A variable star population in the open cluster NGC\,6819 observed by the Kepler spacecraft

We present the list of variable stars we found in the \kep\ superstamp data covering approximately nine arcminutes from the central region of NGC6819. This is a continuation of our work presented by Sanjayan et al.(2022a). We classified the variable stars based on the variability type and we established their cluster membership based on the available Gaia Data Release 3 astrometry. Our search revealed 385 variable stars but only 128 were found to be cluster members. In the case of eclipsing and contact binaries we calculated the mid-times of eclipses and derived ephemerides. We searched for eclipse timing variation using the observed minus calculated diagrams. Only five objects show significant orbital period variation. We used isochrones calculated within the MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks project and derived the average age (2.54 Gyr), average distance (2.3 kpc) and iron content [Fe/H] = -0.01(2), of NGC6819. We confirm this distance by the one derived from Gaia astrometry of the cluster members with membership probabilities greater than 0.9

Collapse of the world's largest herbivores

Large wild herbivores are crucial to ecosystems and human societies. We highlight the 74 largest terrestrial herbivore species on Earth (body mass ≥100 kg), the threats they face, their important and often overlooked ecosystem effects, and the conservation efforts needed to save them and their predators from extinction. Large herbivores are generally facing dramatic population declines and range contractions, such that ~60% are threatened with extinction. Nearly all threatened species are in developing countries, where major threats include hunting, land-use change, and resource depression by livestock. Loss of large herbivores can have cascading effects on other species including large carnivores, scavengers, mesoherbivores, small mammals, and ecological processes involving vegetation, hydrology, nutrient cycling, and fire regimes. The rate of large herbivore decline suggests that ever-larger swaths of the world will soon lack many of the vital ecological services these animals provide, resulting in enormous ecological and social costs

“Panampaniyaaram”: A Traditional Food Product Made with SmallMillet for Revitalization towards Sustainable Nutrition

performed by panelists using a 9-point hedonic scale were used to assess nineteen treatments on different mixtures by altering the flour types and their percentages in four levels, with palmyrah pulp and small-millet flours, including finger millet, little millet, and Foxtail millet. The sample prepared from 100% finger millet flour was chosen as the most preferred sample, based on the results obtained from the sensory evaluations. Physicochemical analysis of the selected treatment revealed that pH was 5.86±0.01 and the total ash content 1.38±0.18 g/100 g was significantly (p<0.05) higher, and crude fat content 9.04±0.02 g/100 g, total salt content 0.201±0.026 g/100 g, and total sugar content 16.38 g/100g, was significantly (p<0.05) less than that of the control sample which contained wheat flour. The selected treatment of the mineral content was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of the control treatment and contained Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium were 150, 60, 32.7 and 76.8 mg/100 g, respectively. In summary, palmyrah fruit pulp and finger millet can be used to create healthy, nutritional and affordable natural snacks “panampaniyaaram”, which will satisfy consumer preferences. Further studies are required to understand the developed product's organoleptic properties, antioxidant, vitamins, and anti-microbial activities as well as ways to extend its shelf-life. Keywords: Panampaniyaaram, palmyrah pulp, small-millets, finger millet, value-additio

Variable Blue Straggler Stars in Open Cluster NGC 6819 Observed in the Kepler 'Superstamp' Field

NGC 6819 is an open cluster of age 2.4 Gyr that was in the NASA Kepler spacecraft field of view from 2009 to 2013. The central part of the cluster was observed in a 200 x 200 pixel `superstamp' during these four years in 30-minute cadence photometry, providing a unique long time-series high-precision data set. The cluster contains 'blue straggler' stars, i.e., stars on the main sequence above the cluster turnoff that should have left the main sequence to become red giants. We present light curves and pulsation frequency analyses derived from custom photometric reductions for five confirmed cluster members--four blue stragglers and one star near the main-sequence turnoff. Two of these stars show a rich spectrum of $\delta$ Scuti pulsation modes, with 236 and 124 significant frequencies identified, respectively, while two stars show mainly low-frequency modes, characteristic of $\gamma$ Doradus variable stars. The fifth star, a known active x-ray binary, shows only several harmonics of two main frequencies. For the two $\delta$ Scuti stars, we use a frequency separation--mean-density relation to estimate mean density, and then use this value along with effective temperature to derive stellar mass and radius. For the two stars showing low frequencies, we searched for period-spacing sequences that may be representative of gravity-mode or Rossby-mode sequences, but found no clear sequences. The common age for the cluster members, considered along with the frequencies, will provide valuable constraints for asteroseismic analyses, and may shed light on the origin of the blue stragglers.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal February 23, 2023. 36 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables in text, 5 in Appendi

Mode identification in three pulsating hot subdwarfs observed with TESS satellite

We report on the detection of pulsations of three pulsating subdwarf B stars observed by the TESS satellite and our results of mode identification in these stars based on an asymptotic period relation. SB 459 (TIC 067584818), SB 815 (TIC 169285097) and PG 0342+026 (TIC 457168745) have been monitored during single sectors resulting in 27 days coverage. These datasets allowed for detecting, in each star, a few tens of frequencies, which we interpreted as stellar oscillations. We found no multiplets, though we partially constrained mode geometry by means of period spacing, which recently became a key tool in analyses of pulsating subdwarf B stars. Standard routine that we have used allowed us to select candidates for trapped modes that surely bear signatures of non-uniform chemical profile inside the stars. We have also done statistical analysis using collected spectroscopic and asteroseismic data of previously known subdwarf B stars along with our three stars. Making use of high precision trigonometric parallaxes from the Gaia mission and spectral energy distributions we converted atmospheric parameters to stellar ones. Radii, masses and luminosities are close to their canonical values for extreme horizontal branch stars. In particular, the stellar masses are close to the canonical one of 0.47 M$_\odot$ for all three stars but uncertainties on the mass are large. The results of the analyses presented here will provide important constrains for asteroseismic modelling.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figure

