The merging/AGN connection II. Ionization of the circumnuclear regions

We report the first results of a study of a sample of 20 galaxy mergers/interacting systems, using the VIMOS and PMAS integral field spectrographs. For each object, we extracted the integrated spectrum of the central regions and analyzed the ionization state using classical diagnostic diagrams (Veilleux & Osterbrock 1987). There is evidence of AGN ionization in 4 of the objects, i.e. 20% of the sample, a considerably higher fraction than found in previous studies ~4%Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publishing in A&A Letter

Optimization of laser processes in n+Emitter formation for c-Si solar cells

Punctual phosphorus diffused emitters were achieved by laser patterning phosphorus doped a-SiCx:H films deposited by PECVD as a doping source. Two different lasers at wavelengths of 1064 nm and 532 nm were used. Phosphorus diffusion was confirmed by Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy. We explored the effect of pulse energy and number of pulses per diffused point. The results show that a fine tune of the energy pulse is critical while the number of pulses has minor effects. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) pictures and optical profilometry showed a laser affected area where the c-Si is melted, ejected and solidified quickly again. Typically, the diameter of the affected area for 1064 nm laser is between two and four times greater than for 532 nm laser. Optimum parameters for both lasers were determined to obtain best J-V curves nearly to ideal diode behavior. Comparing best J-V results, lower emitter saturation current density (Jo) and contact resistance are obtained with 532 nm laser. The improvement in Jo can be related mainly to the smaller affected areas observed by SEM while lower contact resistance can be attributed to that 532 nm laser has a more superficial action resulting in higher phosphorus concentration at the surface. The expected open voltage circuit for finished solar cells using these emitters is in the range of 640 mV for 532 nm laser and 620 mV for 1064 nm one.Postprint (published version

Inhibition of hyaluronidase activity by high-pressure treated onion

Onions exert their effects on human health via multiple different functions, including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Upregulation of hyaluronidase activity occurs in chronic inflammatory conditions. High hydrostatic pressure food processing offers the chance of producing functional foods, in the sense that not only preserve the nutritional, microbiological and sensorial quality of foods, but also can improve the extraction of potentially health-related compounds due to the effects of this technology on plant food structure. Onions are a good source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds and organosulfur compounds, which have been related to beneficial health effects mainly due to their antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. In this study we evaluated the ability of onion treated by highpressure to inhibit in vitro hyaluronidase activity, as an in vitro measurement of its antiinflammatory activity.Peer Reviewe

Search for Tidal Dwarf Galaxies Candidates in a Sample of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies

(ABRIDGED) Star-forming small galaxies made out of collisional debris have been found in a variety of merging systems. So far only a few of them are known in ULIRGs although they show clear signs of interactions. Whether external star formation may take place in such objects is an open question. The aim of this paper is to identify and characterise the physical and kinematic properties of the external star forming regions in a sample of ULIRGs, including TDG candidates, using optical IFS and high angular resolution HST imaging. We have found that the presence of external star-forming regions is common with 12 objects being identified in 5 ULIRGs. These regions show a large range of dynamical mass up to 1x10^{10} M_sun, with average sizes of ~750 pc. In addition, the line ratios, metallicities and H\alpha equivalent widths are typical of young bursts of star formation (age ~ 5-8 Myr), and similar to those of other TDG candidates. Their extinction corrected H\alpha luminosities lead to masses for the young stellar component of ~2x10^6 - 7x10^8 M_sun. The likelihood of survival of these regions as TDGs is discussed based on their structural and kinematic properties. Most of these systems follow the relation between effective radius and velocity dispersion found for globular clusters and Ellipticals, which suggests they are stable against internal motions. The stability against forces from the parent galaxy have been studied and a comparison of the data with the predictions of dynamical evolutionary models is also performed. Five regions out of twelve show High-Medium or High likelihood of survival. Our best candidate, which satisfy all the utilized criteria, is located in the advanced merger IRAS15250+3609 and presents a velocity field decoupled from the relatively distant parent galaxy.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; A&A accepte

