66 research outputs found
Helioseismology, Neutrinos and Radiative Zones
The solar interior has been scrutinized by two different and independent
probes during the last twenty years with important revisions of the solar
model, including a recent heavy element abundance revision. Today, we get a
quantitatively coherent picture (even incomplete) of the solar (stellar)
radiative zones. In this review, we recall the clues for solar gravitational
settling definitively established by the seismic determination of the
photospheric helium content. We comment also on the need for mixing in the
transition region between radiation and convection in the case of the Sun and
of population II stars. We finally list the open questions and the importance
to continue more precise investigations of the solar (stellar) radiative zone
in detecting gravity modes with the project DynaMICS.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, will be published in EAS Publications
series, Conference 2005: Element stratification in stars: 40 years of Atomic
diffusion, ed: G. Alecian & S. Vauclai
Taxonomy of Iberian Hoplia (Col., Scarabaeoidea, Hopliinae) based on mtDNA analysis
Abstract The morphology of some Hoplia species (Scarabaeoidea: Hopliinae) is so variable that parapatric populations have often been considered different species or subspecies. In this study we analyze the nucleotide sequences of a fragment of mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of six species and two subspecies of Palaearctic Hoplia to reexamine the species limits. Based on the analysis of sequences from COI and morphological and ecological observations, we consider Hoplia freyi Baraud to be a junior synonym of Hoplia chlorophana Erichson and H. philanthus ramburi Heyden to be a junior synonym of H. philanthus philanthus (Fuessly). However, complete resolution of relationships among H. philanthus subspecies requires the addition of sequences from genes evolving faster than COI. Phylogenetic relationships among the species studied are discussed
The solar-like CoRoT target HD 170987: spectroscopic and seismic observations
The CoRoT mission is in its third year of observation and the data from the
second long run in the galactic centre direction are being analysed. The
solar-like oscillating stars that have been observed up to now have given some
interesting results, specially concerning the amplitudes that are lower than
predicted. We present here the results from the analysis of the star HD
170987.The goal of this research work is to characterise the global parameters
of HD 170987. We look for global seismic parameters such as the mean large
separation, maximum amplitude of the modes, and surface rotation because the
signal-to-noise ratio in the observations do not allow us to measure individual
modes. We also want to retrieve the stellar parameters of the star and its
chemical composition.We have studied the chemical composition of the star using
ground-based observations performed with the NARVAL spectrograph. We have used
several methods to calculate the global parameters from the acoustic
oscillations based on CoRoT data. The light curve of the star has been
interpolated using inpainting algorithms to reduce the effect of data gaps. We
find power excess related to p modes in the range [400 - 1200]muHz with a mean
large separation of 55.2+-0.8muHz with a probability above 95% that increases
to 55.9 +-0.2muHz in a higher frequency range [500 - 1250] muHz and a rejection
level of 1%. A hint of the variation of this quantity with frequency is also
found. The rotation period of the star is estimated to be around 4.3 days with
an inclination axis of i=50 deg +20/-13. We measure a bolometric amplitude per
radial mode in a range [2.4 - 2.9] ppm around 1000 muHz. Finally, using a grid
of models, we estimate the stellar mass, M=1.43+-0.05 Msun, the radius,
R=1.96+-0.046 Rsun, and the age ~2.4 Gyr.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&
A uniform asteroseismic analysis of 22 solar-type stars observed by Kepler
Asteroseismology with the Kepler space telescope is providing not only an
improved characterization of exoplanets and their host stars, but also a new
window on stellar structure and evolution for the large sample of solar-type
stars in the field. We perform a uniform analysis of 22 of the brightest
asteroseismic targets with the highest signal-to-noise ratio observed for 1
month each during the first year of the mission, and we quantify the precision
and relative accuracy of asteroseismic determinations of the stellar radius,
mass, and age that are possible using various methods. We present the
properties of each star in the sample derived from an automated analysis of the
individual oscillation frequencies and other observational constraints using
the Asteroseismic Modeling Portal (AMP), and we compare them to the results of
model-grid-based methods that fit the global oscillation properties. We find
that fitting the individual frequencies typically yields asteroseismic radii
and masses to \sim1% precision, and ages to \sim2.5% precision (respectively 2,
5, and 8 times better than fitting the global oscillation properties). The
absolute level of agreement between the results from different approaches is
also encouraging, with model-grid-based methods yielding slightly smaller
estimates of the radius and mass and slightly older values for the stellar age
relative to AMP, which computes a large number of dedicated models for each
star. The sample of targets for which this type of analysis is possible will
grow as longer data sets are obtained during the remainder of the mission.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures in the main text, 22 figures in Appendix.
