Detection of an ionized gas outflow in the extreme UV-luminous star-forming galaxy BOSS-EUVLG1 at z=2.47

BOSS-EUVLG1 is the most ultraviolet (UV) and Ly$\alpha$ luminous galaxy detected so far in the Universe, going through a very active starburst phase, and forming stars at a rate (SFR) of 955 $\pm$ 118 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. We report the detection of a broad H$\alpha$ component carrying 25% of the total H$\alpha$ flux. The broad H$\alpha$ line traces a fast and massive ionized gas outflow characterized by a total mass, $\log(M_{out}[M_{\odot}]),$ of 7.94 $\pm$ 0.15, an outflowing velocity (V$_{out}$) of 573 $\pm$ 151 km s$^{-1}$, and an outflowing mass rate ($\dot{M}_{out}$) of 44 $\pm$ 20 M$_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. The presence of the outflow in BOSS-EUVLG1 is also supported by the identification of blueshifted UV absorption lines in low and high ionization states. The energy involved in the H$\alpha$ outflow can be explained by the ongoing star formation without the need for an Active Galactic Nucleus. The derived low mass loading factor ($\eta$= 0.05 $\pm$ 0.03) indicates that although massive, this phase of the outflow can not be relevant for the quenching of the star formation. In addition, only a small fraction ($\leq$ 15%) of the ionized outflowing material with velocities above 372 km s$^{-1}$ could escape the gravitational potential, and enrich the surrounding circum-galactic medium at distances above tens of kpc. The ionized phase of the outflow does not carry the mass and energy to play a relevant role neither in the evolution of the host galaxy nor in the enrichment of the intergalactic medium. Other phases of the outflow could be carrying most of the outflow energy and mass in the form of hot X-ray emitting gas as predicted by some recent simulations. The expected emission of the extended X-ray emitting halo associated with the outflow in BOSS-EUVLG1 and similar galaxies could be detected with the future X-ray observatory, {\it ATHENA} but could not be resolved spatially.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted in A&

Instructional Changes Adopted for an Engineering Course: Cluster Analysis on Academic Failure

As first-year students come from diverse backgrounds, basic skills should be accessible to everyone as soon as possible. Transferring such skills to these students is challenging, especially in highly technical courses. Ensuring that essential knowledge is acquired quickly promotes the student’s self-esteem and may positively influence failure rates. Metaphors can help do this. Metaphors are used to understand the unknown. This paper shows how we made a turn in student learning at the University of Almeria. Our hypothesis assumed that metaphors accelerate the acquisition of basic knowledge so that other skills built on that foundation are easily learned. With these goals in mind, we changed the way we teach by using metaphors and abstract concepts in a computer organisation course, a technical course in the first year of an information technology engineering degree. Cluster analysis of the data on collective student performance after this methodological change clearly identified two distinct groups. These two groups perfectly matched the before and after scenarios of the use of metaphors. The study was conducted during 11 academic years (2002/2003 to 2012/2013). The 475 observations made during this period illustrate the usefulness of this change in teaching and learning, shifting from a propositional teaching/learning model to a more dynamic model based on metaphors and abstractions. Data covering the whole period showed favourable evolution of student achievement and reduced failure rates, not only in this course, but also in many of the following more advanced courses.The paper is structured in five sections. The first gives an introduction, the second describes the methodology. The third section describes the sample and the study carried out. The fourth section presents the results and, finally, the fifth section discusses the main conclusions

Multiwavelength characterisation of an ACT-selected, lensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.64

We present \ci\,(2--1) and multi-transition $^{12}$CO observations of a dusty star-forming galaxy, ACT\,J2029+0120, which we spectroscopically confirm to lie at $z$\,=\,2.64. We detect CO(3--2), CO(5--4), CO(7--6), CO(8--7), and \ci\,(2--1) at high significance, tentatively detect HCO$^{+}$(4--3), and place strong upper limits on the integrated strength of dense gas tracers (HCN(4--3) and CS(7--6)). Multi-transition CO observations and dense gas tracers can provide valuable constraints on the molecular gas content and excitation conditions in high-redshift galaxies. We therefore use this unique data set to construct a CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) of the source, which is most consistent with that of a ULIRG/Seyfert or QSO host object in the taxonomy of the \textit{Herschel} Comprehensive ULIRG Emission Survey. We employ RADEX models to fit the peak of the CO SLED, inferring a temperature of T$\sim$117 K and $n_{\text{H}_2}\sim10^5$ cm$^{-3}$, most consistent with a ULIRG/QSO object and the presence of high density tracers. We also find that the velocity width of the \ci\ line is potentially larger than seen in all CO transitions for this object, and that the $L'_{\rm C\,I(2-1)}/L'_{\rm CO(3-2)}$ ratio is also larger than seen in other lensed and unlensed submillimeter galaxies and QSO hosts; if confirmed, this anomaly could be an effect of differential lensing of a shocked molecular outflow.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

