Temperatures and metallicities of M giants in the galactic Bulge from low-resolution K-band spectra

With the existing and upcoming large multi-fibre low-resolution spectrographs, the question arises how precise stellar parameters such as Teff and [Fe/H] can be obtained from low-resolution K-band spectra with respect to traditional photometric temperature measurements. Until now, most of the effective temperatures in galactic Bulge studies come directly from photometric techniques. Uncertainties in interstellar reddening and in the assumed extinction law could lead to large systematic errors. We aim to obtain and calibrate the relation between Teff and the $\rm ^{12}CO$ first overtone bands for M giants in the galactic Bulge covering a wide range in metallicity. We use low-resolution spectra for 20 M giants with well-studied parameters from photometric measurements covering the temperature range 3200 < Teff < 4500 K and a metallicity range from 0.5 dex down to -1.2 dex and study the behaviour of Teff and [Fe/H] on the spectral indices. We find a tight relation between Teff and the $\rm ^{12}CO(2-0)$ band with a dispersion of 95 K as well as between Teff and the $\rm ^{12}CO(3-1)$ with a dispersion of 120 K. We do not find any dependence of these relations on the metallicity of the star, making them relation attractive for galactic Bulge studies. This relation is also not sensitive to the spectral resolution allowing to apply this relation in a more general way. We also found a correlation between the combination of the NaI, CaI and the $\rm ^{12}CO$ band with the metallicity of the star. However this relation is only valid for sub-solar metallicities. We show that low-resolution spectra provide a powerful tool to obtain effective temperatures of M giants. We show that this relation does not depend on the metallicity of the star within the investigated range and is also applicable to different spectral resolution.Comment: 6 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy&Astrophysic

Mangroves of India : Biodiversity, Conservation and Management

Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. The specific regions where these plants occur are termed as 'mangrove ecosystem'. These are highly productive but extremely sensitive and fragile. Besides mangroves, the ecosystem also harbours other plant and animal species

Hydrographic features off northeast coast and Andaman - Nicobar Islands in relation to demersal finfish resources

Temperature varied from 17.6 to 28.5°C, salinity values from 32.12 to 35.21 x 10"" and dissolved oxygen from 0.8 to 4.41 ml/1. No identifiable relationship could be established between these three parameters and the total fish abundance, probably because the catch was made up of many species having different requirements. Higher abundance of trawl catches was from January to May when bottom water temperature was relatively low. The highest level of abundance of 2764 kg/hr in February 1989 was recorded when the parameters were 26°C, 33.6 x 10" and 2.71 ml/1; and the lowest level of 43.2 kg/hr in July 1988 was when the parameters were 25.3°C, 34.48 x 10'^ and 1.6 ml/1

Performance of a C4F8O Gas Radiator Ring Imaging Cherenkov Detector Using Multi-anode Photomultiplier Tubes

We report on test results of a novel ring imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detection system consisting of a 3 meter long gaseous C4F8O radiator, a focusing mirror, and a photon detector array based on Hamamatsu multi-anode photomultiplier tubes. This system was developed to identify charged particles in the momentum range from 3-70 GeV/c for the BTeV experiment.Comment: 28 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Method

Altered expression of cytokines in mice infected intranasally with two syncytial variants of Herpes simplex virus type 1

Immune evasion strategies are important for the onset and the maintenance of viral infections. Many viruses have evolved mechanisms to counteract or suppress the host immune response. We have previously characterized two syncytial (syn) variants of Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) strain F, syn14-1 and syn17-2, obtained by selective pressure with a natural carrageenan. These variants showed a differential pathology in vaginal and respiratory mucosa infection in comparison with parental strain. In this paper, we evaluated the modulation of immune response in respiratory mucosa by these HSV-1 variants. We observed altered levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin-6 in lungs of animals infected with the syn14-1 and syn17-2 variants compared with the parental strain. Also, we detected differences in the recruitment of immune cells to the lung in syn variants infected mice. Both variants exhibit one point mutation in the sequence of the gene of glycoprotein D detected in the ectodomain of syn14-1 and the cytoplasmic tail of syn17-2. Results obtained in the present study contribute to the characterization of HSV-1 syn variants and the participation of the cellular inflammatory response in viral pathogenesis.Fil: Artuso, María Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Linero, Florencia Natalia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gazzaniga, Silvina Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Luis Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Pujol, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Wainstok, Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Hemodialysis Self-management Intervention Randomized Trial (HED-SMART): A Practical Low-Intensity Intervention to Improve Adherence and Clinical Markers in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis

