Water in the Near IR spectrum of Comet 8P/Tuttle

High resolution spectra of Comet 8P/Tuttle were obtained in the frequency range 3440.6-3462.6 cm-1 on 3 January 2008 UT using CGS4 with echelle grating on UKIRT. In addition to recording strong solar pumped fluorescent (SPF) lines of H2O, the long integration time (152 miutes on target) enabled eight weaker H2O features to be assigned, most of which had not previously been identified in cometary spectra. These transitions, which are from higher energy upper states, are similar in character to the so-called 'SH' lines recorded in the post Deep Impact spectrum of comet Tempel 1 (Barber et al., 2007). We have identified certain characteristics that these lines have in common, and which in addition to helping to define this new class of cometary line, give some clues to the physical processes involved in their production. Finally, we derive an H2O rotational temperature of 62+/- K and a water production rate of (1.4+/-0.3)E28 molecules/s.Comment: Paper has been accepted for publication by MNRAS (11/06/09

Relationship between blood remifentanil concentration and stress hormone levels during pneumoperitoneum in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy

The effect of remifentanil on stress response to surgery is unclear. However, there are not clinical studies investigating the relationship between blood remifentanil concentrations and stress hormones. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the association between blood remifentanil concentrations measured after pneumoperitoneum and cortisol (CORT) or prolactin (PRL) ratio (intraoperative/preoperative value), in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectom

Nutritional quality of pasta sold on the italian market: The food labelling of italian products (FLIP) study

Pasta represents a staple food in many populations and, in recent years, an increasing number of pasta items has been placed on the market to satisfy needs and trends. The aims of this work were: (i) to investigate the nutritional composition of the different types of pasta currently sold in Italy by collecting the nutrition facts on their packaging; (ii) to compare energy, nutrient and salt content per 100 g and serving in fresh and dried pasta; (iii) to compare the nutrition declaration in pairs of products with and without different declarations (i.e., gluten free (GF), organic, and nutrition claims (NC)). A total of 756 items, made available by 13 retailers present on the Italian market, were included in the analysis. Data showed a wide difference between dried and fresh pasta, with high inter-type variability. A negligible amount of salt was observed in all types of pasta, except for stuffed products, which had a median high quantity of salt (>1 g/100 g and ~1.5 g/serving). Organic pasta had higher fibre and lower protein contents compared to conventional pasta. GF products were higher in carbohydrate and fat but lower in fibre and protein than not-GF products, while only a higher fibre content was found in pasta with NC compared to products not boasting claims. Overall, the results show high variability in terms of nutrition composition among the pasta items currently on the market, supporting the importance of reading and understanding food labels for making informed food choices

Complex organic molecules in comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy): detection of ethylene glycol and formamide

A spectral survey in the 1 mm wavelength range was undertaken in the long-period comets C/2012 F6 (Lemmon) and C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) using the 30 m telescope of the Institut de radioastronomie millim\'etrique (IRAM) in April and November-December 2013. We report the detection of ethylene glycol (CH$_2$OH)$_2$ (aGg' conformer) and formamide (NH$_2$CHO) in the two comets. The abundances relative to water of ethylene glycol and formamide are 0.2-0.3% and 0.02% in the two comets, similar to the values measured in comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp). We also report the detection of HCOOH and CH$_3$CHO in comet C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy), and a search for other complex species (methyl formate, glycolaldehyde).Comment: Accepted for publication as a Letter in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Random Graph-Homomorphisms and Logarithmic Degree

A graph homomorphism between two graphs is a map from the vertex set of one graph to the vertex set of the other graph, that maps edges to edges. In this note we study the range of a uniformly chosen homomorphism from a graph G to the infinite line Z. It is shown that if the maximal degree of G is `sub-logarithmic', then the range of such a homomorphism is super-constant. Furthermore, some examples are provided, suggesting that perhaps for graphs with super-logarithmic degree, the range of a typical homomorphism is bounded. In particular, a sharp transition is shown for a specific family of graphs C_{n,k} (which is the tensor product of the n-cycle and a complete graph, with self-loops, of size k). That is, given any function psi(n) tending to infinity, the range of a typical homomorphism of C_{n,k} is super-constant for k = 2 log(n) - psi(n), and is 3 for k = 2 log(n) + psi(n)

