Employment generation in Brazilian coffee regions

Due to the specific characteristics of coffee production on each of the main Brazilian states producers of arabica (Coffea arabica) and robusta coffee (Coffea canephora), a better understanding of the structural links between production and industrialization of coffee on those states and the national economy can provide subsides for implementation of public policies, essential to plan the coffee production and increase the sector competitiveness. Therefore, this study analyzed the employment generation in production and coffee industrialization in the major Brazilian production regions, based on an inter-regional input-output model, with seven regions, which represent the main coffee-producing states - Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, São Paulo, Paraná, Bahia and Other States - with 44 sectors each, in a system of 308 sectors. The results indicated that the production of robusta coffee is the sector that generates more employments (total) per currency unit, and that arabica production sector is the fourth largest generator of employments, among the 44 sectors considered for the country. The results for each state emphasized the importance of farming and coffee industry for national and state economies.Coffee; Coffee Production; Input-Output

Fluorescent ampicillin analogues as multifunctional disguising agents against opsonization

Cancer nanomedicines are opening new paradigms in cancer management and recent research points to how they can vastly improve imaging and therapy through multimodality and multifunctionality. However, challenges to achieving optimal efficacy are manifold starting from processing materials and evaluating their intended effectiveness on biological tissue, to developing new strategies aimed at improving transport of these materials through the biological milieu to the target tissue. Here, we report a fluorescent derivative of a beta-lactam antibiotic, ampicillin (termed iAmp) and its multifunctional physicobiochemical characteristics and potential as a biocompatible shielding agent and an effective dispersant. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were chosen to demonstrate the efficacy of iAmp. CNTs are known for their versatility and have been used extensively for cancer theranostics as photothermal and photoacoustic agents, but have limited solubility in water and biocompatibility. Traditional dispersants are associated with imaging artifacts and are not fully biocompatible. The chemical structure of iAmp is consistent with a deamination product of ampicillin. Although the four-membered lactam ring is intact, it does not retain the antibiotic properties. The iAmp is an effective dispersant and simultaneously serves as a fluorescent label for single-walled CNTs (SWNTs) with minimal photobleaching. The iAmp also enables bioconjugation of SWNTs to bio-ligands such as antibodies through functional carboxyl groups. Viability tests show that iAmp-coated SWNTs have minimal toxicity. Bio-stability tests under physiological conditions reveal that iAmp coating not only remains stable in a biologically relevant environment with high protein and salt concentrations, but also renders SWNTs transparent against nonspecific protein adsorption, also known as protein corona. Mammalian tissue culture studies with macrophages and opsonins validate that iAmp coating affords immunological resistance to SWNTs. Furthermore, iAmp coating offers protection to SWNTs against their nonspecific adsorption across disparate cell types, which has precluded a targeted strategy, and enables selective molecular targeting. The iAmp can therefore be used as an efficient dispersant, a photostable fluorescent agent, and a biocompatible disguising agent, alleviating CNTs' drawbacks and rendering them suitable for nanotheranostic and drug delivery applications.1111Ysciescopu

Crystalline Silicate Feature of the Vega-like star HD145263

We have observed the 8-13 $\mu$m spectrum (R$\sim$250) of the Vega-like star candidate HD145263 using Subaru/COMICS. The spectrum of HD145263 shows the broad trapezoidal silicate feature with the shoulders at 9.3 $\mu$m and 11.44 $\mu$m, indicating the presence of crystalline silicate grains. This detection implies that crystalline silicate may also be commonly present around Vega-like stars. The 11.44 $\mu$m feature is slightly shifted to a longer wavelength compared to the usual 11.2-3 $\mu$m crystalline forsterite feature detected toward Herbig Ae/Be stars and T Tauri stars. Although the peak shift due to the effects of the grain size can not be ruled out, we suggest that Fe-bearing crystalline olivine explains the observed peak wavelength fairly well. Fe-bearing silicates are commonly found in meteorites and most interplanetary dust particles, which originate from planetesimal-like asteroids. According to studies of meteorites, Fe-bearing silicate must have been formed in asteroidal planetesimals, supporting the scenario that dust grains around Vega-like stars are of planetesimal origin, if the observed 11.44 $\mu$m peak is due to Fe-bearing silicates.Comment: accepted for Publication in ApJ

