On Be Star Candidates and Possible Blue Pre-Main Sequence Objects in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Recently the OGLE experiment has provided accurate light curves and colours for about 2 millions stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We have examined this database for its content of Be stars, applying some selection criteria, and we have found a sample of $\sim$ 1000 candidates. Some of these stars show beautiful light curves with amazing variations never observed in any Galactic variable. We find outbursts in 13% of the sample (Type-1 stars), high and low states in 15%, periodic variations in 7%, and the usual variations seen in Galactic Be stars in 65% of the cases. The Galactic counterparts of Type-1 objects could be the outbursting Be stars found by Hubert & Floquet (1998) after the analysis of Hipparcos photometry. We discuss the possibility that Type-1 stars could correspond to Be stars with accreting white dwarf companions or alternatively, blue pre-main sequence stars surrounded by thermally unstable accretion disks. We provide coordinates and basic photometric information for these stars and some examples of light curves.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Toward Low-Cost Highly Portable Tactile Displays with Shape Memory Alloys

This paper presents a new concept of low-cost, high-resolution, lightweight, compact and highly portable tactile display. The prototype consists of an array of 8 × 8 upward/downward independent moveable pins based on shape memory alloy (SMA) technology. Each tactile actuator consists of an antagonist arranged pair of miniature NiTi SMA helical springs capable of developing a 300 mN pull force at 1.5 Hz bandwidth by using simple forced-air convection. The proposed concept allows the development of 200 g weight tactile instruments of compact dimensions which can be easily carried by a visually disabled user. A detailed technical description of the SMA active element, tactile actuator and tactile display is presented and discussed. Preliminary perceptual results confirm the effectiveness of the display on information transmission

Influence of Liquid Paraffin, White Soft Paraffin and Initial Hydration on Viscosity of Corticosteroid Cream

Purpose: To ascertain the influence of paraffin, white soft paraffin and pre-hydrated white soft paraffin on the viscosity of a cream formulated with a corticosteroid.Methods: The formulations were prepared via homogenization with variable velocity in the range 3300 - 4000 rpm. Individual series of preparations contained the same proportion of macrogol cetostearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, sorbitan stearate, propylene glycol, metyl  parahydroxybenzoate, propyl parahydroxybenzoate and water. The semi-solid preparations were assessed by viscometric and microscopic methods.Results: The viscosity of the samples measured ranged from 13050 to 15660 mPas. The particles in dispersed phase sized from 15 to 90 ìm. Within the multiple emulsion, the continuous phase included fine particles with diameter < 5 ìm. Change of the liquid paraffin used from Ondina 934 to Vara 600P significantly decreased the viscosity of the formulation. Several phases within the formulations were distinguished microscopically. Increased viscosity was observed in formulations with increasing proportion of white soft paraffin.Conclusion: Both the ratio of liquid paraffin to white soft paraffin, as well as the initial hydration of white soft paraffin influenced the viscosity of the cream as well as the diameter of particles in the dispersed phase.Keywords: Cream, Ointment, Paraffin, Emulsion, Dispersion, Viscosity, Particle diamete

Dust Emission from Evolved and Unevolved HII Regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present a study of the dust properties of 12 classical and superbubble HII regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We use infrared photometry from Spitzer (8, 24, 70, and 160 \mum bands), obtained as part of the Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution (SAGE) program, along with archival spectroscopic classifications of the ionizing stars to examine the role of stellar sources on dust heating and processing. Our infrared observations show surprisingly little correlation between the emission properties of the dust and the effective temperatures or bolometric magnitudes of stars in the HII regions, suggesting that the HII region evolutionary timescale is not on the order of the dust processing timescale. We find that the infrared emission of superbubbles and classical HII regions shows little differentiation between the two classes, despite the significant differences in age and morphology. We do detect a correlation of the 24 \mum emission from hot dust with the ratio of 70 to 160 \mum flux. This correlation can be modeled as a trend in the temperature of a minority hot dust component, while a majority of the dust remains significantly cooler.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. Accepted to Ap

Types of inferior phrenic arteries: a new point of view based on a cadaveric study

Background: The diaphragm is supplied by the superior and inferior phrenic arteries. This present study focusses on the latter. The inferior phrenic arteries (IPA) usually originate from the abdominal aorta. The two arteries have different origins, and knowledge of these is important when performing related surgical interventions and interventional radiological procedures. The aim of this study was to identify variations in the origin of the IPA and conduct relevant morphometric analyses.Materials and methods: The anatomical variations in the origins of the left inferior phrenic artery (LIPA) and the right inferior phrenic artery (RIPA) were examined in 48 cadavers fixed in 10% formalin solution. A dissection of the abdominal region of the cadavers was performed according to a pre-established protocol using traditional techniques. Morphometric measurements were then taken twice by two of the researchers.Results: In the cadavers, six types of origin were observed. In type 1, the most common type, the RIPA and LIPA originate from the abdominal aorta (AA) (14 = 29.12%). In type 2, the RIPA and the LIPA originate from the coeliac trunk (CT) (12 = 24.96%). In type 3, the RIPA and the LIPA originate from the left gastric artery, with no CT observed (3 = 6.24%). Type 4 has two subtypes: 4A, in which the LIPA originates from the AA and the RIPA originates from the CT (9 = 18.72%) and 4B, in which the RIPA originates from the AA and the LIPA originates from the CT (6 = 12.48%). In type 5, the LIPA originates from the AA and the RIPA originates from the AA (1 = 2.08%). Type 6 is characterised by the RIPA and LIPA forming a common trunk originating from the CT (3 = 6.24%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest the presence of six different types of LIPA and RIPA origin. The most common form is type 1, characterised by an IPA originating from the abdominal aorta, while the second most common is type 2, in which the IPA originates from the AA by a common trunk. The diversity of other types of origin is associated with the occurrence of coeliac trunk variation (type 3). No significant differences in RIPA diameter could be found, whereas LIPA diameter could vary significantly. No significant differences in RIPA and the LIPA diameter could be found according to sex

Antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties and zinc content of five south Portugal herbs

Context: Crataegus monogyna L. (Rosaceae) (CM), Equisetum telmateia L. (Equisataceae) (ET), Geranium purpureum Vil. (Geraniaceae) (GP), Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) (MS), and Lavandula stoechas L. spp. luisieri (Lamiaceae) (LS) are all medicinal. Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant, antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities of plant extracts and quantify individual phenolics and zinc. Material and methods: Aerial part extracts were prepared with water (W), ethanol (E) and an 80% mixture (80EW). Antioxidant activity was measured with TAA, FRAP and RP methods. Phenolics were quantified with a HPLC. Zinc was quantified using voltammetry. Antibacterial activity (after 48 h) was tested using Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes. Antiproliferative activity (after 24 h) was tested using HEP G2 cells and fibroblasts. Results: Solvents influenced results; the best were E and 80EW. GP had the highest antioxidant activity (TAA and FRAP of 536.90mg AAE/g dw and 783.48mg TE/g dw, respectively). CM had the highest zinc concentration (37.21 mg/kg) and phenolic variety, with neochlorogenic acid as the most abundant (92.91 mg/100 g dw). LS was rich in rosmarinic acid (301.71 mg/100 g dw). GP and LS inhibited the most microorganisms: B. cereus, E. coli and S. aureus. GP also inhibited E. faecalis. CM had the lowest MIC: 5830 mu g/mL. The antibacterial activity is explained by the phenolics present. LS and CM showed the most significant anti-proliferative activity, which is explained by their zinc content. Conclusion: The most promising plants for further studies are CM, LS and GP.FCT, Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia of Portugal [SFRH/BSA/139/2014

An overview of technical considerations for Western blotting applications to physiological research

The applications of Western/immuno-blotting (WB) techniques have reached multiple layers of the scientific community and are now considered routine procedures in the field of physiology. This is none more so than in relation to skeletal muscle physiology (i.e. resolving the mechanisms underpinning adaptations to exercise). Indeed, the inclusion of WB data is now considered an essential aspect of many such physiological publications to provide mechanistic insight into regulatory processes. Despite this popularity, and due to the ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive availability of WB equipment, the quality of WB in publications and subsequent analysis and interpretation of the data can be variable, perhaps resulting in spurious conclusions. This may be due to poor laboratory technique and/or lack of comprehension of the critical steps involved in WB and what quality control procedures should be in place to ensure robust data generation. The present review aims to provide a detailed description and critique of WB procedures and technicalities, from sample collection through preparation, blotting and detection to analysis of the data collected. We aim to provide the reader with improved expertise to critically conduct, evaluate and troubleshoot the WB process, to produce reproducible and reliable blots

Microlensing of Relativistic Knots in the Quasar HE1104-1805

We present 3 years of photometry of the ``Double Hamburger'' lensed quasar, HE1104-1805, obtained on 102 separate nights using the OGLE 1.3-m telescope. Both the A and B images show variations, but with substantial differences in the lighcurves at all time delays. At the 310 day delay reported by Wisotzki and collaborators the difference lightcurve has an rms amplitude of 0.060 mag. The structure functions for the A and B images are quite different, with image A more than twice as variable as image B (a factor of 4 in structure function) on timescales of less than a month. Adopting microlensing as a working hypothesis for the uncorrelated variability, the short timescale argues for the relativistic motion of one or more components of the source. We argue that the small amplitude of the fluctuations is due to the finite size of the source with respect to the microlenses.Comment: As accepted for publication in ApJ. 22 pages. The discussion of microlensing at high optical depth has been shortened and a few minor points have been clarifie

Effects of semantic plausibility, syntactic complexity and n-gram frequency on children's sentence repetition

Theories of language processing differ with respect to the role of abstract syntax and semantics vs surface-level lexical co-occurrence (n-gram) frequency. The contribution of each of these factors has been demonstrated in previous studies of children and adults, but none have investigated them jointly. This study evaluated the role of all three factors in a sentence repetition task performed by children aged 4–7 and 11–12 years. It was found that semantic plausibility benefitted performance in both age groups; syntactic complexity disadvantaged the younger group but benefitted the older group; while contrary to previous findings, n-gram frequency did not facilitate, and in a post-hoc analysis even hampered, performance. This new evidence suggests that n-gram frequency effects might be restricted to the highly constrained and frequent n-grams used in previous investigations, and that semantics and morphosyntax play a more powerful role than n-gram frequency, supporting the role of abstract linguistic knowledge in children's sentence processing