THE GEMINI NICI PLANET-FINDING CAMPAIGN: DISCOVERY OF A SUBSTELLAR L DWARF COMPANION TO THE NEARBY YOUNG M DWARF CD-35 2722

We present the discovery of a wide (67 AU) substellar companion to the nearby (21 pc) young solar-metallicity M1 dwarf CD-35 2722, a member of the approximate to 100 Myr AB Doradus association. Two epochs of astrometry from the NICI Planet-Finding Campaign confirm that CD-35 2722 B is physically associated with the primary star. Near-IR spectra indicate a spectral type of L4 +/- 1 with a moderately low surface gravity, making it one of the coolest young companions found to date. The absorption lines and near-IR continuum shape of CD-35 2722 B agree especially well the dusty field L4.5 dwarf 2MASS J22244381-0158521, while the near-IR colors and absolute magnitudes match those of the 5 Myr old L4 planetary-mass companion, 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b. Overall, CD-35 2722 B appears to be an intermediate-age benchmark for L dwarfs, with a less peaked H-band continuum than the youngest objects and near-IR absorption lines comparable to field objects. We fit Ames-Dusty model atmospheres to the near-IR spectra and find T(eff) = 1700-1900 K and log(g) = 4.5 +/- 0.5. The spectra also show that the radial velocities of components A and B agree to within +/- 10 km s(-1), further confirming their physical association. Using the age and bolometric luminosity of CD-35 2722 B, we derive a mass of 31 +/- 8 M(Jup) from the Lyon/Dusty evolutionary models. Altogether, young late-M to mid-L type companions appear to be overluminous for their near-IR spectral type compared with field objects, in contrast to the underluminosity of young late-L and early-T dwarfs.

Nuclear and extended spectra of NGC 1068-I. Hints from near-infrared spectroscopy

We report the first simultaneous zJHK spectroscopy on the archetypical Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 covering the wavelength region 0.9-2.4 mu m. The slit, aligned in the north-south direction and centred in the optical nucleus, maps a region 300 pc in radius at subarcsec resolution, with a spectral resolving power of 360 km s-1. This configuration allows us to study the physical properties of the nuclear gas including that of the north side of the ionization cone, map the strong excess of continuum emission in the K band and attributed to dust and study the variations, both in flux and profile, in the emission lines. Our results show the following. (1) Mid- to low-ionization emission lines are split into two components, whose relative strengths vary with the position along the slit and seem to be correlated with the jet. (2) The coronal lines are single-peaked and are detected only in the central few hundred of pc from the nucleus. (3) The absorption lines indicate the presence of intermediate age stellar population, which might be a significant contributor to the continuum in the near-IR spectra. (4) Through some simple photoionization models we find photoionization as the main mechanism powering the emitting gas. (5) Calculations using stellar features point to a mass concentration inside the 100-200 pc of about 1010 M(circle dot).

TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE B[e] PHENOMENON. III. PROPERTIES OF THE OPTICAL COUNTERPART OF IRAS 00470+6429

FS CMa type stars are a group of Galactic objects with the B[e] phenomenon. They exhibit strong emission-line spectra and infrared excesses, which are most likely due to recently formed circumstellar dust. The group content and identification criteria were described in the first two papers of the series. In this paper we report our spectroscopic and photometric observations of the optical counterpart of IRAS 00470+6429 obtained in 2003-2008. The optical spectrum is dominated by emission lines, most of which have P Cyg type profiles. We detected significant brightness variations, which may include a regular component, and variable spectral line profiles in both shape and position. The presence of a weak Li I 6708 angstrom line in the spectrum suggests that the object is most likely a binary system with a B2-B3 spectral-type primary companion of a luminosity log L/L(circle dot) = 3.9 +/- 0.3 and a late-type secondary companion. We estimate a distance toward the object to be 2.0 +/- 0.3 kpc from the Sun.

