995 research outputs found
Millimeter polarisation of the protoplanetary nebula OH 231.8+4.2: A follow-up study with CARMA
In order to investigate the characteristics and influence of the magnetic
field in evolved stars, we performed a follow-up investigation of our previous
submillimeter analysis of the proto-planetary nebula (PPN) OH 231.8+4.2 (Sabin
et al. 2014), this time at 1.3mm with the CARMA facility in polarisation mode
for the purpose of a multi-scale analysis. OH 231.8+4.2 was observed at ~2.5"
resolution and we detected polarised emission above the 3-sigma threshold (with
a mean polarisation fraction of 3.5 %). The polarisation map indicates an
overall organised magnetic field within the nebula. The main finding in this
paper is the presence of a structure mostly compatible with an ordered toroidal
component that is aligned with the PPN's dark lane. We also present some
alternative magnetic field configuration to explain the structure observed.
These data complete our previous SMA submillimeter data for a better
investigation and understanding of the magnetic field structure in OH
231.8+4.2.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Intra-individual movement variability during skill transitions: A useful marker?
Applied research suggests athletes and coaches need to be challenged in knowing when and how much a movement should be consciously attended to. This is exacerbated when the skill is in transition between two more stable states, such as when an already well learnt skill is being refined. Using existing theory and research, this paper highlights the potential application of movement variability as a tool to inform a coach’s decision-making process when implementing a systematic approach to technical refinement. Of particular interest is the structure of co-variability between mechanical degrees-of-freedom (e.g., joints) within the movement system’s entirety when undergoing a skill transition. Exemplar data from golf are presented, demonstrating the link between movement variability and mental effort as an important feature of automaticity, and thus intervention design throughout the different stages of refinement. Movement variability was shown to reduce when mental effort directed towards an individual aspect of the skill was high (target variable). The opposite pattern was apparent for variables unrelated to the technical refinement. Therefore, two related indicators, movement variability and mental effort, are offered as a basis through which the evaluation of automaticity during technical refinements may be made
Chemical Abundances of Planetary Nebulae in the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy
Spectrophotometry and imaging of the two planetary nebulae He2-436 and
Wray16-423, recently discovered to be in the Sagittarius dwarf elliptical
galaxy, are presented. Wray16-423 is a high excitation planetary nebula (PN)
with a hot central star. In contrast He2-436 is a high density PN with a cooler
central star and evidence of local dust, the extinction exceeding that for
Wray16-423 by E(B-V)=0.28. The extinction to Wray16-423, (E(B-V)=0.14), is
consistent with the extinction to the Sagittarius (Sgr) Dwarf. Both PN show
Wolf-Rayet features in their spectra, although the lines are weak in
Wray16-423. Images in [O III] and H-alpha+[N II], although affected by poor
seeing, yield a diameter of 1.2'' for Wray16-423 after deconvolution; He~2-436
was unresolved. He2-436 has a luminosity about twice that of Wray16-423 and its
size and high density suggest a younger PN. In order to reconcile the differing
luminosity and nebular properties of the two PN with similar age progenitor
stars, it is suggested that they are on He burning tracks
The abundance pattern is very similar in both nebulae and shows an oxygen
depletion of -0.4 dex with respect to the mean O abundance of Galactic PN and
[O/H] = -0.6. The Sgr PN progenitor stars are representative of the higher
metallicity tail of the Sgr population. The pattern of abundance depletion is
similar to that in the only other PN in a dwarf galaxy companion of the Milky
Way, that in Fornax, for which new spectra are presented. However the
abundances are larger than for Galactic halo PN suggesting a later formation
age. The O abundance of the Sgr galaxy deduced from its PN, shows similarities
with that of dwarf ellipticals around M31, suggesting that this galaxy was a
dwarf elliptical before its interaction with the Milky Way.Comment: 24 pages, Latex (aas2pp4.sty) including 5 postscript figures. To
appear in Ap
Lignin-First Fractionation of Softwood Lignocellulose Using a Mild Dimethyl Carbonate and Ethylene Glycol Organosolv Process
A mild lignin-first acidolysis process (140 °C, 40 min) was developed using the benign solvent dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethylene glycol (EG) as a stabilization agent/solvent to produce a high yield of aromatic monophenols directly from softwood lignocellulose (pine, spruce, cedar, and Douglas fir) with a depolymerization efficiency of 77–98 %. Under the optimized conditions (140 °C, 40 min, 400 wt % EG and 2 wt % H2SO4 to pinewood), up to 9 wt % of the aromatic monophenol was produced, reaching a degree of delignification in pinewood of 77 %. Cellulose was also preserved, as evidenced by a 85 % glucose yield after enzymatic digestion. An in-depth analysis of the depolymerization oil was conducted by using GC-MS, HPLC, 2 D-NMR, and size-exclusion chromatography, which provided structural insights into lignin-derived dimers and oligomers and the composition of the sugars and derived molecules. Mass balance evaluation was performed
