bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of genetic diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium in Iranian wheat landraces using SSR markers
Authors: Zarei Abbasabad Elham , Mohammadi Seyed Abolghasem , Moghaddam Mohammad , Jalal Kamali Mohammad Reza 
Published: March 2016

AbstractPopulation structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) were investigated in a set of 395 bread wheat landraces including 154 spring, 193 winter, two facultative wheat and 46 unknown growth type collected from different geographical regions of Iran. A total of 53 microsatellite markers distributed in three genomes of wheat were assayed for polymorphism. The 312 polymorphic alleles were served to estimate population structure and analyse the genome-wide LD. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 18 with an average of 5.89 alleles/locus. Mean of polymorphic information content was 0.6 with a range of 0.15–0.86 and gene diversity varied from 0.16 to 0.88 with an average of 0.64. The population of landraces was highly structured and based on distance-and model-based cluster analyses the 395 landraces were assigned into eight subpopulations: SG1–SG8. Population structure estimates based on simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker data were quantified in a Q matrix and used in calculation of LD between pair of markers. A low overall LD level found in 12–13% (166) of the SSR marker pairs showed significant pairwise LD inr2≥ 0.01 andP≤ 0.001 and six pair showedr2≥ 0.05 withP≤ 0.001. LD clearly decays within the genetic distance of 40–60 cM withr2~ 0.05. The results of this study should provide valuable information for future association mapping using this wheat collection.
Compact object mergers: observations of supermassive binary black holes and stellar tidal disruption events
Authors: Komossa S. , Zensus J. A. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe capture and disruption of stars by supermassive black holes (SMBHs), and the formation and coalescence of binaries, are inevitable consequences of the presence of SMBHs at the cores of galaxies. Pairs of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and binary SMBHs are important stages in the evolution of galaxy mergers, and an intense search for these systems is currently ongoing. In the early and advanced stages of galaxy merging, observations of the triggering of accretion onto one or both BHs inform us about feedback processes and BH growth. Identification of the compact binary SMBHs at parsec and sub-parsec scales provides us with important constraints on the interaction processes that govern the shrinkage of the binary beyond the “final parsec”. Coalescing binary SMBHs are among the most powerful sources of gravitational waves (GWs) in the universe. Stellar tidal disruption events (TDEs) appear as luminous, transient, accretion flares when part of the stellar material is accreted by the SMBH. About 30 events have been identified by multi-wavelength observations by now, and they will be detected in the thousands in future ground-based or space-based transient surveys. The study of TDEs provides us with a variety of new astrophysical tools and applications, related to fundamental physics or astrophysics. Here, we provide a review of the current status of observations of SMBH pairs and binaries, and TDEs, and discuss astrophysical implications.
Relativistic Fe Kα line and ensemble spins of black holes in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies
Authors: Yuan Weimin , Liu Zhu , Lu Youjun , Zhou Xin-Lin 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWhile a broad line of the Fe Kα emission is commonly found in the X-ray spectra of typical Seyfert galaxies, the situation is unclear in the case of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s)—an extreme subset which are generally thought to harbor less massive black holes with higher accretion rates. We report results of our study of the assemble property of the Fe K line in NLS1s by stacking the X-ray spectra of a large sample of 51 NLS1s observed with XMM-Newton. We find in the stacked X-ray spectra a prominent, broad emission feature over 4–7 keV, which is characteristic of the broad Fe Kα line. Our results suggest that a relativistic broad Fe line may in fact be common in NLS1s. The line profile is used to study the average spin of the black holes in the sample. We find, for the first time, that their black holes are constrained to be likely spinning at averagely low or moderate rates as a population. The implications of the results are discussed in the context of the black hole growth in NLS1 galaxies.
Large scale direct galaxy collision simulations with central supermassive binary black holes
Authors: Sobolenko Margaryta , Berczik Peter , Spurzem Rainer 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWe present a set of, large scale direct N-body simulations of the galaxy collision with the central Supermassive Black Hole Binary (SMBHB) system. Based on our simulations which include the accurate Post Newtonian (PN) relativistic dynamical corrections we can estimated the merging time for the real astrophysical object. Each galaxy initially was represented as a set of particles (up to N=500k) with Plummer distribution. The SMBHBs system is described using the two special high mass, i.e. “relativistic”, particles. The interaction between these two particles have an extra PN correction terms (up to 3.5PN). Merging time upper limit was obtained for the closely interacting galaxy system NGC 6240.
