254 research outputs found
NLTT5306: The shortest Period Detached White Dwarf + Brown Dwarf Binary
We have spectroscopically confirmed a brown dwarf mass companion to the
hydrogen atmosphere white dwarf NLTT5306. The white dwarf's atmospheric
parameters were measured using Sloan Digital Sky Survey and X-Shooter
spectroscopy as T_eff=7756+/-35K and log(g)=7.68+/-0.08, giving a mass for the
primary of M_WD=0.44+/-0.04 M_sun, at a distance of 71+/-4 pc with a cooling
age of 710+/-50 Myr. The existence of the brown dwarf secondary was confirmed
through the near-infrared arm of the X-Shooter data and a spectral type of
dL4-dL7 was estimated using standard spectral indices. Combined radial velocity
measurements from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, X-Shooter and the Hobby-Eberly
Telescope's High Resolution Spectrograph of the white dwarf gives a minimum
mass of 56+/-3 M_jup for the secondary, confirming the substellar nature. The
period of the binary was measured as 101.88+/-0.02 mins using both the radial
velocity data and i'-band variability detected with the INT. This variability
indicates 'day' side heating of the brown dwarf companion. We also observe
H{\alpha} emission in our higher resolution data in phase with the white dwarf
radial velocity, indicating this system is in a low level of accretion, most
likely via a stellar wind. This system represents the shortest period white
dwarf + brown dwarf binary and the secondary has survived a stage of common
envelope evolution, much like its longer period counterpart, WD0137-349. Both
systems likely represent bona-fide progenitors of cataclysmic variables with a
low mass white dwarf and a brown dwarf donor.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Sharks of the order Carcharhiniformes from the British Coniacian, Santonian and Campanian (Upper Cretaceous).
Bulk sampling of phosphate-rich horizons within the British Coniacian to Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) yielded very large samples of shark and ray teeth. All of these samples yielded teeth of diverse members of the Carcharhiniformes, which commonly dominate the fauna. The following species are recorded and described: Pseudoscyliorhinus reussi (Herman, 1977) comb. nov., Crassescyliorhinus germanicus (Herman, 1982) gen. nov., Scyliorhinus elongatus (Davis, 1887), Scyliorhinus brumarivulensis sp. nov., ? Palaeoscyllium sp., Prohaploblepharus riegrafi (MĂźller, 1989) gen. nov., ? Cretascyliorhinus sp., Scyliorhinidae inc. sedis 1, Scyliorhinidae inc. sedis 2, Pteroscyllium hermani sp. nov., Protoscyliorhinus sp., Leptocharias cretaceus sp. nov., Palaeogaleus havreensis Herman, 1977, Paratriakis subserratus sp. nov., Paratriakis tenuis sp. nov., Paratriakis sp. indet. and ? Loxodon sp. Taxa belonging to the families ?Proscylliidae, Leptochariidae, and Carcharhinidae are described from the Cretaceous for the first time. The evolutionary and palaeoecological implications of these newly recognised faunas are discussed
The impact of the Pull of the Recent on extant elasmobranchs
Modern elasmobranchs have a long evolutionary history and an abundant fossil record that consists mainly of teeth. Many fossil taxa have living representatives. However, the representation of extant taxa in the fossil record is unknown. To begin to understand the geological history of extant elasmobranchs, we here assess the quality of their fossil record. We do so by assessing the Pull of the Recent (POR). The POR can bias the fossil record because the rather complete record of living taxa allows palaeontologists to identify fossil members of the modern clades and to bridge time bins where fossils are absent. We assessed the impact of the POR by quantifying the proportion of extant elasmobranchs that have a fossil record, but do not occur in the last 5 million years (Pliocene and Pleistocene). We found that the POR does not affect orders and families, but it does affect 24% of elasmobranch genera. Within the different elasmobranch orders, the Lamniformes display the most complete generic fossil record, with no impact of the POR. Although modest, the impact of the POR in extant elasmobranch genera is higher than that found in other taxa. Overall, the geological history of elasmobranchs contradicts the usual assumption that the fossil record becomes worse backwards in time. This is the case across geographical regions and tooth size, further suggesting that sampling intensity and outcrop availability might explain the POR effect on sharks and rays
Searching for transits in the Wide Field Camera Transit Survey with difference-imaging light curves
