University of Iceland

About: University of Iceland is a education organization based out in Reykjavik, Suðurnes, Iceland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Genome-wide association study. The organization has 5423 authors who have published 16199 publications receiving 694762 citations. The organization is also known as: Háskóli Íslands.

The radio/gamma-ray connection in active galactic nuclei in the era of the fermi large area telescope

Abstract: We present a detailed statistical analysis of the correlation between radio and gamma-ray emission of the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected by Fermi during its first year of operation, with the largest data sets ever used for this purpose We use both archival interferometric 84 GHz data (from the Very Large Array and ATCA, for the full sample of 599 sources) and concurrent single-dish 15 GHz measurements from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO, for a sub sample of 199 objects) Our unprecedentedly large sample permits us to assess with high accuracy the statistical significance of the correlation, using a surrogate data method designed to simultaneously account for common-distance bias and the effect of a limited dynamical range in the observed quantities We find that the statistical significance of a positive correlation between the centimeter radio and the broadband (E > 100 MeV) gamma-ray energy flux is very high for the whole AGN sample, with a probability of < 10(-7) for the correlation appearing by chance Using the OVRO data, we find that concurrent data improve the significance of the correlation from 16 x 10(-6) to 90 x 10(-8) Our large sample size allows us to study the dependence of correlation strength and significance on specific source types and gamma-ray energy band We find that the correlation is very significant (chance probability < 10(-7)) for both flat spectrum radio quasars and BL Lac objects separately; a dependence of the correlation strength on the considered gamma-ray energy band is also present, but additional data will be necessary to constrain its significance

Glacier topography and elevation changes derived from Pléiades sub-meter stereo images

Abstract: . In response to climate change, most glaciers are losing mass and hence contribute to sea-level rise. Repeated and accurate mapping of their surface topography is required to estimate their mass balance and to extrapolate/calibrate sparse field glaciological measurements. In this study we evaluate the potential of sub-meter stereo imagery from the recently launched Pleiades satellites to derive digital elevation models (DEMs) of glaciers and their elevation changes. Our five evaluation sites, where nearly simultaneous field measurements were collected, are located in Iceland, the European Alps, the central Andes, Nepal and Antarctica. For Iceland, the Pleiades DEM is also compared to a lidar DEM. The vertical biases of the Pleiades DEMs are less than 1 m if ground control points (GCPs) are used, but reach up to 7 m without GCPs. Even without GCPs, vertical biases can be reduced to a few decimetres by horizontal and vertical co-registration of the DEMs to reference altimetric data on ice-free terrain. Around these biases, the vertical precision of the Pleiades DEMs is ±1 m and even ±0.5 m on the flat glacier tongues (1σ confidence level). Similar precision levels are obtained in the accumulation areas of glaciers and in Antarctica. We also demonstrate the high potential of Pleiades DEMs for measuring seasonal, annual and multi-annual elevation changes with an accuracy of 1 m or better if cloud-free images are available. The negative region-wide mass balances of glaciers in the Mont-Blanc area (−1.04 ± 0.23 m a−1 water equivalent, w.e.) are revealed by differencing Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT 5) and Pleiades DEMs acquired in August 2003 and 2012, confirming the accelerated glacial wastage in the European Alps.

Enzyme-enhanced extraction of antioxidant ingredients from red algae Palmaria palmata

Abstract: The effect of various protease and carbohydrase treatments on the extraction of polyphenols and other antioxidant ingredients from the red algae Palmaria palmata (dulse) was investigated. In addition, the relative contribution of different fractions to the overall antioxidant capacity of the hydrolysate was evaluated. Considerable differences were observed both in total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and ferrous ion-chelating ability assays. All the proteases tested had significant enhancing effect on the extraction of polyphenols and other active components compared to carbohydrases and cold water extraction (control). The Umamizyme extract had the highest TPC and consequently exhibited the strongest scavenging capacity against DPPH and peroxyl radicals. Further fractionation of the Umamizyme extract revealed that the crude polyphenol fraction possessed the highest peroxyl radical scavenging activity, whereas the crude polysaccharide fraction was more effective for chelating ferrous ions. The data from this study suggest the potential of protease treatment to improve value-added utilization of dulse extracts as antioxidants in functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Pyrobaculum gen. nov., a new genus of neutrophilic, rod-shaped archaebacteria from continental solfataras growing optimally at 100°C

Abstract: Seven members of a new group of rod-shaped hyperthermophilic neutrophilic archaebacteria were isolated from boiling neutral to alkaline solfataric waters from the Azores, Iceland, and Italy. The organisms are strict anaerobes, growing optimally at 100°C. The cells are motile due to peritrichous or bipolar polytrichous flagellation. The isolates grow facultatively chemolithoautotrophically or obligately heterotrophically. Molecular hydrogen or complex organic substances are used as electron donors. During heterotrophic growth, elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, sulfite, l(-)cystine and oxidized glutathione may serve as electron acceptors depending on the individual strain. Elemental sulfur is strictly required as an electron acceptor for autotrophic growth. The G+C content of the DNA is around 46 mol%. The isolates represent a new genus which we have named Pyrobaculum (the “fire stick”). Two species are described: the facultatively autotrophic Pyrobaculum islandicum (DSM 4184), which is the type species, and the obligately heterotrophic Pyrobaculum organotrophum (DSM 4185).

Fluid-Fluid Interactions in Geothermal Systems

Abstract: The main goal of geothermal geochemistry research is to identify the origin of geothermal fluids and to quantify the processes that govern their compositions and the associated chemical and mineralogical transformations of the rocks with which the fluids interact. The subject has a strong applied component: Geothermal chemistry constitutes an important tool for the exploration of geothermal resources and in assessing the production characteristics of drilled geothermal reservoirs and their response to production. Geothermal fluids are also of interest as analogues to ore-forming fluids. Understanding of chemical processes within active geothermal systems has been advanced by thermodynamic and kinetic experiments and numerical modeling of fluid flow. Deep drillings for geothermal energy have provided important information on the sources and composition of geothermal fluids, their reaction with rock-forming minerals, migration of the fluids, and fluid phase separation and fluid mixing processes. Based on findings to date, geothermal fluids may be classified as primary or secondary. Primary fluids are those found in the roots of geothermal systems. They may constitute a mixture of two or more fluids, such as water of meteoric origin, seawater and magmatic volatiles. Several processes can lead to the formation of secondary fluids, such as the boiling of a primary fluid that separates it into liquid and vapor and the un-mixing of a very hot brine by its depressurization and cooling. Further, secondary geothermal fluids form by the mixing of deep fluids with shallow ground water or surface water. In this chapter we summarize the geo-hydrological and geochemical features of geothermal systems and delineate the processes that produce the observed chemical composition of the various types of geothermal fluids found in these systems. The main emphasis is, however, on gas chemistry and the assessment of fluid phase separation below hot springs and around discharging wells drilled into liquid-dominated …