GTM-3, an extra-large pore enantioselective chiral zeolitic catalyst

The development of chiral zeolitic catalysts possessing extra-large pores and endowed with the capability of enantioselectively processing bulky products represents one of the greatest challenges in chemistry. Here, we report the discovery of GTM-3, an enantio-enriched extra-large pore chiral zeolite material with -ITV framework structure, obtained using a simple enantiopure organic cation derived from the chiral pool, N,N-ethyl-methyl-pseudoephedrinium, as the chiral-inductor agent. We demonstrate the enantio-enrichment of GTM-3 in one of the two enantiomorphic polymorphs using the two enantiomers of the organic cation. Interestingly, we prove the ability of this zeolitic material to perform enantioselective catalytic operations with very large substrates, here exemplified by the catalytic epoxide aperture of the bulky trans-stilbene oxide with alcohols, yielding unprecedented product enantiomeric excesses up to 30%. Our discovery opens the way for the use of accessible chiral zeolitic materials for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical compounds

Two-dimensional carbon-based conductive materials with dynamically controlled asymmetric Dirac cones

The design of two dimensional graphene-type materials with an anisotropic electron flow direction in the X- and Y-axes opens the door for the development of novel electronic materials with multiple functions in nanoelectronics. In the present work, we have studied the electronic transport properties of a new family of 2D graphene-graphyne hybrids presenting conformationally free phenylethylene subunits. This system ensures two different conductive pathways that are perpendicular to each other: an acene nanoribbon subunit, in the X-axis, with graphene-type conduction, and a free to rotate phenylethylene subunit, in the Y-axis, in which the magnitude of the conduction depends dynamically on the corresponding torsion angle. Our calculations have confirmed that this system presents two different conduction pathways, which are related to the presence of asymmetric Dirac-type cones. Moreover, the Dirac cones can be dynamically modified in the presence of an external gate electrode, which is unprecedented in the literatureWe thank the MICINN (project CTQ-2011.22455) and the Regional Government of Andalucía (project P09-FQM-04571) for financial support and the ‘Centro de Supercomputación de la Universidad de Granada (UGRGRID-CSIRC)’ for computation time. NF and DM thank MICINN for their research contract

Dust properties of Lyman break galaxies at z∼3z\sim3

We explore from a statistical point of view the far-infrared (far-IR) and sub-millimeter (sub-mm) properties of a large sample of LBGs (22,000) at z~3 in the COSMOS field. The large number of galaxies allows us to split it in several bins as a function of UV luminosity, UV slope, and stellar mass to better sample their variety. We perform stacking analysis in PACS (100 and 160 um), SPIRE (250, 350 and 500 um) and AzTEC (1.1 mm) images. Our stacking procedure corrects the biases induced by galaxy clustering and incompleteness of our input catalogue in dense regions. We obtain the full IR spectral energy distributions (SED) of subsamples of LBGs and derive the mean IR luminosity as a function of UV luminosity, UV slope, and stellar mass. The average IRX is roughly constant over the UV luminosity range, with a mean of 7.9 (1.8 mag). However, it is correlated with UV slope, and stellar mass. We investigate using a statistically-controlled stacking analysis as a function of (stellar mass, UV slope) the dispersion of the IRX-UVslope and IRX-M* plane. Our results enable us to study the average relation between star-formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass, and we show that our LBG sample lies on the main sequence of star formation at z~3.Comment: Accepted to A&A, 17 Pages, 14 Figures, 2 Table

HerMES: Current Cosmic Infrared Background Estimates Can be Explained by Known Galaxies and their Faint Companions at z < 4

We report contributions to cosmic infrared background (CIB) intensities originating from known galaxies and their faint companions at submillimeter wavelengths. Using the publicly-available UltraVISTA catalog, and maps at 250, 350, and 500 {\mu}m from the \emph{Herschel} Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES), we perform a novel measurement that exploits the fact that uncatalogued sources may bias stacked flux densities --- particularly if the resolution of the image is poor --- and intentionally smooth the images before stacking and summing intensities. By smoothing the maps we are capturing the contribution of faint (undetected in K_S ~ 23.4) sources that are physically associated, or correlated, with the detected sources. We find that the cumulative CIB increases with increased smoothing, reaching 9.82 +- 0.78, 5.77 +- 0.43, and 2.32 +- 0.19$\, \rm nW m^{-2} sr^{-1}$ at 250, 350, and 500 {\mu}m at 300 arcsec FWHM. This corresponds to a fraction of the fiducial CIB of 0.94 +- 0.23, 1.07 +- 0.31, and 0.97 +- 0.26 at 250, 350, and 500 {\mu}m, where the uncertainties are dominated by those of the absolute CIB. We then propose, with a simple model combining parametric descriptions for stacked flux densities and stellar mass functions, that emission from galaxies with log(M/Msun) > 8.5 can account for the most of the measured total intensities, and argue against contributions from extended, diffuse emission. Finally, we discuss prospects for future survey instruments to improve the estimates of the absolute CIB levels, and observe any potentially remaining emission at z > 4.Comment: Accepted to ApJL. 6 Pages, 3 figure

