The ALHAMBRA Survey: Bayesian Photometric Redshifts with 23 bands for 3 squared degrees

The ALHAMBRA (Advance Large Homogeneous Area Medium Band Redshift Astronomical) survey has observed 8 different regions of the sky, including sections of the COSMOS, DEEP2, ELAIS, GOODS-N, SDSS and Groth fields using a new photometric system with 20 contiguous ~ $300\AA$ filters covering the optical range, combining them with deep $JHKs$ imaging. The observations, carried out with the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope using the wide field (0.25 sq. deg FOV) optical camera LAICA and the NIR instrument Omega-2000, correspond to ~700hrs on-target science images. The photometric system was designed to maximize the effective depth of the survey in terms of accurate spectral-type and photo-zs estimation along with the capability of identification of relatively faint emission lines. Here we present multicolor photometry and photo-zs for ~438k galaxies, detected in synthetic F814W images, complete down to I~24.5 AB, taking into account realistic noise estimates, and correcting by PSF and aperture effects with the ColorPro software. The photometric ZP have been calibrated using stellar transformation equations and refined internally, using a new technique based on the highly robust photometric redshifts measured for emission line galaxies. We calculate photometric redshifts with the BPZ2 code, which includes new empirically calibrated templates and priors. Our photo-zs have a precision of $dz/(1+z_s)=1$ for I<22.5 and 1.4% for 22.5<I<24.5. Precisions of less than 0.5% are reached for the brighter spectroscopic sample, showing the potential of medium-band photometric surveys. The global $P(z)$ shows a mean redshift =0.56 for I=0.86 for I<24.5 AB. The data presented here covers an effective area of 2.79 sq. deg, split into 14 strips of 58.5'x15.5' and represents ~32 hrs of on-target.Comment: The catalog data and a full resolution version of this paper is available at https://cloud.iaa.csic.es/alhambra

Recombinant lipid transfer protein Tri a 14: a novel heat and proteolytic resistant tool for the diagnosis of baker's asthma

BACKGROUND Baker's asthma is an important occupational allergic disease. Wheat lipid transfer protein (LTP) Tri a 14 is a major allergen associated with wheat allergy. No panel of wheat recombinant allergens for component-resolved diagnosis of baker's asthma is currently available. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the potential role of recombinant Tri a 14 as a novel tool for the diagnosis of baker's asthma, and to test the heat and proteolytic resistance of the wheat LTP allergen. METHODS A cDNA encoding Tri a 14 was isolated and sequenced, the recombinant allergen produced in Pichia pastoris and purified by chromatographic methods. Physicochemical and immunological comparison of the natural and recombinant forms of Tri a 14 was carried out by N-terminal amino acid sequencing, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, circular dichroism (CD) analysis, IgE immunodetection, and specific IgE determination and ELISA-inhibition assays using a pool or individual sera from 26 patients with baker's asthma. Thermal denaturation and simulated gastrointestinal digestion of both Tri a 14 forms were checked by spectroscopic and electrophoretic methods, respectively, and biological activity by basophil activation test (BAT). RESULTS Natural and recombinant Tri a 14 were similarly folded, as indicated by their nearly identical CD spectra and heat denaturation profiles. A high interclass correlation coefficient (0.882) was found between specific IgE levels to both Tri a 14 proteins in individual sera from baker's asthma patients, but a slightly lower IgE-binding potency of rTri a 14 was detected by ELISA-inhibition assays. Natural and recombinant Tri a 14 elicited positive BAT in two and one out of three patients, respectively. Heat denaturation profiles and simulated gastrointestinal digestion assays indicated that Tri a 14 displayed a high heat and digestive proteolytic resistance, comparable to those of peach Pru p 3, the model food allergen of the LTP family. CONCLUSIONS Recombinant Tri a 14 is a potential tool for baker's asthma diagnosis, based on its physicochemical and immunological similarity with its natural counterpart. Wheat Tri a 14 shows a high thermal stability and resistance to gastrointestinal digestion

Novel tools for the diagnosis of baker's asthma: wheat lipid transfer protein Tri a 14

Background: Baker’s asthma is among the most important occupational allergic diseases. Wheat lipid transfer protein (LTP) Tri a 14 has been reported as a major allergen associated with wheat allergy. No panel of wheat recombinant allergens for component-resolved diagnosis of baker’s asthma is currently performed. We sought to evaluate the potential role of recombinant Tri a 14 as a novel tool for the diagnosis of baker’s asthma, and to test the heat and proteolytic resistance of this wheat LTP allergen

Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to z∼1z \sim 1. I. MUFFIT: A Multi-Filter Fitting code for stellar population diagnostics

We present MUFFIT, a new generic code optimized to retrieve the main stellar population parameters of galaxies in photometric multi-filter surveys, and we check its reliability and feasibility with real galaxy data from the ALHAMBRA survey. Making use of an error-weighted $\chi^2$-test, we compare the multi-filter fluxes of galaxies with the synthetic photometry of mixtures of two single stellar populations at different redshifts and extinctions, to provide through a Monte Carlo method the most likely range of stellar population parameters (mainly ages and metallicities), extinctions, redshifts, and stellar masses. To improve the diagnostic reliability, MUFFIT identifies and removes from the analysis those bands that are significantly affected by emission lines. We highlight that the retrieved age-metallicity locus for a sample of $z \le 0.22$ early-type galaxies in ALHAMBRA at different stellar mass bins are in very good agreement with the ones from SDSS spectroscopic diagnostics. Moreover, a one-to-one comparison between the redshifts, ages, metallicities, and stellar masses derived spectroscopically for SDSS and by MUFFIT for ALHAMBRA reveals good qualitative agreements in all the parameters. In addition, and using as input the results from photometric-redshift codes, MUFFIT improves the photometric-redshift accuracy by $\sim 10$-$20\%$, and it also detects nebular emissions in galaxies, providing physical information about their strengths. Our results show the potential of multi-filter galaxy data to conduct reliable stellar population studies with the appropiate analysis techniques, as MUFFIT.Comment: 31 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Los montes submarinos en los márgenes continentales de Iberia

Seamounts are first-order morphological elements on continental margins and in oceanic domains, which have been extensively researched over recent decades in all branches of oceanography. These features favour the development of several geological processes, and their study gives us a better understanding of their geological and morphological domains. The seamounts around Iberia are numerous and provide excellent examples of the geodiversity of these morphological elements. Here we present a compilation of 15 seamounts around the Iberian Peninsula. These seamounts have different origins related to the geodynamic evolution (volcanism, extensional or compressive tectonics, and diapirism) of the domains where they are located. The current configuration of their relief has been influenced by Neogene-Quaternary tectonics. Their positioning controls the current morpho-sedimentary processes in the basins and on the margins, and highlights the fact that downslope processes on seamount flanks (mass flows, turbidite flows, and landslides) and processes parallel to seamounts (contouritic currents) correspond to the major geological features they are associated with them. Biogenic structures commonly develop on the tops of seamounts where occasionally isolated shelves form that have carbonate-dominated sedimentation.Los montes submarinos son rasgos morfológicos singulares, cuyo estudio tiene gran relevancia desde el punto de vista de las distintas ramas de la oceanografía. Su presencia favorece el desarrollo de diferentes procesos geológicos y proporciona un mejor conocimiento de los dominios geológicos y morfológicos en los que se encuentran. En el entorno de Iberia, los montes submarinos tienen una amplia representación y tipología. En este trabajo, se presenta una recopilación geológica de 15 montes submarinos (ocho en el Mar Mediterráneo y siete en el Océano Atlántico) de los márgenes continentales de Iberia y en el dominio Oceánico Atlántico, utilizándose levantamientos batimétricos y geofísicos. El origen de estos montes es muy diferente y está relacionado con la evolución geodinámica del dominio geológico en el que aparecen (volcanismo, tectónica extensional o compresional y diapirismo). La configuración actual del relieve ha sido controlada por la actividad tectónica en el Neógeno-Cuaternario. Su presencia controla el desarrollo de los procesos morfosedimentarios recientes de márgenes y cuencas. Los principales procesos sedimentarios asociados a estos montes se relacionan con procesos longitudinales (flujos en masa, flujos turbidíticos, deslizamientos) y transversales a dichos montes (corrientes de contorno). Además es frecuente en ellos el desarrollo de cuerpos biogénicos sobre sus cimas e incluso de plataformas con sedimentación carbonatada. Los montes submarinos de Iberia muestran una gran geodiversidad y constituyen un elemento morfológico de primer orden para comprender los procesos geológicos que tienen lugar en sus márgenes continentales y dominios oceánicos adyacentes.Versión del editor0,000