Compact molecular gas emission in local LIRGs among low- and high-z galaxies

We present new CO(2–1) observations of a representative sample of 24 local (z < 0.02) luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) at high spatial resolution (< 100 pc) from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Our LIRGs lie above the main sequence (MS), with typical stellar masses in the range 1010–1011 M⊙ and SFR ∼ 30 M⊙ yr−1. We derive the effective radii of the CO(2–1) and the 1.3 mm continuum emissions using the curve-of-growth method. LIRGs show an extremely compact cold molecular gas distribution (median RCO ∼ 0.7 kpc), which is a factor 2 smaller than the ionized gas (median RHα ∼ 1.4 kpc), and 3.5 times smaller than the stellar size (median Rstar ∼ 2.4 kpc). The molecular size of LIRGs is similar to that of early-type galaxies (ETGs; RCO ∼ 1 kpc) and about a factor of 6 more compact than local spiral galaxies of similar stellar mass. Only the CO emission in low-z ULIRGs is more compact than these local LIRGs by a factor of 2. Compared to high-z (1 < z < 6) systems, the stellar sizes and masses of local LIRGs are similar to those of high-z MS star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and about a factor of 2–3 lower than submillimeter (submm) galaxies (SMGs). The molecular sizes of high-z MS SFGs and SMGs are larger than those derived for LIRGs by a factor of ∼3 and ∼8, respectively. Contrary to high-z SFGs and SMGs, which have comparable molecular and stellar sizes (median Rstar/RCO = 1.8 and 1.2, respectively), local LIRGs show more centrally concentrated molecular gas distribution (median Rstar/RCO = 3.3). A fraction of the low-z LIRGs and high-z galaxies share a similar range in the size of the ionized gas distribution, from 1 to 4 kpc. However, no LIRGs with a very extended (above 4 kpc) radius are identified, while for high-z galaxies no compact (less than 1 kpc) emission is detected. These results indicate that while low-z LIRGs and high-z MS SFGs have similar stellar masses and sizes, the regions of current star formation (traced by the ionized gas) and of potential star formation (traced by the molecular gas) are substantially smaller in LIRGs, and constrained to the central kiloparsec (kpc) region. High-z galaxies represent a wider population but their star-forming regions are more extended, even covering the entire extent of the galaxy. High-z galaxies have larger fractions of gas than low-z LIRGs, and therefore the formation of stars could be induced by interactions and mergers in extended disks or filaments with sufficiently large molecular gas surface density involving physical mechanisms similar to those identified in the central kpc of LIRGs

Crystalline silicon solar cells beyond 20% efficiency

—This paper describes a fabrication process to obtain high efficiency c-Si cells (> 20%) based on the Laser Fired Contact Passivated Emitter Rear Cell (LFC-PERC) concept. Photovoltaic efficiencies beyond 20% have been achieved using thermal SiO2 as a rear passivation layer on 2 cm x 2 cm solar cells with 0.45 cm Fz c-Si substrates. Efficiencies up to 22% are expected for material resistivities in the 0.4–5 cm using an optimized rear contact gridPostprint (published version

El arrepentimiento de los alzados en armas y su influencia en el desarrollo de la cultura política de la región San Martin 1993-2016

This research was concluded in 2018 and the objective was to investigate the contrition of the rebels and the effect of this phenomenon on the political culture of the region of San Martin. The study covers the 1993-2016 period, in which a sector of the armed rebels take on the benefits of the repentance law -part of the government's anti-subversive strategy- and a new political culture emerges that includes new forms of political party organization. It is also the period in which Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship falls, and the process of democratic transition takes place, in which the repentant participate in the political arena by joining new organizations that emerge in this period and they recycle themselves and recycle the political system built by the Fujimori dictatorship and which is based on the 1993 constitution. The research topic is relevant because in the San Martín Region a significant number of those who were members of subversive organizations and participated in the subversive conflict of the 1980s actively participate in politics. Therefore, it is important to know if this participation strengthens the democratic system or rather enhances conservative positions. The data processed are the result of the application of surveys that provide information on the context in which the repentant form their ideology, which leads them to take up armed action, the reasons for their repentance and the way they currently see and participate in politics.La investigación se concluyó en el año 2018 y tuvo como propósito investigar sobre el arrepentimiento de los alzados en armas y el efecto de este fenómeno en la cultura política de la Región San Martín. El estudio comprende el periodo 1993-2016, en el cual se un sector de los alzados en armas se acoge a los beneficios de la ley del arrepentimiento -como parte de la estrategia gubernamental antisubversiva- y surge una nueva cultura política que incluyen nuevas formas de organización político partidaria. También es el periodo en el cual se produce la caída de la dictadura de Alberto Fujimori y el proceso de la transición democrática en el cual los arrepentido van a participar en la vida política vinculados a las nuevas organizaciones que emergen, reciclándose el sistema político construido por la dictadura fujimorista y que se sustenta en la constitución del 93. El tema de investigación es relevante porque, en la Región San Martín, un número significativa de que militaron en organizaciones subversivas y participaron en el conflicto subversivo de la década del 80, participan activamente en política, por lo cual es importante saber si esta participación fortalece el sistema democrático o más bien posiciones conservadoras. Los datos son el resultado de la aplicación de encuestas que arrojan información del contexto en que los arrepentidos forman sus ideologías, que los lleva a asumir la acción armada, las razones de su arrepentimiento y la forma en que ven y participan en política en la actualidad

Diversity and genetic variation among brevipalpus populations from Brazil and Mexico.

