SED, Metallicity and Age of Halo Globular Clusters in M33

In this paper we study the properties of ten halo globular clusters in the nearby spiral galaxy M33. CCD images of M33 were obtained as a part of the BATC Colour Survey of the sky in 13 intermediate-band filters from 3800 to 10000{\AA}. By aperture photometry, we obtain the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these globular clusters. We estimate the ages of our sample clusters by comparing the photometry of each object with theoretical stellar population synthesis models for different values of metallicity. Our results suggest that eight of the ten sample halo globular clusters have ``intermediate'' ages, i.e. between 1 and 8 Gyrs.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, has been accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Effectiveness of a single-session early psychological intervention for children after road traffic accidents: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the leading health threat to children in Europe, resulting in 355,000 injuries annually. Because children can suffer significant and long-term mental health problems following RTAs, there is considerable interest in the development of early psychological interventions. To date, the research in this field is scarce, and currently no evidence-based recommendations can be made. METHODS: To evaluate the effectiveness of a single-session early psychological intervention, 99 children age 7-16 were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The manualised intervention was provided to the child and at least one parent around 10 days after the child's involvement in an RTA. It included reconstruction of the accident using drawings and accident-related toys, and psychoeducation. All of the children were interviewed at 10 days, 2 months and 6 months after the accident. Parents filled in questionnaires. Standardised instruments were used to assess acute stress disorder (ASD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive symptoms and behavioural problems. RESULTS: The children of the two study groups showed no significant differences concerning posttraumatic symptoms and other outcome variables at 2 or at 6 months. Interestingly, analyses showed a significant intervention x age-group effect, indicating that for preadolescent children the intervention was effective in decreasing depressive symptoms and behavioural problems. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to show a beneficial effect of a single-session early psychological intervention after RTA in preadolescent children. Therefore, an age-specific approach in an early stage after RTAs may be a promising way for further research. Younger children can benefit from the intervention evaluated here. However, these results have to be interpreted with caution, because of small subgroup sizes. Future studies are needed to examine specific approaches for children and adolescents. Also, the intervention evaluated here needs to be studied in other groups of traumatised children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00296842

15 colour photometry of Landolt SA95 standard star field

In this paper, we present a set of photometric observations in 15 colors of stars in the Landolt covered by the system range from 300 nm to 1000 nm. Visual magnitudes of the stars being studied in the field are from 10th to 20th mag. The observational methodology and the data reduction procedures are described. The relationships between the BATC intermediate-band system and the Landolt UBVRI broad band system are obtained. A catalogue of the photometry has been produced which contains the SEDs of 3613 stars. The electronic form of this catalogue can be accessed at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr.Comment: 21 pages, accepted for publishing by A&

Apple and Sugar Feeding in Adult Codling Moths, Cydia pomonella: Effects on Longevity, Fecundity, and Egg Fertility

Attraction of adult codling moths, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), to sweet baits has been well documented. However, beneficial effects of sugar feeding on moth fitness have not been demonstrated. Longevity, fecundity, and egg fertility were examined for female/male pairs of moths maintained with the following food regimens: water, sucrose water, honey water, apple juice, apple flesh, or starved, i.e., no food or water provided. Longevity and total fecundity were enhanced in all treatments relative to the starved treatment moths. Sucrose water, honey water, and apple juice treatments yielded the highest longevity, but total fecundity was highest for moths maintained on honey water or apple juice. Total egg fertility did not differ among treatments. However, egg fertility declined more gradually over the female lifespan for the three aqueous solution diets of sucrose water, honey water, and apple juice. Similarly, fecundity per day declined more gradually over time for honey water and apple juice treatments. Performance of moths maintained with apple flesh was generally intermediate between that of moths with water and the three aqueous solution treatments. This suggests that moths benefit from feeding on ripe apple flesh, although apple may be more difficult to ingest or its nutrients less concentrated compared to aqueous solutions. The results presented here may explain attraction of adult moths to sweet baits as well as to odors from ripe fruit, which may be a natural source of food in the fall

