Discovery of kilogauss magnetic fields in three DA white dwarfs

We have detected longitudinal magnetic fields between 2 and 4 kG in three (WD 0446$-$790, WD 1105$-$048, WD 2359$-$434) out of a sample of 12 normal DA white dwarfs by using optical spectropolarimetry done with the VLT Antu 8 m telescope equipped with FORS1. With the exception of 40 Eri B (4 kG) these are the first positive detections of magnetic fields in white dwarfs below 30 kG. Although suspected, it was not clear whether a significant fraction of white dwarfs contain magnetic fields at this level. These fields may be explained as fossil relics from magnetic fields in the main-sequence progenitors considerably enhanced by magnetic flux conservation during the shrinkage of the core. A detection rate of 25 % (3/12) may indicate now for the first time that a substantial fraction of white dwarfs have a weak magnetic field. This result, if confirmed by future observations, would form a cornerstone for our understanding on the evolution of stellar magnetic fields. Keywords: stars: white dwarfs - stars: magnetic fields - stars: individual: WD0446-790, WD1105-048, WD2359-434Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres

Liquid–liquid equilibrium in ternary ionic liquid systems by UNIFAC: New volume, surface area and interaction parameters. Part II

AbstractIonic liquids are potential solvents for liquid extraction processes; thermodynamic modeling of liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) data is essential for the optimization and operation of these processes. Therefore, ternary LLE data in systems involving ionic liquids have been investigated by several years. In most of the cases, the thermodynamic modeling of these systems has been made using the NRTL model; in some cases, the UNIQUAC model has also been used. The structural parameters of UNIQUAC for ionic liquids have been determined either by empirical correlations or, more recently, through quantum mechanics calculation. This work is a continuation of a recent paper, in which the structural group volume and area parameters for the group-contribution UNIFAC method have been calculated for five ionic liquids following the quantum mechanics approach. In order to optimize the molecular geometry and to calculate the area and volume, the Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the Polarizable Continuum Method (PCM) were used, respectively. The obtained parameters were used to correlate LLE data for fifteen ternary systems, totalizing 155 tie-lines. New interaction parameters were also estimated between the solvent and the ionic liquid functional groups. The results are very satisfactory, with root mean square deviations 0.0037 between experimental and calculated equilibrium mole fractions

The recess school space and time as an opportunity healthy

El propósito de nuestro estudio piloto fue medir de forma objetiva la AF saludable de la población infantil a lo largo de una semana e identificar cuanta de la misma se realizaba dentro del tiempo dedicado al recreo escolar. La muestra estaba compuesta por 36 niños de 11 a 12 años de una escuela de la provincia de Toledo en España. El instrumento utilizado fue el acelerómetro. La mayoría de los niños y niñas no cumplían las recomendaciones de AF saludable. En relación a la cantidad de AF saludable realizada en los recreos durante la semana, ésta presentó un peso importanteThe purpose of our pilot study was to measure objectively the amount of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) children engaged over a week and to identify how much of it was carried out during recess time. The sample comprised 36 children aged 11 to 12 from a school in the province of Toledo in Spain. PA was measured with the accelerometer GT1M. Most of the children did not meet the PA recommendations for health. In relation to the amount of MVPA achieved during recess time, our study suggests that recess time represents an important load of the total amount of children’s MVPA registered per da

CMOS Receiver Front-End Architecture for High-Speed SI-POF Links

This works presents a new CMOS analog front-end for short-reach high-speed optical communications which compensates the limited bandwidth of POF channels and is suitable for the required large area photodetectorf The proposed pseudo-differential architecture, formed by a preamplifier and an equalizer, has been designed in a standard 0.18-μm CMOS process with a 1-V supply voltage targeting gigabit transmission for NRZ modulation. The preamplifier is based on the flipped voltage follower stage to attain a very low input resistance in order to handle the large phodiode capacitance (3 pF). The equalizer can adjust the high-frequency boosting and the gain, to compensate for the variation of the characteristics of the channel due to length of the fiber, connections, etc. causing subtantial changes of the fiber bandwidth. Reliable electrical models are employed for a Mitsubishi GH SI-POF with 10-m to 50-m length and for a S5972 silicon photodiode from Hamamatsu suitable for such a fiber due to its large diameter (0.8 mm) and responsivity at 650 nm (0.44A/W). The bandwidth of the received signal can be enhanced from 100 MHz to 1.4 GHz and from 300 MHz to 1.4 GHz for a 50-m and 10-m POF respectively. The proposed circuit shows a transimpedance of 41.5 dBΩ while the theoretical sensitivity from noise performance is below -7.5 dBm with a BER = 10-12. The power consumption is below 16 mW from 1-V supply voltage. In conclusion it targets 1.25 Gbps through a 1-mm SI-POF up to 50-m length with a commercial Si PIN photodiode

Discovery of magnetic fields in hot subdwarfs

We present initial results of a project to measure mean longitudinal magnetic fields in a group of sdB/OB/O stars. The project was inspired by the discovery of three super-metal-rich sdOB stars, each having metals (e.g. Ti, V) enhanced by factors of 10^3 to 10^5. Similar behaviour is observed in chemically peculiar A stars, where strong magnetic fields are responsible for the enrichment. With this in mind, we obtained circularly polarised spectra of two of the super-metal-rich sdOBs, two "normal" sdBs and two sdOs using FORS1 on the ESO/VLT. By examining circular polarisation in the hydrogen Balmer lines and in helium lines, we have detected magnetic fields with strengths of 1-2 kG in most of our targets. This suggests that such fields are relatively common in hot subdwarfs.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in White Dwarfs, eds. D. Koester, S. Moehler, ASP Conf. serie

Activation of G proteins by GIV-GEF is a pivot point for insulin resistance and sensitivity.

