Chromospherically Active Stars. V. HD 91816=LR Hya: A Double-Lined BY Draconis Type Binary

Observations of HD 91816=LR Hya obtained between 1982 and 1988 show it to consist of two nearly identical K0 dwarfs and to have an orbital period of 6.866 days and an orbital eccentricity of 0.014 + or - 0.003. The results suggest that the system has an age equal to or greater than that of the Hyades cluster. A spectroscopic parallax of 0.027 is obtained, and individual minimum masses of 0.55 solar masses each are found, implying an inclination of 61 + or - 3 deg

Chromospherically Active Stars. III. HD 26337 = EI Eri: an RS CVn Candidate for the Doppler-Imaging Technique

The variable star HD 26337 = EI Eri is a chromospherically active G5 IV single-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of 1.94722 days. It has moderate strength Ca II H and K emission and strong ultraviolet emission features, while Hα is a weak absorption feature that is variable in strength. The inclination of the system is 46°±12°, and the unseen secondary is most likely a late K or early M dwarf. The v sin i of the primary is 50±3 km s-1, resulting in a minimum radius of 1.9±0.1 R_sun;. A mass ratio of M1/M2 ≥ 2.6 and a mass for the primary of at least 1.4 M_sun; is found. HD 26337 has a moderate lithium abundance log n(Li) = 1.75 - 2.0. It is suggested that many chromospherically active stars may still have moderate lithium abundances because they have evolved from late A or early F type main-sequence stars

Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Levels of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) among Honduran Women

Household air pollution is estimated to be responsible for nearly three million premature deaths annually. Measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) may improve the limited understanding of the association of household air pollution and airway inflammation. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of FeNO with exposure to household air pollution (24-h average kitchen and personal fine particulate matter and black carbon; stove type) among 139 women in rural Honduras using traditional stoves or cleaner-burning Justastoves. We additionally evaluated interaction by age. Results were generally consistent with a null association; we did not observe a consistent pattern for interaction by age. Evidence from ambient and household air pollution regarding FeNO is inconsistent, and may be attributable to differing study populations, exposures, and FeNO measurement procedures (e.g., the flow rate used to measure FeNO)

Chromospherically active stars. I. HD 136905.

The variable star HD 136905, recently designated GX Librae, is a chromospherically active K1 III single-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of 11.1345 days. It has moderate strength Ca II H and K and ultraviolet emission features, while Hα is strongly in absorption. The inclination of the systems is 58°±17° and the unseen secondary is most likely a G or K dwarf. The v sin i of the primary, 32±2 km s-1, results in a minimum radius of 7.0±0.4 R_sun;. Since the star fills a substantial fraction of its Roche lobe, the double-peaked light curve seen by photometric observers is predominantly ellipsoidal in nature. Both the photometry and the spectroscopy yield values for the period and the time of conjunction that are identical within their uncertainties

Exposure to Household Air Pollution from Biomass Cookstoves and Blood Pressure Among Women in Rural Honduras: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass cookstoves with elevated blood pressure. We assessed cross‐sectional associations of 24‐hour mean concentrations of personal and kitchen fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and stove type with blood pressure, adjusting for confounders, among 147 women using traditional or cleaner‐burning Justa stoves in Honduras. We investigated effect modification by age and body mass index. Traditional stove users had mean (standard deviation) personal and kitchen 24‐hour PM2.5 concentrations of 126 μg/m3 (77) and 360 μg/m3 (374), while Justa stove users’ exposures were 66 μg/m3 (38) and 137 μg/m3(194), respectively. BC concentrations were similarly lower among Justa stove users. Adjusted mean systolic blood pressure was 2.5 mm Hg higher (95% CI, 0.7‐4.3) per unit increase in natural log‐transformed kitchen PM2.5 concentration; results were stronger among women of 40 years or older (5.2 mm Hg increase, 95% CI, 2.3‐8.1). Adjusted odds of borderline high and high blood pressure (categorized) were also elevated (odds ratio = 1.5, 95% CI, 1.0‐2.3). Some results included null values and are suggestive. Results suggest that reduced household air pollution, even when concentrations exceed air quality guidelines, may help lower cardiovascular disease risk, particularly among older subgroups

