Optical and Infrared Imaging and Spectroscopy of the Multiple-Shell Planetary Nebula NGC 6369

NGC 6369 is a double-shell planetary nebula (PN) consisting of a bright annular inner shell with faint bipolar extensions and a filamentary envelope. We have used ground- and space-based narrow-band optical and near-IR images, broad-band mid-IR images, optical long-slit echelle spectra, and mid-IR spectra to investigate its physical structure. These observations indicate that the inner shell of NGC 6369 can be described as a barrel-like structure shape with polar bubble-like protrusions, and reveal evidence for H2 and strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emission from a photo-dissociative region (PDR) with molecular inclusions located outside the bright inner shell. High-resolution HST narrow-band images reveal an intricate excitation structure of the inner shell and a system of "cometary" knots. The knotty appearance of the envelope, the lack of kinematical evidence for shell expansion and the apparent presence of emission from ionized material outside the PDR makes us suggest that the envelope of NGC 6369 is not a real shell, but a flattened structure at its equatorial regions. We report the discovery of irregular knots and blobs of diffuse emission in low-excitation and molecular line emission that are located up to 80" from the central star, well outside the main nebular shells. We also show that the filaments associated to the polar protrusions have spatial extents consistent with post-shock cooling regimes, and likely represent regions of interaction of these structures with surrounding material.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Comportamiento de 13 modelos de cinta de riego en condiciones de invernadero con agua regenerada

El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido seleccionar modelos de cinta de riego con una mejor adaptación a las condiciones de invernadero y riego con aguas regeneradas. Se ha evaluado el comportamiento de 13 modelos comerciales de cintas de riego seleccionados de entre los más utilizados en los cultivos hortícolas al aire libre, y aquellos que, las empresas instaladoras y fabricantes consideren que, por sus características, pueden tener un buen comportamiento con este tipo de aguas. En la evaluación de campo todos los emisores han presentado valores de uniformidad elevados al comienzo de la campaña de riego. Cinco de las cintas se clasifican como excelentes y el resto como buenas. Al finalizar las 114 horas de trabajo decae sustancialmente la uniformidad. El comportamiento tras la finalización de la primera campaña de riego se puede considerar equiparable al obtenido en un estudio previo con una selección de 20 emisores en ramal convencional y este tipo de aguas. Se puede concluir que las cintas de riego localizado pueden ser una alternativa a los ramales de riego convencionales cuando se riega con aguas residuales urbanas regeneradas, siempre que se elija un material de una mínima calidad y el ratio de sustitución garantice una uniformidad alta

The constant-velocity highly collimated outflows of the planetary nebula He 2-90

We present high-dispersion echelle spectroscopic observations and a narrow-band [N II] image of the remarkable jet-like features of He 2-90. They are detected in the echelle spectra in the H-alpha and [N II] lines but not in other nebular lines. The [N II]/H-alpha ratio is uniformly high, ~1. The observed kinematics reveals bipolar collimated outflows in the jet-like features and shows that the southeast (northwest) component expands towards (away from) the observer at a remarkably constant line-of-sight velocity, 26.0+-0.5 km/s. The observed expansion velocity and the opening angle of the jet-like features are used to estimate an inclination angle of ~5 degrees with respect to the sky plane and a space expansion velocity of ~290 km/s. The spectrum of the bright central nebula reveals a profusion of Fe lines and extended wings of the H-alpha line, similar to those seen in symbiotic stars and some young planetary nebulae that are presumed to host a mass-exchanging binary system. If this is the case for He 2-90, the constant velocity and direction of the jets require a very stable dynamic system against precession and warping.Comment: 8 pages (emulate ApJ), 5 figure, 1 tabl

In-situ characterization of Ga2O passivation of In0.53Ga0.47As prior to high-k dielectric atomic layer deposition

Ga2O interfacial passivation layers (IPLs) on In0.53Ga0.47As are investigated using in-situ monochromatic x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The oxide is entirely composed of Ga2O when deposited with an effusion cell temperature of 1500 degrees C and substrate temperature of 425 degrees C. The growth on In0.53Ga0.47As reveals slight chemical modification of the surface. The Ga2O behavior and ability to protect the III-V surface are observed following Al2O3 deposition by atomic layer deposition following each precursor pulse. Al2O3 growth by trimethyl-Al (TMA) and water reveals that the IPL undergoes the "clean-up" effect following TMA exposures causing As-As bonding formation resulting in a high interface state density. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. (doi:10.1063/1.3615666

Experimental and theoretical assessment of native oxide in the superconducting TaN

