Searching for X-ray sources in nearby late-type galaxies with low star formation rates

Late type non-starburst galaxies have been shown to contain X-ray emitting objects, some being ultraluminous X-ray sources. We report on XMM-Newton observations of 11 nearby, late-type galaxies previously observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in order to find such objects. We found 18 X-ray sources in or near the optical extent of the galaxies, most being point-like. If associated with the corresponding galaxies, the source luminosities range from $2 \times 10^{37}$ erg s$^{-1}$ to $6 \times 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. We found one ultraluminous X-ray source, which is in the galaxy IC 5052, and one source coincident with the galaxy IC 4662 with a blackbody temperature of $0.166 \pm 0.015$ keV that could be a quasi-soft source or a quiescent neutron star X-ray binary in the Milky Way. One X-ray source, XMMU J205206.0$-$691316, is extended and coincident with a galaxy cluster visible on an HST image. The X-ray spectrum of the cluster reveals a redshift of $z = 0.25 \pm 0.02$ and a temperature of 3.6$\pm$0.4 keV. The redshift was mainly determined by a cluster of Fe XXIV lines between the observed energy range $0.8-1.0$ keV.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in MNRA

Spectral State Transitions of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source IC 342 X-1

We observed the Ultraluminous X-ray Source IC 342 X-1 simultaneously in X-ray and radio with Chandra and the JVLA to investigate previously reported unresolved radio emission coincident with the ULX. The Chandra data reveal a spectrum that is much softer than observed previously and is well modelled by a thermal accretion disc spectrum. No significant radio emission above the rms noise level was observed within the region of the ULX, consistent with the interpretation as a thermal state though other states cannot be entirely ruled out with the current data. We estimate the mass of the black hole using the modelled inner disc temperature to be $30~\mathrm{M_{\odot}} \lesssim M\sqrt{\mathrm{cos}i}\lesssim200~\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ based on a Shakura-Sunyaev disc model. Through a study of the hardness and high-energy curvature of available X-ray observations, we find that the accretion state of X-1 is not determined by luminosity alone.Comment: 10 pages, 5 Figures. MNRAS: Accepted 2014 July 2

TT ILPF - construindo capacidades e inovando no setor produtivo do Tocantins e sul do Pará.

A pesquisa brasileira e, em especial, a Embrapa, passou a desenvolver tecnologias mais conservacionistas e, nesse sentido, a integração lavoura-pecuária-floresta (ILPF) vem sendo trabalhada pela empresa em todo o país como uma inovação para a produção agropecuária sustentável. Este sistema permite a produção concomitante de árvores, grãos, forragem e atividade pecuária em áreas anteriormente de monocultivo, e possibilita a recuperação das áreas de pastagens degradadas via consórcio, sucessão e/ou rotação. O sistema ILPF permite aumento da matéria orgânica e atividade biológica do solo, bem como, redução das emissões de gases do efeito estufa, promovendo a sustentabilidade produtiva das áreas. Além disso, a ILPF propicia ganhos econômicos, estabilidade da renda do produtor na medida em que permite maior oferta de emprego e produção o ano todo (grãos, carne, leite, energia, produtos madeireiros e não madeireiros oriundos das árvores). Em função de todas estas características técnicas, econômicas e sociais do sistema, a adoção de ILPF promove uma maneira inovadora de produção de alimentos, fibras e energia.bitstream/item/205777/1/CNPASA-2019-cap10.pd

Projeto ABC Corte no Tocantins: intensificação da produção de carne a pasto: o caso da Fazenda Aracruz.

Introdução. Contexto da Fazenda Aracruz na safra 2018/2019. Trabalhos realizados. Resultados obtidos. Considerações Finais. Saiba mais sobre o projeto ABC Corte

Projeto ABC Corte: resultados das safras 2017/2018 e 2018/2019.

O ABC Corte é um projeto de transferência de tecnologia coordenado pela Embrapa e executado por meio de parcerias com instituições de assistência técnica públicas e privadas. O objetivo é estimular a adoção de tecnologias para a intensificação da produção de carne em pastagens por meio de uma rede de técnicos multiplicadores certificados e Unidades de Referência Tecnológica (URTs) no estado do Tocantins. As tecnologias propostas estão alinhadas ao Plano Agricultura de Baixa Emissão de Carbono (Plano ABC), visando à recuperação de pastagens degradadas e à redução de pressão antrópica sobre áreas de vegetação nativa nos biomas Cerrado e Amazônia. O Plano ABC do Tocantins estabelece uma meta de recuperação de 1,2 milhão de ha de pastagens degradadas até o ano de 2020. No presente documento, são apresentados resultados obtidos nas URTs do projeto ABC Corte nas safras 2017/2018 e 2018/2019.bitstream/item/215580/1/CNPASA-2020-Projeto-ABC-Corte.pd

Stable fiber-illumination for extremely precise radial velocities with NEID

NEID is a high-resolution red-optical precision radial velocity (RV) spectrograph recently commissioned at the WIYN 3.5 m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, USA. NEID has an extremely stable environmental control system, and spans a wavelength range of 380 to 930 nm with two observing modes: a High Resolution (HR) mode at R $\sim$ 112,000 for maximum RV precision, and a High Efficiency (HE) mode at R $\sim$ 72,000 for faint targets. In this manuscript we present a detailed description of the components of NEID's optical fiber feed, which include the instrument, exposure meter, calibration system, and telescope fibers. Many parts of the optical fiber feed can lead to uncalibratable RV errors, which cannot be corrected for using a stable wavelength reference source. We show how these errors directly cascade down to performance requirements on the fiber feed and the scrambling system. We detail the design, assembly, and testing of each component. Designed and built from the bottom-up with a single-visit instrument precision requirement of 27 $\textrm{cm~s}^{-1}$, close attention was paid to the error contribution from each NEID subsystem. Finally, we include the lab and on-sky tests performed during instrument commissioning to test the illumination stability, and discuss the path to achieving the instrumental stability required to search for a true Earth twin around a Solar-type star.Comment: Accepted in A

