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Context. Ultra-hot Jupiters present a unique opportunity to understand the physics and chemistry of planets, their atmospheres, and interiors at extreme conditions. WASP-12 b stands out as an archetype of this class of exoplanets, with a close-in orbit around its star that results in intense stellar irradiation and tidal effects. Aims. The goals are to measure the planet's tidal deformation, atmospheric properties, and also to refine its orbital decay rate. Methods. We performed comprehensive analyses of the transits, occultations, and phase curves of WASP-12b by combining new CHEOPS observations with previous TESS and Spitzer data. The planet was modeled as a triaxial ellipsoid parameterized by the second-order fluid Love number of the planet, h2, which quantifies its radial deformation and provides insight into the interior structure. Results. We measured the tidal deformation of WASP-12b and estimated a Love number of h2 = 1.55−0.49+0.45 (at 3.2σ) from its phase curve. We measured occultation depths of 333 ± 24 ppm and 493 ± 29 ppm in the CHEOPS and TESS bands, respectively, while the nightside fluxes are consistent with zero, and also marginal eastward phase offsets. Our modeling of the dayside emission spectrum indicates that CHEOPS and TESS probe similar pressure levels in the atmosphere at a temperature of ~2900 K. We also estimated low geometric albedos of Ag = 0.086 ± 0.017 and Ag = 0.01 ± 0.023 in the CHEOPS and TESS passbands, respectively, suggesting the absence of reflective clouds in the high-temperature dayside of the planet. The CHEOPS occultations do not show strong evidence for variability in the dayside atmosphere of the planet at the median occultation depth precision of 120 ppm attained. Finally, combining the new CHEOPS timings with previous measurements refines the precision of the orbital decay rate by 12% to a value of −30.23 ± 0.82 ms yr−1, resulting in a modified stellar tidal quality factor of Q′★ = 1.70 ± 0.14 × 105. Conclusions. WASP-12 b becomes the second exoplanet, after WASP-103b, for which the Love number has been measured from the effect of tidal deformation in the light curve. However, constraining the core mass fraction of the planet requires measuring h2 with a higher precision. This can be achieved with high signal-to-noise observations with JWST since the phase curve amplitude, and consequently the induced tidal deformation effect, is higher in the infrared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Comparing the properties of planets orbiting the same host star, and thus formed from the same accretion disc, helps in constraining theories of exoplanet formation and evolution. As a result, the scientific interest in multi-planetary systems is growing with the increasing number of detections of planetary companions. Aims. We report the characterisation of a multi-planetary system composed of five exoplanets orbiting the K-dwarf HD 23472 (TOI-174). Methods. In addition to the two super-Earths that were previously confirmed, we confirm and characterise three Earth-size planets in the system using ESPRESSO radial velocity observations. The planets of this compact system have periods of Pd~ 3.98, Pe~ 7.90, Pf~ 12.16, Pb ~ 17.67, and Pc ~ 29.80 days and radii of Rd ~ 0.75 , Re ~ 0.82,, Rf ~ 1.13 , Rb ~ 2.01, and, Rc~ 1.85 R⊕.Because of its small size, its proximity to planet d's transit, and close resonance with planet d, planet e was only recently found. Results. The planetary masses were estimated to be Md = 0.54 ± 0.22, Me = 0.76 ± 0.30, Mf = 0.64−0.39+0.46, Mb = 8.42−0.84+0.83 ${M_{\rm{f}}} = 0.64_{ - 0.39}^{ + 0.46},{M_{\rm{b}}} = 8.42_{ - 0.84}^{ + 0.83}$ M f = 0.64 − 0.39 + 0.46 , M b = 8.42 − 0.84 + 0.83 , and Mc = 3.37−0.87+0.92M⊕ ${M_{\rm{c}}} = 3.37_{ - 0.87}^{ + 0.92}{M_ \oplus }$ M c = 3.37 − 0.87 + 0.92 M ⊕ . These planets are among the lightest planets, with masses measured using the radial velocity method, demonstrating the very high precision of the ESPRESSO spectrograph. We estimated the composition of the system's five planets and found that their gas and water mass fractions increase with stellar distance, suggesting that the system was shaped by irradiation. The high density of the two inner planets (ρd = 7.5−3.1+3.9 and ρe = 7.5−3.0+3.9 g cm−3) $\left({{\rho _{\rm{d}}} = 7.5_{ - 3.1}^{ + 3.9}\,{\rm{and}}\,\,{\rho _{\rm{e}}} = 7.5_{ - 3.0}^{ + 3.9}\,{\rm{g}}\,{\rm{c}}{{\rm{m}}^{ - 3}}} \right)$ (ρ d = 7.5 − 3.1 + 3.9  and   ρ e = 7.5 − 3.0 + 3.9  g  cm − 3 ) indicates that they are likely to be super-Mercuries. This is supported by the modelling of the internal structures of the planets, which also suggests that the three outermost planets have significant water or gas content. Conclusions. If the existence of two super-Mercuries in the system is confirmed, this system will be the only one known to feature two super-Mercuries, making it an excellent testing bed for theories of super-Mercuries formation. Furthermore, the system is close to a Laplace resonance, and further monitoring could shed light on how it was formed. Its uniqueness and location in the continuous viewing zone of the James Webb space telescope will make it a cornerstone of future in-depth characterisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid planetary rotation can cause the equilibrium shape of a planet to be oblate. While planetary oblateness has mostly been probed by examining the subtle ingress and egress features in photometric transit light curves, we investigate the effect of oblateness on the spectroscopic Rossiter–McLaughlin (RM) signals. We found that a giant planet, with planet-to-star radius ratio of 0.15 and Saturn-like oblateness of 0.098, can cause spectroscopic signatures with amplitudes up to 1.1 m s−1 which is detectable by high-precision spectrographs such as ESPRESSO. We also found that the spectroscopic oblateness signals are particularly amplified for transits across rapidly rotating stars and for planets with spin-orbit misalignment thereby making them more prominent than the photometric signals at some transit orientations. We compared the detectability of oblateness in photometry and spectroscopy and found that photometric light curves are more sensitive to detecting oblateness than the spectroscopic RM signals mostly because they can be sampled with higher cadence to better probe the oblateness ingress and egress anomaly. However, joint analyses of the light curve and RM signal of a transiting planet provides more accurate and precise estimate of the planet's oblateness. Therefore, ESPRESSO alongside ongoing and upcoming photometric instruments such as TESS , CHEOPS , PLATO , and JWST will be extremely useful in measuring planet oblateness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly developed mesh-type reference computational phantoms (MRCPs) represent the evolution of the previous reference phantoms and a more detailed description of the human body, addressing the voxel reference phantom limitations. These allow for a more accurate dose calculation in the human body, which in some cases results in a significant difference of the calculated quantities. In this work, the absorbed dose calculation due to neutrons and gammas was calculated using a voxel and a mesh-type computational phantom. The goal was to understand how a more accurate description of the human body affects the estimated neutron dose. The phantoms were tested in a real-case scenario: they were placed in front of a neutron Howitzer container model using PHITS. This model corresponds to the neutron Howitzer container at the Neutron Measurements Laboratory of the Energy Engineering Department of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), and at the time of measurement it was equipped with a 241Am-Be neutron source of 74 GBq in its center. The container allows the source to be in either the irradiation or the storage position. Results show that when dealing with neutrons, the dose deviation when using GOLEM or the MRCP leads to a general 20%–30% deviation that goes up to above 400% in small thin structures such as the eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of low-mass transiting exoplanets in multiple systems brings new constraints to planetary formation and evolution processes and challenges the current planet formation theories. Nevertheless, only a mere fraction of the small planets detected by Kepler and K2 have precise mass measurements, which are mandatory to constrain their composition. We aim to characterise the planets that orbit the relatively bright star K2-138. This system is dynamically particular as it presents the longest chain known to date of planets close to the 3:2 resonance. We obtained 215 HARPS spectra from which we derived the radial-velocity variations of K2-138. Via a joint Bayesian analysis of both the K2 photometry and HARPS radial-velocities (RVs), we constrained the parameters of the six planets in orbit. The masses of the four inner