38 research outputs found
AMBER/VLTI observations of 5 giant stars
While the search for exoplanets around main sequence stars more massive than
the Sun have found relatively few such objects, surveys performed around giant
stars have led to the discovery of more than 30 new exoplanets. The interest in
studying planet hosting giant stars resides in the possibility of investigating
planet formation around stars more massive than the Sun. Masses of isolated
giant stars up to now were only estimated from evolutionary tracks, which led
to different results depending on the physics considered. To calibrate the
theory, it is therefore important to measure a large number of giant star
diameters and masses as much as possible independent of physical models. We aim
in the determination of diameters and effective temperatures of 5 giant stars,
one of which is known to host a planet. AMBER/VLTI observations with the ATs
were executed in low resolution mode on 5 giant stars. In order to measure high
accurate calibrated squared visibilities, a calibrator-star-calibrator
observational sequence was performed. We measured the uniform disk and
limb-darkened angular diameters of 4 giant stars. The effective temperatures
were also derived by combining the bolometric luminosities and the
interferometric diameters. Lower effective temperatures were found when
compared to spectroscopic measurements. The giant star HD12438 was found to
have an unknown companion star at an angular separation of ~ 12 mas. Radial
velocity measurements present in the literature confirm the presence of a
companion with a very long orbital period (P ~ 11.4 years).}Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Elemental abundances of low-mass stars in the young clusters 25 Ori and lambda Ori
Aims. We aim to derive the chemical pattern of the young clusters 25 Orionis
and lambda Orionis through homogeneous and accurate measurements of elemental
abundances. Methods. We present FLAMES/UVES observations of a sample of 14
K-type targets in the 25 Ori and lambda Ori clusters; we measure their radial
velocities, in order to confirm cluster membership. We derive stellar
parameters and abundances of Fe, Na, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Ni using the code
MOOG. Results. All the 25 Ori stars are confirmed cluster members without
evidence of binarity; in lambda Ori we identify one non-member and one
candidate single-lined binary star. We find an average metallicity
[Fe/H]=-0.05+/-0.05 for 25 Ori, where the error is the 1sigma standard
deviation from the average. lambda Ori members have a mean iron abundance value
of 0.01+/-0.01. The other elements show close-to-solar ratios and no
star-to-star dispersion. Conclusions. Our results, along with previous
metallicity determinations in the Orion complex, evidence a small but
detectable dispersion in the [Fe/H] distribution of the complex. This appears
to be compatible with large-scale star formation episodes and initial
non-uniformity in the pre-cloud medium. We show that, as expected, the
abundance distribution of star forming regions is consistent with the chemical
pattern of the Galactic thin disk.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics. 14 pages, 10 figures, 7
table
Toward an internally consistent astronomical distance scale
Accurate astronomical distance determination is crucial for all fields in
astrophysics, from Galactic to cosmological scales. Despite, or perhaps because
of, significant efforts to determine accurate distances, using a wide range of
methods, tracers, and techniques, an internally consistent astronomical
distance framework has not yet been established. We review current efforts to
homogenize the Local Group's distance framework, with particular emphasis on
the potential of RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators, and attempt to extend
this in an internally consistent manner to cosmological distances. Calibration
based on Type Ia supernovae and distance determinations based on gravitational
lensing represent particularly promising approaches. We provide a positive
outlook to improvements to the status quo expected from future surveys,
missions, and facilities. Astronomical distance determination has clearly
reached maturity and near-consistency.Comment: Review article, 59 pages (4 figures); Space Science Reviews, in press
(chapter 8 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ
workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age
Predicting complexity perception of real world images
The aim of this work is to predict the complexity perception of real world images.We propose a new complexity measure where different image features, based on spatial, frequency and color properties are linearly combined. In order to find the optimal set of weighting coefficients we have applied a Particle Swarm Optimization. The optimal linear combination is the one that best fits the subjective data obtained in an experiment where observers evaluate the complexity of real world scenes on a web-based interface. To test the proposed complexity measure we have performed a second experiment on a different database of real world scenes, where the linear combination previously obtained is correlated with the new subjective data. Our complexity measure outperforms not only each single visual feature but also two visual clutter measures frequently used in the literature to predict image complexity. To analyze the usefulness of our proposal, we have also considered two different sets of stimuli composed of real texture images. Tuning the parameters of our measure for this kind of stimuli, we have obtained a linear combination that still outperforms the single measures. In conclusion our measure, properly tuned, can predict complexity perception of different kind of images
Overexpression of the Cytokine BAFF and Autoimmunity Risk
: Genomewide association studies of autoimmune diseases have mapped hundreds of susceptibility regions in the genome. However, only for a few association signals has the causal gene been identified, and for even fewer have the causal variant and underlying mechanism been defined. Coincident associations of DNA variants affecting both the risk of autoimmune disease and quantitative immune variables provide an informative route to explore disease mechanisms and drug-targetable pathways.
: Using case-control samples from Sardinia, Italy, we performed a genomewide association study in multiple sclerosis followed by TNFSF13B locus-specific association testing in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Extensive phenotyping of quantitative immune variables, sequence-based fine mapping, cross-population and cross-phenotype analyses, and gene-expression studies were used to identify the causal variant and elucidate its mechanism of action. Signatures of positive selection were also investigated.
: A variant in TNFSF13B, encoding the cytokine and drug target B-cell activating factor (BAFF), was associated with multiple sclerosis as well as SLE. The disease-risk allele was also associated with up-regulated humoral immunity through increased levels of soluble BAFF, B lymphocytes, and immunoglobulins. The causal variant was identified: an insertion-deletion variant, GCTGT→A (in which A is the risk allele), yielded a shorter transcript that escaped microRNA inhibition and increased production of soluble BAFF, which in turn up-regulated humoral immunity. Population genetic signatures indicated that this autoimmunity variant has been evolutionarily advantageous, most likely by augmenting resistance to malaria.
: A TNFSF13B variant was associated with multiple sclerosis and SLE, and its effects were clarified at the population, cellular, and molecular levels. (Funded by the Italian Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis and others.).Supported by grants (2011/R/13 and 2015/R/09, to Dr. Cucca) from the Italian Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis; contracts (N01-AG-1-2109 and HHSN271201100005C, to Dr. Cucca) from the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (NIH); a grant (FaReBio2011 “Farmaci e Reti Biotecnologiche di Qualità,” to Dr. Cucca) from the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance; a grant (633964, to Dr. Cucca) from the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program of the European Union; a grant (U1301.2015/AI.1157.BE Prat. 2015-1651, to Dr. Cucca) from Fondazione di Sardegna; grants (“Centro per la ricerca di nuovi farmaci per malattie rare, trascurate e della povertà” and “Progetto collezione di composti chimici ed attività di screening,” to Dr. Cucca) from Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca; grants (HG005581, HG005552, HG006513, and HG007022, to Dr. Abecasis) from the National Human Genome Research Institute; a grant (9-2011-253, to Dr. Todd) from JDRF; a grant (091157, to Dr. Todd) from the Wellcome Trust; a grant (to Dr. Todd) from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. Dr. Idda was a recipient of a Master and Back fellowship from the Autonomous Region of Sardinia
The Beavers and Joseph condition for velocity slip at the surface of a porous medium
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