GEMINI near-infrared spectroscopic observations of young massive stars embedded in molecular clouds

K-band spectra of young stellar candidates in four Southern hemisphere clusters have been obtained with the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph in Gemini South. The clusters are associated with IRAS sources that have colours characteristic of ultracompact H II regions. Spectral types were obtained by comparison of the observed spectra with those of a near-infrared (NIR) library; the results include the spectral classification of nine massive stars and seven objects confirmed as background late-type stars. Two of the studied sources have K-band spectra compatible with those characteristic of very hot stars, as inferred from the presence of C IV, N III and N V emission lines at 2.078, 2.116 and 2.100 mu m, respectively. One of them, I16177_IRS1, has a K-band spectrum similar to that of Cyg OB2 7, an O3If* supergiant star. The nebular K-band spectrum of the associated Ultra-Compact (UC) H II region shows the s-process [Kr III] and [Se IV] high excitation emission lines, previously identified only in planetary nebula. One young stellar object was found in each cluster, associated with either the main IRAS source or a nearby resolved Midecourse Space eXperiment (MSX) component, confirming the results obtained from previous NIR photometric surveys. The distances to the stars were derived from their spectral types and previously determined JHK magnitudes; they agree well with the values obtained from the kinematic method, except in the case of IRAS 15408-5356, for which the spectroscopic distance is about a factor of 2 smaller than the kinematic value.

Spectral analysis and modeling of microcyclostratigraphy in late Paleozoic glaciogenic rhythmites, Parana Basin, Brazil

We investigate the depositional time scale of lithological couplets (fine sandstone/siltstone-siltstone/mudstone) from two distinctive outcrops of Permo-Carboniferous glacial rhythmites in the Itarare Group (Parana Basin, Brazil). Resolving the fundamental issue of time scale for these rhythmites is important in light of recent evidence for paleosecular variation measured in these sequences. Spectral analysis and tuning of high-resolution gray scale scans of sediment core microstratigraphy, which comprises pervasive laminations, reveal a comparable spectral content at both localities, with a frequency suite interpreted as that of short-term climate variability of Recent and modern times. This evidence for decadal- to centennial-scale deposition of these lithological couplets is discussed in light of the `varvic` character, i.e., annual time scale that was previously assumed for the rhythmites.

Peptidomic Analysis of Human Cell Lines

Peptides have been proposed to function in intracellular signaling within the cytosol. Although cytosolic peptides are considered to be highly unstable, a large number of peptides have been detected in mouse brain and other biological samples. In the present study, we evaluated the peptidome of three diverse cell lines: SH-SY5Y, MCF7, and HEIC293 cells. A comparison of the peptidomes revealed considerable overlap in the identity of the peptides found in each cell line. The majority of the observed peptides are not derived from the most abundant or least stable proteins in the cell, and approximately half of the cellular peptides correspond to the N- or C- termini of the precursor proteins. Cleavage site analysis revealed a preference for hydrophobic residues in the PI position. Quantitative peptidomic analysis indicated that the levels of most cellular peptides are not altered in response to elevated intracellular calcium, suggesting that calpain is not responsible for their production. The similarity of the peptidomes of the three cell lines and the lack of correlation with the predicted cellular degradome implies the selective formation or retention of these peptides, consistent with the hypothesis that they are functional in the cells.

Expression of a dendritic cell maturation marker CD83 on tumor cells from lung cancer patients and several human tumor cell lines: is there a biological meaning behind it?

The present paper shows, for the first time, the membrane expression of the dendritic cell maturation marker CD83 on tumor cells from lung cancer patients. CD83 was also detected on freshly cultured fibroblast-like cells from these tissues and on several adherent human tumor cell lines (lung adenocarcinomas P9, A459 and A549, melanomas A375 and C81-61, breast adenocarcinomas SKBR-3 and MCF-7 and colon carcinoma AR42-J), but not in the non-adherent MOT leukemia cell line. CD83 may have immunosuppressive properties and its expression by cancer cells could have a role in facilitating tumor growth.