Detection of a Far-Infrared Bow-Shock Nebula Around R Hya: the First MIRIAD Results
We present the first results of the MIRIAD (MIPS [Multiband Imaging
Photometer for Spitzer] Infra-Red Imaging of AGB [asymptotic giant branch]
Dustshells) project using the Spitzer Space Telescope. The primary aim of the
project is to probe the material distribution in the extended circumstellar
envelopes (CSE) of evolved stars and recover the fossil record of their mass
loss history. Hence, we must map the whole of the CSEs plus the surrounding sky
for background subtraction, while avoiding the central star that is brighter
than the detector saturation limit. With our unique mapping strategy, we have
achieved better than one MJy/sr sensitivity in three hours of integration and
successfully detected a faint (< 5 MJy/sr), extended (~400 arcsec) far-infrared
nebula around the AGB star R Hya. Based on the parabolic structure of the
nebula, the direction of the space motion of the star with respect to the
nebula shape, and the presence of extended H alpha emission co-spatial to the
nebula, we suggest that the detected far-IR nebula is due to a bow shock at the
interface of the interstellar medium and the AGB wind of this moving star. This
is the first detection of the stellar-wind bow-shock interaction for an AGB
star and exemplifies the potential of Spitzer as a tool to examine the detailed
structure of extended far-IR nebulae around bright central sources. \Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Lower leukotriene C4 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of asthmatic subjects after 2.5 years of inhaled corticosteroid therapy
Long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids has been shown to result in improvement of symptoms and lung function in subjects with asthma. Arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites are thought to play a role in the pathophysiology of asthma. It was assessed whether differences could be found in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) AA metabolite levels between subjects with asthma who were treated for 2.5 years with inhaled bronchodilators alone or in combination with inhaled corticosteroids. Prostaglandin (PG)D2, PGF2α, 6-keto-PGF1α, thromboxane B2, leukotriene (LT)C4 and LTB4 levels and cell numbers were assessed in BAL fluid from 22 non-smoking asthmatic subjects. They were participating in a randomized, double-blind multicentre drug trial over a period of 2.5 years. Results of the group treated with inhaled corticosteroids (CS+: beclomethasone 200 μg four times daily) were compared with the other group (CS−) which was treated with either ipratropium bromide (40 μg four times daily) or placebo. BAL LTC4 levels of asthmatic subjects were significantly lower after 2.5 years inhaled corticosteroid therapy (CS+, 9(1–17) pg/ml vs. CS−, 16(6-53) pg/ml; p = 0.01). The same trend was observed for the PGD2 levels. The results suggest that inhaled corticosteroids may exert their beneficial effect on lung function via a mechanism in which inhibition of LTC4 synthesis in the airways is involved
A Spitzer IRS Spectral Atlas of Luminous 8 micron Sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud
We present an atlas of Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph (IRS)
spectra of highly luminous, compact mid-infrared sources in the Large
Magellanic Cloud. Sources were selected on the basis of infrared colors and 8
micron (MSX) fluxes indicative of highly evolved, intermediate- to high-mass
stars with current or recent mass loss at large rates. We determine the
chemistry of the circumstellar envelope from the mid-IR continuum and spectral
features and classify the spectral types of the stars. In the sample of 60
sources, we find 21 Red Supergiants (RSGs), 16 C-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch
(AGB) stars, 11 HII regions, 4 likely O-rich AGB stars, 4 Galactic O-rich AGB
stars, 2 OH/IR stars, and 2 B[e] supergiants with peculiar IR spectra. We find
that the overwhelming majority of the sample AGB stars (with typical IR
luminosities ~1.0E4 L_sun) have C-rich envelopes, while the O-rich objects are
predominantly luminous RSGs with L_IR ~ 1.0E5 L_sun. We determine mean
bolometric corrections to the stellar K-band flux densities and find that for
carbon stars, the bolometric corrections depend on the infrared color, whereas
for RSGs, the bolometric correction is independent of IR color. Our results
reveal that objects previously classified as PNe on the basis of IR colors are
in fact compact HII regions with very red IRS spectra that include strong
atomic recombination lines and PAH emission features. We demonstrate that the
IRS spectral classes in our sample separate clearly in infrared color-color
diagrams that use combinations of 2MASS data and synthetic IRAC/MIPS fluxes
derived from the IRS spectra. On this basis, we suggest diagnostics to identify
and classify, with high confidence levels, IR-luminous evolved stars and HII
