Interactions and star formation activity in Wolf-Rayet galaxies

We present the main results of the PhD Thesis carried out by L\'opez-S\'anchez (2006), in which a detailed morphological, photometrical and spectroscopical analysis of a sample of 20 Wolf-Rayet (WR) galaxies was realized. The main aims are the study of the star formation and O and WR stellar populations in these galaxies and the role that interactions between low surface companion objects have in the triggering of the bursts. We analyze the morphology, stellar populations, physical conditions, chemical abundances and kinematics of the ionized gas, as well as the star-formation activity of each system.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figure

Assessing math anxiety in elementary schoolchildren through a Spanish version of the Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA)

Math anxiety (MA) affects students of all age groups. Because of its effects on children’s academic development, the need to recognize its early manifestations has been highlighted. We designed a European-Spanish version of the Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA; Wu et al. (2012)), and assessed its psychometric properties in a sample of children aged 7 to 12 years. The participants (967 typically developing children) were elementary school students recruited from ten schools. Children reported their general and math anxiety levels in an individual session and performed nonverbal IQ and math abilities subtests in a group session. Teachers reported the final math grades. The psychometric indices obtained, and the resulting factor structure revealed that the European-Spanish version of the SEMA developed in this study is a reliable and valid measure to evaluate MA in children from 3rd to 6th grade. Moreover, we explored gender differences, that resulted in small effect sizes, which disappeared when controlling for trait anxiety. Differences across grades were found for both global MA and the numerical processing anxiety factor but not for the situational and performance anxiety factor. Finally, MA was negatively associated with students’ math achievement, although the strength of the associations varied with the MA measure selected, the kind of math achievement analyzed, and the school stage considered. Our findings highlight the relevance of MA in elementary school and highlight the need for an early identification of students at risk of suffering MA to palliate the negative consequences of MA in children’s cognitive and academic development

Near IR diffraction-limited integral-field SINFONI spectroscopy of the Circinus galaxy

Using the adaptive optics assisted near infrared integral field spectrometer SINFONI on the VLT, we have obtained observations of the Circinus galaxy on parsec scales. The morphologies of the H_2(1-0)S(1) 2.12um and Br_gamma 2.17um emission lines are only slightly different, but their velocity maps are similar and show a gradient along the major axis of the galaxy, consistent with rotation.Since V_rot/sigma is approximately 1 suggests that random motions are also important, it is likely that the lines arise in a rotating spheroid or thickened disk around the AGN. Comparing the Br_gamma flux to the stellar continuum indicates that the star formation in this region began almost 10^8 yr ago. We also detect the [SiVI] 1.96um,[AlIX] 2.04um and [CaVIII] 2.32um coronal lines. In all cases we observe a broad blue wing, indicating the presence of two or more components in the coronal line region. A correlation between the ionisation potential and the asymmetry of the profiles was found for these high excitation species.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to the Proceedings of the IFS Workshop, Jul 4-8 2005, Durham, Englan

Effortful control is associated with children's school functioning via learning-related behaviors

The goal of the current study was to identify factors that contribute to individual differences in school functioning. We proposed a model including direct effects of Effortful Control (EC) on Spanish 6- to 12-year olds' (N = 142) academic achievement and social adaptation at school, with these relations partially mediated by learning-related behaviors (LRBs). Parents rated children's EC; teachers reported children's LRBs and children' social adaptation in school; children' social preference was assessed through classmates' nominations. Children's academic achievement was measured through standard tests and grades. Analyses were run using structural equation models, controlling by gender, intelligence, age, socioeconomic status, and school. EC was positively and directly related to social adaptation in school. EC was also indirectly related to academic achievement and social adaptation through LRBs. The findings highlight the potential relevance of children's EC and LRBs for adjustment in elementary school

Alcohol and early mortality (before 65 years) in the ‘seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) cohort: does any level reduce mortality?

