Chaotic dynamics in the pulsation of DF Cygni, as observed by Kepler

Pulsations of RV Tauri-type variable stars can be governed by chaotic dynamics. However, observational evidence for this happening is usually hard to come by. Here we use the continuous, 4-yr-long observations of the Kepler space telescope to search for the signs of chaos in the RVb-type pulsating supergiant, DF Cygni. We use the Global Flow Reconstruction method to estimate the quantitative properties of the dynamics driving the pulsations of the star. The secondary, long-term light variation, i.e. the RVb phenomenon, was removed in the analysis with the empirical mode decomposition method. Our analysis revealed that the pulsation of DF Cyg could be described as a chaotic signal with a Lyapunov dimension of ∼2.8. DF Cyg is only the third RV Tau star, and the first of the RVb subtype, where the non-linear analysis indicates that low-dimensional chaos may explain the peculiarities of the pulsation

Loci Memoriae Hungaricae

Miklós Takács: Preface - 7 ; 1. Theoretical reflections ; Zsófia O. Réti: Memory of Networks, Networks of Memory - 10 ; Gábor Palkó: The Phenomenon of “Linked Data” from a Media Archaeological Perspective - 23 ; 2. Digital Memory in Everyday Life ; Norbert Krek: Lieux de Mémoire and Video Games: Mnemonic Representations of the Second World War in First Person Shooter Games of the Early Twenty-first Century - 32 ; Antti Vallius: Landscapes of Belonging: Visual Memories in the Digital Age - 43 ; László Z. Karvalics: Defining Two Types of Cultural “Micro-heritage”: Objects, Knowledge Dimensions and a Quest for Novel Memory Institutions - 58 ; 3. New Media for Old Ideologies Tuija Saresma: Circulating the Origin Myth of Western Civilization – The Racial Imagery of the ‘Men of the North’ as an Imaginary Heritage in White Supremacist Blogs - 68 ; Klára Sándor: Versions of Folk History Representing Group Identities: The Battle for the Masternarrative - 82 ; 4. Rethinking Hungarian Collective Memory Katalin Bódi: Image and Imagination: The Changing Role of Art from the Nineteenth Century to the Present in Hungarian National Memory - 92 ; Zsófia Fellegi: Digital Philology on the Semantic Web: Publishing Hungarian Avant-garde Magazines - 105 ; Norbert Baranyai: Cult, Gossip, Memory—Aspects of Mediating Culture in Krisztián Nyáry’s Portraits of Writers in Facebook Posts - 117 ; Notes on Contributors - 127 ; Index - 13

The effect of dopamine agonists on adaptive and aberrant salience in Parkinson's disease

Clinical evidence suggests that after initiation of dopaminergic medications some patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) develop psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the neurocognitive basis of this phenomenon can be defined as the formation of arbitrary and illusory associations between conditioned stimuli and reward signals, called aberrant salience. Young, never-medicated PD patients and matched controls were assessed on a speeded reaction time task in which the probe stimulus was preceded by conditioned stimuli that could signal monetary reward by color or shape. The patients and controls were re-evaluated after 12 weeks during which the patients received a dopamine agonist (pramipexole or ropinirole). Results indicated that dopamine agonists increased both adaptive and aberrant salience in PD patients, that is, formation of real and illusory associations between conditioned stimuli and reward, respectively. This effect was present when associations were assessed by means of faster responding after conditioned stimuli signaling reward (implicit salience) and overt rating of stimulus-reward links (explicit salience). However, unusual feelings and experiences, which are subclinical manifestations of psychotic-like symptoms, were specifically related to irrelevant and illusory stimulus-reward associations (aberrant salience) in PD patients receiving dopamine agonists. The learning of relevant and real stimulus-reward associations (adaptive salience) was not related to unusual experiences. These results suggest that dopamine agonists may increase psychotic-like experiences in young patients with PD, possibly by facilitating dopaminergic transmission in the ventral striatum, which results in aberrant associations between conditioned stimuli and reward

Association of FcγRIIa R131H polymorphism with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis severity and progression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A significant genetic component has been described for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The R131H (rs1801274) polymorphism of the IgG receptor FcγRIIa determines receptor affinity for IgG subclasses and is associated with several chronic inflammatory diseases. We investigated whether this polymorphism is associated with IPF susceptibility or progression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a case-control study, we compared the distribution of FcγRIIa R131H genotypes in 142 patients with IPF and in 218 controls using allele-specific PCR amplification.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No differences in the frequency of FcγRIIa genotypes were evident between IPF patients and control subjects. However, significantly impaired pulmonary function at diagnosis was observed in HH compared to RR homozygotes, with evidence of more severe restriction (reduced forced vital capacity (FVC)) and lower diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (D<smcaps>L</smcaps>_CO). Similarly, increased frequency of the H131 allele was observed in patients with severe disease (D<smcaps>L</smcaps>_CO< 40% predicted) (0.53 vs. 0.38; p = 0.03). Furthermore, the H131 allele was associated with progressive pulmonary fibrosis as determined by > 10% drop in FVC and/or > 15% fall in D<smcaps>L</smcaps>_COat 12 months after baseline (0.48 vs. 0.33; p = 0.023).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings support an association between the FcγRIIa R131H polymorphism and IPF severity and progression, supporting the involvement of immunological mechanisms in IPF pathogenesis.</p

