184 research outputs found
NGC 5694: another foster son of the Galactic Halo
We present the results of the analysis of high-resolution spectra obtained
with UVES-FLAMES@VLT for six red giant branch stars in the outer-halo
metal-poor ([Fe/H]I=-1.98 and [Fe/H]II=-1.83) Galactic globular cluster NGC
5694, which has been suggested as a possible incomer by Lee et al. (2006) based
on the anomalous chemical composition of a single cluster giant. We obtain
accurate abundances for a large number of elements and we find that: (a) the
six target stars have the same chemical composition within the uncertainties,
except for Na and Al; (b) the average cluster abundance of \alpha\ elements
(with the only exception of Si) is nearly solar, at odds with typical halo
stars and globular clusters of similar metallicity; (c) Y, Ba, La and Eu
abundances are also significantly lower than in Galactic field stars and star
clusters of similar metallicity. Hence we confirm the Lee et al. classification
of NGC 5694 as a cluster of extra-galactic origin. We provide the first insight
on the Na-O and Mg-Al anti-correlations in this cluster: all the considered
stars have very similar abundance ratios for these elements, except one that
has significantly lower [Na/Fe] and [Al/Fe] ratios, suggesting that some degree
of early self-enrichment has occurred also in this cluster.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS. 15 pages, 8 figures, 4 table
Effect of moisture content on the processing and mechanical properties of a biodegradable polyester
This work is focused on the influence of moisture content on the processing and mechanical properties of a biodegradable polyester used for applications in injection molding. The pellets of the biodegradable polyester were exposed under different relative humidity conditions at a constant temperature before being compression molded. The compression-molded specimens were again placed under the above conditions before the mechanical testing. With all these samples, it is possible to determine the effect of moisture content on the processing and mechanical properties separately, as well as the combined effect of moisture content on the mechanical properties. The results obtained showed that the amount of absorbed water—both before processing and before mechanical testing— causes an increase in elongation at break and a slight reduction of the elastic modulus and tensile strength. These changes have been associated with possible hydrolytic degradation during the compression molding process and, in particular, with the plasticizing action of the moisture absorbed by the specimens
Kinematics of a globular cluster with an extended profile: NGC5694
We present a study of the kinematics of the remote globular cluster NGC5694
based on GIRAFFE@VLT medium resolution spectra. A sample of 165 individual
stars selected to lie on the Red Giant Branch in the cluster Color Magnitude
Diagram was considered. Using radial velocity and metallicity from Calcium
triplet, we were able to select 83 bona-fide cluster members. The addition of
six previously known members leads to a total sample of 89 cluster giants with
typical uncertainties <1.0 km/s in their radial velocity estimates. The sample
covers a wide range of projected distances from the cluster center, from ~0.2
arcmin to 6.5 arcmin = 23 half-light radii (r_h). We find only very weak
rotation, as typical of metal-poor globular clusters. The velocity dispersion
gently declines from a central value of sigma=6.1 km/s to sigma = 2.5 km/s at
~2 arcmin = 7.1= r_h, then it remainins flat out to the next (and last)
measured point of the dispersion profile, at ~4 arcmin = 14.0 r_h, at odds with
the predictions of isotropic King models. We show that both isotropic
single-mass non-collisional models and multi-mass anisotropic models can
reproduce the observed surface brightness and velocity dispersion profiles.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS. Pdflatex, 10 pages, 10 figure
High Resolution HDS/SUBARU chemical abundances of the young stellar cluster Palomar 1
Context. Palomar\,1 is a peculiar globular cluster (GC). It is the youngest
Galactic GC and it has been tentatively associated to several of the
substructures recently discovered in the Milky Way (MW), including the Canis
Major (CMa) overdensity and the Galactic Anticenter Stellar Structure (GASS).
Aims. In order to provide further insights into its origin, we present the
first high resolution chemical abundance analysis for one red giant in Pal\,1.
