Keck spectroscopy and Spitzer Space Telescope analysis of the outer disk of the Triangulum Spiral Galaxy M33

In an earlier study of the spiral galaxy M33, we photometrically identified arcs or outer spiral arms of intermediate age (0.6 Gyr - 2 Gyr) carbon stars precisely at the commencement of the HI-warp. Stars in the arcs were unresolved, but were likely thermally-pulsing asymptotic giant branch carbon stars. Here we present Keck I spectroscopy of seven intrinsically bright and red target stars in the outer, northern arc in M33. The target stars have estimated visual magnitudes as faint as V \sim 25 mag. Absorption bands of CN are seen in all seven spectra reported here, confirming their carbon star status. In addition, we present Keck II spectra of a small area 0.5 degree away from the centre of M33; the target stars there are also identified as carbon stars. We also study the non-stellar PAH dust morphology of M33 secured using IRAC on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. The Spitzer 8 micron image attests to a change of spiral phase at the start of the HI warp. The Keck spectra confirm that carbon stars may safely be identified on the basis of their red J-K_s colours in the outer, low metallicity disk of M33. We propose that the enhanced number of carbon stars in the outer arms are an indicator of recent star formation, fueled by gas accretion from the HI-warp reservoir.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted in A&

The Baffling Semileptonic Branching Ratio of BB Mesons

The apparent gap between the measured and the expected value for the semileptonic branching ratio of $B$ mesons has become more serious over the last year. This is due to the improved quality of the data and to the increasing maturity of the theoretical treatment of non-perturbative corrections. We discuss various theoretical options to reduce the semileptonic $B$ branching ratio; among the more spectacular resolutions of the apparent puzzle is the possibility of an unorthodox enhancement in non-perturbative corrections or even of an intervention by `New Physics'. Phenomenological implications of such scenarios are pointed out.Comment: 16 Latex pages; 4 figures to be obtained from I.Bigi; preprint CERN-TH.7082/93; some misprints in the original version have been corrected and some references adde

Discovery of a new M32-like "Compact Elliptical" galaxy in the halo of the Abell 496 cD galaxy

Aims: ``Compact ellipticals'' are so rare that a search for M32 analogs is needed to ensure the very existence of this class. Methods: We report here the discovery of A496cE, a M32 twin in the cluster Abell 496, located in the halo of the central cD. Results: Based on CFHT and HST imaging we show that the light profile of A496cE requires a two component fit: a Sersic bulge and an exponential disc. The spectrum of A496cE obtained with the ESO-VLT FLAMES/Giraffe spectrograph can be fit by a stellar synthesis spectrum dominated by old stars, with high values of [Mg/Fe] and velocity dispersion. Conclusions: The capture of A496cE by the cD galaxy and tidal stripping of most of its disc are briefly discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter

Dietary flavonoid intake and lung cancer—A population-based case-control study

BACKGROUND Laboratory studies suggest that flavonoids are antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic. To investigate the associations between commonly consumed flavonoid compounds and lung cancer, the authors conducted a population-based case–control study of 558 lung cancer cases and a group of 837 controls. METHODS Dietary intakes of flavonoids were estimated by combining the intake frequency (collected by a food frequency questionnaire), portion size, and food composition data. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence limits (95% CLs) with an adjustment for potential confounders, including age, sex, race-ethnicity, years of schooling, smoking status, pack-years of tobacco smoking, and daily energy intake. RESULTS Lung cancer was associated inversely with the consumption of epicatechin (in 10 mg per day increment: OR, 0.64; 95% CL, 0.46–0.88), catechin (4 mg per day increment: OR, 0.49; 95% CL, 0.35–0.70), quercetin (9 mg per day increment: OR, 0.65; 95% CL, 0.44–0.95), and kaempferol (2 mg per day increment: OR, 0.68; 95% CL, 0.51–0.90) among tobacco smokers. There was little association between lung cancer and the flavonoid compounds mentioned above among nonsmokers. Regardless of smoking status, there was little association with total flavonoids: thearubigins, hesperetin, naringenin, and myricetin. In addition, consumption of vegetables, tea, and wine, all of which are rich sources of flavonoids, was associated inversely with lung cancer among tobacco smokers. CONCLUSIONS Certain flavonoid compounds, including epicatechin, catechin, quercetin, and kaempferol, were associated inversely with lung cancer among tobacco smokers, but not among nonsmokers. Further studies of these associations may be warranted. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58589/1/23398_ftp.pd

Dissipation of vibration in rough contact

The relationship which links the normal vibration occurring during the sliding of rough surfaces and the nominal contact area is investigated. Two regimes are found. In the first one, the vibrational level does not depend on the contact area, while in the second one, it is propor- tional to the contact area. A theoretical model is proposed. It is based on the assumption that the vibrational level results from a competition between two processes of vibration damping, the internal damping of the material and the contact damping occurring at the interface

Quantum anti-Zeno effect without wave function reduction

We study the measurement-induced enhancement of the spontaneous decay (called quantum anti-Zeno effect) for a two-level subsystem, where measurements are treated as couplings between the excited state and an auxiliary state rather than the von Neumann's wave function reduction. The photon radiated in a fast decay of the atom, from the auxiliary state to the excited state, triggers a quasi-measurement, as opposed to a projection measurement. Our use of the term "quasi-measurement" refers to a "coupling-based measurement". Such frequent quasi-measurements result in an exponential decay of the survival probability of atomic initial state with a photon emission following each quasi-measurement. Our calculations show that the effective decay rate is of the same form as the one based on projection measurements. What is more important, the survival probability of the atomic initial state which is obtained by tracing over all the photon states is equivalent to the survival probability of the atomic initial state with a photon emission following each quasi-measurement to the order under consideration. That is because the contributions from those states with photon number less than the number of quasi-measurements originate from higher-order processes.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Electroactive biofilms: new means for electrochemistry

This work demonstrates that electrochemical reactions can be catalysed by the natural biofilms that form on electrode surfaces dipping into drinking water or compost. In drinking water, oxygen reduction was monitored with stainless steel ultra-microelectrodes under constant potential electrolysis at )0.30 V/SCE for 13 days. 16 independent experiments were conducted in drinking water, either pure or with the addition of acetate or dextrose. In most cases, the current increased and reached 1.5–9.5 times the initial current. The current increase was attributed to biofilm forming on the electrode in a similar way to that has been observed in seawater. Epifluorescence microscopy showed that the bacteria size and the biofilm morphology depended on the nutrients added, but no quantitative correlation between biofilm morphology and current was established. In compost, the oxidation process was investigated using a titanium based electrode under constant polarisation in the range 0.10–0.70 V/SCE. It was demonstrated that the indigenous micro-organisms were responsible for the current increase observed after a few days, up to 60 mA m)2. Adding 10 mM acetate to the compost amplified the current density to 145 mA m)2 at 0.50 V/SCE. The study suggests that many natural environments, other than marine sediments, waste waters and seawaters that have been predominantly investigated until now, may be able to produce electrochemically active biofilm

Multifractality of Brownian motion near absorbing polymers

We characterize the multifractal behavior of Brownian motion in the vicinity of an absorbing star polymer. We map the problem to an O(M)-symmetric phi^4-field theory relating higher moments of the Laplacian field of Brownian motion to corresponding composite operators. The resulting spectra of scaling dimensions of these operators display the convexity properties which are necessarily found for multifractal scaling but unusual for power of field operators in field theory. Using a field-theoretic renormalization group approach we obtain the multifractal spectrum for absorbtion at the core of a polymer star as an asymptotic series. We evaluate these series using resummation techniques.Comment: 18 pages, revtex, 6 ps-figure