Study Protocol for a Stepped-Wedge Randomized Cookstove Intervention in Rural Honduras: Household Air Pollution and Cardiometabolic Health

Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass-burning cookstoves to cardiometabolic disease risk. Few randomized controlled interventions of cookstoves (biomass or otherwise) have quantitatively characterized changes in exposure and indicators of cardiometabolic health, a growing and understudied burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Ideally, the solution is to transition households to clean cooking, such as with electric or liquefied petroleum gas stoves; however, those unable to afford or to access these options will continue to burn biomass for the foreseeable future. Wood-burning cookstove designs such as the Justa (incorporating an engineered combustion zone and chimney) have the potential to substantially reduce air pollution exposures. Previous cookstove intervention studies have been limited by stove types that did not substantially reduce exposures and/or by low cookstove adoption and sustained use, and few studies have incorporated community-engaged approaches to enhance the intervention

Chromospherically active stars. II. HD 82558, a young single BY Draconis variable.

It is presently noted that the HD 82558 chromospherically active star is a young and rapidly rotating K2 V single BY Draconis variable with very strong far-UV emission features and an H-alpha line filled to the continuum level by emission. HD 82558 has constant velocity and is not a member of the Hyades Supercluster. Its light curve behavior, which appears to have been stable for several hundred rotation cycles, is reminiscent of that of the young, rapidly rotating, single K V variable H II 1883 in the Pleiades; this stability may be characteristic of young, single, chromospherically active stars

Characterization of the near-Earth Asteroid 2002NY40

In August 2002, the near-Earth asteroid 2002 NY40, made its closest approach to the Earth. This provided an opportunity to study a near-Earth asteroid with a variety of instruments. Several of the telescopes at the Maui Space Surveillance System were trained at the asteroid and collected adaptive optics images, photometry and spectroscopy. Analysis of the imagery reveals the asteroid is triangular shaped with significant self-shadowing. The photometry reveals a 20-hour period and the spectroscopy shows that the asteroid is a Q-type

Kitchen Concentrations of Fine Particulate Matter and Particle Number Concentration in Households Using Biomass Cookstoves in Rural Honduras

Cooking and heating with solid fuels results in high levels of household air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM); however, limited data exist for size fractions smaller than PM2.5 (diameter less than 2.5 μm). We collected 24-h time-resolved measurements of PM2.5 (n = 27) and particle number concentrations (PNC, average diameter 10–700 nm) (n = 44; 24 with paired PM2.5 and PNC) in homes with wood-burning traditional and Justa (i.e., with an engineered combustion chamber and chimney) cookstoves in rural Honduras. The median 24-h PM2.5 concentration (n = 27) was 79 μg/m3 (interquartile range [IQR]: 44–174 μg/m3); traditional (n = 15): 130 μg/m3 (IQR: 48–250 μg/m3); Justa (n = 12): 66 μg/m3 (IQR: 44–97 μg/m3). The median 24-h PNC (n = 44) was 8.5 × 104 particles (pt)/cm3 (IQR: 3.8 × 104–1.8 × 105 pt/cm3); traditional (n = 27): 1.3 × 105 pt/cm3 (IQR: 3.3 × 104–2.0 × 105 pt/cm3); Justa (n = 17): 6.3 × 104 pt/cm3 (IQR: 4.0 × 104–1.2 × 105 pt/cm3). The 24-h average PM2.5 and particle number concentrations were correlated for the full sample of cookstoves (n = 24, Spearman ρ: 0.83); correlations between PM2.5 and PNC were higher in traditional stove kitchens (n = 12, ρ: 0.93) than in Justa stove kitchens (n = 12, ρ: 0.67). The 24-h average concentrations of PM2.5 and PNC were also correlated with the maximum average concentrations during shorter-term averaging windows of one-, five-, 15-, and 60-min, respectively (Spearman ρ: PM2.5 [0.65, 0.85, 0.82, 0.71], PNC [0.74, 0.86, 0.88, 0.86]). Given the moderate correlations observed between 24-h PM2.5 and PNC and between 24-h and the shorter-term averaging windows within size fractions, investigators may need to consider cost-effectiveness and information gained by measuring both size fractions for the study objective. Further evaluations of other stove and fuel combinations are needed