269 research outputs found
High contrast optical imaging of companions: the case of the brown dwarf binary HD-130948BC
High contrast imaging at optical wavelengths is limited by the modest
correction of conventional near-IR optimized AO systems.We take advantage of
new fast and low-readout-noise detectors to explore the potential of fast
imaging coupled to post-processing techniques to detect faint companions to
stars at small separations. We have focused on I-band direct imaging of the
previously detected brown dwarf binary HD130948BC,attempting to spatially
resolve the L2+L2 benchmark system. We used the Lucky-Imaging instrument
FastCam at the 2.5-m Nordic Telescope to obtain quasi diffraction-limited
images of HD130948 with ~0.1" resolution.In order to improve the detectability
of the faint binary in the vicinity of a bright (I=5.19 \pm 0.03) solar-type
star,we implemented a post-processing technique based on wavelet transform
filtering of the image which allows us to strongly enhance the presence of
point-like sources in regions where the primary halo dominates. We detect for
the first time the BD binary HD130948BC in the optical band I with a SNR~9 at
2.561"\pm 0.007" (46.5 AU) from HD130948A and confirm in two independent
dataset that the object is real,as opposed to time-varying residual speckles.We
do not resolve the binary, which can be explained by astrometric results
posterior to our observations that predict a separation below the NOT
resolution.We reach at this distance a contrast of dI = 11.30 \pm 0.11, and
estimate a combined magnitude for this binary to I = 16.49 \pm 0.11 and a I-J
colour 3.29 \pm 0.13. At 1", we reach a detectability 10.5 mag fainter than the
primary after image post-processing. We obtain on-sky validation of a technique
based on speckle imaging and wavelet-transform processing,which improves the
high contrast capabilities of speckle imaging.The I-J colour measured for the
BD companion is slightly bluer, but still consistent with what typically found
for L2 dwarfs(~3.4-3.6).Comment: accepted in A\&
Lucky Imaging Adaptive Optics of the brown dwarf binary GJ569Bab
The potential of combining Adaptive Optics (AO) and Lucky Imaging (LI) to
achieve high precision astrometry and differential photometry in the optical is
investigated by conducting observations of the close 0\farcs1 brown dwarf
binary GJ569Bab. We took 50000 -band images with our LI instrument FastCam
attached to NAOMI, the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) AO facility. In
order to extract the most of the astrometry and photometry of the GJ569Bab
system we have resorted to a PSF fitting technique using the primary star
GJ569A as a suitable PSF reference which exhibits an -band magnitude of
. The AO+LI observations at WHT were able to resolve the binary
system GJ569Bab located at 4\farcs 92 \pm 0\farcs05 from GJ569A. We measure a
separation of mas and -band magnitudes of
and and colors of 2.720.08 and 2.830.08 for
the Ba and Bb components, respectively. Our study rules out the presence of any
other companion to GJ569A down to magnitude I 17 at distances larger than
1\arcsec. The colors measured are consistent with M8.5-M9 spectral types
for the Ba and Bb components. The available dynamical, photometric and
spectroscopic data are consistent with a binary system with Ba being slightly
(10-20%) more massive than Bb. We obtain new orbital parameters which are in
good agreement with those in the literature.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 7 tables, in press in MNRA
Niveles de colinesterasa sérica en caficultores del Departamento de Caldas, Colombia
Objetivo Determinar niveles de colinesterasa sérica en caficultores del departamento de Caldas y su asociación con factores demográficos y ocupacionales.Metodología Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, muestra de 1 098 agricultores del Alto Oriente y Centro Sur del Departamento de Caldas, por medio de una encuesta en la que se analizaron características del trabajador agrícola de tipo: sociodemográfico, ocupacional, clínicos y concentración de colinesterasa determinada con el método de Ellman.Resultados A nivel ocupacional, el 90,8 % de los agriculto es refirió riesgo de exposición directa a plaguicidas. El 3,8 % de las determinaciones analíticas de colinesterasa fueron anormales, se relacionó que el 75,6 % de los agricultores preparan la mezcladel insecticida, el 22,2 % tienen una frecuencia de aplicación en el cultivo más de dos veces por semana, el 37,8 % no emplea ropa de protección durante la jornada de fumigación. El tiempo de la última aplicación fue dentro del rango de uno a diez días demostrando que a menor tiempo de aplicación del insecticida, se presenta mayorinhibición de la enzima. Los plaguicidas más reportados fueron los de tipo organofosforado (58,6 %).Conclusiones El control de la exposición a plaguicidas se torna difícil porque la mayoría de trabajadores son de tipo informal. Se requiere fortalecer los programas de capacitación y campañas de sensibilización sobre los efectos de los plaguicidas en la salud, las medidas de higiene y seguridad en el trabajo. Los niveles bajos de colinesterasa sérica indican la absorción de una cantidad mínima de insecticidas inhibidores de la colinesterasa.Objective To determine the levels of serum cholinesterase in coffee growers from the Caldas department and its association with demographic and labor factors.Methodology A descriptive study was carried out in a sample of 1 098 farmers from the Upper East and South Center of the Caldas department, through a survey that analyzed characteristics such as sociodemographic, labor, and clinical conditions, as well as cholinesterase levels, determined by Ellman's method.Results Regarding the occupational aspect, 90.8 % of farmers reported a risk of direct exposure to pesticides. 