Star accretion onto supermassive black holes in axisymmetric galactic nuclei
Authors: Zhong Shiyan , Berczik Peter , Spurzem Rainer 
Published: March 2016

AbstractTidal Disruption (TD) of stars by supermassive central black holes from dense rotating star clusters is modeled by high-accuracy direct N-body simulation. We study the time evolution of the stellar tidal disruption rate and the origin of tidally disrupted stars. Compared with that in spherical systems, we found a higher TD rate in axisymmetric systems. The enhancement can be explained by an enlarged loss-cone in phase space which is raised from the fact that total angular momentum J is not conserved. As in the case of spherical systems, the distribution of the last apocenter distance of tidally accreted stars peaks at the classical critical radius. However, the angular distribution of the origin of the accreted stars reveals bimodal features. We show that the bimodal structure can be explained by the presence of two families of regular orbits, namely short axis tube and saucer orbits.
P-mode oscillation on slim discs
Authors: Xue Li , Lu Ju-Fu 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWe numerically investigate the thermally unstable accretion discs around spinning black holes with different spins. We adopted an additional evolutionary viscosity equation to replace the standard alpha-prescription based on the results of two MHD simulations. We find an interesting oscillation when accretion switches to slim disc mode. The oscillation arises from the sonic point of accretion flow and propagates outwards. We mimic the bolometric light-curve and find a series of harmonics on its power spectrum. The frequency ratio of those harmonics is a regular integer series. The lowest frequency of the harmonics is identical to the prediction of trapped p-mode in QPO theory.
Spectroscopic study of formation, evolution and interaction of M31 and M33 with star clusters
Authors: Fan Zhou , Yang Yanbin 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe recent studies show that the formation and evolution process of the nearby galaxies are still unclear. By using the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) 3.6m telescope, the PanDAS shows complicated substructures (dwarf satellite galaxies, halo globular clusters, extended clusters, star streams, etc.) in the halo of M31 to ~150 kpc from the center of galaxy and M31-M33 interaction has been studied. In our work, we would like to investigate formation, evolution and interaction of M31 and M33, which are the nearest two spiral galaxies in Local Group. The star cluster systems of the two galaxies are good tracers to study the dynamics of the substructures and the interaction. Since 2010, the Xinglong 2.16m, Lijiang 2.4m and MMT 6.5m telescopes have been used for our spectroscopic observations. The radial velocities and Lick absorption-line indices can thus be measured with the spectroscopy and then ages, metallicities and masses of the star clusters can be fitted with the simple stellar population models. These parameters could be used as the input physical parameters for numerical simulations of M31-M33 interaction.
Evolution of binaries with compact objects in globular clusters
Authors: Ivanova Natalia 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDynamical interactions that take place between objects in dense stellar systems lead to frequent formation of exotic stellar objects, unusual binaries, and systems of higher multiplicity. They are most important for the formation of binaries with neutron stars and black holes, which are usually observationally revealed in mass-transferring binaries. Here we review the current understanding of compact object's retention, of the metallicity dependence on the formation of low-mass X-ray binaries with neutron stars, and how mass-transferring binaries with a black hole and a white dwarf can be formed. We discuss as well one old unsolved puzzle and two new puzzles posed by recent observations: what descendants do ultra-compact X-ray binaries produce, how are very compact triples formed, and how can black hole low-mass X-ray binaries acquire non-degenerate companions?
Planetary systems in star clusters
Authors: Cai Maxwell Xu , Spurzem Rainer , Kouwenhoven M. B. N. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractIn the solar neighborhood, where the typical relaxation timescale is larger than the cosmic age, at least 10% to 15% of Sun-like stars have planetary systems with Jupiter-mass planets. In contrast, dense star clusters, characterized by frequent close encounters, have been found to host very few planets. We carry out numerical simulations with different initial conditions to investigate the dynamical stability of planetary systems in star cluster environments.
