1,249 research outputs found
FUSE Observations of the Dwarf Nova SW UMa During Quiescence
We present spectroscopic observations of the short-period cataclysmic
variable SW Ursa Majoris, obtained by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic
Explorer (FUSE) satellite while the system was in quiescence. The data include
the resonance lines of O VI at 1031.91 and 1037.61 A. These lines are present
in emission, and they exhibit both narrow (~ 150 km/s) and broad (~ 2000 km/s)
components. The narrow O VI emission lines exhibit unusual double-peaked and
redshifted profiles. We attribute the source of this emission to a cooling flow
onto the surface of the white dwarf primary. The broad O VI emission most
likely originates in a thin, photoionized surface layer on the accretion disk.
We searched for emission from H_2 at 1050 and 1100 A, motivated by the
expectation that the bulk of the quiescent accretion disk is in the form of
cool, molecular gas. If H_2 is present, then our limits on the fluxes of the
H_2 lines are consistent with the presence of a surface layer of atomic H that
shields the interior of the disk. These results may indicate that accretion
operates primarily in the surface layers of the disk in SW UMa. We also
investigate the far-UV continuum of SW UMa and place an upper limit of 15,000 K
on the effective temperature of the white dwarf.Comment: 21 Pages, 3 figures, to be published in Ap
The role of antibiotics in the treatment of chronic prostatitis: A consensus statement
Practical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic prostatitis are presented. Chronic prostatitis is classified as chronic bacterial prostatitis (culture-positive) and chronic inflammatory prostatitis (culture-negative). If chronic bacterial prostatitis is suspected, based on relevant symptoms or recurrent UTIs, underlying urological conditions should be excluded by the following tests: rectal examination, midstream urine culture and residual urine. The diagnosis should be confirmed by the Meares and Stamey technique. Antibiotic therapy is recommended for acute exacerbations of chronic prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic inflammatory prostatitis, if there is clinical, bacteriological or supporting immunological evidence of prostate infection. Unless a patient presents with fever, antibiotic treatment should not be initiated immediately except in cases of acute prostatitis or acute episodes in a patient with chronic bacterial prostatitis. The work-up, with the appropriate investigations should be done first, within a reasonable time period which, preferably, should not be longer than 1 week. During this period, nonspecific treatment, such as appropriate analgesia to relieve symptoms, should be given. The minimum duration of antibiotic treatment should be 2-4 weeks. If there is no improvement in symptoms, treatment should be stopped and reconsidered. However, if there is improvement, it should be continued for at least a further 2-4 weeks to achieve clinical cure and, hopefully, eradication of the causative pathogen. Antibiotic treatment should not be given for 6-8 weeks without an appraisal of its effectiveness. Currently used antibiotics are reviewed. Of these, the fluoroquinolones ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin are recommended because of their favourable antibacterial spectrum and pharmacokinetic profile. A number of clinical trials are recommended and a standard study design is proposed to help resolve some outstanding issues
Pulsational instability of yellow hypergiants
Instability of population I (X=0.7, Y=0.02) massive stars against radial
oscillations during the post-main sequence gravitational contraction of the
helium core is investigated. Initial stellar masses are in the range from
65M_\odot to 90M_\odot. In hydrodynamic computations of self-exciting stellar
oscillations we assumed that energy transfer in the envelope of the pulsating
star is due to radiative heat conduction and convection. The convective heat
transfer was treated in the framework of the theory of time-dependent turbulent
convection. During evolutionary expansion of outer layers after hydrogen
exhaustion in the stellar core the star is shown to be unstable against radial
oscillations while its effective temperature is Teff > 6700K for
Mzams=65M_\odot and Teff > 7200K for mzams=90M_\odot. Pulsational instability
is due to the \kappa-mechanism in helium ionization zones and at lower
effective temperature oscillations decay because of significantly increasing
convection. The upper limit of the period of radial pulsations on this stage of
evolution does not exceed 200 day. Radial oscillations of the hypergiant resume
during evolutionary contraction of outer layers when the effective temperature
is Teff > 7300K for Mzams=65M_\odot and Teff > 7600K for Mzams=90M_\odot.
