Proper Motions and CCD-photometry of Stars in the Region of the Open Cluster NGC 1513

The results of astrometric and photometric investigations of the poorly studied open cluster NGC 1513 are presented. The proper motions of 353 stars with the root-mean-square error of 1.9 mas/yr were obtained by means of the automated measuring complex "Fantasy" scanning of 8 astrometric plates covering the time interval of 101 years. A total of 141 astrometric cluster members have been identified. BV CCD-photometry was made for the stars in a square size 17 arcmin x 17 arcmin centered on cluster. 33 stars with the high reliability were considered to be cluster members by two criteria. The estimation of NGC 1513 age is 2.54 E+08 years. Tables 2 and 3 are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

CCD BV and 2MASS photometric study of the open cluster NGC 1513

We present CCD BV and JHK$_{s}$ 2MASS photometric data for the open cluster NGC 1513. We observed 609 stars in the direction of the cluster up to a limiting magnitude of $V\sim19$ mag. The star count method shows that the centre of the cluster lies at $\alpha_{2000}=04^{h}09^{m}36^{s}$, $\delta_{2000}=49^{\circ}28^{'}43^{''}$ and its angular size is $r=10$ arcmin. The optical and near-infrared two-colour diagrams reveal the colour excesses in the direction of the cluster as $E(B-V)=0.68\pm0.06$, $E(J-H)=0.21\pm0.02$ and $E(J-K_{s})=0.33\pm0.04$ mag. These results are consistent with normal interstellar extinction values. Optical and near-infrared Zero Age Main-Sequences (ZAMS) provided an average distance modulus of $(m-M)_{0}=10.80\pm0.13$ mag, which can be translated into a distance of $1440\pm80$ pc. Finally, using Padova isochrones we determined the metallicity and age of the cluster as $Z=0.015\pm 0.004$ ($[M/H]=-0.10 \pm 0.10$ dex) and $\log (t/yr) = 8.40\pm0.04$, respectively.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures and 4 tables, accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Facial affect recognition deficit as a marker of genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility that affect recognition impairments are associated with genetic liability to schizophrenia. In a group of 55 unaffected relatives of schizophrenia patients (parents and siblings) we examined the capacity to detect facially expressed emotions and its relationship to schizotypal personality, neurocognitive functioning, and the subject's actual emotional state. The relatives were compared with 103 schizophrenia patients and 99 healthy subjects without any family history of psychoses. Emotional stimuli were nine black-and-white photos of actors, who portrayed six basic emotions as well as interest, contempt, and shame. The results evidenced the affect recognition deficit in relatives, though milder than that in patients themselves. No correlation between the deficit and schizotypal personality measured with SPQ was detected in the group of relatives. Neither cognitive functioning, including attention, verbal memory and linguistic ability, nor actual emotional states accounted for their affect recognition impairments. The results suggest that the facial affect recognition deficit in schizophrenia may be related to genetic predisposition to the disorder and may serve as an endophenotype in molecular-genetic studies. Keywords: affect recognition, genetics, cognition, schizophrenia, schizotypal personality El objetivo de este estudio era investigar la posibilidad de que el déficit para reconocer el afecto se asocie a la vulnerabilidad genética a la esquizofrenia. En un grupo de 55 familiares (padres y hermanos/as) no afectados de pacientes de esquizofrenia examinamos la capacidad para detectar emociones expresadas y su relación con la personalidad esquizotípica, el funcionamiento neurocognitivo y el estado emocional actual del sujeto. Se compararon los familiares con 103 pacientes esquizofrénicos y con 99 sujetos sanos sin ninguna historia familiar de psicosis. Los estímulos emocionales eran 9 fotos en blanco y negro de actores, quienes representaron las 6 emociones básicas, además de interés, desprecio y vergüenza. Los resultados revelaron déficit en reconocimiento afectivo en los familiares, aunque más leve que en los propios pacientes. No se detectó ninguna correlación entre el déficit y la personalidad esquizotípica medida con SPQ en el grupo de familiares. Ni el funcionamiento cognitivo, incluyendo la atención, la memoria verbal y la habilidad lingüística, ni tampoco los estados emocionales actuales explicaron el déficit en el reconocimiento del afecto. Los resultados sugieren que el déficit en reconocimiento de afecto facial en la esquizofrenia puede relacionarse con una predisposición genética al trastorno y puede servir de endofenotipo en los estudios moleculares genéticos. Palabras clave: reconocimiento de afecto, cognición, esquizofrenia, personalidad esquizotípic