Tracing high density gas in M 82 and NGC 4038

We present the first detection of CS in the Antennae galaxies towards the NGC 4038 nucleus, as well as the first detections of two high-J (5-4 and 7-6) CS lines in the center of M 82. The CS(7-6) line in M 82 shows a profile that is surprisingly different to those of other low-J CS transitions we observed. This implies the presence of a separate, denser and warmer molecular gas component. The derived physical properties and the likely location of the CS(7-6) emission suggests an association with the supershell in the centre of M 82.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, ApJ Letter - ACCEPTE

Influencia de la expropiación forzosa en la disponibilidad de terrenos para la ejecución de obras de modernización de regadíos

La evolución de la economía del país, ha hecho que los tipos de interés hayan disminuido de manera continuada en los últimos años. El hecho de que la determinación del valor de expropiación desde el año 2.007 se lleve a cabo mediante capitalización de rentas y que, por lo tanto, el valor de indemnización dependa del tipo de interés, ha ocasionado un efecto económico difícil para las partes beneficiarias en una expropiación. En este trabajo se estudia la evolución de la normativa, se cuantifican los resultados para el caso de una finca concreta de una explotación de algodón de regadío en el valle del Guadalquivir y se analizan los resultados. En el estudio puede observarse que en los últimos ocho años, el valor de mercado de la tierra ha seguido una tendencia a la baja. Por el contrario, el valor de indemnización por expropiación de la misma se ha disparado, lo que hace inviable a las comunidades de regantes la participación en la modernización de regadíos, así como a la Administración la aplicación del Plan Hidrológico Nacional o Plan Nacional de Regadíos. Estas circunstancias han hecho que, en octubre de 2.015 (Ley de carreteras) y noviembre de 2.015 (Texto refundido de Ley de Suelo), la legislación haya intentado paliar la situación, aunque sigue siendo insuficiente. Por ello se proponen algunas medidas a modo de conclusión al final del trabajo.The evolution of the country's economy has made that interest rates have decreased continuously in recent years. The fact that since the year 2007 the determination of the value of expropriation is being carried out through revenue capitalization, in which the indemnification value depends on the interest rate, has caused a difficult economic impact in the recipient parties of an expropriation. In this paper we study the evolution of the expropriation regulations as well as the assessment of the amount of money corresponding to the expropriation of a farm dedicated the production of cotton in the Guadalquivir valley. In the study it can be seen that over the last eight years the market value of the land has followed a downward trend. On the other hand, the value of compensation for land expropriation has been triggered, making infeasible to the irrigation communities their participation in the modernization of the irrigation systems and hinders the Administration the implementation of the National Hydrological Plan or the National Irrigation Plan. These circumstances have led the Government to try to alleviate the situation with new regulations (road act of October 2015 and revised text of law of soil of November 2015) which remain insufficient. Therefore some legislative proposals are given as conclusions at the end of this work

Molecular gas chemistry in AGN. II. High-resolution imaging of SiO emission in NGC1068: shocks or XDR?

This paper is part of a multi-species survey of line emission from the molecular gas in the circum-nuclear disk (CND) of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC1068. Single-dish observations have provided evidence that the abundance of silicon monoxide(SiO) in the CND of NGC1068 is enhanced by 3-4 orders of magnitude with respect to the values typically measured in quiescent molecular gas in the Galaxy. We aim at unveiling the mechanism(s) underlying the SiO enhancement. We have imaged with the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer the emission of the SiO(2-1) and CN(2--1) lines in NGC1068 at 150pc and 60pc spatial resolution, respectively. We have also obtained complementary IRAM 30m observations of HNCO and methanol (CH3OH) lines. SiO is detected in a disk of 400pc size around the AGN. SiO abundances in the CND of (1-5)xE-09 are about 1-2 orders of magnitude above those measured in the starburst ring. The overall abundance of CN in the CND is high: (0.2-1)xE-07. The abundances of SiO and CN are enhanced at the extreme velocities of gas associated with non-circular motions close to the AGN (r<70pc). Abundances measured for CN and SiO, and the correlation of CN/CO and SiO/CO ratios with hard X-ray irradiation, suggest that the CND of NGC1068 has become a giant X-ray dominated region (XDR). The extreme properties of molecular gas in the circum-nuclear molecular disk of NGC1068 result from the interplay between different processes directly linked to nuclear activity. Whereas XDR chemistry offers a simple explanation for CN and SiO in NGC1068, the relevance of shocks deserves further scrutiny. The inclusion of dust grain chemistry would help solve the controversy regarding the abundances of other molecular species, like HCN, which are under-predicted by XDR models.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in A&

