96 research outputs found
Microstructural Characterization of Graphite Spheroids in Ductile Iron
The present work brings new insights by transmission electron microscopy allowing disregarding or supporting some of the models proposed for spheroidal growth of graphite in cast irons. Nodules consist of sectors made of graphite plates elongated along a hai direction and stack on each other with their c axis aligned with the radial direction. These plates are the elementary units for spheroidal growth and a calculation supports the idea that new units continuously nucleate at the ledge between sectors
Effects of growth rate, size, and light availability on tree survival across life stages: a demographic analysis accounting for missing values and small sample sizes.
The data set supporting the results of this article is available in the Dryad repository, http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6f4qs. Moustakas, A. and Evans, M. R. (2015) Effects of
growth rate, size, and light availability on tree survival across life stages: a demographic analysis accounting for missing values.Plant survival is a key factor in forest dynamics and survival probabilities often vary across life stages. Studies specifically aimed at assessing tree survival are unusual and so data initially designed for other purposes often need to be used; such data are more likely to contain errors than data collected for this specific purpose
Cosmic evolution and metal aversion in superluminous supernova host galaxies
The SUperluminous Supernova Host galaxIES (SUSHIES) survey aims to provide
strong new constraints on the progenitors of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe)
by understanding the relationship to their host galaxies. We present the
photometric properties of 53 H-poor and 16 H-rich SLSN host galaxies out to
. We model their spectral energy distributions to derive physical
properties, which we compare with other galaxy populations. At low redshift,
H-poor SLSNe are preferentially found in very blue, low-mass galaxies with high
average specific star-formation rates. As redshift increases, the host
population follows the general evolution of star-forming galaxies towards more
luminous galaxies. After accounting for secular evolution, we find evidence for
differential evolution in galaxy mass, but not in the -band and the far UV
luminosity ( confidence). Most remarkable is the scarcity of hosts
with stellar masses above for both classes of SLSNe. In the
case of H-poor SLSNe, we attribute this to a stifled production efficiency
above solar metallicity. However, we argue that, in addition to low
metallicity, a short-lived stellar population is also required to regulate the
SLSN production. H-rich SLSNe are found in a very diverse population of
star-forming galaxies. Still, the scarcity of massive hosts suggests a stifled
production efficiency above solar metallicity. The large dispersion
of the H-rich SLSNe host properties is in stark contrast to those of gamma-ray
burst, regular core-collapse SN, and H-poor SLSNe host galaxies. We propose
that multiple progenitor channels give rise to this sub-class
The MUSE view of the host galaxy of GRB 100316D
The low distance, , of GRB 100316D and its association with SN
2010bh represent two important motivations for studying this host galaxy and
the GRB's immediate environment with the Integral-Field Spectrographs like
VLT/MUSE. Its large field-of-view allows us to create 2D maps of gas
metallicity, ionization level, and the star-formation rate distribution maps,
as well as to investigate the presence of possible host companions. The host is
a late-type dwarf irregular galaxy with multiple star-forming regions and an
extended central region with signatures of on-going shock interactions. The GRB
site is characterized by the lowest metallicity, the highest star-formation
rate and the youngest ( 20-30 Myr) stellar population in the galaxy,
which suggest a GRB progenitor stellar population with masses up to 20 -- 40
. We note that the GRB site has an offset of 660pc from the
most luminous SF region in the host. The observed SF activity in this galaxy
may have been triggered by a relatively recent gravitational encounter between
the host and a small undetected ( erg/s) companion
Observation of the Smallest Metal Nanotube with Square-cross-section
Understanding the mechanical properties of nanoscale systems requires a range
of measurement techniques and theoretical approaches to gather the relevant
physical and chemical information. The arrangements of atoms in nanostructures
and macroscopic matter can be different, principally due to the role of surface
energy, but the interplay between atomic and electronic structure in
association with applied mechanical stress can also lead to surprising
differences. For example, metastable structures such as suspended chains of
atoms and helical wires have been produced by the stretching of metal
junctions. Here we report the spontaneous formation of the smallest possible
metal nanotube with a square cross-section during the elongation of silver
nanocontacts. Ab initio calculations and molecular simulations indicate that
the hollow wire forms because this configuration allows the surface energy to
be minimized, and also generates a soft structure capable of absorbing a huge
tensile deformation
Influence of hypothermia on right atrial cardiomyocyte apoptosis in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that programmed cell death can be triggered during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and may be involved in postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether apoptosis occurs during aortic valve surgery and whether modifying temperature during CPB has any influence on cardiomyocyte apoptotic death rate. METHODS: 20 patients undergoing elective aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis were randomly assigned to either moderate hypothermic (ModHT group, n = 10, 28°C) or mild hypothermic (MiHT group, n = 10, 34°C) CPB. Myocardial samples were obtained from the right atrium before and after weaning from CPB. Specimens were examined for apoptosis by flow cytometry analysis of annexin V-propidium iodide (PI) and Fas death receptor staining. RESULTS: In the ModHT group, non apoptotic non necrotic cells (annexin negative, PI negative) decreased after CPB, while early apoptotic (annexin positive, PI negative) and late apoptotic or necrotic (PI positive) cells increased. In contrast, no change in the different cell populations was observed over time in the MiHT group. Fas expression rose after reperfusion in the ModHT group but not in MiHT patients, in which there was even a trend for a lower Fas staining after CPB (p = 0.08). In ModHT patients, a prolonged ischemic time tended to induce a higher increase of Fas (p = 0.061). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that apoptosis signal cascade is activated at early stages during aortic valve replacement under ModHT CPB. This apoptosis induction can effectively be attenuated by a more normothermic procedure
