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Context. Satellite galaxies experience multiple physical processes when interacting with their host halos, often leading to the quenching of star formation. In the Local Group, satellite quenching has been shown to be highly efficient, affecting nearly all satellites except the most massive ones. While recent surveys study Milky Way-analogs to assess how representative our Local Group is, the domi
An important step in understanding the formation and evolution of the nuclear star cluster (NSC) is to investigate its chemistry and chemical evolution. Additionally, exploring the NSC’s relationship to the other structures in the Galactic center and the Milky Way disks is of great interest. Extreme optical extinction has previously prevented optical studies, but near-IR high-resolution spectrosco
Protein–protein interactions are fundamental to biological functions as well as the design of new functional food products and biomedicines. However, they can be challenging to computationally quantify due to strong forces and sensitivity to pronounced solution conditions. This thesis combines computational methods with Monte Carlo simulations to investigate strong protein interactions in diverse
Context. M-dwarf systems offer an opportunity to study terrestrial exoplanetary atmospheres due to their small size and cool temperatures. However, the extreme conditions imposed by these host stars raise a question about whether their close-in rocky planets are able to retain any atmosphere at all. Aims. The Hot Rocks Survey aims to answer this question by targeting nine different M-dwarf rocky p
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-dependent enzymes that have fueled the hope for sustainable biofuel production since they enhance the breakdown of recalcitrant polysaccharides like cellulose. In the consensus mechanism, their catalytic activity relies on forming an ‘oxyl’, [CuO˙−]+, species at the active site, followed by subsequent hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) from the s
We give a general overview of what the scientific community refers to as “exocomets”. The general definition of exocomets, as presented in this work, is discussed and compared with Solar System comets and interstellar objects, addressing their detection around main-sequence stars as well as orbiting white dwarfs. We introduce the different types of exocomet observations, highlighting the differenc
The abundance and star formation histories of satellites of Milky Way (MW)-like galaxies are linked to their hosts' assembly histories. To explore this connection, we use the PARADIGM suite of zoom-in hydrodynamical simulations of MW-mass haloes, evolving the same initial conditions spanning various halo assembly histories with the VINTERGATAN and IllustrisTNG models. Our VINTERGATAN simulations o
Nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are among the densest stellar systems in the Universe and are found at the centres of many spiral and elliptical galaxies, and up to 40 percent of dwarf galaxies. However, their formation mechanisms, and possible links to globular clusters (GCs), remain debated. This paper uses cosmological simulations of dwarf galaxies at a spatial resolution of pc to present a new fo
Ultra-hot Jupiters, an extreme class of planets not found in our Solar System, provide a unique window into atmospheric processes. The extreme temperature contrasts between their day and night sides pose a fundamental climate puzzle: how is energy distributed? To address this, we must observe the three-dimensional structure of these atmospheres, particularly their vertical circulation patterns tha
The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope has provided an abundance of exoplanet spectra over the years. These spectra have enabled analysis studies using atmospheric retrievals to constrain the properties of these objects. However, follow-up observations from the JWST have called into question some of the results from these older datasets, and highlighted the need to
The catalytic activity of the binuclear glyoxalase II (GlxII) enzyme is closely linked to the type and charge of metal ions in its active site. Using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations, we investigated the reaction mechanism of human GlxII, which features two Zn(ii) ions in its active site. By systematically replacing these Zn(ii) ions with Fe(ii), Fe(iii), or Co(ii)
Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper enzymes that boost the degradation of different polysaccharides and play important roles in the sustainable production of biofuels, in human and plant pathogens, and potentially also in plastic degradation. Their activity depends on a co-substrate, where recent results show that hydrogen peroxide is the preferred co-substrate. Under typical ex
Globular clusters (GCs) are among the oldest and densest stellar systems in the Universe, yet how they form remains a mystery1. Here we present a suite of cosmological simulations in which both dark-matter-free GCs and dark-matter-rich dwarf galaxies naturally emerge in the Standard Cosmology. We show that these objects inhabit distinct locations in the size–luminosity plane and that they have sim
Joining Nic and Rebecca in this first episode of the third season of The Meridian is none other than NASA astronaut Jim Pawelczyk, professor at Penn State University in Kinesiology and Physiology, who looks into how the human body adapts when in space.In this third season we are also including some Cosmic Curiosities. These are some ideas, events or trivia from astronomic history that Ross, Victor
We introduce a novel unsteady shear protocol, which we name rotary shear (RS), where the flow and vorticity directions are continuously rotated around the velocity-gradient direction by imposing two out-of-phase oscillatory shears (OSs) in orthogonal directions. We perform numerical simulations of dense suspensions of rigid non-Brownian spherical particles at volume fractions between 0.40 and 0.55
Biomass derived gases produced via gasification, pyrolysis, and fermentation are carbon neutral alternative fuels that can be used in gas turbines, furnaces, and piston engines. To make use of these environmentally friendly but energy density low fuels the combustion characteristics of these fuels have to be fully understood. In this study the structure and laminar burning velocity of biomass deri
Combining x-ray tomography and three-dimensional (3D) image analysis has finally opened the way for experimental micro-(geo)mechanics, allowing access to different scales of interest. When these correspond to a scale that has been imaged at high spatial resolution, high-quality measurements can be obtained (e.g. 3D displacements and rotations of individual grains of sand sample under load). Howeve
Large-eddy simulation (LES) of mixing process in a baffled tank was presented. The impeller rotation was modeled using the sliding mesh technique In this study the CFD code was used for simulation of a standard vessel agitated by a 6-blade Rushton turbine and results were evaluated in terms of the predicted flow field, power number, mean velocity components, mixing time, turbulent kinetic energy a
We present a very simple polymer model of polyethylene glycols/oxides in water that can be used in combination with Molecular Dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations to accurately reproduce the equation of state and radii of gyrations across several orders of magnitude, in terms of osmotic pressure and polymer length. This is of importance for example in osmotic stress experiments, with the aim to acc