Background: Poor adherence to treatment is common in hemodialysis patients. However, effective interventions for adherence in this population are lacking. Small studies of behavioral interventions have yielded improvements, but clinical effectiveness and long-term effects are unclear. Study Design: Multicenter parallel (1:1) design, blinded cluster-randomized controlled trial. Setting & Participants: Patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis enrolled in 14 dialysis centers. Intervention: Dialysis shifts of eligible patients were randomly assigned to either an interactive and targeted self-management training program (HED-SMART; intervention; n = 134) or usual care (control; n = 101). HED-SMART, developed using the principles of problem solving and social learning theory, was delivered in a group format by health care professionals over 4 sessions. Outcomes & Measurements: Serum potassium and phosphate concentrations, interdialytic weight gains (IDWGs), self-reported adherence, and self-management skills at 1 week, 3 months, and 9 months postintervention. Results: 235 participants were enrolled in the study (response rate, 44.2%), and 82.1% completed the protocol. IDWG was significantly lowered across all 3 assessments relative to baseline (P < . 0.001) among patients randomly assigned to HED-SMART. In contrast, IDWG in controls showed no change except at 3 months, when it worsened significantly. Improvements in mineral markers were noted in the HED-SMART arm at 3 months (P < . 0.001) and in potassium concentrations (P < . 0.001) at 9 months. Phosphate concentrations improved in HED-SMART at 3 months (P = 0.03), but these effects were not maintained at 9 months postintervention. Significant differences between the arms were found for the secondary outcomes of self-reported adherence, self-management skills, and self-efficacy at all time points. Limitations: Low proportion of patients with diabetes. Conclusions: HED-SMART provides an effective and practical model for improving health in hemodialysis patients. The observed improvements in clinical markers and self-report adherence, if maintained at the longer follow-up, could significantly reduce end-stage renal disease-related complications. Given the feasibility of this kind of program, it has strong potential for supplementing usual care. Trial Registration: Registered at ISRCTN with study number ISRCTN31434033

The effect of brief self-management intervention for hemodialysis patients (HED-SMART) on trajectories of depressive and anxious symptoms

Objective: Depression is often comorbid with End-Stage Renal Disease, and associated with poor adherence and clinical outcomes but course of symptoms is variable. This study sought to describe the long-term trajectories of anxiety and depression in hemodialysis patients, to identify predictors of these trajectories over 12 months and to evaluate the effectiveness of the HEmoDialysis Self-Management Randomized Trial (HED SMART) against usual care on symptoms of anxiety and depression. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial that contrasted HED SMART (n = 101) against usual care (n = 134). Depressive and anxious symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at baseline, 1 week and at 3 and 9 months post-intervention. Latent class growth analysis identified trajectories of depression and anxiety, and their sociodemographic and clinical predictors. Results: Symptoms of depression and anxiety over 12 months were characterized by two trajectories: low stable (depression: 55%; anxiety: 59%) with non-clinical levels of distress, and high stable (depression: 45%; anxiety: 41%) with clinical levels of distress. HED SMART predicted significant reductions in depression relative to usual care. A similar trend was noted for anxiety. Younger age, Chinese ethnicity, and more comorbidities were associated with persistent high depression. Younger age and shorter dialysis vintage was associated with persistent high anxiety. Conclusion: A brief self-management intervention designed to support behavioral change can also lead to significant reductions in symptoms of depression and may be of great value for younger HD patients shown to be at greater risk for persistent distress. Trial registration: ISRTN31434033

Research Quality, Publications and Impact in Civil Engineering into the 21st Century. Publish or Perish, Commercial versus Open Access, Internet versus Libraries?

A research project is only completed when it has been published and shared with the community. Referees and peer experts play an important role to control the research quality. While some new electronic tools provide further means to disseminate some research information, the quality and impact of the works remain linked with some thorough expert-review process and the publication in international scientific journals and books; unethical publishing standards are not acceptable. The writer argues herein that the new electronic aids do not replace scholarship nor critical thinking, although they impact on the working environment of civil engineers

Environmental impact assessment in the shrimp farming areas of Nagapattinam Quaid-E-Milleth district, Tamil Nadu

To assess the effects of shrimp farming on the environment and on the coastal population, a study was undertaken by a team of scientific and technical staff of CMFRl in Nagapattinam Quaid-e-Milleth district, Tamil Nadu in September, 1995. Several small and large farms and corporate farms in nine coastal places, where a number of farms are located were covered in the study. With the help of the mobile laboratory of the CMFR Institute, the team collected and aneilysed soil, water and plankton samples in the inlet and outlet of the farm areas, shrimp ponds and from the wells of the nearby villages. Estimations on hydrological parameters, nutrients and total and differential counts of bacteria in the water and soil samples were made following standard procedures