Methods. We obtained high resolution (R=30000) spectra for one red giant star
in Pal\,1 using the High Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) mounted at the SUBARU
telescope. We used ATLAS-9 model atmospheres coupled with the SYNTHE and WIDTH
calculation codes to derive chemical abundances from the measured line
equivalent widths of 18 among , Iron-peak, light and heavy elements.
Results. The Palomar~1 chemical pattern is broadly compatible to that of the MW
open clusters population and similar to disk stars. It is, instead, remarkably
different from that of the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf spheroidal galaxy.
Conclusions. If Pal\,1 association with either CMa or GASS will be confirmed,
this will imply that these systems had a chemical evolution similar to that of
the Galactic disk.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysics. Minor changes in the tex
The merger history, AGN and dwarf galaxies of Hickson Compact Group 59
Compact group galaxies often appear unaffected by their unusually dense
environment. Closer examination can, however, reveal the subtle, cumulative
effects of multiple galaxy interactions. Hickson Compact Group (HCG) 59 is an
excellent example of this situation. We present a photometric study of this
group in the optical (HST), infrared (Spitzer) and X-ray (Chandra) regimes
aimed at characterizing the star formation and nuclear activity in its
constituent galaxies and intra-group medium. We associate five dwarf galaxies
with the group and update the velocity dispersion, leading to an increase in
the dynamical mass of the group of up to a factor of 10 (to 2.8e13 Msun), and a
subsequent revision of its evolutionary stage. Star formation is proceeding at
a level consistent with the morphological types of the four main galaxies, of
which two are star-forming and the other two quiescent. Unlike in some other
compact groups, star-forming complexes across HCG 59 closely follow mass-radius
scaling relations typical of nearby galaxies. In contrast, the ancient globular
cluster populations in galaxies HCG 59A and B show intriguing irregularities,
and two extragalactic HII regions are found just west of B. We age-date a faint
stellar stream in the intra-group medium at ~1 Gyr to examine recent
interactions. We detect a likely low-luminosity AGN in HCG 59A by its ~10e40
erg/s X-ray emission; the active nucleus rather than star formation can account
for the UV+IR SED. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context
of galaxy evolution in dense environments.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figures. Please visit "http://tinyurl.com/isk-hcg59" for
a full-resolution PDF. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Star Formation in the Starburst Cluster in NGC 3603
We have used new, deep, visible and near infrared observations of the compact
starburst cluster in the giant HII region NGC 3603 and its surroundings with
the WFC3 on HST and HAWK-I on the VLT to study in detail the physical
properties of its intermediate mass (~ 1 - 3 M_sun) stellar population. We show
that after correction for differential extinction and actively accreting stars,
and the study of field star contamination, strong evidence remains for a
continuous spread in the ages of pre-main sequence stars in the range ~ 2 to ~
30 Myr within the temporal resolution available. Existing differences among
presently available theoretical models account for the largest possible
variation in shape of the measured age histograms within these limits. We also
find that this isochronal age spread in the near infrared and visible
Colour-Magnitude Diagrams cannot be reproduced by any other presently known
source of astrophysical or instrumental scatter that could mimic the luminosity
spread seen in our observations except, possibly, episodic accretion. The
measured age spread and the stellar spatial distribution in the cluster are
consistent with the hypothesis that star formation started at least 20-30 Myrs
ago progressing slowly but continuously up to at least a few million years ago.
