Extended sources in the XMM-Newton slew survey

The low background, good spatial resolution and great sensitivity of the EPIC-pn camera on XMM-Newton give useful limits for the detection of extended sources even during the short exposures made during slewing maneouvers. In this paper we attempt to illustrate the potential of the XMM-Newton slew survey as a tool for analysing flux-limited samples of clusters of galaxies and other sources of spatially extended X-ray emission.Comment: 2 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The X-ray Universe 2005", San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spain), 26-30 September 200

The XMM-Newton Slew Survey: towards the XMMSL1 catalogue

The XMM-Newton satellite is the most sensitive X-ray observatory flown to date due to the great collecting area of its mirrors coupled with the high quantum efficiency of the EPIC detectors. It performs slewing manoeuvers between observation targets tracking almost circular orbits through the ecliptic poles due to the Sun constraint. Slews are made with the EPIC cameras open and the other instruments closed, operating with the observing mode set to the one of the previous pointed observation and the medium filter in place. Slew observations from the EPIC-pn camera in FF, eFF and LW modes provide data, resulting in a maximum of 15 seconds of on-source time. These data can be used to give a uniform survey of the X-ray sky, at great sensitivity in the hard band compared with other X-ray all-sky surveys.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The X-ray Universe 2005", San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spain), 26-30 September 200

Color de aceites de oliva virgen extra enriquecidos con carotenoides procedentes de microalgas: influencia de la exposición a la radiación ultravioleta y al calentamiento

A carotenoid-rich extract containing 2.5 mg/mL of lutein and 3.3 mg/mL of β-carotene from the microalga Scenedesmus almeriensis was added to ten extra virgin olive oils from four Spanish cultivars with differing degrees of ripeness, obtaining carotenoid enriched oils with lutein and β-carotene concentrations of 0.082 and 0.11 mg/mL, respectively. Extra virgin olive oils enriched with carotenoids from microalgae were studied by analyzing the effect on color of three different treatments: ultraviolet exposure, microwave heating and immersion bath heating. The methodology was designed to simulate, in controlled laboratory conditions, the effects of household treatments. Spectrophotometric color measurements were then performed to monitor color changes in the enriched and non-enriched extra virgin olive oil samples. Enriched oils are much more chromatic, darker and redder than natural oils. After 55 days UV irradiation, 40 min microwave heating, and 72 hours thermostatic heating, the average color differences for natural/enriched extra virgin olive oils were 98/117, 15/9 and 57/28 CIELAB units, respectively. In general, increasing temperature and ultraviolet exposure produced higher CIELAB color differences in the non-enriched samples. The addition of microalga extracts to extra virgin olive oils was found to induce some color stability and may constitute a future way of increasing the daily intake of beneficial bioactive compounds such as carotenoids.Añadimos un extracto rico en carotenoides, que contiene 2,5 mg/mL de luteína y 3,3 mg/mL de β-caroteno, procedente de la microalga Scenedesmus almeriensis, a diez aceites de oliva virgen extra de cuatro variedades con diferentes grados de maduración, obteniéndose aceites enriquecidos en carotenoides con concentraciones de luteína y β-caroteno de 0,082 y 0,11 mg/mL respectivamente. Se han estudiado aceites de oliva virgen extra enriquecidos con carotenoides procedentes de microalgas, estudiando el efecto producido sobre el color de los mismos como consecuencia de irradiación ultravioleta, calentamiento en microondas y en baño termostático, reproduciendo en el laboratorio los efectos de los tratamientos domésticos. Se ha determinado el color para monitorizar los cambios de las muestras control y enriquecidas de los diferentes aceites. Los aceites enriquecidos son mucho más cromáticos, oscuros y rojizos que los naturales. Tras 55 días de irradiación UV, 40 minutos de calentamiento por microondas y 72 horas de calentamiento termostático, las diferencias medias de color para los aceites de oliva virgen extra naturales/enriquecidos fueron de 98/117, 15/9 y 57/28 unidades CIELAB, respectivamente. En término generales, el incremento en la temperatura y la exposición a la radiación ultravioleta produce diferencias de color más grandes en las muestras no enriquecidas. El enriquecimiento de los aceites virgen extra con extractos procedentes de microalgas, induce estabilidad en el color y puede constituir una vía para incrementar la ingesta diaria de compuestos bioactivos beneficiosos como son los carotenoides

