The INTEGRAL-OMC Scientific Archive

The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) on-board the INTEGRAL satellite has, as one of its scientific goals, the observation of a large number of variable sources previously selected. After almost 6 years of operations, OMC has monitored more than 100 000 sources of scientific interest. In this contribution we present the OMC Scientific Archive (http://sdc.laeff.inta.es/omc/) which has been developed to provide the astronomical community with a quick access to the light curves generated by this instrument.We describe the main characteristics of this archive, as well as important aspects for the users: object types, temporal sampling of light curves and photometric accuracy.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. "Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics V" Proceedings of the VIII Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society (SEA) held in Santander, July 7-11, 200

Stable isotopic composition of bivalve shell organic matrix: <i>Mytilus edulis</i> collected along the Scheldt estuary

Bivalve shells are biostructures composed of a mineral and an organic phase. For paleoclimatology applications, the mineral part (carbonates) is most widely studied. In contrast, understanding of the composition and the proxyfunction of the organic matrix is much less developed. The quantity of organic matrix in shells is relatively small compared to the mineral phase (a few wt %) and the biochemical composition is quite complex, consisting mainly of sugars and proteins. Lipids, which represent a small fraction of the organic matrix, are rather poorly known. We studied the potential of stable isotope composition (C, N, H) of bulk organic matrix and specific lipid compounds of Mytilis edulis shells, as environmental and climatic proxies, with special focus on the effects due to changing salinity. Mytilus specimens were collected along the salinity gradient of the Scheldt estuary (The Netherlands) and we analysed the isotopic composition of the organic matrix and associated specific lipid compounds and related these to averaged physico-chemical characteristics of the water, in particular salinity. We discuss these relationships in the light of their usefulness as proxies for reconstructing past environmental conditions

Desain Video Pembelajaran yang Efektif pada Pendidikan Jarak Jauh: Studi di Universitas Terbuka

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendesain video pembelajaran dan menentukan unsur-unsur yang terdapat dalam video pembelajaran pada pendidikan jarak jauh sehingga dapat efektif untuk meningkatkan pemahaman mahasiswa. Studi kasus dilakukan di Program Studi Administrasi Publik Universitas Terbuka Indonesia. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah desain penelitian evaluatif dengan pendekatan kuantitatif deskriptif. Melalui metode ini dilakukan penilaian sistematis terhadap kegiatan dan atau hasil dari suatu program perancangan video sebagai sarana untuk memberikan kontribusi untuk perbaikan perancangan video. Langkah-langkah dalam penelitian ini adalah pengukuran input (berupa perancangan video), pengukuran output, dan pengukuran outcome (berupa pengukuran peningkatan pemahaman mahasiswa). Teknik pengumpulan data yaitu pre test, post test, angket, wawancara, dan observasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ketiga desain video yang telah dirancang mampu untuk meningkatkan pemahaman mahasiswa. Agar dapat efektif dalam meningkatkan pemahaman mahasiswa, unsur-unsur yang terdapat dalam video pembelajaran harus meliputi aspek konten, durasi video, bentuk media video, penggunaan warna, music dan ilustrasi, presenter, penggunaan bahasa, dan penugasan melalui video

Diamond vs. square mesh codend in a multi-species trawl fishery of the western Mediterranean: effects on catch composition, yield, size selectivity and discards

Selectivity studies usually describe the effects on target species, whereas information on by-catch and discards is scarce. Nevertheless, large quantities of undersized individuals and invertebrates are discarded in the Mediterranean multi-species bottom trawl fishery. The present work analyses the data from two surveys carried out on the shallow and deep continental shelf (50–78 m, and 147–189 m, respectively) off the Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean). In these surveys, the traditionally used 40 mm diamond mesh codend and an experimental square mesh codend were used under commercial conditions. Catch composition, yields, size selectivity of both target and by-catch species, and discards were compared between the two mesh types. The mean selection length (L50) clearly increased for most species when using square mesh, escaping many more individuals under their minimum landing size. Yield of Spicara smaris was significantly lower by using the square mesh, changing the composition of the retained catch. Escapement ratio and economic loss were significantly higher with square mesh, although economic loss was almost negligible for both meshes on the deep continental shelf. The use of square mesh significantly reduced the discards of algae in the shallow waters and fish on the deep continental shelf. The results confirmed that square mesh codend reduces the fishing pressure on small specimens as well as the impact of trawling on the ecosystem. These benefits would not lead to a reduction of the yields neither of the main target species, the fishes Merluccius merluccius, Mullus surmuletus, Zeus faber, and the cephalopods Loligo vulgaris and Octopus vulgaris, nor of the rest of commercial categories, except for Spicara smarisPublicado

Transfusion-transmitted virus prevalence in subjects at high risk of sexually transmitted infection in Turkey

ObjectiveTo assess the possible sexual transmission of virus and to identify the prevalence of TTV viremia in Turkey and its association with other hepatotropic viruses.MethodsSerum samples were collected from 81 subjects (74 prostitutes and seven homosexual men) at high risk of sexually transmitted infection and from 81 healthy controls (74 females and seven males). Sera of patients and controls were tested for TTV, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus. Also, serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferases were measured.ResultsThe prevalence rates of TTV viremia in the risk group and control group were 86.4% and 82.7%, respectively. There was a statistical difference in mean age between TTV-infected and uninfected subjects (38.6 ± 9.9 versus 32.2 ± 6.1 years, respectively, P < 0.001). Prevalence rates of TTV infection in subjects with positive anti-HAV and positive anti-HBc were high when compared with subjects who were negative for these.ConclusionWe suggest that TTV infection has a diverse route of transmission, and its prevalence increases with age; also, the prevalence rate of TTV is high in certain risk groups. The prevalence rates of TTV in the group at risk for sexual transmission (86.4%) and in the control group (82.7%) were among the highest ever reported in the world. Also, we suggest that TTV generally does not cause clinical disease, in spite of this high prevalence

Probing molecular arrangements of the organic semiconductor 2,7-Dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b][1]benzothiophene thin film at the interface by UV Resonant Raman scattering

Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate nanometric thick films of the organic semiconductor 2,7-Dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene, following a comprehensive vibrational characterization of the compound condensed phases at various excitation wavelengths. UV Raman excitation enabled the characterization of the thin films, revealing that the molecular orientation at the film/air interface is characterized by a different organization and/or a high degree of disorder compared to the bulk phase. The low penetration depth of the UV Raman excitation allows for the retrieval of this information, unlike the XRD data