1,249 research outputs found
On recent SFR calibrations and the constant SFR approximation
Star Formation Rate (SFR) inferences are based in the so-called constant SFR
approximation, where synthesis models are require to provide a calibration; we
aims to study the key points of such approximation to produce accurate SFR
inferences. We use the intrinsic algebra used in synthesis models, and we
explore how SFR can be inferred from the integrated light without any
assumption about the underling Star Formation history (SFH). We show that the
constant SFR approximation is actually a simplified expression of more deeper
characteristics of synthesis models: It is a characterization of the evolution
of single stellar populations (SSPs), acting the SSPs as sensitivity curve over
different measures of the SFH can be obtained. As results, we find that (1) the
best age to calibrate SFR indices is the age of the observed system (i.e. about
13Gyr for z=0 systems); (2) constant SFR and steady-state luminosities are not
requirements to calibrate the SFR; (3) it is not possible to define a SFR
single time scale over which the recent SFH is averaged, and we suggest to use
typical SFR indices (ionizing flux, UV fluxes) together with no typical ones
(optical/IR fluxes) to correct the SFR from the contribution of the old
component of the SFH, we show how to use galaxy colors to quote age ranges
where the recent component of the SFH is stronger/softer than the older
component.
Particular values of SFR calibrations are (almost) not affect by this work,
but the meaning of what is obtained by SFR inferences does. In our framework,
results as the correlation of SFR time scales with galaxy colors, or the
sensitivity of different SFR indices to sort and long scale variations in the
SFH, fit naturally. In addition, the present framework provides a theoretical
guide-line to optimize the available information from data/numerical
experiments to improve the accuracy of SFR inferences.Comment: A&A accepted, 13 pages, 4 Figure
Performance Comparison in the "Follicular Neoplasm" Category Between the American, British, Italian, and Japanese Systems for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology
It is now almost ten years that the United Stated of America, England, Italy and Japan had their own reporting system to classify thyroid lesions. Important confusion and uncertainties dominated the "follicular-patterned lesions", a category also known as the "gray zone". Every cytopathologist was using a personal terminology to describe and call lesions made up of a variable admixture of macro- and microfollicular structures. These personal views varied considerably between cytopathologists and generated a great deal of confusion among patients (the cytological report being almost incomprehensible to them), clinicians and even within the same cytopathology community. With the advent of national reporting systems, things changed in a better way and standardized reporting systems became the standard of practice in thyroid cytology. The outcome of the widespread use of standardized diagnostic categories was the reduction of descriptive diagnoses and the improved communication between pathologists, clinicians and patients. In this article we review the major reporting systems, analyze their similarities and differences in the "indeterminate" or "follicular-patterned" diagnostic categories, and when possible, try to assess their performance
Density waves and star formation in grand design spirals
HII regions in the arms of spiral galaxies are indicators of recent
star-forming processes. They may have been caused by the passage of the density
wave or simply created by other means near the arms. The study of these regions
may give us clues to clarifying the controversy over the existence of a
triggering scenario, as proposed in the density wave theory. Using H
direct imaging, we characterize the HII regions from a sample of three grand
design galaxies: NGC5457, NGC628 and NGC6946. Broad band images in R and I were
used to determine the position of the arms. The HII regions found to be
associated with arms were selected for the study. The age and the star
formation rate of these HII regions was obtained using measures on the
H line. The distance between the current position of the selected HII
regions and the position they would have if they had been created in the centre
of the arm is calculated. A parameter, T, which measures whether a region was
created in the arm or in the disc, is defined. With the help of the T parameter
we determine that the majority of regions were formed some time after the
passage of the density wave, with the regions located `behind the arm' (in the
direction of the rotation of the galaxy) the zone they should have occupied had
they been formed in the centre of the arm. The presence of the large number of
regions created after the passage of the arm may be explained by the effect of
the density wave, which helps to create the star-forming regions after its
passage. There is clear evidence of triggering for NGC5457 and a co-rotation
radius is proposed. A more modest triggering seems to exist for NGC628 and non
significant evidence of triggering are found for NGC6946.Comment: 10 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Study of star-forming galaxies in SDSS up to redshift 0.4: I. Metallicity evolution
The chemical composition of the gas in galaxies versus cosmic time provides a
very important tool for understanding galaxy evolution. Although there are many
studies at high redshift, they are rather scarce at lower redshifts. However,
low redshift studies can provide important clues about the evolution of
galaxies, furnishing the required link between local and high redshift
universe. In this work we focus on the metallicity of the gas of star-forming
galaxies at low redshift, looking for signs of chemical evolution.
