Variability of M giant stars based on Kepler photometry: general characteristics

M giants are among the longest period pulsating stars which is why their studies were traditionally restricted to analyses of low-precision visual observations, and, more recently, accurate ground-based data. Here we present an overview of M giant variability on a wide range of time-scales (hours to years), based on the analysis of 13 quarters of Kepler long-cadence observations (one point per every 29.4 min), with a total time-span of over 1000 d. About two-thirds of the sample stars have been selected from the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS)-North survey of the Kepler field, with the rest supplemented from a randomly chosen M giant control sample. We first describe the correction of the light curves from different quarters, which was found to be essential. We use Fourier analysis to calculate multiple frequencies for all stars in the sample. Over 50 stars show a relatively strong signal with a period equal to the Kepler-year and a characteristic phase dependence across the whole field of view. We interpret this as a so far unidentified systematic effect in the Kepler data. We discuss the presence of regular patterns in the distribution of multiple periodicities and amplitudes. In the period-amplitude plane we find that it is possible to distinguish between solar-like oscillations and larger amplitude pulsations which are characteristic for Mira/semiregular stars. This may indicate the region of the transition between two types of oscillations as we move upward along the giant branch

Putative extremely high rate of proteome innovation in lancelets might be explained by high rate of gene prediction errors

A recent analysis of the genomes of Chinese and Florida lancelets has concluded that the rate of creation of novel protein domain combinations is orders of magnitude greater in lancelets than in other metazoa and it was suggested that continuous activity of transposable elements in lancelets is responsible for this increased rate of protein innovation. Since morphologically Chinese and Florida lancelets are highly conserved, this finding would contradict the observation that high rates of protein innovation are usually associated with major evolutionary innovations. Here we show that the conclusion that the rate of proteome innovation is exceptionally high in lancelets may be unjustified: the differences observed in domain architectures of orthologous proteins of different amphioxus species probably reflect high rates of gene prediction errors rather than true innovation

Spontaneous radiation of a finite-size dipole emitter in hyperbolic media

We study the radiative decay rate and Purcell effect for a finite-size dipole emitter placed in a homogeneous uniaxial medium. We demonstrate that the radiative rate is strongly enhanced when the signs of the longitudinal and transverse dielectric constants of the medium are opposite, and the isofrequency contour has a hyperbolic shape. We reveal that the Purcell enhancement factor remains finite even in the absence of losses, and it depends on the emitter size.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Electron-hole correlation effects in the emission of light from quantum wires

We present a self-consistent treatment of the electron-hole correlations in optically excited quantum wires within the ladder approximation, and using a contact potential interaction. The limitations of the ladder approximation to the excitonic low-density region are largely overcome by the introduction of higher order correlations through self consistency. We show relevance of these correlations in the low-temperature emission, even for high density relevant in lasing, when large gain replaces excitonic absorption.Comment: 4 paes 3 figure

Effect of drought on yield components of maize hybrids (Zea mays L)

When investigating drought tolerance, it must not be forgotten that drought stress is a complex phenomenon ex¬hibiting quite different characters in different years and locations. For this reason, the plant response to drought is also a complex process. In our study, 83 maize hybrids originating from various countries were investigated over a period of two years, under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. The drought tolerance of plants in the non-irrigated plots was analysed in terms of flowering synchrony and yield components. It could be concluded from the results that in response to long-term water deficit the period between tasselling and silking became longer, while the analysis of yield components revealed the greatest reductions in the number of kernels per ear and in the proportion of seed set. As the degree of proterandry increased, there was a decline in the grain yield, confirming that the analysis of this trait could be a way of predicting drought tolerance. Considerable differences in drought tolerance were observed between the genetic materials included in the analysis, suggesting the presence among these parental lines and hybrids of genotypes resistant to long-term water deficit, suitable for cultivation under dry conditions. An analysis of correlations between the traits revealed that proterandry should be treated as a priority trait when investigating drought stress tolerance, as better predictions can be made of both drought tolerance and potential yields, leading to more reliable selection for higher yields

Lack of prophylaxis before the onset of acute venous thromboembolism among hospitalized cancer patients: the SWIss Venous ThromboEmbolism Registry (SWIVTER)

