Management of agriculture science

Non-Peer Reviewe

Molecule mapping of HR8799b using OSIRIS on Keck: Strong detection of water and carbon monoxide, but no methane

Context. In 2015, Barman et al. (ApJ, 804, 61) presented detections of absorption from water, carbon monoxide, and methane in the atmosphere of the directly imaged exoplanet HR8799b using integral field spectroscopy (IFS) with OSIRIS on the Keck II telescope. We recently devised a new method to analyse IFU data, called molecule mapping, searching for high-frequency signatures of particular molecules in an IFU data cube. Aims. The aim of this paper is to use the molecule mapping technique to search for the previously detected spectral signatures in HR8799b using the same data, allowing a comparison of molecule mapping with previous methods. Methods. The medium-resolution H- and K-band pipeline-reduced archival data were retrieved from the Keck archive facility. Telluric and stellar lines were removed from each spectrum in the data cube, after which the residuals were cross-correlated with model spectra of carbon monoxide, water, and methane. Results. Both carbon monoxide and water are clearly detected at high signal-to-noise, however, methane is not retrieved. Conclusions. Molecule mapping works very well on the OSIRIS data of exoplanet HR8799b. However, it is not evident why methane is detected in the original analysis, but not with the molecule mapping technique. Possible causes could be the presence of telluric residuals, different spectral filtering techniques, or the use of different methane models. We do note that in the original analysis methane was only detected in the K-band, while the H-band methane signal could be expected to be comparably strong. More sensitive observations with the JWST will be capable of confirming or disproving the presence of methane in this planet at high confidence.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures and 2 tables, accepted by A&

Vitamina A, caroteno y proteína en sangre de ganado lechero.

En cinco hatos de la sabana de Bogotá con ganado lechero, se determinan los valores normales de caroteno, vitamina A y proteína total en suero sanguíneo. Además se analizó el contenido de caroteno del forraje verde. La vitamina A es de gran importancia para el crecimiento del animal y el normal funcionamiento del órgano de la visión y de los tractos respiratorio, digestivo y genitourinario. Para el análisis de caroteno en forraje verde y de vitamina A en suero sanguíneo, se utiliza la técnica de Car-Price y para proteína total en suero sanguíneo la de Dawghaday et al. Las concentraciones de caroteno en forraje verde fluctuaron entre 12.7 mg/lbra para kikuyo (Panicum clandestinum) y 41.4 mg/libra para trébol blanco (Trifolium repens). Las muestras de suero sanguíneo dieron promedios de 973 más o menos 300 mcg/100 ml para caroteno, de 67 más o menos 47 mcg/100 ml para vitamina A, y de 8.13 más o menos 1.05 g/100 ml para proteína total. Se deben adelantar más estudios para confirmar los resultados como representativos para la sabana de Bogotá. Los resultados presentan un panorama favorable para la ganadería de esta zona del país y los pastos muestran adecuadas concentraciones de carotenoGanado de leche-Ganadería lech

El dispositivo habitable

This paper explains the main concepts supporting the project "Habitar el Dispositivo" which was awarded a prize in the International Competition "25 Bioclimatical Houses" promoted by the "Instituto Tecnológico de Energías Renovables of Tenerife " and organized by the "Colegio de Arquitectos de Canarias" and sponsored by the "International Union of Architects". As opposed to bioclimatical houses which are the result of adding bioclimatical devices to an architectural project, the integration of bioclimatical and architectural concepts in a livable device is proposed. A digital model of the project was built to analyze sunlight and shadow behavior and computer simulations permitted to determine thermal performance. Average thermal satisfaction was 89.75 % during typical summer and winter 24 hour periods.Se presentan los conceptos fundamentales que respaldan la propuesta "Habitar el Dispositivo", premiada en el Concurso Internacional "25 Viviendas Bioclimáticas" promovido por el "Instituto Tecnológico de Energías Renovables del Cabildo de Tenerife", organizado por el "Colegio de Arquitectos de Canarias" y homologado por la "Unión Internacional de Arquitectos". Al contrario de la solución de añadir dispositivos a un proyecto de arquitectura, la propuesta integra conceptos bioclimáticos y arquitectónicos en un dispositivo habitable. Un modelo digital de la edificación permitió estudiar su volumetría y soleamiento en diferentes períodos del año, mientras que su comportamiento térmico se analizó con un programa de simulación en régimen dinámico. El promedio de personas satisfechas en días típicos de verano e invierno fue del 89,75 %

Evaluación de la calidad espermática del semen bovino congelado por la penetración de óvulos de ratona.

