Equivariant KK-theory of GKM bundles

Given a fiber bundle of GKM spaces, $\pi\colon M\to B$, we analyze the structure of the equivariant $K$-ring of $M$ as a module over the equivariant $K$-ring of $B$ by translating the fiber bundle, $\pi$, into a fiber bundle of GKM graphs and constructing, by combinatorial techniques, a basis of this module consisting of $K$-classes which are invariant under the natural holonomy action on the $K$-ring of $M$ of the fundamental group of the GKM graph of $B$. We also discuss the implications of this result for fiber bundles $\pi\colon M\to B$ where $M$ and $B$ are generalized partial flag varieties and show how our GKM description of the equivariant $K$-ring of a homogeneous GKM space is related to the Kostant-Kumar description of this ring.Comment: 15 page

Características del zooplancton del área costera de la plataforma patagónica austral (Argentina)

El estudio del zooplancton en áreas de desove y cría de peces es de particular trascendencia en la región costera patagónica sur (50º-55º S), dado que allí se distribuye la población continental de sardina fueguina Sprattus fuegensis (Jenyns, 1842); esta especie es exclusivamente zooplanctófaga a lo largo de todo su ciclo vital y se le atribuye el papel de especie forrajera en el sector austral del mar Argentino. En el otoño y la primavera de 1996 se colectaron muestras de zooplancton en el área mediante arrastres oblicuos fondo-superficie con un muestreador Nackthai provisto de una red de 400 μm de luz de malla y flujómetro digital. El material se separó en dos grupos según el tamaño (mayor y menor de 5 mm) y se pesaron las fracciones resultantes (peso húmedo). En ambas estaciones del año, la biomasa de la fracción menor fue normalmente igual, e incluso superó en ocasiones, a la concentración de la fracción mayor. Dada su importancia para los objetivos de este trabajo, se analizó en detalle la composición y abundancia numérica de la fracción menor de 5 mm, que se mostró compuesta casi exclusivamente por copépodos calanoideos, dominados por las especies Drepanopus forcipatus Giesbrecht, 1888 y Calanus australis Brodsky, 1959. La biomasa, la abundancia de individuos y el número de especies fueron mayores en primavera. En esta estación Drepanopus forcipatus fue la especie dominante en casi toda el área, constituyendo hasta el 90 % del total de individuos. Calanus australis fue relativamente más importante en otoño, periodo en que dominó, en particular, en la zona de Bahía Grande. Estos dos copépodos pueden considerarse especies clave en la estructuración de las tramas tróficas del área.Fil: Sabatini, Marina Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Subsede Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Giménez, J.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Rocco, V.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche; Argentin

Protecting‐Group‐Free Amidation of Amino Acids using Lewis Acid Catalysts

Amidation of unprotected amino acids has been investigated using a variety of ‘classical“ coupling reagents, stoichiometric or catalytic group(IV) metal salts, and boron Lewis acids. The scope of the reaction was explored through the attempted synthesis of amides derived from twenty natural, and several unnatural, amino acids, as well as a wide selection of primary and secondary amines. The study also examines the synthesis of medicinally relevant compounds, and the scalability of this direct amidation approach. Finally, we provide insight into the chemoselectivity observed in these reactions

Galaxy properties from Voids to Clusters in the SDSS-DR4

We investigate the environmental dependence of galaxy population properties in a complete volume-limited sample of 91566 galaxies in the redshift range 0.05 <= z <= 0.095 and with M_r <= -20.0, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 4. Our aim is to search for systematic variations in the properties of galaxies with the local galaxy density. In particular, we analize how the (u - r) color index and the morphological type of galaxies (the latter evaluated through the SDSS Eclass and FracDev parameters) are related to the environment and to the luminosity of galaxies, in order to find hints that can be related to the presence of a ''void'' galaxy population. Void galaxies are identified through a highly selective criterion, which takes also into account redshift and allows us to exclude from the sample all the galaxies that are not really close to the center of underdense regions. We study the (u - r) color distribution for galaxies in different luminosity bins, and we look for correlations of color with the environment, the luminosity, and the morphological type of the galaxies. We find that galaxies in underdense regions (voids) have lower luminosity (M_r > -21) and are bluer than cluster galaxies. The transition from overdense to underdense environments is smooth, the fraction of late-type galaxies decreases while the fraction of early-type galaxies increases smoothly from underdense to dense environments. We do not find any sudden transition in the galaxy properties with density, which, according to a suggestion by Peebles (2001), should mark the transition to a population of "void" galaxies in LCDM models. On the contrary, our results suggest a continuity of galaxy properties, from voids to clusters.Comment: A&A, accepted for publication. 17 pages, 9 figures. Constructive comments welcom

Direct amidation of unprotected amino acids using B(OCH2CF3)3

A commercially available borate ester, B(OCH2CF3)3, can be used to achieve protecting-group free direct amidation of α-amino acids with a range of amines in cyclopentyl methyl ether. The method can be applied to the synthesis of medicinally relevant compounds, and can be scaled up to obtain gram quantities of products

A multi-beam HI survey of the Virgo Cluster - two isolated HI clouds ?