Initially radial oscillations are due to instability of the first overtone and
transition to fundamental mode pulsations takes place at higher effective
temperatures (Teff > 7700K for Mzams=65M_\odot and Teff > 8200K for
Mzams=90M_\odot). The upper limit of the period of radial oscillations of
evolving blueward yellow hypergiants does not exceed 130 day. Thus, yellow
hypergiants are stable against radial stellar pulsations during the major part
of their evolutionary stage.Comment: 20 pages, 7 gigures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy Letter
A Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Survey of Luminous Cool Stars
FUSE ultraviolet spectra of 8 giant and supergiant stars reveal that high
temperature (3 X 10^5 K) atmospheres are common in luminous cool stars and
extend across the color-magnitude diagram from Alpha Car (F0 II) to the cool
giant Alpha Tau (K5 III). Emission present in these spectra includes
chromospheric H-Lyman Beta, Fe II, C I, and transition region lines of C III, O
VI, Si III, Si IV. Emission lines of Fe XVIII and Fe XIX signaling temperatures
of ~10^7 K and coronal material are found in the most active stars, Beta Cet
and 31 Com. A short-term flux variation, perhaps a flare, was detected in Beta
Cet during our observation. Stellar surface fluxes of the emission of C III and
O VI are correlated and decrease rapidly towards the cooler stars, reminiscent
of the decay of magnetically-heated atmospheres. Profiles of the C III (977A)
lines suggest that mass outflow is underway at T~80,000 K, and the winds are
warm. Indications of outflow at higher temperatures (3 X 10^5K) are revealed by
O VI asymmetries and the line widths themselves. High temperature species are
absent in the M-supergiant Alpha Ori. Narrow fluorescent lines of Fe II appear
in the spectra of many giants and supergiants, apparently pumped by H Lyman
Alpha, and formed in extended atmospheres. Instrumental characteristics that
affect cool star spectra are discussed.Comment: Accept for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; 22 pages of
text, 23 figures and 8 table
On the CO Near-IR Band and the Line Splitting Phenomenon in the Yellow Hypergiant Rho Cassiopeiae
We report on multi-epoch optical and near-infrared spectroscopy around the
first overtone ro-vibrational band of CO in the pulsating yellow hypergiant Rho
Cas, one of the most massive stars in the Galaxy and a candidate SN II
progenitor. We argue that the double cores of the CO absorption lines, that
have previously been attributed to separate circumstellar shells expelled
during its recurrent outbursts, result in fact from a superposition of a wide
absorption line and a narrow central emission line. The CO line doubling
returns over subsequent pulsation cycles, where the superposed line emission
assumes its largest intensity near phases of maximum light. We find that the
morphology and behavior of the CO band closely resemble the remarkable
"line-splitting phenomenon" also observed in optical low-excitation atomic
lines. Based on radiative transport calculations we present a simplified model
of the near-IR CO emission emerging from cooler atmospheric layers in the
immediate vicinity of the photosphere. We speculate that the kinetic
temperature minimum in our model results from a periodical pulsation-driven
shock wave. We further discuss a number of alternative explanations for the
origin of the ubiquitous emission line spectrum, possibly due to a
quasi-chromosphere or a steady shock wave at the interface of a fast expanding
wind and the ISM. We present a number of interesting spectroscopic similarities
between Rho Cas and other types of cool variable supergiants such as the RV Tau
and R CrB stars. We further propose a possibly common mechanism for the
enigmatic outburst behavior of these luminous pulsating cool stars.Comment: accepted to ApJ; 3 color fig
The Gaia-ESO survey: A spectroscopic study of the young open cluster NGC 3293
We present a spectroscopic analysis of the GIRAFFE and UVES data collected by
the Gaia-ESO survey for the young open cluster NGC 3293. Archive spectra from
the same instruments obtained in the framework of the `VLT-FLAMES survey of
massive stars' are also analysed. Atmospheric parameters, non-LTE chemical
abundances for six elements, or variability information are reported for a
total of about 160 B stars spanning a wide range in terms of spectral types (B1
to B9.5) and rotation rate (up to 350 km/s). We take advantage of the
multi-epoch observations to detect several binary systems or intrinsically
line-profile variables. A deconvolution algorithm is used to infer the current,
true (deprojected) rotational velocity distribution. We find a broad,
Gaussian-like distribution peaking around 200-250 km/s. Although some stars
populate the high-velocity tail, most stars in the cluster appear to rotate far
from critical. We discuss the chemical properties of the cluster, including the
low occurrence of abundance peculiarities in the late B stars and the paucity
of objects showing CN-cycle burning products at their surface. We argue that
the former result can largely be explained by the inhibition of diffusion
effects because of fast rotation, while the latter is generally in accord with
the predictions of single-star evolutionary models under the assumption of a
wide range of initial spin rates at the onset of main-sequence evolution.