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis remains underutilized, particularly in cancer patients. We explored clinical predictors of prophylaxis in hospitalized cancer patients before the onset of acute VTE. Methods: In the SWiss Venous ThromboEmbolism Registry, 257 cancer patients (61 ± 15 years) with acute VTE and prior hospitalization for acute medical illness or surgery within 30 days (91% were at high risk with Geneva VTE risk score ≥3) were enrolled. Results: Overall, 153 (60%) patients received prophylaxis (49% pharmacological and 21% mechanical) before the onset of acute VTE. Outpatient status at the time of VTE diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) 0.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.53], ongoing chemotherapy (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.31-0.85), and recent chemotherapy (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.88) were univariately associated with the absence of VTE prophylaxis. In multivariate analysis, intensive care unit admission within 30 days (OR 7.02, 95% CI 2.38-20.64), prior deep vein thrombosis (OR 3.48, 95% CI 2.14-5.64), surgery within 30 days (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.19-4.99), bed rest >3 days (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.08-3.78), and outpatient status (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.76) remained the only independent predictors of thromboprophylaxis. Conclusions: Although most hospitalized cancer patients were at high risk, 40% did not receive any prophylaxis before the onset of acute VTE. There is a need to improve thromboprophylaxis in cancer patients, particularly in the presence of recent or ongoing chemotherap

Constraining RRc candidates using SDSS colours

The light variations of first-overtone RR Lyrae stars and contact eclipsing binaries can be difficult to distinguish. The Catalina Periodic Variable Star catalog contains several misclassified objects, despite the classification efforts by Drake et al. (2014). They used metallicity and surface gravity derived from spectroscopic data (from the SDSS database) to rule out binaries. Our aim is to further constrain the catalog using SDSS colours to estimate physical parameters for stars that did not have spectroscopic data

Abiotic stress response of near-isogenic spring durum wheat lines under different sowing densities

A detailed study was made of changes in the plant development, morphology, physiology and yield biology of near-isogenic lines of spring durum wheat sown in the field with different plant densities in two consecutive years (2013–2014). An analysis was made of the drought tolerance of isogenic lines selected for yield QTLs (QYld.idw-2B and QYld.idw-3B), and the presence of QTL effects was examined in spring sowings. Comparisons were made of the traits of the isogenic pairs QYld.idw-3B++ and QYld.idw-3B−− both within and between the pairs. Changes in the polyamine content, antioxidant enzyme activity, chlorophyll content of the flag leaf and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of the plot were monitored in response to drought stress, and the relationship between these components and the yield was analyzed. In the case of moderate stress, differences between the NIL++ and NIL−− pairs appeared in the early dough stage, indicating that the QYld.idw-3B++ QTL region was able to maintain photosynthetic activity for a longer period, resulting in greater grain number and grain weight at the end of the growing period. The chlorophyll content of the flag leaf in phenophases Z77 and Z83 was significantly correlated with the grain number and grain weight of the main spike. The grain yield was greatly influenced by the treatment, while the genotype had a significant effect on the thousand-kernel weight and on the grain number and grain weight of the main spike. When the lines were compared in the non-irrigated treatment, significantly more grains and significantly higher grain weight were observed in the main spike in NIL++ lines, confirming the theory that the higher yields of the QYld.idw-3B++ lines when sown in spring and exposed to drought stress could be attributed to the positive effect of the “Kofa” QTL on chromosome 3B

Photoexcited transients in disordered semiconductors: Quantum coherence at very short to intermediate times

We study theoretically electron transients in semiconductor alloys excited by light pulses shorter than 100 femtoseconds and tuned above the absorption edge during and shortly after the pulse, when disorder scattering is dominant. We use non-equilibrium Green functions employing the field-dependent self-consistent Born approximation. The propagators and the particle correlation function are obtained by a direct numerical solution of the Dyson equations in differential form. For the purely elastic scattering in our model system the solution procedures for the retarded propagator and for the correlation function can be decoupled.The propagator is used as an input in calculating the correlation function. Numerical results combined with a cumulant expansion permit to separate in a consistent fashion the dark and the induced parts of the self-energy. The dark behavior reduces to propagation of strongly damped quasi-particles; the field induced self-energy leads to an additional time non-local coherence. The particle correlation function is formed by a coherent transient and an incoherent back-scattered component. The particle number is conserved only if the field induced coherence is fully incorporated. The transient polarization and the energy balance are also obtained and interpreted.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B; 37 pages,17 figure