The Wide Field Camera Transit Survey is a pioneer program aiming at for searching extra-solar planets in the near-infrared. The images from the survey are processed by a data reduction pipeline, which uses aperture photometry to construct the light curves. We produce an alternative set of light curves using the difference-imaging method for the most complete field in the survey and carry out a quantitative comparison between the photometric precision achieved with both methods. The results show that differencephotometry light curves present an important improvement for stars with J > 16. We report an implementation on the box-fitting transit detection algorithm, which performs a trapezoid-fit to the folded light curve, providing more accurate results than the boxfitting model. We describe and optimize a set of selection criteria to search for transit candidates, including the V-shape parameter calculated by our detection algorithm. The optimized selection criteria are applied to the aperture photometry and difference-imaging light curves, resulting in the automatic detection of the best 200 transit candidates from a sample of ~475 000 sources. We carry out a detailed analysis in the 18 best detections and classify them as transiting planet and eclipsing binary candidates. We present one planet candidate orbiting a late G-type star. No planet candidate around M-stars has been found, confirming the null detection hypothesis and upper limits on the occurrence rate of short-period giant planets around M-dwarfs presented in a prior study. We extend the search for transiting planets to stars with J ⤠18, which enables us to set a stricter upper limit of 1.1%. Furthermore, we present the detection of five faint extremely-short period eclipsing binaries and three M-dwarf/M-dwarf binary candidates. The detections demonstrate the benefits of using the difference-imaging light curves, especially when going to fainter magnitudes.Peer reviewe
A catalogue of bright (K <9) M dwarfs
Using the Position and Proper Motion Extended-L (PPMXL) catalogue, we have used optical and near-infrared colour cuts together with a reduced proper motion cut to find bright M dwarfs for future exoplanet transit studies. PPMXL's low proper motion uncertainties allow us to probe down to smaller proper motions than previous similar studies. We have combined unique objects found with this method to that of previous work to produce 8479 K <9 M dwarfs. Low-resolution spectroscopy was obtained of a sample of the objects found using this selection method to gain statistics on their spectral type and physical properties. Results show a spectral-type range of K7-M4V. This catalogue is the most complete collection of K <9 M dwarfs currently available and is made available here.Peer reviewe
Chronic exposure to low dose of bisphenol A impacts on the first round of spermatogenesis via SIRT1 modulation.
Spermatogenesis depends on endocrine, autocrine and paracrine communications along the
hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis. Bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogen-mimic endocrine disrupting
chemical, is an environmental contaminant used to manufacture polycarbonate plastics and epoxy
resins with toxic effects for male reproduction. Here we investigated whether the chronic exposure
to low BPA doses affects spermatogenesis through the modulation of SIRT1, a NAD+-dependent
deacetylase involved in the progression of spermatogenesis, with outcomes on apoptosis, oxidative
stress, metabolism and energy homeostasis. BPA exposure via placenta first, and lactation and drinking
water later, affected the body weight gain in male offspring at 45 postnatal days and the first round of
spermatogenesis, with impairment of blood testis barrier, reactive oxygen species production, DNA
damage and decreased expression of SIRT1. The analysis of SIRT1 downstream molecular pathways
revealed the increase of acetyl-p53Lys370, ÎłH2AX foci, the decrease of oxidative stress defenses and
the higher apoptotic rate in the testis of treated animals, with partial rescue at sex maturation. In
conclusion, SIRT1 pathways disruption after BPA exposure can have serious consequences on the first
round of spermatogenesis
The first skeletal record of the Cretaceous Enigmatic Sawfish genus Ptychotrygon (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea) from the Turonian (Cretaceous) of Morocco