Adhesion and protease activity in cell lines from human salivary gland tumors are regulated by the laminin-derived peptide AG73, syndecan-1 and beta 1 integrin

We studied the induction of protease activity by the laminin alpha 1-derived peptide AG73 in cells from adenoid cystic carcinoma (CAC2) and myoepithelioma (M1), respectively a malignant and a benign salivary gland tumors. Laminin alpha 1 chain and MMP9 were immunolocalized in adenoid cystic carcinoma and myoepithelioma in vivo and in vitro. Cells grown inside AG73-enriched laminin-111 exhibited large spaces in the extracellular matrix, suggestive of remodeling. The broad spectrum MMP inhibitor GM6001 decreased spaces induced by AG73 in CAC2 and M I cells. This result strongly suggests that AG73-mediated matrix remodeling involves matrix metalloproteinases. CAC2 and M1 cells cultured on AG73 showed a dose-dependent increase of MMP9 secretion, as detected by zymography. Furthermore, siRNA silencing of MMP9 decreased remodeling in 3D cultures. We searched for AG73 receptors regulating MMP9 activity in our cell lines. CAC2 and M1 cells grown on AG73 exhibited colocalization of syndecan-1 and beta 1 integrin. siRNA knockdown of syndecan-1 expression in these cells resulted in decreased adhesion to AG73 and reduced protease and remodeling activity. We investigated syndecan-1 co-receptors in both cell lines. Silencing beta 1 integrin inhibited adhesion to AG73, matrix remodeling and protease activity. Double-knockdown experiments were carried out to further explore syndecan-1 and beta 1 integrin cooperation. CAC2 cells transfected with both syndecan-1 and beta 1 integrin siRNA oligos showed significant decrease in adhesion to AG73. Simultaneous silencing of receptors also induced a decrease in protease activity. Our results suggest that syndecan-1 and beta 1 integrin signaling downstream of AG73 regulate adhesion and MMP production by CAC2 and M1 cells. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V./International Society of Matrix Biology. All rights reserved.

MicroRNA expression is differentially altered by xenobiotic drugs in different human cell lines

Several noncoding microRNAs (miR or miRNA) have been shown to regulate the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. Xenobiotic drug-induced changes in enzyme and transporter expression may be associated with the alteration of miRNA expression. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of 19 xenobiotic drugs (e. g. dexamethasone, vinblastine, bilobalide and cocaine) on the expression of ten miRNAs (miR-18a, -27a, -27b, -124a, -148a, -324-3p, -328, -451, -519c and -1291) in MCF-7, Caco-2, SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-M17 cell systems. The data revealed that miRNAs were differentially expressed in human cell lines and the change in miRNA expression was dependent on the drug, as well as the type of cells investigated. Notably, treatment with bilobalide led to a 10-fold increase of miR-27a and a 2-fold decrease of miR-148a in Caco-2 cells, but no change of miR-27a and a 2-fold increase of miR-148a in MCF-7 cells. Neuronal miR-124a was generally down-regulated by psychoactive drugs (e. g. cocaine, methadone and fluoxetine) in BE(2)-M17 and SH-SY5Y cells. Dexamethasone and vinblastine, inducers of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, suppressed the expression of miR-27b, -148a and -451 that down-regulate the enzymes and transporters. These findings should provide increased understanding of the altered gene expression underlying drug disposition, multidrug resistance, drug-drug interactions and neuroplasticity. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Partial spectral projected gradient method with active-set strategy for linearly constrained optimization

A method for linearly constrained optimization which modifies and generalizes recent box-constraint optimization algorithms is introduced. The new algorithm is based on a relaxed form of Spectral Projected Gradient iterations. Intercalated with these projected steps, internal iterations restricted to faces of the polytope are performed, which enhance the efficiency of the algorithm. Convergence proofs are given and numerical experiments are included and commented. Software supporting this paper is available through the Tango Project web page: http://www.ime.usp.br/similar to egbirgin/tango/.

