The starburst phenomenon from the optical/near-IR perspective

The optical/near-IR stellar continuum carries unique information about the stellar population in a galaxy, its mass function and star-formation history. Star-forming regions display rich emission-line spectra from which we can derive the dust and gas distribution, map velocity fields, metallicities and young massive stars and locate shocks and stellar winds. All this information is very useful in the dissection of the starburst phenomenon. We discuss a few of the advantages and limitations of observations in the optical/near-IR region and focus on some results. Special attention is given to the role of interactions and mergers and observations of the relatively dust-free starburst dwarfs. In the future we expect new and refined diagnostic tools to provide us with more detailed information about the IMF, strength and duration of the burst and its triggering mechanisms.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in "Starbursts: from 30 Doradus to Lyman Break Galaxies" 2005, eds. R. de Grijs and R. M. Gonzalez Delgado (Kluwer

Hydraulic and photosynthetic limitations prevail over root non-structural carbohydrate reserves as drivers of resprouting in two Mediterranean oaks

Resprouting is an ancestral trait in angiosperms that confers resilience after perturbations. As climate change increases stress, resprouting vigor is declining in many forest regions, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Resprouting in woody plants is thought to be primarily limited by the availability of non-structural carbohydrate reserves (NSC), but hydraulic limitations could also be important. We conducted a multifactorial experiment with two levels of light (ambient, 2–3% of ambient) and three levels of water stress (0, 50 and 80 percent losses of hydraulic conductivity, PLC) on two Mediterranean oaks (Quercus ilex and Q. faginea) under a rain-out shelter (n = 360). The proportion of resprouting individuals after canopy clipping declined markedly as PLC increased for both species. NSC concentrations affected the response of Q. ilex, the species with higher leaf construction costs, and its effect depended on the PLC. The growth of resprouting individuals was largely dependent on photosynthetic rates for both species, while stored NSC availability and hydraulic limitations played minor and non-significant roles, respectively. Contrary to conventional wisdom, our results indicate that resprouting in oaks may be primarily driven by complex interactions between hydraulics and carbon sources, whereas stored NSC play a significant but secondary role

Modelling and experimental study on β-phase depletion behaviour of HVOF sprayed free-standing CoNiCrA1Y coatings during oxidation

This paper investigates the β-phase depletion behaviour during oxidation of free-standing CoNiCrA1Y (Co-31.7%Ni-20.8%Cr-8.1%A1-0.5%Y, all in wt%) bond coats prepared by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying. The microstructure of the coatings was characterised using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). It comprises a two phase structure of fcc γ-Ni and bcc β-NiA1, with grain sizes varying largely from 0.5 to 2 μm for both phases. Isothermal oxidation tests of the free-standing coatings were carried out at 1100 °C for times up to 250 h. The β phase depletion behaviour at the surface was measured and was also simulated using Thermo-Calc and DICTRA software. An A1 flux function derived from an oxide growth model was employed as the boundary condition in the diffusion model. The diffusion calculations were performed using the TTNi7 thermodynamic database together with the MOB2 mobility database. Reasonable agreement was achieved between the measured and the predicted element concentration and phase fraction profiles after various time periods. Grain boundary diffusion is likely to be important to element diffusion in this HVOF sprayed CoNiCrA1Y coating due to the sub-micron grains

Some aspects on modelling of the β-phase depletion behaviour under different oxide growth kinetics in HVOF CoNiCrAlY coatings

In this paper, β-phase depletion behaviour of free-standing high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermally sprayed CoNiCrAlY coatings was studied. Microstructural analysis showed a two-phase microstructure of γ-Ni matrix and β-NiAl secondary phase after heat treatment. Fine grains were found around the sprayed particle boundaries and coarse grains were retained as the original particle structure, with grain sizes varying from 2 to 0.5 μm or even less for both phases. The β-phase depletion behaviour was investigated during isothermal oxidation and was also modelled through diffusion calculations. A previously developed β-phase depletion model was utilised to study the evolution of β-phase depletion under different oxide growth kinetics. Three oxide growth models were tried: 1) Meier model, 2) thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) model, and 3) experimentally fitted oxide growth model. The oxide growth kinetics were converted to Al flux functions which were used as the boundary conditions in the DICTRA modelling. It is shown that the results obtained from the three models exhibit good agreements between the measured and predicted results for times up to 100 h at 1100 C, but discrepancies were noted at longer oxidation times. Further improvements on closely modelling the oxidation kinetics and the effective diffusion behaviour are needed to minimise the discrepancies at longer oxidation times

