35 research outputs found
New Results on Standard Solar Models
We describe the current status of solar modelling and focus on the problems
originated with the introduction of solar abundance determinations with low CNO
abundance values. We use models computed with solar abundance compilations
obtained during the last decade, including the newest published abundances by
Asplund and collaborators. Results presented here make focus both on
helioseismic properties and the models as well as in the neutrino fluxes
predictions. We also discuss changes in radiative opacities to restore
agreement between helioseismology, solar models, and solar abundances and show
the effect of such modifications on solar neutrino fluxes.Comment: 9 pages. Review talk presented at "Synergies between solar and
stellar modelling", Rome, June 2009. To be published by Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Inter-comparison of the g-, f- and p-modes calculated using different oscillation codes for a given stellar model
In order to make astroseismology a powerful tool to explore stellar
interiors, different numerical codes should give the same oscillation
frequencies for the same input physics. This work is devoted to test, compare
and, if needed, optimize the seismic codes used to calculate the
eigenfrequencies to be finally compared with observations. The oscillation
codes of nine research groups in the field have been used in this study. The
same physics has been imposed for all the codes in order to isolate the
non-physical dependence of any possible difference. Two equilibrium models with
different grids, 2172 and 4042 mesh points, have been used, and the latter
model includes an explicit modelling of semiconvection just outside the
convective core. Comparing the results for these two models illustrates the
effect of the number of mesh points and their distribution in particularly
critical parts of the model, such as the steep composition gradient outside the
convective core. A comprehensive study of the frequency differences found for
the different codes is given as well. These differences are mainly due to the
use of different numerical integration schemes. The use of a second-order
integration scheme plus a Richardson extrapolation provides similar results to
a fourth-order integration scheme. The proper numerical description of the
Brunt-Vaisala frequency in the equilibrium model is also critical for some
modes. An unexpected result of this study is the high sensitivity of the
frequency differences to the inconsistent use of values of the gravitational
constant (G) in the oscillation codes, within the range of the experimentally
determined ones, which differ from the value used to compute the equilibrium
model.Comment: 18 pages, 34 figure
Accurate fundamental parameters and detailed abundance patterns from spectroscopy of 93 solar-type Kepler targets
We present a detailed spectroscopic study of 93 solar-type stars that are
targets of the NASA/Kepler mission and provide detailed chemical composition of
each target. We find that the overall metallicity is well-represented by Fe
lines. Relative abundances of light elements (CNO) and alpha-elements are
generally higher for low-metallicity stars. Our spectroscopic analysis benefits
from the accurately measured surface gravity from the asteroseismic analysis of
the Kepler light curves. The log g parameter is known to better than 0.03 dex
and is held fixed in the analysis. We compare our Teff determination with a
recent colour calibration of V-K (TYCHO V magnitude minus 2MASS Ks magnitude)
and find very good agreement and a scatter of only 80 K, showing that for other
nearby Kepler targets this index can be used. The asteroseismic log g values
agree very well with the classical determination using Fe1-Fe2 balance,
although we find a small systematic offset of 0.08 dex (asteroseismic log g
values are lower). The abundance patterns of metals, alpha elements, and the
light elements (CNO) show that a simple scaling by [Fe/H] is adequate to
represent the metallicity of the stars, except for the stars with metallicity
below -0.3, where alpha-enhancement becomes important. However, this is only
important for a very small fraction of the Kepler sample. We therefore
recommend that a simple scaling with [Fe/H] be employed in the asteroseismic
analyses of large ensembles of solar-type stars.Comment: MNRAS, in press, 12 page
Characteristics of Early-Onset vs Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A Review.
The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (younger than 50 years) is rising globally, the reasons for which are unclear. It appears to represent a unique disease process with different clinical, pathological, and molecular characteristics compared with late-onset colorectal cancer. Data on oncological outcomes are limited, and sensitivity to conventional neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy regimens appear to be unknown. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available literature on early-onset colorectal cancer.
Within the next decade, it is estimated that 1 in 10 colon cancers and 1 in 4 rectal cancers will be diagnosed in adults younger than 50 years. Potential risk factors include a Westernized diet, obesity, antibiotic usage, and alterations in the gut microbiome. Although genetic predisposition plays a role, most cases are sporadic. The full spectrum of germline and somatic sequence variations implicated remains unknown. Younger patients typically present with descending colonic or rectal cancer, advanced disease stage, and unfavorable histopathological features. Despite being more likely to receive neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy, patients with early-onset disease demonstrate comparable oncological outcomes with their older counterparts.
The clinicopathological features, underlying molecular profiles, and drivers of early-onset colorectal cancer differ from those of late-onset disease. Standardized, age-specific preventive, screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies are required to optimize outcomes
The TREAT-NMD DMD Global Database: Analysis of more than 7,000 Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy mutations
Analyzing the type and frequency of patient-specific mutations that give rise to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an invaluable tool for diagnostics, basic scientific research, trial planning, and improved clinical care. Locus-specific databases allow for the collection, organization, storage, and analysis of genetic variants of disease. Here, we describe the development and analysis of the TREAT-NMD DMD Global database (http://umd.be/TREAT_DMD/). We analyzed genetic data for 7,149 DMD mutations held within the database. A total of 5,682 large mutations were observed (80% of total mutations), of which 4,894 (86%) were deletions (1 exon or larger) and 784 (14%) were duplications (1 exon or larger). There were 1,445 small mutations (smaller than 1 exon, 20% of all mutations), of which 358 (25%) were small deletions and 132 (9%) small insertions and 199 (14%) affected the splice sites. Point mutations totalled 756 (52% of small mutations) with 726 (50%) nonsense mutations and 30 (2%) missense mutations. Finally, 22 (0.3%) mid-intronic mutations were observed. In addition, mutations were identified within the database that would potentially benefit from novel genetic therapies for DMD including stop codon read-through therapies (10% of total mutations) and exon skipping therapy (80% of deletions and 55% of total mutations)
Measuring ecosystem function: consequences arising from variation in biomass-productivity relationships
Species diversity loss is expected to alter ecosystem function, but previous work has demonstrated inconsistent relationships between these two factors. Productivity is the most common measure of ecosystem function, but given the difficulty in measuring productivity, standing biomass or change in biomass are frequently used as proxy measures. A review of the recent ecosystem-function literature revealed that 93% of studies measure productivity as biomass, thereby assuming a strong positive relationship between these two variables. We tested this assumption by measuring biomass and productivity in seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico. We found that the relationship between standing biomass and productivity could be positive or negative, depending on site. Change in biomass over months inconsistently underestimated short-term productivity. The relationship between biomass and productivity may depend on plant age, successional stage, or site-specific rates of tissue loss to herbivory, senescence, or disturbance. Our results suggest that if biomass continues to be used as a measure of productivity without justification, highly productive communities that typically show little change in biomass, such as healthy climax communities, will not be interpreted as such. The conflicting results of previous studies investigating the relationship between diversity and productivity may be due to differences in the inherently variable relationship between biomass and productivity at different sites and scales.C.P. terHorst, and P. Mungui