planets, from b to e, are 3.1, 6.3, 7.9, and 13.0 M⊕ with a precision of 34, 20, 18, and 15%, respectively. The bulk densities are 4.9, 2.8, 3.2, and 1.8 g cm−3, ranging from Earth to Neptune-like values. For planets f and g, we report upper limits. Finally, we predict transit timing variations of the order two to six minutes from the masses derived. Given its peculiar dynamics, K2-138 is an ideal target for transit timing variation (TTV) measurements from space with the upcoming CHaracterizing ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) to study this highly-packed system and compare TTV and RV masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The James Webb Space Telescope will allow to spectroscopically study an unprecedented number of galaxies deep into the reionization era, notably by detecting [O  iii ]λλ4959, 5007, and H β nebular emission lines. To efficiently prepare such observations, we photometrically select a large sample of galaxies at z ∼ 8 and study their rest-frame optical emission lines. Combining data from the GOODS Re-ionization Era wide-Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS) survey and from HST we perform spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting, using synthetic SEDs from a large grid of photoionization models. The deep Spitzer /IRAC data combined with our models exploring a large parameter space enables to constrain the [O  iii ] + H β fluxes and equivalent widths for our sample, as well as the average physical properties of z ∼ 8 galaxies, such as the ionizing photon production efficiency with |$\log (\xi _\mathrm{ion}/\mathrm{erg}^{-1}\mathrm{Hz})\ge 25.77$|⁠. We find a relatively tight correlation between the [O  iii ] + H β and UV luminosity, which we use to derive for the first time the [O  iii ]λλ4959, 5007 + H β luminosity function (LF) at z ∼ 8. The z ∼ 8 [O  iii ] + H β LF is higher at all luminosities compared to lower redshift, as opposed to the UV LF, due to an increase of the [O  iii ] + H β luminosity at a given UV luminosity from z ∼ 3 to z ∼ 8. Finally, using the [O  iii ] + H β LF, we make predictions for JWST /NIRSpec number counts of z ∼ 8 galaxies. We find that the current wide-area extragalactic legacy fields are too shallow to use JWST at maximal efficiency for z ∼ 8 spectroscopy even at 1 h depth and JWST pre-imaging to ≳30 mag will be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B The Journal of Adhesion (JA) b is completing 50 years dedicated to the science of adhesives and its practical applications. Table 4 lists the main Web of Science categories that cited articles of JA reflecting the scope of the journal. The adhesive manufacturers provided toughened structural adhesives and fracture mechanics with A. Gent and A. Kinloch and played an important role in understanding the damage mechanisms of rubber modified adhesives. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract The design and qualification of composite repairs for pipelines usually requires hydrostatic tests for the determination of the failure pressure. In this work, the use of a shaft blister test to assess the failure pressure of composite repairs is proposed. Blister tests were conducted to investigate the interfacial debonding of a composite plate bonded to steel substrate. The blister test specimen represents a composite repair applied to a pipeline with a defect. The onset debonding load is used to predict the failure pressure. A 3D digital image correlation (DIC) has been used to follow up the debonding propagation and evaluate the blister shape. 3D finite element model with a cohesive zone model has been used to simulate loaded shaft blister test. A good correlation between blister tests results and finite element simulation results was obtained. The validated finite element model was used to predict failure pressure in bonded composite repaired pipes with different values of defect diameter and repair thickness. The results show that the blister test could replace hydrostatic tests for the analysis of the composite repairs performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Short-period planets are influenced by the extreme tidal forces of their parent stars. These forces deform the planets causing them to attain nonspherical shapes. The nonspherical shapes, modeled here as triaxial ellipsoids, can have an impact on the observed transit light-curves and the parameters derived for these planets. Aims. We investigate the detectability of tidal deformation in short-period planets from their transit light curves and the instrumental precision needed. We also aim to show how detecting planet deformation allows us to obtain an observational estimate of the second fluid Love number from the light curve, which provides valuable information about the internal structure of the planet. Methods. We adopted a model to calculate the shape of a planet due to the external potentials acting on it and used this model to modify the ellc transit tool. We used the modified ellc to generate the transit light curve for a deformed planet. Our model is parameterized by the Love number; therefore, for a given light curve we can derive the value of the Love number that best matches the observations. Results. We simulated the known cases of WASP-103b and WASP-121b which are expected to be highly deformed. Our analyses show that instrumental precision ≤50 ppm min−1 is required to reliably estimate the Love number and detect tidal deformation. This precision can be achieved for WASP-103b in ∼40 transits using the Hubble Space Telescope and in ∼300 transits using the forthcoming CHEOPS instrument. However, fewer transits will be required for short-period planets that may be found around bright stars in the TESS and PLATO survey missions. The unprecedented precisions expected from PLATO and JWST will permit the detection of shape deformation with a single transit observation. However, the effects of instrumental and astrophysical noise must be considered as they can increase the number of transits required to reach the 50 ppm min−1 detection limit. We also show that improper modeling of limb darkening can act to bury signals related to the shape of the planet, thereby leading us to infer sphericity for a deformed planet. Accurate determination of the limb darkening coefficients is therefore required to confirm planet deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a composite repair system in severely corroded circumferential welds in super duplex stainless steel pipes as a preventive measure against the premature corrosion damage at the welds. Artificial defects were fabricated on the super duplex steel tube in order to reproduce the localized corrosion damage defects found in real welded joints. Three kinds of through thickness defects were considered: 25%, 50% and 96% of the perimeter of the pipe. The performance of the repaired pipe was assessed by hydrostatic tests as per ISO 24817 standard. The results showed that the composite repair system can sustain the designed failure pressure even for the pipe damaged with throughwall defect up to 96% of the perimeter of the pipe. Hence, the composite repair system can be used as a preliminary tool to protect the unexpected or premature failure at the welds and maintain an adequate level of mechanical strength for a given operating pressure. This composite repair system can assure that the pipe will not leak until a planned maintenance of the line. Nevertheless, further work is still desirable to improve the confidence in the long-term performance of bonded composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Light curves show the flux variation from the target star and its orbiting planets as a function of time. In addition to the transit features created by the planets, the flux also includes the reflected light component of each planet, which depends on the planetary albedo. This signal is typically referred to as phase curve and could be easily identified if there were no additional noise. As well as instrumental noise, stellar activity, such as spots, can create a modulation in the data, which may be very difficult to distinguish from the planetary signal. Aims. We analyze the limitations imposed by the stellar activity on the detection of the planetary albedo, considering the limitations imposed by the predicted level of instrumental noise and the short duration of the obervations planned in the context of the CHEOPS mission. Methods. As initial condition, we have assumed that each star is characterized by just one orbiting planet. We built mock light curves that included a realistic stellar activity pattern, the reflected light component of the planet and an instrumental noise level, which we have chosen to be at the same level as predicted for CHEOPS. We then fit these light curves to try to recover the reflected light component, assuming the activity patterns can be modeled with a Gaussian process. Results. We estimate that at least one full stellar rotation is necessary to obtain a reliable detection of the planetary albedo. This result is independent of the level of noise, but it depends on the limitation of the Gaussian process to describe the stellar activity when the light curve time-span is shorter than the stellar rotation. As an additional result, we found that with a 6:5 magnitude star and the noise level of CHEOPS, it is possible to detect the planetary albedo up to a lower limit of Rp = 0:03 R.. Finally, in presence of typical CHEOPS gaps in the simulations, we confirm that it is still possible to obtain a reliable albedo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adhesively bonded joints can support a longer fatigue life if compared to conventional joining techniques, provided that a set of requirements is fulfilled. One of the most important requirements is the mechanical preparation of the bonded joint surface, which improves the joint interface adhesion. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of surface roughness of mild steel substrates on fatigue behavior in adhesive bonded plates. To accomplish this objective, three different surface treatments were used on A36 steel substrate specimens, namely sand blasting, grit blasting, and bristle blasting. Bonded plate specimens, using end-notched flexure format, with a thin adhesive epoxy layer were manufactured and tested, under mode II loading condition, in both static and dynamic tests. The results confirm the importance of surface treatment of the substrate on the fatigue life, confirming that adhesively bonded joints have significant performance differences when subjected to static and dynamic loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work presents the analysis of the fatigue behaviour of a repaired metal-composite panel under mixed-mode loading conditions and also discusses a composite repair of the damaged tube on an offshore unit application. A carbon steel plate (A36) as a parent substrate and an epoxy resin was used. The composite material for the repair was a biaxial +45°/−45° non-crimp carbon fabric. Static and dynamic three-point bending tests were performed. It was found that the fatigue load must be lower than 60% of the static load for fatigue life >105, as recommended by Det Norske Veritas (DNV). It is likely that the findings of this study will be a boost to improve the understanding of the long-term performance of bonded repair in an offshore environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K2-19 is the second multiplanetary system discovered with K2 observations. The system is composed of two Neptune size planets close to the 3:2 mean-motion resonance. To better characterize the system we obtained two additional transit observations of K2-19b and five additional radial velocity observations. These were combined with K2 data and fitted simultaneously with the system dynamics (photodynamical model) which increases the precision of the transit time measurements. The higher transit time precision allows us to detect the chopping signal of the dynamic interaction of the planets that in turn permits to uniquely characterize the system. Although the reflex motion of the star was not detected, dynamic modelling of the system allowed us to derive planetary masses of Mb = 44 ± 12 M and Mc = 15.9 ± 7.0 M for the inner and the outer planets, respectively, leading to densities close to Uranus. We also show that our method allows the derivation of mass ratios using only the 80 d of observations during the first campaign of K2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first super-Earth with measured radius discovered was CoRoT-7b and it has opened the new field of rocky exoplanet characterisation. To better understand this interesting system, new observations were taken with the CoRoT satellite. During this run 90 new transits were obtained in the imagette mode. These were analysed together with the previous 151 transits obtained in the discovery run and HARPS radial velocity observations to derive accurate system parameters. A difference is found in the posterior probability distribution of the transit parameters between the previous CoRoT run (LRa01) and the new run (LRa06). We propose that this is due to an extra noise component in the previous CoRoT run suspected of being transit spot occultation events. These lead to the mean transit shape becoming V-shaped. We show that the extra noise component is dominant at low stellar flux levels and reject these transits in the final analysis. We obtained a planetary radius, Rρ = 1.585 ± 0.064 R⊕, in agreement with previous estimates. Combining the planetary radius with the new mass estimates results in a planetary density of 1.19 ± 0.27 ρ⊕ which is consistent with a rocky composition. The CoRoT-7 system remains an excellent test bed for the effects of activity in the derivation of planetary parameters in the shallow transit regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate and compare the levels of α-tocopherol in colostrum and in the serum of healthy and diabetic mothers. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 51 volunteer mothers, 20 with the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus and 31 without associated diseases. Serum and colostrum samples were collected in fasting in the immediate postpartum period and α-tocopherol was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In order to define the nutritional status of vitamin E, the cutoff point for the serum (697.7µg/dL) was adopted. Student's t-test for independent variables compared the average concentrations of α-tocopherol in the serum and in the colostrum between control and gestational diabetes mellitus groups. Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationship between the concentration of α-tocopherol in serum and colostrum for both groups. Differences were considered significant when p<0.05. Results: The α-tocopherol concentration in colostrum was 1,483.1±533.8µg/dL for Control Group and 1,368.8±681.8µg/dL for diabetic women, without differences between groups (p=0.50). However, α-tocopherol concentration in the serum was 1,059.5±372.7µg/dL in the Control Group and 1,391.4±531.5µg/dL in the diabetic one (p<0.01). No correlation was found between the concentration of α-tocopherol in the serum and in the colostrum for control and diabetic groups. Conclusions: The groups had adequate nutritional status of vitamin E. Gestational diabetes was not associated with changes in α-tocopherol concentration in colostrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. To gain insight on the mass assembly and place constraints on the star formation history (SFH> of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs). it is important to accurately determine their properties. Aims. We estimate how nebular emission and different SFHs affect parameter estimation of LBGs. Methods. We present a homogeneous, detailed analysis of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of ~1700 LBGs from the GOODS-MUSIC catalogue with deep multi-wavelength photometry from the U band to 8μm to determine stellar mass. age. dust attenuation, and star formation rate. Using our SED fitting tool, which lakes into account nebular emission, we explore a wide parameter space. We also explore a set of different star formation histories. Results. Nebular emission is found to significantly affect the determination of the physical parameters for the majority of z ~ 3-6 LBGs. We identify two populations of galaxies by determining the importance of the contribution of emission lines to broadband fluxes. We find that ~65Ci of LBGs show detectable signs of emission lines, whereas ~35% show weak or no emission lines. This distribution is found over the entire rcdshifl range. We interpret these groups as actively star-forming and more quiescent LBGs. respectively. We find that it is necessary to considerer SED fits with very young ages (<50 Myr) to reproduce some colours affected by strong emission lines. Other arguments favouring episodic star formation and relatively short star formation timescales are also discussed. Considering nebular emission generally leads to a younger age. lower stellar mass, higher dust attenuation, higher star formation rate, and a large scatter in the SFR-W. relation. Our analysis yields a trend of increasing specific star formation rate with redshift. as predicted by recent galaxy evolution models. Conclusions. The physical parameters of approximately two thirds of high redshift galaxies are significantly modified when we account for nebular emission. The SED models, which include nebular emission shed new light on the properties of LBGs with numerous important implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exoplanet KOI-142b (Kepler-88b) shows transit timing variations (TTVs) with a semi-amplitude of ~12 h, which earned it the nickname "king of transit variations". Only the transit of planet b was detected in the Kepler data with an orbital period of ~10.92 days and a