regions in nearby galaxies using Spitzer and near-infrared photometry.Comment: 46 pages, 9 figures; accepted for publication in AJ; abstract
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Three-dimensional reconstruction of myocardial contrast perfusion from biplane cineangiograms by means of linear programming techniques
The assessment of coronary flow reserve from the instantaneous distribution of the contrast agent within the coronary vessels and myocardial muscle at the control state and at maximal flow has been limited by the superimposition of myocardial regions of interest in the two-dimensional images. To overcome these limitations, we are in the process of developing a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technique to compute the contrast distribution in cross sections of the myocardial muscle from two orthogonal cineangiograms. To limit the number of feasible solutions in the 3D-reconstruction space, the 3D-geometry of the endo- and epicardial boundaries of the myocardium must be determined. For the geometric reconstruction of the epicardium, the centerlines of the left coronary arterial tree are manually or automatically traced in the biplane views. Next, the bifurcations are detected automatically and matched in these two views, allowing a 3D-representation of the coronary tree. Finally, the circumference of the left ventricular myocardium in a selected cross section can be computed from the intersection points of this cross section with the 3D coronary tree using B-splines. For the geometric reconstruction of the left ventricular cavity, we envision to apply the elliptical approximation technique using the LV boundaries defined in the two orthogonal views, or by applying more complex 3D-reconstruction techniques including densitometry. The actual 3D-reconstruction of the contrast distribution in the myocardium is based on a linear programming technique (Transportation model) using cost coefficient matrices. Such a cost coefficient matrix must contain a maximum amount of a priori information, provided by a computer generated model and updated with actual data from the angiographic views. We have only begun to solve this complex problem. However, based on our first experimental results we expect that the linear programming approach with advanced cost coefficient matrices and computed model will lead to a
Effect of Fluticasone propionate Aqueous Nasal Spray Treatment on Platelet Activating Factor and Eicosanoid Production By nasal Mucosa in Patients with A house Dust Mite Allergy
The relationship between the release of platelet activating factor
(PAF), leukotriene C4/D4/EE
(LTC4/D4/E4) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)
from nasal mucosa in vivo was examined in 24 rhinitis patients
allergic to the house dust mite (HDM). During a double blind placebo
controlled cross-over study 200 μg fluticasone propionate aqueous
nasal spray (FPANS) was administered twice daily for two weeks. In
response to allergen provocation (100, 1 000, 10 000 Bu/ml) and
during the 9.5 h after this challenge the nasal fluid was obtained
by washing the nose with saline and the levels of PAF, LTC4/D4/E4 and
PGD2, as indicators of mediator release, were measured at the
following time-points: baseline (t = − 1/2), allergen provocation with
10 000 Bu/ml (t = 0), 3.5 and 7.5 h (late phase). After allergen
provocation the levels of the mediators increased in the nasal
fluids of placebo treated patients (x-fold increase to baseline:
PAF, 15; LTC4/D4/E4, 12; PGD2, 1.5). In fluids of patients treated
with FPANS these levels tended to decrease. At the time of
provocation the levels of PAF, LTC4/D4/E4 and PGD2 showed a significant
correlation. The results indicate that these mediators can be used
as markers of allergic reactions against house dust mites and that
fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray tended to reduce the
release of mediators of inflammation correlated with beneficial
effects on clinical symptoms in this type of allergic reactions
Early Science with the Large Millimetre Telescope: Molecules in the Extreme Outflow of a proto-Planetary Nebula
Extremely high velocity emission likely related to jets is known to occur in
some proto-Planetary Nebulae. However, the molecular complexity of this
kinematic component is largely unknown. We observed the known extreme outflow
from the proto-Planetary Nebula IRAS 16342-3814, a prototype water fountain, in
the full frequency range from 73 to 111 GHz with the RSR receiver on the Large
Millimetre Telescope. We detected the molecules SiO, HCN, SO, and CO.
All molecular transitions, with the exception of the latter are detected for
the first time in this source, and all present emission with velocities up to a
few hundred km s. IRAS 16342-3814 is therefore the only source of this
kind presenting extreme outflow activity simultaneously in all these molecules,
with SO and SiO emission showing the highest velocities found of these species
in proto-Planetary Nebulae. To be confirmed is a tentative weak SO component
with a FWHM 700 km s. The extreme outflow gas consists of dense
gas (n 10--10 cm), with a mass larger than
0.02--0.15 M. The relatively high abundances of SiO and SO may
be an indication of an oxygen-rich extreme high velocity gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Society Letter
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