37 research outputs found

    Lithium abundance evolution in open clusters: Hyades, NGC752, and M67

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    Mixing mechanisms bring the Li from the base of the convective zone to deeper and warmer layers where it is destroyed. These mechanisms are investigated by comparing observations of Li abundances in stellar atmospheres to models of stellar evolution. Observations in open cluster are especially suitable for this comparison, since their age and metallicity are homogeneous among their members and better determined than in field stars. In this work, we compare the evolution of Li abundances in three different clusters: the Hyades, NGC752, and M67. Our models are calculated with microscopic diffusion and transport of chemicals by meridional circulation, and calibrated on the Sun. These comparisons allow us to follow the evolution of Li abundance as a function of stellar mass in each cluster and as a function of the age by comparing this evolution in each cluster. We evaluate the efficiency of the mixing mechanisms used in the models, and we try to identify the lacking mechanisms to reproduce the observed evolution of Li abundance.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, conference publication of "New advances in stellar physics: from microscopic to macroscopic processes

    Stellar Cycles in Fully Convective Stars and a New Interpretation of Dynamo Evolution

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    An αΩ\alpha\Omega dynamo, combining shear and cyclonic convection in the tachocline, is believed to generate the solar cycle. However, this model cannot explain cycles in fast rotators (with minimal shear) or in fully convective stars (no tachocline); analysis of such stars could therefore provide key insights into how these cycles work. We reexamine ASAS data for 15 M dwarfs, 11 of which are presumed fully convective; the addition of newer ASAS-SN data confirms cycles in roughly a dozen of them, while presenting new or revised rotation periods for five. The amplitudes and periods of these cycles follow Acyc∝Pcyc0.94±0.11A_{\rm cyc} \propto P_{\rm cyc}^{0.94 \pm 0.11}, with Pcyc/Prot∝Ro−1.02±0.06P_{\rm cyc}/P_{\rm rot} \propto {\rm Ro}^{-1.02 \pm 0.06} (where Ro is the Rossby number), very similar to Pcyc/Prot∝Ro−0.81±0.17P_{\rm cyc}/P_{\rm rot} \propto {\rm Ro}^{-0.81 \pm 0.17} that we find for 40 previously studied FGK stars, although Pcyc/ProtP_{\rm cyc}/P_{\rm rot} and α\alpha are a factor of ∌\sim20 smaller in the M stars. The very different Pcyc/ProtP_{\rm cyc}/P_{\rm rot}-Ro relationship seen here compared to previous work suggests that two types of dynamo, with opposite Ro dependences, operate in cool stars. Initially, a (likely α2\alpha^2 or α2Ω\alpha^2\Omega) dynamo operates throughout the convective zone in mid-late M and fast rotating FGK stars, but once magnetic breaking decouples the core and convective envelope, a tachocline αΩ\alpha\Omega dynamo begins and eventually dominates in older FGK stars. A change in α\alpha in the tachocline dynamo generates the fundamentally different Pcyc/ProtP_{\rm cyc}/P_{\rm rot}-Ro relationship.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, submitted to ApJ. Figure sets will be available in the final prin

    The effects of stellar winds on the magnetospheres and potential habitability of exoplanets

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    Context: The principle definition of habitability for exoplanets is whether they can sustain liquid water on their surfaces, i.e. that they orbit within the habitable zone. However, the planet's magnetosphere should also be considered, since without it, an exoplanet's atmosphere may be eroded away by stellar winds. Aims: The aim of this paper is to investigate magnetospheric protection of a planet from the effects of stellar winds from solar-mass stars. Methods: We study hypothetical Earth-like exoplanets orbiting in the host star's habitable zone for a sample of 124 solar-mass stars. These are targets that have been observed by the Bcool collaboration. Using two wind models, we calculate the magnetospheric extent of each exoplanet. These wind models are computationally inexpensive and allow the community to quickly estimate the magnetospheric size of magnetised Earth-analogues orbiting cool stars. Results: Most of the simulated planets in our sample can maintain a magnetosphere of ~5 Earth radii or larger. This suggests that magnetised Earth analogues in the habitable zones of solar analogues are able to protect their atmospheres and is in contrast to planets around young active M dwarfs. In general, we find that Earth-analogues around solar-type stars, of age 1.5 Gyr or older, can maintain at least a Paleoarchean Earth sized magnetosphere. Our results indicate that planets around 0.6 - 0.8 solar-mass stars on the low activity side of the Vaughan-Preston gap are the optimum observing targets for habitable Earth analogues.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysic

    InformaçÔes dos profissionais de educação física em programa de exercícios físicos para indivíduos com condromalåcia patelar

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    The aim of this study was to investigate information from Physical Education professionals about the prescription of physical exercise for patients with patellar chondromalacia. This is a cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 50 Physical Education professionals, who worked in gym rooms in MaringĂĄ - PR. Data collection was performed through a questionnaire semi-structured by the authors, consisting of questions regarding sociodemographic data, clinical knowledge about patellar chondromalacia and about physical exercises for patients with the disease. The analysis was performed using a descriptive statistics approach. For the presentation of the results, frequency and percentage were used for the categorical variables and, mean and standard deviation for the numerical variables. Of the professionals participating, there was a prevalence of female students (64%) aged 26 to 30 years (46%). Most of the professionals had graduated 5 years (86%), did not attend another undergraduate (86%) or specialization (74%), had some content on patellar chondromalacia during graduation (54%), was knee (82%), the quadriceps femoris muscle being the main muscle involved in the pathology (78%), and 80% of the participants recognized the oblique fibers of the vastus medialis muscle as mediating the patella. Most of the Physical Education professionals who work in the gymnasium rooms of the municipalities of MaringĂĄ, reported having undergraduate information about chondromalacia patelar, have basic knowledge of the pathology and the care it requires

    The Solar Twin Planet Search IV. The Sun as a typical rotator and evidence for a new rotational braking law for Sun-like stars

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    Context. It is still unclear how common the Sun is when compared to other similar stars in regards to some of its physical properties, such as rotation. Considering that gyrochronology relations are widely used today to estimate ages of stars in the main sequence, and that the Sun is used to calibrate it, it is crucial to assess whether these procedures are acceptable. Aims. We analyze the rotational velocities, limited by the unknown rotation axis inclination angle, of an unprecedented large sample of solar twins to study the rotational evolution of Sun-like stars, and assess whether the Sun is a typical rotator. Methods. We used high-resolution (R = 115 000) spectra obtained with the HARPS spectrograph and the 3.6 m telescope at La Silla Observatory. The projected rotational velocities for 81 solar twins were estimated by line profile fitting with synthetic spectra. Macroturbulence velocities were inferred from a prescription that accurately reflects their dependence with effective temperature and luminosity of the stars. Results. Our sample of solar twins include some spectroscopic binaries with enhanced rotational velocities, and we do not find any nonspectroscopic binaries with unusually high rotation velocities. We verified that the Sun does not have a peculiar rotation, but the solar twins exhibit rotational velocities that depart from the Skumanich relation. Conclusions. The Sun is a regular rotator when compared to solar twins with a similar age. Additionally, we obtain a rotational braking law that better describes the stars in our sample (v ∝ t-0.6) in contrast to previous, often-used scalings

    The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

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    The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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    Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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