12,894 research outputs found
Variable stars in the globular cluster NGC 7492. New discoveries and physical parameters determination
We have performed a photometric V, R, I CCD time-series analysis with a
baseline of ~8 years of the outer-halo globular cluster NGC 7492 with the aim
of searching for new variables and using these (and the previously known
variables) to determine the physical parameters of interest for the cluster
(e.g. metallicity, absolute magnitude of the horizontal branch, distance,
etc.).
We use difference image analysis (DIA) to extract precise light curves in the
relatively crowded star field, especially towards the densely populated central
region. Several approaches are used for variability detection that recover the
known variables and lead to new discoveries. We determine the physical
parameters of the only RR0 star using light curve Fourier decomposition
analysis.
We find one new long period variable and two SX Phe stars in the blue
straggler region. We also present one candidate SX Phe star which requires
follow-up observations. Assuming that the SX Phe stars are cluster members and
using the period-luminosity relation for these stars, we estimate their
distances as ~25.2+-1.8 and 26.8+-1.8 kpc, and identify their possible modes of
oscillation. We refine the periods of the two RR Lyrae stars in our field of
view. We find that the RR1 star V2 is undergoing a period change and possibly
exhibits the Blazhko effect. Fourier decomposition of the light curve of the
RR0 star V1 allows us to estimate the metallicity [Fe/H]_ZW-1.68+-0.10 or
[Fe/H]_UVES-1.64+-0.13, log-luminosity ~1.76+-0.02, absolute magnitude
~0.38+-0.04 mag, and true distance modulus of ~16.93+-0.04 mag, which is
equivalent to a distance of ~24.3+-0.5 kpc. All of these values are consistent
with previous estimates in the literature.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Efeito de espécies utilizadas no sistema plantio direto na Região Sul sobre o parasitismo e germinação de escleródios de Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.
Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a influência de diferentes espécies adaptadas para cultivo sob baixas temperaturas no parasitismo e germinação de escleródios de Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.Conpeex 2010
Reduced lysosomal acid lipase activity: A new marker of liver disease severity across the clinical continuum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) plays a key role in intracellular lipid metabolism. Reduced LAL activity promotes increased multi-organ lysosomal cholesterol ester storage, as observed in two recessive autosomal genetic diseases, Wolman disease and Cholesterol ester storage disease. Severe liver steatosis and accelerated liver fibrosis are common features in patients with genetic LAL deficiency. By contrast, few reliable data are available on the modulation of LAL activity in vivo and on the epigenetic and metabolic factors capable of regulating its activity in subjects without homozygous mutations of the Lipase A gene. In the last few years, a less severe and non-genetic reduction of LAL activity was reported in children and adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), suggesting a possible role of LAL reduction in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease. Patients with NAFLD show a significant, progressive reduction of LAL activity from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and cryptogenic cirrhosis. Among cirrhosis of different etiologies, those with cryptogenic cirrhosis show the most significant reductions of LAL activity. These findings suggest that the modulation of LAL activity may become a possible new therapeutic target for patients with more advanced forms of NAFLD. Moreover, the measurement of LAL activity may represent a possible new marker of disease severity in this clinical setting
Foreword
This work reports on the performances of ohmic contacts fabricated on highly p-type doped 4H-SiC epitaxial layer selectively grown by vapor-liquid-solid transport. Due to the very high doping level obtained, the contacts have an ohmic behavior even without any annealing process. Upon variation of annealing temperatures, it was shown that both 500 and 800 °C annealing temperature lead to a minimum value of the Specific Contact Resistance (SCR) down to 1.3×10−6 Ω⋅cm2. However, a large variation of the minimum SCR values has been observed (up to 4×10−4 Ω⋅cm2). Possible sources of this fluctuation have been also discussed in this paper
Constraining the parameters of globular cluster NGC 1904 from its variable star population
We present the analysis of 11 nights of V and I time-series observations of
the globular cluster NGC 1904 (M 79). Using this we searched for variable stars
in this cluster and attempted to refine the periods of known variables, making
use of a time baseline spanning almost 8 years. We use our data to derive the
metallicity and distance of NGC 1904. We used difference imaging to reduce our
data to obtain high-precision light curves of variable stars. We then estimated
the cluster parameters by performing a Fourier decomposition of the light
curves of RR Lyrae stars for which a good period estimate was possible. We also
derive an estimate for the age of the cluster by fitting theoretical isochrones
to our colour-magnitude diagram (CMD). Out of 13 stars previously classified as
variables, we confirm that 10 are bona fide variables. We cannot detect
variability in one other within the precision of our data, while there are two
which are saturated in our data frames, but we do not find sufficient evidence
in the literature to confirm their variability. We also detect a new RR Lyrae
variable, giving a total number of confirmed variable stars in NGC 1904 of 11.
Using the Fourier parameters, we find a cluster metallicity [Fe/H]_ZW=-1.63 +-
0.14, or [Fe/H]_UVES=-1.57 \pm 0.18, and a distance of 13.3 +- 0.4 kpc (using
RR0 variables) or 12.9 kpc (using the one RR1 variable in our sample for which
Fourier decomposition was possible).Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&
An evaluation resource for geographic information retrieval
In this paper we present an evaluation resource for geographic information retrieval developed within the Cross Language Evaluation
Forum (CLEF). The GeoCLEF track is dedicated to the evaluation of geographic information retrieval systems. The resource
encompasses more than 600,000 documents, 75 topics so far, and more than 100,000 relevance judgments for these topics. Geographic
information retrieval requires an evaluation resource which represents realistic information needs and which is geographically
challenging. Some experimental results and analysis are reported
Collisional cross sections and momentum distributions in astrophysical plasmas: dynamics and statistical mechanics link
We show that, in stellar core plasmas, the one-body momentum distribution
function is strongly dependent, at least in the high velocity regime, on the
microscopic dynamics of ion elastic collisions and therefore on the effective
collisional cross sections, if a random force field is present. We take into
account two cross sections describing ion-dipole and ion-ion screened
interactions. Furthermore we introduce a third unusual cross section, to link
statistical distributions and a quantum effect originated by the
energy-momentum uncertainty owing to many-body collisions, and propose a
possible physical interpretation in terms of a tidal-like force. We show that
each collisional cross section gives rise to a slight peculiar correction on
the Maxwellian momentum distribution function in a well defined velocity
interval. We also find a possible link between microscopical dynamics of ions
and statistical mechanics interpreting our results in the framework of
non-extensive statistical mechanics.Comment: 8 page
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