Insulin resistance (IR) is a metabolic disorder characterized by impaired insulin signaling and cellular glucose uptake. The current paradigm for insulin signaling centers upon the insulin receptor (InsR) and its substrate IRS1; the latter is believed to be the sole conduit for postreceptor signaling. Here we challenge that paradigm and show that GIV/Girdin, a guanidine exchange factor (GEF) for the trimeric G protein Gαi, is another major hierarchical conduit for the metabolic insulin response. By virtue of its ability to directly bind InsR, IRS1, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase, GIV serves as a key hub in the immediate postreceptor level, which coordinately enhances the metabolic insulin response and glucose uptake in myotubes via its GEF function. Site-directed mutagenesis or phosphoinhibition of GIV-GEF by the fatty acid/protein kinase C-theta pathway triggers IR. Insulin sensitizers reverse phosphoinhibition of GIV and reinstate insulin sensitivity. We also provide evidence for such reversible regulation of GIV-GEF in skeletal muscles from patients with IR. Thus GIV is an essential upstream component that couples InsR to G-protein signaling to enhance the metabolic insulin response, and impairment of such coupling triggers IR. We also provide evidence that GIV-GEF serves as therapeutic target for exogenous manipulation of physiological insulin response and reversal of IR in skeletal muscles

Density, refractive index, apparent volumes and excess molar volumes of four protic ionic liquids + water at T=298.15 AND 323.15 K

Densities and refractive index of binay mixtures of water with four protic ionic liquids, based on ammonium and fatty acids, were measured at 298.15 and 323.15 K, under atmospheric pressure. Apparent and excess molar volumes were obtained by experiments and fitting data to the Redlich-Meyer (RM), Redlich-Kister (RK) and Prigogine-Flory-Patterson (PFP) equations. The molar volume values were high, suggesting strong ion-solvent interaction. The same interaction also became stronger as the temperature increased. Excess volume values were negative, indicating that packing efficiency ability or attractive interactions occurred in mixtures of ionic liquid + water. The errors (AARD) for the properties in excess were in the range of 1.8% to 7.2%. The PFP error for the apparent volume was in the range of 0.34% to 0.06%, lower than the RM error for the same property, which was in the range of 0.70 to 1.55%. The Gladstone-Dale model was applied to correlate the refractive index of the binary mixture with the density from the values of both pure components323671682FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2011/19736-

Modelling actin polymerization: the effect on confined cell migration

The aim of this work is to model cell motility under conditions of mechanical confinement. This cell migration mode may occur in extravasation of tumour and neutrophil-like cells. Cell migration is the result of the complex action of different forces exerted by the interplay between myosin contractility forces and actin processes. Here, we propose and implement a finite element model of the confined migration of a single cell. In this model, we consider the effects of actin and myosin in cell motility. Both filament and globular actin are modelled. We model the cell considering cytoplasm and nucleus with different mechanical properties. The migration speed in the simulation is around 0.1 µm/min, which is in agreement with existing literature. From our simulation, we observe that the nucleus size has an important role in cell migration inside the channel. In the simulation the cell moves further when the nucleus is smaller. However, this speed is less sensitive to nucleus stiffness. The results show that the cell displacement is lower when the nucleus is stiffer. The degree of adhesion between the channel walls and the cell is also very important in confined migration. We observe an increment of cell velocity when the friction coefficient is higher

Urban Green Spaces, Greenness Exposure and Species Richness in Residential Environments and Relations with Physical Activity and BMI in Portuguese Adolescents

Environmental factors play an important role in obesity-related behaviors. Evidence indicates significant associations between weight and urban green spaces in adults, but it is not clear whether this relationship applies to adolescents. Therefore, our aim was to determine the associations between urban green spaces, greenness exposure and species richness in residential environments with physical activity and body mass index. Sixty-two adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age answered a self-administered questionnaire, providing information on height, weight, age, sex and home address. Data on socioeconomic deprivation were obtained from the European Index of Deprivation for Small Portuguese Areas. Physical activity levels were assessed using accelerometers. Urban green space counts and the normalized difference vegetation index values were measured using buffers along the roads with distances of 300, 500, 1000 and 1500 m from each participant’s residence. To quantify the species richness, the species richness index was used. Linear regression models were fitted to analyze whether urban green spaces, exposure to green spaces and species richness counts for each distance were associated with physical activity and self-reported body mass index. We did not find significant associations between the independent variables and the probability of overweight or obesity. The relationship between environmental variables, adolescents’ physical activity and body weight seems to be complex and further studies may contribute to better understanding of the topic.This research was funded by FEDER through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization and received national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the Research Center in Physical Activity, Health and Leisure (CIAFEL) (UIDB/00617/2020) and also under the Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit)—Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto (info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB/04750/2020/PT). Ana Isabel Ribeiro was supported by national funds through FCT, under the ‘Stimulus of Scientific Employment—Individual Support’ program within the contract info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/CEEC IND 2018/CEECIND/02386/2018/CP1538/CT0001/PT