Abstract
We have determined the rate of large accretion events in Class I and II young stellar objects (YSOs) by comparing the all-sky digitized photographic plate surveys provided by SuperCOSMOS ...with the latest data release from Gaia (DR2). The long mean baseline of 55 yr along with a large sample of Class II YSOs (≃15 000) allows us to study approximately 1 million YSO-years. We find 139 objects with ΔR ≥ 1 mag, most of which are found at amplitudes between 1 and 3 mag. The majority of YSOs in this group show irregular variability or long-lasting fading events, which is best explained as hotspots due to accretion or by variable extinction. There is a tail of YSOs at ΔR ≥ 3 mag and they seem to represent a different population. Surprisingly many objects in this group show high-amplitude irregular variability over time-scales shorter than 10 yr, in contrast with the view that high-amplitude objects always have long outbursts. However, we find six objects that are consistent with undergoing large, long-lasting accretion events, three of them previously unknown. This yields an outburst recurrence time-scale of 112 kyr, with a 68 per cent confidence interval 74–180 kyr. This represents the first robust determination of the outburst rate in Class II YSOs and shows that YSOs in their planet-forming stage do in fact undergo large accretion events, and with time-scales of ≃100 000 yr. In addition, we find that outbursts in the Class II stage are ≃10 times less frequent than during the Class I stage.
Abstract
Variability in young stellar objects (YSOs) can be caused by various time-dependent phenomena associated with star formation, including accretion rates, geometric changes in the ...circumstellar disks, stochastic hydromagnetic interactions between stellar surfaces and inner-disk edges, reconnections within the stellar magnetosphere, and hot/cold spots on stellar surfaces. We uncover and characterize ∼1700 variables from a sample of ∼5400 YSOs in nearby low-mass star-forming regions using mid-IR light curves obtained from the 6.5 yr Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer All Sky Survey. The mid-IR variability traces a wide range of dynamical, physical, and geometrical phenomenon. We classify six types of YSO mid-IR variability based on their light curves: secular variability (linear, curved, and periodic) and stochastic variability (burst, drop, and irregular). YSOs in earlier evolutionary stages have higher fractions of variables and higher amplitudes for the variability, with the recurrence timescale of FUor-type outbursts (defined here as ΔW1 or ΔW2 > 1 mag followed by inspection of candidates) of ∼1000 yr in the early embedded protostellar phase. Known eruptive young stars and subluminous objects show fractions of variables similar to the fraction (∼55%) found in typical protostars, suggesting that these two distinct types are not distinct in variability over the 6.5 yr timescale. Along with brightness variability, we also find a diverse range of secular color variations, which can be attributed to a competitive interplay between the variable accretion luminosity of the central source and the variable extinction by material associated with the accretion process.
ABSTRACT
Episodic accretion is one of the competing models to explain the observed luminosity spread in young stellar clusters. These short-lived high accretion events could also have a strong impact ...on planet formation. Observations of high-amplitude variability in young stellar objects (YSOs) due to large changes in the accretion rate provide direct observational evidence for episodic accretion. However, there are still uncertainties in the frequency of these events and if episodic accretion is universal among YSOs. To determine the frequency of outbursts in Class I YSOs, we built a large and robust sample of objects at this evolutionary stage, and searched for high-amplitude near-infrared (ΔKS > 2 mag) variability in the VIRAC2 database of the Vista Variables in the Via Lactea survey. By complementing with near-IR (2MASS and DENIS) and mid-IR (WISE/Neo-WISE) data, we find that from ∼7000 Class I YSOs, 97 objects can be classified as eruptive variable YSOs. The duration of the outbursts vary from a few months to longer than 9 yr, and cover a similar range of amplitudes. Values of ΔKS > 5 mag, however, are only observed in outbursts with duration longer than 9 yr. When considering different effects of completeness and contamination, we estimate that the incidence of episodic accretion in Class I YSOs is between 2 and 3 per cent. Finally, we determine a recurrence time-scale of long-term outbursts (a.k.a FUors) of $\tau =1.75^{+1.12}_{-0.87}$ kyr. The latter value agrees with previous estimates and is in line with the expectations of higher frequency of FUor outbursts during younger stages of evolution.
