Accurate fundamental parameters and distance to a massive early-type eclipsing binary in the Danks 2 cluster

We present a study of the properties of the O-type, massive eclipsing binary 2MASS J13130841-6239275 located in the outskirts of the Danks 2 cluster in the G305 star-forming complex, using near-infrared spectroscopy from VLT/ISAAC. We derive the masses and radii to be 24.5$\pm$0.9 M$_{\odot}$ and 9.2$\pm$0.1 R$_{\odot}$ for the primary and 21.7$\pm$0.8 M$_{\odot}$ and 8.7$\pm$0.1 R$_{\odot}$ for the secondary component. In addition, we evaluate the sensitivity of our parameters to the choice of the spectral features used to determine the radial velocities. Both components appear to be main-sequence O6.5$-$O7 type stars at an age of $\sim$5 Myr, which is in agreement with the age of the cluster. A high visual extinction of A$_{5495}$=11.9$\pm$0.1 mag is reported, which is likely attributed to the cold molecular gas contaminating the north-east region of the cluster. By fitting the spectral energy distribution of the system to the available $BVI_{c}JHK_{s}$ photometry, we determine a distance to the system of 3.52$\pm$0.08 kpc with a precision of 2$\%$, which is the most well-determined distance to the Danks 2 cluster and the host complex reported in the literature.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in A&

IBSE: An OWL Interoperability Evaluation Infrastructure

The technology that supports the Semantic Web presents a great diversity and, whereas all the tools use different types of ontologies, not all of them share a common knowledge representation model, which may pose problems when they try to interoperate. The Knowledge Web European Network of Excellence is organizing a benchmarking of interoperability of ontology tools using OWL as interchange language with the goal of assessing and improving tool interoperability. This paper presents the development of IBSE, an evaluation infrastructure that allows executing automatically the benchmarking experiments and provides an easy way of analysing the results. Thus,including new tools into the evaluation infrastructure will be simple and straightforward

Clues to NaCN formation

ALMA is providing us essential information on where certain molecules form. Observing where these molecules emission arises from, the physical conditions of the gas, and how this relates with the presence of other species allows us to understand the formation of many species, and to significantly improve our knowledge of the chemistry that occurs in the space. We studied the molecular distribution of NaCN around IRC +10216, a molecule detected previously, but whose origin is not clear. High angular resolution maps allow us to model the abundance distribution of this molecule and check suggested formation paths. We modeled the emission of NaCN assuming local thermal equilibrium (LTE) conditions. These profiles were fitted to azimuthal averaged intensity profiles to obtain an abundance distribution of NaCN. We found that the presence of NaCN seems compatible with the presence of CN, probably as a result of the photodissociation of HCN, in the inner layers of the ejecta of IRC +10216. However, similar as for CH 3 CN, current photochemical models fail to reproduce this CN reservoir. We also found that the abundance peak of NaCN appears at a radius of 3 x 10 15 cm, approximately where the abundance of NaCl, suggested to be the parent species, starts to decay. However, the abundance ratio shows that the NaCl abundance is lower than that obtained for NaCN. We expect that the LTE assumption might result in NaCN abundances higher than the real ones. Updated photochemical models, collisional rates, and reaction rates are essential to determine the possible paths of the NaCN formation.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A letter

Through the magnifying glass: ALMA acute viewing of the intricate nebular architecture of OH231.8+4.2

We present continuum and molecular line emission ALMA observations of OH 231.8+4.2, a well studied bipolar nebula around an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. The high angular resolution (~0.2-0.3 arcsec) and sensitivity of our ALMA maps provide the most detailed and accurate description of the overall nebular structure and kinematics of this object to date. We have identified a number of outflow components previously unknown. Species studied in this work include 12CO, 13CO, CS, SO, SO2, OCS, SiO, SiS, H3O+, Na37Cl, and CH3OH. The molecules Na37Cl and CH3OH are first detections in OH 231.8+4.2, with CH3OH being also a first detection in an AGB star. Our ALMA maps bring to light the totally unexpected position of the mass-losing AGB star (QX Pup) relative to the large-scale outflow. QX Pup is enshrouded within a compact (<60 AU) parcel of dust and gas (clump S) in expansion (V~5-7 km/s) that is displaced by 0.6arcsec to the south of the dense equatorial region (or waist) where the bipolar lobes join. Our SiO maps disclose a compact bipolar outflow that emerges from QX Pup's vicinity. This outflow is oriented similarly to the large-scale nebula but the expansion velocities are about ten times lower (~35 km/s). We deduce short kinematical ages for the SiO outflow, ranging from ~50-80 yr, in regions within ~150 AU, to ~400-500 yr at the lobe tips (~3500 AU). Adjacent to the SiO outflow, we identify a small-scale hourglass-shaped structure (mini-hourglass) that is probably made of compressed ambient material formed as the SiO outflow penetrates the dense, central regions of the nebula. The lobes and the equatorial waist of the mini-hourglass are both radially expanding with a constant velocity gradient. The mini-waist is characterized by extremely low velocities, down to ~1 km/s at ~150 AU, which tentatively suggest the presence of a stable structure. (abridged

