Astrophysical bow shocks: An analytical solution for the hypersonic blunt body problem in the intergalactic medium

Aims: Bow shock waves are a common feature of groups and clusters of galaxies since they are generated as a result of supersonic motion of galaxies through the intergalactic medium. The goal of this work is to present an analytical solution technique for such astrophysical hypersonic blunt body problems. Methods: A method, developed by Schneider (1968, JFM, 31, 397) in the context of aeronautics, allows calculation of the galaxy's shape as long as the shape of the bow shock wave is known (so-called inverse method). In contrast to other analytical models, the solution is valid in the whole flow region (from the stagnation point up to the bow shock wings) and in particular takes into account velocity gradients along the streamlines. We compare our analytical results with two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations carried out with an extended version of the VH-1 hydrocode which is based on the piecewise parabolic method with a Lagrangian remap. Results: It is shown that the applied method accurately predicts the galaxy's shape and the fluid variables in the post-shock flow, thus saving a tremendous amount of computing time for future interpretations of similar objects. We also find that the method can be applied to arbitrary angles between the direction of the incoming flow and the axis of symmetry of the body. We emphasize that it is general enough to be applied to other astrophysical bow shocks, such as those on stellar and galactic scales.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Quasi-LDU factorization of nonsingular totally nonpositive matrices

Let A = (a(ij)) is an element of R-nxn be a nonsingular totally nonpositive matrix. In this paper we describe some properties of these matrices when a(11) = 0 and obtain a characterization in terms of the quasi-LDU factorization of A, where L is a block lower triangular matrix, D is a diagonal matrix and U is a unit upper triangular matrix. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.The authors are very grateful to the referees for their helpful suggestions. This research was supported by the Spanish DGI Grant MTM2010-18228 and the Programa de Apoyo a la Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID-06-10) of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Cantó Colomina, R.; Ricarte Benedito, B.; Urbano Salvador, AM. (2013). Quasi-LDU factorization of nonsingular totally nonpositive matrices. Linear Algebra and its Applications. 439(4):836-851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.laa.2012.06.010S836851439

Women in Transition – Menopause and Body Composition in Different Populations

Human biology has provided valuable and applicable points of view to contribute towards human welfare, when it has analyzed changes in the transitional phases of the ontogenetic process. The purpose of this presentation coincides with WHO recommendations to study the modifications suffered by the female body during her stage of reproductive aging in different environments. We study and compared three different groups of women living in the cities of Madrid (Spain), Havana (Cuba) and in Tuxpan, a village in the State of Michoacán (Mexico). Three groups differed with respect to their socio-economic levels, food habits, social organization and culture. We used the same anthropometric techniques, recommended by the IBP, and same tools to assess the women\u27s reproductive life, demography and socio-economic condition. All three groups coincidences regarding the remodelation of their thorax, so after 55 years of age their waist-hip ratio surpassed the cut point of 0.80, associated whit higher risk for chronic cardiovascular disorders. However, examined groups differed, for instance, the rural Mexican women altered their bone density earlier, five years before the urban samples. Next, Mexican women of younger ages maintained high levels of their body mass index above the cut point for overweight

Statistical Analysis of Water Masers in Star-Forming Regions: Cepheus A and W75 N

We have done a statistical analysis of Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) data of water masers in the star-forming regions (SFRs) Cepheus A and W75 N, using correlation functions to study the spatial clustering and Doppler-velocity distribution of these masers. Two-point spatial correlation functions show a characteristic scale size for clusters of water maser spots < or ~1 AU, similar to the values found in other SFRs. This suggests that the scale for water maser excitation tends to be < or ~1 AU. Velocity correlation functions show power-law dependences with indices that can be explained by regular velocity fields, such as expansion and/or rotation. These velocity fields are similar to those indicated by the water maser proper-motion measurements; therefore, the velocity correlation functions appear to reveal the organized motion of water maser spots on scales larger than 1 AU.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, and 3 tables. Accepted by The Astrophysical Journa

SIRT1 enhances glucose tolerance by potentiating brown adipose tissue function

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.-- et al.[Objective]: SIRT1 has been proposed to be a key signaling node linking changes in energy metabolism to transcriptional adaptations. Although SIRT1 overexpression is protective against diverse metabolic complications, especially in response to high-fat diets, studies aiming to understand the etiology of such benefits are scarce. Here, we aimed to identify the key tissues and mechanisms implicated in the beneficial effects of SIRT1 on glucose homeostasis. [Methods]: We have used a mouse model of moderate SIRT1 overexpression, under the control of its natural promoter, to evaluate glucose homeostasis and thoroughly characterize how different tissues could influence insulin sensitivity. [Results]: Mice with moderate overexpression of SIRT1 exhibit better glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity even on a low fat diet. Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps and in-depth tissue analyses revealed that enhanced insulin sensitivity was achieved through a higher brown adipose tissue activity and was fully reversed by housing the mice at thermoneutrality. SIRT1 did not influence brown adipocyte differentiation, but dramatically enhanced the metabolic transcriptional responses to β3-adrenergic stimuli in differentiated adipocytes. [Conclusions]: Our work demonstrates that SIRT1 improves glucose homeostasis by enhancing BAT function. This is not consequent to an alteration in the brown adipocyte differentiation process, but as a result of potentiating the response to β3-adrenergic stimuli.M.S. is funded by the CNIO and by grants from the MICINN (SAF), the Regional Government of Madrid, the European Research Council (CANCER&AGING; LS1, ERC-2008-AdG), the Botín Foundation, the Ramón Areces Foundation, and the AXA Foundation. P.J.F.M. is funded by the AECC. A.M.V. is funded by the following grant support: SAF2012-33283 (MINECO, Spain), Comunidad de Madrid S2010/BMD-2423, EFSD and Amylin Paul Langerhans Grant and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM, ISCIII, Barcelona, Spain). P.M.G.R. is funded by the following grant support: BFU2011-24679 (MINECO, Spain) and he is a recipient of a Ramon y Cajal contract: RYC-2009-05158(MINECO, Spain).Peer Reviewe

La Eucaristía y la Iglesia en los textos del Concilio Vaticano II

Con ocasión de la celebración de los 50 años del comienzo del Concilio Vaticano II, el presente articulo expone la relación entre la Eucaristía y la Iglesia, uno de los elementos fundamentales de la eclesiología de comunión que encontramos en sus documentos. El tema ha sido estudiado en muchos trabajos, pero en esta ocasión se lo hace siguiendo un modo de interpretación del P. Philip Rosato, SJ, (1941-2011) quien fuera profesor de teología de los sacramentos en la Pontificia Universidad Gregoriana en Roma, que presenta cuatro modelos o paradigmas teológicos: Una teología de carácter ontológico o noético, en búsqueda sobre todo de la verdad; una teología de tipo existencia/, preocupada por el diálogo interpersonal y la comunión; la teología que llamamos práctico-social, abierta a las perspectivas sociales y de la fe en su relación con lajusticia; y la teología de orientación escatológica, que estudia la revelación divina a la luz de la gloria final, pero ya presente en nuestro mundo