Studying the WHIM Content of the Galaxy Large-Scale Structures along the Line of Sight to H 2356-309

We make use of a 500ks Chandra HRC-S/LETG spectrum of the blazar H2356-309, combined with a lower S/N spectrum of the same target, to search for the presence of warm-hot absorbing gas associated with two Large-Scale Structures (LSSs) crossed by this sightline at z=0.062 (the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster, PCS) and at z=0.128 ("Farther Sculptor Wall", FSW). No statistically significant (>=3sigma) individual absorption is detected from any of the strong He- or H-like transitions of C, O and Ne at the redshifts of the structures. However we are still able to constrain the physical and geometrical parameters of the associated putative absorbing gas, by performing joint spectral fit of marginal detections and upper limits of the strongest expected lines with our self-consistent hybrid ionization WHIM spectral model. At the redshift of the PCS we identify a warm phase with logT=5.35_-0.13^+0.07 K and log N_H =19.1+/-0.2 cm^-2 possibly coexisting with a hotter and less significant phase with logT=6.9^+0.1_-0.8 K and log N_H=20.1^+0.3_-1.7 cm^-2 (1sigma errors). For the FSW we estimate logT=6.6_-0.2^+0.1 K and log N_H=19.8_-0.8^+0.4 cm^-2. Our constraints allow us to estimate the cumulative number density per unit redshifts of OVII WHIM absorbers. We also estimate the cosmological mass density obtaining Omega_b(WHIM)=(0.021^+0.031_-0.018) (Z/Z_sun)^-1, consistent with the mass density of the intergalactic 'missing baryons' for high metallicities.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

Biogeographical patterns of endolithic infestation in an invasive and an indigenous intertidal marine ecosystem engineer

By altering the phenotypic properties of their hosts, endolithic parasites can modulate the engineering processes of marine ecosystem engineers. Here, we assessed the biogeographical patterns of species assemblages, prevalence and impact of endolithic parasitism in two mussel species that act as important ecosystem engineers in the southern African intertidal habitat, Perna perna and Mytilus galloprovincialis. We conducted large-scale surveys across three biogeographic regions along the South African coast: the subtropical east coast, dominated by the indigenous mussel, P. perna, the warm temperate south coast, where this species coexists with the invasive Mediterranean mussel, M. galloprovincialis, and the cool temperate west coast dominated by M. galloprovincialis. Infestation increased with mussel size, and in the case of M. galloprovincialis we found a significantly higher infestation in the cool temperate bioregion than the warm temperate region. For P. perna, the prevalence of infestation was higher on the warm temperate than the subtropical region, though the difference was marginally non-significant. On the south coast, there was no significant difference in infestation prevalence between species. Endolith-induced mortality rates through shell collapse mirrored the patterns for prevalence. For P. perna, endolith species assemblages revealed clear grouping by bioregions. Our findings indicate that biogeography affects cyanobacteria species composition, but differences between biogeographic regions in their effects are driven by environmental conditions.Agência financiadora Número do subsídio Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT-MEC, Portugal) UID/Multi/04326/2019 IF/01413/2014/CP1217/CT0004 South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) of the Department of Science and Technology National Research Foundationinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

X-ray spectral analysis of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus NGC 7213 using long XMM-Newton observations

We present the X-ray spectral results from the longest X-ray Multi-mirror Mission–Newton observation, 133 ks, of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus NGC 7213. The hardness-ratio analysis of the X-ray light curves discloses a rather constant X-ray spectral shape, at least for the observed exposure time, enabling us to perform X-ray spectral studies using the total observed spectrum. Apart from a neutral Fe K? emission line, we also detect narrow emission lines from the ionized iron species, Fe?xxv and Fe?xxvi. Our analysis suggests that the neutral Fe K? originates from a Compton-thin reflector, while the gas responsible for the high-ionization lines is collisionally excited. The overall spectrum, in the 0.3–10?keV energy band, registered by the European Photon Imaging Camera can be modelled by a power-law component (with a slope of ? ? 1.9) plus two thermal components at 0.36 and 8.84?keV. The low-energy thermal component is entirely consistent with the X-ray spectral data obtained by the Reflection Grating Spectrometer between 0.35–1.8?keV

Arrangement of Photosystem II and ATP Synthase in Chloroplast Membranes of Spinach and Pea