3.8 % of the analytical determinations of cholinesterase were abnormal, which was related to the fact that 75.6 % of the farmers themselves prepare the mixture of the insecticide, 22.2 % spread the insecticide over their crops more thantwice a week, and 37.8 % do not wear protective clothing during the fumigation. The last fumigation was within the range of one to ten days, revealing that the shorter the time of application of the insecticide, the greater the inhibition of the enzyme. The mostfrequent pesticides were organophosphates (58.6 %).ConclusionsControlling pesticide exposure is difficult because most workers are self-employed. It is necessary to strengthen training programs and awareness campaigns regarding the effect of pesticides on health, as well as health and safety measures at the workplace. Low levelsof serum cholinesterase indicate the bsorption of a minimal amount of cholinesterase inhibiting insecticides
Constraining the X-ray reflection in low accretion rate AGN using XMM-Newton, NuSTAR and Swift
An interesting feature in active galactic nuclei (AGN) accreting at low rate
is the weakness of the reflection features in their X-ray spectra, which can
result from the gradual disappearance of the torus with decreasing accretion
rates. It has been suggested that low luminosity AGN (LLAGN) would have a
different reflector configuration compared with high luminosity AGN, either
covering a smaller fraction of the sky or simply having less material.
Additionally, we note that the determination of the spectral index ()
and the cut-off energy of the primary power-law emission is affected by the
inclusion of reflection models, showing the importance of using them to study
the accretion mechanism, especially in the case of the LLAGN that have
previously shown a high dispersion on the relation between and the
accretion rate. Our purpose is to constrain the geometry and column density of
the reflector in a sample of LLAGN covering a broad X-ray range of energy
combining data from XMM-Newton + NuSTAR + Swift of a hard X-ray-flux limited
sample of 17 LLAGN from BASS/DR2 with accretion rates =L/L<10. We fit all spectra using the reflection model
for torus (borus02) and accretion disk (Xillver) reflectors. We found a
tentative correlation between the torus column density and the accretion rate,
LLAGN shows a lower column density compared with the high-luminosity objects.
We also confirm the relation between and , with a
smaller scatter than previously reported, thanks to the inclusion of
high-energy data and the reflection models. Our results are consistent with a
break at , suggestive of a different accretion
mechanism compared with higher accretion AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Situación actual del estudiante de Medicina en Colombia
The essence of Medicine is service to the human being, and its teaching is carried out through the clinical method and a set of skills that the student must acquire throughout his training. However, it is possible that there is a pedagogical problem in the current model that makes doctors and students feel dissatisfied with their academic process, affecting their professional lives. The purpose of this review is to present some aspects that are experienced as a medical student in Colombia, the implications that the use of technology has had in medical training, and its impact on work and academic life.La esencia de la Medicina es el servicio al ser humano, y su enseñanza se realiza por medio del método clínico y un conjunto de habilidades que el estudiante debe adquirir durante toda su formación. Sin embargo, es posible que haya un problema pedagógico en el modelo actual que hace que los médicos y estudiantes se sientan insatisfechos con su proceso académico, repercutiendo en su vida profesional. El propósito de esta revisión es dar a conocer algunos aspectos que se viven como estudiante de Medicina en Colombia, las implicaciones que ha tenido el uso de la tecnología en la formación médica, y su repercusión en la vida laboral y académica
Point-occurrence self-similarity in crackling-noise systems and in other complex systems
It has been recently found that a number of systems displaying crackling
noise also show a remarkable behavior regarding the temporal occurrence of
successive events versus their size: a scaling law for the probability
distributions of waiting times as a function of a minimum size is fulfilled,
signaling the existence on those systems of self-similarity in time-size. This
property is also present in some non-crackling systems. Here, the uncommon
character of the scaling law is illustrated with simple marked renewal
processes, built by definition with no correlations. Whereas processes with a
finite mean waiting time do not fulfill a scaling law in general and tend