In this manuscript, we show through an experimental-computational proof of concept the native oxide formation into superconducting TaN films. First, TaN was synthesized at an ultra-high vacuum system by reactive pulsed laser deposition and characterized in situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The material was also characterized ex situ by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and the four-point probe method. It was detected that TaN contained considerable oxygen impurities (up to 26 %O) even though it was grown in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. Furthermore, the impurified TaN evidence a face-centered cubic crystalline structure only and exhibits superconductivity at 2.99 K. To understand the feasibility of the native oxide in TaN, we study the effect of incorporating different amounts of O atoms in TaN using ab-initio calculations. A thermodynamic stability analysis shows that a TaOxN1-x model increases its stability as oxygen is added, demonstrating that oxygen may always be present in TaN, even when obtained at ultra-high vacuum conditions. All analyzed models exhibit metallic behavior. Charge density difference maps reveal that N and O atoms have a higher charge density redistribution than Ta atoms. The electron localization function maps and line profiles indicate that Ta-O and Ta-N bonds are mainly ionic. As expected, stronger ionic behavior is observed in the Ta-O bonds due to the electronegativity difference between O and N atoms. Recent evidence points to superconductivity in bulk TaO, confirming the asseverations of superconductivity in our samples. The results discussed here highlight the importance of considering native oxide when reporting superconductivity in TaN films since the TaO regions formed in the compound may be key to understanding the different critical temperatures reported in the literature.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure

A collimated, ionized bipolar structure and a high density torus in the young planetary nebula IRAS 17347-3139

We present observations of continuum (lambda = 0.7, 1.3, 3.6 and 18 cm) and OH maser (lambda = 18 cm) emission toward the young planetary nebula IRAS 17347-3139, which is one of the three planetary nebulae that are known to harbor water maser emission. From the continuum observations we show that the ionized shell of IRAS 17347-3139 consists of two main structures: one extended (size ~1". 5) with bipolar morphology along PA=-30 degrees, elongated in the same direction as the lobes observed in the near-infrared images, and a central compact structure (size ~0". 25) elongated in the direction perpendicular to the bipolar axis, coinciding with the equatorial dark lane observed in the near-infrared images. Our image at 1.3 cm suggests the presence of dense walls in the ionized bipolar lobes. We estimate for the central compact structure a value of the electron density at least ~5 times higher than in the lobes. A high resolution image of this structure at 0.7 cm shows two peaks separated by about 0". 13 (corresponding to 100-780 AU, using a distance range of 0.8-6 kpc). This emission is interpreted as originating in an ionized equatorial torus-like structure, from whose edges the water maser emission might be arising. We have detected weak OH 1612 MHz maser emission at VLSR ~ -70 km/s associated with IRAS 17347-3139. We derive a 3 sigma upper limit of < 35% for the percentage of circularly polarized emission. Within our primary beam, we detected additional OH 1612 MHz maser emission in the LSR velocity ranges -5 to -24 and -90 to -123 km/s, associated with the sources 2MASS J17380406-3138387 and OH 356.65-0.15, respectively.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Effects of coffee with different roasting degrees on obesity and related metabolic disorders

This study aimed to assess the effect of unroasted, dark and very dark roasted coffee on obesity and metabolic disorders in obese rats. All coffee samples significantly reduced weight gain (∼17%) compared to obese control. Coffee reduced glucose levels (∼17%) upon a glucose tolerance test in all cases compared to the control, while fasting glucose only decreased (∼26%) with very dark coffee. Insulin levels and insulin resistance significantly decreased (∼77% and 65% respectively) with all coffee samples compared to the control. Unroasted and dark roasted coffee decreased triglycerides (∼21% and ∼ 11%, respectively), and unroasted coffee also reduced free fatty acids (∼43%) and adipocyte size. Coffee decreased liver steatosis (∼55%) and Caspase-3 levels (∼27%), regardless of the roasting degree. Overall, coffee plays a positive role in restraining obesity and related metabolic disorders but, depending on the metabolic pathway and relevant marker, an effect of roasting could be either found or not

Microvascular cutaneous coverage in wounds that expose the Achilles tendon: case report

Achilles tendon rupture, being one of the main tendon ruptures present, surgery being the most favourable option even taking into account complications such as infections and skin necrosis, it is necessary to develop techniques which help to reduce complications and increase benefits. The methods follow-up of 2 cases of patients with skin defects in the region of the Achilles tendon in patients who were treated at the "Luis Guillermo lbarra lbarra" national rehabilitation institute during the period 2020-2021 in the Traumatology service, treated with radial free flap forearm, using the description of the most used flaps in the literature. Results in both cases integrity of the free radial forearm flap in its entirety, functional recovery for walking, ability to put shoes back on, and without the need for reoperation, as well as a high level of satisfaction by patients. Conclusions if we are talking about an Achilles tendon rupture with a significant skin defect, the free radial forearm flap is an adequate option, if we are talking about a complete defect, the composite flap is the best option, remember that the decision on what type of flap will be used will depend on of the size of the lesion