To analyze the metallicity contents star-forming galaxies of similar
luminosities and masses at different redshifts. With this purpose, we present a
study of the metallicity of relatively massive (log(M_star/M_sun)>10.5) star
forming galaxies from SDSS--DR5 (Sloan Digital Sky Survey--Data Release 5),
using different redshift intervals from 0.04 to 0.4.
We used data processed with the STARLIGHT spectral synthesis code, correcting
the fluxes for dust extinction, estimating metallicities using the R_23 method,
and segregating the samples with respect to the value of the
[NII]6583/[OII]3727 line ratio in order to break the R_23 degeneracy selecting
the upper branch. We analyze the luminosity and mass-metallicity relations, and
the effect of the Sloan fiber diameter looking for possible biases.
By dividing our redshift samples in intervals of similar magnitude and
comparing them, significant signs of metallicity evolution are found.
Metallicity correlates inversely with redshift: from redshift 0 to 0.4 a
decrement of ~0.1 dex in 12+log(O/H) is found.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in A&
Hazardous cross-reaction in a thyroid fine needle aspiration.
Thyroid fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is one of the most performed medical procedures worldwide. <sup>1</sup> It is used as a diagnostic test to separate benign thyroid nodules (colloidal and hyperplastic nodules) from thyroid malignancies, either primary (papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC)) or less often metastatic. <sup>2</sup> The negative and positive predictive values (NPV and PPV) of this procedure in The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) are respectively 97% and 98% for the benign and malignant categories. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Induction of heat shock protein expression in cervical epithelial cells by human semen.
OBJECTIVE: The 70kD heat shock protein (Hsp70), induced when cells are subjected to environmental stress, prevents the denaturation and incorrect folding of polypeptides and may expedite replication and transmission of DNA and RNA viruses. We analyzed whether messenger RNA (mRNA) for Hsp70 was expressed following exposure of a cultured human cervical cell line (HeLa cells) to human semen or in cervical cells from sexually active women. STUDY DESIGN: HeLa cells were co-cultured with a 1:50 dilution of semen from four men or with purified spermatozoa or cell-free seminal fluid. Endocervical swabs were acquired at mid-cycle from 53 women. Heat shock protein 70 mRNA was detected by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction utilizing specific primer pairs and analysis on agarose gels. In cervical cells Hsp70 mRNA was measured identically followed by hybridization with an Hsp70-specific internal probe and detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cervical immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies to the human Hsp70 were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: HeLa cell-semen co-culture resulted in the induction of Hsp70 mRNA. In addition, cell-free seminal plasma and motile sperm incubated individually with HeLa cells also induced this mRNA. Heat shock protein 70 mRNA was detected in 28 (52.8%) of 53 endocervical samples obtained from women at various time points following intercourse. The percentage of samples expressing this mRNA was 37.5% at less than 10 hours, 64.3% at 10 hours, 70% at 11 hours, and between 36% and 50% at later times after semen exposure. The detection of cervical IgA antibodies to the Hsp70 was highly associated with Hsp70 gene transcription. CONCLUSION: Human semen induces transcription of Hsp70 in cervical epithelial cells
OTELO survey: optimal emission-line flux determination with OSIRIS/GTC
Emission-line galaxies are important targets for understanding the chemical
evolution of galaxies in the universe. Deep, narrow-band imaging surveys allow
to detect and study the flux and the equivalent widths (EW) of the emission
line studied. The present work has been developed within the context of the
OTELO project, an emission line survey using the Tunable Filters (TF) of
OSIRIS, the first generation instrument on the GTC 10.4m telescope located in
La Palma, Spain, that will observe through selected atmospheric windows
relatively free of sky emission lines. With a total survey area of 0.1 square
degrees distributed in different fields, reaching a 5 \sigma depth of 10^-18
erg/cm^2/s and detecting objects of EW < 0.3 A, OTELO will be the deepest
emission line survey to date. As part of the OTELO preparatory activities, the
objective of this study is to determine the best combination of sampling and
full width at half maximum (FWHM) for the OSIRIS tunable filters for deblending
H\alpha from [NII] lines by analyzing the flux errors obtained. We simulated
the OTELO data by convolving a complete set of synthetic HII galaxies in EW
with different widths of the OSIRIS TFs. We estimated relative flux errors of
the recovered H\alpha and [NII]6583 lines. We found that, for the red TF, a
FWHM of 12 A and a sampling of 5 A is an optimal combination that allow
deblending H\alpha from the [NII]6583 line with a flux error lower than 20%.
This combination will allow estimating SFRs and metallicities using the H\alpha
flux and the N2 method, respectively.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures. Some authors added. Accepted for publication in
PAS
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