New Strategy for a Suitable Fast Stabilization of the Biomethanization Performance

The start-up strategies for thermophilic anaerobic reactors usually consist of an initial mesophilic stage (35 • C), with an approximate duration of 185 days, and a subsequent thermophilic stage (55 • C), which normally requires around 60 days to achieve the system stabilizatio. During the first 8-10 days of the mesophilic stage, the reactor is not fed so that the inoculum, which is generally a mesophilic anaerobic sludge, may be adapted to the organic solid waste. Between mesophilic and thermophilic conditions the reactor is still not fed in an effort to prevent possible imbalances in the proces. As a consequence, the start-up and stabilization of the biomethanization performance described in the literature require, at least, around 245 days. In this sense, a new strategy for the start-up and stabilization phases is presented in this study. This approach allows an important reduction in the overall time necessary for these stages in an anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) operated at thermophilicdry conditions for treating the organic fraction of the municipal solid waste (OFMSW): 60 days versus 245 days of conventional strategies. The new strategy uses modified SEBAC technology to adapt an inoculum to the OFMSW and the operational conditions prior to seeding the CSTR

Evidencias mineralógicas y geoquímicas de mezcla incompleta de magmas en la Sierra de las Cruces, Cinturón Volcánico Mexicano

Pliocene – Pleistocene lava flows, mainly of dacitic composition, are exposed in the Sierra de las Cruces (SC) volcanic range within the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). SC volcanic rocks are porphyritic, generally containing an assemblage of plagioclase + amphibole + orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene ± quartz ± Fe-Ti oxides. Most of them exhibit diverse mineralogical and geochemical features that attest a magma mixing and mingling processes with concomitant fractional crystallization in which a small volume of hot andesite magma injects into dacitic magma. Both rock types are probably derived from partial melting of continental crust at different levels. The evidences of magma mixing and mingling include: (a) normal and sieved plagioclases in the same sample, rounded and embayed crystals, and armoured rims over the dissolved crystal surfaces; (b) subrounded, vesicular magmatic enclaves, ranging from a few millimeters to ~20 centimeters in size, with plagioclase + orthopyroxene + amphibole + quartz ± olivine ± Fe-Ti-oxides assemblage; (c) mineral chemistry evidence such as crystals with reaction rims or heterogeneous plagioclase compositions (inverse and oscillatory zoning or normally and inversely zoned crystals) in the same sample; and (d) elemental geochemical variations and trace-element ratio more akin to magma mixing and to some extent diffusion process. These andesitic enclaves could be considered as portions of the intermediate magma that did not mix completely (mingling) with the felsic host lavas, confirming the major role of magma mixing and mingling processes in the overall evolution of the MVBEn la Sierra de las Cruces (SC), Cinturón Volcánico Mexicano (CVM), se encuentran expuestos flujos de lava, principalmente de composición dacítica, del Plioceno-Pleistoceno. Las rocas volcánicas de la SC son de textura porfirítica, conteniendo plagioclasa + anfibol + ortopiroxeno ± clinopiroxeno ± cuarzo ± óxidos de Fe-Ti. La mayor parte de ellas exhiben diversas características que indican un proceso de mezcla incompleta de magmas, con una cristalización fraccionada concomitante, en la que un pequeño volumen de un magma andesítico caliente es inyectado a un magma dacítico. Es probable que ambos tipos de roca se hayan generado por fusión parcial a diferentes niveles de la corteza continental. Las evidencias de la mezcla incompleta de magmas incluyen: (a) plagioclasas con texturas normal y anubarrada en la misma muestra, cristales redondeados y corroídos, y bordes de reacción en superficies de cristal disueltas; (b) enclaves magmáticos subredondeados y vesiculares, que ocurren en dimensiones de un pocos milímetros a ~20 centímetros de diámetro, con plagioclasa + ortopiroxeno + anfíbol + cuarzo ± olivino ± óxidos de Fe-Ti; (c) química de minerales, que incluye cristales con bordes de reacción o plagioclasas de composición heterogénea (zonación inversa y oscilatoria o cristales con zonación normal e inversa) en la misma muestra; y (d) variaciones geoquímicas de elementos y relaciones de elementos traza explicables por una mezcla de magmas y por un proceso de difusión. Los enclaves andesíticos podrían considerarse como porciones de magma intermedio que no se mezcló con los líquidos dacíticos receptores, lo que confirma la importancia de los procesos de mezcla incompleta de magmas en la evolución magmática del CV