1,416 research outputs found
Mid-Infrared diagnostics of metal-rich HII regions from VLT and Spitzer Spectroscopy of Young Massive Stars in W31
We present near-IR VLT/ISAAC and mid-IR Spitzer/IRS spectroscopy of the young
massive cluster in the W31 star-forming region. H-band spectroscopy provides
refined classifications for four cluster members O stars with respect to Blum
et al. In addition, photospheric features are detected in the massive Young
Stellar Object (mYSO) #26. Spectroscopy permits estimates of stellar
temperatures and masses, from which a cluster age of ~0.6 Myr and distance of
3.3 kpc are obtained, in excellent agreement with Blum et al. IRS spectroscopy
reveals mid-infrared fine structure line fluxes of [Ne II-III] and [S III-IV]
for four O stars and five mYSOs. In common with previous studies, stellar
temperatures of individual stars are severely underestimated from the observed
ratios of fine-structure lines, despite the use of contemporary stellar
atmosphere and photoionization models. We construct empirical temperature
calibrations based upon the W31 cluster stars of known spectral type,
supplemented by two inner Milky Way ultracompact (UC) HII regions whose
ionizing star properties are established. Calibrations involving [NeIII]
15.5um/[NeII] 12.8um, [SIV] 10.5um/[NeII] 12.8um or [ArIII] 9.0um/[NeII] 12.8um
have application in deducing the spectral types of early- to mid- O stars for
other inner Milky Way compact and UCHII regions. Finally, evolutionary phases
and timescales for the massive stellar content in W31 are discussed, due to the
presence of numerous young massive stars at different formation phases in a
`coeval' cluster.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for MNRA
Recommended from our members
Do emotional difficulties and peer problems hew together from childhood to adolescence? The case of children with a history of developmental language disorder (DLD)
Children and adolescents with developmental language disorder (DLD) are, overall, vulnerable to difficulties in emotional adjustment and in peer relations. However, previous research has shown that different subgroups follow different trajectories in respect of quality of peer relations. Less is known of the trajectories of emotional development. We consider here the possibility that development in these two domains is interrelated: that is, the trajectories of emotional and peer problems will proceed in parallel. We conducted longitudinal joint trajectories analyses of emotional and peer relations in a sample of young people identified as having DLD at age 7 years and seen at intervals up to 16 years. Potential influences on joint trajectory group membership were examined. Findings revealed five distinct joint trajectories. Emotional and peer difficulties do hew together from childhood to adolescence for just over half of the sample, but not all. The variables most clearly associated with group membership were pragmatic language ability, prosociality and parental mental health. This is the first study to examine joint longitudinal trajectories of emotional and peer difficulties in individuals with DLD. We demonstrate that development in individuals with DLD is heterogeneous and identify three key variables associated with personal and social adjustment from childhood to adolescence. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed
Hard X-ray standing-wave photoemission insights into the structure of an epitaxial Fe/MgO multilayer magnetic tunnel junction
The Fe/MgO magnetic tunnel junction is a classic spintronic system, with current importance technologically and interest for future innovation. The key magnetic properties are linked directly to the structure of hard-to-access buried interfaces, and the Fe and MgO components near the surface are unstable when exposed to air, making a deeper probing, nondestructive, in-situ measurement ideal for this system. We have thus applied hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPS) and standing-wave (SW) HXPS in the few kilo-electron-volt energy range to probe the structure of an epitaxially grown MgO/Fe superlattice. The superlattice consists of 9 repeats of MgO grown on Fe by magnetron sputtering on an MgO(001) substrate, with a protective Al2O3 capping layer. We determine through SW-HXPS that 8 of the 9 repeats are similar and ordered, with a period of 33 ± 4 Ă
, with the minor presence of FeO at the interfaces and a significantly distorted top bilayer with ca. 3 times the oxidation of the lower layers at the top MgO/Fe interface. There is evidence of asymmetrical oxidation on the top and bottom of the Fe layers. We find agreement with dark-field scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and X-ray reflectivity measurements. Through the STEM measurements, we confirm an overall epitaxial stack with dislocations and warping at the interfaces of ca. 5 Ă
. We also note a distinct difference in the top bilayer, especially MgO, with possible Fe inclusions. We thus demonstrate that SW-HXPS can be used to probe deep buried interfaces of novel magnetic devices with few-angstrom precision
Strain-controlled criticality governs the nonlinear mechanics of fibre networks
Disordered fibrous networks are ubiquitous in nature as major structural
components of living cells and tissues. The mechanical stability of networks
generally depends on the degree of connectivity: only when the average number
of connections between nodes exceeds the isostatic threshold are networks
stable (Maxwell, J. C., Philosophical Magazine 27, 294 (1864)). Upon increasing
the connectivity through this point, such networks undergo a mechanical phase
transition from a floppy to a rigid phase. However, even sub-isostatic networks
become rigid when subjected to sufficiently large deformations. To study this
strain-controlled transition, we perform a combination of computational
modeling of fibre networks and experiments on networks of type I collagen
fibers, which are crucial for the integrity of biological tissues. We show
theoretically that the development of rigidity is characterized by a
strain-controlled continuous phase transition with signatures of criticality.