radius of ~0.36 RJup. The TTVs together with the transit duration variations of KOI-142b were analysed recently, finding a unique solution for a companion-perturbing planet. An outer non-transiting companion was predicted, KOI-142c, with a mass of 0.626 ± 0.03 MJup and a period of 22.3397-0.0018+0.0021 days, which is close to the 2:1 mean-motion resonance with the inner transiting planet. We report an independent confirmation of KOI-142c using radial velocity observations with the SOPHIE spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence. We derive an orbital period of 22.10 ± 0.25 days and a minimum planetary mass of 0.760.16+0.32 MJup, both in good agreement with the predictions by previous transit timing analysis. Therefore, this is the first radial velocity confirmation of a non-transiting planet discovered with TTVs, providing an independent validation of the TTVs technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hot-Jupiter WASP-10b was reported by Maciejewski et al. to show transit timing variations (TTVs) with an amplitude of ~3.5 min. These authors proposed that the observed TTVs were caused by a 0.1 MJup perturbing companion with an orbital period of ~5.23 d, and hence, close to the outer 5:3 mean-motion resonance with WASP-10b. To test this scenario, we present eight new transit light curves of WASP-10b obtained with the Faulkes Telescope North and the Liverpool Telescope. The new light curves, together with 22 previously published ones, were modelled with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo transit fitting code. Transit depth differences reported forWASP-10b are thought to be due to starspot-induced brightness modulation of the host star. Assuming the star is brighter at the activity minimum, we favour a small planetary radius. We find Rp = 1.039-0.049+0.043 RJup in agreement with Johnson et al. and Maciejewski et al. Recent studies find no evidence for a significant eccentricity in this system. We present consistent system parameters for a circular orbit and refine the orbital ephemeris of WASP-10b. Our homogeneously derived transit times do not support the previous claimed TTV signal, which was strongly dependent on two previously published transits that have been incorrectly normalized. Nevertheless, a linear ephemeris is not a statistically good fit to the transit times of WASP-10b. We show that the observed transit time variations are due to spot occultation features or systematics. We discuss and exemplify the effects of occultation spot features in the measured transit times and show that despite spot occultation during egress and ingress being difficult to distinguish in the transit light curves, they have a significant effect in the measured transit times. We conclude that if we account for spot features, the transit times of WASP-10b are consistent with a linear ephemeris with the exception of one transit (epoch 143) which is a partial transit. Therefore, there is currently no evidence for the existence of a companion to WASP-10b. Our results support the lack of TTVs of hot-Jupiters reported for the Kepler sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The existence of a relation between the star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M⋆) of galaxies, and the evolution of the specific star formation rate (sSFR = SFR/M⋆) are key questions for the understanding of early galaxy formation and evolution. Aims. We examine the dependence of derived physical parameters of distant Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) on the assumed star formation histories (SFHs) and age priors, their implications on the SFR-mass relation, and we propose observational tests to better constrain these quantities using IR observations and emission line studies. Methods. We use our spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting tool including the effects of nebular emission. We analyze a large sample of LBGs from redshift z ∼ 3 to 6, assuming five different star formation histories, extending thereby our first analysis of this sample (de Barros et al. 2012, A&A, submitted, Paper II). In addition we predict the IR luminosities consistently with the SED fits, assuming that all radiation absorbed by dust is reemitted in the IR. Results. Compared to "standard" SED fits assuming constant SFR and neglecting nebular lines, models assuming variable SFHs yield systematically lower stellar masses, higher extinction, higher SFR, higher IR luminosities, and a wider range of equivalent widths for optical emission lines. Exponentially declining and delayed SFHs yield basically identical results. Exponentially rising SFHs with variable timescales yield similar masses, but somewhat higher extinction than exponentially declining ones. Distinguishing these SFHs from the currently available data is difficult. We find significant deviations between the derived SFR and IR luminosity from the commonly used SFR(IR) or SFR(IR+UV) calibration, due to differences in the SFHs and ages. For most LBGs at z ≳3 we find that the standard calibrations will underestimate the true, current SFR derived from the SED fits, due to assumptions inconsistent with the SED models. Models with variable SFHs, favored statistically, yield generally a large scatter in the SFR-mass relation. We show the dependence of this scatter on assumptions of the SFH, the introduction of an age prior, and on the extinction law.We show that the true scatter in the SFR-mass relation can be significantly larger than inferred using SFR(UV) and/or SFR(IR), if the true star formation histories are variable and relatively young populations are present. We show that different SFHs, and hence differences in the derived SFR-mass relation and in the specific star formation rates, can be tested/constrained observationally with future IR observations with ALMA. Measurement of emission lines, such as Hα and [O II] λ3727, can also provide useful constraints on the SED models, and hence test the predicted physical parameters. Conclusions. Important results such as the finding of a large scatter in the SFR-mass relation at high-z and an increase of the specific star formation rate with redshift above z ≳3 (cf. Paper II) can be tested observationally using IR observations and measurements of (rest-frame) optical emission lines. Consistent analysis of all the observables including the rest-frame UV to IR and emission lines are required to establish more precisely true SFR values and the scatter in the SFR-mass relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study the adhesion properties of a geopolymer-based adhesive on metallic substrates are investigated, considering different surface conditions. Mechanical treatments (grit-blasting and sand-blasting) and chemical treatments (nitro-phosphoric acid and silanization) were performed on steel and aluminium plates. Single lap joint specimens were tested in order to access the influence of these pretreatments on the shear bond strength. The surfaces were scanned and the average surface roughness parameters were used in order to assess their effect on bond strength. The results indicated that the effect of individual surface roughness parameters alone is not statistically significant when correlated with bond strength. In general, chemical treatments were usually less effective than mechanical treatments alone for both steel and aluminium joints with geopolymers as adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study the adhesion properties of a geopolymer-based adhesive on metallic substrates are investigated, considering different surface conditions. Mechanical treatments (grit-blasting and sand-blasting) and chemical treatments (nitro-phosphoric acid and silanization) were performed on steel and aluminium plates. Single lap joint specimens were tested in order to access the influence of these pretreatments on the shear bond strength. The surfaces were scanned and the average surface roughness parameters were used in order to assess their effect on bond strength. The results indicated that the effect of individual surface roughness parameters alone is not statistically significant when correlated with bond strength. In general, chemical treatments were usually less effective than mechanical treatments alone for both steel and aluminium joints with geopolymers as adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT WASP-13b is a sub-Jupiter mass exoplanet orbiting a G1V type star with a period of 4.35 d. The current uncertainty in its impact parameter (0 < b < 0.46) results in poorly defined stellar and planetary radii. To better constrain the impact parameter, we have obtained high-precision transit observations with the rapid imager to search for exoplanets (RISE) instrument mounted on 2.0-m Liverpool Telescope. We present four new transits which are fitted with a Markov chain Monte Carlo routine to derive accurate system parameters. We found an orbital inclination of 852 ± 03 resulting in stellar and planetary radii of 1.56 ± 0.04 R⊙ and 1.39 ± 0.05 RJup, respectively. This suggests that the host star has evolved off the main sequence and is in the hydrogen-shell-burning phase. We also discuss how the limb darkening affects the derived system parameters. With a density of 0.17ρJ, WASP-13b joins the group of low-density planets whose radii are too large to be explained by standard irradiation models. We derive a new ephemeris for the system, T0= 245 5575.5136 ± 0.0016 (HJD) and P= 4.353 011 ± 0.000 013 d. The planet equilibrium temperature ( Tequ= 1500 K) and the bright host star ( V= 10.4 mag) make it a good candidate for follow-up atmospheric studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to validate and compare Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) values obtained using Monte Carlo simulations with experimental values obtained from Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) and depth dose measurements performed in a Hospital mammography unit. ESD and depth dose were measured using ThermoLuminescent Dosimeters (TLDs), and a tissue equivalent mammography phantom recommended by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Measurements and Monte Carlo simulations were also compared with the MGD calculated using the Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) system of the mammographic unit. In the simulations the Doppler energy broadening effect was also taken into account. The simulated ESD are about 5%–10% higher than the measured ESD values. The deviation between the measured and simulated MGD values in the phantom is of about 15%. The MGD evaluated using the AEC system is smaller both with respect to the Monte Carlo simulation and experimental result by a factor of about 15% and 25% respectively. Moreover the BackScatter Factor (BSF) estimated by Monte Carlo simulations was used for the MGD calculation according to the Wu’s method. Finally the inclusion of the energy broadening effect on MGD calculation produces negligible variations on the simulated results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACT We present high-precision transit observations of the exoplanet WASP-21b, obtained with the Rapid Imager to Search for Exoplanets instrument mounted on the 2.0-m Liverpool Telescope. A transit model is fitted, coupled with a Markov chain Monte Carlo routine, to derive accurate system parameters. The two new high-precision transits allow us to estimate the stellar density directly from the light curve. Our analysis suggests that WASP-21 is evolving off the main sequence which led to a previous overestimation of the stellar density. Using isochrone interpolation, we find a stellar mass of 0.86 ± 0.04 M⊙, which is significantly lower than previously reported (1.01 ± 0.03 M⊙). Consequently, we find a lower planetary mass of 0.27 ± 0.01 MJup. A lower inclination (874 ± 03) is also found for the system than previously reported, resulting in a slightly larger stellar ( R*= 1.10 ± 0.03 R⊙) and planetary radius ( Rp= 1.14 ± 0.04 RJup). The planet radius suggests a hydrogen/helium composition with no core which strengthens the correlation between planetary density and host star metallicity. A new ephemeris is determined for the system, i.e. T0= 245 5084.519 74 ± 0.000 20 (HJD) and P= 4.322 5060 ± 0.000 0031 d. We found no transit timing variations in WASP-21b. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a theoretical analysis for determination of elastic and flexural modulus of natural fibre reinforced hybrid composite is proposed. The proposed analytical model is based on the classical lamination approach to predict the theoretical modulus. Experimental tensile and 3-point bending tests were carried out using standard specimens of inter and intra-ply hybrid composite materials. The elastic and flexural modulus predicted by the new approach showed a better agreement with the experimental results, with a maximum deviation of 11.21% and 11.65 % respectively. From the results it was observed that the theoretical value of elastic and flexural modulus was not accurately predicted by rule of hybrid mixture method. The proposed approach can be adopted as a primary tool to predict the modulus of the composite and it can also be used to optimise the composite parameters such as volume fraction of fibre, ply and fibre orientation, etc. for the maximum performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

V407 Vul (RXJ1914.4+2456) and HM Cnc (RXJ0806.3+1527) are X-ray emitting stars with X-ray light curves that are 100 per cent modulated on periods of 569 and 321 s, respectively. These periods are thought possibly to represent the orbital periods of close pairs of white dwarfs. In this paper we present optical light curves taken with the high-speed CCD camera ULTRACAM on the 4.2-m William Hershel Telescope in 2003 May and 2005 August and with the VLT in 2005 November. The optical and X-ray light curves of HM Cnc have been reported as being in antiphase, but we find that in fact the X-rays peak around 0.2 cycles after the maximum of the optical light, as seen also in V407 Vul. The X-ray/optical phase shifts are well explained under the accreting models of the systems if most of the optical modulation comes from the heated faces of the mass donors and if the X-ray emitting spots are positioned in advance of the mass donors, as is expected given the angular momentum of the accreting material. Some optical emission may also come from the vicinity of the X-ray spot, and we further show that this can explain the non-sinusoidal light curves of HM Cnc. On the basis of this model we constrain the temperature of the heated face of the companion star finding a bolometric luminosity and a distance, d > 1.1 kpc. We can identify no explanation for the X-ray/optical phase shifts under the intermediate polar and unipolar inductor models of the systems. The only significant difference between the two stars is that V407 Vul is observed to have the spectrum of a G star. The variation in position on the sky of a blend of a variable and a constant star can be used as a measure of their separation, and is sensitive to values well below the limit set by seeing. We apply this ‘pulsation astrometry’ to deduce that the G star is separated from the variable by about 0.027 arcsec and hence plays no role in the variability of V407 Vul. We show that light traveltime variations could influence the period change in V407 Vul if it forms a triple system with the G star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Despite the high incidence of RF and the prevalence of RHD in Brazil, the Streptococcus strains more prevalent in our country were not identified. Aiming to have a better epidemiological characterization of the most prevalent strains in Brazil, in the present work we isolated streptococcal different strains from random samples from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) cities using emm genotyping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

V407 Vul and RX J0806.3+1527 are X-ray emitting stars with X-ray light curves that are 100 per cent modulated on periods of 569 and 321 s, respectively. These periods and no others are also seen at optical and infrared wavelengths. These properties have led to the suggestion that the periods are the orbital periods of ultracompact pairs of white dwarfs. There are two main double white dwarf models: the unipolar inductor model analogous to the Jupiter–Io system and the direct impact model analogous to Algol. In this paper, we consider geometrical constraints on the unipolar inductor model, in particular what parameter values (component masses, orbital inclination and magnetic colatitude) can describe the X-ray and optical light curves. We find that for a dipole field on the primary star, the unipolar inductor model fails to match the data on V407 Vul for any combination of parameters and can only match RX J0806.3+1527 if the sparser set of observations of this star have been unluckily timed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long terminal repeats (LTR) sequence divergence among Maedi Visna virus (MVV) isolates leads to LTRs with distinct transcriptional activities, which may result in distinct biological behaviours. The genetic heterogeneity, as well as basal and Tat-induced transcriptional activity of the LTRs from P1OLV and WLC-1 MVV viruses,slow/lowandrapid/highisolates, respectively, have been examined and compared with LTRs from other strains of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV). Transfection assays using a reporter construct containing the LTR fused to a luciferase gene demonstrated that the LTR from P1OLV virus had the weakest promoter activity, suggesting a correlation between the level of promoter activity and the viral replication rate. To confirm this hypothesis, the promoter of P1OLV was cloned into infectious molecular clone KV1772kv72/67 and the resulting chimeric virus was tested for growth in various cell types. Compared to the parental KV1772, the LTR-chimeric virus KV1772/P1OLV exhibited a drastic reduction in replication rate in sheep choroid plexus (SCP) and lung cells, while in ovine macrophages and goat synovial membrane cells (GSM), chimeric virus showed a growth rate similar to that of parental virus. These observations suggest that the LTR is responsible for the slow/lowin vitrophenotype presented by P1OLV in SCP and lung cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. SWEET-Cat (Stars With ExoplanETs Catalog) was originally introduced in 2013, and since then, the number of confirmed exoplanets has increased significantly. A crucial step for a comprehensive understanding of these new worlds is the precise and homogeneous characterization of their host stars. Methods. We used a large number of high-resolution spectra to continue the addition of new stellar parameters for planet-hosting stars in SWEET-Cat following the new detection of exoplanets listed both in the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia and in the NASA exoplanet archive. We obtained high-resolution spectra for a significant number of these planet-hosting stars, either observed by our team or collected through public archives. For FGK stars, the spectroscopic stellar parameters were derived for the spectra following the same homogeneous process using ARES+MOOG as for the previous SWEET-Cat releases. The stellar properties were combined with the planet properties to study possible correlations that could shed more light on the star-planet connection studies. Results. We have increased the number of stars with homogeneous parameters by 232 (~25% – from 959 to 1191). We focus on the exoplanets that have had both mass and radius determined to review the mass-radius relation, and we find results consistent with the ones previously reported in the literature. For the massive planets, we also revisit the radius anomaly, confirming a metallicity correlation for the radius anomaly already hinted at in previous results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The Neptunian desert and savanna have recently been found to be separated by a ridge, an overdensity of planets in the period range of ≃3–5 days. These features are thought to be shaped by dynamical and atmospheric processes. However, their roles are not yet well understood. Aims. Our aim was to confirm and characterize the super-Neptune TESS candidate TOI-5005.01, which orbits a moderately bright (V = 11.8) solar-type star (G2 V) with an orbital period of 6.3 days. With these properties, TOI-5005.01 is located in the Neptunian savanna near the ridge. Methods. We used Bayesian inference to analyse 38 HARPS radial velocity measurements, three sectors of TESS photometry, and two PEST and TRAPPIST-South transits. We tested a set of models involving eccentric and circular orbits, long-term drifts, and Gaussian processes to account for correlated stellar and instrumental noise. We computed the Bayesian evidence to find the model that best represents our dataset and infer the orbital and physical properties of the system. Results. We confirm TOI-5005 b to be a transiting super-Neptune with a radius of Rp = 6.25 ± 0.24 R⊕ (Rp = 0.558 ± 0.021 RJ) and a mass of Mp = 32.7 ± 5.9 M⊕ (Mp = 0.103 ± 0.018 MJ), which corresponds to a mean density of ρp = 0.74 ± 0.16 g cm−3. Our internal structure modelling indicates that the core mass fraction (CMF = 0.74−0.45+0.05) and envelope metal mass fraction (Zenv = 0.08−0.06+0.41) of TOI-5005 b are degenerate, but the overall metal mass fraction is well constrained to a value slightly lower than that of Neptune and Uranus (Zplanet = 0.76−0.11+0.04). The Zplanet /Zstar ratio is consistent with the well-known mass-metallicity relation, which suggests that TOI-5005 b was formed via core accretion. We also estimated the present-day atmospheric mass-loss rate of TOI-5005 b, but found contrasting predictions depending on the choice of photoevaporation model (0.013 ± 0.008 M⊕ Gyr−1 vs. 0.17 ± 0.12 M⊕ Gyr−1). At a population level, we find statistical evidence (p-value = 0.0092−0.0066+0.0184) that planets in the savanna such as TOI-5005 b tend to show lower densities than planets in the ridge, with a dividing line around 1 g cm−3 , which supports the hypothesis of different evolutionary pathways populating the two regimes. Conclusions. TOI-5005 b is located in a region of the period-radius space that is key to studying the transition between the Neptunian ridge and the savanna. It orbits the brightest star of all such planets known today, which makes it a target of interest for atmospheric and orbital architecture observations that will bring a clearer picture of its overall evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planetary system K2-24 is composed of two transiting low-density Neptunians locked in an almost perfect 2:1 resonance and showing large transit time variations (TTVs), and it is an excellent laboratory to search for signatures of planetary migration. Previous studies performed with K2, Spitzer, and RV data tentatively claimed a significant non-zero eccentricity for one or both planets, possibly high enough to challenge the scenario of pure disk migration through resonant capture. With 13 new CHEOPS light curves (seven of planet b, six of planet c), we carried out a global photometric and dynamical re-analysis by including all the available literature data as well. We obtained the most accurate set of planetary parameters to date for the K2-24 system, including radii and masses at 1% and 5% precision (now essentially limited by the uncertainty on stellar parameters) and non-zero eccentricities eb = 0.0498−0.0018+0.0011, ec = 0.0282−0.0007+0.0003 detected at very high significance for both planets. Such relatively large values imply the need for an additional physical mechanism of eccentricity excitation during or after the migration stage. Also, while the accuracy of the previous TTV model had drifted by up to 0.5 days at the current time, we constrained the orbital solution firmly enough to predict the forthcoming transits for the next ~15 years, thus enabling efficient follow-up with top-level facilities such as JWST or ESPRESSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. In recent years, the healthcare landscape has seen a paradigm shift towards patient‐centeredness in the provision of nursing care. The Primary Nursing Care Model has aroused interest as an approach that prioritizes the individualization and continuity of care, as well as the involvement of the patient in decision‐making about their health, which may impact professional satisfaction, as well as the quality and safety of nursing care. Aim. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the Primary Nursing Care Model in a hospital service. Methods. This study employed a quasi‐experimental, single‐group design with pre‐ and postintervention evaluations. It involved a convenience sample of 48 nurses from an internal medicine department. Data collection took place between June and November 2023. The intervention consisted of the implementation of the Primary Nursing Care Model. A questionnaire was used to characterize the sociodemographics of the participants, followed by instruments that made it possible to assess missed care, professional nursing practice environments, safety culture, job satisfaction for nurses, and the perception of activities that contribute to the quality of care. Results. The implementation of the Primary Nursing Care Model showed positive results compared to preimplementation. There were statistically significant differences when applying the Wilcoxon test, p < 0.005, with a reduction in missed care, an enhancement of the professional nursing practice environment and safety culture in nursing practice, as well as nurses' job satisfaction and enhanced perception of the activities that contribute to the quality of care. Conclusion. The implementation of the Primary Nursing Care Model in a hospital setting has demonstrated valuable contributions, underscoring its potential to improve the quality of nursing care and promote patient‐centered care approaches. Further research is recommended to explore its application in diverse healthcare settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WE have provided evidence that: (a) lethality of mice to crude Both rops venom varies according the isogenic strain (A/J > C57Bl/6 > A/Sn > BALB/c > C3H/ HePas > DBA/2 > C3H/He ); (b)BALB/c mice (LD50=100.0 μg) were injected i.p. with 50 μg of venom produced IL-6, IL-10, INF-γ , TNF-α and NO in the serum. In vitro the cells from the mice injected and challenged with the venom only released IL-10 while peritoneal macrophages released IL-10, INF-γ and less amounts of IL-6; (c) establishment of local inflammation and ne cros is induced by the venom, coincides with the peaks of TNF-α , IFN-γ and NO and the damage was neutralized when the venom was incubated with a monoclonal antibody against a 60 kDa haemorrhagic factor. These results suggest that susceptibility to Bothrops a trox venom is genetically dependent but MHC independent; th at IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ and NO can be involved in the mediation of tis sue damage; and that the major venom component inducers of the lesions are haemorrhagins, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential cross sections of Rayleigh scattering were measured for Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, W, Pt, Pb and U at scattering angles between 10,5° and 60° using the 662 keV γ-rays of aCs source. The experimental results are compared with other measurements and with calculations of modified form factor theories and second order perturbation theory. Agreement is obtained with the latter one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotating Modulation Collimators (RMC) are devices that can be used to determine the location of a radiation source. In this work, a design with extended field-of-view (FOV) is proposed to allow faster measurements by providing a wider scanned area. Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the response of the RMC system, system matrix and modulation profiles. The Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization algorithm was used for image reconstruction. The proposed design provides a FOV up to 60° with a maximum error of 5° or up to 70° with a maximum error of 15°. • An extended field-of-view Rotating Modulation Collimator (RMC) is developed to allow time efficient radioactivity measurements. • Slits on the side-body of a cylindrical RMC extended the field-of-view up to 70°. • Various designs of the RMC were investigated and optimized for enhanced imaging performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Since 2018, the ESPRESSO spectrograph at the VLT has been hunting for planets in the southern skies via the radial velocity (RV) method. One of its goals is to follow up on candidate planets from transit surveys such as the TESS mission, with a particular focus on small planets for which ESPRESSO's RV precision is vital. Aims. We aim to confirm and characterise, in detail, three super-Earth candidate transiting planets from TESS using precise RVs from ESPRESSO. Methods. We analysed photometry from TESS and ground-based facilities, high-resolution imaging, and RVs from ESPRESSO, HARPS, and HIRES, to confirm and characterise three new planets: TOI-260 b, transiting a late K dwarf, and TOI-286 b and c, orbiting an early K dwarf. We also updated the parameters for the known super-Earth TOI-134 b (L 168-9 b), which is hosted by an M dwarf. Results. TOI-260 b has a 13.475853−0.000011+0.000013 d period, 4.23 ± 1.60 M⊕ mass, and 1.71 ± 0.08 R⊕ radius. For TOI-286 b we find a 4.5117244−0.0000027+0.0000031 d period, 4.53 ± 0.78 M⊕ mass, and 1.42 ± 0.10 R⊕ radius; for TOI-286 c, we find a 39.361826−0.000081+0.000070 d period, 3.72 ± 2.22 M⊕ mass, and 1.88 ± 0.12 R⊕ radius. For TOI-134 b we obtain a 1.40152604−0.00000082+0.00000074 d period, 4.07 ± 0.45 M⊕ mass, and 1.63 ± 0.14 R⊕ radius. Circular models are preferred for all the planets, although for TOI-260 b the eccentricity is not well constrained. We computed bulk densities and placed the planets in the context of composition models. Conclusions. TOI-260 b lies within the radius valley, and is most likely a rocky planet. However, the uncertainty on the eccentricity and thus on the mass renders its composition hard to determine. TOI-286 b and c span the radius valley, with TOI-286 b lying below it and having a likely rocky composition, while TOI-286 c is within the valley, close to the upper border, and probably has a significant water fraction. With our updated parameters for TOI-134 b, we obtain a lower density than previous findings, giving a rocky or Earth-like composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the use of capsule endoscopy (CE) as a method for investigating obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) when conventional endoscopic examinations are inconclusive. The study included 202 patients with suspected OGIB, and CE was able to identify lesions outside the small bowel segment in 46% of patients, including cases of active bleeding. The most common lesions found were erosions, polyps, and angiodysplasias. The study concludes that CE is an effective and safe tool for diagnosing OGIB and identifying lesions outside the small bowel segment. [Extracted from the article]

Several Lyman Continuum (Ly C) emitters have been detected so far, but their observed ionizing spectra sometimes differ from attenuated stellar spectra predicted by stellar population synthesis modelling. This discrepancy may be due to a significant contribution of Ly C nebular emission. We aim to quantify the importance this emission in Ly C leakers: its contribution to the ionizing photons budget, and to measurements of Ly C escape. To estimate the nebular contribution to the Ly C spectra of galaxies, we run photoionization models with Cloudy for a range of Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis templates, varying the column density of the surrounding gas, from density-bounded (N H  i  = 1016 cm−2) to ionization-bounded (N H  i  = 1019 cm−2) regimes. In the limits of very optically thin (f esc = 1), or thick configurations (f esc = 0), there is no nebular contribution to the emergent Ly C spectra. This contribution matters only at intermediate Ly C opacities (0 < f esc < 1), where it alters the shape of the Ly C spectrum chromatically, so that escape fractions estimates are highly sensitive to the wavelength range over which they are calculated. We propose a formula to estimate integrated escape fractions using F λ700/ F λ1100 flux ratios, since this wavelength range is not affected by nebular emission. Regarding simulations, the boost of hydrogen ionizing photons escaping galaxies is inversely proportional to the stellar escape fractions, but since typical simulated escape fractions are low, Ly C photons escape is important. Nebular Ly C is a non-negligible additional source of ionizing photons from galaxies, whose contribution has been overlooked so far in observations and in cosmic reionization simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Background: Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is a common retinal vascular disorder, strongly associated with age, local and systemic factors. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common local factor predisposing to CRVO. This case aims to present a non-ischaemic CRVO in association with POAG treated successfully with intravitreal bevacizumab injections. Methods: Observational case report. Results: A 60-year old woman with a history of POAG treated with timolol and dorzolamida in both eyes, presented with myodesopsias in the right eye and a progressive, painless visual loss in the left eye with one week of evolution. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/25 in the right eye and counting fingers at 2 meters in the left eye; pupils were reactive and intraocular pressures (IOP) were 11 mm Hg. Fundus examination of the right eye revealed cup to disk (C/D) ratio of 0.7 and posterior vitreous detachment. Left eye revealed C/D ratio of 0.6, dilated and tortuous retinal veins and superficial haemorrhages in all quadrants with significant macular oedema confirmed by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Fluorescein Angiogram of the left eye showed blocked venous flu orescence but relative good retinal capillary perfusion. The diagnosis of non-ischaemic CRVO was assumed and the patient was treated with intravitreal bevacizumab injections (one per month for three months). Fourth month after the diagnosis, BCVA improved to 20/25, neither anterior nor posterior segment examination demonstrated neovascularization and the OCT revealed no macular oedema. Conclusions: This case illustrates an interesting presentation of unilateral non ischaemic CRVO with severe visual loss, where glaucoma was thought to be the main risk factor despite apparent controlled IOP. The rapid onset of treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab injections proved to be safe and effective in resolution of clinical picture. It's important to closely follow up to avoid latter complications and to prevent a similar scenario in the fellow eye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, polymeric composites have been increasingly used as repair material for corroded metallic pipelines, as it can restore the loading capacity and structural integrity of a damaged pipeline. Considerable researches have been carried out on the repair of corroded metallic pipes with fiber-reinforced polymer-based composites. Also, the repair methods have been continuously improving to reduce the time and cost, and increasing the safety and operational certainty. However, there are still many issues, problems, and challenges to be overcome for effective designs. Therefore, in this article, the main developments of the composite repair system components which influence the effectiveness of the composite repair of corroded pipelines were reviewed. The properties, role, and contributions of the fiber, matrix, and putty material on the composite-repaired pipe are briefly discussed. The analytical and numerical methods for failure analysis of composite repair systems were reviewed thoroughly. Composite repair thickness determined using analytical and numerical methods has been also discussed. Finally, in the conclusion section, the current challenges and opportunities are discussed to achieve a more effective design philosophy for the composite repair of metallic pipes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this work is to predict the theoretical burst pressure of defective pipelines using different semi-empirical models and compare them with the hydrostatic test results. A new methodology was formulated with accounting for a minimum thickness (weakest section of the pipe) over the length of the pipe to predict the most conservative burst pressure. With a simple analytical expression, a reasonable accuracy and more conservative burst pressure can be obtained for any arbitrary defect shapes. A variation of burst pressure was found between theoretical prediction and hydrostatic burst test results with respect to the different semi-empirical models even for the same corroded defects. Different defect geometry shape and pipe material conditions are the possible causes for variation in the burst pressure between the semi-empirical models, so a careful selection of these parameters is necessary. The proposed methodology predicted a more conservative burst pressure for all arbitrary defects shapes and can predict reasonably accurate values if it accounts for the axial stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is concerned with the failure analysis of the wall loss defect in pipelines reinforced with a polymer-based composite repair system. The main goal is to propose a methodology that accounts for the pipe extremities (axial stress) in an analysis to predict an accurate failure pressure. The proposed methodology defines a simple expression for a real test specimen condition (closed-cap cylinder), which allows to estimate the failure pressure using the elastic properties of the materials and test specimen geometry. Hydrostatic tests performed in different laboratories are used to validate the proposed methodology. The results show a good agreement between the model prediction and the experimental failure pressure results in all cases. However, a careful selection of the remaining strength factor is needed, as it impacts on the accuracy and conservative level of the failure pressure. In addition to the axial stress, there is a possibility to refine the theoretical prediction of the failure pressure value by accounting for the plastic deformation far from the defect region as well as the radial stress in the failure analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Multiwavelength photometry of the secondary eclipses of extrasolar planets is able to disentangle the reflected and thermally emitted light radiated from the planetary dayside. Based on this, we can measure the planetary geometric albedo Ag, which is an indicator of the presence of clouds in the atmosphere, and the recirculation efficiency ϵ, which quantifies the energy transport within the atmosphere. Aims. We measure Ag and ϵ for the planet WASP-178 b, a highly irradiated giant planet with an estimated equilibrium temperature of 2450 K. Methods. We analyzed archival spectra and the light curves collected by CHEOPS and TESS to characterize the host WASP-178, refine the ephemeris of the system, and measure the eclipse depth in the passbands of the two telescopes. Results. We measured a marginally significant eclipse depth of 70 ± 40 ppm in the TESS passband, and a statistically significant depth of 70 ± 20 ppm in the CHEOPS passband. Conclusions. Combining the eclipse-depth measurement in the CHEOPS (λeff = 6300 Å) and TESS (λeff = 8000 Å) passbands, we constrained the dayside brightness temperature of WASP-178 b in the 2250–2800 K interval. The geometric albedo 0.1< Ag<0.35 generally supports the picture that giant planets are poorly reflective, while the recirculation efficiency ϵ >0.7 makes WASP-178 b an interesting laboratory for testing the current heat-recirculation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spawning biology of silver fish, Odontesthes bonariensis (Cuvier and Valenciennes 1835), from north-western Argentina was studied from monthly captures between November 1997 and March 1999. The spawning period and lengths thereof were analysed using gonadosomatic index (GSI) curves and monthly percentage distributions of maturation stages. A single spawning season with two peaks (late winter and early autumn) within 1 year was identified. Also discussed is the relationship between GSI and Fulton's condition factor K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. A nursing work method is the base for the organization and implementation of nursing care to patients based on nurses' skills. Nurses' work methods are consensually organized into two groups: task-oriented work methods (functional method) and client-centered work methods (teamwork method, individual work method, and work method per reference nurse). As for the impact of the work method on clients, we highlight the interference in the quality of care provided and, regarding nurses, the impact on workload and job satisfaction. Therefore, the existence of tools that allow identifying the organizational methodologies of nursing care is relevant. Aim. The aim of the study is to test the validity and reliability of the nurses work methods assessment scale (NWMAS). Methods. The methodological study followed the recommendations of the EQUATOR network. The NWMAS was previously developed as a self-completion questionnaire. To determine construct validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Results. 325 participants were enrolled in this study. In exploratory factor analysis, the 25 items comprising NWMAS were distributed in five dimensions, contemplating the work methods. Cronbach's alpha of the total scale was 0.846. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit. Conclusion. The NWMAS is a valid and reliable tool. Implications for Nursing Practice. The NWMAS identifies the work methods adopted by nurses in hospital settings, is a valuable tool for nursing management, and contributes to the definition of strategies that promote the quality of nursing care and the safety of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is concerned with the failure pressure assessment of a newly developed GFRP matrix laminated composite repair of metallic pipelines with 80 % wall loss defect. The main motivation is to validate the experimental failure pressure with the theoretical one. Wall loss defects were manufactured into the tube specimen and the performance of the repaired pipe was assessed by hydrostatic tests as per ISO/TS 24817 standard. Results reveal that the theoretical failure pressure as per ISO/TS 24817 standard is found to be conservative. A wide range of failure pressure values was obtained using different criteria. Only RSTRENG 0.85* modified criterion provides a closer value towards the experimental one. However, the criterion selection for damage factor and flow stress condition is an open question as it gives dispersed values of failure pressure. The prediction of the failure pressure must be accurate without being overly conservative. Plastic deformation of the tube occurs towards the end of the tube, consequently, it is necessary to account for this behavior in failure pressure analysis for an accurate prediction. The application of loading-unloading cycles before the failure burst test should be also accounted in order to predict the failure pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

REWARD is a novel mobile spectroscopic radiation detector system for Homeland Security applications. The system integrates gamma and neutron detection equipped with wireless communication. A comprehensive simulation study on its gamma detection capabilities in different radioactive scenarios is presented in this work. The gamma detection unit consists of a precise energy resolution system based on two stacked (Cd,Zn)Te sensors working in coincidence sum mode. The volume of each of these CZT sensors is 1 cm 3 . The investigated energy windows used to determine the detection capabilities of the detector correspond to the gamma emissions from 137 Cs and 60 Co radioactive sources (662 keV and 1173/1333 keV respectively). Monte Carlo and Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) simulations are combined to determine its sensing capabilities for different radiation sources and estimate the limits of detection of the sensing unit as a function of source activity for several shielding materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]