Sequential star formation in IRAS 06084-0611 (GGD 12-15): From intermediate-mass to high-mass stars

Context. The formation and early evolution of high- and intermediate-mass stars towards the main sequence involves the interplay of stars in a clustered and highly complex environment. To obtain a full census of this interaction, the Formation and Early evolution of Massive Stars (FEMS) collaboration studies a well-selected sample of 10 high-mass star-forming regions. Aims. In this study we examine the stellar content of the high-mass star-forming region centered on IRAS 06084-0611 in the Monoceros R2 cloud. Methods. Using the near-infrared H- and K-band spectra from the VLT/SINFONI instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT)and photometric near-infrared NTT/SOFI, 2MASS and Spitzer/IRAC data, we were able to determine the spectral types for the most luminous stars in the cluster. Results. Two very young and reddened massive stars have been detected by SINFONI: a massive Young Stellar Object (YSO) con- sistent with an early-B spectral type and a Herbig Be star. Furthermore, stars of spectral type G and K are detected while still in the Pre-Main Sequence (PMS) phase. We derive additional properties such as temperatures, extinctions, radii and masses. We present a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and find most objects having intermediate masses between \sim1.5-2.5 M\odot. For these stars we derive a median cluster age of \sim4 Myr. Conclusions. Using Spitzer/IRAC data we confirm earlier studies that the younger class 0/I objects are centrally located while the class II objects are spread out over a larger area, with rough scale size radii of \sim0.5 pc and \sim1.25 pc respectively. Moreover, the presence of a massive YSO, an ultracompact H ii region and highly reddened objects in the center of the cluster suggest a much younger age of < 1 Myr. A possible scenario for this observation would be sequential star formation along the line of sight; from a cluster of intermediate-mass to high-mass stars.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables. Astronomy and Astrophysic

Determinação experimental da retenção do parafuso ortopédico em cortex ósseo

Cylindrical specimens of bone measuring 15 mm in diameter were obtained from the lateral cortical layer of 10 pairs of femurs and tibias. A central hole 3.2 mm in diameter was drilled in each specimen. The hole was tapped, and a 4.5 mm cortical bone screw was inserted from the outer surface. The montage was submitted to push-out testing up to a complete strip of the bone threads. The cortical thickness and rupture load were measured, and the shear stress was calculated. The results were grouped according to the bone segment from which the specimen was obtained. The results showed that bone cortex screw holding power is dependent on the bone site. Additionally, the diaphyseal cortical bone tissue is both quantitatively and qualitatively more resistant to screw extraction than the metaphyseal tissue.Foram retirados corpos de prova cilíndricos de 15 mm de diâmetro da camada cortical da face lateral de 10 pares de fêmures e tíbias oriundos de peças anatômicas. No centro de cada um destes foi feito um orifício de 3,2 mm e nele inserido, a partir da superfície externa, um parafuso cortical de 4,5 mm de diâmetro após rosqueamento com macho. Este conjunto foi submetido a um ensaio mecânico no qual o parafuso foi extraído. A espessura da camada cortical e a carga de ruptura foram medidas e a tensão de cisalhamento foi calculada. Os resultados foram agrupados de acordo com o segmento do osso de onde provinham. Os ensaios mostraram que a retenção cortical do parafuso varia ao longo do osso e que o tecido ósseo da córtex diafisária é tanto quantitativamente quanto qualitativamente mais resistente à extração do parafuso que o tecido metafisário

A novel rescue maneuver for a distal dislodged lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS): "LAMS-in-LAMS" technique

Introduction: the appearance of the lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) has meant an authentic revolution. To date, the results are promising but it is necessary to note the technical incidents and LAMS-related complications. Case report: an EUS-transmural guided drainage using a HotAXIOS was planned for a 36-year-old man with oral intolerance due to a voluminous walled-off necrosis. The distal flange was left in the collection, but a total distal malposition occurred during the proximal flange delivery, despite correct apposition with visualization of the black mark. A rescue technique was performed inserting a second LAMS over-the-guidewire salvaging the initial failed transmural drainage. Discussion: This case is a reminder that in similar scenarios, extreme tension of the echoendoscope can cause a malfunction of the AXIOS stent delivery system, and lead to a total distal malposition. This "LAMS-in-LAMS" technique is feasible, effective, and a very helpful rescue technique in cases of dislodged LAMS