En el Laboratorio de Fisiología y Genética Animal del Centro de Investigación Tibaitatá del Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA), se utilizó semen bovino congelado y óvulos de ratón para evaluar una técnica de laboratorio, basada en la cuantificación de óvulos penetrados por espermatozoides de toro. A las ratonas donantes de óvulos, se les aplicaron 10 UI de gonadotropina de suero de yegua preñada (PMSG) y 48 horas después 10 UI de gonadotropina corionica humana (HCG) para favorecer el crecimiento folicular. La tasa de penetración, difirió significativamente (P menor que 0.05) entre los óvulos recuperados a las 20 horas (57.7 por ciento) y los recuperados a las 16 y 13 horas (42.9 y 38.1 por ciento respectivamente) después de la inyección de HCG. Adicionalmente, se evaluaron 3 medios de cultivo: Ham F-10 Ringer y PBS con un mejor resultado en cuanto a penetración ovular de los medios Ringer y PBS (56.2 y 50.4 por ciento respectivamente), los cuales difieren significativamente (P menor que 0.05) del medio Ham F-10 (32.1 por ciento). El desarrollo de esta tecnología permitirá adelantar posteriores trabajos que establezcan a nivel de laboratorio patrones de evaluación más ajustados sobre la capacidad fertilizadora del semen bovin

Cerramientos bioclimáticos para climas cálidos húmedos: la cuarta vivienda

In intertropical latitudes such as Venezuela with hot humid climates, building envelopes must reduce influence of solar radiation, and in these, roofs and windows must receive special attention. Venezuela is also the country with the highest energy consumption per capita in Iberoamérica, much of which is generated by air conditioning systems in residential buildings, and Maracaibo and the surrounding lake basin have some of the highest temperature and humidity values in Venezuela, which increase energy consumption even more. A bioclimatical house for this climate is proposed. This building incorporates principles from traditional indigenous, colonial and oil company houses in the Maracaibo lake basin to generate a new prototype, called the Fourth House.En climas cálidos húmedos como es el caso de grandes regiones de Venezuela, las envolventes deben reducir la influencia de la radiación solar y, por lo tanto, deben recibir atención especial. Venezuela es también el país con más alto consumo energético per capita en Iberoamérica, generado en su mayor parte por el uso de sistemas de aire acondicionado en las edificaciones residenciales. En Maracaibo y en los alrededores del Lago de Maracaibo se registran los valores más altos de temperatura y humedad en Venezuela, lo que incrementa, aún más, el consumo energético de las viviendas de estas regiones. La minimización del impacto de la radiación solar para lograr la reducción del consumo energético con un mayor bienestar térmico ha sido precisamente uno de los objetivos perseguidos con el desarrollo de una nueva vivienda bioclimática para la región del lago de Maracaibo. Esta incorpora principios de las tres viviendas bioclimáticas previas existentes en esa región: el palafito o vivienda tradicional indígena, la vivienda colonial republicana y la vivienda petrolera. Es por ello que esta vivienda ha sido llamada la Cuarta Vivienda

SPIDER VII - Revealing the Stellar Population Content of Massive Early-type Galaxies out to 8Re

Radial trends of stellar populations in galaxies provide a valuable tool to understand the mechanisms of galaxy growth. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive analysis of optical-optical and optical-NIR colours, as a function of galaxy mass, out to the halo region (8Re) of early-type galaxies (ETGs). We select a sample of 674 massive ETGs (M*>3x10^10MSun) from the SDSS-based SPIDER survey. By comparing with a large range of population synthesis models, we derive robust constraints on the radial trends in age and metallicity. Metallicity is unambiguously found to decrease outwards, with a measurable steepening of the slope in the outer regions (Re<R<8Re). The gradients in stellar age are found to be more sensitive to the models used, but in general, the outer regions of ETGs feature older populations compared to the cores. This trend is strongest for the most massive galaxies in our sample (M*>10^11MSun). Furthermore, when segregating with respect to large scale environment, the age gradient is more significant in ETGs residing in higher density regions. These results shed light on the processes leading from the formation of the central core to the growth of the stellar envelope of massive galaxies. The fact that the populations in the outer regions are older and more metal-poor than in the core suggests a process whereby the envelope of massive galaxies is made up of accreted small satellites (i.e. minor mergers) whose stars were born during the first stages of galaxy formation.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, 10 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Single-cell derived clones from human adipose stem cells present different immunomodulatory properties

