A CCD photometric study of the late type contact binary EK Comae Berenices

We present CCD photometric observations of the W UMa type contact binary EK Comae Berenices using the 2 metre telescope of $IUCAA$ Girawali Observatory, India. The star was classified as a W UMa type binary of subtype-W by \citet{sam1996}. The new V band photometric observations of the star reveal that shape of the light curve has changed significantly from the one observed by \citet{sam1996}. A detailed analysis of the light curve obtained from the high-precision CCD photometric observations of the star indicates that EK Comae Berenices is not a W-type but an A-type totally eclipsing W UMa contact binary. The photometric mass ratio is determined to be 0.349 $\pm$ 0.005. A temperature difference of $\Delta T = 141 \pm 10$ K between the components and an orbital inclination of $i [^{o}] = 89.800 \pm 0.075$ were obtained for the binary system. Absolute values of masses, radii and luminosities are estimated by means of the standard mass-luminosity relation for zero age main-sequence stars. The star shows O'Connell effect, asymmetries in the light curve shape around the primary and secondary maximum. The observed O'Connell effect is explained by the presence of a hot spot on the primary component.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in New Astronom

Period changes in six contact binaries: WZ And, V803 Aql, DF Hya, PY Lyr, FZ Ori, and AH Tau

Six contact binaries lacking a period analysis have been chosen to search for the presence of a third body. The O-C diagrams of these binaries were analyzed with the least-squares method by using all available times of minima. Ten new minima times, obtained from our observations, were included in the present research. The Light-Time Effect was adopted for the first time as the main cause for the detailed description of the long-term period changes. Third bodies were found with orbital periods from 49 up to 100 years, and eccentricities from 0.0 to 0.56 for the selected binaries. In one case (WZ And), a fourth-body LITE variation was also applied. The mass functions and the minimal masses of such bodies were also calculated and a possible angular separation and magnitude differences were discussed for a prospective interferometric discovery of these bodies.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 2009 New Astronomy 14, 12

Late Holocene camelid pastoralism in the Puna highlands of Argentina: an integrative approach using stable isotope analysis of tooth enamel

Pre-Hispanic pastoralist mobility has been a major topic in Andean archaeology and it is considered a key component of modern pastoral systems in the Andean highlands. Of particular interest here has been the exploration of changes in camelid breeding and herding between pre-Hispanic and modern pastoralist contexts. This paper examines variation in diet and territoriality of domestic camelids using intra-tooth enamel carbon and oxygen stable isotope measurements from modern and archaeological llama specimens from the Dry Puna of Argentina. We explore whether dietary and territoriality changes linked to seasonal mobility of modern llama herds are reflected in intra-tooth isotopic variation, and thus establish a modern frame of reference to study Late Holocene pastoralist mobility in the Puna highlands. Our preliminary results show the existence of moderate intra-tooth isotopic variation for enamel δ13CV − PDB and δ18OV − PDB values. Seasonal changes in plants and water consumed throughout the year dictated by the alternation of different pasture areas do not translate into significant isotopic variation for the modern camelid specimens analyzed. Moreover, intra-tooth series of archaeological camelid specimens show a similar patterning. This exposes the limitations of using carbon and oxygen stable isotope compositions measured in sequentially sampled camelid teeth to identify pastoralist mobility patterns in the tropical highlands of the Andes. Nonetheless, the consistency of our results shows continuities between pre-Hispanic and modern pastoralist practices in the Dry Puna of Argentina.1 Introduction 2 The study area 3 Pastoralism in the Puna highlands from a diachronic perspective 4 Pastoralism in the Puna highlands from an isotopic perspective 5 The archaeological site of Chayal Cave 6 Materials and methods 7 Results 8 Discussion 9 Final remark

Pseudo-single crystal electrochemistry on polycrystalline electrodes : visualizing activity at grains and grain boundaries on platinum for the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox reaction

The influence of electrode surface structure on electrochemical reaction rates and mechanisms is a major theme in electrochemical research, especially as electrodes with inherent structural heterogeneities are used ubiquitously. Yet, probing local electrochemistry and surface structure at complex surfaces is challenging. In this paper, high spatial resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) complemented with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is demonstrated as a means of performing ‘pseudo-single-crystal’ electrochemical measurements at individual grains of a polycrystalline platinum electrode, while also allowing grain boundaries to be probed. Using the Fe2+/3+ couple as an illustrative case, a strong correlation is found between local surface structure and electrochemical activity. Variations in electrochemical activity for individual high index grains, visualized in a weakly adsorbing perchlorate medium, show that there is higher activity on grains with a significant (101) orientation contribution, compared to those with (001) and (111) contribution, consistent with findings on single-crystal electrodes. Interestingly, for Fe2+ oxidation in a sulfate medium a different pattern of activity emerges. Here, SECCM reveals only minor variations in activity between individual grains, again consistent with single-crystal studies, with a greatly enhanced activity at grain boundaries. This suggests that these sites may contribute significantly to the overall electrochemical behavior measured on the macroscale