However, we find some evidence for a less efficient mixing in two quite rapidly
rotating stars that are among the most massive objects in our sample. Finally,
we obtain a cluster age of ~20 Myrs through a detailed, star-to-star correction
of our results for the effect of stellar rotation. This is significantly older
than previous estimates from turn-off fitting that fully relied on classical,
non-rotating isochrones. [abridged]Comment: 29 pages, 24 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Psychosis with paranoid delusions after a therapeutic dose of mefloquine: a case report
BACKGROUND: Convenient once-a-week dosing has made mefloquine a popular choice as malaria prophylaxis for travel to countries with chloroquine-resistant malaria. However, the increased use of mefloquine over the past decade has resulted in reports of rare, but severe, neuropsychiatric adverse reactions, such as anxiety, depression, hallucinations and psychosis. A direct causality between mefloquine and severe reactions among travelers has been partly confounded by factors associated with foreign travel and, in the case of therapeutic doses of mefloquine, the central nervous system manifestations of Plasmodium infection itself. The present case provides a unique natural history of mefloquine-induced neuropsychiatric toxicity and revisits its dose-dependent nature. CASE PRESENTATION: This report describes an acute exacerbation of neuropsychiatric symptoms after an unwarranted therapeutic dose (1250 mg) of mefloquine in a 37-year-old male previously on a once-a-week prophylactic regimen. Neuropsychiatric symptoms began as dizziness and insomnia of several days duration, which was followed by one week of escalating anxiety and subtle alterations in behaviour. The patient's anxiety culminated into a panic episode with profound sympathetic activation. One week later, he was hospitalized after developing frank psychosis with psychomotor agitation and paranoid delusions. His psychosis remitted with low-dose quetiapine. CONCLUSION: This report suggests that an overt mefloquine-induced psychosis can be preceded by a prodromal phase of moderate symptoms such as dizziness, insomnia, and generalized anxiety. It is important that physicians advise patients taking mefloquine prophylaxis and their relatives to recognize such symptoms, especially when they are accompanied by abrupt, but subtle, changes in behaviour. Patients with a history of psychiatric illness, however minor, may be at increased risk for a mefloquine-induced neuropsychiatric toxicity. Physicians must explicitly caution patients not to self-medicate with a therapeutic course of mefloquine when a malaria diagnosis has not been confirmed
Developing reading-writing connections; the impact of explicit instruction of literary devices on the quality of children's narrative writing
The purpose of this collaborative schools-university study was to investigate how the explicit instruction of literary devices during designated literacy sessions could improve the quality of children's narrative writing. A guiding question for the study was: Can children's writing can be enhanced by teachers drawing attention to the literary devices used by professional writers or “mentor authors”? The study was conducted with 18 teachers, working as research partners in nine elementary schools over one school year. The research group explored ways of developing children as reflective authors, able to draft and redraft writing in response to peer and teacher feedback. Daily literacy sessions were complemented by weekly writing workshops where students engaged in authorial activity and experienced writers' perspectives and readers' demands (Harwayne, 1992; May, 2004). Methods for data collection included video recording of peer-peer and teacher-led group discussions and audio recording of teacher-child conferences. Samples of children's narrative writing were collected and a comparison was made between the quality of their independent writing at the beginning and end of the research period. The research group documented the importance of peer-peer and teacher-student discourse in the development of children's metalanguage and awareness of audience. The study suggests that reading, discussing, and evaluating mentor texts can have a positive impact on the quality of children's independent writing
The Gaia-ESO Survey: Pre-Main Sequence Stars in the Young Open Cluster NGC 3293
The young open cluster NGC3293 is included in the observing program of the Gaia-ESO survey (GES). The radial velocity values provided have been used to assign cluster membership probabilities by means of a single-variable parametric analysis. These membership probabilities are compared to the results of the photometric membership assignment of NGC3293, based on UBV RI photometry. The agreement of the photometric and kinematic member samples amounts to 65%, and could increase to 70% as suggested by the analysis of the differences between both samples. A number of photometric PMS candidate members of spectral type F are found, which are confirmed by the results from VPHAS photometry and SED fitting for the stars in common with VPHAS and GES data sets. Excesses at mid- and near-infrared wavelengths, and signs of Hα emission, are investigated for them. Marginal presence of Hα emission or infilling is detected for the candidate members. Several of them exhibit moderate signs of U excess and weak excesses at mid-IR wavelengths. We suggest that these features originate from accretion disks in their last stages of evolution
The Gaia-ESO Survey: Pre-main-sequence stars in the young open cluster NGC 3293
© 2016 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.The young open cluster NGC3293 is included in the observing program of the Gaia-ESO survey (GES). The radial velocity values provided have been used to assign cluster membership probabilities by means of a single-variable parametric analysis. These membership probabilities are compared to the results of the photometric membership assignment of NGC3293, based on UBVRI photometry. The agreement of the photometric and kinematic member samples amounts to 65 per cent, and could increase to 70 per cent as suggested by the analysis of the differences between both samples. A number of photometric PMS candidate members of spectral type F are found, which are confirmed by the results from VPHAS photometry and SED fitting for the stars in common with VPHAS and GES data sets. Excesses at mid- and near-infrared wavelengths, and signs of Hα emission, are investigated for them. Marginal presence of Hα emission or infilling is detected for the candidate members. Several of them exhibit moderate signs of U excess and weak excesses at mid-IR wavelengths. We suggest that these features originate from accretion discs in their last stages of evolution
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