Single-Valued DMBE Potential Energy Surface for HSO: A Distributed n-Body Polynomial Approach

An accurate single-valued double many-body expansion (DMBE) potential energy surface is reported for the ground electronic state of HSO based on novel MR CISD ab initio energies suitably corrected for the complete one-electron basis set/complete CI limit. To improve the accuracy of the fit, we have suggested a n-body distributed polynomial approach which implies using individual multinomial developments at the various stationary points. For simplicity, only the three most relevant such points have been considered: two minima (HSO, HOS) and the saddle point connecting them

An XMM-Newton view of FeK{\alpha} in HMXBs

We present a comprehensive analysis of the whole sample of available XMM-Newton observations of High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) until August, 2013, focusing on the FeK{\alpha} emission line. This line is a key tool to better understand the physical properties of the material surrounding the X-ray source within a few stellar radii (the circumstellar medium). We have collected observations from 46 HMXBs, detecting FeK{\alpha} in 21 of them. We have used the standard classification of HMXBs to divide the sample in different groups. We find that: (1) FeK{\alpha} is centred at a mean value of 6.42 keV. Considering the instrumental and fits uncertainties, this value is compatible with ionization states lower than FeXVIII. (2) The flux of the continuum is well correlated with the flux of the line, as expected. Eclipse observations show that the Fe fluorescence emission comes from an extended region surrounding the X-ray source. (3) FeK{\alpha} is narrow (width lower than 0.15keV), reflecting that the reprocessing material does not move at high speeds. We attempt to explain the broadness of the line in terms of three possible broadening phenomena: line blending, Compton scattering and Doppler shifts (with velocities of the reprocessing material V=1000-2000 km/s). (4) The equivalent hydrogen column (NH) directly correlates with the EW of FeK{\alpha}, displaying clear similarities to numerical simulations. It highlights the strong link between the absorbing and the fluorescent matter. The obtained results clearly point to a very important contribution of the donors wind in the FeK{\alpha} emission and the absorption when the donor is a supergiant massive star.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 13 pages, 16 figures + Appendice

Academic literacy and student diversity: evaluating a curriculum-integrated inclusive practice intervention in the United Kingdom

The sustainability of universities is based, among other aspects, on their ability to adapt to changes and the needs of students, an increasingly diverse population. In this sense, Academic literacy provision at universities tends to be centralized and to offer language support for general academic literacy purposes rather than language development that responds in a more nuanced way to the particular literacy needs of students’ disciplines. Yet, in recent years, several studies have supported the integration of academic literacy into subject teaching outlining the principles of an inclusive model of academic literacy instruction. This paper draws on a theoretical framework developed by Wingate to evaluate a curriculum-integrated inclusive practice intervention in the United Kingdom with students from a first-year credit-bearing module at Middlesex University Business School. The study used a mixed methods approach that includes a literature review, secondary data, feedback questionnaire and a focus group to evaluate our teaching method and reflect on the collaboration of the team members to develop this inclusive pedagogical approach. The findings suggest that, on the whole, this intervention was perceived by both the module teaching team and students as positive, welcoming and often crucial for supporting undergraduate students into the disciplinary discourse of their subject of study. Yet, recommendations were made with respect to developing better guidelines for subject lecturers on how to deliver the integrated academic literacy as well as the importance of the participation of students, student learning assistants and graduate teaching assistants in the design of the intervention. This study contributes to the literature on inclusive practice intervention and pedagogical approaches to integrating academic literacy into subject teaching for a diverse student population, contributing to the social sustainability of the universities

Spatial and temporal dynamics of the hydrology at Salinas Bay, Costa Rica, Eastern Tropical Pacific.

