The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) project has been conducting a photometric survey for transiting planets orbiting bright stars for over ten years. The KELT images have a pixel scale ...of ~23"/pixel---very similar to that of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)---as well as a large point spread function, and the KELT reduction pipeline uses a weighted photometric aperture with radius 3'. At this angular scale, multiple stars are typically blended in the photometric apertures. In order to identify false positives and confirm transiting exoplanets, we have assembled a follow-up network (KELT-FUN) to conduct imaging with higher spatial resolution, cadence, and photometric precision than the KELT telescopes, as well as spectroscopic observations of the candidate host stars. The KELT-FUN team has followed-up over 1,600 planet candidates since 2011, resulting in more than 20 planet discoveries. Excluding ~450 false alarms of non-astrophysical origin (i.e., instrumental noise or systematics), we present an all-sky catalog of the 1,128 bright stars (6<V<10) that show transit-like features in the KELT light curves, but which were subsequently determined to be astrophysical false positives (FPs) after photometric and/or spectroscopic follow-up observations. The KELT-FUN team continues to pursue KELT and other planet candidates and will eventually follow up certain classes of TESS candidates. The KELT FP catalog will help minimize the duplication of follow-up observations by current and future transit surveys such as TESS.
Experimental studies of unsteady flow phenomena in a low pressure turbine linear cascade are presented. Turbine engine flow passages contain numerous loss mechanisms. The loss mechanisms investigated ...in this study are low Reynolds number and freestream turbulence effects, secondary flows and wake interactions. Also, a method is implemented which decreases the profile losses due to low Reynolds number effects. The results are presented in three segments. First, the effects of Reynolds number and freestream turbulence intensity on the low-pressure turbine cascade blade are investigated. The condition of the blade's boundary layer is the leading factor controlling the level of profile loss. The losses from the airfoil decrease as the Reynolds number and freestream turbulence increase due to a decrease in the size of the separation zone on the suction side of the turbine airfoil. Boundary layer separation occurs on the suction surface of the turbine. Changes to this region are achieved when attaching different length tail sets to the turbine airfoils which alters the axial chord of each blade. A clear improvement on suction side boundary layer behavior at low Reynolds numbers was seen when the tail extensions were shorter than about 9% of axial chord. Finally, the effect wake disturbance frequency on the secondary flow vortex structure in a turbine cascade is studied. Cylinders are traversed across the front of the blade row to simulate turbine blade disturbances. The response of the secondary flow structure to the movement of the wake generator shuttle with zero, one and multiple wake generator rods are presented. Multiple wake disturbance frequencies are varied from 12 Hz to 52 Hz. Multiple wake disturbance frequency below the axial chord flow frequency enable the secondary flow vortex structure to re-establish itself between each wake disturbance event. Axial chord flow frequency is defined as the axial velocity in the cascade divided by the axial chord length of the turbine blade.