Volatile Composition and Outgassing in C/2018 Y1 (IWAMOTO): Extending Detection Limits for High-Resolution IR Cometary Spectroscopy at the NASA-IRTF

We used iSHELL, the powerful high-resolution ( /~ 40,000) cross-dispersed IR spectrograph at the NASA-IRTF to measure the native ice composition and outgassing of moderately bright, long-period comet C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) (hereafter Y1) within weeks of its discovery. We measured production rates for H2O, and production rates and abundance ratios relative to H2O for eight trace molecules, including the most complete measure of cometary CH4 achieved to date. Compared with mean abundances measured among comets, our study revealed enriched CH3OH and C2H6 yet depleted CO and C2H2, perhaps indicating highly efficient H- atom addition on interstellar grains prior to their incorporation into the nucleus. The combined high spectral resolving power and broad spectral coverage of iSHELL allowed characterizing cometary composition using only three instrument settings, and its long-slit coverage allowed comparing the spatial distributions of molecular emissions and dust continuum

A high accuracy computed water line list

A computed list of H$_{2}$$^{16}$O infra-red transition frequencies and intensities is presented. The list, BT2, was produced using a discrete variable representation two-step approach for solving the rotation-vibration nuclear motions. It is the most complete water line list in existence, comprising over 500 million transitions (65% more than any other list) and it is also the most accurate (over 90% of all known experimental energy levels are within 0.3 cm$^{-1}$ of the BT2 values). Its accuracy has been confirmed by extensive testing against astronomical and laboratory data. The line list has been used to identify individual water lines in a variety of objects including: comets, sunspots, a brown dwarf and the nova-like object V838 Mon. Comparison of the observed intensities with those generated by BT2 enables physical values to be derived for these objects. The line list can also be used to provide an opacity for models of the atmospheres of M-dwarf stars and assign previously unknown water lines in laboratory spectra.Comment: 8 Pages, zero figures. Submitted to MNRAS. On line data at: ftp://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/cats/VI/11

Rebirth of X-ray Emission from the Born-Again Planetary Nebula A 30

The planetary nebula (PN) A30 is believed to have undergone a very late thermal pulse resulting in the ejection of knots of hydrogen-poor material. Using HST images we have detected the angular expansion of these knots and derived an age of 850+280-150 yr. To investigate the spectral and spatial properties of the soft X-ray emission detected by ROSAT, we have obtained Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of A30. The X-ray emission from A30 can be separated into two components: a point-source at the central star and diffuse emission associated with the hydrogen-poor knots and the cloverleaf structure inside the nebular shell. To help us assess the role of the current stellar wind in powering this X-ray emission, we have determined the stellar parameters of the central star of A 30 using a non-LTE model fit to its optical and UV spectrum. The spatial distribution and spectral properties of the diffuse X-ray emission is suggestive that it is generated by the post-born-again and present fast stellar winds interacting with the hydrogen-poor ejecta of the born-again event. This emission can be attributed to shock-heated plasma, as the hydrogen-poor knots are ablated by the stellar winds, under which circumstances the efficient mass-loading of the present fast stellar wind raises its density and damps its velocity to produce the observed diffuse soft X-rays. Charge transfer reactions between the ions of the stellar winds and material of the born-again ejecta has also been considered as a possible mechanism for the production of diffuse X-ray emission, and upper limits on the expected X-ray production by this mechanism have been derived. The origin of the X-ray emission from the central star of A 30 is puzzling: shocks in the present fast stellar wind and photospheric emission can be ruled out, while the development of a new, compact hot bubble confining the fast stellar wind seems implausible.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables; accepted for publication by Ap