A Be star with a low nitrogen abundance in the SMC cluster NGC330

High- resolution UVES/ VLT spectra of B 12, an extreme pole- on Be star in the SMC cluster NGC 330, have been analysed using non-LTE model atmospheres to obtain its chemical composition relative to the SMC standard star AV304. We find a general underabundance of metals which can be understood in terms of an extra contribution to the stellar continuum due to emission from a disk which we estimate to be at the similar to 25% level. When this is corrected for, the nitrogen abundance for B12 shows no evidence of enhancement by rotational mixing as has been found in other non-Be B-type stars in NGC 330, and is inconsistent with evolutionary models which include the effects of rotational mixing. A second Be star, NGC330-B 17, is also shown to have no detectable nitrogen lines. Possible explanations for the lack of rotational mixing in these rapidly rotating stars are discussed, one promising solution being the possibility that magnetic fields might inhibit rotational mixing.

Energy levels and transition probabilities for nitrogen-like Fe xx

Energies of the 700 lowest levels in Fe XX have been obtained using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method. Configuration interaction method on the basis set of transformed radial orbitals with variable parameters taking into account relativistic corrections in the Breit-Pauli approximation was used to crosscheck our presented results. Transition probabilities, oscillator and line strengths are presented for electric dipole (E1), electric quadrupole (E2) and magnetic dipole (M1) transitions among these levels. The total radiative transition probabilities from each level are also provided. Results are compared with data compiled by NIST and with other theoretical work.

More nitrogen rich B-type stars in the SMC cluster, NGC 330

High resolution spectra of seven early B-type giant/supergiant stars in the SMC cluster NGC330 are analysed to obtain their chemical compositions relative to SMC field and Galactic B-type stars. It is found that all seven stars are nitrogen rich with an abundance approximately 1.3 dex higher than an SMC main- sequence field B-type star, AV304. They also display evidence for deficiencies in carbon, but other metals have abundances typical of the SMC. Given the number of B-type stars with low projected rotational velocities in NGC330 (all our targets have v sin i <50 km s(-1)), we suggest that it is unlikely that the stars in our sample are seen almost pole-on, but rather that they are intrinsically slow rotators. Furthermore, none of our objects displays any evidence of significant Balmer emission excluding the possibility that these are Be stars observed pole-on. Comparing these results with the predictions of stellar evolution models including the effects of rotationally induced mixing, we conclude that while the abundance patterns may indeed be reproduced by these models, serious discrepancies exist. Most importantly, models including the effects of initially large rotational velocities do not reproduce the observed range of effective temperatures of our sample, nor the currently observed rotational velocities. Binary models may be able to produce stars in the observed temperature range but again may be incapable of producing suitable analogues with low rotational velocities. We also discuss the clear need for stellar evolution calculations employing the correct chemical mix of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen for the SMC.

Soluble P-selectin levels during normal pregnancy: a longitudinal study.

Objective: To investigate soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin) levels and platelet parameters in normal pregnant women compared with non-pregnant control subjects. Design: A longitudinal case-control study. Setting: Obstetric outpatient clinic in the Jubilee Maternity Hospital, Belfast. Population: One hundred and twenty normal pregnant women and 41 non-pregnant age matched control subjects. Main outcome measures Plasma sP-selectin as a measure of platelet activation in normal pregnancy. Methods: The plasma concentration of sP-selectin in pregnant women sampled at 12, 20 and 35 weeks of gestation, and, in a subgroup at 3 days post-partum, and non-pregnant controls sampled in parallel, was determined using a commercial quantitative sandwich immunoassay kit. Platelet parameters on each blood sample were also recorded using a SYSMEX SE 9500 analyser. Main outcome measures: Plasma sP-selectin as a measure of platelet activation in normal pregnancy. Results: Soluble P-selectin was significantly higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant control subjects at 20 and 35 weeks of gestation, (p

Isotopic composition of tropospheric and soil N2O from successive depths of agricultural plots with contrasting crops and nitrogen amendments

