1,565 research outputs found
Multiwavelength observations of a bright impact flash during the January 2019 total lunar eclipse
We discuss here a lunar impact flash recorded during the total lunar eclipse
that occurred on 2019 January 21, at 4h 41m 38.09 +- 0.01 s UT. This is the
first time ever that an impact flash is unambiguously recorded during a lunar
eclipse and discussed in the scientific literature, and the first time that
lunar impact flash observations in more than two wavelengths are reported. The
impact event was observed by different instruments in the framework of the
MIDAS survey. It was also spotted by casual observers that were taking images
of the eclipse. The flash lasted 0.28 seconds and its peak luminosity in
visible band was equivalent to the brightness of a mag. 4.2 star. The
projectile hit the Moon at the coordinates 29.2 +- 0.3 S, 67.5 +- 0.4
W. In this work we have investigated the most likely source of the
projectile, and the diameter of the new crater generated by the collision has
been calculated. In addition, the temperature of the lunar impact flash is
derived from the multiwavelength observations. These indicate that the
blackbody temperature of this flash was of about 5700 K.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS on 2019 March 2
Asymmetric amplification in amino acid sublimation involving racemic compound to conglomerate conversion
A straightforward unprecedented sublimation protocol that reveals both conversion of a racemic compound into a racemic conglomerate and subsequent enantioenrichment has been developed for the proteinogenic amino acid valine. The phenomenon has been observed in closed and open systems, providing insight into asymmetric amplification mechanisms under presumably prebiotic condition
Analysis of Moon impact flashes detected during the 2012 and 2013 Perseids
We present the results of our Moon impact flashes detection campaigns
performed around the maximum activity period of the Perseid meteor shower in
2012 and 2013. Just one flash produced by a Perseid meteoroid was detected in
2012 because of very unfavourable geometric conditions, but 12 of these were
confirmed in 2013. The visual magnitude of the flashes ranged between 6.6 and
9.3. A luminous efficiency of 1.8 10 has been estimated for
meteoroids from this stream. According to this value, impactor masses would
range between 1.9 and 190 g. In addition, we propose a criterion to establish,
from a statistical point of view, the likely origin of impact flashes recorded
on the lunar surface.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics on March 11,
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Organic ambipolar semiconductors for TFT applications
In the last years we have devoted some effort to the search of new high-mobility semiconductors with ambipolar performances, good processability and environmental stability. Our approach, which is one of the most widely used, consists in the combination of donor and acceptor moieties in the conjugated skeleton, which allows fine tuning of the frontier molecular orbitals. For OTFT applications, low-lying HOMOs are essential to resist air oxidation and thus increase device stability. However, if the HOMO energy is too low, the resulting barrier to hole injection may compromise the transistor performance. Thus, a delicate balance between these two effects is needed.
In particular, we have combined naphthaleneimide-derived moieties as electron accepting groups with electron-rich oligothiophene fragments. In these materials, we have found that the presence of ambipolar transport in these planar molecules can be understood on the basis of three interrelated properties: (i) the absence of skeletal distortions allows closer intermolecular pi-pi stacking and enhanced intramolecular pi-conjugation, (ii) increased pi-conjugation raises the HOMO energy, which approaches the Fermi level of common used electrodes; and (iii) more planar structures translate into lower Marcus reorganization energies. However, one of the limitations of these types of semiconductors is the presence of a molecular dipole moment, which forces the molecules to pack with pairwise intermolecular interactions orienting the naphthaleneimide cores in opposite directions, decreasing in some cases molecular orbitals overlapping. In recent contributions, we have devoted our efforts to analyze the effect of molecular interactions, through chemical modifications in order to induce parallel and antiparallel molecular packing, on the electronic properties of ambipolar semiconductors.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech
Thin sections techniques in fossil remains of mammals impregnated with asphalt
Paleohistological studies of vertebrates are based on the analysis and interpretation of bone microstructure of petrographic thin sections. These sections are mainly performed following standard techniques; however, the methodology can vary according to the particular characteristics of the sample (e.g. skeletal element, type of preservation) or the purpose of the work. As part of a paleohistological study on Equus occidentalis recovered from a Late Pleistocene asphalt seep ("tar pit"), Rancho La Brea (California, United States), in this contribution we describe the technique used to make thin sections of fossils impregnated with asphalt. The hydrocarbons act as a release agent, which causes the resins commonly used for glued or embedding not to adhere to the fossil remains. For chip preparation (=block) the sample were embedded in a large volume of low-viscosity epoxy resin, which generated a higher shrinkage and prevented the separation of the chip components (resin / fossil). The chip must be mounted on the glass slide using UV acrylic resin, which, unlike epoxy resins, does not require heat application, optimizes adhesion, and reduces the curing time, offering the possibility of cutting and polishing quickly after mounting. During polishing, it was necessary to reduce the cleaning time with ultrasound to avoid peeling and loss of portions of the sample. Based on the results obtained, we consider that this variant of the traditional methodology is optimal to work with fossils preserved in this particular context, as it allows making complete thin sections without altering the original osteohistological features.Fil: Garrone, Mariana Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Geológico del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología. Instituto Geológico del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz, Herácleo O.. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Geología; ArgentinaFil: Prado, José L.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Paleontológicas del Cuaternario Pampeano. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Paleontológicas del Cuaternario Pampeano; Argentina2nd Palaeontological Virtual CongressEspañaPalaeontological Virtual Congres
Sensory Integration in Human Movement: A New Brain-Machine Interface Based on Gamma Band and Attention Level for Controlling a Lower-Limb Exoskeleton
