Context.
Stellar flares of active M dwarfs can affect the atmospheric composition of close-orbiting gas giants, and can result in time-dependent transmission spectra.
Aims.
We aim to examine the ...impact of a variety of flares, differing in energy, duration, and occurrence frequency, on the composition and transmission spectra of close-orbiting, tidally locked gaseous planets with climates dominated by equatorial superrotation.
Methods.
We used a series of pseudo-2D photo- and thermochemical kinetics models, which take advection by the equatorial jet stream into account, to simulate the neutral molecular composition of a gaseous planet (
T
eff
= 800 K) that orbits a M dwarf during artificially constructed flare events. We then computed transmission spectra for the evening and morning limb.
Results.
We find that the upper regions (i.e. below 10 μbar) of the dayside and evening limb are heavily depleted in CH
4
and NH
3
up to several days after a flare event with a total radiative energy of 2 × 10
33
erg. Molar fractions of C
2
H
2
and HCN are enhanced up to a factor three on the nightside and morning limb after day-to-nightside advection of photodissociated CH
4
and NH
3
. Methane depletion reduces transit depths by 100–300 parts per million (ppm) on the evening limb and C
2
H
2
production increases the 14 μm feature up to 350 ppm on the morning limb. We find that repeated flaring drives the atmosphere to a composition that differs from its pre-flare distribution and that this translates to a permanent modification of the transmission spectrum.
Conclusions.
We show that single high-energy flares can affect the atmospheres of close-orbiting gas giants up to several days after the flare event, during which their transmission spectra are altered by several hundred ppm. Repeated flaring has important implications for future retrieval analyses of exoplanets around active stars, as the atmospheric composition and resulting spectral signatures substantially differ from models that do not include flaring.
Context . Eccentric exoplanets offer an opportunity to study the response of an atmosphere to changing thermal forcing and the robustness of the super-rotating equatorial jet seen on tidally locked ...hot Jupiters. However, the atmospheric dynamics on eccentric planets strongly depend on the planetary rotation period, which is difficult to constrain observationally. The ringing phenomenon, whereby the observed emission increases and decreases after the periastron passage as the flash-heated hemisphere rotates into and out of view, can provide a tight constraint on rotation. Aims . We studied five highly eccentric transiting exoplanets HAT-P-2 b, HD 80606 b, TOI-3362 b, TOI-4127 b and HD 17156 b to find which displays strong ringing signals that are sufficiently strong for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to detect. Methods . We implemented the treatment of eccentricity and non-synchronous rotation in the non-grey climate model expeRT/MITgcm and generated synthetic light curves. Results . We find four detectable ringing peaks on HD 80606 b and some undetectable ringing on TOI-4127 b and HD 17156 b. The lack of clouds, photo-chemistry and obliquity in our models may have led us to overestimate the amplitude of the ringing however. The strength of the ringing signal is mostly determined by the eccentricity, planetary rotation period, planet-to-star radius ratio and apparent magnitude of the system. We searched for more exoplanets that could show ringing but found no candidates as promising as HD 80606 b. Conclusions . We recommend prioritising HD 80606 b as a target for ringing with JWST. A baseline of five days after the periastron passage would capture three ringing peaks, which is sufficient to tightly constrain the planetary rotation period. An extension to seven days would add a fourth peak, which would allow us to verify the rotation period.
The aim of this study is to propose a strategy to implement a PAT system in the blending step of pharmaceutical production processes. It was examined whether Raman spectroscopy can be used as PAT ...tool for the
in-line and
real-time endpoint monitoring and understanding of a powder blending process.
A screening design was used to identify and understand the significant effects of two process variables (blending speed and loading of the blender) and of a formulation variable (concentration of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API): diltiazem hydrochloride) upon the required blending time (response variable). Interactions between the variables were investigated as well. A Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) model was developed to determine the homogeneity of the blends
in-line and
real-time using Raman spectroscopy in combination with a fiber optical immersion probe. One blending experiment was monitored using Raman and NIR spectroscopy simultaneously. This was done to verify whether two independent monitoring tools can confirm each other's endpoint conclusions.