Brevipalpus phoenicis s.l. is an economically important vector of the Citrus leprosis virus-C (CiLV-C), one of the most severe diseases attacking citrus orchards worldwide. Effective control strategies for this mite should be designed based on basic information including its population structure, and particularly the factors that influence its dynamics. We sampled sweet orange orchards extensively in eight locations in Brazil and 12 in Mexico. Population genetic structure and genetic variation between both countries, among locations and data from fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). In both countries, B. yothersi was the most common species and was found in almost all locations. Individuals from B. papayensis were found in two locations in Brazil. Brevipalpus yothersi populations collected in Brazil were more genetically diverse (14 haplotypes) than Mexican populations (four haplotypes). Although geographical origin had a low but significant effect (ca. 25%) on the population structure, the greatest effect was from the within location comparison (37.02 %). Potential factors driving our results were discussed

Duality in spatially resolved star formation relations in local LIRGs

We analyse the star formation (SF) relations in a sample of 16 nearby luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) with more than 2800 regions defined on scales of 90 to 500 pc. We used ALMA to map the distribution of the cold molecular gas traced by the J = 2–1 line of CO and archival Paα HST/NICMOS imaging to trace the recent SF. In four objects we find two different branches in the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation at 90 pc scales, suggesting the existence of a duality in this relation. The two branches correspond to two different dynamical environments within each galaxy. One branch, which corresponds to the central region of these galaxies (90% of the regions are located at radii < 0.85 kpc), shows higher gas and SF rate surface densities with higher velocity dispersion. The other branch, which shows lower molecular gas and SF rate surface densities, corresponds to the more external disk regions (r ∼ 1 kpc). Despite the scatter, the SF efficiency of the galaxies with dual behaviour increases with increasing boundedness as measured by the b parameter (b≡ ΣH2/σ2 ∝ αvir−1). At larger spatial scales (250 and 500 pc), the duality disappears. The rest of the sample does not show evidence of this dual behaviour at any scale. © ESO 2022.M.S.G. acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through the grants BES-2016-078922, ESP2017-83197-P. L.C. and M.S.G. acknowledge support from the research project PID2019-106280GB-100. M.P.S. acknowledges support from the Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador Grant 2018-T1/TIC-11035 and PID2019-105423GA-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER,UE). A.A.-H. and S.G.-B. work was funded by grant PGC2018-094671-B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe. S.G.B. acknowledges support from the research project PID2019-106027GA-C44 of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. J.P.L. acknowledges support from PID2019-105423GA-I00. E.B. acknowledges the support from Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento grant 2017-T1/TIC-5213. S.C. acknowledges financial support from the State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the ‘Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa’ award to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (SEV-2017-0709). A.L. acknowledges the support from Comunidad de Madrid through the Atracción de Talento Investigador Grant 2017-T1/TIC-5213, and PID2019-106280GB-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER,UE) This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2017.1.00255.S, ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1.00271.S, ADS/JAO.ALMA#2013.1.00243.S, ADS/JAO.ALMA#2015.1.00714.S and ADS/JAO.ALMA#2017.1.00395.S. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada) and NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan) and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.Peer reviewe

Recommendations for ophthalmologic practice during the easing of COVID-19 control measures

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides recommendations for medical eye care during the easing of control measures after lockdown. The guidelines presented are based on a literature review and consensus among all Spanish Ophthalmology Societies regarding protection measures recommended for the ophthalmologic care of patients with or without confirmed COVID-19 in outpatient, inpatient, emergency and surgery settings. We recommend that all measures be adapted to the circumstances and availability of personal protective equipment at each centre and also highlight the need to periodically update recommendations as we may need to readopt more restrictive measures depending on the local epidemiology of the virus. These guidelines are designed to avoid the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among both patients and healthcare staff as we gradually return to normal medical practice, to prevent postoperative complications and try to reduce possible deficiencies in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the ophthalmic diseases. With this update (5th) the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology is placed as one of the major ophthalmology societies providing periodic and systematized recommendations for ophthalmic care during the COVID-19 pandemic