Abstract Variability in the brightness of young stellar objects (YSOs) is a common phenomenon that can be caused by changes in various factors, including accretion, extinction, disk morphology, ...interactions between the disk and the stellar photosphere, and the rotation of hot or cold magnetic spots on the stellar photosphere. Analyzing the variability on different timescales provides insight into the mechanisms driving the changes in the brightness of YSOs. We investigate the variability of YSOs on both long and short timescales using two mid-IR data sets: the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) 7.5 yr W2 (4.6 μ m) data and the YSOVAR 40 day Spitzer/IRAC2 (4.5 μ m) data, respectively. We classify the variability types in each timescale following Park et al. We find a higher detection rate of variable sources in the short term (77.6%) compared to the long term (43.0%) due to the higher sensitivity of the Spitzer observations. In addition, the higher cadence of the YSOVAR data results in the weeks-long short-term variability being mostly secular, while the years-long long-term variability explored with the coarsely sampled NEOWISE data is mostly stochastic. By crossmatching the two catalogs, we statistically analyze the variability types exhibited by YSOs across both timescales. The long-term variability amplitude is mostly three times (up to 10 times) greater than the short-term variability. Furthermore, we evaluate variability on very short (1–2 days) timescales and recover a trend of the increasing amplitude of variability as the timescales increase. By comprehensively analyzing the variability of YSOs over various timescales, we contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving their variability.
A comprehensive campaign of laboratory and field tests has been conducted to characterize the behaviour of tailings from a hard-rock mine. Cyclic triaxial, direct simple shear, and triaxial simple ...shear tests have shown that the contractive tailings are susceptible to liquefaction and that their behaviour is similar to loose sand despite their higher fines' content. To model the behaviour of tailings' impoundments in dynamic simulations, the PM4Sand constitutive model is calibrated based on the dataset presented here. Some of the model parameters are defined based on consolidation and compression tests, while the critical state line (CSL) is defined based on the results of monotonic triaxial and direct simple shear tests. The CSL is lower for tailings than for most natural sands, which is consistent with previous studies. The calibrated model can reproduce reasonably well the monotonic behaviour and provides an excellent fit of the cyclic strength curves measured in the lab at different confining pressures and density index. The results presented in this paper indicate that the PM4Sand model can be used to simulate the cyclic behaviour of low-plasticity, hard-rock tailings. The proposed procedure also provides general guidelines regarding model calibration for other types of tailings.
Tailings impoundments are often prone to failure due to various causes related to complex loading conditions. For instance, tailings impoundments can fail during or after a seismic event, mainly ...because of the liquefaction of loose, cohesionless tailings. To improve the seismic stability of impoundments, the density of the tailings can be increased or waste rock inclusions (WRI) can be added in the impoundment. This paper presents the results of numerical analyses of the impoundments loaded with a variety of ground motions with different frequencies, scaled at two different levels of intensity representative of two mining regions of Eastern Canada. The results show that the conventional impoundments are subjected to medium to high displacements at the end of shaking; these show a high probability of rupture during the earthquake or in the post-seismic phase. Tailings densification can decrease the volume of liquefied tailings and displacements during the seismic phase but does not significantly reduce the probability of post-seismic failure. WRI can slightly reduce the volume of liquefied tailings, depending on the intensity of the motions, but the reinforcement reduces significantly the lateral displacements; impoundments with WRI show even better performances during the post-seismic phase. The use of WRI is deemed a good approach to ensure the seismic stability of tailings impoundments and reduce the risk of seismically induced failure.
A concern for fairness is a fundamental and universal element of morality. To examine the extent to which cultural norms are integrated into fairness cognitions and influence social preferences ...regarding equality and equity, a large sample of children (N 2,163) aged 4–11 were tested in 13 diverse countries. Children participated in three versions of a third‐party, contextualized distributive justice game between two hypothetical recipients differing in terms of wealth, merit, and empathy. Social decision‐making in these games revealed universal age‐related shifts from equality‐based to equity‐based distribution motivations across cultures. However, differences in levels of individualism and collectivism between the 13 countries predicted the age and extent to which children favor equity in each condition. Children from the most individualistic cultures endorsed equitable distributions to a greater degree than children from more collectivist cultures when recipients differed in regards to wealth and merit. However, in an empathy context where recipients differed in injury, children from the most collectivist cultures exhibited greater preferences to distribute resource equitably compared to children from more individualistic cultures. Children from the more individualistic cultures also favored equitable distributions at an earlier age than children from more collectivist cultures overall. These results demonstrate aspects of both cross‐cultural similarity and divergence in the development of fairness preferences.
