526 research outputs found
Testing the chemical tagging technique with open clusters
Context. Stars are born together from giant molecular clouds and, if we
assume that the priors were chemically homogeneous and well-mixed, we expect
them to share the same chemical composition. Most of the stellar aggregates are
disrupted while orbiting the Galaxy and most of the dynamic information is
lost, thus the only possibility of reconstructing the stellar formation history
is to analyze the chemical abundances that we observe today.
Aims. The chemical tagging technique aims to recover disrupted stellar
clusters based merely on their chemical composition. We evaluate the viability
of this technique to recover co-natal stars that are no longer gravitationally
bound.
Methods. Open clusters are co-natal aggregates that have managed to survive
together. We compiled stellar spectra from 31 old and intermediate-age open
clusters, homogeneously derived atmospheric parameters, and 17 abundance
species, and applied machine learning algorithms to group the stars based on
their chemical composition. This approach allows us to evaluate the viability
and efficiency of the chemical tagging technique.
Results. We found that stars at different evolutionary stages have distinct
chemical patterns that may be due to NLTE effects, atomic diffusion, mixing,
and biases. When separating stars into dwarfs and giants, we observed that a
few open clusters show distinct chemical signatures while the majority show a
high degree of overlap. This limits the recovery of co-natal aggregates by
applying the chemical tagging technique. Nevertheless, there is room for
improvement if more elements are included and models are improved.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Corrected
typo
Total Degree Formula for the Generic Offset to a Parametric Surface
We provide a resultant-based formula for the total degree w.r.t. the spatial
variables of the generic offset to a parametric surface. The parametrization of
the surface is not assumed to be proper.Comment: Preprint of an article to be published at the International Journal
of Algebra and Computation, World Scientific Publishing,
DOI:10.1142/S021819671100680
The M33 Globular Cluster System with PAndAS Data: The Last Outer Halo Cluster?
We use CFHT/MegaCam data to search for outer halo star clusters in M33 as
part of the Pan-Andromeda Archaeological Survey (PAndAS). This work extends
previous studies out to a projected radius of 50 kpc and covers over 40 square
degrees. We find only one new unambiguous star cluster in addition to the five
previously known in the M33 outer halo (10 kpc <= r <= 50 kpc). Although we
identify 2440 cluster candidates of various degrees of confidence from our
objective image search procedure, almost all of these are likely background
contaminants, mostly faint unresolved galaxies. We measure the luminosity,
color and structural parameters of the new cluster in addition to the five
previously-known outer halo clusters. At a projected radius of 22 kpc, the new
cluster is slightly smaller, fainter and redder than all but one of the other
outer halo clusters, and has g' ~ 19.9, (g'-i') ~ 0.6, concentration parameter
c ~ 1.0, a core radius r_c ~ 3.5 pc, and a half-light radius r_h ~ 5.5 pc. For
M33 to have so few outer halo clusters compared to M31 suggests either tidal
stripping of M33's outer halo clusters by M31, or a very different, much calmer
accretion history of M33.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by the Astrophysical Journa
Development of a novel vaccine delivery system based on Gantrez nanoparticles.
The adjuvant capacity of a novel vaccine vector “Gantrez-nanoparticles” (NP)
towards coated or encapsulated ovalbumin (OVA) was investigated. OVA nanoparticles
were prepared by a solvent displacement method previously described. The protein was
incorporated during the manufacturing process (OVA-encapsulated nanoparticles) or
after the preparation (OVA-coated nanoparticles). The mean size of the different
nanoparticle formulations was lower than 300 nm, and the OVA content ranged
approximately from 67 μg/mg nanoparticles (for OVA-coated nanoparticles) to 30
μg/mg nanoparticles (for OVA-encapsulated nanoparticles). All the OVA-NP
formulations were capable of amplifying the antibodies titres (IgG1 and IgG2a) in mice
after a single subcutaneous inoculation with respect free OVA or OVA adsorbed to
Alum. Furthermore, the elicited response was, for some formulations, predominantly
Th1 subtype. Thus, the formulation that contained mainly the antigen inside, and with a
low concentration of cross-linking agent, displayed the best potential to induce a Th1
response after 35 days post-immunisation. These results are highly suggestive for the
use of Gantrez nanoparticles as an efficient antigen delivery system, especially when a
long lasting Th1 cytokine response is required
A rare localization in right-sided endocarditis diagnosed by echocardiography: A case report
BACKGROUND: Right-sided endocarditis occurs predominantly in intravenous drug users, patients with pacemakers or central venous lines and with congenital heart diseases. The vast majority of cases involve the tricuspid valve. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of a 31-year-old woman with intravenous drug abuse who had a right-sided vegetation attached to the muscular bundle of the right ventricle is presented. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a vegetation in the right ventricular outflow tract. Transesophageal echocardiography clearly showed that the 1.8 cm vegetation was not adherent to the pulmonary valve but attached to a muscular bundle. CONCLUSIONS: Our case points to an unusual location of right-sided endocarditis in intravenous drug users. It confirms that TTE remains an easy and highly sensitive first-line examination for the diagnosis of right-sided endocarditis
A novel controlled drug-delivery system for growth hormone applied to healing skin wounds in diabetic rats
Controlled release systems for drugs, hormones and growth factors can be particularly useful in tissue repair processes. These systems act as a biodegradable support containing the
substance to be delivered, allowing their gradual release. In the past years, the local application