EL RIEGO DE PRECISIÓN EN EL CULTIVO DE FRESA EN LA PROVINCIA DE HUELVA

[ES] El cultivo de fresa es el cultivo con mayor repercusión económica y social de la provincia de Huelva, ya que España es el principal productor de fresa fresca de Europa y el segundo del mundo, situándose el 95% de esa producción en la provincia de Huelva. Sin embargo, la zona donde se desarrolla el cultivo, el entorno del Parque Nacional de Doñana, es una de las zonas de mayor sensibilidad ambiental de Europa y cualquier actividad que se desarrolle debe evitar impactos negativos en el mismo. De lo anterior se deduce la necesidad de buscar un equilibrio para que agricultura y medio ambiente puedan convivir en el entorno de Doñana. Este trabajo se centra precisamente en eso, en optimizar el uso del agua en la zona mediante la implantación del riego de precisión en el cultivo de fresa, que consiste en dar a la planta el agua que necesita en el momento adecuado. La implantación de un sistema de riego de precisión se ha llevado a cabo en la campaña 2013/2014 en una finca comercial de la zona Almonte-El Rocío, provincia de Huelva. Para ello se ha implantado un ensayo en 5 sectores distintos, cada uno con un tipo de emisor diferente, en el que se realizó una programación óptima del riego basada en el cálculo de las necesidades teóricas del cultivo, el análisis hidráulico del sector y el movimiento del agua en el suelo, y cuyo comportamiento se comparó con un sector testigo manejado por el agricultor. Estas técnicas permitieron ahorrar un 43% de agua, en las condiciones particulares de suelo, variedad y configuración de la red riego de la finca de ensayo, obteniéndose un ligero aumento de producción respecto al manejo tradicional del agricultor, lo que se tradujo en un incremento de la rentabilidad del cultivo y de una mejora de la sostenibilidad en la producción intensiva de fresas.Martín Arroyo, M.; Fernandez García, I.; Gonzalez Perea, R.; García Morillo, J.; Rodríguez Díaz, J.; Camacho Poyato, E.; Montesinos Barrios, P. (2015). EL RIEGO DE PRECISIÓN EN EL CULTIVO DE FRESA EN LA PROVINCIA DE HUELVA. En XXXIII CONGRESO NACIONAL DE RIEGOS. Valencia 16-18 junio de 2015. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/CNRiegos.2015.1462OC

The High-Acceptance Dielectron Spectrometer HADES

HADES is a versatile magnetic spectrometer aimed at studying dielectron production in pion, proton and heavy-ion induced collisions. Its main features include a ring imaging gas Cherenkov detector for electron-hadron discrimination, a tracking system consisting of a set of 6 superconducting coils producing a toroidal field and drift chambers and a multiplicity and electron trigger array for additional electron-hadron discrimination and event characterization. A two-stage trigger system enhances events containing electrons. The physics program is focused on the investigation of hadron properties in nuclei and in the hot and dense hadronic matter. The detector system is characterized by an 85% azimuthal coverage over a polar angle interval from 18 to 85 degree, a single electron efficiency of 50% and a vector meson mass resolution of 2.5%. Identification of pions, kaons and protons is achieved combining time-of-flight and energy loss measurements over a large momentum range. This paper describes the main features and the performance of the detector system

VAMOS: a Pathfinder for the HAWC Gamma-Ray Observatory

VAMOS was a prototype detector built in 2011 at an altitude of 4100m a.s.l. in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The aim of VAMOS was to finalize the design, construction techniques and data acquisition system of the HAWC observatory. HAWC is an air-shower array currently under construction at the same site of VAMOS with the purpose to study the TeV sky. The VAMOS setup included six water Cherenkov detectors and two different data acquisition systems. It was in operation between October 2011 and May 2012 with an average live time of 30%. Besides the scientific verification purposes, the eight months of data were used to obtain the results presented in this paper: the detector response to the Forbush decrease of March 2012, and the analysis of possible emission, at energies above 30 GeV, for long gamma-ray bursts GRB111016B and GRB120328B.Comment: Accepted for pubblication in Astroparticle Physics Journal (20 pages, 10 figures). Corresponding authors: A.Marinelli and D.Zaboro