Introduction: Salinas Bay is located in the warm pool of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), characterized by warm, shallow surface waters, a strong and shallow thermocline, and an important biological diversity. The primary productivity of the region is influenced by the coastal upwelling, which occurs during the boreal winter as a result of the strengthening of trade winds. Objective: To study the spatial and temporal dynamics of physical and chemical parameters at seven hydrographic stations in Salinas Bay, Costa Rica, through the analysis of CTD data, and relate the warm and cold events to the regional atmospheric conditions present when measuring the data. Methods: Seven hydrographic stations, sampled at Salinas Bay between August 2008 and December 2014, were selected. The variables processed for analysis are temperature, density, salinity, oxygen, chl-a and turbidity. Once the data was processed, 42 Hovmöller kind diagrams were plotted. Results: All variables, except turbidity, presented a seasonal periodicity associated with the upwelling. In general, colder and denser waters, higher salinity and chl-a concentrations and lower dissolved oxygen values were observed during the dry season, when the upwelling was active. Whereas, during the rainy season water masses were warmer and less dense, salinity and chl-a concentrations decreased and dissolved oxygen values tended to increase. Conclusions: The spatial and temporal dynamics of the hydrology in Salinas Bay was influenced by the coastal upwelling events. The region also presented an interannual variability associated with ENSO. Seasonal and interannual variability can counteract their effects on the oceanographic parameters when they coincide temporally.Universidad de Costa Rica/[808-A5-037]/UCR/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[805-B8-766]/UCR/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[805-B9-454]/UCR/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[EC-497]/UCR/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[805-C0-610]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigaciones Geofísicas (CIGEFI)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de FísicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de BiologíaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR

Solar ultraviolet radiation is necessary to enhance grapevine fruit ripening transcriptional and phenolic responses

Background: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation modulates secondary metabolism in the skin of Vitis vinifera L. berries, which affects the final composition of both grapes and wines. The expression of several phenylpropanoid biosynthesis-related genes is regulated by UV radiation in grape berries. However, the complete portion of transcriptome and ripening processes influenced by solar UV radiation in grapes remains unknown.Results: Whole genome arrays were used to identify the berry skin transcriptome modulated by the UV radiation received naturally in a mid-altitude Tempranillo vineyard. UV radiation-blocking and transmitting filters were used to generate the experimental conditions. The expression of 121 genes was significantly altered by solar UV radiation. Functional enrichment analysis of altered transcripts mainly pointed out that secondary metabolism-related transcripts were induced by UV radiation including VvFLS1, VvGT5 and VvGT6 flavonol biosynthetic genes and monoterpenoid biosynthetic genes. Berry skin phenolic composition was also analysed to search for correlation with gene expression changes and UV-increased flavonols accumulation was the most evident impact. Among regulatory genes, novel UV radiation-responsive transcription factors including VvMYB24 and three bHLH, together with known grapevine UV-responsive genes such as VvMYBF1, were identified. A transcriptomic meta-analysis revealed that genes up-regulated by UV radiation in the berry skin were also enriched in homologs of Arabidopsis UVR8 UV-B photoreceptor-dependent UV-B -responsive genes. Indeed, a search of the grapevine reference genomic sequence identified UV-B signalling pathway homologs and among them, VvHY5-1, VvHY5-2 and VvRUP were up-regulated by UV radiation in the berry skin.Conclusions: Results suggest that the UV-B radiation-specific signalling pathway is activated in the skin of grapes grown at mid-altitudes. The biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites, which are appreciated in winemaking and potentially confer cross-tolerance, were almost specifically triggered. This draws attention to viticultural practices that increase solar UV radiation on vineyards as they may improve grape features. © 2014 Carbonell-Bejerano et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Recurrence relation for relativistic atomic matrix elements

Recurrence formulae for arbitrary hydrogenic radial matrix elements are obtained in the Dirac form of relativistic quantum mechanics. Our approach is inspired on the relativistic extension of the second hypervirial method that has been succesfully employed to deduce an analogous relationship in non relativistic quantum mechanics. We obtain first the relativistic extension of the second hypervirial and then the relativistic recurrence relation. Furthermore, we use such relation to deduce relativistic versions of the Pasternack-Sternheimer rule and of the virial theorem.Comment: 10 pages, no figure