Children's allocation decisions compared across cultures with a distributive justice game that varies in condition (wealth, merit, and empathy condition) shows differences between individualistic and collectivist countries.
The production of biochemicals from renewables through biorefinery processes is important to reduce the anthropogenic impact on the environment. Chain elongation processes based on microbiomes have ...been successfully developed to produce medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) from organic waste streams. Yet, the sustainability of chain elongation can still be improved by reducing the use of electron donors and additional chemicals. This work aimed to couple lactate production and subsequent chain elongation to decrease chemicals input such as electron donors and hydroxide for pH control in repeated-batch food waste fermentation. Food waste with adjusted pH was used as substrate and fermentation proceeded without pH control. During fermentation, lactate was first formed through the homolactic pathway and then converted to fatty acids (FA), mainly n-butyrate and n-caproate. The highest n-caproate carbon selectivities (mmol C/mmol CFA) and production rates were 38% and 4.2 g COD/L-d, respectively. Hydroxide input was reduced over time to a minimum of 0.47 mol OH−/mol MCFA or 0.79 mol OH−/kg CODFA. Lactate was a key electron donor for chain elongation and its conversion was observed at pH as low as 4.3. The microbiome enriched in this work was dominated by Lactobacillus spp. and Caproiciproducens spp. The high abundance of Caproiciproducens spp. and their co-occurrence with Lactobacillus spp. suggest Caproiciproducens spp. used lactate as electron donor for chain elongation. This work shows the production of n-caproate from food waste with decreased use of hydroxide and no use of exogenous electron donors.
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•Repeated-batch operation formed lactate which was elongated to n-caproate.•Lactate uptake and conversion to fatty acids was observed at pH < 4.5.•Hydroxide input for medium-chain fatty acids production was reduced over time.•Lactate was produced by obligate homofermentative Lactobacillus spp.•Caproiciproducens spp. used lactate as electron donor.
Objectives: Several reports suggest that chronic pesticide exposure may affect semen quality and male fertility in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between ...occupational exposure to organophosphate (OP) and carbamate (CB) pesticides and semen quality, as well as levels of reproductive and thyroid hormones of Venezuelan farm workers. Methods: Thirty-five healthy men (unexposed group) and 64 male agricultural workers (exposed group) were recruited for clinical evaluation of fertility status. Fresh semen samples were evaluated for sperm quality and analyzed for DNA fragmentation index (DFI) by flow cytometry. Pesticide exposure was assessed by measuring erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) with a Test-mate ChE field kit. Serum levels of total testosterone (Tt), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) were analyzed using enzyme immunoassay kits. Results: Evidence of pesticide exposure was found in 87.5% of farmers based on AChE and BuChE inhibition. Significant increments were observed in sperm DFI with significant decreases in some semen parameters. DFI was negatively correlated with BuChE, sperm concentration, morphology and vitality in these workers. The levels of Tt, PRL, FT4 and TSH appeared to be normal; however, there was a tendency for increased LH and FSH levels in exposed workers. Conclusions: Our results confirm the potential impact of chronic occupational exposure to OP/CB pesticides on male reproductive function, which may cause damage to sperm chromatin, decrease semen quality and produce alterations in reproductive hormones, leading to adverse reproductive health outcomes.
A
bstract
We study multifield extensions of Reggeon Field Theory (also equivalent to Directed Percolation model) at criticality in the perturbative
ϵ
-expansion below the upper critical dimension
D
c
...= 4 at one loop, for the special case when all fields have the same scale (anomalous) dimensions. Analyzing all the fixed points of the renormalization group flow for
N
= 2 flavors and some for
N
= 3, we find scale invariant solutions which are characterized by specific emergent global symmetries of the interacting potential. We also study two infinite families as a function of
N
having ℤ
N
and
S
N
+1
symmetries.