A Precision Treatment Model for Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression among University Students:A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance: Guided internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (i-CBT) is a low-cost way to address high unmet need for anxiety and depression treatment. Scalability could be increased if some patients were helped as much by self-guided i-CBT as guided i-CBT. Objective: To develop an individualized treatment rule using machine learning methods for guided i-CBT vs self-guided i-CBT based on a rich set of baseline predictors. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prespecified secondary analysis of an assessor-blinded, multisite randomized clinical trial of guided i-CBT, self-guided i-CBT, and treatment as usual included students in Colombia and Mexico who were seeking treatment for anxiety (defined as a 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder [GAD-7] score of ≥10) and/or depression (defined as a 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9] score of ≥10). Study recruitment was from March 1 to October 26, 2021. Initial data analysis was conducted from May 23 to October 26, 2022. Interventions: Participants were randomized to a culturally adapted transdiagnostic i-CBT that was guided (n = 445), self-guided (n = 439), or treatment as usual (n = 435). Main Outcomes and Measures: Remission of anxiety (GAD-7 scores of ≤4) and depression (PHQ-9 scores of ≤4) 3 months after baseline. Results: The study included 1319 participants (mean [SD] age, 21.4 [3.2] years; 1038 women [78.7%]; 725 participants [55.0%] came from Mexico). A total of 1210 participants (91.7%) had significantly higher mean (SE) probabilities of joint remission of anxiety and depression with guided i-CBT (51.8% [3.0%]) than with self-guided i-CBT (37.8% [3.0%]; P =.003) or treatment as usual (40.0% [2.7%]; P =.001). The remaining 109 participants (8.3%) had low mean (SE) probabilities of joint remission of anxiety and depression across all groups (guided i-CBT: 24.5% [9.1%]; P =.007; self-guided i-CBT: 25.4% [8.8%]; P =.004; treatment as usual: 31.0% [9.4%]; P =.001). All participants with baseline anxiety had nonsignificantly higher mean (SE) probabilities of anxiety remission with guided i-CBT (62.7% [5.9%]) than the other 2 groups (self-guided i-CBT: 50.2% [6.2%]; P =.14; treatment as usual: 53.0% [6.0%]; P =.25). A total of 841 of 1177 participants (71.5%) with baseline depression had significantly higher mean (SE) probabilities of depression remission with guided i-CBT (61.5% [3.6%]) than the other 2 groups (self-guided i-CBT: 44.3% [3.7%]; P =.001; treatment as usual: 41.8% [3.2%]; P &lt;.001). The other 336 participants (28.5%) with baseline depression had nonsignificantly higher mean (SE) probabilities of depression remission with self-guided i-CBT (54.4% [6.0%]) than guided i-CBT (39.8% [5.4%]; P =.07). Conclusions and Relevance: Guided i-CBT yielded the highest probabilities of remission of anxiety and depression for most participants; however, these differences were nonsignificant for anxiety. Some participants had the highest probabilities of remission of depression with self-guided i-CBT. Information about this variation could be used to optimize allocation of guided and self-guided i-CBT in resource-constrained settings. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04780542.</p

Computational approaches to explainable artificial intelligence: Advances in theory, applications and trends

Deep Learning (DL), a groundbreaking branch of Machine Learning (ML), has emerged as a driving force in both theoretical and applied Artificial Intelligence (AI). DL algorithms, rooted in complex and non-linear artificial neural systems, excel at extracting high-level features from data. DL has demonstrated human-level performance in real-world tasks, including clinical diagnostics, and has unlocked solutions to previously intractable problems in virtual agent design, robotics, genomics, neuroimaging, computer vision, and industrial automation. In this paper, the most relevant advances from the last few years in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and several applications to neuroscience, neuroimaging, computer vision, and robotics are presented, reviewed and discussed. In this way, we summarize the state-of-the-art in AI methods, models and applications within a collection of works presented at the 9th International Conference on the Interplay between Natural and Artificial Computation (IWINAC). The works presented in this paper are excellent examples of new scientific discoveries made in laboratories that have successfully transitioned to real-life applications.MCIU - Nvidia(UMA18-FEDERJA-084