and geological features, Europa has attracted strong scientific interests in past decades.Europa is imbedded inside the Jovian magnetosphere, and, therefore, is constantly subjected to the immerse surrounding radiations, similar to the other three Galilean satellites. The magnetosphere-atmosphere-surface interactions form a complex system that provides a multitude of interesting geophysical phenomenon that is unique in the Solar System. The atmosphere of Europa is thought to have created by, mostly, charged particles sputtering of surface materials. Consequently, the study of Europa's atmosphere can be used as a tool to infer the surface composition. In this paper, we will discuss our recent model studies of Europa's near-surface atmosphere. In particular, the abundances and distributions of the dominant O2 and H2O species, and of other organic and inorganic minor species will be addressed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. e192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Anastasaki ◽  
Stephanie M. Morris ◽  
Feng Gao ◽  
David H. Gutmann

Objective:To ascertain the relationship between the germline NF1 gene mutation and glioma development in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).Methods:The relationship between the type and location of the germline NF1 mutation and the presence of a glioma was analyzed in 37 participants with NF1 from one institution (Washington University School of Medicine [WUSM]) with a clinical diagnosis of NF1. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using both unadjusted and weighted analyses of this data set in combination with 4 previously published data sets.Results:While no statistical significance was observed between the location and type of the NF1 mutation and glioma in the WUSM cohort, power calculations revealed that a sample size of 307 participants would be required to determine the predictive value of the position or type of the NF1 gene mutation. Combining our data set with 4 previously published data sets (n = 310), children with glioma were found to be more likely to harbor 5′-end gene mutations (OR = 2; p = 0.006). Moreover, while not clinically predictive due to insufficient sensitivity and specificity, this association with glioma was stronger for participants with 5′-end truncating (OR = 2.32; p = 0.005) or 5′-end nonsense (OR = 3.93; p = 0.005) mutations relative to those without glioma.Conclusions:Individuals with NF1 and glioma are more likely to harbor nonsense mutations in the 5′ end of the NF1 gene, suggesting that the NF1 mutation may be one predictive factor for glioma in this at-risk population.


Parasitology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 135 (7) ◽  
pp. 751-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. BEHNKE

SUMMARYExperimental data establish that interactions exist between species of intestinal helminths during concurrent infections in rodents, the strongest effects being mediated through the host's immune responses. Detecting immune-mediated relationships in wild rodent populations has been fraught with problems and published data do not support a major role for interactions in structuring helminth communities. Helminths in wild rodents show predictable patterns of seasonal, host age-dependent and spatial variation in species richness and in abundance of core species. When these are controlled for, patterns of co-infection compatible with synergistic interactions can be demonstrated. At least one of these, the positive relationship betweenHeligmosomoides polygyrusand species richness of other helminths has been demonstrated in three totally independent data-sets. Collectively, they explain only a small percentage of the variance/deviance in abundance data and at this level are unlikely to play a major role in structuring helminth communities, although they may be important in the more heavily infected wood mice. Current worm burdens underestimate the possibility that earlier interactions through the immune system have taken place, and therefore interactions may have a greater role to play than is immediately evident from current worm burdens. Longitudinal studies are proposed to resolve this issue.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Masoumi ◽  
Bahar Farahani ◽  
Fereidoon Shams Aliee

Purpose Open government data (OGD) has emerged as a radical paradigm shift and endeavor among government administrations across the world mainly due to its promises of transparency, accountability, public-private collaboration, civic participation, social innovation and data-driven value creation. Complexity, cross-cutting nature, diversity of data sets, interoperability and quality issues usually hamper unlocking the full potential value of data. To tackle these challenges, this paper aims to provide a novel solution using a top-down approach. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors propose a systematic ontology-based approach combined with a novel architecture and its corresponding processes enabling organizations to carry out all the steps in the OGD value chain. In addition, an OGD Platform including a portal (www.iranopendata.ir) and a data management system (www.ogdms.iranopendata.ir) are developed to showcase the proposed solution. Findings The efficiency and the applicability of the solution are evaluated by a real-life use case on energy consumption of the buildings of the city of Tehran, Iran. Finally, a comparison was made with existing solutions, and the results show the proposed approach is able to address the existing gaps in the literature. Originality/value The results imply that modeling and designing the data model, as well as exploiting an ontology-based approach are critical pillars to create rich, relevant and well-described OGD data sets. Moreover, clarity on processes, roles and responsibilities are the key factors influencing the quality of the published data services. Thus, to the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that exploits and considers an ontology-based approach in a top-down manner to create OGD data sets.


Robotica ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Linh Nguyen ◽  
Sarath Kodagoda ◽  
Ravindra Ranasinghe ◽  
Gamini Dissanayake

SUMMARY This paper addresses the issue of monitoring spatial environmental phenomena of interest utilizing information collected by a network of mobile, wireless, and noisy sensors that can take discrete measurements as they navigate through the environment. It is proposed to employ Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) represented on an irregular discrete lattice by using the stochastic partial differential equations method to model the physical spatial field. It then derives a GMRF-based approach to effectively predict the field at unmeasured locations, given available observations, in both centralized and distributed manners. Furthermore, a novel but efficient optimality criterion is then proposed to design centralized and distributed adaptive sampling strategies for the mobile robotic sensors to find the most informative sampling paths in taking future measurements. By taking advantage of conditional independence property in the GMRF, the adaptive sampling optimization problem is proven to be resolved in a deterministic time. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is compared and demonstrated using pre-published data sets with appealing results.


2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
SD Whiting

THERE are few published studies of dive times of dugongs (Dugong dugon). Direct observations are problematic because D. dugon are shy and difficult to observe in the wild from boats without creating observer effects. Time Depth Recorders (TDR?s) can record dive and surface times during dive behaviour, but there are no published data as yet for D. dugon using this technology. Although studies on dive times using Time Depth Recorders (TDR?s) result in larger data sets, their results are difficult to relate to particular behaviours such as foraging. This paper provides submergence and surface interval times for D. dugon obtained by direct observations in Darwin Harbour. Direct observations, although time consuming, can produce important information related to the ecology of D. dugon.


Author(s):  
Natalia Pascual ◽  
A. Dawes ◽  
F. Gonz'alez-Posada ◽  
D. Chakarov ◽  
N. Thompson ◽  
...  

AbstractTraditional laboratory studies on dust-ice systems have proved how the nature of the dust surface significantly affects ice structure and reactivity. Although the surface composition effects have been widely studied recently, no attention has been paid to the dust sizes. We show how dust the grains size and topography, as well as their composition, affects their interaction with light and the morphology of water ice mantles on top of them.


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