13,341 research outputs found
Kn 26, a New Quadrupolar Planetary Nebula
Once classified as an emission line source, the planetary nebula (PN) nature
of the source Kn 26 has been only recently recognized in digital sky surveys.
To investigate the spectral properties and spatio-kinematical structure of Kn
26, we have obtained high spatial-resolution optical and near-IR narrow-band
images, high-dispersion long-slit echelle spectra, and intermediate-resolution
spectroscopic observations. The new data reveal an hourglass morphology typical
of bipolar PNe. A detailed analysis of its morphology and kinematics discloses
the presence of a second pair of bipolar lobes, making Kn 26 a new member of
the subclass of quadrupolar PNe. The time-lap between the ejection of the two
pairs of bipolar lobes is much smaller than their dynamical ages, implying a
rapid change of the preferential direction of the central engine. The chemical
composition of Kn 26 is particularly unusual among PNe, with a low N/O ratio
(as of type II PNe) and a high helium abundance (as of type I PNe), although
not atypical among symbiotic stars. Such an anomalous chemical composition may
have resulted from the curtail of the time in the Asymptotic Giant Branch by
the evolution of the progenitor star through a common envelope phase.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Field trials of an improved cost-effective device for detecting peridomestic populations of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in rural Argentina
An improved device for detecting peridomestic Triatoma infestans consisting of one-liter recycled Tetra Brik milk boxes with a central structure was tested using a matched-pair study design in two rural areas in Argentina. In Olta (La Rioja), the boxes were installed beneath the thatched roofs and on the vertical wooden posts of each peridomestic structure. After a 5-month exposure, at least one of the recovered boxes detected 88% of the 24 T. infestans-positive sites, and 86% of the 7 negative sites by timed manual collections at baseline. In Amamá (Santiago del Estero), the boxes were paired with the best performing prototype tested before (shelter unit). After 3 months, some evidence of infestation was detected in 89% (boxes) and 79% (shelters) of 18-19 sites positive by timed collections, whereas 19% and 16% of 32 negative sites were positive, respectively. Neither device differed significantly in the qualitative or quantitative collection of every sign of infestation. The installation site did not modify significantly the boxes' sampling efficiency in both study areas. As the total cost of each box was half as expensive as each shelter unit, the boxes are thus the most cost-effective and easy-to-use tool for detecting peridomestic T. infestans currently available.Fil: Vazquez Prokopec, Gonzalo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Ceballos, Leonardo A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Salomón, Oscar Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Dirección Nacional de Institutos de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Endemo-epidémicas; ArgentinaFil: Gurtler, Ricardo Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentin
NGC 6309, a Planetary Nebula that Shifted from Round to Multipolar
We present new narrow-band Ha, [N II], and [O III] high-resolution images of
the quadrupolar planetary nebula (PN) NGC 6309 that show in great detail its
bipolar lobes and reveal new morphological features. New high- and
low-dispersion long-slit spectra have been obtained to help in the
investigation of the new nebular components. The images and spectra unveil two
diffuse blobs, one of them located at 55 arcsec from the central star along the
NE direction (PA= +71) and the other at 78 arcsec in the SW direction (PA=
-151). Therefore, these structures do not share the symmetry axes of the inner
bipolar outflows. Their radial velocities relative to the system are quite low:
+3 and -4 km/s, respectively. Spectroscopic data confirm a high [O III] to Ha
ratio, indicating that the blobs are being excited by the UV flux from the
central star. Our images convincingly show a spherical halo 60 arcsec in
diameter encircling the quadrupolar nebula. The expansion velocity of this
shell is low, 66 km/s. The software SHAPE has been used to construct a
morpho-kinematic model for the ring and the bipolar flows that implies an age
of 4,000 yrs, the expansion of the halo sets a lower limit for its age 46,000
yrs, and the very low expansion of the blobs suggests they are part of a large
structure corresponding to a mass ejection that took place 150,000 yrs ago. In
NGC 6309 we have direct evidence of a change in the geometry of mass-loss, from
spherical in the halo to axially-symmetric in the two pairs of bipolar lobes.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA
Dermatophyte Morphology: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Study
The Dermatophytes are a broad group of fungi belonging to the class Fungii imperfecti that are the causative agents of dermophytosis (ringworm infections). The present work offers an overview of the morphology of these fungi found in cultures according to the scanning electron microscope. The fungi were obtained from cultures left to develop over variable periods of time that would be sufficient for growth. The morphological features of some dermatophytes obtained in artificial cultures are detailed: M. canis, M. gypseum, M. audouini, M. cookei, T. mentagrophytes, T. schoulemu, T. verrucosuin, T. ajelloi, T. prohferans, and E. floccosum. In all cases an analysis of the morphology of the reproductive mycelium developed in the culture was made: hyphae, macroconidia, microconidia, and chlamydospores; details that serve to distinguish one fungus from another. In the perfect forms, the morphology of the peridial hyphae and of the ascocarps (cleistotethia) are described
Modeling cancer metabolism on a genome scale
Cancer cells have fundamentally altered cellular metabolism that is associated with their tumorigenicity and malignancy. In addition to the widely studied Warburg effect, several new key metabolic alterations in cancer have been established over the last decade, leading to the recognition that altered tumor metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Deciphering the full scope and functional implications of the dysregulated metabolism in cancer requires both the advancement of a variety of omics measurements and the advancement of computational approaches for the analysis and contextualization of the accumulated data. Encouragingly, while the metabolic network is highly interconnected and complex, it is at the same time probably the best characterized cellular network. Following, this review discusses the challenges that genome‐scale modeling of cancer metabolism has been facing. We survey several recent studies demonstrating the first strides that have been done, testifying to the value of this approach in portraying a network‐level view of the cancer metabolism and in identifying novel drug targets and biomarkers. Finally, we outline a few new steps that may further advance this field
Optical and Infrared Imaging and Spectroscopy of the Multiple-Shell Planetary Nebula NGC 6369
NGC 6369 is a double-shell planetary nebula (PN) consisting of a bright
annular inner shell with faint bipolar extensions and a filamentary envelope.
We have used ground- and space-based narrow-band optical and near-IR images,
broad-band mid-IR images, optical long-slit echelle spectra, and mid-IR spectra
to investigate its physical structure. These observations indicate that the
inner shell of NGC 6369 can be described as a barrel-like structure shape with
polar bubble-like protrusions, and reveal evidence for H2 and strong polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emission from a photo-dissociative region (PDR)
with molecular inclusions located outside the bright inner shell.
High-resolution HST narrow-band images reveal an intricate excitation structure
of the inner shell and a system of "cometary" knots. The knotty appearance of
the envelope, the lack of kinematical evidence for shell expansion and the
apparent presence of emission from ionized material outside the PDR makes us
suggest that the envelope of NGC 6369 is not a real shell, but a flattened
structure at its equatorial regions. We report the discovery of irregular knots
and blobs of diffuse emission in low-excitation and molecular line emission
that are located up to 80" from the central star, well outside the main nebular
shells. We also show that the filaments associated to the polar protrusions
have spatial extents consistent with post-shock cooling regimes, and likely
represent regions of interaction of these structures with surrounding material.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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