The analysis of the experimental design results showed that the measured endpoints were excessively rounded due to the large measurement intervals relative to the first blending times. This resulted in effects and critical effects which cannot be interpreted properly. To be able to study the effects properly, the ratio between the blending times and the measurement intervals should be sufficiently high.
In this study, it anyway was demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy is a suitable PAT tool for the endpoint control of a powder blending process. Raman spectroscopy not only allowed
in-line and
real-time monitoring of the blend homogeneity, but also helped to understand the process better in combination with experimental design. Furthermore, the correctness of the Raman endpoint conclusions was demonstrated for one process by using a second independent endpoint monitoring tool (NIR spectroscopy). Hence, the use of two independent techniques for the control of one response variable not only means a mutual confirmation of both methods, but also provides a higher certainty in the determined endpoint.
Aims.
Both components of the bright eclipsing binary
α
Dra have been resolved using long baseline interferometry and the secondary component has been shown to contribute approximately 15% of the ...total flux; however, a spectroscopic detection of the companion star has so far been unsuccessful. We aim for a firm spectroscopic detection of the secondary component of
α
Dra using state-of-the-art spectroscopic analysis methods for very high-quality spectroscopic observations. This will allow the determination of fundamental and atmospheric properties of the components in the system with high precision and accuracy.
Methods.
To achieve our goals, we use a combined data set from interferometry with the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), photometry with the TESS space observatory, and high-resolution spectroscopy with the H
ERMES
fibre-fed spectrograph at the La Palma observatory. We use the method of spectral disentangling to search for the contribution of a companion star in the observed composite H
ERMES
spectra, to separate the spectral contributions of both components, and to determine orbital elements of the
α
Dra system. TESS light curves are analysed in an iterative fashion with spectroscopic inference of stellar atmospheric parameters to determine fundamental stellar properties and their uncertainties. Finally, NPOI interferometric measurements are used for determination of the orbital parameters of the system and angular diameters of both binary components.
Results.
We report the first firm spectroscopic detection of the secondary component in
α
Dra and deliver disentangled spectra of both binary components. The components’ masses and radii are inferred with high precision and accuracy, and are
M
A
= 3.186 ± 0.044
M
⊙
,
R
A
= 4.932 ± 0.036
R
⊙
, and
M
B
= 2.431 ± 0.019
M
⊙
,
R
B
= 2.326 ± 0.052
R
⊙
for the primary and secondary components, respectively. Combined astrometric and spectroscopic analysis yields the semi-major axis of the system, which is ultimately used to derive the dynamical parallax of
π
= 11.48 ± 0.13 mas, and the distance
d
= 87.07 ± 1.03 pc to the
α
Dra system. Evolutionary analysis of both binary components with M
ESA
stellar structure and evolution models suggests the primary is an evolved post-TAMS A-type star, while the companion is a main-sequence A-type star with a convective core mass of
M
cc
= 0.337 ± 0.011
M
⊙
. Positions of both binary components in the Kiel- and HR-diagrams suggest a value of the convective core overshooting parameter
f
ov
well below 0.010
H
p
, and we infer the age of the system to be 310 ± 25 Myr.
Conclusions.
The inferred near-core mixing properties of both components do not support a dependence of the convective core overshooting on the stellar mass. At the same time, the
α
Dra system provides extra support to hypothesise that the mass discrepancy in eclipsing spectroscopic double-lined binaries is associated with inferior atmospheric modelling of intermediate- and high-mass stars, and less so with the predictive powerof stellar structure and evolution models as to the amount of near-core mixing and mass of the convective core.