Chemical complexity in NGC1068

We aimed to study the chemistry of the circumnuclear molecular gas of NGC1068, and to compare it with those of the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC253. Using the IRAM-30m telescope, we observed the inner 2 kpc of NGC1068 between 86.2 GHz and 115.6 GHz. We identified 35 spectral features, corresponding to 24 different molecular species. Among them, HC3N, SO, N2H+, CH3CN, NS, 13CN, and HN13C are detected for the first time in NGC1068. Assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), we calculated the column densities of the detected molecules, as well as the upper limits to the column densities of some undetected species. The comparison among the chemistries of NGC1068, M82, and NGC253, suggests that, apart from X-rays, shocks also determine the chemistry of NGC1068. We propose the column density ratio between CH3CCH and HC3N as a prime indicator of the imprints of starburst and AGN environments in the circumnuclear interstellar medium. This ratio is, at least, 64 times larger in M82 than in NGC1068, and, at least, 4 times larger in NGC253 than in NGC1068. Finally, we used the UCL_CHEM and UCL_PDR chemical codes to constrain the origin of the species, as well as to test the influence of UV radiation fields and cosmic rays on the observed abundances.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables. Proceedings of the "The Central Kiloparsec in Galactic Nuclei", 29 August - 2 September 2011, Bad Honnef, German

A structural equation model of achievement emotions, coping strategies and engagement-burnout in undergraduate students: a possible underlying mechanism in facets of perfectionism

Achievement emotions that the university student experiences in the learning process can be significant in facilitating or interfering with learning. The present research looked for linear and predictive relations between university students¿ achievement emotions, coping strategies, and engagement-burnout, in three dierent learning situations (classroom, study time, and testing). Hypotheses were identified for a possible model that would analyze the two facets of perfectionism based on these relations. In the case of perfectionistic strivings, the test hypothesis was that positive emotions would predispose the use of problem-focused coping strategies and an emotional state of engagement; in the case of perfectionistic concerns, however, negative emotions would predispose the use of emotion-focused strategies and a state of burnout. A total of 654 university students participated in the study, using an online tool to complete validated questionnaires on the three study variables. All students provided informed consent and corresponding permissions. Given the ex-post facto linear design, the predictions could be verified for each situation by means of logistic regression analyses and Structural Equations Models (SEM). Empirical results lent support, in varying degree, to the proposed theoretical relations. The testing situation was of particular interest. We discuss implications for perfectionism research and for the practice of prevention, education and health care in the university setting

Molecules as tracers of galaxy evolution: an EMIR survey. I. Presentation of the data and first results

We investigate the molecular gas properties of a sample of 23 galaxies in order to find and test chemical signatures of galaxy evolution and to compare them to IR evolutionary tracers. Observation at 3 mm wavelengths were obtained with the EMIR broadband receiver, mounted on the IRAM 30 m telescope on Pico Veleta, Spain. We compare the emission of the main molecular species with existing models of chemical evolution by means of line intensity ratios diagrams and principal component analysis. We detect molecular emission in 19 galaxies in two 8 GHz-wide bands centred at 88 and 112 GHz. The main detected transitions are the J=1-0 lines of CO, 13CO, HCN, HNC, HCO+, CN, and C2H. We also detect HC3N J=10-9 in the galaxies IRAS 17208, IC 860, NGC 4418, NGC 7771, and NGC 1068. The only HC3N detections are in objects with HCO+/HCN<1 and warm IRAS colours. Galaxies with the highest HC3N/HCN ratios have warm IRAS colours (60/100 {\mu}m>0.8). The brightest HC3N emission is found in IC 860, where we also detect the molecule in its vibrationally excited state.We find low HNC/HCN line ratios (<0.5), that cannot be explained by existing PDR or XDR chemical models. Bright HC3N emission in HCO+-faint objects may imply that these are not dominated by X-ray chemistry. Thus the HCN/HCO+ line ratio is not, by itself, a reliable tracer of XDRs. Bright HC3N and faint HCO+ could be signatures of embedded starformation, instead of AGN activity

ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity Mission - An overview on the mission’s performance and scientific results