Processing challenges in the XMM-Newton slew survey

The great collecting area of the mirrors coupled with the high quantum efficiency of the EPIC detectors have made XMM-Newton the most sensitive X-ray observatory flown to date. This is particularly evident during slew exposures which, while giving only 15 seconds of on-source time, actually constitute a 2-10 keV survey ten times deeper than current "all-sky" catalogues. Here we report on progress towards making a catalogue of slew detections constructed from the full, 0.2-12 keV energy band and discuss the challenges associated with processing the slew data. The fast (90 degrees per hour) slew speed results in images which are smeared, by different amounts depending on the readout mode, effectively changing the form of the point spread function. The extremely low background in slew images changes the optimum source searching criteria such that searching a single image using the full energy band is seen to be more sensitive than splitting the data into discrete energy bands. False detections due to optical loading by bright stars, the wings of the PSF in very bright sources and single-frame detector flashes are considered and techniques for identifying and removing these spurious sources from the final catalogue are outlined. Finally, the attitude reconstruction of the satellite during the slewing manoeuver is complex. We discuss the implications of this on the positional accuracy of the catalogue.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, presented at the SPIE 2005 conference, San Diego, C

Recubrimientos no cristalinos en rocas graníticas de Galicia: propiedades e hipótesis sobre su origen

[Resumen] La caracterización de nuevos recubrimientos de bajo grado de orden en macizos graníticos de Galicia y el estudio de algunas propiedades de éstos y de otros previamente descritos, confirma la hipótesis de la existencia de una serie continua de materiales cuya composición varía entre la de fosfatos de aluminio (variscita, evansita),aluminosilicatos poco ordenados (alofanos geológicos, haloisita) e hidróxidos de aluminio (gel de alúmina hidratado,gibbsita). Del análisis de sus características y de algunas de sus propiedades como superficie específica, reacción frente a los ani ones fluoruro y fosfato, solubilidad en diferentes extractantes, punto cero de carga,etc., se establecen y discuten diversas hipótesis sobre su origen. Se discuten además relaciones de equilibrio o en el sistema Si02-A1203-P20~,confrontándolas con los datos de aguas de escorrentla y solución del suelo.[Abstract] The characterization of low order coatings that appear on granitic rocks of Galicia and the study of some of their properties confirm the existence of a continuous series between Al-phosphates (variscite,evan site),aluminium silicates (allophane,halloysite) ano Al-hydroxides (criptogibbsite,gibbsite).Several hypothe sis about their origin are discussed on the basis OT properties like specific surface, reaction with fluoride and phosphate, pze, solubility in different extracttants, etc . Finally, the theoretical equilibrium relations in the system A1203-Si02-P205 are confronted with the composition of dralnage waters and soil solutio

Numerical Analysis of Sub-critical Crack Growth in Particulate Ceramic Composites

AbstractThe strength of glass or ceramic containing materials can be affected by the environment (“stress corrosion”). Under applied stress, crack-like defects may grow (sub-critically) for stress intensity factors, KI, below the fracture toughness of the material, KIc. The aim of the present work was to develop a two-dimensional finite element model to analyze the subcritical crack growth behavior of ceramic-based particulate composites. The maximum tangential stress criterion (MTS) was used to predict the direction of the crack propagation, in the framework of linear elastic fracture mechanics. The modeled material was a Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC), containing alumina particles embedded in a glass matrix. The experimentally determined SCCG material behavior (i.e. v-KI data) was implemented in the numerical model. The effect of the elastic modulus of the particles on the subcritical crack propagation was investigated. The conclusions of this paper can contribute to a better understanding of the subcritical propagation of cracks in particulate composites

Marie Anne Paulze Lavoisier: unha descoñecida científica

[RESUMO] A contribución das mulleres á creación científica ao longo da historia da Humanidade non parece importante se consideramos o pouco que aparecen nos libros de texto; deste xeito, o alumnado non advertirá a existencia de mulleres que fixeron ou elaboraron leis ou teorías nas ciencias. Personaxes como: Hipatia de Alejandría, Hildegarda de Birgen, Caroline Herschel, María Cunitz, Marie Orr Evershed, Augusta Ada Byron, María Montagu, María Agnesi, Sophía Germain, Sonya Kovalevski, María Goeppter Mayer, Rosalin Franklin, Lise Meitner,..., son descoñecidas do gran público. Incluso aquelas que resultan ser coñecidas, como Irene ou Marie Curie, tampouco foron dabondo valoradas. Para recuperar estas mulleres científicas do silencio e do esquecemento e facelas visibles debemos sacar á luz as súas achegas. Este é o caso da protagonista da nosa comunicación. Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, que nos libros aparece como a esposa de Lavoisier, pero non como unha persoa con coñecementos científicos profundos como esperamos amosar. Presentamos as súas no mundo da química, que practicaba xunto ao seu home, e a todos cantos científicos formaban o chamado grupo do Arsenal

Respuesta fisiológica al estrés agudo en conejos alimentados con dietas enriquecidas con ácidos grasos poliinsaturados n-3

A total of 700 kits were randomly distributed in flatdeck group cages avoiding litter effect. They were fed 2 isofibrous, isoenergetic and isoproteic diets formulated with 2 different sources of fat: mixed fat (control group, C, n=350) and a supplement of salmon oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) n-3 (PUFA group, P, n=350)