AKARI observations of ice absorption bands towards edge-on young stellar objects

To investigate the composition and evolution of circumstellar ice around low-mass young stellar objects (YSOs), we observed ice absorption bands in the near infrared (NIR) towards eight YSOs ranging from class 0 to class II, among which seven are associated with edge-on disks. We performed slit-less spectroscopic observations using the grism mode of the InfraRed Camera (IRC) on board AKARI, which enables us to obtain full NIR spectra from 2.5 mu m to 5 mu m, including the CO2 band and the blue wing of the H2O band, which are inaccessible from the ground. We developed procedures to carefully process the spectra of targets with nebulosity. The spectra were fitted with polynomial baselines to derive the absorption spectra. The molecular absorption bands were then fitted with the laboratory database of ice absorption bands, considering the instrumental line profile and the spectral resolution of the grism dispersion element. Towards the class 0-I sources (L1527, IRC-L1041-2, and IRAS 04302), absorption bands of H2O, CO2, CO, and XCN are clearly detected. Column density ratios of CO2 ice and CO ice relative to H2O ice are 21-28% and 13-46%, respectively. If XCN is OCN-, its column density is as high as 2-6% relative to H2O ice. The HDO ice feature at 4.1 mu m is tentatively detected towards the class 0-I sources and HV Tau. Non-detections of the CH-stretching mode features around 3.5 mu m provide upper limits to the CH3OH abundance of 26% (L1527) and 42% (IRAS 04302) relative to H2O. We tentatively detect OCS ice absorption towards IRC-L1041-2. Towards class 0-I sources, the detected features should mostly originate in the cold envelope, while CO gas and OCN-could originate in the region close to the protostar, where there are warm temperatures and UV radiation. We detect H2O ice band towards ASR41 and 2MASSJ 1628137-243139, which are edge-on class II disks. We also detect H2O ice and CO2 ice towards HV Tau, HK Tau, and UY Aur, and tentatively detect CO gas features towards HK Tau and UY Aur

ESR investigation on the Breather mode and the Spinon-Breather dynamical crossover in Cu Benzoate

A new elementary-excitation, the so called "breather excitation", is observed directly by millimeter-submillimeter wave electron spin resonance (ESR) in the Heisenberg quantum spin-chain Cu benzoate, in which a field-induced gap is found recently by specific heat and neutron scattering measurements. Distinct anomalies were found in line width and in resonance field around the "dynamical crossover" regime between the gap-less spinon-regime and the gapped breather-regime. When the temperature becomes sufficiently lower than the energy gap, a new ESR-line with very narrow line-width is found, which is the manifestation of the breather excitation. The non-linear field dependence of the resonance field agrees well with the theoretical formula of the first breather-excitation proposed by Oshikawa and Affleck. The present work establishes experimentally for the first time that a sine-Gordon model is applicable to explain spin dynamics in a S=1/2 Heisenberg spin chain subjected to staggered field even in high fields.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

The Peculiar Type Ib Supernova 2006jc: A WCO Wolf-Rayet Star Explosion

We present a theoretical model for Type Ib supernova (SN) 2006jc. We calculate the evolution of the progenitor star, hydrodynamics and nucleosynthesis of the SN explosion, and the SN bolometric light curve (LC). The synthetic bolometric LC is compared with the observed bolometric LC constructed by integrating the UV, optical, near-infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared (MIR) fluxes. The progenitor is assumed to be as massive as $40M_\odot$ on the zero-age main-sequence. The star undergoes extensive mass loss to reduce its mass down to as small as $6.9M_\odot$, thus becoming a WCO Wolf-Rayet star. The WCO star model has a thick carbon-rich layer, in which amorphous carbon grains can be formed. This could explain the NIR brightening and the dust feature seen in the MIR spectrum. We suggest that the progenitor of SN 2006jc is a WCO Wolf-Rayet star having undergone strong mass loss and such massive stars are the important sites of dust formation. We derive the parameters of the explosion model in order to reproduce the bolometric LC of SN 2006jc by the radioactive decays: the ejecta mass $4.9M_\odot$, hypernova-like explosion energy $10^{52}$ ergs, and ejected $^{56}$Ni mass $0.22M_\odot$. We also calculate the circumstellar interaction and find that a CSM with a flat density structure is required to reproduce the X-ray LC of SN 2006jc. This suggests a drastic change of the mass-loss rate and/or the wind velocity that is consistent with the past luminous blue variable (LBV)-like event.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