Grp78 promotes the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glucose regulated protein 78 (Grp78) is involved in the invasion and metastasis in many human cancers including gastric cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer. But the role of Grp78 in the invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma has not been reported. In this article, we examined if Grp78 was associated with the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma and explored the possible underlying mechanism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Grp78 and FAK expression levels in 44 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were examined using immunohistochemistry. Grp78 overexpressing SMMC7721 cells were established by pcDNA3.1 (+)-Grp78 transfection and screened by G418. Grp78 and FAK levels in Grp78 overexpressing cells were down-regulated by siRNA transfection. The invasion status of tumor cells was evaluated by transwell assay in vitro, and chick embryo metastasis model in vivo. Cell spreading was determined by cell spreading assay, and quantitatively measured by Orisis software HUG. Grp78, pY397 FAK, pY576/577 FAK and FAK levels were detected by western blot. RhoA activity was detected by GST pulldown assay. The distribution of actin cytoskeleton was observed by fluorescent staining.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Grp78 expression levels in 44 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were negatively correlated with tumor grading, and positively correlated with portal invasion and intra-hepatic invasion. Overexpression of Grp78 in SMMC7721 cells promoted the invasion of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, and this increase in tumor cell invasion was blocked by Grp78 siRNA knockdown. Our results also revealed that overexpression of Grp78 in SMMC7721 cells accelerated the process of cell spreading and promoted lamellipodia formation. Further analysis showed that overexpression of Grp78 in SMMC7721 cells increased pY397 and pY576/577 levels of FAK. Grp78 siRNA knockdown decreased FAK activation and activity. Our results also revealed that Grp78 overexpression in SMMC7721 cells decreased RhoA-GTP level, and Grp78 siRNA knockdown rescued RhoA-GTP level in Grp78 overexpressing cells, indicating Grp78 inhibited RhoA activity in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Furthermore, overexpression of Grp78 in SMMC7721 cells increased phospho-p190RhoGAP level. FAK siRNA knockdown in Grp78 overexpressing cells reversed phospho-p190RhoGAP level. These data suggested that Grp78 inhibited RhoA activity by up-regulated phospho-p190RhoGAP level and Grp78 mediated p190RhoGAP phosphorylation is FAK dependent.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Grp78 promoted the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of Grp78 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells enhanced the activation and activity of FAK which negatively regulated Rock kinase activity by promoting the phosphorylation of p190RhoGAP.</p

Projeto ABC Corte: intensificação da produção de carne a pasto no Tocantins: o caso da Fazenda Limeira.

Este documento tem por finalidade apresentar os resultados técnicos e financeiros obtidos na Unidade de Referência Tecnológica de Cristalândia, localizada na Fazenda Limeira, parceira do projeto ABC Corte. Neste trabalho demonstra-se como a aplicação de tecnologias, como manejo rotacionado do pastejo e adubação de pastagens, podem contribuir para o aumento da produtividade e rentabilidade da pecuária tocantinense. Trabalho semelhante tem sido desenvolvido em diversas outras propriedades rurais no estado. A equipe da Embrapa apresenta nesse documento indicadores do desempenho técnico e financeiro de tais tecnologias nas condições tocantinenses, possibilitando aos bovinocultores uma importante referência no processo de intensificação da produção de carne a pasto.bitstream/item/208469/1/CNPASA-2019-doc38.pd

The Fine-Scale Structure of the Global Tropopause Derived from COSMIC GPS Radio Occultation Measurements

The spatiotemporal structure of the lapse-rate tropopause is examined by using state-of-the-art Global Positioning System radio occultation measurements from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) Formosa Satellite Mission 3 mission. The high temporal and spatial resolutions of the data reveal the detailed structure of tropopause properties such as pressure (pt), temperature (Tt), and sharpness (Nt^2) and their relationships to upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric processes. The overall results are generally in good agreement with previous studies. The climatology of all three tropopause properties shows largely homogeneous structure in the zonal direction: noticeable asymmetries are found only in the tropics and the Northern Hemisphere extratropics during boreal winter owing to localized tropospheric processes. This contrasts with the seasonal cycles of tropopause properties which are significantly influenced by stratospheric processes such as the Brewer-Dobson circulation, the polar vortex, and the radiative processes near the tropopause. On intraseasonal time scales, pt and Tt exhibit significant variability over the Asian summer monsoon and the subtropics where double tropopauses frequently occur. In contrast, Nt^2 shows maximum variability in the tropics where pt and Tt have minimum variability, possibly a consequence of vertically propagating waves. The tropopause properties derived from COSMIC observations are further applied to evaluate tropopause data directly available from the NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis (NNR). Although the NNR tropopause data have been widely used in climate studies, they are found to have significant and systematic biases, especially in the subtropics. This suggests that the NNR tropopause data should be treated with great caution in any quantitative studies