First Results on RR Lyrae Stars with the TESS Space Telescope: Untangling the Connections between Mode Content, Colors, and Distances

Abstract The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space telescope is collecting continuous, high-precision optical photometry of stars throughout the sky, including thousands of RR Lyrae stars. In this paper, we present results for an initial sample of 118 nearby RR Lyrae stars observed in TESS Sectors 1 and 2. We use differential image photometry to generate light curves and analyze their mode content and modulation properties. We combine accurate light-curve parameters from TESS with parallax and color information from the Gaia mission to create a comprehensive classification scheme. We build a clean sample, preserving RR Lyrae stars with unusual light-curve shapes, while separating other types of pulsating stars. We find that a large fraction of RR Lyrae stars exhibit various low-amplitude modes, but the distribution of those modes is markedly different from those of the bulge stars. This suggests that differences in physical parameters have an observable effect on the excitation of extra modes, potentially offering a way to uncover the origins of these signals. However, mode identification is hindered by uncertainties when identifying the true pulsation frequencies of the extra modes. We compare mode amplitude ratios in classical double-mode stars to stars with extra modes at low amplitudes and find that they separate into two distinct groups. Finally, we find a high percentage of modulated stars among the fundamental mode pulsators, but also find that at least 28% of them do not exhibit modulation, confirming that a significant fraction of stars lack the Blazhko effect.</jats:p

Photometric and Spectroscopic Properties of Type Ia Supernova 2018oh with Early Excess Emission from the Kepler 2 Observations

Supernova (SN) 2018oh (ASASSN-18bt) is the first spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) observed in the Kepler field. The Kepler data revealed an excess emission in its early light curve, allowing us to place interesting constraints on its progenitor system. Here we present extensive optical, ultraviolet, and near-infrared photometry, as well as dense sampling of optical spectra, for this object. SN 2018oh is relatively normal in its photometric evolution, with a rise time of 18.3 ± 0.3 days and Δm 15(B) = 0.96 ± 0.03 mag, but it seems to have bluer B − V colors. We construct the "UVOIR" bolometric light curve having a peak luminosity of 1.49 × 1043 erg s−1, from which we derive a nickel mass as 0.55 ± 0.04 M ⊙ by fitting radiation diffusion models powered by centrally located 56Ni. Note that the moment when nickel-powered luminosity starts to emerge is +3.85 days after the first light in the Kepler data, suggesting other origins of the early-time emission, e.g., mixing of 56Ni to outer layers of the ejecta or interaction between the ejecta and nearby circumstellar material or a nondegenerate companion star. The spectral evolution of SN 2018oh is similar to that of a normal SN Ia but is characterized by prominent and persistent carbon absorption features. The C ii features can be detected from the early phases to about 3 weeks after the maximum light, representing the latest detection of carbon ever recorded in an SN Ia. This indicates that a considerable amount of unburned carbon exists in the ejecta of SN 2018oh and may mix into deeper layers

Morphology of tassel components and their relationship to some quantitative features in maize

Discovering the relationships among plant morphological and quantitative features is very important in maize breeding and production, particularly if they can be altered by selection or agro-technical methods. We examined tassel characteristics (tassel weight, tassel stalk diameter, number of primary branches, total length of branches, tassel length from lower and upper branches, Tassel Area Index) and several quantitative features (plant height, ear height, LAI, number of leaf, yield, 1000-kernel weight, test weight) of 12 hybrids in randomized block design during two subsequent years on two locations. Our aim was to find correlation between traits. Tassel weight was positively correlated with total number of branches (0.59**), number of primary branches (0.53**) and tassel area index (0.63**), and negatively correlated with plant height (−0.45**) and yield (−0.39**). Tassel area index was negatively correlated with plant height (−0.63**) and yield (−0.55**), as were number of branches and Leaf Area Index (0.39**). Number of primary branches showed medium correlation with plant height (−0.43**). Test weight correlated negatively with plant height, ear height, yield, leaf area index (LAI) and 1000-kernel weight. Because a number of these traits are highly heritable, these correlations could be used as a basis for indirect selection of special features in maize breeding programs

Macro- and microelement contents of blue and red kernel corns

The role of special corns in human diets is increasing as a result of their favourable nutritional values. Little is known about mineral contents of different red and blue corns, although they may help to inhibit deficiency diseases mainly in the developing countries. During this study, mineral contents (15 elements) of 3 red and 9 blue corn varieties were examined with ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Highest contents of macroelements were as follows: P (3859.5±562.1 mg kg −1 ), K (4325.0±469.5 mg kg −1 ) and Mg (1450.0±104.6 mg kg −1 ) in the variety Black Mexican, S (1555.0±128.6 mg kg −1 ) in Santo Domingo Blue. In case of microelements, iron, zinc and selenium were highlighted. Except one genotype, iron contents were above 30 mg kg −1 . Blaumais, Hopi Turquoise and Hopi Blue contained more than 40 mg kg −1 (41.0–46.3), which were above values published in the literature (10.0 mg kg −1 in average). For zinc, we measured 15.2–31.5 mg kg −1 . Selenium contents (0.1–0.2 mg kg −1 ) were also higher than in the literature (0.08 mg kg −1 ). Plant selection could utilize variability of special element contents in enhancing these phenomena