The aim of the present study was to propose a strategy for the implementation of a Process Analytical Technology system in freeze-drying processes. Mannitol solutions, some of them supplied with ...NaCl, were used as models to freeze-dry. Noninvasive and in-line Raman measurements were continuously performed during lyophilization of the solutions to monitor real time the mannitol solid state, the end points of the different process steps (freezing, primary drying, secondary drying), and physical phenomena occurring during the process. At-line near-infrared (NIR) and X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) measurements were done to confirm the Raman conclusions and to find out additional information. The collected spectra during the processes were analyzed using principal component analysis and multivariate curve resolution. A two-level full factorial design was used to study the significant influence of process (freezing rate) and formulation variables (concentration of mannitol, concentration of NaCl, volume of freeze-dried sample) upon freeze-drying. Raman spectroscopy was able to monitor (i) the mannitol solid state (amorphous, α, β, δ, and hemihydrate), (ii) several process step end points (end of mannitol crystallization during freezing, primary drying), and (iii) physical phenomena occurring during freeze-drying (onset of ice nucleation, onset of mannitol crystallization during the freezing step, onset of ice sublimation). NIR proved to be a more sensitive tool to monitor sublimation than Raman spectroscopy, while XRPD helped to unravel the mannitol hemihydrate in the samples. The experimental design results showed that several process and formulation variables significantly influence different aspects of lyophilization and that both are interrelated. Raman spectroscopy (in-line) and NIR spectroscopy and XRPD (at-line) not only allowed the real-time monitoring of mannitol freeze-drying processes but also helped (in combination with experimental design) us to understand the process.
This review provides the achievements of enantioseparation of adrenergic drugs and application of these methods in clinical and pharmaceutical analysis. The adrenergic agonist and antagonist drugs ...are analyzed in the direct and indirect modes by liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). Other chromatographic enantioseparation methods including super- and sub-critical fluid chromatography (SFC), and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) are presented likewise to analyse the cited compounds. The different separation processes for these drugs are briefly discussed and some applications are presented.
This paper describes the enhanced separation of lomefloxacin, sparfloxacin, fleroxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, gatifloxacin and pazufloxacin by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using silica ...nanoparticles (SiNPs) as running buffer additive. The impact of SiNPs concentration on the resolution and selectivity of separation was investigated and a given value of SiNPs was finally chosen under the optimum conditions. The addition of the SiNPs to the running buffer enabled electroosmotic flow (EOF) decrease and permitted full interaction between SiNPs and analytes. The influence of separation voltage, pH and buffer concentration on the separation in the presence of SiNPs was examined. Interactions between drugs and nanoparticles during the separation are discussed; the determination of interaction constants is also achieved. A good resolution of seven quinolones was obtained within 15
min in a 50
cm effective length fused-silica capillary at a separation voltage of +10
kV in a 12
mM disodium tetraborate-phosphate buffer (pH 9.08) containing 5.2
μg
mL
−1 SiNPs.
Eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), mortality was studied in a Belgian lowland canal after downstream passage through a large and small de Wit‐adapted Archimedes screw pump over a 12‐month period. The ...hypothesis tested was the minimisation of fish injuries with the de Wit adaptation. Simultaneously, downstream migration through a Dutch pool and orifice fishway alongside the pumping station (PS) was monitored. Nets were mounted on the outflow of the pumps, and a cage was placed in the fishway. Based on the condition of the fish and injuries sustained, the assessed maximum mortality rates ranged from 19 ± 4% for the large de Wit Archimedes screw pump to 14 ± 8% for the small de Wit Archimedes screw pump. The screw adaptations did not substantially minimise grinding injuries and overall mortality, and the fishway did not mitigate downstream eel migration. To achieve escapement targets set in the eel management plans, fish‐friendly pump designs and effective PS bypass solutions are needed.
A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) investigation on the enantiomeric separation of lomefloxacin, gatifloxacin, pazufloxacin and ofloxacin was undertaken. Resolution of the enantiomers was ...achieved using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as the chiral selector. Parameters influencing separation include cyclodextrin concentration, separational potential, pH and organic additive are discussed. A buffer consisting of 70
mM phosphate and 40
mM HP-β-CD at pH 3.96 was found to be highly efficient for the separation of lomefloxacin, at pH 3.90 for gatifloxacin, at pH 5.04 for pazufloxacin and at pH 2.16 for ofloxacin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the enantiomeric resolution of lomefloxacin and gatifloxacin applying CE.
PDF
