201 research outputs found
Three planets around HD 27894. A close-in pair with a 2:1 period ratio and an eccentric Jovian planet at 5.4 AU
Aims. Our new program with HARPS aims to detect mean motion resonant
planetary systems around stars which were previously reported to have a single
bona fide planet, often based only on sparse radial velocity data. Methods.
Archival and new HARPS radial velocities for the K2V star HD 27894 were
combined and fitted with a three-planet self-consistent dynamical model. The
best-fit orbit was tested for long-term stability. Results. We find clear
evidence that HD 27894 is hosting at least three massive planets. In addition
to the already known Jovian planet with a period 18 days
we discover a Saturn-mass planet with 36 days, likely in
a 2:1 mean motion resonance with the first planet, and a cold massive planet
( 5.3 ) with a period 5170
days on a moderately eccentric orbit ( = 0.39). Conclusions. HD
27894 is hosting a massive, eccentric giant planet orbiting around a tightly
packed inner pair of massive planets likely involved in an asymmetric 2:1 mean
motion resonance. HD 27894 may be an important milestone for probing planetary
formation and evolution scenarios.Comment: 4 pages, 2 tables, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A Letters
to the Edito
Spin communication over 30 m long channels of chemical vapor deposited graphene on SiO
We demonstrate a high-yield fabrication of non-local spin valve devices with
room-temperature spin lifetimes of up to 3 ns and spin relaxation lengths as
long as 9 m in platinum-based chemical vapor deposition (Pt-CVD)
synthesized single-layer graphene on SiO/Si substrates. The spin-lifetime
systematically presents a marked minimum at the charge neutrality point, as
typically observed in pristine exfoliated graphene. However, by studying the
carrier density dependence beyond n ~ 5 x 10 cm, via
electrostatic gating, it is found that the spin lifetime reaches a maximum and
then starts decreasing, a behavior that is reminiscent of that predicted when
the spin-relaxation is driven by spin-orbit interaction. The spin lifetimes and
relaxation lengths compare well with state-of-the-art results using exfoliated
graphene on SiO/Si, being a factor two-to-three larger than the best values
reported at room temperature using the same substrate. As a result, the spin
signal can be readily measured across 30 m long graphene channels. These
observations indicate that Pt-CVD graphene is a promising material for
large-scale spin-based logic-in-memory applications
Competition between decay and dissociation of core-excited OCS studied by X-ray scattering
We show the first evidence of dissociation during resonant inelastic soft
X-ray scattering. Carbon and oxygen K-shell and sulfur L-shell resonant and
non-resonant X-ray emission spectra were measured using monochromatic
synchrotron radiation for excitation and ionization. After sulfur, L2,3 ->
{\pi}*, {\sigma}* excitation, atomic lines are observed in the emission spectra
as a consequence of competition between de-excitation and dissociation. In
contrast the carbon and oxygen spectra show weaker line shape variations and no
atomic lines. The spectra are compared to results from ab initio calculations
and the discussion of the dissociation paths is based on calculated potential
energy surfaces and atomic transition energies.Comment: 12 pages, 6 pictures, 2 tables,
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.59.428
The transiting multi-planet system HD3167: a 5.7 MEarth Super-Earth and a 8.3 MEarth mini-Neptune
HD3167 is a bright (V=8.9 mag) K0V star observed by the NASA's K2 space
mission during its Campaign 8. It has been recently found to host two small
transiting planets, namely, HD3167b, an ultra short period (0.96 d)
super-Earth, and HD3167c, a mini-Neptune on a relatively long-period orbit
(29.85 d). Here we present an intensive radial velocity follow-up of HD3167
performed with the FIES@NOT, [email protected], and HARPS-N@TNG spectrographs. We
revise the system parameters and determine radii, masses, and densities of the
two transiting planets by combining the K2 photometry with our spectroscopic
data. With a mass of 5.69+/-0.44 MEarth, radius of 1.574+/-0.054 REarth, and
mean density of 8.00(+1.0)(-0.98) g/cm^3, HD3167b joins the small group of
ultra-short period planets known to have a rocky terrestrial composition.
