NH3 in the Central 10 pc of the Galaxy I: General Morphology and Kinematic Connections Between the CND and GMCs

New VLA images of NH3 (1,1), (2,2), and (3,3) emission in the central 10 parsecs of the Galaxy trace filamentary streams of gas, several of which appear to feed the circumnuclear disk (CND). The NH3 images have a spatial resolution of 16.5''x14.5'' and have better spatial sampling than previous NH3 observations. The images show the ``southern streamer,'' ``50 km/s cloud,'' and new features including a ``western streamer'', 6 parsecs in length, and a ``northern ridge'' which connects to the CND. NH3(3,3) emission is very similar to 1.2 mm dust emission indicating that NH3 traces column density well. Ratios of the NH3(2,2) to (1,1) line intensities give an estimate of the temperature of the gas and indicate high temperatures close to the nucleus and CND. The new data cover a velocity range of 270 km/s, including all velocities observed in the CND, with a resolution of 9.8 km/s. Previous NH3 observations with higher resolution did not cover the entire range of velocities seen in the CND. The large-scale kinematics of the CND do not resemble a coherent ring or disk. We see evidence for a high velocity cloud within a projected distance of 50'' (2 pc) which is only seen in NH3(3,3) and is likely to be hot. Comparison to 6 cm continuum emission reveals that much of the NH3 emission traces the outer edges of Sgr A East and was probably pushed outward by this expanding shell. The connection between the northern ridge (which appears to be swept up by Sgr A East) and the CND indicates that Sgr A East and the CND are in close proximity to each other. Kinematic evidence for these connections is presented in this paper, while the full kinematic analysis of the central 10 pc will be presented in Paper II.Comment: 16 pages (containing 6 figures), 8 additional JPEG figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. For full resolution images, see http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~rmcgary/SGRA/nh3_figures.htm

Molecular Tracers of the Central 12 pc of the Galactic Center

We have used the BIMA array to image the Galactic Center with a 19-pointing mosaic in HCN(1-0), HCO+(1-0), and H 42-alpha emission with 5 km/s velocity resolution and 13'' x 4'' angular resolution. The 5' field includes the circumnuclear ring (CND) and parts of the 20 and 50 km/s clouds. HCN(1-0) and HCO+ trace the CND and nearby giant molecular clouds while the H 42-alpha emission traces the ionized gas in Sgr A West. We find that the CND has a definite outer edge in HCN and HCO+ emission at ~45'' radius and appears to be composed of two or three distinct streams of molecular gas rotating around the nucleus. Outside the CND, HCN and HCO+ trace dense clumps of high-velocity gas in addition to optically thick emission from the 20 and 50 km/s clouds. A molecular ridge of compressed gas and dust, traced in NH3 emission and self-absorbed HCN and HCO+, wraps around the eastern edge of Sgr A East. Just inside this ridge are several arcs of gas which have been accelerated by the impact of Sgr A East with the 50 km/s cloud. HCN and HCO+ emission trace the extension of the northern arm of Sgr A West which appears to be an independent stream of neutral and ionized gas and dust originating outside the CND. Broad line widths and OH maser emission mark the intersection of the northern arm and the CND. Comparison to previous NH3 and 1.2mm dust observations shows that HCN and HCO+ preferentially trace the CND and are weaker tracers of the GMCs than NH3 and dust. We discuss possible scenarios for the emission mechanisms and environment at the Galactic center which could explain the differences in these images.Comment: 24 pages, including 17 figures; to appear in The Astrophysical Journa

Analyzing the discharge regime of a large tropical river through remote sensing, ground-based climatic data, and modeling