Our experiments demonstrate mechanical properties consistent with our model,
including the predicted critical exponents. We show that the nonlinear
mechanics of collagen networks can be quantitatively captured by the
predictions of scaling theory for the strain-controlled critical behavior over
a wide range of network concentrations and strains up to failure of the
material
Using honey to heal diabetic foot ulcers
Diabetic ulcers seem to be arrested in the inflammatory/proliferative stage of the healing process, allowing infection and inflammation to preclude healing. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a major cause of infections, including diabetic foot infections. It is proposed here that the modern developments of an ancient and traditional treatment for wounds, dressing them with honey, provide the solution to the problem of getting diabetic ulcers to move on from the arrested state of healing. Honeys selected to have a high level of antibacterial activity have been shown to be very effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in laboratory and clinical studies. The potent anti-inflammatory action of honey is also likely to play an important part in overcoming the impediment to healing that inflammation causes in diabetic ulcers, as is the antioxidant activity of honey. The action of honey in promotion of tissue regeneration through stimulation of angiogenesis and the growth of fibroblasts and epithelial cells, and its insulin-mimetic effect, would also be of benefit in stimulating the healing of diabetic ulcers. The availability of honey-impregnated dressings which conveniently hold honey in place on ulcers has provided a means of rapidly debriding ulcers and removing the bacterial burden so that good healing rates can be achieved with neuropathic ulcers. With ischemic ulcers, where healing cannot occur because of lack of tissue viability, these honey dressings keep the ulcers clean and prevent infection occurring
Comprehensive analyses of DNA repair pathways, smoking and bladder cancer risk in Los Angeles and Shanghai
Tobacco smoking is a bladder cancer risk factor and a source of carcinogens that induce DNA damage to urothelial cells. Using data and samples from 988 cases and 1,004 controls enrolled in the Los Angeles County Bladder Cancer Study and the Shanghai Bladder Cancer Study, we investigated associations between bladder cancer risk and 632 tagSNPs that comprehensively capture genetic variation in 28 DNA repair genes from four DNA repair pathways: base excision repair (BER), nucleotide excision repair (NER), non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination repair (HHR). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each tagSNP were corrected for multiple testing for all SNPs within each gene using pACT and for genes within each pathway and across pathways with Bonferroni. Gene and pathway summary estimates were obtained using ARTP. We observed an association between bladder cancer and POLB rs7832529 (BER) (pACT = 0.003; ppathway = 0.021) among all, and SNPs in XPC (NER) and OGG1 (BER) among Chinese men and women, respectively. The NER pathway showed an overall association with risk among Chinese males (ARTP NER p = 0.034). The XRCC6 SNP rs2284082 (NHEJ), also in LD with SREBF2, showed an interaction with smoking (smoking status interaction pgene = 0.001, ppathway = 0.008, poverall = 0.034). Our findings support a role in bladder carcinogenesis for regions that map close to or within BER (POLB, OGG1) and NER genes (XPC). A SNP that tags both the XRCC6 and SREBF2 genes strongly modifies the association between bladder cancer risk and smoking
A influĂȘncia de sintomas da disfunção temporomandibular na força mĂĄxima de mordida em indivĂduos com deformidade dentofacial
Non-opaque soft tissue foreign body: sonographic findings
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Soft tissue foreign bodies are a common cause of orthopedic consultation in emergency departments. It is difficult to confirm their existence because conventional radiology only detects radio-opaque foreign bodies. Sonography can be a useful diagnostic method. The aim of this study is to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of sonography in detection and localization of non-opaque foreign bodies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated 47 patients with suspected foreign body retention in soft tissues by 10 MHz linear array transducer. A single radiologist performed all examinations with 6 years' experience in musculoskeletal Sonography. We detected and localized the presence of the foreign body in the soft tissue as guidance for facilitating the surgery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We detected soft tissue foreign body in 45 cases as hyperechoic foci. Posterior acoustic shadowing was seen in 36 cases and halo sign was seen in 5 cases due to abscess or granulation tissue formation. Surgery was performed in 39 patients and 44 foreign bodies were removed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Sonography is a useful modality in detection and localization of radiolucent foreign bodies in soft tissue which can avoid misdiagnosis during primary emergency evaluation.</p
Modelling avalanches in martensites
Solids subject to continuous changes of temperature or mechanical load often
exhibit discontinuous avalanche-like responses. For instance, avalanche
dynamics have been observed during plastic deformation, fracture, domain
switching in ferroic materials or martensitic transformations. The statistical
analysis of avalanches reveals a very complex scenario with a distinctive lack
of characteristic scales. Much effort has been devoted in the last decades to
understand the origin and ubiquity of scale-free behaviour in solids and many
other systems. This chapter reviews some efforts to understand the
characteristics of avalanches in martensites through mathematical modelling.Comment: Chapter in the book "Avalanches in Functional Materials and
Geophysics", edited by E. K. H. Salje, A. Saxena, and A. Planes. The final
publication is available at Springer via
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45612-6_
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