Looking for evidence of high-mass star formation at core scale in a massive molecular clump

We present a comprehensive physical and chemical study of the fragmentation and star formation activity towards the massive clump AGAL G338.9188+0.5494 harbouring the extended green object EGO 338.92+0.55(b). The presence of an EGO embedded in a massive clump, suggests, at clump scale, that high-mass star formation is occurring. The main goal of this work is to find evidence of such high-mass star formation, but at core scale. Using mm observations of continuum and lines obtained from the ALMA database at Bands 6 and 7, we study the substructure of the massive clump. The angular resolution of the data is about 0.5'', which allow us to resolve structures of about 0.01pc ($\sim$ 2000 au) at the distance of 4.4 kpc. The continuum emission at 340 GHz reveals that the molecular clump is fragmented in five cores, labeled from C1 to C5. The $^{12}$CO J=3--2 emission shows the presence of molecular outflows related to three of them. The analysis of the CH$_3$CN and CH$_3$CCH emissions suggests temperatures of about 340 and 72~K, respectively, for C1, showing that the methyl cyanide would trace a gas layer closer to the protostar than the methyl acetylene. The obtained mass of core C1 ranges from 3 to 10 M$_{\odot}$. We found that the discovered molecular outflow arising from core C1 should be the main responsible for the 4.5 $\mu$m extended emission. The average mass and energy of such a molecular outflow is about 0.5 M$_{\odot}$~and $10^{46}$~erg, respectively, which suggest that 10 M$_{\odot}$ is the most likely mass value for core C1. Additionally we found that the region is chemically very rich with several complex molecular species. Particularly, from the analysis of the CN emission we found strong evidence that such a radical is indirectly tracing the molecular outflows, more precisely the border of the cavity walls carved out by such outflows.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (July 5, 2023

Thermal behaviour of natural ester based oil used in distribution transformers

This work compares the thermal behavior of a distribution transformer when using as dielectric liquid a mineral oil or natural esters. These cases have been analyzed using Finite Elements Method (FEM) at the software COMSOL Multiphysics® with a 3D-symmetrical model through the Heat Transfer in Solid module. The results of simulations show a higher values of maximum temperature in mineral oil submerged transformer than in natural ester, for the same operational conditions

Predicting distributions of known and unknown reptile species in Madagascar

Despite the importance of tropical biodiversity(1), informative species distributional data are seldom available for biogeographical study or setting conservation priorities(2,3). Modelling ecological niche distributions of species offers a potential soluion(4-7); however, the utility of old locality data from museums, and of more recent remotely sensed satellite data, remains poorly explored, especially for rapidly changing tropical landscapes. Using 29 modern data sets of environmental land coverage and 621 chameleon occurrence localities from Madagascar ( historical and recent), here we demonstrate a significant ability of our niche models in predicting species distribution. At 11 recently inventoried sites, highest predictive success (85.1%) was obtained for models based only on modern occurrence data (74.7% and 82.8% predictive success, respectively, for pre-1978 and all data combined). Notably, these models also identified three intersecting areas of over-prediction that recently yielded seven chameleon species new to science. We conclude that ecological niche modelling using recent locality records and readily available environmental coverage data provides informative biogeographical data for poorly known tropical landscapes, and offers innovative potential for the discovery of unknown distributional areas and unknown species.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62843/1/nature02205.pd

Orientation of Pterin-6-Carboxylic Acid on Gold Capped Silicon Nanopillars Platforms: Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Studies

The orientation of pterin-6-carboxylic acid on gold nanopillars was investigated by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory methods. The experimentally vibrations from pterin-6-COOH free and attached to the Au surface display vibration features indicating chemical interaction of the pterin with the metal surface. The spectral feature evidenced that the pterin would adsorb on gold surface with a "lying down" configuration through the high intensity vibration of NH scissoring and rocking OH modes. The orientation study of pterins on gold nanopillars presented herein is believed to lead to new applications in biosensing field for detecting pterins of physiological importance

The Sound of Topology in the AdS/CFT Correspondence

Using the gauge/gravity correspondence, we study the properties of 2-point correlation functions of finite-temperature strongly coupled gauge field theories, defined on a curved space of general spatial topology with a dual black hole description. We derive approximate asymptotic expressions for the correlation functions and their poles, supported by exact numerical calculations, and study their dependence on the dimension of spacetime and the spatial topology. The asymptotic structure of the correlation functions depends on the relation between the spatial curvature and the temperature, and is noticeable when they are of the same order. In the case of a hyperbolic topology, a specific temperature is identified for which exact analytical solutions exist for all types of perturbations. The asymptotic structure of the correlation functions poles is found to behave in a non-smooth manner when approaching this temperature.Comment: 65 pages, LaTeX, 21 figures, 1 table; fixed a small error in subsection 3.

A Novel, Quick, and Reliable Smartphone-Based Method for Serum PSA Quantification: Original Design of a Portable Microfluidic Immunosensor-Based System

We describe a versatile, portable, and simple platform that includes a microfluidic electrochemical immunosensor for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) detection. It is based on the covalent immobilization of the anti-PSA monoclonal antibody on magnetic microbeads retained in the central channel of a microfluidic device. Image flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the magnetic microbeads. A direct sandwich immunoassay (with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated PSA antibody) served to quantify the cancer biomarker in serum samples. The enzymatic product was detected at -100 mV by amperometry on sputtered thin-film electrodes. Electrochemical reaction produced a current proportional to the PSA level, with a linear range from 10 pg mL(-1) to 1500 pg mL(-1). The sensitivity was demonstrated by a detection limit of 2 pg mL(-1) and the reproducibility by a coefficient of variation of 6.16%. The clinical performance of this platform was tested in serum samples from patients with prostate cancer (PCa), observing high specificity and full correlation with gold standard determinations. In conclusion, this analytical platform is a promising tool for measuring PSA levels in patients with PCa, offering a high sensitivity and reduced variability. The small platform size and low cost of this quantitative methodology support its suitability for the fast and sensitive analysis of PSA and other circulating biomarkers in patients. Further research is warranted to verify these findings and explore its potential application at all healthcare levels.Universidad Nacional de San Luis PROICO 22/Q241ANPCyT PICT 2018-04443 PICT-2015-2246 PICT-2015-1575 PICT-2014-1184 PICT-2014-0375 PICT-2018-04443Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET) PIP 11220150100004COGENYOCentre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer-University of GranadaAndalusian Regional Government (Granada, Spain)ISCIII Health Research Institute P17/00989La Caixa FoundationHealth and Family Secretariat of the Andalusian Regional GovernmentSpanish GovernmentH2020-MSCA-IF-2019-89566

JNK1 controls adult hippocampal neurogenesis and imposes cell-autonomous control of anxiety behaviour from the neurogenic niche

Promoting adult hippocampal neurogenesis is expected to induce neuroplastic changes that improve mood and alleviate anxiety. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown and the hypothesis itself is controversial. Here we show that mice lacking Jnk1, or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor-treated mice, display increased neurogenesis in adult hippocampus characterized by enhanced cell proliferation and survival, and increased maturation in the ventral region. Correspondingly, anxiety behaviour is reduced in a battery of tests, except when neurogenesis is prevented by AraC treatment. Using engineered retroviruses, we show that exclusive inhibition of JNK in adult-born granule cells alleviates anxiety and reduces depressive-like behaviour. These data validate the neurogenesis hypothesis of anxiety. Moreover, they establish a causal role for JNK in the hippocampal neurogenic niche and anxiety behaviour, and advocate targeting of JNK as an avenue for novel therapies against affective disorders.Peer reviewe