The aim of this study was to assess the association between alcohol intake and premature mortality (younger than 65 years) and to explore the effect of potential alcohol underreporting by heavy drinkers. We followed-up 20 272 university graduates. Four categories of alcohol intake were considered (abstainer, light, moderate and heavy consumption). Repeated measurements of alcohol intake and updated information on confounders were used in time-dependent Cox models. Potential underreporting of alcohol intake by some heavy drinkers (likely misclassified as light or moderate drinkers) was explicitly addressed in an attempt to correct potential underreporting by using indirect information. During 12·3 years of median follow-up (interquartile range: 6·8–15·0), 226 participants died before their 65th birthday. A higher risk of early mortality was found for the highest category of alcohol intake (≥50 g/d) in comparison with abstention (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 2·82, 95 % CI 1·38, 5·79). In analyses of alcohol as a continuous variable, the multivariable-adjusted HR was 1·17 (95 % CI 1·08, 1·26), for each 10 g/d of alcohol. This harmful linear association was present both in uncorrected models and in models corrected for potential underreporting. No significant inverse association between light or moderate alcohol intake and premature mortality was observed, even after correcting for potential misclassification. Alcohol intake exhibited a harmful linear dose–response association with premature mortality (<65 years) in this young and highly educated Mediterranean cohort. Our attempts to correct for potential misclassification did not substantially change these results

Broadband reduction of the specular reflections by using sonic crystals: A proof of concept for noise mitigation in aerospace applications

[EN] The broadband reduction of the specular reflections by sonic crystals (SCs) is theoretically and experimentally reported in this work. The analysed system consists of a sound source radiating a SC made of acoustically rigid scatterers embedded in water partially covering an open cavity. By comparison with a reference flat reflector, we observe that reflected waves spread in space as a consequence of the spatially modulated properties of the SC. Moreover, due to the different working frequency ranges of the SC a significant noise reduction is produced in a broadband region. Therefore, due to the spreading of the reflected waves, the system produces a broadband noise reduction in the area of the source. In particular, the noise reduction is close to 2 dB for the two octaves emitted by our source, which represents a decrease of 37% of the acoustic energy. The results shown in this work constitute a proof of concept for the use of SCs as broadband-noise reduction systems at the launch pad. An approach to the geometry of the Vega launch vehicle the European Space Agency is proposed and the limitations of the study are discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Authors acknowledge the support of the European Space Agency under contract "Sonic Crystals For Noise Reduction At The Launch Pad", ESA ITT 1-7094 (ITI) and the 441-2015 Co-Sponsored PhD "Acoustic Reduction Methods for the Launch Pad". The work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MINECO) and European Union FEDER through project FIS2015-65998-C2-1 and FIS2015-65998-C2-2.García-Raffi, LM.; Salmerón-Contreras, L.; Herrero-Durá, I.; Picó Vila, R.; Redondo, J.; Sánchez Morcillo, VJ.; Staliunas, K.... (2018). Broadband reduction of the specular reflections by using sonic crystals: A proof of concept for noise mitigation in aerospace applications. Aerospace Science and Technology. 73:300-308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ast.2017.11.048S3003087

Digitization of Cultural Heritage Buildings for Preventive Conservation Purposes

This work aims at presenting the experimental results obtained by the application of one of the digital protocols developed during the European project HeritageCare: Monitoring and preventive conservation of historical and cultural heritage. These protocols are devoted to the preventive conservation of heritage constructions and its assets. More specifically, the application of the second level of services of the HeritageCare system is presented through two complementary case studies: a large Neo-Manueline church situated nearby Guimarães, Portugal, and a small Romanesque church located in Palencia, Spain. In each case study a different set of digital technologies was employed with the aim of evaluating the flexibility of the developed protocols. This set of technologies comprises the use of in-house apps for enhancing the visual inspection together with geomatic techniques based on static and wearable laser scanners as well as digital single-lens reflex and as-built 360º cameras. The results obtained by the application of these digital tools have allowed the creation of a Web- GIS platform for ensuring the proper documentation of cultural heritage and streamlining the management of their conservation process according to a proactive approach