An analytical approach to the β-phase coarsening behaviour in a thermally sprayed CoNiCrAlY bond coat alloy

This paper investigates the β-phase coarsening behaviour during isothermal heat treatment of free-standing CoNiCrAlY (Co-31.7%Ni-20.8%Cr-8.1%Al-0.5%Y, all in wt%) coatings prepared by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying. The microstructure of the coatings was characterised using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). It comprises a two phase structure of fcc γ-Ni matrix and bcc β-NiAl precipitates. The volume fraction of the γ-Ni and the β-NiAl phases were measured to be around 70% and 30% respectively, with grain sizes varying largely from 0.5 to 2 μm for both phases. Isothermal heat treatments of the free-standing coatings were carried out at 1100 C for times up to 250 h. The β-phase coarsening behaviour during isothermal heat treatments was analysed by quantitative metallography. It is shown that the coarsening behaviour of β phase in the CoNiCrAlY alloy followed the classical Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner (LSW) theory of Ostwald ripening. By incorporating a dimensionless factor which correlates with volume fraction of the β phase, a modified LSW model coupled with formulaic interfacial energy and effective diffusion coefficient of the CoNiCrAlY alloy was utilised to interpret the coarsening behaviour of the β phase. The coarsening rate coefficient obtained from the modified LSW model shows good agreement with the corresponding experimental result

Fauna de flebotomíneos (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) em terra firme e planície fluvial na área de influência do gasoduto Coari-Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil

The object of this work was to make a preliminary survey of the entomofauna sandflies in the areas under the influence of the Coari-Manaus (AM) gas pipeline. The collections were made from 4 to 8 August 2003, in five of the seven municipal districts under the influence of the gas pipeline, using light traps of the type CDC. We captured 205 individuals, distributed in 25 species, belonging to eight subgenera (151 - 73.7%) and four groups (54 - 26.3%). The Lutzomyia umbratilis was the most numerous species found (43 - 21.0%). The species Lutzomyia preclara, collected in the municipal districts of Caapiranga and Manacupuru, was registered for the first time in the state of Amazonas, and the second time in Brasil.Este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar um levantamento preliminar da entomofauna de flebotomíneos nas áreas de influência do gasoduto Coari-Manaus (AM). As coletas foram realizadas no período de 4 a 8 de agosto (2003), em cinco dos sete municípios da área de influência do gasoduto, utilizando-se de armadilhas de luz do tipo CDC. Foram capturados 205 indivíduos, distribuídos em 25 espécies, pertencentes a oito subgêneros (151 - 73,7%) e quatro grupos (54 - 26,3%). A espécie Lutzomyia umbratilis foi a mais numerosa encontrando-se 21,0% (43) do total coletado. Nestas coletas foi registrada pela primeira vez no Amazonas e segunda no Brasil a espécie Lutzomyia preclara, coletada nos municípios de Caapiranga e Manacapuru

Detection of Inconspicuous Power Quality Disturbances through Step Changes in rms Voltage Profile

Power quality disturbances commonly observed in power systems have been studied for decades, resulting in numerous algorithms for detecting the events that affect the voltage and/or current waveforms. However, a considerable amount of disturbances is not visually observable in the raw waveforms, especially switching operations. These events must be detected through an alternative feature, such as abrupt variations in the root-mean-square (rms) voltage profile. This study examines the methods commonly used for detecting power quality disturbances in the waveform or rms voltage profile domains and identifies their limitations. Afterwards, a novel step change detector is proposed based on a modified median filter and rms voltage gradient values to overcome the deficiencies of the existing methods. The effectiveness of the proposed method is assessed by applying it to both simulated and field data. This assessment shows that the method detects all switching events with no false positives for the datasets under analysis