The Connection Between Pulsation, Mass Loss and Circumstellar Shells in Classical Cepheids

Recent observations of Cepheids using infrared interferometry and Spitzer photometry have detected the presence of circumstellar envelopes (CSE) of dust and it has been hypothesized that the CSE's are due to dust forming in a Cepheid wind. Here we use a modified Castor, Abbott & Klein formalism to produce a Cepheid wind, and this is used to estimate the contribution of mass loss to the Cepheid mass discrepancy Furthermore, we test the OGLE-III Classical Cepheids using the IR fluxes from the SAGE survey to determine if Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids have CSE's. It is found that IR excess is a common phenomenon for LMC Cepheids and that the resulting mass-loss rates can explain at least a fraction of the Cepheid mass discrepancy, depending on the assumed dust-to-gas ratio in the wind.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, proceeding for "Stellar Pulsation: Challenges for Theory and Observation", Santa Fe 200

Variation in Shrinkage Properties of Second-Growth Baldcypress and Tupelo-Gum

Trees of baldcypress and tupelo-gum aged from 55 to 75 years, growing in a naturally regenerated stand in the Atchafalaya Basin in south Louisiana, were felled to provide samples for determination of shrinkage, specific gravity, and extractive content. Samples were taken from six heights and from three radial positions (=wood-types) along three radii. Differences among trees and among plots (which had different basal areas) were found for all measured variables. There were also variations in unextracted specific gravity with height in the tree and wood-type in baldcypress, and, except for specific gravity, with wood-type in tupelo-gum. After extraction, shrinkage effects of height and wood-type were reduced or disappeared. Specific gravity was generally lowest in the lower portion of the stem and in the outerwood. Correlation of shrinkage with specific gravity was highest in the outerwood, and extractive content was correlated with shrinkage in tupelo-gum but not in baldcypress

The sleep quality of patients with insomnia under the influence of subtle energy fields

Background: The article evaluates the current state of insomnia treatment for patients without neurological, psychiatric, and somatic disorders. An important goal consists in developing non-drug therapies for insomnia, possessing no side effects. Following this research direction, we put a special emphasis on non-medicamental methods for correction of sleep disturbance in persons with psychophysiological insomnia.Methods: Authors propose a method of insomnia treatment in which patients sleep on the specialized Bio Velocity mattresses (the ‘activated mattress’ therapy). The conditions of patients before and after the treatment are assessed by clinical, psychophysiological, electroencephalographic methods, and by the Voll method, which studies the meridians of organs and systems, including the nervous system.Results: We show the effectiveness of the therapy by demonstrating improving psychological indicators, EEG data, and the Voll diagnostics data in a group of patients.Conclusions: The activated Bio Velocity mattresses can effectively be used by patients with the sleep disorders in addition to and, partially, as a replacement of conventional tools and medicine.

Photocatalytic Reduction of Aqueous Cr(VI) with CdS under Visible Light Irradiation: Effect of Particle Size

Stringent environmental standards have made the removal of Cr(VI) from water an important problem for environmental scientist and engineering. Heterogeneous photocatalysis using suspended photocatalyst is an interesting technique to consider for this application. In this work, the influence of particle size of suspended CdS on the photocatalytic reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) ion was investigated. The efficiency of Cr(VI) reduction was monitored through UV-visible analysis. The experimental results showed that the nanoparticle size has a dramatic effect on the adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI). As surface area increased from 44.2±0.6 to 98.7±0.5 m2/g due to particle size reduction, the rate of Cr(VI) reduction nearly doubled in the first 20 min of visible light irradiation. The results evidenced the inverse relationship between the apparent reduction rate constant and the CdS particle size. Conversely, the half-life (t1/2) period of the photocatalytic reduction has a direct relationship with CdS particle sizes.

Iso-singlet Down Quark Mixing And CP Violation Experiments

We confront the new physics models with extra iso-singlet down quarks in the new CP violation experimental era with $\sin{(2\beta)}$ and $\epsilon'/\epsilon$ measurements, $K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \bar{\nu}$ events, and $x_s$ limits. The closeness of the new experimental results to the standard model theory requires us to include full SM amplitudes in the analysis. In models allowing mixing to a new isosinglet down quark, as in E$_6$, flavor changing neutral currents are induced that allow a $Z^0$ mediated contribution to $B-\bar B$ mixing and which bring in new phases. In $(\rho,\eta)$, $(x_s,\sin{(\gamma)})$, and $(x_s, \sin{(2\phi_s)})$ plots we still find much larger regions in the four down quark model than in the SM, reaching down to $\eta \approx 0$, $0 \leq \sin{(\gamma)} \leq 1$, $-.75 \leq \sin{(2\alpha)} \leq 0.15$, and $\sin{(2\phi_s)}$ down to zero, all at 1$\sigma$. We elucidate the nature of the cancellation in an order $\lambda^5$ four down quark mixing matrix element which satisfies the experiments and reduces the number of independent angles and phases. We also evaluate tests of unitarity for the $3\times3$ CKM submatrix.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figures, REVTeX

Breast state improvement by using the lymphatic drainage disposable bra pads

Background: The health and good esthetic conditions of the breast are important indicators of women’s life quality. One factor that negatively affects this quality is the breast ptosis, associated with the sagging of the mammary glands due to tissue stretching and the loss of tissue and skin elasticity. New tools and methods able to improve the shape and beautiful contour of the breast are highly desirable.Methods: We investigated how the disposable bra pads by BAE International Inc., having the lymphatic drainage effect for the breast, influenced the female breast state. We applied two methods, the ultrasound elasticity imaging and the pattern recognition of the nipples position, to monitor the breast state dynamics in two groups of females, the study and control ones.Results: Preliminary results showed that both the breast elasticity and the pattern of nipple positions improved for females wearing the bra pads as compared to females wearing regular bras without pads (P<0.05 for the difference between the two groups of females).Conclusions: Overall, the bra pads by BAE can be considered as an effective tool encouraging metabolism by improving the flow of blood circulation and lymph in the breast