Job rotation in assembly lines employing disabled workers

In this paper we consider the programming of job rotation in the assembly line worker assignment and balancing problem. The motivation for this study comes from the designing of assembly lines in sheltered work centers for the disabled, where workers have different task execution times. In this context, the well-known training aspects associated with job rotation are particularly desired. We propose a metric along with a mixed integer linear model and a heuristic decomposition method to solve this new job rotation problem. Computational results show the efficacy of the proposed heuristics. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mass spectral characterization of submicron biogenic organic particles in the Amazon Basin

Submicron atmospheric particles in the Amazon Basin were characterized by a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer during the wet season of 2008. Patterns in the mass spectra closely resembled those of secondary-organic-aerosol (SOA) particles formed in environmental chambers from biogenic precursor gases. In contrast, mass spectral indicators of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) were insignificant, suggesting that PBAPs contributed negligibly to the submicron fraction of particles during the period of study. For 40% of the measurement periods, the mass spectra indicate that in-Basin biogenic SOA production was the dominant source of the submicron mass fraction, contrasted to other periods (30%) during which out-of-Basin organic-carbon sources were significant on top of the baseline in-Basin processes. The in-Basin periods had an average organic-particle loading of 0.6 mu g m(-3) and an average elemental oxygen-to-carbon (O:C) ratio of 0.42, compared to 0.9 mu g m(-3) and 0.49, respectively, during periods of out-of-Basin influence. On the basis of the data, we conclude that most of the organic material composing submicron particles over the Basin derived from biogenic SOA production, a finding that is consistent with microscopy observations made in a concurrent study. This source was augmented during some periods by aged organic material delivered by long-range transport. Citation: Chen, Q., et al. (2009), Mass spectral characterization of submicron biogenic organic particles in the Amazon Basin, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L20806, doi: 10.1029/2009GL039880.

Spectral absorption properties of aerosol particles from 350-2500nm

The aerosol spectral absorption efficiency (alpha(a) in m(2)/g) is measured over an extended wavelength range (350-2500 nm) using an improved calibrated and validated reflectance technique and applied to urban aerosol samples from Sao Paulo, Brazil and from a site in Virginia, Eastern US, that experiences transported urban/industrial aerosol. The average alpha(a) values (similar to 3m(2)/g at 550 nm) for Sao Paulo samples are 10 times larger than a a values obtained for aerosols in Virginia. Sao Paulo aerosols also show evidence of enhanced UV absorption in selected samples, probably associated with organic aerosol components. This extra UV absorption can double the absorption efficiency observed from black carbon alone, therefore reducing by up to 50% the surface UV fluxes, with important implications for climate, UV photolysis rates, and remote sensing from space. Citation: Martins, J.V., P. Artaxo, Y.J. Kaufman, A.D. Castanho, and L.A. Remer (2009), Spectral absorption properties of aerosol particles from 350-2500nm, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L13810, doi: 10.1029/2009GL037435.

Tokamak magnetic field lines described by simple maps

The magnetic field line structure in a tokamak can be obtained by direct numerical integration of the field line equations. However, this is a lengthy procedure and the analysis of the solution may be very time-consuming. Otherwise we can use simple two-dimensional, area-preserving maps, obtained either by approximations of the magnetic field line equations, or from dynamical considerations. These maps can be quickly iterated, furnishing solutions that mirror the ones obtained from direct numerical integration, and which are useful when long-term studies of field line behavior are necessary (e.g. in diffusion calculations). In this work we focus on a set of simple tokamak maps for which these advantages are specially pronounced.

Study of Blood Porphyrin Spectral Profile for Diagnosis of Chronic Renal Failure

The progression to end-stage renal failure is independent of the initial pathogenic mechanism. Metabolic acidosis is a common consequence of chronic renal failure that results from inadequate ammonium excretion and decreased tubular bicarbonate reabsorption. Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is the immediate metabolic precursor of the heme molecule. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels of erythrocytes protoporphyrin IX at an animal model during progressive renal disease. A total of 36 eight-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into six groups: Normal, 4 and 8 weeks after 5/6 nephrectomy (NX). Renal function was evaluated by creatinine clearance and plasma creatinine levels. The autofluorescence of erythrocytes porphyrin of healthy and NX rats was analyzed using fluorescence spectroscopy. Emission spectra were obtained by exciting the samples at 405 nm. Significant differences between normal and NX rats autofluorescence shape occurred in the 600-700 nm spectral region. A correlation was observed between emission band intensity at 635 nm and progression of renal disease.