The Effect of Antisolvent Treatment on the Growth of 2D/3D Tin Perovskite Films for Solar Cells

Antisolvent treatment is used in the fabrication of perovskite films to control grain growth during spin coating. We study widely incorporated aromatic hydrocarbons and aprotic ethers, discussing the origin of their performance differences in 2D/3D Sn perovskite (PEA0.2FA0.8SnI3) solar cells. Among the antisolvents that we screen, diisopropyl ether yields the highest power conversion efficiency in solar cells. We use a combination of optical and structural characterization techniques to reveal that this improved performance originates from a higher concentration of 2D phase, distributed evenly throughout the 2D/3D Sn perovskite film, leading to better crystallinity. This redistribution of the 2D phase, as a result of diisopropyl ether antisolvent treatment, has the combined effect of decreasing the Sn4+ defect density and background hole density, leading to devices with improved open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and power conversion efficiency

Effect of Polypropylene fibres on the Workability parameters of Extrudable Cementitious Material

Additive manufacturing in construction industry has been introduced as an aspiration for a more sustainable built environment and currently evolving with high demand amongst researches. This study is an investigation of the influence of polypropylene (PP) fibre addition on the workability parameters of a new extrudable concrete mixture. As the quality of final printed structure prominently depends on the fresh state properties of concrete, this investigation mainly focused on the rheological properties such as workability (flow), setting time, extrudability and buildability. These parameters were systematically investigated through a small scale experimental process with time after mixing. The selected control mix with Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and Silica Fume (SF) was used in this analysis. The Control cementitious specimens without fibre inclusion and with fibre addition in different volume fraction of binder, ranging from 0.5% to 3% were printed. The results showed that the fibre addition of 0, 0.5 and 1.0% have the better flowability and extrudability compared to 1.5, 2 and 3%. Also, reduction in the print quality was assessed visually with increasing fibre percentage. However, results indicated that the initial setting time is comparatively low for those mixes with higher fibre inclusion which is required for better bond strength between layers. Moreover, higher fibre content caused better buildability and shape retention in the extruded samples

23.2% efficient low band gap perovskite solar cells with cyanogen management

Managing iodine formation is crucial for realising efficient and stable perovskite photovoltaics. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a widely adopted hole transport material, particularly for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, improving the performance and stability of PEDOT:PSS based perovskite optoelectronics remains a key challenge. We show that amine-containing organic cations de-dope PEDOT:PSS, causing performance loss, which is partially recovered with thiocyanate additives. However, this comes at the expense of device stability due to cyanogen formation from thiocyanate-iodine interaction which is accelerated in the presence of moisture. To mitigate this degradation pathway, we incorporate an iodine reductant in lead-tin PSCs. The resulting devices show an improved power conversion efficiency of 23.2% which is among the highest reported for lead-tin PSCs, and ∼66% enhancement in the TS80 lifetime under maximum power point tracking and ambient conditions. These findings offer insights for designing next-generation hole extraction materials for more efficient and stable PSCs

An investigation of the mechanisms for strength gain or loss of geopolymer mortar after exposure to elevated temperature

When fly ash-based geopolymer mortars were exposed to a temperature of 800 °C, it was found that the strength after the exposure sometimes decreased, but at other times increased. This paper shows that ductility of the mortars has a major correlation to this strength gain/loss behaviour. Specimens prepared with two different fly ashes, with strengths ranging from 5 to 60 MPa, were investigated. Results indicate that the strength losses decrease with increasing ductility, with even strength gains at high levels of ductility. This correlation is attributed to the fact that mortars with high ductility have high capacity to accommodate thermal incompatibilities. It is believed that the two opposing processes occur in mortars: (1) further geopolymerisation and/or sintering at elevated temperatures leading to strength gain; (2) the damage to the mortar because of thermal incompatibility arising from non-uniform temperature distribution. The strength gain or loss occurs depending on the dominant process

Measuring the Impacts of Community-based Grasslands Management in Mongolia's Gobi

We assessed a donor-funded grassland management project designed to create both conservation and livelihood benefits in the rangelands of Mongolia's Gobi desert. The project ran from 1995 to 2006, and we used remote sensing Normalized Differential Vegetation Index data from 1982 to 2009 to compare project grazing sites to matched control sites before and after the project's implementation. We found that the productivity of project grazing sites was on average within 1% of control sites for the 20 years before the project but generated 11% more biomass on average than the control areas from 2000 to 2009. To better understand the benefits of the improved grasslands to local people, we conducted 280 household interviews, 8 focus group discussions, and 31 key informant interviews across 6 districts. We found a 12% greater median annual income as well as a range of other socioeconomic benefits for project households compared to control households in the same areas. Overall, the project generated measurable benefits to both nature and people. The key factors underlying project achievements that may be replicable by other conservation projects include the community-driven approach of the project, knowledge exchanges within and between communities inside and outside the country, a project-supported local community organizer in each district, and strong community leadership