This study demonstrates the potential for applying passive microwave satellite sensor data to infer the discharge dynamics of large river systems using the main stem Amazon as a test case. The methodology combines (1) interpolated ground-based meteorological station data, (2) horizontally and vertically polarized temperature differences (HVPTD) from the 37-GHz scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) aboard the Nimbus 7 satellite, and (3) a calibrated water balance/water transport model (WBM/WTM). Monthly HVPTD values at 0.25° (latitude by longitude) resolution were resampled spatially and temporally to produce an enhanced HVPTD time series at 0.5° resolution for the period May 1979 through February 1985. Enhanced HVPTD values were regressed against monthly discharge derived from the WBM/WTM for each of 40 grid cells along the main stem over a calibration period from May 1979 to February 1983 to provide a spatially contiguous estimate of time-varying discharge. HVPTD-estimated flows generated for a validation period from March 1983 to February 1985 were found to be in good agreement with both observed arid modeled discharges over a 1400-km section of the main stem Amazon. This span of river is bounded downstream by a region of tidal influence and upstream by low sensor response associated with dense forest canopy. Both the WBM/WTM and HVPTD-derived flow rates reflect the significant impact of the 1982–1983 El Niño-;Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event on water balances within the drainage basin

Trapping virtual pores by crystal retro-engineering

Stable guest-free porous molecular crystals are uncommon. By contrast, organic molecular crystals with guest-occupied cavities are frequently observed, but these cavities tend to be unstable and collapse on removal of the guests—this feature has been referred to as ‘virtual porosity’. Here, we show how we have trapped the virtual porosity in an unstable low-density organic molecular crystal by introducing a second molecule that matches the size and shape of the unstable voids. We call this strategy ‘retro-engineering’ because it parallels organic retrosynthetic analysis, and it allows the metastable two-dimensional hexagonal pore structure in an organic solvate to be trapped in a binary cocrystal. Unlike the crystal with virtual porosity, the cocrystal material remains single crystalline and porous after removal of guests by heating

Changes in the western flank of the North Atlantic subtropical high since 1140 CE: Extremes, drivers, and hydroclimatic patterns

Summer circulation and moisture patterns in the Southeast United States are controlled by the position of the North Atlantic subtropical high. In a warming climate, the subtropical high is projected to strengthen and expand west, but there remains uncertainty regarding its variability and linkages to natural drivers. Here, we use a tree-ring network across the Southeast United States to reconstruct the relative intensity of the pressure gradient across the subtropical high’s western flank over the past 870 years. Variations in the flank’s position and the pressure gradient have been a major driver of the hydroclimate—including creating a Southeast-Caribbean moisture dipole—since 1140 CE. We document a significant increase in flank positional variability since 1900 CE, with westward migrations becoming more extreme. Likewise, major volcanic eruptions cause a multiyear period of westward positioning, leading to distinct regional moisture gradients. Our record highlights important changes in flank behavior, which has important implications for water resource management in a warming world

Natural and Managed Watersheds Show Similar Responses to Recent Climate Change

Changes in climate are driving an intensification of the hydrologic cycle and leading to alterations of natural streamflow regimes. Human disturbances such as dams, land-cover change, and water diversions are thought to obscure climate signals in hydrologic systems. As a result, most studies of changing hydroclimatic conditions are limited to areas with natural streamflow. Here, we compare trends in observed streamflow from natural and human-modified watersheds in the United States and Canada for the 1981–2015 water years to evaluate whether comparable responses to climate change are present in both systems. We find that patterns and magnitudes of trends in median daily streamflow, daily streamflow variability, and daily extremes in human-modified watersheds are similar to those from nearby natural watersheds. Streamflow in both systems show negative trends throughout the southern and western United States and positive trends throughout the northeastern United States, the northern Great Plains, and southern prairies of Canada. The trends in both natural and human-modified watersheds are linked to local trends in precipitation and reference evapotranspiration, demonstrating that water management and land-cover change have not substantially altered the effects of climate change on human-modified watersheds compared with nearby natural watersheds

Determination of protein-protein interactions at the single-molecule level using optical tweezers