Performance evaluation of the Hermite scheme on many-core accelerators
Authors: Nakasato Naohito 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWe are developing a software library to calculate gravitational interaction for the Hermite scheme on parallel computing systems supported by OpenCL API. Our library is partly compatible with a standard GRAPE-6A interface and is easily usable in existing N-body codes. Since our library is based on OpenCL standard API, our library is working on many parallel computing systems such as a multi-core CPU, a GPU, and a many-core architecture. We report the performance evaluation of our library on computing platforms from various vendors.
Black hole and nuclear cluster scaling relations: Mbh ∝ Mnc2.7±0.7
Authors: Graham Alister W. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThere is a growing array of supermassive black hole and nuclear star cluster scaling relations with their host spheroid, including a bent (black hole mass)–(host spheroid mass) Mbh–Msph relation and a different (massive compact object mass)–(host spheroid velocity dispersion) Mmco–σ relations for black holes and nuclear star clusters. By combining the observed Mbh ∝ σ5.5 relation with the observed Mnc ∝ σ1.6–2.7 relation, we derive the expression Mbh ∝ Mnc2–3.4, which should hold until the nuclear star clusters are eventually destroyed in the larger core-Sérsic spheroids. This new mass scaling relation helps better quantify the rapid evolutionary growth of massive black holes in dense star clusters, and the relation is consistently recovered when coupling the observed Mnc ∝ Msph0.6–1.0 relation with the recently observed quadratic relation Mbh ∝ Msph2 for Sérsic spheroids.
The Milky Way's nuclear star cluster and massive black hole
Authors: Schödel Rainer 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBecause of its nearness to Earth, the centre of the Milky Way is the only galaxy nucleus in which we can study the characteristics, distribution, kinematics, and dynamics of the stars on milli-parsec scales. We have accurate and precise measurements of the Galactic centre's central black hole, Sagittarius A*, and can study its interaction with the surrounding nuclear star cluster in detail. This contribution aims at providing a concise overview of our current knowledge about the Milky Way's central black hole and nuclear star cluster, at highlighting the observational challenges and limitations, and at discussing some of the current key areas of investigation.
The gravitational wave signal from close galaxy pairs
Authors: Liu Jinzhong , Zhang Yu 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe early phase of coalescence of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) from their host galaxies provides a guaranteed source of low-frequency gravitational wave (GW) radiation by pulsar timing observations. Nowadays, SMBHBs are ubiquitous in the nuclei of galaxies. A latest sample of close galaxy pairs has been released from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data. A binary population synthesis (BPS) approach has been applied to study the characteristics of clusters and galaxies. Here we report how BPS, using SDSS results, can be used to determine the GW radiation from SMBHBs. In this study we show numerical results under the assumption that SMBHBs formed through the merger of two galaxies and give the waveform evolution using post-Newtonian approximation methods. Based on the sensitivity of the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) and Square Kilometer Array (SKA) detectors, we show that the value of strain amplitude h can be changed from about 10−14 to 10−15 during the observation of 20 years, which can be considered as a precise evolution.
Constitutional cases, foreign law and theoretical authority
Authors: DOYLE ORAN 
Published: March 2016

Abstract:The judicial use of foreign law in constitutional cases is often unsatisfactorily explained in terms of persuasive authority, judicial learning or judicial dialogue. In this article, I argue that the central case of the judicial use of foreign law involves judges treating foreign case law as theoretically, rather than practically, authoritative. The justification for this approach lies in how case law emerges from a process that is structured in such a way that its outcomes deserve respect. There is, in contrast, no justification for any attempt on the part of judges to treat constitutional cases as an opportunity for interjurisdictional judicial dialogue.