towards a Poisson process in the limit of very high sizes, processes without a
finite mean tend to another class of distributions, characterized by double
power-law waiting-time densities. This is somehow reminiscent of the
generalized central limit theorem. A model with short-range correlations is not
able to escape from the attraction of those limit distributions. A discussion
on open problems in the modeling of these properties is provided.Comment: Submitted to J. Stat. Mech. for the proceedings of UPON 2008 (Lyon),
topic: crackling nois
New constraints on the membership of the T dwarf S Ori 70 in the sigma Orionis cluster
(Abridged) The nature of S Ori 70, a faint mid-T type object found towards
the direction of the young sigma Orionis cluster, is still under debate. We
intend to disentangle whether it is a field brown dwarf or a 3-Myr old
planetary-mass member of the cluster. We report on near-infrared JHK_s and
mid-infrared [3.6] and [4.5] IRAC/Spitzer photometry recently obtained for S
Ori 70. The new near-infrared images (taken 3.82 yr after the discovery data)
have allowed us to derive a very small proper motion (11.0 +/- 5.9 mas/yr) for
this object, which is consistent with the proper motion of the cluster within
1.5 sigma the astrometric uncertainty. The colors (H-K_s), (J-K_s) and
K_s-[3.6] appear discrepant when compared to T4-T7 dwarfs in the field. This
behavior could be ascribed to a low-gravity atmosphere or alternatively to an
atmosphere with a metallicity significantly different than solar. Taking into
account the small proper motion of S Ori 70 and its new near- and mid-infrared
colors, a low-gravity atmosphere remains as the most likely explanation to
account for our observations. This supports S Ori 70's membership in sigma
Orionis, with an estimated mass in the interval 2-7 Mjup, in agreement with our
previous derivation.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Candidate free-floating super-Jupiters in the young sigma Orionis open cluster
Free-floating substellar candidates with estimated theoretical masses of as
low as ~5 Jupiter masses have been found in the ~3 Myr old sigma Orionis open
cluster. As the overlap with the planetary mass domain increases, the question
of how these objects form becomes important. The determination of their number
density and whether a mass cut-off limit exists is crucial to understanding
their formation. We propose to search for objects of yet lower masses in the
cluster and determine the shape of the mass function at low mass. Using new-
and (re-analysed) published IZJHKs[3.6]-[8.0]-band data of an area of 840
arcmin2, we performed a search for LT-type cluster member candidates in the
magnitude range J=19.5-21.5 mag, based on their expected magnitudes and
colours. Besides recovering the T type object S Ori 70 and two other known
objects, we find three new cluster member candidates, S Ori 72-74, with J=21
mag and within 12 arcmin of the cluster centre. They have theoretical masses of
4 (-2,+3) M_Jup and are among the least massive free-floating objects detected
by direct imaging outside the Solar System. The photometry in archival Spitzer
[3.6]-[5.8]-band images infers that S Ori 72 is an L/T transition candidate and
S Ori 73 a T-type candidate, following the expected cluster sequence in the
mid-infrared. Finally, the L-type candidate S Ori 74 with lower quality
photometry is located at 11.8 arcsec (~4250 AU) of a stellar member of sigma
Orionis and could be a companion. After contaminant correction in the area
complete to J=21.1 mag, we estimate that there remain between zero and two
cluster members in the mass interval 6-4 M_Jup. Our result suggests a possible
turnover in the substellar mass spectrum below ~6 Jupiter masses, which could
be investigated further by wider and deeper photometric surveys.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables, and appendix containing 5 figures;
accepted for publication in AA; v2: 2 minor corrections, in abstract and
sect. 2.
A long-period massive planet around HD106515A
We have performed RV monitoring of the components of the binary system HD
106515 over about 11 years using the high resolution spectrograph SARG at TNG.
The primary shows long-period radial velocity variations that indicate the
presence of a low mass companion whose projected mass is in the planetary
regime (m sin i = 9.33 Mjup). The 9.8 years orbit results quite eccentric
(e=0.57), as typical for massive giant planets. Our results confirm the
preliminary announcement of the planet included in Mayor et al. (2011). The
secondary instead does not show significant RV variations. The two components
do not differ significantly in chemical composition, as found for other pairs
for which one component hosts giant planets. Adaptive optics images obtained
with AdOpt@TNG do not reveal additional stellar companions. From the analysis
of the relative astrometry of the components of the wide pair we put an upper
limit on the mass of the newly detected companion of about 0.25 Msun. State of
art or near future instrumentation can provide true mass determination, thanks
to the availability of the wide companion HD106515B as reference. Therefore,
HD106515Ab will allow deeper insight in the transition region between planets
and brown dwarfs.Comment: A&A, accepted, 8 pages, 10 figure
- …