Phthalates are mainly used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Exposure to several phthalates is associated with different adverse effects most prominently on the development of ...reproductive functions. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021) have investigated current European exposure to ten phthalates (DEP, BBzP, DiBP, DnBP, DCHP, DnPeP, DEHP, DiNP, DiDP, DnOP) and the substitute DINCH to answer the open policy relevant questions which were defined by HBM4EU partner countries and EU institutions as the starting point of the programme. The exposure dataset includes ∼5,600 children (6–11 years) and adolescents (12–18 years) from up to 12 countries per age group and covering the North, East, South and West European regions. Study data from participating studies were harmonised with respect to sample size and selection of participants, selection of biomarkers, and quality and comparability of analytical results to provide a comparable perspective of European exposure. Phthalate and DINCH exposure were deduced from urinary excretions of metabolites, where concentrations were expressed as their key descriptor geometric mean (GM) and 95th percentile (P95). This study aims at reporting current exposure levels and differences in these between European studies and regions, as well as comparisons to human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GVs). GMs for children were highest for ∑DEHP metabolites (33.6 μg/L), MiBP (26.6 μg/L), and MEP (24.4 μg/L) and lowest for∑DiDP metabolites (1.91 μg/L) and ∑DINCH metabolites (3.57 μg/L). In adolescents highest GMs were found for MEP (43.3 μg/L), ∑DEHP metabolites (28.8 μg/L), and MiBP (25.6 μg/L) and lowest for ∑DiDP metabolites (= 2.02 μg/L) and ∑DINCH metabolites (2.51 μg/L). In addition, GMs and P95 stratified by European region, sex, household education level, and degree of urbanization are presented. Differences in average biomarker concentrations between sampling sites (data collections) ranged from factor 2 to 9. Compared to the European average, children in the sampling sites OCC (Denmark), InAirQ (Hungary), and SPECIMEn (The Netherlands) had the lowest concentrations across all metabolites and ESTEBAN (France), NAC II (Italy), and CROME (Greece) the highest. For adolescents, comparably higher metabolite concentrations were found in NEB II (Norway), PCB cohort (Slovakia), and ESTEBAN (France), and lower concentrations in POLAES (Poland), FLEHS IV (Belgium), and GerES V-sub (Germany). Multivariate analyses (Survey Generalized Linear Models) indicate compound-specific differences in average metabolite concentrations between the four European regions. Comparison of individual levels with HBM-GVs revealed highest rates of exceedances for DnBP and DiBP, with up to 3 and 5%, respectively, in children and adolescents. No exceedances were observed for DEP and DINCH. With our results we provide current, detailed, and comparable data on exposure to phthalates in children and – for the first time – in adolescents, and – for the first time – on DINCH in children and adolescents of all four regions of Europe which are particularly suited to inform exposure and risk assessment and answer open policy relevant questions.
•Almost all European children and adolescents are exposed to DEP, BBzP, DiBP, DnBP, DEHP, DiNP, DiDP, DINCH.•Exceedance of HBM-GVs of up to 3 and 5% for DiBP and DnBP, respectively, for children and adolescents.•Highest exposures in children and adolescents for DEHP, DiBP, and DEP, lowest for DiDP & DINCH.•Differences of factor 2 to 9 in biomarker concentrations between single studies.•Pronounced differences between European regions for most substances.
Nineteen ewes received 200 mg of pFSH administered in eight decreasing doses from Days 1 to 4, starting three days before CIDR® device removal. Ten ewes received an injection of 350 μg of estradiol ...benzoate at CIDR® device insertion (Group E) and nine animals served as controls (Group C). B-mode and spectral Doppler ultrasonographic examinations were performed daily throughout superovulatory treatment to enumerate ovarian antral follicles and to determine ovarian blood flow indices, respectively. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in superovulatory responses between left and right ovaries/uterine horns or the two groups of animals. End-diastolic velocity (EDV) and mean velocity (Vm) values were greater (P < 0.05) on Days 1 and 2, and peak systolic velocity (SVp) was greater (P < 0.05) on Day 3 in Group C than in Group E. In Group E 15 correlations was recorded among indices (SVp, Vm, EDV, flow velocity integral-FVI, and pulsatility index-PI) and follicles numbers in different size classes on Days 1, 2 and 4, and seven correlations among indices (SVp, EDV, Vm, and vascular resistance index-RI) and superovulatory/embryo results (numbers of regressing corpora lutea, numbers/percentages of degenerated embryos and viability rates) on Days 1, 2 and 3. In Group C, there were three correlations among EDV and RI and medium-sized/large follicle numbers on Days 1 and 3, and five correlations among indices (EDV, RI and PI) and superovulatory/embryo results (numbers of luteinized unovulated follicles, degenerated embryos and unfertilized eggs) on Days 2 or 4. There was a lack of consistency in the velocimetric correlates of antral follicle numbers and superovulatory responses between the left and right side. Therefore, the usefulness of ovarian arterial indices to predict ovine superovulatory outcomes remains equivocal and requires further confirmatory studies.