A matter of perspective: Global governance and the distinction between public and private authority (and not law)
Authors: GOLDMANN MATTHIAS 
Published: March 2016

Abstract:This article argues that a distinction between the public and the private is both desirable and feasible in times of global governance, at least as a regulative idea. The confusion surrounding this distinction originates in different understandings of the relationship between state and society in liberalism and republicanism. Discourse theory with its idea of the co-origin of democracy and human rights reconceptualises the relationship between state and society in a way that does justice to both liberal and republican approaches. Accordingly, the public/private distinction is crucial for the realisation of democracy and freedom. Classifying an act as public or private determines what kind of legitimacy it requires. The article then recalibrates discourse theory to face the challenges of global governance, shifting its focus from hard law to a broader notion of authority, and from the state to a pluralistic, cosmopolitan world order composed of multiple overlapping communities. A community is characterised by communicative action and a common identity. In such a setting, public authority is the authority exercised on behalf of a community in relation to its members. In relation to non-members, the same act may constitute an exercise of private authority. It is a different question whether such authority is legitimate. Some examples illustrate the approach.
The new sovereigntism and transnational law: Legal utopianism, democratic scepticism and statist realism
Authors: BENHABIB SEYLA 
Published: March 2016

Abstract:This article examines the contemporary debate about the spread of transnational law and its sovereigntist critiques. Sovereigntists argue that the rapid development of international and transnational treaties and the emergence of regional human rights courts such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) undermine sovereignty and thus pose a threat to democratic self-determination. I criticise the new sovereigntism and argue that transnational human rights strengthen rather than weaken democratic sovereignty, and name processes through which rights-norms are contextualised in polities ‘democratic iterations’. I develop the ‘authorship model of democratic legitimacy’ in order to show how constitutional rights and international human rights can be understood to be in harmony and dissonance with one another. The challenge is to think beyond the binarisms of the cosmopolitan versus the civic republican; democratic versus the international and transnational; democratic sovereignty versus human rights law. Distinguishing between state sovereignty and popular sovereignty enables us to do so. By constraining certain sovereign powers of the state, international human rights regimes and courts can enhance popular sovereignty in that they strengthen the rights of the marginalised and the excluded. The article also briefly touches upon the significance of the Alien Tort Statute in US courts from the standpoint of the development of international human rights norms and focuses onHirst v the United Kingdom, recently adjudicated by the ECtHR, to substantiate the distinction between state and popular sovereignty.
Searching for the Legitimacy of the European Court of Human Rights: The Neglected Role of ‘Democratic Society’
Authors: ZYSSET ALAIN 
Published: March 2016

Abstract:In this article, I argue against the claim that the practice of the European Court of Human Rights cannot be reconciled with the democratic-procedural standards by which state parties, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, decide about the content and scope of human rights norms. First, I suggest drawing the attention to the neglected balancing exercise of the review process, in which the Court has to determine whether a violation is nevertheless ‘necessary in a democratic society’. Second, I shed light on the role that ‘pluralism’ plays in the balancing (with particular emphasis on Articles 8–11). Third, I argue that Thomas Christiano’s egalitarian argument for democracy can best illuminate the Court’s reliance on pluralism.
Selectively enhanced photocurrent generation in twisted bilayer graphene with van Hove singularity
Authors: Yin Jianbo , Wang Huan , Peng Han , Tan Zhenjun , Liao Lei , Lin Li , Sun Xiao , Koh Ai Leen , Chen Yulin , Peng Hailin , Liu Zhongfan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractGraphene with ultra-high carrier mobility and ultra-short photoresponse time has shown remarkable potential in ultrafast photodetection. However, the broad and weak optical absorption (∼2.3%) of monolayer graphene hinders its practical application in photodetectors with high responsivity and selectivity. Here we demonstrate that twisted bilayer graphene, a stack of two graphene monolayers with an interlayer twist angle, exhibits a strong light–matter interaction and selectively enhanced photocurrent generation. Such enhancement is attributed to the emergence of unique twist-angle-dependent van Hove singularities, which are directly revealed by spatially resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. When the energy interval between the van Hove singularities of the conduction and valance bands matches the energy of incident photons, the photocurrent generated can be significantly enhanced (up to ∼80 times with the integration of plasmonic structures in our devices). These results provide valuable insight for designing graphene photodetectors with enhanced sensitivity for variable wavelength.