CROSS-Fire : a risk management decision support system on the Grid

The CROSS-Fire project aims to develop a grid-based risk management decision support system for the Civil Protection (CP) authorities, using forest fires as the main case study and FireStation as a standalone CAD application to simulate the fire spread over complex topography. CROSS-Fire approach is based in an architecture that includes: information models, encodings, and metadata that represent the scientific knowledge associated to FireStation execution models and standards to enable the discovery and access of Web services, data repository, sensor networks and data processing facilities. To achieve the desired integration of information and services we use: i) EGEE to provide raw technological capability provision, including data management and storage, access to meta-data data bases and high-performance computing and ii) a Geospatial Information Infrastructure based on OCG-WS and SWE Web services to provide the access and management of remote geospatial data and virtualized sensor networks. This article, stresses the relevance of standards adoption of OGC-WS by describing the work that is been done to provide G-FireStation with: i) a standard-based SDI layer, based on Geoserver to exploit/enable geospatial services for data access/processing and ii) a 52N’s implementation of a OGC-SWE compatible layer, to address sensors CP data sources, such as meteorological stations data and satellite images and iii) the development of G-FireStation graphical user interface to access the platform facilities. The core of the CROSS-Fire Platform is a WPS 52North OGC standard layer divided into three interoperable components, respectively, the CROSS-Fire Business Logic, the Grid Services and Geospatial Services. WPS serves as an interface to a wide range of distributed computing resources provides the mechanism to access the grid facilities for processing and data management and including all the algorithms, calculation, or model that operates on spatially referenced data, also mediating all the communication with the portal and other GUI clients. The G-FireStation user interface that is currently under development is an open-source desktop with GIS and CAD capabilities that exploits an SDI client complying with OGC-WS and EU INSPIRE directives. It provides facilities to locate and access the spatial data infrastructure and to visualize the fire propagation, based on the native facilities of gvSig, it was also extended to support a OGC WPS client that mediate all the interactions with the core WPS service layer.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

A platform to support civil protection applications on the GRID

The CROSS-Fire is a Portuguese NGI funded project focus-ing on the development of a grid-based risk management decision support system for the Civil Protection (CP), using forest fires as the main case study. The project defines a general approach for the development of a CP application by defining an architecture that integrates three main layers: the CROSS-Fire Platform and two external infrastructures: a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and the GRID. The CROSS-Fire Platform is defined and implemented as a set of WPS algorithms dealing with most of the functionalities of its three components: Business Logic, Grid Services and Geospatial services. The present work stresses the relevance of standards adoption: OGC-WS WCS/WFS/WMS/WPS, to exploit/enable geospatial services for data access processing, and OGC-SWE SOS to address other CP data sources, such as meteorological station networks (MSN) or satellites. The adoption of a Web Services (WS) approach allows integrating easily with existing systems typically based on WS technologies. We also present CFS, a grid user interface SDI based client, compliant with OGC and EU INSPIRE directives which allows decision makers to access the spatial data infrastructure, to launch simulations on the grid and visualize the fire propagation simulations.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Effects of patient education on knee joint injections and the impact on patient care and satisfaction in rural Guatemala

Background: As the rates of osteoarthritis increase among the elderly population across the world, the number of intra-articular corticosteroid injections has also steadily increased. The objective of this research study was to compare the ratings of anxiety level, pain level, and education about glucocorticoid injections between the group who received expansive education about joint injections and the group who received minimal education about joint injections. Methods: Each participant was given a pre-injection survey allowing them to rate their anxiety level, pain level, prior education level on knee injections, and duration and severity of symptoms. Each participant completed a post-injection survey following the procedure. Rating data were analyzed using a paired t-test to compare each of the groups to themselves and unpaired t-tests were used to compare the two groups. Demographic and survey data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. Results: Statistical significance was noted when a paired t-test was run between pain levels before and after the knee injection was administered in group A and between pain levels before and after the knee injection was administered in group B (p&lt;0.001). A paired t-test also showed statistical significance when comparing the educational levels before and after the knee injection was administered in group A (p=0.04). Conclusions: This research study showed that increased education on corticosteroid knee injections prior to the procedure demonstrated increased education on corticosteroid knee injections after the injection and decreased pain levels following the injection in participants with osteoarthritis in rural Guatemala