Autism as a disorder of neural information processing: directions for research and targets for therapy
The broad variation in phenotypes and severities within autism spectrum disorders suggests the involvement of multiple predisposing factors, interacting in complex ways with normal developmental courses and gradients. Identification of these factors, and the common developmental path into which theyfeed, is hampered bythe large degrees of convergence from causal factors to altered brain development, and divergence from abnormal brain development into altered cognition and behaviour. Genetic, neurochemical, neuroimaging and behavioural findings on autism, as well as studies of normal development and of genetic syndromes that share symptoms with autism, offer hypotheses as to the nature of causal factors and their possible effects on the structure and dynamics of neural systems. Such alterations in neural properties may in turn perturb activity-dependent development, giving rise to a complex behavioural syndrome many steps removed from the root causes. Animal models based on genetic, neurochemical, neurophysiological, and behavioural manipulations offer the possibility of exploring these developmental processes in detail, as do human studies addressing endophenotypes beyond the diagnosis itself
The Environment of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817
We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Chandra imaging, combined with Very Large Telescope MUSE integral field spectroscopy of the counterpart and host galaxy of the first binary neutron star merger detected via gravitational-wave emission by LIGO and Virgo, GW170817. The host galaxy, NGC 4993, is an S0 galaxy at z = 0.009783. There is evidence for large, face-on spiral shells in continuum imaging, and edge-on spiral features visible in nebular emission lines. This suggests that NGC 4993 has undergone a relatively recent ( Gyr) "dry" merger. This merger may provide the fuel for a weak active nucleus seen in Chandra imaging. At the location of the counterpart, HST imaging implies there is no globular or young stellar cluster, with a limit of a few thousand solar masses for any young system. The population in the vicinity is predominantly old with lesssim1% of any light arising from a population with ages . Both the host galaxy properties and those of the transient location are consistent with the distributions seen for short-duration gamma-ray bursts, although the source position lies well within the effective radius ( kpc), providing an r e -normalized offset that is closer than of short GRBs. For the long delay time implied by the stellar population, this suggests that the kick velocity was significantly less than the galaxy escape velocity. We do not see any narrow host galaxy interstellar medium features within the counterpart spectrum, implying low extinction, and that the binary may lie in front of the bulk of the host galaxy
Factors associated with death in hospitalized pneumonia patients with 2009 H1N1 influenza in Shenyang, China
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the spring of 2009, a pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus emerged and spread globally. We describe the clinical characteristics and factors associated with the death of patients who were hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 influenza pneumonia in Shenyang, China, from November to December 2009.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We carried out a retrospective chart review of 68 patients who were hospitalized with pneumonia and confirmed to have 2009 H1N1 virus infection by a real time RT-PCR assay of respiratory specimens.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 68 patients we studied, 30 (44%) were admitted to an intensive care unit and 10 (14.7%) died. The median age of patients was 41 years (range, 18-66), and only one patient was over 65 years of age. The male to female ratio was 2.78:1 (50:18). Of the 68 patients, 23 (34%) had at least one underlying medical condition, 9 (13%) had a cigarette index ≥400 and 22 (32%) were obese. All patients underwent chest radiography on admission and the findings were consistent with pneumonia in all cases. All patients were treated with oseltamivir and treatment was initiated at a median time of seven days after the onset of illness. The laboratory test results indicated lymphopenia, hypoproteinemia and elevated lactic dehydrogenase and C reactive protein levels. Of the 68 patients, 33 (52%) showed a reduction in CD4 T cell counts. Of the 58 patients who survived, 31 (53%) had lymphopenia and 27 recovered from this condition after five days. Of the 10 patients who died, nine (90%) had lymphopenia and only two patients recovered from this condition after five days. Obesity and recovery from lymphopenia after five days were factors associated with death, as determined by multivariate logistic-regression analysis (obesity, odds ratio = 23.06; lymphocytopenia reversion, odds ration = 28.69).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>During the evaluation period in Shenyang, China, 2009 H1N1 influenza caused severe illness requiring hospitalization in 68 patients, 10 (14.7%) of which died. Many of these patients were considered healthy adults and few were elderly (65 years or older). Obesity and lymphopenia, which was not restored after five days of treatment, were factors associated with poor outcomes of 2009 H1N1 influenza infection.</p
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