HD3167c has a mass of 8.33 (+1.79)(-1.85) MEarth and a radius of
2.740(+0.106)(-0.100) REarth, yielding a mean density of 2.21(+0.56)(-0.53)
g/cm^3, indicative of a planet with a composition comprising a solid core
surrounded by a thick atmospheric envelope. The rather large pressure scale
height (about 350 km) and the brightness of the host star make HD3167c an ideal
target for atmospheric characterization via transmission spectroscopy across a
broad range of wavelengths. We found evidence of additional signals in the
radial velocity measurements but the currently available data set does not
allow us to draw any firm conclusion on the origin of the observed variation.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 5 table
The Impact of EU Norms and Policies on Consumer Protection Enforcement in Serbia
Pursuant to its 2008 Stabilization and Association Agreement governing the process of EU integration, Serbia is obliged to align its consumer protection standards (including those related to enforcement) with those of the EU. This article considers the overall approach to enforcement of consumer law in Serbia, focussing in particular on the extent to which EU enforcement principles have been successfully exported to Serbia and whether the goals of EU consumer policy have been achieved. It argues that the incorporation of EU norms has brought fundamental changes to Serbian enforcement mechanisms at a formal level, such as in relation to mediation processes as well as the introduction of injunctions for the protection of collective consumer interests. In practice, however, the impact of this incorporation is quite limited. A number of factors that restrict the practical effectiveness of the mediation processes and injunctions required by EU law are explored in the article, including weak sanctions, excessive reliance on poorly resourced consumer organizations, absence of a business culture of compliance or a sophisticated and determined consumer protection enforcement culture sufficiently grounded in expertise, as well as an overarching political, legislative, and institutional instability. These factors also undermine the general aim of EU policy to achieve effective consumer protection enforcement in the Serbian context
SVA retrotransposon insertion-associated deletion represents a novel mutational mechanism underlying large genomic copy number changes with non-recurrent breakpoints
Background: Genomic disorders are caused by copy number changes that may exhibit recurrent breakpoints processed by nonallelic homologous recombination. However, region-specific disease-associated copy number changes have also been observed which exhibit non-recurrent breakpoints. The mechanisms underlying these non-recurrent copy number changes have not yet been fully elucidated. Results: We analyze large NF1 deletions with non-recurrent breakpoints as a model to investigate the full spectrum of causative mechanisms, and observe that the
Trypanosoma brucei PUF9 Regulates mRNAs for Proteins Involved in Replicative Processes over the Cell Cycle
Many genes that are required at specific points in the cell cycle exhibit cell cycle–dependent expression. In the early-diverging model eukaryote and important human pathogen Trypanosoma brucei, regulation of gene expression in the cell cycle and other processes is almost entirely post-transcriptional. Here, we show that the T. brucei RNA-binding protein PUF9 stabilizes certain transcripts during S-phase. Target transcripts of PUF9—LIGKA, PNT1 and PNT2—were identified by affinity purification with TAP-tagged PUF9. RNAi against PUF9 caused an accumulation of cells in G2/M phase and unexpectedly destabilized the PUF9 target mRNAs, despite the fact that most known Puf-domain proteins promote degradation of their target mRNAs. The levels of the PUF9-regulated transcripts were cell cycle dependent, peaking in mid- to late- S-phase, and this effect was abolished when PUF9 was targeted by RNAi. The sequence UUGUACC was over-represented in the 3′ UTRs of PUF9 targets; a point mutation in this motif abolished PUF9-dependent stabilization of a reporter transcript carrying the PNT1 3′ UTR. LIGKA is involved in replication of the kinetoplast, and here we show that PNT1 is also kinetoplast-associated and its over-expression causes kinetoplast-related defects, while PNT2 is localized to the nucleus in G1 phase and redistributes to the mitotic spindle during mitosis. PUF9 targets may constitute a post-transcriptional regulon, encoding proteins involved in temporally coordinated replicative processes in early G2 phase
Pathogenesis of vestibular schwannoma in ring chromosome 22
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ring chromosome 22 is a rare human constitutional cytogenetic abnormality. Clinical features of neurofibromatosis type 1 and 2 as well as different tumour types have been reported in patients with ring chromosome 22. The pathogenesis of these tumours is not always clear yet.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We report on a female patient with a ring chromosome 22 presenting with severe mental retardation, autistic behaviour, café-au-lait macules and facial dysmorphism. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were karyotyped and array CGH was performed on extracted DNA. At the age of 20 years she was diagnosed with a unilateral vestibular schwannoma. Tumour cells were analyzed by karyotyping, array CGH and <it>NF2 </it>mutation analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Karyotype on peripheral blood lymphocytes revealed a ring chromosome 22 in all analyzed cells. A 1 Mb array CGH experiment on peripheral blood DNA showed a deletion of 5 terminal clones on the long arm of chromosome 22. Genetic analysis of vestibular schwannoma tissue revealed loss of the ring chromosome 22 and a somatic second hit in the <it>NF2 </it>gene on the remaining chromosome 22.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that tumours can arise by the combination of loss of the ring chromosome and a pathogenic <it>NF2 </it>mutation on the remaining chromosome 22 in patients with ring chromosome 22. Our findings indicate that patients with a ring 22 should be monitored for NF2-related tumours starting in adolescence.</p
The transiting multi-planet system HD3167: a 5.7 MEarth Super-Earth and a 8.3 MEarth mini-Neptune
- …