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.We used cryoelectron tomography to reveal the arrangements of photosystem II (PSII) and ATP synthase in vitreous sections of intact chloroplasts and plunge-frozen suspensions of isolated thylakoid membranes. We found that stroma and grana thylakoids are connected at the grana margins by staggered lamellar membrane protrusions. The stacking repeat of grana membranes in frozen-hydrated chloroplasts is 15.7 nm, with a 4.5-nm lumenal space and a 3.2-nm distance between the flat stromal surfaces. The chloroplast ATP synthase is confined to minimally curved regions at the grana end membranes and stroma lamellae, where it covers 20% of the surface area. In total, 85% of the ATP synthases are monomers and the remainder form random assemblies of two or more copies. Supercomplexes of PSII and light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) occasionally form ordered arrays in appressed grana thylakoids, whereas this order is lost in destacked membranes. In the ordered arrays, each membrane on either side of the stromal gap contains a two-dimensional crystal of supercomplexes, with the two lattices arranged such that PSII cores, LHCII trimers, and minor LHCs each face a complex of the same kind in the opposite membrane. Grana formation is likely to result from electrostatic interactions between these complexes across the stromal gap.The work was supported in part by RR000592 from the National Institutes of Health to D.N. and J.R.M

Levantamento de dados agropecuários da região metropolitana de Campinas: principais produtos e sua importância para fundamentar o atlas ambiental escolar.

Este trabalho pretende descrever os principais produtos agropecuários presentes na Região Metropolitana de Campinas (RMC). A descrição foi baseada em levantamento e organização de dados primários de acesso público.O trabalho de coleta de dados integra o projeto ?Geotecnologias como apoio à elaboração de material didático para o ensino fundamental: Atlas Ambiental Escolar da Região Metropolitana de Campinas (GeoAtlas)?. Este projeto visa elaborar, em conjunto com professores da rede municipal de Campinas, um material de apoio para estudantes do ensino fundamental com enfoque para a agropecuária como um agente modificador da paisagem (EMBRAPA MONITORAMENTO POR SATÉLITE, 2010). O atlas utilizará a RMC como estudo de caso, inserindo o local de vivência dos alunos em seu aprendizado.A coleta de dados primários é fundamental para a compreensão das atividades agropecuárias presentes na região. O uso de materiais e dados de acesso público permitirá que a metodologia desenvolvida para a elaboração do atlas possa ser disseminada para outros municípios do Brasil.Os dados censitários serão analisados, buscando compreender quais são os produtos agrícolas mais importantes na paisagem dos municípios que integram a RMC

A New Method for Obtaining Binary Pulsar Distances and its Implications for Tests of General Relativity

We demonstrate how measuring orbital period derivatives can lead to more accurate distance estimates and transverse velocities for some nearby binary pulsars. In many cases this method will estimate distances more accurately than is possible by annual parallax, as the relative error decreases as t^-5/2. Unfortunately, distance uncertainties limit the degree to which nearby relativistic binary pulsars can be used for testing the general relativistic prediction of orbital period decay to a few percent. Nevertheless, the measured orbital period derivative of PSR B1534+12 agrees within the observational uncertainties with that predicted by general relativity if the proper-motion contribution is accounted for.Comment: 4 pages, latex, uuencoded compressed postscript + source, no figures, uses aaspptwo.sty and dec.sty, accepted for publication in ApJL, omitted reference now include

Produção e organização de dados agrícolas da região metropolitana de Campinas para apoiar a elaboração de material didático pedagógico.

A Região Metropolitana de Campinas (RMC), importante polo de alta tecnologia no Brasil, congrega uma grande diversidade de culturas agrícolas em seus 19 municípios. Na busca por entender melhor a dinâmica temporal e espacial dessas culturas, realizou-se um detalhado levantamento de dados gerados pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) e pela Coordenadoria de Assistência Técnica Integral (Cati). Esse levantamento resultou na organização de um banco de dados em agropecuária regional. A informação foi organizada em planilhas e mapas que contribuem para a identificação dos principais produtos agrícolas em escalas regionais. O material produzido agrega dados de área cultivada, quantidade produzida e, no caso da pecuária, do tamanho do efetivo de rebanho de animais, assim como informações referentes à evolução temporal desses produtos nos municípios da RMC. O banco de dados foi gerado com o objetivo de oferecer subsídios ao Projeto Geotecnologias como apoio à elaboração de material didático para o ensino fundamental (GeoAtlas). O atlas ambiental escolar, produto resultante do projeto GeoAtlas, utilizará a agropecuária regional como eixo principal de discussão dos conteúdos escolares, e sua elaboração ocorre em parceria com pesquisadores e professores da rede municipal de ensino de Campinas