European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2014 (EGU2014), 27 april - 2 may 2014, Vienna, Austria.-- 1 pageThe Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, launched on 2 November 2009, is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) second Earth Explorer Opportunity mission. The scientific objectives of the SMOS mission directly respond to the need for global observations of soil moisture and ocean salinity, two key variables used in predictive hydrological, oceanographic and atmospheric models. SMOS observations also provide information on the characterisation of ice and snow covered surfaces and the sea ice effect on ocean-atmosphere heat fluxes and dynamics, which affects large-scale processes of the Earth’s climate system. This paper will provide an overview on the various aspects of the SMOS mission, such as 1. The performance of the mission after more than 5 years in orbit: The SMOS mission has been in routine operations since May 2010, following the successful completion of the 6-months commissioning phase. The paper will summarise the technical and scientific status of the mission, including the status of the RFI detection and mitigation and its effect on the data products. SMOS has so far provided very reliable instrument operations, data processing and dissemination to users. The paper will also provide an overview on the MIRAS instrument performance, including the instrument calibration and level 1 brightness temperature data processing. 2. An overview on the SMOS data products: SMOS provides continuously level 1 (brightness temperature) and level 2 (soil moisture and ocean salinity) to its scientific user community since summer 2010. SMOS also provides brightness temperature data (level 1 data) to ECMWF in near-real time (NRT), who assimilates the data into their forecasting system. New services have been established to deliver a tailored NRT data product via the WMO’s GTS and EUMETSAT’s EUMETCast data dissemination systems to other operational agencies. This will open up new operational applications for SMOS data. Other data products are under development, responding to the requirements of the science community in particular in the area of hydrology, climate, land use and ship routing, namely a frozen soil indicator, data products for freeze/thaw periods, sea ice thickness and vegetation water content. 3. Provide an update on the overall validation approach and recent activities: SMOS data products are continuously improved and approach the scientific mission objectives. Validation activities are essential to ensure high data quality. ESA in collaboration with national agencies and institutions maintains a frame for validation activities such as reference sites, ground based observations as well as campaigns. The paper will provide an update on recent activities, such as the activities at DOME-C. 4. Summarise the collaboration with other space-borne L-band sensors, such as NASA’s Aquarius and SMAP missionsPeer Reviewe

Activation of microglia in specific hypothalamic nuclei and the cerebellum of adult rats exposed to neonatal overnutrition

Much attention has been drawn to the possible involvement of hypothalamic inflammation in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders, especially in response to a high-fat diet. Microglia, the macrophages of the central nervous system, can be activated by proinflammatory signals resulting in the local production of specific interleukins and cytokines, which in turn could exacerbate the pathogenic process. Because obesity itself is considered to be a state of chronic inflammation, we evaluated whether being overweight results in microglial activation in the hypothalamus of rats on a normal diet. Accordingly, we used a model of neonatal overnutrition that entailed adjustment of litter size at birth (small litters: four pups/dam versus normal litters: 12 pups/dam) and resulted in a 15% increase in bodyweight and increased circulating leptin levels at postnatal day 60. Rats that were overnourished during neonatal life had an increased number of activated microglia in specific hypothalamic areas such as the ventromedial hypothalamus, which is an important site for metabolic control. However, this effect was not confined to the hypothalamus because significant microglial activation was also observed in the cerebellar white matter. There was no change in circulating tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α levels or TNFα mRNA levels in either the hypothalamus or cerebellum. Interleukin (IL)6 protein levels were higher in both the hypothalamus and cerebellum, with no change in IL6 mRNA levels. Because circulating IL6 levels were elevated, this rise in central IL6 could be a result of increased uptake. Thus, activation of microglia occurs in adult rats exposed to neonatal overnutrition and a moderate increase in weight gain on a normal diet, possibly representing a secondary response to systemic inflammation. Moreover, this activation could result in local changes in specific hypothalamic nuclei that in turn further deregulate metabolic homeostasi

Large scale grain mantle disruption in the Galactic Center

We present observations of C2H5OH toward molecular clouds in Sgr A, Sgr B2 and associated with thermal and non-thermal features in the Galactic center. C2H5OH emission in Sgr A and Sgr B2 is widespread, but not uniform. C2H5OH emission is much weaker or it is not detected in some molecular clouds in both complexes, in particular those with radial velocities between 70 and 120 km/s. While most of the clouds associated with the thermal features do not show C2H5OH emission, that associated with the Non-Thermal Radio Arc shows emission. The fractional abundance of C2H5OH in most of the clouds with radial velocities between 0 and 70 km/s in Sgr A and Sgr B2 is relatively high, of few 1e-8. The C2H5OH abundance decreases by more than one order of magnitude (aprox. 1e-9) in the clouds associated with the thermal features. The large abundance of C2H5OH in the gas-phase indicates that C2H5OH has formed in grains and released to gas-phase by shocks in the last aprox. 1e5 years.Comment: In press in Astrophysical Journal Letters 7 pages, 1 table, 1 figur