We have carried out a fully sampled large area ($4^{\circ} \times 8^{\circ}$) 21cm \HI line survey of part of the Virgo cluster using the Jodrell Bank multi-beam instrument. The survey has a sensitivity some 3 times better than the standard HIJASS and HIPASS surveys. We detect 31 galaxies, 27 of which are well known cluster members. The four new detections have been confirmed in the HIPASS data and by follow up Jodrell Bank pointed observations. One object lies behind M86, but the other 3 have no obvious optical counter parts upon inspection of the digital sky survey fields. These 3 objects were mapped at Arecibo with a smaller \am{3}{6} HPBW and a 4 times better sensitivity than the Jodrell Bank data, which allow an improved determination of the dimensions and location of two of the objects, but surprisingly failed to detect the third. The two objects are resolved by the Arecibo beam giving them a size far larger than any optical images in the nearby field. To our mass limit of $5 \times 10^{7}$ $\frac{\Delta v}{50 km s^{-1}}$ $M_{\odot}$ and column density limit of $3 \times 10^{18}$ $\frac{\Delta v}{50 km s^{-1}}$ atoms cm$^{-2}$ these new detections represent only about 2% of the cluster atomic hydrogen mass. Our observations indicate that the \HI mass function of the cluster turns down at the low mass end making it very different to the field galaxy \HI mass function. This is quite different to the Virgo cluster optical luminosity function which is much steeper than that in the general field. Many of the sample galaxies are relatively gas poor compared to \HI selected samples of field galaxies, confirming the 'anaemic spirals' view of Virgo cluster late type galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

3D simulations of microquasar jets in clumpy stellar winds

High-mass microquasars consist of a massive star and a compact object, the latter producing jets that will interact with the stellar wind. The evolution of the jets, and ultimately their radiative outcome, could depend strongly on the inhomogeneity of the wind, which calls for a detailed study. The hydrodynamics of the interaction between a jet and a clumpy wind is studied, focusing on the global wind and single clump-jet interplay. We have performed, using the code \textit{Ratpenat}, three-dimensional numerical simulations of a clumpy wind interacting with a mildly relativistic jet, and of individual clumps penetrating into a jet. For typical wind and jet velocities, filling factors of about > 0.1 are already enough for the wind to be considered as clumpy. An inhomogeneous wind makes the jet more unstable when crossing the system. Kinetic luminosities of the order 1.e37 erg/s allow the jet to reach the borders of a compact binary with an O star, as in the smooth wind case, although with a substantially higher degree of disruption. When able to enter into the jet, clumps are compressed and heated during a time of about their size divided by the sound speed in the shocked clump. Then, clumps quickly disrupt, mass-loading and slowing down the jet. We conclude that moderate wind clumpiness makes already a strong difference with the homogeneous wind case, enhancing jet disruption, mass-loading, bending, and likely energy dissipation in the form of emission. All this can have observational consequences at high-energies and also in the large scale radio jets.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The quality of the images has been reduced to fit into arXiv requirement

The Agile Alert System For Gamma-Ray Transients

In recent years, a new generation of space missions offered great opportunities of discovery in high-energy astrophysics. In this article we focus on the scientific operations of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) onboard the AGILE space mission. The AGILE-GRID, sensitive in the energy range of 30 MeV-30 GeV, has detected many gamma-ray transients of galactic and extragalactic origins. This work presents the AGILE innovative approach to fast gamma-ray transient detection, which is a challenging task and a crucial part of the AGILE scientific program. The goals are to describe: (1) the AGILE Gamma-Ray Alert System, (2) a new algorithm for blind search identification of transients within a short processing time, (3) the AGILE procedure for gamma-ray transient alert management, and (4) the likelihood of ratio tests that are necessary to evaluate the post-trial statistical significance of the results. Special algorithms and an optimized sequence of tasks are necessary to reach our goal. Data are automatically analyzed at every orbital downlink by an alert pipeline operating on different timescales. As proper flux thresholds are exceeded, alerts are automatically generated and sent as SMS messages to cellular telephones, e-mails, and push notifications of an application for smartphones and tablets. These alerts are crosschecked with the results of two pipelines, and a manual analysis is performed. Being a small scientific-class mission, AGILE is characterized by optimization of both scientific analysis and ground-segment resources. The system is capable of generating alerts within two to three hours of a data downlink, an unprecedented reaction time in gamma-ray astrophysics.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures, 5 table