of growth factors has acquired special relevance as a therapeutic option for use in subjects who show
de cient tissue scarring, the hormone dose being the limiting factor for its success. In this study, the in
vitro biocompatibility of a copolymer formed by vinylpyrrolidone and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate,
used as an administration vehicle for hGH, was evaluated. The system was then tested in vivo in
terms of its capacity for healing incisional wounds in healthy and diabetic rats. For the in vitro
studies, polymer and hormone degradation rates were determined, and polymer biocompatibility was
evaluated in broblast cultures. In the in vivo experiments, an incision was made in the back of the
animals, and polymers discs with/ without hGH, were introduced in the aperture. Morphological,
immunohistochemical and morphometric evaluations were performed on wound tissue specimens
3¿10 days after surgery. In vitro, the polymer was found to be biodegradable and showed no toxic
effects on broblasts, the hormone being slowly released to the culture medium. In untreated diabetic
rats, a delayed skin scarring and cell response were observed, compared to that noted in healthy
animals. Skin closure, keratinisationand brosis occurred earlier in the presence of the polymer-hGH
system. The use of this co-polymer as an administrationvehicle for hGH improves the wound scarring
process in the pathological setting of diabetes
J-PLUS: A wide-field multi-band study of the M15 globular cluster. Evidence of multiple stellar populations in the RGB
The Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS) provides wide
field-of-view images in 12 narrow, intermediate and broad-band filters
optimized for stellar photometry. Here we have applied J-PLUS data for the
first time for the study of Galactic GCs using science verification data
obtained for the very metal-poor GC M\,15. Our J-PLUS data provide
low-resolution spectral energy distributions covering the near-UV to the
near-IR, allowing us to search for MPs based on pseudo-spectral fitting
diagnostics. J-PLUS CMDs are found to be particularly useful to search for
splits in the sequences formed by the upper red giant branch (RGB) and
asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. We interpret these split sequences as
evidence for the presence of MPs. This demonstrates that the J-PLUS survey will
have sufficient spatial coverage and spectral resolution to perform a large
statistical study of GCs through multi-band photometry in the coming years.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication @ A&
Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to . II. Stellar content of quiescent galaxies within the dust-corrected stellar masscolour and the colourcolour diagrams
Our aim is to determine the distribution of stellar population parameters
(extinction, age, metallicity, and star formation rate) of quiescent galaxies
within the rest-frame stellar masscolour and colourcolour diagrams
corrected for extinction up to . These novel diagrams reduce the
contamination in samples of quiescent galaxies owing to dust-reddened galaxies,
and they provide useful constraints on stellar population parameters. We set
constraints on the stellar population parameters of quiescent galaxies
combining the ALHAMBRA multi-filter photo-spectra with our SED-fitting code
MUFFIT, making use of composite stellar population models. The extinction
obtained by MUFFIT allowed us to remove dusty star-forming (DSF) galaxies from
the sample of red galaxies. The distributions of stellar population
parameters across these rest-frame diagrams are revealed after the dust
correction and are fitted by the LOESS method to reduce uncertainty effects.
Quiescent galaxy samples defined via classical diagrams are typically
contaminated by a % fraction of DSF galaxies. A significant part of the
galaxies in the green valley are actually obscured star-forming galaxies
(%). Consequently, the transition of galaxies from the blue cloud to
the red sequence, and hence the related mechanisms for quenching, seems to be
much more efficient and faster than previously reported. The rest-frame stellar
masscolour and colourcolour diagrams are useful for constraining
the age, metallicity, extinction, and star formation rate of quiescent galaxies
by only their redshift, rest-frame colours, and/or stellar mass. Dust
correction plays an important role in understanding how quiescent galaxies are
distributed in these diagrams and is key to performing a pure selection of
quiescent galaxies via intrinsic colours.Comment: (37 pages, 29 figures, accepted for publication in A&A
The Gaia-ESO Survey: Detailed Abundances in the Metal-poor Globular Cluster NGC 4372
We present the abundance analysis for a sample of 7 red giant branch stars in
the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 4372 based on UVES spectra acquired as part
of the Gaia-ESO Survey. This is the first extensive study of this cluster from
high resolution spectroscopy. We derive abundances of O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca,
Sc, Ti, Fe, Cr, Ni, Y, Ba, and La. We find a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -2.19
0.03 and find no evidence for a metallicity spread. This metallicity
makes NGC 4372 one of the most metal-poor galactic globular clusters. We also
find an {\alpha}-enhancement typical of halo globular clusters at this
metallicity. Significant spreads are observed in the abundances of light
elements. In particular we find a Na-O anti-correlation. Abundances of O are
relatively high compared with other globular clusters. This could indicate that
NGC 4372 was formed in an environment with high O for its metallicity. A Mg-Al
spread is also present which spans a range of more than 0.5 dex in Al
abundances. Na is correlated with Al and Mg abundances at a lower significance
level. This pattern suggests that the Mg-Al burning cycle is active. This
behavior can also be seen in giant stars of other massive, metal-poor clusters.
A relation between light and heavy s-process elements has been identified.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&
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