Astroserver - Research Services in the Stellar Webshop

A quick look at research and development in astronomy shows that we live in exciting times. Exoplanetary systems, supernovae, and merging binary black holes were far out of reach for observers two decades ago and now such phenomena are recorded routinely. This quick development would not have been possible without the ability for researchers to be connected, to think globally and to be mobile. Classical short-term positions are not always suitable to support these conditions and freelancing may be a viable alternative. We introduce the Astroserver framework, which is a new freelancing platform for scientists, and demonstrate through examples how it contributed to some recent projects related to hot subdwarf stars and binaries. These contributions, which included spectroscopic data mining, computing services and observing services, as well as artwork, allowed a deeper look into the investigated systems. The work on composite spectra binaries provided new details for the hypervelocity wide subdwarf binary PB 3877 and found diverse and rare systems with sub-giant companions in high-resolution spectroscopic surveys. The models for the peculiar abundance pattern of the evolved compact star LP 40-365 showed it to be a bound hypervelocity remnant of a supernova Iax event. Some of these works also included data visualizations to help presenting the new results. Such services may be of interest for many researchers.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Open Astronomy as part of the conference proceedings for the Eighth Meeting on Hot Subdwarf Stars and Related Objects (sdOB8, Krakow

Atomic diffusion in the atmosphere of Feige 86

We have revisited the ultraviolet and optical spectra of the blue horizontal branch star Feige 86. The new analysis finds the star cooler and more compact than previously determined. The IUE spectrum of Feige 86 holds numerous unidentified spectral lines of heavy metals, indicating efficient atomic diffusion in the atmosphere. Because diffusion plays a key role in the atmospheres of hot subdwarfs as well, it is indispensable to a better understanding of subdwarf pulsations and evolution. Feige 86 looks like an ideal target to confront diffusion theory with observations and test spectroscopic techniques. Therefore, to advance our general understanding of diffusion in stellar atmospheres we urge for new ultraviolet spectroscopy of Feige 86 at the highest possible resolution with HST/STIS.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Open Astronomy as part of the conference proceedings for the Eighth Meeting on Hot Subdwarf Stars and Related Objects (sdOB8, Krakow

Do Water Molecules Displaced by Hydrophobic Interactions Stabilize Antigen-Antibody Binding? Physico-chemical background of antigen-antibody reactions analyzed by fluorescent and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy on FITC – anti-FITC (IgG1) model

BACKGROUND: Antigen-antibody reactions are a special field of molecular interactions. The physico-chemical nature of antigen-antibody binding and ligand-induced changes in the fine molecular structures of antigens during immunocomplex formation are less studied. However, these changes in the molecular appearance are extremely important for further molecular recognition. The major aim of this study is to clarify the physico-chemical modification of the antigen/hapten during immunobinding using model experiments. METHODS: An appropriate model system was designed for our investigations: fluorescein-iso-thiocyanate (FITC, isomer I) was used as the antigen (hapten), and its interactions with a specific antibody (monoclonal anti-FITC IgG1) were analyzed using spectrophotometry, different spectrofluorimetric methods and fluorescence polarization, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic methods. RESULTS: Fluorescent polarization and infrared spectroscopic measurements detected a local decrease in the hydration degree in the submolecular area of the specific ligand between the small antigen (hapten) molecule and the hypervariable region of the specific IgG1, causing “rigidization” of molecular movements. Changes in hydration modified the molecular microenvironment, allowing them to influence further functions of both immunoglobulins and the antigen. CONCLUSION: Hydrophobic interactions with exclusion of water molecules around the binding sites seem to be thermodynamically strong enough for stable molecular binding without a covalent chemical interaction between the antigen and the antibody. The results of this study, together with data obtained in previous research, help understand the molecular dynamics of the antigen-antibody reaction better

Analysis of Hungarian Agricultural Subsidies on the Basis of FADN Database

On the basis of the micro-economic data of the Hungarian FADN system we analysed the role of subsidies in the profitability of farms, we aimed to reveal which types of farming and economic sizes are effected more by subsidies related to efficiency and profitability. The agricultural enterprises' balance of taxes and subsidies counted from the micro-economic data of FADN enterprises was also analysed in the different type of farming categories and economic size classes. Our aim was to find out what types of farms are subsidized and what types are net payers to the central budget. Examining the pre-tax profit we made the conclusion that with the increase of economic size not only the proportion of profitable farms rises, but the profit per size unit increases and the loss decreases. Analysing the effect of production based subsidies and interest subsidies on the pre-tax profit we made the conclusion that the sum of subsidies received from government per size unit is almost equal in all economic size classes.agricultural subsidies, profitability, payments of agricultural enterprises, FADN, Agricultural Finance, Q12,