Accepted for publication in Ap
A precise asteroseismic age and radius for the evolved Sun-like star KIC 11026764
The primary science goal of the Kepler Mission is to provide a census of
exoplanets in the solar neighborhood, including the identification and
characterization of habitable Earth-like planets. The asteroseismic
capabilities of the mission are being used to determine precise radii and ages
for the target stars from their solar-like oscillations. Chaplin et al. (2010)
published observations of three bright G-type stars, which were monitored
during the first 33.5 days of science operations. One of these stars, the
subgiant KIC 11026764, exhibits a characteristic pattern of oscillation
frequencies suggesting that it has evolved significantly. We have derived
asteroseismic estimates of the properties of KIC 11026764 from Kepler
photometry combined with ground-based spectroscopic data. We present the
results of detailed modeling for this star, employing a variety of independent
codes and analyses that attempt to match the asteroseismic and spectroscopic
constraints simultaneously. We determine both the radius and the age of KIC
11026764 with a precision near 1%, and an accuracy near 2% for the radius and
15% for the age. Continued observations of this star promise to reveal
additional oscillation frequencies that will further improve the determination
of its fundamental properties.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, ApJ in pres
Allergic Rhinitis and its Associated Co-Morbidities at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania; A Prospective Review of 190 Cases.
Allergic rhinitis is one of the commonest atopic diseases which contribute to significant morbidity world wide while its epidemiology in Tanzania remains sparse. There was paucity of information regarding allergic rhinitis in our setting; therefore it was important to conduct this study to describe our experience on allergic rhinitis, associated co-morbidities and treatment outcome in patients attending Bugando Medical Centre. This was descriptive cross-sectional study involving all patients with a clinical diagnosis of allergic rhinitis at Bugando Medical Centre over a three-month period between June 2011 and August 2011. Data was collected using a pre-tested coded questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS statistical computer software version 17.0. A total of 190 patients were studied giving the prevalence of allergic rhinitis 14.7%. The median age of the patients was 8.5 years. The male to female ratio was 1:1. Adenoid hypertrophy, tonsillitis, hypertrophy of inferior turbinate, nasal polyps, otitis media and sinusitis were the most common co-morbidities affecting 92.6% of cases and were the major reason for attending hospital services. Sleep disturbance was common in children with adenoids hypertrophy (χ2 = 28.691, P = 0.000). Allergic conjunctivitis was found in 51.9%. The most common identified triggers were dust, strong perfume odors and cold weather (P < 0.05). Strong perfume odors affect female than males (χ2 = 4.583, P = 0.032). In this study family history of allergic rhinitis was not a significant risk factor (P =0.423). The majority of patients (68.8%) were treated surgically for allergic rhinitis co morbidities. Post operative complication and mortality rates were 2.9% and 1.6% respectively. The overall median duration of hospital stay of in-patients was 3 days (2 - 28 days). Most patients (98.4%) had satisfactory results at discharge. The study shows that allergic rhinitis is common in our settings representing 14.7% of all otorhinolaryngology and commonly affecting children and adolescent. Sufferers seek medical services due to co-morbidities of which combination of surgical and medical treatment was needed. High index of suspicions in diagnosing allergic rhinitis and early treatment is recommended
Origin and evolution of the light nuclides
After a short historical (and highly subjective) introduction to the field, I
discuss our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the light
nuclides D, He-3, He-4, Li-6, Li-7, Be-9, B-10 and B-11. Despite considerable
observational and theoretical progress, important uncertainties still persist
for each and every one of those nuclides. The present-day abundance of D in the
local interstellar medium is currently uncertain, making it difficult to infer
the recent chemical evolution of the solar neighborhood. To account for the
observed quasi-constancy of He-3 abundance from the Big Bang to our days, the
stellar production of that nuclide must be negligible; however, the scarce
observations of its abundance in planetary nebulae seem to contradict this
idea. The observed Be and B evolution as primaries suggests that the source
composition of cosmic rays has remained quasi-constant since the early days of
the Galaxy, a suggestion with far reaching implications for the origin of
cosmic rays; however, the main idea proposed to account for that constancy,
namely that superbubbles are at the source of cosmic rays, encounters some
serious difficulties. The best explanation for the mismatch between primordial
Li and the observed "Spite-plateau" in halo stars appears to be depletion of Li
in stellar envelopes, by some yet poorly understood mechanism. But this
explanation impacts on the level of the recently discovered early ``Li-6
plateau'', which (if confirmed), seriously challenges current ideas of cosmic
ray nucleosynthesis.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figs. Invited Review in "Symposium on the Composition of
Matter", honoring Johannes Geiss on the occasion of his 80th birthday
(Grindelwald, Switzerland, Sept. 2006), to be published in Space Science
Series of ISS
The diameter of the CoRoT target HD 49933. Combining the 3D limb darkening, asteroseismology, and interferometry
Context. The interpretation of stellar pulsations in terms of internal
structure depends on the knowledge of the fundamental stellar parameters.