AKARI observations of ice absorption bands towards edge-on YSOs

To investigate the composition and evolution of circumstellar ice around low-mass YSOs, we observed ice absorption bands in the near infrared (NIR) towards eight YSOs ranging from class 0 to class II, among which seven are associated with edge-on disks. We performed slit-less spectroscopic observations using the grism mode of the Infrared Camera (IRC) on board AKARI, which enables us to obtain full NIR spectra from 2.5 $\mu$m to 5 $\mu$m. The spectra were fitted with polynomial baselines to derive the absorption spectra. The molecular absorption bands were then fitted with the laboratory database of ice absorption bands, considering the instrumental line profile and the spectral resolution of the grism dispersion element. Towards the class 0-I sources (L1527, IRC-L1041-2, and IRAS04302), absorption bands of H$_2$O, CO$_2$, CO, and XCN are clearly detected. Column density ratios of CO$_2$ ice and CO ice relative to H$_2$O ice are 21-28% and 13-46%, respectively. If XCN is OCN$^-$, its column density is as high as 2-6% relative to H$_2$O ice. The HDO ice feature at 4.1 $\mu$m is tentatively detected towards the class 0-I sources and HV Tau. Non-detections of the CH-stretching mode features around 3.5 $\mu$m provide upper limits to the CH$_3$OH abundance of 26% (L1527) and 42% (IRAS04302) relative to H$_2$O. We tentatively detect OCS ice absorption towards IRC-L1041-2. Towards class 0-I sources, the detected features should mostly originate in the cold envelope, while CO gas and OCN$^-$ could originate in the region close to the protostar, where there are warm temperatures and UV radiation. We detect H$_2$O ice band towards ASR41 and 2MASSJ1628137-243139, which are edge-on class II disks. We also detect H$_2$O ice and CO$_2$ ice towards HV Tau, HK Tau, and UY Aur, and tentatively detect CO gas features towards HK Tau and UY Aur.Comment: Accepted to A&

Thermal Properties of Heavy Fermion Compound YbP

Low-temperature specific heat and its field-dependence up to 16 T was measured in a stoichiometric single crystal of YbP. A sharp peak was observed at {\it T}$_{\rm N}$ = 0.53 K in zero magnetic field. Application of external field seems to induce a new magnetic phase above 11 T. The field dependence of the transition temperature in the high-field phase is different from that of the low field phase. The linear coefficient of the electronic specific heat is estimated as 120 mJ/mole K$^{2}$ from low temperature specfic heat, suggesting heavy Fermion state in YbP.Comment: to be published in J.Phys.Soc.Jpn on May, 200

Si and Fe depletion in Galactic star-forming regions observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope

We report the results of the mid-infrared spectroscopy of 14 Galactic star-forming regions with the high-resolution modules of the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. We detected [SiII] 35um, [FeII] 26um, and [FeIII] 23um as well as [SIII] 33um and H2 S(0) 28um emission lines. Using the intensity of [NII] 122um or 205um and [OI] 146um or 63um reported by previous observations in four regions, we derived the ionic abundance Si+/N+ and Fe+/N+ in the ionized gas and Si+/O0 and Fe+/O0 in the photodissociation gas. For all the targets, we derived the ionic abundance of Si+/S2+ and Fe2+/S2+ for the ionized gas. Based on photodissociation and HII region models the gas-phase Si and Fe abundance are suggested to be 3-100% and <8% of the solar abundance, respectively, for the ionized gas and 16-100% and 2-22% of the solar abundance, respectively, for the photodissociation region gas. Since the [FeII] 26um and [FeIII] 23um emissions are weak, the high sensitivity of the IRS enables to derive the gas-phase Fe abundance widely in star-forming regions. The derived gas-phase Si abundance is much larger than that in cool interstellar clouds and that of Fe. The present study indicates that 3-100% of Si atoms and <22% of Fe atoms are included in dust grains which are destroyed easily in HII regions, probably by the UV radiation. We discuss possible mechanisms to account for the observed trend; mantles which are photodesorbed by UV photons, organometallic complexes, or small grains.Comment: 43 pages with 7 figures, accepted in Astrophysical Journa

Dust grain growth in the interstellar medium of 5<z<6.5 quasars

We investigate whether stellar dust sources i.e. asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars and supernovae (SNe) can account for dust detected in 5<z<6.5 quasars (QSOs). We calculate the required dust yields per AGB star and per SN using the dust masses of QSOs inferred from their millimeter emission and stellar masses approximated as the difference between the dynamical and the H_2 gas masses of these objects. We find that AGB stars are not efficient enough to form dust in the majority of the z>5 QSOs, whereas SNe may be able to account for dust in some QSOs. However, they require very high dust yields even for a top-heavy initial mass function. This suggests additional non-stellar dust formation mechanism e.g. significant dust grain growth in the interstellar medium of at least three out of nine z>5 QSOs. SNe (but not AGB stars) may deliver enough heavy elements to fuel this growth.Comment: A&A, accepted. 5 pages, 2 figures, 2 table