All the stars in the considered mass range are distributed in a flattened
oblate spheroidal pattern with the major axis oriented in an approximate
South-East - North-West direction, and with the length of the equatorial axis
decreasing with increasing age. This asymmetry is most likely due to the fact
that star formation occurred along a filament of gas and dust in the natal
molecular cloud oriented locally in this direction.Comment: 21 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
On the use of the main sequence knee (saddle) to measure globular cluster ages
In this paper we review the operational definition of the so-called main sequence knee (MS-knee), a feature in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) occurring at the low-mass end of the MS. The magnitude of this feature is predicted to be independent of age at fixed chemical composition. For this reason, its difference in magnitude with respect to the MS turn-off (MS-TO) point has been suggested as a possible diagnostic to estimate absolute globular cluster (GC) ages. We first demonstrate that the operational definition of the MS-knee currently adopted in the literature refers to the inflection point of the MS (that we here more appropriately named MS-saddle), a feature that is well distinct from the knee and that cannot be used as its proxy. The MS-knee is only visible in near-infrared CMDs, while the MS-saddle can be also detected in optical-NIR CMDs. By using different sets of isochrones we then demonstrate that the absolute magni- tude of the MS-knee varies by a few tenths of a dex from one model to another, thus showing that at the moment stellar models may not capture the full systematic error in the method. We also demonstrate that while the absolute magnitude of the MS-saddle is almost coincident in different models, it has a systematic dependence on the adopted color combinations which is not predicted by stellar models. Hence, it cannot be used as a reliable reference for absolute age determination. Moreover, when statistical and systematic uncertainties are properly taken into ac- count, the difference in magnitude between the MS-TO and the MS-saddle does not provide absolute ages with better accuracy than other methods like the MS-fitting
Development of Functional Genomic Tools in Trematodes: RNA Interference and Luciferase Reporter Gene Activity in Fasciola hepatica
The growing availability of sequence information from diverse parasites through genomic and transcriptomic projects offer new opportunities for the identification of key mediators in the parasite–host interaction. Functional genomics approaches and methods for the manipulation of genes are essential tools for deciphering the roles of genes and to identify new intervention targets in parasites. Exciting advances in functional genomics for parasitic helminths are starting to occur, with transgene expression and RNA interference (RNAi) reported in several species of nematodes, but the area is still in its infancy in flatworms, with reports in just three species. While advancing in model organisms, there is a need to rapidly extend these technologies to other parasites responsible for several chronic diseases of humans and cattle. In order to extend these approaches to less well studied parasitic worms, we developed a test method for the presence of a viable RNAi pathway by silencing the exogenous reporter gene, firefly luciferase (fLUC). We established the method in the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni and then confirmed its utility in the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica. We transformed newly excysted juveniles of F. hepatica by electroporation with mRNA of fLUC and three hours later were able to detect luciferase enzyme activity, concentrated mainly in the digestive ceca. Subsequently, we tested the presence of an active RNAi pathway in F. hepatica by knocking down the exogenous luciferase activity by introduction into the transformed parasites of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific for fLUC. In addition, we tested the RNAi pathway targeting an endogenous F. hepatica gene encoding leucine aminopeptidase (FhLAP), and observed a significant reduction in specific mRNA levels. In summary, these studies demonstrated the utility of RNAi targeting reporter fLUC as a reporter gene assay to establish the presence of an intact RNAi pathway in helminth parasites. These could facilitate the study of gene function and the identification of relevant targets for intervention in organisms that are by other means intractable. More specifically, these results open new perspectives for functional genomics of F. hepatica, which hopefully can lead to the development of new interventions for fascioliasis
Dysregulation of Iron Metabolism in Cholangiocarcinoma Stem-like Cells
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a devastating liver tumour arising from malignant transformation of bile duct epithelial cells. Cancer stem cells (CSC) are a subset of tumour cells endowed with stem-like properties, which play a role in tumour initiation, recurrence and metastasis. In appropriate conditions, CSC form 3D spheres (SPH), which retain stem-like tumour-initiating features. Here, we found different expression of iron proteins indicating increased iron content, oxidative stress and higher expression of CSC markers in CCA-SPH compared to tumour cells growing as monolayers. Exposure to the iron chelator desferrioxamine decreased SPH forming efficiency and the expression of CSC markers and stem-like genes, whereas iron had an opposite effect. Microarray profiles in CCA samples (n = 104) showed decreased H ferritin, hepcidin and ferroportin expression in tumours respect to surrounding liver, whereas transferrin receptor was up-regulated. Moreover, we found a trend toward poorer outcome in CCA patients with elevated expression of ferritin and hepcidin, two major proteins of iron metabolism. These findings, which represent the first evidence of a role for iron in the stem cell compartment as a novel metabolic factor involved in CCA growth, may have implications for a better therapeutic approach
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