Identification of transitional disks in Chamaeleon with Herschel

Transitional disks are circumstellar disks with inner holes that in some cases are produced by planets and/or substellar companions in these systems. For this reason, these disks are extremely important for the study of planetary system formation. The Herschel Space Observatory provides an unique opportunity for studying the outer regions of protoplanetary disks. In this work we update previous knowledge on the transitional disks in the Chamaeleon I and II regions with data from the Herschel Gould Belt Survey. We propose a new method for transitional disk classification based on the WISE 12 micron-PACS 70 micron color, together with inspection of the Herschel images. We applied this method to the population of Class II sources in the Chamaeleon region and studied the spectral energy distributions of the transitional disks in the sample. We also built the median spectral energy distribution of Class II objects in these regions for comparison with transitional disks. The proposed method allows a clear separation of the known transitional disks from the Class II sources. We find 6 transitional disks, all previously known, and identify 5 objects previously thought to be transitional as possibly non-transitional. We find higher fluxes at the PACS wavelengths in the sample of transitional disks than those of Class II objects. We show the Herschel 70 micron band to be an efficient tool for transitional disk identification. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of Herschel reveals a significant contamination level among the previously identified transitional disk candidates for the two regions, which calls for a revision of previous samples of transitional disks in other regions. The systematic excess found at the PACS bands could be a result of the mechanism that produces the transitional phase, or an indication of different evolutionary paths for transitional disks and Class II sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A: 11 March 2013 11 pages, 15 figure

Chemical composition of corn and sorghum grains cultivated in Oxisol with different application methods and doses of zinc.

In general, tropical soils present low concentrations of zinc (Zn), and the deficiency of Zn is recognized as a world nutritional problem for cereal production and human beings. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to assess the effects of different methods of Zn application on the quality of corn and sorghum grains grown in Oxisol. Two experiments were set up in the experimental area of UNESP (campus of Jaboticabal, Brazil). The following nine treatments were applied:three doses of Zn by banded application (seed furrows), three doses of Zn by incorporation into soil (0-20 cm depth), foliar application, seed application, and control (no Zn applied). The treatments were arranged in randomized blocks with four replicates. The contents of Zn, carbohydrates and proteins were determined for corn and sorghum grains. Regardless of the method, Zn application promoted higher contents of this micronutrient in corn and sorghum grains. The banded application method of Zn in soil promoted greater contents of total carbohydrates, starch and protein in both cultures. The incorporation of Zn into the soil method provided higher contents of soluble carbohydrates in both corn and sorghum grains

High spatial resolution optical imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkH{\alpha} 262/LkH{\alpha} 263

We report high spatial resolution i' band imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkH$\alpha$ 262/LkH$\alpha$ 263 obtained during the first commissioning period of the Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope, using its Lucky Imaging mode. AOLI images have provided photometry for each of the two components LkH$\alpha$ 263 A and B (0.41 arcsec separation) and marginal evidence for an unresolved binary or a disc in LkH$\alpha$ 262. The AOLI data combined with previously available and newly obtained optical and infrared imaging show that the three components of LkH$\alpha$ 263 are co-moving, that there is orbital motion in the AB pair, and, remarkably, that LkH$\alpha$ 262-263 is a common proper motion system with less than 1 mas/yr relative motion. We argue that this is a likely five-component gravitationally bounded system. According to BT-settl models the mass of each of the five components is close to 0.4 M$_{\odot}$ and the age is in the range 1-2 Myr. The presence of discs in some of the components offers an interesting opportunity to investigate the formation and evolution of discs in the early stages of multiple very low-mass systems. In particular, we provide tentative evidence that the disc in 263C could be coplanar with the orbit of 263AB.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Accepted 2016 May

QSO 2237+0305 VR light curves from Gravitational Lenses International Time Project optical monitoring

We present VR observations of QSO 2237+0305 conducted by the GLITP collaboration from 1999 October 1 to 2000 February 3. The observations were made with the 2.56 m Nordic Optical Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma (Spain). The PSF fitting method and an adapted version of the ISIS subtraction method have been used to derive the VR light curves of the four components (A-D) of the quasar. The mean errors range in the intervals 0.01-0.04 mag (PSF fitting) and 0.01-0.02 mag (ISIS subtraction), with the faintest component (D) having the largest uncertainties. We address the relatively good agreement between the A-D light curves derived using different filters, photometric techniques, and telescopes. The new VR light curves of component A extend the time coverage of a high magnification microlensing peak, which was discovered by the OGLE team.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, ApJ accepted (Feb 19