Long-base interferometers permit us to determine very accurate stellar radii,
which are independent constraints for stellar models that help us to locate the
star in the HR diagram. Aims: Using a direct interferometric determination of
the angular diameter and advanced three-dimensional (3D) modeling, we derive
the radius of the CoRoT target HD 49933 and reduce the global stellar parameter
space compatible with seismic data. Methods: The VEGA/CHARA
spectro-interferometer is used to measure the angular diameter of the star. A
3D radiative hydrodynamical simulation of the surface is performed to compute
the limb darkening and derive a reliable diameter from visibility curves. The
other fundamental stellar parameters (mass, age, and Teff) are found by fitting
the large and small p-mode frequency separations using a stellar evolution
model that includes microscopic diffusion. Results: We obtain a limb-darkened
angular diameter of {\theta}LD = 0.445 \pm 0.012 mas. With the Hipparcos
parallax, we obtain a radius of R = 1.42 \pm 0.04 Rsun. The corresponding
stellar evolution model that fits both large and small frequency separations
has a mass of 1.20 \pm 0.08 Msun and an age of 2.7 Gy. The atmospheric
parameters are Teff = 6640 \pm 100 K, log g = 4.21 \pm 0.14, and [Fe/H] =
-0.38.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Accurate p-mode measurements of the G0V metal-rich CoRoT target HD 52265
The star HD 52265 is a G0V metal-rich exoplanet-host star observed in the
seismology field of the CoRoT space telescope from November 2008 to March 2009.
The satellite collected 117 days of high-precision photometric data on this
star, showing that it presents solar-like oscillations. HD 52265 was also
observed in spectroscopy with the Narval spectrograph at the same epoch. We
characterise HD 52265 using both spectroscopic and seismic data. The
fundamental stellar parameters of HD 52265 were derived with the semi-automatic
software VWA, and the projected rotational velocity was estimated by fitting
synthetic profiles to isolated lines in the observed spectrum. The parameters
of the observed p modes were determined with a maximum-likelihood estimation.
We performed a global fit of the oscillation spectrum, over about ten radial
orders, for degrees l=0 to 2. We also derived the properties of the
granulation, and analysed a signature of the rotation induced by the
photospheric magnetic activity. Precise determinations of fundamental
parameters have been obtained: Teff = 6100 +- 60 K, log g = 4.35 +- 0.09, [M/H]
= 0.19 +- 0.05, as well as vsini = 3.6 +0.3 -1.0 km/s. We have measured a mean
rotation period P_rot = 12.3 +- 0.15 days, and find a signature of differential
rotation. The frequencies of 31 modes are reported in the range 1500-2550
micro-Hz. The large separation exhibits a clear modulation around the mean
value = 98.3 +- 0.1 micro-Hz. Mode widths vary with frequency along an
S-shape with a clear local maximum around 1800 micro-Hz. We deduce lifetimes
ranging between 0.5 and 3 days for these modes. Finally, we find a maximal
bolometric amplitude of about 3.96 +- 0.24 ppm for radial modes.Comment: published in A&A, 11 pages, 14 figures, 6 table
The catalase gene differentiates between some strains of Staphylococcus aureus ssp. anaerobius
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