A new fossil batoid (ray) Ptychotrygon rostrispatula sp. nov. is described from five exceptionally well-preserved, three-dimensional skeletal remains from the Turonian (Late Cretaceous) of Morocco. These specimens represent the first known skeletal remains for the genus Ptychotrygon and allow an almost complete description of the genus providing a new insight to its phylogenetic relations and validate its taxonomic status as a member of the Sclerorhynchoidei. Mechanical preparation of the fossil remains revealed a relatively large batoid species (estimated total length beyond 1 meter). Overall morphology resembles that of sclerorhynchoids with a robust hypertrophied rostrum that lacks enlarged rostral denticles with enlarged paddle-like pectoral proximal elements (propterygium, mesopterygium and metapterygium). Never seen before details of the branchial skeleton are presented (large second hypobranchial without anterior process which was probably fused to the basibranchial and no evidence of articulation with other branchial element). To assess the phylogenetic relations of these specimens within the sclerorhynchoids a parsimonious analysis using TNT and PAUP software packages was performed. These analyses included Asflapristis cristadentis that along with Ptychotrygon rostrispatula sp. nov. were used as representatives of Ptychotrygonidae and also includes six other genera of sclerorhynchoids with relatively good skeletal remains. Both analyses recovered two monophyletic groups within sclerorhynchoids: the first contains Ischyrhiza, Onchopristis and Schizorhiza and a second that includes Micropristis, Sclerorhynchus, Libanopristis and Ptychotrygonidae
Multi-systemic alterations by chronic exposure to a low dose of bisphenol a in drinking water: Effects on inflammation and nad+-dependent deacetylase sirtuin1 in lactating and weaned rats
Bisphenol A (BPA) is largely used as a monomer in some types of plastics. It accumulates in tissues and fluids and is able to bypass the placental barrier, affecting various organs and systems. Due to huge developmental processes, children, foetuses, and neonates could be more sensitive to BPA-induced toxicity. To investigate the multi-systemic effects of chronic exposure to a low BPA dose (100 Âľg/L), pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to BPA in drinking water during gestation and lactation. At weaning, newborn rats received the same treatments as dams until sex maturation. Free and conjugated BPA levels were measured in plasma and adipose tissue; the size of cerebral ventricles was analysed in the brain; morpho-functional and molecular analyses were carried out in the liver with a focus on the expression of inflammatory cytokines and Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1). Higher BPA levels were found in plasma and adipose tissue from BPA treated pups (17 PND) but not in weaned animals. Lateral cerebral ventricles were significantly enlarged in lactating and weaned BPA-exposed animals. In addition, apart from microvesicular steatosis, liver morphology did not exhibit any statistically significant difference for morphological signs of inflammation, hypertrophy, or macrovesicular steatosis, but the expression of inflammatory cytokines, Sirt1, its natural antisense long non-coding RNA (Sirt1-AS LncRNA) and histone deacetylase 1 (Hdac1) were affected in exposed animals. In conclusion, chronic exposure to a low BPA dose could increase the risk for disease in adult life as a consequence of higher BPA circulating levels and accumulation in adipose tissue during the neonatal period
A sensitivity analysis of the WFCAM Transit Survey for short-period giant planets around M dwarfs
The WFCAM Transit Survey (WTS) is a near-infrared transit survey running on
the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT), designed to discover planets
around M dwarfs. The WTS acts as a poor-seeing backup programme for the
telescope, and represents the first dedicated wide-field near-infrared transit
survey. In this paper we describe the observing strategy of the WTS and the
processing of the data to generate lightcurves. We describe the basic
properties of our photometric data, and measure our sensitivity based on 950
observations. We show that the photometry reaches a precision of ~4mmag for the
brightest unsaturated stars in lightcurves spanning almost 3 years. Optical
(SDSS griz) and near-infrared (UKIRT ZYJHK) photometry is used to classify the
target sample of 4600 M dwarfs with J magnitudes in the range 11-17. Most have
spectral-types in the range M0-M2. We conduct Monte Carlo transit injection and
detection simulations for short period (<10 day) Jupiter- and Neptune-sized
planets to characterize the sensitivity of the survey. We investigate the
recovery rate as a function of period and magnitude for 4 hypothetical
star-planet cases: M0-2+Jupiter, M2-4+Jupiter, M0-2+Neptune, M2-4+Neptune. We
find that the WTS lightcurves are very sensitive to the presence of
Jupiter-sized short-period transiting planets around M dwarfs. Hot Neptunes
produce a much weaker signal and suffer a correspondingly smaller recovery
fraction. Neptunes can only be reliably recovered with the correct period
around the rather small sample (~100) of the latest M dwarfs (M4-M9) in the
WTS. The non-detection of a hot-Jupiter around an M dwarf by the WFCAM Transit
Survey allows us to place an upper limit of 1.7-2.0 per cent (at 95 per cent
confidence) on the planet occurrence rate.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA
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