Solvation free energy profile of the SCN- ion across the water-1,2-dichloroethane liquid/liquid interface. A computer simulation study

The solvation free energy profile of a single SCN- ion is calculated across the water-1,2-dichloroethane liquid/liquid interface at 298 K by the constraint force method. The obtained results show that the free energy cost of transferring the ion from the aqueous to the organic phase is about 70 kJ/mol, The free energy profile shows a small but clear well at the aqueous side of the interface, in the subsurface region of the water phase, indicating the ability of the SCN- ion to be adsorbed in the close vicinity of the interface. Upon entrance of the SCN- ion to the organic phase a coextraction of the water molecules of its first hydration shell occurs. Accordingly, when it is located at the boundary of the two phases the SCN- ion prefers orientations in which its bulky S atom is located at the aqueous side, and the small N atom, together with its first hydration shell, at the organic side of the interface

Management of South American camelids in the eastern Andes of Northwestern Argentina: a comparative study of archaeological cases in the last two millennia

Human-camelid interactions were an essential component in the everyday life of the societies that inhabited the South and Central Andes. While numerous studies have concentrated on this topic, they have primarily focused on the Puna plateaus, where camelids remain a key resource today. In contrast, the eastern Andean regions of Northwestern Argentina have been historically viewed as marginal and the presence of camelids in zooarchaeological assemblages has been often attributed to hunting or specialized pastoralist production for political and administrative centers located in the western valleys. Recent research in this area challenges and reshapes this view. This paper reassesses the presumed marginality of these regions by critically looking at zooarchaeological information including taxonomic, osteometric, age profiles and skeletal parts representation analyses from several key sites. We propose a preliminary model of camelid management in these environments, contributing to broader discussions of similar practices in non-high-Andean regions of South America.1 Introduction 2 South American camelids and narratives about the past in Northwestern Argentina 3 Environmental characteristics and archaeological cases of the eastern Andes in Northwestern Argentina 4 Materials and methods 5 South American camelids in the Argentinian eastern Andes 5.1 Highland grasslands: El Taco 5.2 Montane dry forest: Oyola 5.3 Western semi-arid Chaco: Pobladito de Ampolla 5.4 Guasayán mountain range 5.5 Dulce River basin 6 Discussion 7 Final remark

Activation and Deactivation of a Robust Immobilized Cp*Ir-Transfer Hydrogenation Catalyst: A Multielement in Situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study

A highly robust immobilized [Cp*IrCl2]2 precatalyst on Wang resin for transfer hydrogenation, which can be recycled up to 30 times, was studied using a novel combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at Ir L3-edge, Cl K-edge, and K K-edge. These culminate in in situ XAS experiments that link structural changes of the Ir complex with its catalytic activity and its deactivation. Mercury poisoning and “hot filtration” experiments ruled out leached Ir as the active catalyst. Spectroscopic evidence indicates the exchange of one chloride ligand with an alkoxide to generate the active precatalyst. The exchange of the second chloride ligand, however, leads to a potassium alkoxide–iridate species as the deactivated form of this immobilized catalyst. These findings could be widely applicable to the many homogeneous transfer hydrogenation catalysts with Cp*IrCl substructure

Substrate cycling between de novo lipogenesis and lipid oxidation: a thermogenic mechanism against skeletal muscle lipotoxicity and glucolipotoxicity

Life is a combustion, but how the major fuel substrates that sustain human life compete and interact with each other for combustion has been at the epicenter of research into the pathogenesis of insulin resistance ever since Randle proposed a 'glucose-fatty acid cycle' in 1963. Since then, several features of a mutual interaction that is characterized by both reciprocality and dependency between glucose and lipid metabolism have been unravelled, namely: 1. the inhibitory effects of elevated concentrations of fatty acids on glucose oxidation (via inactivation of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase or via desensitization of insulin-mediated glucose transport), 2. the inhibitory effects of elevated concentrations of glucose on fatty acid oxidation (via malonyl-CoA regulation of fatty acid entry into the mitochondria), and more recently 3. the stimulatory effects of elevated concentrations of glucose on de novo lipogenesis, that is, synthesis of lipids from glucose (via SREBP1c regulation of glycolytic and lipogenic enzymes). This paper first revisits the physiological significance of these mutual interactions between glucose and lipids in skeletal muscle pertaining to both blood glucose and intramyocellular lipid homeostasis. It then concentrates upon emerging evidence, from calorimetric studies investigating the direct effect of leptin on thermogenesis in intact skeletal muscle, of yet another feature of the mutual interaction between glucose and lipid oxidation: that of substrate cycling between de novo lipogenesis and lipid oxidation. It is proposed that this energy-dissipating substrate cycling that links glucose and lipid metabolism to thermogenesis could function as a 'fine-tuning' mechanism that regulates intramyocellular lipid homeostasis, and hence contributes to the protection of skeletal muscle against lipotoxicity