Ship strike risk for fin whales (balaenoptera physalus) off the Garraf coast, northwest Mediterranean Sea

Ship strikes are a widespread conservation issue for many cetacean species globally. Population level impacts depend on the occurrence and severity of collisions, which may lead to life altering injuries or fatalities. Such impacts are a major concern for large, long-lived, and reproductively slow species like the fin whale. Since 2014, a seasonal feeding aggregation of fin whales has been monitored from February to June off the Catalan coast (Spain), in the northwest Mediterranean Sea. Oceanographical factors influence the occurrence and high density of krill within submarine canyons along the continental shelf, resulting in high whale abundance within a small spatial area. The study area extends 37 km offshore across a 1,944 km2 marine strip situated between the towns of Torredembarra and Castelldefels. This fin whale feeding ground is exposed to high density marine vessel traffic, given its location between the northern Mediterranean shipping lane, which links Barcelona and Tarragona Ports to the Atlantic Ocean and wider Mediterranean Basin. Ship strikes represent the greatest conservation threat for fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea. At least four fin whales have been found dead in Barcelona Port since 1986 due to ship strikes and seven live whales have been documented with injuries in the study area since 2018. Fin whale distribution was mapped with known high-risk marine vessels’ (cargo, tanker and passenger vessels) shipping lanes. Vessel density and shipping lanes characterised by speed were considered. Collision risk was estimated monthly based on the predicted fin whale occurrence and traffic density. Several shipping lanes crossed the fin whale feeding habitat every month with an average speed of 15 kn. Cargo vessels displayed the highest ship-strike risk during April, overlapping with the peak of fin whale sightings in the critical feeding area. Slower vessel speeds (8 kn) in waters <200 m depth or along the continental shelf should be implemented along the Catalan coast, during the whale season. These suggestions should be applied into the Barcelona Port transport separation scheme. Ship strike risk for this species will persist unless active management plans are adapted in the region to mitigate its risk.Postprint (published version

Zooming in on VY CMa ejecta

The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), Cagliari, Italy 14–18 October 2019ALMA has allowed us to study the ejecta around evolved stars with unprecedented resolution. This extremely high resolution at the millimeter domain provides a unique tool to study the processes taking place in the innermost regions of these evolved stars. In particular, the processes leading to the mass ejections of the Red Supergiant stars are unknown. The pulsation process responsible for mass ejection in the intermediate mass AGB phase does not work in the high mass evolved stars. Therefore, studying the characteristics of the mass ejections near the photosphere of the massive stars is essential to constrain the processes leading to the observed gas ejection. In this sense, we have obtained interferometric maps in the range 231.7 ¿ 235.3 GHz of the ejecta around the Red Supergiant star VY CMa with an spatial resolution of 0.02>. These maps revealed a level of complexity higher than previously anticipated from previous observations. The complexity seems to be due both to structural and chemical processes. The molecular lines covered within these maps range from upper energies 19 up to 3400 K, tracing different excitation conditions. We will present a global view of the different structures observedThe research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. 610256 (NANOCOSMOS). We would also like to thank the Spanish MINECO for funding support from grants CSD2009-00038, AYA2012-32032, AYA2016-75066-C2-1-P & AYA2016-78994-P. M.A. also thanks for funding support from the Ramón y Cajal programme of Spanish MINECO (RyC-2014- 16277)

Rhizobacterial isolates from the metal hyperaccumulator noccaea caerulescens growing in a ni enriched soil

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dibucaine in Ionic-Gradient Liposomes: Biophysical, Toxicological, and Activity Characterization

Administration of local anesthetics is one of the most effective pain control techniques for postoperative analgesia. However, anesthetic agents easily diffuse into the injection site, limiting the time of anesthesia. One approach to prolong analgesia is to entrap local anesthetic agents in nanostructured carriers (e.g., liposomes). Here, we report that using an ammonium sulphate gradient was the best strategy to improve the encapsulation (62.6%) of dibucaine (DBC) into liposomes. Light scattering and nanotracking analyses were used to characterize vesicle properties, such as, size, polydispersity, zeta potentials, and number. In vitro kinetic experiments revealed the sustained release of DBC (50% in 7 h) from the liposomes. In addition, in vitro (3T3 cells in culture) and in vivo (zebrafish) toxicity assays revealed that ionic-gradient liposomes were able to reduce DBC cyto/cardiotoxicity and morphological changes in zebrafish larvae. Moreover, the anesthesia time attained after infiltrative administration in mice was longer with encapsulated DBC (27 h) than that with free DBC (11 h), at 320 μM (0.012%), confirming it as a promising long-acting liposome formulation for parenteral drug administration of dibucaine.Fil: Couto, Verônica M.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Prieto, Maria Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: Igartúa, Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: Feas, Daniela Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: Ribeiro, Lígia N.M.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Silva, Camila M.G.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Castro, Simone R.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Guilherme, Viviane A.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Dantzger, Darlene D.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Machado, Daisy. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Alonso, Silvia del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB | Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Grupo Vinculado al IMBICE - Grupo de Biología Estructural y Biotecnología-Universidad Nacional de Quilmes - GBEyB; ArgentinaFil: de Paula, Eneida. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; Brasi