High-performance thermoelectric nanocomposites from nanocrystal building blocks
Authors: Ibáñez Maria , Luo Zhishan , Genç Aziz , Piveteau Laura , Ortega Silvia , Cadavid Doris , Dobrozhan Oleksandr , Liu Yu , Nachtegaal Maarten , Zebarjadi Mona , Arbiol Jordi , Kovalenko Maksym V. , Cabot Andreu 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe efficient conversion between thermal and electrical energy by means of durable, silent and scalable solid-state thermoelectric devices has been a long standing goal. While nanocrystalline materials have already led to substantially higher thermoelectric efficiencies, further improvements are expected to arise from precise chemical engineering of nanoscale building blocks and interfaces. Here we present a simple and versatile bottom–up strategy based on the assembly of colloidal nanocrystals to produce consolidated yet nanostructured thermoelectric materials. In the case study on the PbS–Ag system, Ag nanodomains not only contribute to block phonon propagation, but also provide electrons to the PbS host semiconductor and reduce the PbS intergrain energy barriers for charge transport. Thus, PbS–Ag nanocomposites exhibit reduced thermal conductivities and higher charge carrier concentrations and mobilities than PbS nanomaterial. Such improvements of the material transport properties provide thermoelectric figures of merit up to 1.7 at 850 K.
Osteoclast-derived exosomal miR-214-3p inhibits osteoblastic bone formation
Authors: Li Defang , Liu Jin , Guo Baosheng , Liang Chao , Dang Lei , Lu Cheng , He Xiaojuan , Cheung Hilda Yeuk-Siu , Xu Liang , Lu Changwei , He Bing , Liu Biao , Shaikh Atik Badshah , Li Fangfei , Wang Luyao , Yang Zhijun , Au Doris Wai-Ting , Peng Songlin , Zhang Zongkang , Zhang Bao-Ting , Pan Xiaohua , Qian Airong , Shang Peng , Xiao Lianbo , Jiang Baohong , Wong Chris Kong-Chu , Xu Jiake , Bian Zhaoxiang , Liang Zicai , Guo De-an , Zhu Hailong , Tan Weihong , Lu Aiping , Zhang Ge 
Published: March 2016

AbstractEmerging evidence indicates that osteoclasts direct osteoblastic bone formation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a crucial role in regulating osteoclast and osteoblast function. However, whether miRNAs mediate osteoclast-directed osteoblastic bone formation is mostly unknown. Here, we show that increased osteoclastic miR-214-3p associates with both elevated serum exosomal miR-214-3p and reduced bone formation in elderly women with fractures and in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Osteoclast-specific miR-214-3p knock-in mice have elevated serum exosomal miR-214-3p and reduced bone formation that is rescued by osteoclast-targeted antagomir-214-3p treatment. We further demonstrate that osteoclast-derived exosomal miR-214-3p is transferred to osteoblasts to inhibit osteoblast activity in vitro and reduce bone formation in vivo. Moreover, osteoclast-targeted miR-214-3p inhibition promotes bone formation in ageing OVX mice. Collectively, our results suggest that osteoclast-derived exosomal miR-214-3p transfers to osteoblasts to inhibit bone formation. Inhibition of miR-214-3p in osteoclasts may be a strategy for treating skeletal disorders involving a reduction in bone formation.
Seeking a geochemical identifier for authigenic carbonate
Authors: Zhao Ming-Yu , Zheng Yong-Fei , Zhao Yan-Yan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAuthigenic carbonate was recently invoked as a third major global carbon sink in addition to primary marine carbonate and organic carbon. Distinguishing the two carbonate sinks is fundamental to our understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle and its role in regulating the evolution of atmospheric oxygen. Here, using microscale geochemical measurements of carbonates in Early Triassic strata, we show that the growth of authigenic carbonate follows a different trajectory from primary marine carbonate in a cross-plot of uranium concentration and carbon isotope composition. Thus, a combination of the two geochemical variables is able to distinguish between the two carbonate sinks. The temporal distribution of authigenic carbonates in the Early Triassic strata suggests that the increase in the extent of carbonate authigenesis acted as a negative feedback to the elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration.