Double-lined M dwarf eclipsing binaries from Catalina Sky Survey and LAMOST

Eclipsing binaries provide a unique opportunity to determine fundamental stellar properties. In the era of wide-field cameras and all-sky imaging surveys, thousands of eclipsing binaries have been reported through light curve classification, yet their basic properties remain unexplored due to the extensive efforts needed to follow them up spectroscopically. In this paper we investigate three M2-M3 type double-lined eclipsing binaries discovered by cross-matching eclipsing binaries from the Catalina Sky Survey wtih spectroscopically classified M dwarfs from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope survey data release one and two. Because these three M dwarf binaries are faint, we further acquire radial velocity measurements using GMOS on the Gemini North telescope with R~40000, enabling us to determine the mass and radius of individual stellar components. By jointly fitting the light and radial velocity curves of these systems, we derive the mass and radius of the primary and secondary components of these three systems, in the range between 0.28-0.42 M_sun and 0.29-0.67 R_sun, respectively. Future observations with a high resolution spectrograph will help us pin down the uncertainties in their stellar parameters, and render these systems benchmarks to study m dwarfs, providing inputs to improving stellar models in the low mass regime, or establishing an empirical mass-radius relation for M dwarf stars.Comment: RAA accepted. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1701.0529

A Retinex-based Image Enhancement Scheme with Noise Aware Shadow-up Function

This paper proposes a novel image contrast enhancement method based on both a noise aware shadow-up function and Retinex (retina and cortex) decomposition. Under low light conditions, images taken by digital cameras have low contrast in dark or bright regions. This is due to a limited dynamic range that imaging sensors have. For this reason, various contrast enhancement methods have been proposed. Our proposed method can enhance the contrast of images without not only over-enhancement but also noise amplification. In the proposed method, an image is decomposed into illumination layer and reflectance layer based on the retinex theory, and lightness information of the illumination layer is adjusted. A shadow-up function is used for preventing over-enhancement. The proposed mapping function, designed by using a noise aware histogram, allows not only to enhance contrast of dark region, but also to avoid amplifying noise, even under strong noise environments.Comment: To appear in IWAIT-IFMIA 201

Cleavage of the Pt-S bond of thiolated terpyridine-platinum(II) complexes by copper(II) and zinc(II) ions in phosphate buffer

[[abstract]]Using the chelation of a triamine moiety and an S-bridged heterodinuclear unit, cleavage of the Pt–S bond in the thiolate–platinum complexes, [Pt(terpy)(BAT)]4+ and [Pt- (terpy)(AET)]+ is induced by adding transition metals such as Cu2+ or Zn2+ in phosphate buffer (pH 7–8) at room temp.[[booktype]]紙

Secretory Carcinoma: A Silent Mass Increasing in the Parotid Gland

BACKGROUND: Secretory carcinoma (SC) of the salivary gland, also known as mammary analog secretory carcinoma, is a rare tumor in the parotid gland. This kind of tumor is characterized by generally indolent clinical behavior and expression of a break in the ETV6 gene. CASE REPORT: We present a unique case of secretory carcinoma and show its favorable prognoses. CONCLUSION: Secretory carcinoma of the salivary gland is a low-grade carcinoma with a favorable prognosis. It has low regional lymph node and distant metastasis potential. Due to the possibility of misdiagnosis, immunohistochemical studies and FISH are suggested. The most effective treatment is complete surgical excision with negative surgical margins

Factors affecting the prices paid for slaughter steers and heifers sold at Tennessee auction markets

The specific objectives of this study are: (1) to analyze the relationship of the major pricing factors affecting steers and heifers sold at the six sample livestock auction markets in Tennessee, and (2) to analyze some of the minor pricing factors with respect to marketing practices in an attempt to find out the most desirable practice, if any

Studies of Mathematical Modelling and Experimental On-line Measurement for the Tubular Film Blowing Process

An experimental and analytical study of the process of blown film extrusion was carried out. On-line measuring techniques were used to follow the dynamics and temperature profiles occurring in the process. The applicability of a mathematical model which includes a non-isothermal crystallization rate equation was tested. Subsequently, a new simplified model derived from a modified force balance was proposed and examined. Linear low density polyethylene, LLDPE, (melt flow index 1.0) provided by Dow Chemical Company was used in the experimental part of the study. On-line measurements for radius, thickness, velocity and temperature as a function of distance from the extrusion die were carried out, and their reliability was examined. The results indicated that these measuring techniques were sufficiently accurate to make the collection of on-line data a useful analytical tool. The measured profiles of radius, thickness, velocity and temperature were used to test the theoretical model for the tubular film blowing process. The apparent elongational viscosity, a key parameter for the theoretical simulation, was estimated and calculated from experimental data taken on a melt spinline and an inversion procedure developed for obtaining apparent elongational viscosities for melt spinning. This gave a Newtonian, temperature-dependent apparent viscosity equation. The heat transfer coefficient was estimated from measured temperature profiles on the blown film process. A computer simulation for semi-crystalline materials was carried out using the mathematical analysis for film blowing which appears in the literature plus a non-isothermal crystallization rate equation. The analysis was carried out by using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method to solve the resulting differential equations. The predicted results were in qualitative agreement only with the experimental data. At the same time, several unexpected phenomena appeared in the simulation. Some of them have also been reported in the previous literature, but still no satisfactory interpretation is available. A modified physical approach based on a force balance led to the derivation and proposal of a new simplified model. From this modified analysis, an important and useful relationship between the external forces (i.e., the net takeup force and the inflation pressure) and the variation of radius and thickness of the bubble were determined. Based on the same initiaI conditions as that of the original model, the new model gave predictions which were in fair quantitative agreement with the on-line measurements. Finally, it was also found that the development of crystallinity strongly influences the final values of radius and thickness of the tubular film, two of the important specifications in industrial film processing. In other words, the effect of crystallization is so significant that it should not be neglected in modelling the tubular film blowing process