Agricultural soils are the dominant contributor to increases in atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O). Few studies have investigated the natural N and O isotopic composition of soil N2O. We collected soil gas samples using horizontal sampling tubes installed at successive depths under five contrasting agricultural crops (e.g., unamended alfalfa, fertilized cereal), and tropospheric air samples. Mean d 15N and d 18O values of soil N2O ranged from -28.0 to +8.9‰, and from +29.0 to +53.6‰. The mean d 15N and d 18O values of tropospheric N2O were +4.6 ± 0.7‰ and +48.3 ± 0.2‰, respectively. In general, d values were lowest at depth, they were negatively correlated to soil [N2O], and d 15N was positively correlated to d 18O for every treatment on all sampling dates. N2O from the different agricultural treatments had distinct d 15N and d 18O values that varied among sampling dates. Fertilized treatments had soil N2O with low d values, but the unamended alfalfa yielded N2O with the lowest d values. Diffusion was not the predominant process controlling N2O concentration profiles. Based on isotopic and concentration data, it appears that soil N2O was consumed, as it moved from deeper to shallower soil layers. To better assess the main process(es) controlling N2O within a soil profile, we propose a conceptual model that integrates data on net N2O production or consumption and isotopic data. The direct local impact of agricultural N2O on the isotopic composition of tropospheric N2O was recorded by a shift toward lower d values of locally measured tropospheric N2O on a day with very high soil N2O emissions.

Nitrogen-15 and Oxygen-18 Natural Abundance of Potassium Chloride Extractable Soil Nitrate Using the Denitrifier Method

In agroecosystems, most isotopic investigations of NO3- involve the use of tracers that are artificially enriched in 15N. Although the dual isotope composition of NO3-— d15N and d18O is especially beneficial for understanding the origin and fate of NO3-, its use for KCl-extractable soil NO3- has been hampered by the lack of a suitable analytical technique. Our objective was to test whether the denitrifier method, whereby NO3- is reduced to N2O before mass spectrometric analysis, can be used to determine the N and O isotopic composition of NO3- from 2 M KCl soil extracts. Several internationally accepted NO3- standards were dissolved in 2 M KCl, the conventional extractant for soil inorganic N, and inoculated with the bacterial strain Pseudomonas aureofaciens (ATCC no. 13985). The standard deviation of the NO3- standards analyzed did not exceed 0.2‰ for d15N and 0.3‰ for d18O values. After appropriate corrections, differences between our measured and consensus d15N and d18O values of standard NO3- generally were within the standard deviations given for the consensus values. Both d15N and d18O values were reproducible among separate analytical runs. The method was also tested on genuine 2 M KCl extracts from unfertilized and fertilized soils. Depending on N fertilization, the soils had distinct d15N and d18O values, which were attributed to amendment with NH4NO3 fertilizer. Hence, our data indicate that the denitrifier method provides a fast, reliable, precise, and accurate way of simultaneously analyzing the natural abundances of 15N and 18O in KCl-extractable soil NO3-.

Nitrogen budget for the Oldman River Basin, southern Alberta, Canada

The Oldman River Basin (OMRB), located in southern Alberta (Canada), with an area of 28,200 km2, is mainly forested in its western part and is used for intensive agriculture in its eastern part. The objective of this paper is to estimate the nitrogen (N) budget for the Oldman River Basin as a whole and its sub-basins, and to discuss differences in the N budget between various sub-basins. Better knowledge of the N budget in this watershed may be also utilized for understanding N dynamics in similar watersheds within semi-arid climatic regions. The model used is a mass balance spreadsheet model that takes into account N inputs and N export through surface water. During the last 120 years, anthropogenic N inputs to the OMRB have increased circa 40 fold. By the end of the 20th century, the OMRB received an annualN input of about 5174 kg N km-2 yr-1, whereas only about 25 kg N km-2 yr-1 were exported via riverine flow. For the sub-basins, annual N inputs ranged from 2516 to 19011 kg N km-2 yr-1, and annual N export via riverine flows varied between 6 and 277 kg N km-2 yr-1. Over 85% of total N inputs to the OMRB are due to anthropogenic activities, including manure (55%), synthetic fertilizer (27%), and N fixation on agricultural lands (4%). Sewage accounted for less than 1%, and N inputs from atmospheric deposition and fixation in forests represented 6 and 8% respectively. Despite increasing anthropogenic N inputs, N export with riverine flow currently accounts for only 1% of the inputs, indicating thatmost of theNinputs are currently retained in the OMRB or are re-emitted into the atmosphere.