Biomolecular interactions are at the base of all physical processes within living organisms; the study of these interactions has led to the development of a plethora of different methods. Among these, single-molecule (in singulo) experiments have become relevant in recent years because these studies can give insight into mechanisms and interactions that are hidden for ensemble-based (in multiplo) methods. The focus of this review is on optical tweezer (OT) experiments, which can be used to apply and measure mechanical forces in molecular systems. OTs are based on optical trapping, where a laser is used to exert a force on a dielectric bead; and optically trap the bead at a controllable position in all three dimensions. Different experimental approaches have been developed to study protein-protein interactions using OTs, such as: (1) refolding and unfolding in trans interaction where one protein is tethered between the beads and the other protein is in the solution; (2) constant force in cis interaction where each protein is bound to a bead, and the tension is suddenly increased. The interaction may break after some time, giving information about the lifetime of the binding at that tension. And (3) force ramp in cis interaction where each protein is attached to a bead and a ramp force is applied until the interaction breaks. With these experiments, parameters such as kinetic constants (koff, kon), affinity values (KD), energy to the transition state ΔG≠, distance to the transition state Δx≠ can be obtained. These parameters characterize the energy landscape of the interaction. Some parameters such as distance to the transition state can only be obtained from force spectroscopy experiments such as those described here

Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2): TFDM Terminal Publication Service (TTP)

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Prevención de la infección por Salmonella enterica subespecie enterica serotipo Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) en pollos mediante un bacteriófago

Infections caused by Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) are an important cause of foodborne diseases, epidemiologically associated with the consumption of poultry products. Since antibiotic treatments cause the appearance of multiresistant strains, phages can be used as an alternative method for controlling S. Enteritidis in the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the bacteriophage f3αSE on the incidence of Salmonella Enteritidis in chickens. 15 broiler chickens of 10 days of age were arranged into 5 groups. Groups A and B received 1 ml of a phage suspension orally containing 106 and 107 PFU/dose, respectively. Two hours later, the birds were challenged orally with 1 ml of Salmonella Enteritidis (4 x 106 CFU/dose). The control group (C) only received the phage (107 PFU/dose) and the control group D was infected with Salmonella Enteritidis (4 x 106 CFU/dose); group E remained untreated and constituted the healthy control. Ten days post challenge, the chickens were euthanised by CO2 inhalation and samples of intestine and organs were obtained for the re-isolation of the challenge strain and phage. The incidence of infection by Salmonella Enteritidis decreased (P = 0.028) in the group that received 107 PFU/dose (7/15 chickens) unlike the group that received a 106 PFU dose (8/15 chickens). The decrease in the incidence of Salmonella Enteritidis in chickens by using the phage f3αSE, indicates that it is possible to consider such phages as useful agents in the control of Salmonella Enteritidis infections.  Las infecciones por Salmonella Enteritidis son una causa importante de enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos, epidemiológicamente asociada al consumo de productos derivados de las aves. Ya que el tratamiento con antimicrobianos causa la aparición de cepas multirresistentes, los fagos pueden ser usados como método alternativo para controlar S. Enteritidis en la industria avícola. El propósito de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto del bacteriófago f3αSE sobre la incidencia de S. Enteritidis en pollos. Se formaron 5 grupos de 15 pollos broiler de 10 días de edad; los grupos experimentales A y B recibieron vía oral 1 ml del fago, conteniendo 106 y 107 UFP/dosis, respectivamente. Dos horas después, las aves fueron desafiadas con 1 mi de S. Enteritidis (4 x 106 UFC/dosis). El grupo C sólo recibió fagos (107 UFP/dosis) y el grupo D sólo S. Enteritidis (4 x 106 UFC/dosis); el grupo E no recibió tratamiento y constituyó el grupo control sano. Diez días postinfección, los pollos recibieron eutanasia por inhalación de gas, obteniéndose por cada ave muestras de intestino y órganos para el reaislamiento de la cepa desafío y del fago. La incidencia de infección por S. Enteritidis se redujo en el grupo que recibió 107 UFP/dosis (p = 0,028) (7/15 aves) del bacteriófago, no así en el grupo que recibió la dosis de 106 UFP (p = 0,061) (8/15 aves). La disminución de la incidencia de 5. Enteritidis en pollos, lograda mediante el fago f3αSE, permite considerarlo como una posible alternativa al uso de antimicrobianos en el control de Salmonella. &nbsp