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In a very recent work, [1] claim that the scenario of temperature inhomogeneities proposed by [2] ($t2$ > 0) is not able to explain the O$^{2+}$/H$^{+}$ abundance discrepancy observed between the calculations based on the optical [OIII] collisional excited lines (CELs) and the OII recombination lines (RLs) in the star forming galaxy Mrk71. In this work, we show that conclusions of [1] depend on several assumptions on the absolute flux calibration, reddening correction and the adopted electron density. In fact, using the data of [1] in a different way and even considering their 1{\sigma} uncertainties, it is possible to reach the opposite conclusion, consistent with $t2$ = $0.097 ^{+0.008}_{-0.009}$. Therefore, the existence of temperature inhomogeneities causing the O$^{2+}$/H$^{+}$ abundance discrepancy in Mrk71 can not be ruled out., Comment: Your comments are very welcome

HII regions, ionized nebulae where massive star formation has taken place, exhibit a wealth of emission lines that are the fundamental basis for estimating the chemical composition of the Universe. For more than 80 years, a discrepancy of at least a factor of two between heavy-element abundances derived with collisional excited lines (CELs) and the weaker recombination lines (RLs) has thrown our absolute abundance determinations into doubt. Heavy elements regulate the cooling of the interstellar gas, being essential to the understanding of several phenomena such as nucleosynthesis, star formation and chemical evolution. In this work, we use the best available deep optical spectra of ionized nebulae to analyze the cause of this abundance discrepancy problem. We find for the first time general observational evidence in favor of the temperature inhomogeneities within the gas, quantified by t2. The temperature inhomogeneities inside H II regions are affecting only the gas of high ionization degree and producing the abundance discrepancy problem. This work implies that the metallicity determinations based on CELs must be revised, as they can be severely underestimated, especially in the regions of lower metallicity, such as the JWST high-z galaxies. We present methods to estimate these corrections, which will be critical for robust interpretations of the chemical composition of the Universe over cosmic time., Comment: A Nature paper. The final version of this article can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05956-2 This version of ArXiV is the initial version of the article, not refereed and without subsequent editorial changes. The accepted version will be updated here in 6 months. If you are a researcher and do not have access to the final version of Nature, please write me an email

We conducted a long-slit spectrophotometry analysis to obtain the chemical abundances of seven metal-poor HII regions in three galaxies: UM 160, UM 420, and TOL 0513-393. The data have been taken with the Focal Reducer Low Dispersion Spectrograph 1 (FORS1) at the 8.2-m Very Large Telescope. We derived the physical conditions and the chemical abundances of N, O, Ne, S, Ar, and Cl. We also performed a detailed analysis that involves abundance determinations using the $t^2$ formalism. Based on HeI recombination line intensity ratios, together with the Helio14 code, we derived the abundance of He. In addition, for a value $\Delta Y/\Delta Z_O =3.3\pm 0.7$, we have estimated that the primordial helium abundance by mass is $Y_{\rm P}=0.2448\pm0.0033$. This value agrees with values derived from Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and with other recent determinations of $Y_{\rm P}$., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. This paper has been accepted in MNRAS

A review of some of the papers that discuss the relevance of the temperature structure present in H II regions and planetary nebulae is presented. Particular attention is given to the determination of the chemical abundances of these objects., Comment: 8 pages. Invited review given in the II workshop on Chemical Abundances in Gaseous Nebulae, held between 11-14 March 2019 in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil

To place meaningful constraints on Big Bang Nucleosynthesis models, the primordial helium abundance determination is crucial. Low-metallicity HII regions have been used to estimate it since their statistical uncertainties are relatively small. We present a new determination of the primordial helium abundance, based on long slit spectra of the HII region NGC 346 in the small Magellanic cloud. We obtained spectra using three $409'' \times 0.51''$ slits divided in 97 subsets. They cover the range $\lambda\lambda3600-7400$ of the electromagnetic spectrum. We used PyNeb and standard reduction procedures to determine the physical conditions and chemical composition. We found that for NGC 346: $X=0.7465$, $Y=0.2505$ and $Z=0.0030$. By assuming $\Delta Y / \Delta O = 3.3\pm0.7$ we found that the primordial helium abundance is $Y_{\rm P}= 0.2451 \pm 0.0026$ (1$\sigma$). Our $Y_{\rm P}$ value is in agreement with the value of neutrino families, $N_{\nu}$, and with the neutron half-life time, $\tau_{n}$, obtained in the laboratory., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 9 pages, 6 figures, 9 tables

Most of the chemical evolution models are not very reliable for the last 5~Gyr of galactic evolution; this is mainly because abundance gradients found in the literature show a big dispersion for young objects; a big culprit of this is the dispersion found in HII region gradients. Part of this dispersion arises from two different methods used to determine O/H in HII regions: the direct method (DM), based on forbidden lines; and the temperature independent method (TIM), based on permitted lines; the differences between these two methods are about 0.25~dex. We present two chemical evolution models of our galaxy to fit the O/H gradients of HII regions, one obtained from the DM and the other obtained from the TIM. We find that the model based on the TIM produces an excellent fit to the observational stellar constraints (B-stars, Cepheids, and the Sun), while the model based on the DM fails to reproduce them. Moreover the TIM model reproduces the flattening observed in the 3-6 kpc galactocentric range; this flattening is attained with an inside-out star formation quenching in the inner disk starting ~ 9 Gyr ago., Comment: 11 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

We present a tutorial on the determination of the physical conditions and chemical abundances in gaseous nebulae. We also include a brief review of recent results on the study of gaseous nebulae, their relevance for the study of stellar evolution, galactic chemical evolution, and the evolution of the universe. One of the most important problems in abundance determinations is the existence of a discrepancy between the abundances determined with collisionally excited lines and those determined by recombination lines, this is called the ADF (abundance discrepancy factor) problem; we review results related to this problem. Finally, we discuss possible reasons for the large t$^2$ values observed in gaseous nebulae., Comment: 29 pages, six figures. Accepted for publication as invited tutorial in PASP

Based on observations of HII regions and the new computations of the recombination coefficients of the He I lines by Porter et al. (2013) we obtain a primordial helium abundance by mass of $Y_P = 0.2446\pm0.0029$. We consider thirteen sources of error for the $Y_P$ determination, some of them are mainly due to systematic effects, while the rest are mainly due to statistical effects. We compare our results with other determinations of $Y_P$ present in the literature. Combining our $Y_P$ value with computations of primordial nucleosynthesis we find a number of neutrino species $N_{eff} = 2.90\pm0.22$, and a neutron mean life $\tau_{\nu} = 872\pm14(s)$., Comment: 6 pages. Accepted for publication in the Revista Mexicana de Astronom\'ia y Astrof\'isica

We study the relation between the chemical composition and the type of dust present in a group of 20 Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) that have high quality optical and infrared spectra. The optical spectra are used, together with the best available ionization correction factors, to calculate the abundances of Ar, C, Cl, He, N, Ne, and O relative to H. The infrared spectra are used to classify the PNe in two groups depending on whether the observed dust features are representative of oxygen-rich or carbon-rich environments. The sample contains one object from the halo, eight from the bulge, and eleven from the local disc. We compare their chemical abundances with nucleosynthesis model predictions and with the ones obtained in seven Galactic H II regions of the solar neighbourhood. We find evidence of O enrichment (by $\sim$ 0.3 dex) in all but one of the PNe with carbon-rich dust (CRD). Our analysis shows that Ar, and especially Cl, are the best metallicity indicators of the progenitors of PNe. There is a tight correlation between the abundances of Ar and Cl in all the objects, in agreement with a lockstep evolution of both elements. The range of metallicities implied by the Cl abundances covers one order of magnitude and we find significant differences in the initial masses and metallicities of the PNe with CRD and oxygen-rich dust (ORD). The PNe with CRD tend to have intermediate masses and low metallicities, whereas most of the PNe with ORD show higher enrichments in N and He, suggesting that they had high-mass progenitors., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 14 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables

Based on high quality observations of multiplet V1 of OII and the NLTE atomic computations for OII we study the density and temperature of a sample of PNe. We find that, in general, the densities derived from recombination lines of OII are similar than the densities derived from forbidden lines. This implies that the signature for oxygen rich clumps of high density and low temperature is absent in most of the objects of our sample. Electron pressures derived from the hotter zones are similar or slightly larger than those derived from the colder zones, suggesting the presence of shock waves. The average temperatures and t2 values derived from H, He and O lines are similar and consistent with chemical homogeneity. These results suggest that the abundances of these objects are the ones derived from recombination lines., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. To apear en the October 2014 issue of the "Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica"

Based on high quality observations of multiplet V1 of OII and the NLTE atomic computations of OII we study the density and temperature of a sample of HII regions. We find that the signature for oxygen rich clumps of high density and low temperature is absent in all objects of our sample: one extragalactic and eight Galactic HII regions. The temperatures derived from: a) recombination lines of OII, and b) recombination lines of HI together with Balmer continua are lower than those derived from forbidden lines, while the densities derived from recombination lines of OII are similar or smaller than densities derived from forbidden lines. Electron pressures derived from collisionally excited lines are about two times larger than those derived from recombination lines. These results imply that the proper abundances are those derived from recombination lines and suggest that other processes in addition to direct photoionization, such as dissipation of turbulent energy in shocks, magnetic reconnection, and shadowed regions, might be responsible for the large ADF and t2 values observed in HII regions., Comment: 32 pages (preprint format); 4 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We have performed a detailed analysis of the Ring Nebula (NGC 6720) using HST WFC3 images and derived a new 3-D model. Existing high spectral resolution spectra played an important supplementary role in our modeling. It is shown that the Main Ring of the nebula is an ionization-bounded irregular non-symmetric disk with a central cavity and perpendicular extended lobes pointed almost towards the observer. The faint outer halos are determined to be fossil radiation, i.e. radiation from gas ionized in an earlier stage of the nebula when it was not ionization bounded. The narrow-band WFC3 filters that isolate some of the emission-lines are affected by broadening on their short wavelength side and all the filters were calibrated using ground-based spectra. The filter calibration results are presented in an appendix., Comment: Accepted for publication by the Astronomical Journal

We have performed a detailed analysis of the electron temperature and density in the the Ring Nebula using the calibrated HST WFC3 images described in the preceding paper. The electron temperature (Te) determined from [N II] and [O III] rises slightly and monotonically towards the central star. The observed equivalent width (EW) in the central region indicates that Te rises as high as 13000 K. In contrast, the low EW's in the outer regions are largely due to scattered diffuse Galactic radiation by dust. The images allowed determination of unprecedented small scale variations in Te. These variations indicate that the mean square area temperature fluctuations are significantly higher than expected from simple photoionization. The power producing these fluctuations occurs at scales of less than 3.5E15 cm. This scale length provides a strong restriction on the mechanism causing the large t^2 values observed., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal

We present long slit spectrophotometry of two HII regions: TOL2146-391 and TOL0357-3915. We performed a detailed analysis that involves abundance determinations relaxing the assumption of homogeneous temperature. The temperature inhomogeneities values, t^2, were obtained through two methods: (i) comparing abundances from oxygen recombination lines to abundances from collisionally excited lines and (ii) by using the line intensity ratios of a set of HeI lines together with the HELIO10 program. We find that the HELIO10 program is a good alternative to obtain a t^2 value in photoionized regions where recombination lines of heavy elements are not available. We have plotted 27 high and low metallicity HII regions in an oxygen degree of ionization versus t^2 diagram; we find areas populated by HII regions and areas void of them; the physical characteristics of each area are discussed. In addition, an average t^2 value can be determined for the objects in each area. We propose to use this value for the cases where a direct measurement of t^2 cannot be determined, Comment: 41 pages (preview), 5 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Using a sample of 28 HII regions from the literature with measured temperature inhomogeneity parameter, t^2, we present a statistical correction to the chemical abundances determined with the Te(4363/5007) method. We used the t^2 values to correct the oxygen gaseous abundances and consider the oxygen depletion into dust to calculate the total abundances for these objects. This correction is used to obtain a new calibration of Pagel's strong-line method, R_{23}, to determine oxygen abundances in HII regions. Our new calibration simultaneously considers the temperature structure, the ionization structure, and the fraction of oxygen depleted into dust grains. Previous calibrations in the literature have included one or two of these factors; this is the first time all three are taken into account. This recalibration conciliates the systematic differences among the temperatures found from different methods. We find that the total correction due to thermal inhomogeneities and dust depletion amounts to an increase in the O/H ratio of HII regions by factors of 1.7 to 2.2 (or 0.22 to 0.35 dex). This result has important implications in various areas of astrophysics such as the study of the higher end of the initial mass function, the star formation rate, and the mass-metallicity relation of galaxies, among others., Comment: 16 pages (preprint), 4 figures, 1 Table, accepted in ApJL

We present long slit spectrophotometry considering the presence of thermal inhomogeneities (t^2) of two HII regions in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC): NGC 456 and NGC 460. Physical conditions and chemical abundances were determined for three positions in NGC 456 and one position in NGC 460, first under the assumption of uniform temperature and then allowing for the possibility of thermal inhomogeneities. We determined t^2 values based on three different methods: i) by comparing the temperature derived using oxygen forbidden lines with the temperature derived using helium recombination lines, ii) by comparing the abundances derived from oxygen forbidden lines with those derived from oxygen recombination lines, and iii) by comparing the abundances derived from ultraviolet carbon forbidden lines with those derived from optical carbon recombination lines. The first two methods averaged t^2=0.067+-0.013 for NGC 456 and t^2=0.036+-0.027 for NGC 460. These values of t^2 imply that when gaseous abundances are determined with collisionally excited lines they are underestimated by a factor of nearly 2. From these objects and others in the literature, we find that in order to account for thermal inhomogeneities and dust depletion, the O/H ratio in low metallicity HII regions should be corrected by 0.25-0.45 dex depending on the thermal structure of the nebula, or by 0.35 dex if such information is not available., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 41 pages in pre-print format. 3 figures

Chemical evolution models are useful for understanding the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. Model predictions will be more robust as more observational constraints are used. We present chemical evolution models for the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822 using chemical abundances of old and young Planetary Nebulae (PNe) and \ion{H}{ii} regions as observational constraints. Two sets of chemical abundances, one derived from collisionally excited lines (CELs) and one, from recombination lines (RLs), are used. We try to use our models as a tool to discriminate between both procedures for abundance determinations. In our chemical evolution code, the chemical contribution of low and intermediate mass stars is time delayed, while for the massive stars the chemical contribution follows the instantaneous recycling approximation. Our models have two main free parameters: the mass-loss rate of a well-mixed outflow and the upper mass limit, $M_{up}$, of the initial mass function (IMF). To reproduce the gaseous mass and the present-day O/H value we need to vary the outflow rate and the $M_{up}$ value., Comment: 18, pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A

We discuss a chemical evolution model with Z-dependent yields that reproduces the O/H, C/H, and C/O gradients of the Galactic disk and the chemical history of the solar vicinity. The model fits the H, He, C, and O abundances derived from recombination lines of the HII region M17 (including the fraction of C and O atoms embedded in dust); the protosolar H, He, C, O, and Fe abundances; and the C/O-O/H, C/Fe-Fe/H, and O/Fe-Fe/H relations derived from stars of the solar vicinity. The agreement of the model with the protosolar abundances at the Sun-formation time implies that the Sun originated from a well mixed ISM at a galactocentric distance of 7.6 $\pm$ 0.8 kpc., Comment: to appear in Rev. Mex. Astron and Astrofis. Conf. Ser. Proceedings of XIII Latin American Regional IAU Meeting. 2 pages and 1 figure

We derive the Mg/H ratio in the Orion nebula and in 30 Doradus. We also derive the O/H and the Fe/O ratios in the extremely metal poor galaxy SBS 0335-052. We estimate the dust depletions of Mg, Si, and Fe in Galactic and extragalactic H II regions. Based on these depletions we estimate the fraction of O atoms embedded in dust as a function of the O/H ratio. We find an increasing depletion of O with increasing O/H. The O depletion increases from about 0.08 dex, for the metal poorest H II regions known, to about 0.12 dex, for metal rich H II regions. This depletion has to be considered when comparing nebular with stellar abundances., Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. Rewritten for clarity (following the recomendations by the ApJ referee)

We present chemical evolution models of the Galactic disk with different Z-dependent yields. We find that a moderate mass loss rate for massive stars of solar metallicity produces an excellent fit to the observed C/H and C/O gradients of the Galactic disk. The best model also fits: the H, He, C, and O abundances derived from recombination lines of M17, the protosolar abundances,and the C/O-O/H, C/Fe-Fe/H, and O/Fe-Fe/H relations derived from solar vicinity stars. The agreement of the model with the protosolar abundances implies that the Sun originated at a galactocentric distance similar to the one it has. Our model for $r=3$ kpc implies that a fraction of the stars in the direction of the bulge formed in the inner disc. We obtain a good agreement between our model and the C/O versus O/H relationship derived from extragalactic H~{\sc ii} regions in spiral galaxies., Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures. Rev. Mex. Astron. Astrof. accepted

I present a brief review on the determination of the primordial helium abundance by unit mass, Yp. I discuss the importance of the primordial helium abundance in: (a) cosmology, (b) testing the standard big bang nucleosynthesis, (c) studying the physical conditions in H II regions, (d) providing the initial conditions for stellar evolution models, and (e) testing the galactic chemical evolution models., Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. Appeared in Current Science, vol. 95, pg. 1165-1176, 2008. (http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/nov102008/1165.pdf)

We present chemical evolution models for the Galactic disk. We also present a new determination of X, Y, and Z for M17 a Galactic metal-rich Hii region. We compare our models for the Galactic disk with the Galactic Hii regions abundances. The $\Delta Y/\Delta O$ ratio predicted from the galactic chemical evolution model is in very good agreement with the $\Delta Y/\Delta O$ value derived from M17 and the primordial helium abundance, Yp, taking into account the presence of temperature variations in this Hii region. From the M17 observations we obtain that $\Delta Y/\Delta Z = 1.97 \pm 0.41$, in excellent agreement with two $\Delta Y/\Delta Z$ determinations derived from K dwarf stars of the solar vicinity that amount to $2.1 \pm 0.4$ and $2.1 \pm 0.9$ respectively. We also compare our models with the solar abundances. The solar and Orion nebula O/H values are in good agreement with our chemical evolution model., Comment: to be published in the RevMexAA in October 2008

In this review we present a brief discussion on the observational evidence in favor of the presence of temperature variations, and conclude that many planetary nebulae show spatial temperature variations that are larger than those predicted by 1D static chemically homogeneous photoionization models. To determine accurate chemical abundances it is necessary to know the cause of these temperature variations and several possibilities are discussed. The importance of this problem is paramount to test the models of stellar evolution of low and intermediate mass stars and of the chemical evolution of galaxies. We conclude that the proper abundances for chemically homogeneous PNe are those derived from recombination lines, while for the two-abundance nebular model the proper heavy element abundances relative to hydrogen are those derived from visual and UV collisionally excited lines adopting the t2 values derived from Te([OIII]) and Te(Balmer), Comment: 8 pages, invited review to appear in Proc. IAU Symp. 234, Planetary Nebulae in Our Galaxy and Beyond (3-7 Apr 2006), eds. M.J. Barlow & R.H. Mendez (Cambridge Univ. Press)

Based on the photometric properties of NGC 6822 we derive a robust star formation history. Adopting this history we compute 15 models of galactic chemical evolution. All of them match present-day photometric properties. The dark halo mass in all models evolves according to the mass assembly history predicted by a $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. We model the evolution of the baryonic mass aggregation history in this cosmological context assuming that part of the gas available for accretion never falls into the system due to two different physical processes. For seven models we assume that during accretion the universal baryon fraction is reduced by reionization only. The best model of this first group, a complex model with an early outflow, fits the observed gaseous mass, and the O/H, C/O, and Fe/O present-day values. This model requires a lower upper mass limit for the IMF than that of the solar vicinity, in agreement with recent results by other authors. We have also computed eight models where, in addition to reionization, the accreted baryon fraction is reduced by large-scale shock heating.The best model of this series, that also requires and early outflow and a lower upper mass limit for the IMF,can marginally fit the gaseous mass and the O/H and C/O observed values., Comment: 25 pages, ApJ accepted

The determination of the heavy element abundances from giant extragalactic H II regions has been generally based on collisionally excited lines. We will discuss the reasons to study the characteristics of recombination lines, and then use these lines to determine chemical abundances. Of these lines the oxygen (specifically the O II) lines are the most important; and, of them, the lines of multiplet 1 of O II are the most accessible. It has often been assumed that by measuring the intensity of a single line within a multiplet the intensities of all the lines in the multiplet can be determined; in recent studies we have found that the intensity ratios of lines within a multiplet can depend on density; we will present empirical density-intensity relationships for multiplet 1 based on recent observations of H II regions and planetary nebulae. From observations deof H II regions we find that the critical density for collisional redistribution of the multiplet 1 O II recombination lines amounts to 2800 +- 500 cm-3. We point out that the O/H recombination abundances of H II regions in the solar vicinity are in excellent agreement with the O/H solar value, while the abundances derived from collisionally excited lines are not. We present a calibration of Pagel's method in the 8.2 < 12 + log O/H < 8.8 range based on O recombination lines., Comment: 6 pages, to appear in: Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica Serie de Conferencias

We present long slit spectrophotometry of regions V and X of the local group irregular galaxy NGC 6822. The data consist of VLT FORS observations in the 3450 to 7500 A range. We have obtained electron temperatures and densities using different line intensity ratios. We have derived the He, C, and O abundances relative to H based on recombination lines, the abundance ratios among these elements are almost independent of the temperature structure of the nebulae. We have also determined the N, O, Ne, S, Cl, and Ar abundances based on collisionally excited lines, the ratios of these abundances relative to that of H depend strongly on the temperature structure of the nebulae. The chemical composition of NGC 6822 V is compared with those of the Sun, the Orion nebula, NGC 346 in the SMC, and 30 Doradus in the LMC. The O/H value derived from recombination lines is in good agreement with the value derived by Venn et al. (2001) from two A type supergiants in NGC 6822., Comment: 36 pages, Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Recent advances on the quest to determine the primordial or pregalactic helium abundance, Yp, are reviewed. There are seven problems affecting the He/H abundance determinations of H II regions that are briefly discussed: the underlying absorption lines in the observed spectra, the ionization, temperature, and density structures of each object, the collisional contribution to the intensity of the He I and H I lines, the optical thickness of the He I lines, and the extrapolation to derive Yp based on the Y and O/H values., Comment: 10 pages. Conference on Star Formation through Time (ASP Conference Series)

The determination of the heavy element abundances from giant extragalactic H II regions is based on collisionally excited lines. We argue that in the presence of temperature variations the abundances determined are lower limits to the real heavy element abundances. To determine the real abundances it is necessary to take into account the temperature variations present in these nebulae. We discuss the relevance of obtaining accurate line intensities of recombination lines of H, He, C, and O to determine the chemical composition of extragalactic H II regions. We suggest that Pagel's method to derive the O/H ratio should be calibrated by using recombination lines instead of photoionization models or abundances derived from collisionally excited lines., Comment: 4 pages, conference on "Science with the GTC-10m Telescope", Granada, Spain, February, 2002

A few results that indicate the presence of temperature variations in gaseous nebulae are reviewed. The evidence is based on: a) temperatures derived from different methods, and b) on comparisons of abundances predicted by models of galactic chemical evolution with abundances derived from observations., Comment: 6 pages, proceedings of the 10th IAU latinamerican regional reunion

It is argued that an important fraction of PNe present large temperature variations that are not due to observational errors nor to incomplete atomic physics. Seven possible causes for these variations are reviewed, one of them is presented for the first time., Comment: 8 pages, ASP Conference Series, Planetary Nebulae and Their Role in the Universe

We study the effect that the temperature structure has on the determination of the primordial helium abundance, Yp. We provide an equation linking T(OIII), the temperature derived from the [OIII] lines, and T(HeII), the temperature of the He I lines, both for HII regions with O++ only and for HII regions where a fraction of O+ is present. By means of T(HeII), which is always smaller than T(OIII), we derive the helium abundances of 5 objects with low and very low metallicity (NGC 346, NGC 2363, Haro29, SBS 0335-052, and I Zw 18); these objects were selected from the literature because they include the 3 low metallicity objects with the best line determinations and the 2 objects with the lowest metallicity. From these abundances we obtain that Yp(nHc)=0.2356+-0.0020, a value 0.0088 lower than that derived by using T(OIII). We call this determination Yp(nHc) because the collisional contribution to the Balmer line intensities has not been taken into account. All the recent Yp determinations in the literature have not taken into account the collisional contribution to the Balmer line intensities. By considering the collisional contribution to the Balmer line intensities of these five objects we derive that Yp(+Hc)=0.2384+-0.0025., Comment: 28 pages + 4 figures. Revised version, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

In this summary I review some results relative to: planetary nebulae, H II regions, chemical evolution of galaxies, and the determination of the primordial helium abundance. These results were presented during the symposium "Ionized Gaseous Nebulae" which took place in Mexico City, Nov, 2000. To get a more general perspective of this meeting I encourage you to read all the contributions to the symposium proceedings., Comment: 5 pages, will appear in the Conference Series of the Revista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica

Spectrophotometry in the 3400-7400 range is presented for 13 areas of the brightest H II region in the SMC: NGC 346. The observations were obtained at CTIO with the 4-m telescope. Based on these observations its chemical composition is derived. The helium and oxygen abundances by mass are given by: Y(SMC)=0.2405+-0.0018 and O(SMC)=0.00171+-0.00025. From models and observations of irregular and blue compact galaxies it is found that dY/dO=3.5+-0.9 and consequently that the primordial helium abundance by mass is given by: Yp=0.2345+-0.0026 (1-sigma). This result is compared with values derived from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and with other determinations of Yp., Comment: 32 pages + 5 figures Referee Revised Version

A new determination of the pregalactic helium abundance based on the Magellanic Clouds H II regions is discussed. This determination amounts to Yp = 0.2345 +- 0.0030 and is compared with those derived from giant extragalactic H II regions in systems with extremely low heavy elements content. It is suggested that the higher primordial value derived by other authors from giant H II region complexes could be due to two systematic effects: the presence of neutral hydrogen inside the helium Stromgren sphere and the presence of temperature variations inside the observed volume., Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, IAU Symposium 198

By comparing observed abundance gradients with those predicted by a chemodynamical model of the Galaxy the following results are obtained: there is a defficiency of O/H poor PNe in the solar vicinity which implies that only a fraction of intermediate mass stars produce PNe, a similar result is obtained from the observed abundance distributions of Ne/H, S/H and Ar/H; the age distributions of the stellar progenitors of type II and type III PNe show a substantial overlap, but the average age of the progenitors of type III PNe is larger than that of the progenitors of type II PNe; the S/H and the Ar/H gradients of type I PNe and H II regions are similar, the flatter O/H gradient of type I PNe relative to that of H II regions is probably to the effect of temperature fluctuations on the abundance determinations; the similarity of the abundance gradients derived from H II regions, and PNe imply that transient phenomena are not important in shaping the present day H II gradients., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table