Human adipose mesenchymal stem cells are a heterogeneous population, where cell cultures derived from single cell-expanded clones present varying degrees of differential plasticity. This work focuses on the immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory properties of these cells. To this end, 5 single cell clones were isolated (generally called 1.X and 3.X) from 2 volunteers. Regarding the expression level of the lineage-characteristic surface antigens, clones 1.10 and 1.22 expressed the lowest amounts, while clones 3.10 and 3.5 expressed more CD105 than the rest and clone 1.7 expressed higher amounts of CD73 and CD44. Regarding cytokine secretion, all clones were capable of spontaneously releasing high levels of IL-6 and low to moderate levels of IL-8. These differences can be explained in part by the distinct methylation profile exhibited by the clones. Furthermore and after lipopolysaccharide stimulation, clone 3.X produced the highest amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, while clones 1.10 and 1.22 highly expressed IL-4 and IL-5. In co-culture experiments, clones 1.X are altogether more potent inhibitors than clones 3.X for proliferation of total, CD3+T, CD4+T and CD8+T lymphocytes and NK cells. The results of this work indicates that adipose stem cell population is heterogeneous in cytokine production profile, and that isolation, characterization and selection of the appropriate cell clone is a more exact method for the possible treatment of different patients or pathologies.Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIFEDER (PS09/01093), Fundacion Salud 2000-Merck Serono, Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2012/007) and “Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición” CIBERobn (CB12/03/30038) to ER, and VALi+d (APOSTD/2012/021) from Generalitat Valenciana to MIA

The morphologies and masses of extremely red galaxies in the Groth Strip survey

We present a new cataloge of EROs from the Groth strip and study the relation between their morphology and mass. We find 102 EROs (F814W-K=>4, K<=21.0), over a survey area of 155 arcmin^2. The photometric data include U,B,F606W,F814W,J,K bands. Morphologies are based on a by eye classification and we distinguish between 3 basic classes: compact objects, targets with a disc and/or a bulge component and irregular or merger candidates. The majority of our targets has either a very compact morphology (33+-6%), or show more or less distinct disc components (41+-6%). 14+-4% are merger or irregulars and 7 objects could not be classified. We also study the dependence of structural parameters on morphological appearance. EROs that are either compact or show a distinct bulge component have smaller median effective radii (1.22+-0.14 kpc and 3.31+-0.53 kpc) than disc dominated (5.50+-0.51 kpc) or possible irregular galaxies or merger candidates (4.92+-0.14 kpc). The Sersic index changes from 2.30+-0.34 and 3.24+-0.55, to 1.03+-0.24 and 1.54+-0.40 respectively. Most the EROs in our sample have redshifts between z=1 and z=2; however, compact EROs in our sample are found at redshifts as low as z=0.4 and as high as z=2.8; the latter qualify as well as DRGs. Disc-like EROs are also found up to z=2.8; however those with a bulge-disc structure are only seen at z<1.5. For each of these EROs we determined the stellar mass and mean population age by fitting synthetic Bruzual (2007) spectra to the SED. Mass estimates were obtained by assuming an exponentially declining star formation rate. Total stellar masses are in the range 9.1<log(M/M_sun)<11.6. We cannot detect significant differences between the stellar mass distribution of the morphological classes. EROs with masses of log(M/M_sun)>11.0 dominantly show compact morphologies, but also include a significant number of sources with a disc morphology.Comment: 21 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Nutritional and socio-economic factors associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection in children from Equatorial Guinea: results from a nationally representative survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria has traditionally been a major endemic disease in Equatorial Guinea. Although parasitaemia prevalence on the insular region has been substantially reduced by vector control in the past few years, the prevalence in the mainland remains over 50% in children younger than five years. The aim of this study is to investigate the risk factors for parasitaemia and treatment seeking behaviour for febrile illness at country level, in order to provide evidence that will reinforce the EG National Malaria Control Programme.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was a cross-sectional survey of children 0 to 5 years old, using a multistaged, stratified, cluster-selected sample at the national level. It included a socio-demographic, health and dietary questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and thick and thin blood smears to determine the <it>Plasmodium </it>infection. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine risk factors for parasitaemia, taking into account the cluster design.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall prevalence of parasitemia was 50.9%; it was higher in rural (58.8%) compared to urban areas (44.0%, p = 0.06). Age was positively associated with parasitemia (p < 0.0001). In rural areas, risk factors included longer distance to health facilities (p = 0.01) and a low proportion of households with access to protected water in the community (p = 0.02). Having had an episode of cough in the 15 days prior to the survey was inversely related to parasitemia (p = 0.04). In urban areas, the risk factors were stunting (p = 0.005), not having taken colostrum (p = 0.01), and that someone in the household slept under a bed net (p = 0.002); maternal antimalarial medication intake during pregnancy (p = 0.003) and the household socio-economic status (p = 0.0002) were negatively associated with parasitemia. Only 55% of children with fever were taken outside their homes for care, and treatment seeking behaviour differed substantially between rural and urban populations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results suggest that a national programme to fight malaria in Equatorial Guinea should take into account the differences between rural and urban communities in relation to risk factors for parasitaemia and treatment seeking behaviour, integrate nutrition programmes, incorporate campaigns on the importance of early treatment, and target appropriately for bed nets to reach the under-fives.</p