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) can improve the control of assistance mobility devices making its use more intuitive and natural. In the case of an exoskeleton, they can also help rehabilitation therapies due to the reinforcement of neuro-plasticity through repetitive motor actions and cognitive engagement of the subject. Therefore, the cognitive implication of the user is a key aspect in BMI applications, and it is important to assure that the mental task correlates with the actual motor action. However, the process of walking is usually an autonomous mental task that requires a minimal conscious effort. Consequently, a brain-machine interface focused on the attention to gait could facilitate sensory integration in individuals with neurological impairment through the analysis of voluntary gait will and its repetitive use. This way the combined use of BMI+exoskeleton turns from assistance to restoration. This paper presents a new brain-machine interface based on the decoding of gamma band activity and attention level during motor imagery mental tasks. This work also shows a case study tested in able-bodied subjects prior to a future clinical study, demonstrating that a BMI based on gamma band and attention-level paradigm allows real-time closed-loop control of a Rex exoskeleton.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science
and Innovation through grant CAS18/00048 José CastillejoBy the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Spanish
State Agency of Research, and the European Union through
the European Regional Development Fund in the framework
of the project Walk–Controlling lower-limb exoskeletons
by means of brain-machine interfaces to assist people with
walking disabilities (RTI2018-096677-B-I00);by theConsellería de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital (Generalitat Valenciana),the European Social Fund in the framework of the project Desarrollo de nuevas interfaces cerebro-máquina para la rehabilitación de miembro inferior (GV/2019/009).Authors would like to thank especially Kevin Nathan and the rest
of the laboratory of JC-V for their help during the experimental
trials, and Atilla Kilicarslan for his help with the implementation
of H1 algorith
Analysis of the EEG Rhythms Based on the Empirical Mode Decomposition During Motor Imagery When Using a Lower-Limb Exoskeleton. A Case Study
The use of brain-machine interfaces in combination with robotic exoskeletons is usually
based on the analysis of the changes in power that some brain rhythms experience
during a motion event. However, this variation in power is frequently obtained through
frequency filtering and power estimation using the Fourier analysis. This paper explores
the decomposition of the brain rhythms based on the Empirical Mode Decomposition,
as an alternative for the analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals, due to its
adaptive capability to the local oscillations of the data, showcasing it as a viable tool for
future BMI algorithms based on motor related events.by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Spanish State Agency of Research, and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of the project Walk—Controlling lower-limb exoskeletons by means of brain-machine interfaces to assist people with walking disabilities (RTI2018-096677-B-I00);and by the Consellería de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital (Generalitat Valenciana) and the European Social Fund in the framework of the project Desarrollo de nuevas interfaces cerebro-máquina para la rehabilitación de miembro inferior (GV/2019/009Authors would like to thank specially Kevin Nathan and the rest of the laboratory of JC-V for their help during the experimental trials and Atilla Kilicarslan for his help with the implementation of H∞ algorithm
Directed Irradiation Synthesis as an Advanced Plasma Technology for Surface Modification to Activate Porous and “as-received” Titanium Surfaces
For the design of smart titanium implants, it is essential to balance the surface properties without any detrimental effect on the bulk properties of the material. Therefore, in this study, an irradiation-driven surface modification called directed irradiation synthesis (DIS) has been developed to nanopattern porousand“as-received”c.p. Tisur faces with the aim of improving cellular viability. Nano features were developed using singly-charged argon ions at 0.5 and 1.0 keV energies, incident angles from 0◦ to 75◦ degrees, and fluences up to 5.0×1017 cm−2. Irradiated surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and contact angle, observing an increased hydrophilicity (a contact angle reduction of 73.4% and 49.3%) and a higher roughness on both surfaces except for higher incident angles, which showed the smoothest surface. In-vitro studies demonstrated the biocompatibility of directed irradiation synthesis (DIS) reaching 84% and 87% cell viability levels at 1 and 7 days respectively, and a lower percentage of damaged DNA in tail compared to the control c.p. Ti. All these results confirm the potential of the DIS technique to modify complex surfaces at the nanoscale level promoting their biological performance.Department of Defense (Spain) contract W81XWH-11-2-0067Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain grant MAT2015-71284-
Fruits and vegetables consumption and depressive symptoms: A population-based study in Peru.
OBJECTIVES: Among different factors, diet patterns seem to be related to depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the consumption of fruits and/or vegetables and depressive symptoms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A secondary data analysis was conducted using information from a population-based survey from 25 regions from Peru. The outcome was the presence of depressive symptoms according to the Patient Health Questionnaire (cutoff ≥15 to define major depressive syndrome); whereas the exposure was the self-reported consumption of fruits and/or vegetables (in tertiles and using WHO recommendation ≥5 servings/day). The association of interest was evaluated using Poisson regression models controlling for the complex-sample survey design and potential confounders. Data from 25,901 participants were analyzed, mean age 44.2 (SD: 17.7) and 13,944 (54.0%) women. Only 910 (3.8%; 95%CI: 3.5%-4.2%) individuals reported consuming ≥5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables/day; whereas 819 (2.8%; 95%CI: 2.5%-3.1%) had depressive symptoms. Those in the lowest tertile of fruits and/or vegetables consumption had greater prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.39-2.55) than those in the highest tertile. This association was stronger with fruits (PR = 1.92; 95%CI: 1.46-2.53) than vegetables (PR = 1.42; 95%CI: 1.05-1.93) alone. CONCLUSIONS: An inverse relationship between consumption of fruits and/or vegetables and depressive symptoms is reported. Less than 5% of subjects reported consuming the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by the WHO. There is a need to implement strategies to promote better diet patterns with potential impact on mental health
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