A Wide Field Survey of Satellite Galaxies around the Spiral Galaxy M106

We present a wide field survey of satellite galaxies in M106 (NGC 4258) covering a 1.7\degr \times 2\degr field around M106 using Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/MegaCam. We find 16 satellite galaxy candidates of M106. Eight of these galaxies are found to be dwarf galaxies that are much smaller and fainter than the remaining galaxies. Four of these galaxies are new findings. Surface brightness profiles of 15 out of 16 satellite galaxies can be represented well by an exponential disk profile with varying scale length. We derive the surface number density distribution of these satellite galaxies. The central number density profile (d $<100$ kpc) is well fitted by a power-law with a power index of $-2.1\pm0.5$, similar to the expected power index of isothermal distribution. The luminosity function of these satellites is represented well by the Schechter function with a faint end slope of $-1.19^{+0.03}_{-0.06}$. Integrated photometric properties (total luminosity, total colour, and disk scale length) and the spatial distribution of these satellite galaxies are found to be roughly similar to those of the Milky Way and M31.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Outcome after renal transplantation. Part II: Quality of life and psychosocial adjustment

Knowledge of health-related quality of life (QOL) and psychosocial adjustment (PA) in children after renal transplantation (RTPL) is limited. QOL and PA were evaluated by standardized tests in patients after RTPL. Thirty-seven children of median age 14.5 years (range 6.5-17 years) were investigated a mean 4.5 years (range 0.5-12.8 years) after RTPL. Child- and parent-rated QOL was evaluated with the Child Quality of life Questionnaire of The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research Academical Medical Centre (TNO-AZL). PA was assessed by the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) providing parental reports of a child's behaviour. In patients' self-ratings, the QOL dimension physical complaints (P < 0.0005) scored significantly better than that of healthy controls, whereas the dimension positive emotional functioning was impaired (P = 0.02). Parents rated motor functioning (P = 0.002), autonomy (P = 0.01), cognition (P = 0.04) and positive emotions (P < 0.0005) as significantly impaired. Parents also assessed PA significantly (P = 0.02) impaired with regard to internalizing behaviour. Dialysis duration, young age at RTPL, living-related donation, steroid treatment, adverse family relationships and maternal distress had a significantly negative impact on QOL and PA (P < 0.05). Patients rated QOL higher than did healthy controls. Parents evaluated their children's QOL and PA more pessimistically than did the patients themselves. Both illness-related variables and family environment played an important role

Prior Mating Experience Modulates the Dispersal of Drosophila in Males More Than in Females

Cues from both an animal’s internal physiological state and its local environment may influence its decision to disperse. However, identifying and quantifying the causative factors underlying the initiation of dispersal is difficult in uncontrolled natural settings. In this study, we automatically monitored the movement of fruit flies and examined the influence of food availability, sex, and reproductive status on their dispersal between laboratory environments. In general, flies with mating experience behave as if they are hungrier than virgin flies, leaving at a greater rate when food is unavailable and staying longer when it is available. Males dispersed at a higher rate and were more active than females when food was unavailable, but tended to stay longer in environments containing food than did females. We found no significant relationship between weight and activity, suggesting the behavioral differences between males and females are caused by an intrinsic factor relating to the sex of a fly and not simply its body size. Finally, we observed a significant difference between the dispersal of the natural isolate used throughout this study and the widely-used laboratory strain, Canton-S, and show that the difference cannot be explained by allelic differences in the foraging gene

Cross-protection against European swine influenza viruses in the context of infection immunity against the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus : studies in the pig model of influenza

Pigs are natural hosts for the same influenza virus subtypes as humans and are a valuable model for cross-protection studies with influenza. In this study, we have used the pig model to examine the extent of virological protection between a) the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus and three different European H1 swine influenza virus (SIV) lineages, and b) these H1 viruses and a European H3N2 SIV. Pigs were inoculated intranasally with representative strains of each virus lineage with 6- and 17-week intervals between H1 inoculations and between H1 and H3 inoculations, respectively. Virus titers in nasal swabs and/or tissues of the respiratory tract were determined after each inoculation. There was substantial though differing cross-protection between pH1N1 and other H1 viruses, which was directly correlated with the relatedness in the viral hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins. Cross-protection against H3N2 was almost complete in pigs with immunity against H1N2, but was weak in H1N1/pH1N1-immune pigs. In conclusion, infection with a live, wild type influenza virus may offer substantial cross-lineage protection against viruses of the same HA and/or NA subtype. True heterosubtypic protection, in contrast, appears to be minimal in natural influenza virus hosts. We discuss our findings in the light of the zoonotic and pandemic risks of SIVs