Discovery of water vapour in the carbon star V Cygni from observations with Herschel/HIFI

We report the discovery of water vapour toward the carbon star V Cygni. We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument, in dual beam switch mode, to observe the 1(11) - 0(00) para-water transition at 1113.3430 GHz in the upper sideband of the Band 4b receiver. The observed spectral line profile is nearly parabolic, but with a slight asymmetry associated with blueshifted absorption, and the integrated antenna temperature is 1.69 \pm 0.17 K km/s. This detection of thermal water vapour emission, carried out as part of a small survey of water in carbon-rich stars, is only the second such detection toward a carbon-rich AGB star, the first having been obtained by the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite toward IRC+10216. For an assumed ortho-to-para ratio of 3 for water, the observed line intensity implies a water outflow rate ~ (3 - 6) E-5 Earth masses per year and a water abundance relative to H2 of ~ (2-5) E-6. This value is a factor of at least 1E+4 larger than the expected photospheric abundance in a carbon-rich environment, and - as in IRC+10216 - raises the intriguing possibility that the observed water is produced by the vapourisation of orbiting comets or dwarf planets. However, observations of the single line observed to date do not permit us to place strong constraints upon the spatial distribution or origin of the observed water, but future observations of additional transitions will allow us to determine the inner radius of the H2O-emitting zone, and the H2O ortho-to-para ratio, and thereby to place important constraints upon the origin of the observed water emission.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (HIFI special issue

The origin of the [C II] emission in the S140 PDRs - new insights from HIFI

Using Herschel's HIFI instrument we have observed [C II] along a cut through S140 and high-J transitions of CO and HCO+ at two positions on the cut, corresponding to the externally irradiated ionization front and the embedded massive star forming core IRS1. The HIFI data were combined with available ground-based observations and modeled using the KOSMA-tau model for photon dominated regions. Here we derive the physical conditions in S140 and in particular the origin of [C II] emission around IRS1. We identify three distinct regions of [C II] emission from the cut, one close to the embedded source IRS1, one associated with the ionization front and one further into the cloud. The line emission can be understood in terms of a clumpy model of photon-dominated regions. At the position of IRS1, we identify at least two distinct components contributing to the [C II] emission, one of them a small, hot component, which can possibly be identified with the irradiated outflow walls. This is consistent with the fact that the [C II] peak at IRS1 coincides with shocked H2 emission at the edges of the outflow cavity. We note that previously available observations of IRS1 can be well reproduced by a single-component KOSMA-tau model. Thus it is HIFI's unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity which has allowed us to uncover an additional hot gas component in the S140 region.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (HIFI special issue

Polarisation Observations of VY Canis Majoris Water Vapour 5{32}-4{41} 620.701 GHz Maser Emission with HIFI

CONTEXT: Water vapour maser emission from evolved oxygen-rich stars remains poorly understood. Additional observations, including polarisation studies and simultaneous observation of different maser transitions may ultimately lead to greater insight. AIMS: We have aimed to elucidate the nature and structure of the VY CMa water vapour masers in part by observationally testing a theoretical prediction of the relative strengths of the 620.701 GHz and the 22.235 GHz maser components of ortho water vapour. METHODS: In its high-resolution mode (HRS) the Herschel Heterodyne Instrument for the Infrared (HIFI) offers a frequency resolution of 0.125 MHz, corresponding to a line-of-sight velocity of 0.06 km/s, which we employed to obtain the strength and linear polarisation of maser spikes in the spectrum of VY CMa at 620.701 GHz. Simultaneous ground based observations of the 22.235 GHz maser with the Max-Planck-Institut f\"ur Radioastronomie 100-meter telescope at Effelsberg, provided a ratio of 620.701 GHz to 22.235 GHz emission. RESULTS:We report the first astronomical detection to date of water vapour maser emission at 620.701 GHz. In VY CMa both the 620.701 and the 22.235 GHz polarisation are weak. At 620.701 GHz the maser peaks are superposed on what appears to be a broad emission component, jointly ejected asymmetrically from the star. We observed the 620.701 GHz emission at two epochs 21 days apart, both to measure the potential direction of linearly polarised maser components and to obtain a measure of the longevity of these components. Although we do not detect significant polarisation levels in the core of the line, they rise up to approximately 6% in its wings

Adipose Stromal Cell-Secretome Counteracts Profibrotic Signals From IPF Lung Matrices

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrotic lung disease characterized by excess deposition and altered structure of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the lungs. The fibrotic ECM is paramount in directing resident cells toward a profibrotic phenotype. Collagens, an important part of the fibrotic ECM, have been shown to be structurally different in IPF. To further understand the disease to develop better treatments, the signals from the ECM that drive fibrosis need to be identified. Adipose tissue-derived stromal cell conditioned medium (ASC-CM) has demonstrated antifibrotic effects in animal studies but has not been tested in human samples yet. In this study, the collagen structural integrity in (fibrotic) lung tissue, its interactions with fibroblasts and effects of ASC-CM treatment hereon were studied. Methods: Native and decellularized lung tissue from patients with IPF and controls were stained for denatured collagen using a collagen hybridizing peptide. Primary lung fibroblasts were seeded into decellularized matrices from IPF and control subjects and cultured for 7 days in the presence or absence of ASC- CM. Reseeded matrices were fixed, stained and analyzed for total tissue deposition and specific protein expression. Results: In both native and decellularized lung tissue, more denatured collagen was observed in IPF tissue compared to control tissue. Upon recellularization with fibroblasts, the presence of denatured collagen was equalized in IPF and control matrices, whereas total ECM was higher in IPF matrices than in the control. Treatment with ASC-CM resulted in less ECM deposition, but did not alter the levels of denatured collagen. Discussion: Our data showed that ASC-CM can inhibit fibrotic ECM-induced profibrotic behavior of fibroblasts. This process was independent of collagen structural integrity. Our findings open up new avenues for ASC-CM to be explored as treatment for IPF

Addendum to the Dutch guideline for minor head/brain injury

- After introduction of the Dutch guideline for 'Care for patients with minor head/brain injury' (LTH guideline) in 2010, the number of CT scans has increased. Some of these scans were for patients with only trivial trauma and may not have been necessary.- In addition, since this guideline was implemented, there have been changes in the use of anticoagulants and platelet aggregation inhibitors. Non-vitamin-K-dependent oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and platelet aggregation inhibitors, or combinations of these, are prescribed more often.- These two factors have led the Netherlands Society of Neurology to initiate a request for modification of the LTH guideline for adults in two ways: (a) identification of minimal or trivial trauma for which no CT scan is required and (b) inclusion of NOACs and platelet aggregation inhibitors, or combinations of these, in the guideline.</p

Strong CH+ J=1-0 emission and absorption in DR21

We report the first detection of the ground-state rotational transition of the methylidyne cation CH+ towards the massive star-forming region DR21 with the HIFI instrument onboard the Herschel satellite. The line profile exhibits a broad emission line, in addition to two deep and broad absorption features associated with the DR21 molecular ridge and foreground gas. These observations allow us to determine a CH+ J=1-0 line frequency of 835137 +/- 3 MHz, in good agreement with a recent experimental determination. We estimate the CH+ column density to be a few 1e13 cm^-2 in the gas seen in emission, and > 1e14 cm^-2 in the components responsible for the absorption, which is indicative of a high line of sight average abundance [CH+]/[H] > 1.2x10^-8. We show that the CH+ column densities agree well with the predictions of state-of-the-art C-shock models in dense UV-illuminated gas for the emission line, and with those of turbulent dissipation models in diffuse gas for the absorption lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&