We observed a sample of 35 water masers not coincident with known HII regions and/or low mass young stellar objects (YSOs) with the Effelsberg 100 m telescope in the NH 3 (J, K) = (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3) and (4, 4) transitions. Sixteen sources were detected in the NH 3 emission. The detection rate is 46%. All these sixteen sources have NH 3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) emission, among which four sources have NH 3 (3, 3) emission. Comparing with the IRAS and the 2MASS data, we analyzed the relationship between the detection rate and the infrared color, the dust temperature and the source distance. All the detected sources were mapped and 17 cores were obtained (one source IRAS 20215+3725 has two cores). From the detected sources five cores do not coincide with radio continuum or IRAS and MSX point sources. Excluding one core that has no MSX data available, the remaining eleven cores are coincident with IRAS or MSX point sources. The typical size and mass of the cores are 1.6 pc and 1.5 × 10 3 M , respectively. The average line widths of the NH 3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) are 1.54 and 1.73 km s −1 . The average kinetic temperature of the gas is about 19 K. These values are much larger than those of low mass cores. The NH 3 cores that coincide with IRAS sources (referred to as Group I) have slightly larger line widths (1.65 and 1.75 km s −1 for the (1, 1) and (2, 2) lines, respectively) and larger masses (1.8 × 10 3 M ) than the mean values of the sample. For this type of core the kinetic temperature correlates with the line width. The line width appears to correlate with the bolometric luminosity and the core size. Despite the average luminosity of 2.9 × 10 4 L , there is no detectable 6 cm emission. These are candidates for high mass protostars or precursors of UC HII regions. The NH 3 cores with peaks offset from infrared sources (referred to as Group II) have an average size of 1.7 pc and an average line width of 1.50 km s −1 for the (1, 1) line. The line width of the (1, 1) emission is smaller than that of the group I. The average mass is 9.4 × 10 2 M . One possible explanation for the deviation is that the NH 3 peak and the infrared source correspond to different clumps. These cores are potential high mass star formation sites and may be at an earlier evolutionary stage than those with IRAS point sources. This type of core is seen in mapping observations, and can be easily missed by single-spectrum observations toward the IRAS position.

Oral tissue samples were studied using mid-IR fiber-optic attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy and other spectral techniques. The 1745 cm(-1) band, which is assigned to the ester group (C==O) vibration of triglycerides, is a reliable marker that is present in normal tissues but absent or a weak band in malignant oral tissues. Other bands such as C--H stretching bands and the amide bands are also helpful in distinguishing malignant tissues from normal tissues. Subtraction spectra confirmed the above conclusion. In addition, Raman spectroscopic measurements were in agreement with the results observed from FTIR spectra.

Context. The Carina region is an excellent astrophysical laboratory for studying the feedback mechanisms of newly born, very massive stars within their natal giant molecular clouds (GMCs) at only 2.35 kpc distance. Aims. We use a clumpy PDR model to analyse the observed intensities of atomic carbon and CO and to derive the excitation conditions of the gas.Methods. The NANTEN2-4 m submillimeter telescope was used to map the [C i] 3 P 1 − 3 P 0 , 3 P 2 − 3 P 1 and CO 4-3, 7-6 lines in two 4 × 4 regions of Carina where molecular material interfaces with radiation from the massive star clusters. One region is the northern molecular cloud near the compact OB cluster Tr 14, and the second region is in the molecular cloud south of η Car and Tr 16. These data were combined with 13 CO SEST spectra, HIRES/IRAS 60 µm and 100 µm maps of the FIR continuum, and maps of 8 µm IRAC/Spitzer and MSX emission. Results. We used the HIRES far-infrared dust data to create a map of the FUV field heating the gas. The northern region shows an FUV field of a few 10 3 in Draine units while the field of the southern region is about a factor 10 weaker. While the IRAC 8 µm emission lights up at the edges of the molecular clouds, CO and also [C i] appear to trace the H 2 gas column density. The northern region shows a complex velocity and spatial structure, while the southern region shows an edge-on PDR with a single Gaussian velocity component. We constructed models consisting of an ensemble of small spherically symmetric PDR clumps within the 38 beam (0.43 pc), which follow canonical power-law mass and mass-size distributions. We find that an average local clump density of 2 × 10 5 cm −3 is needed to reproduce the observed line emission at two selected interface positions. Conclusions. Stationary, clumpy PDR models reproduce the observed cooling lines of atomic carbon and CO at two positions in the Carina Nebula.

Context. Characterizing the spatial and velocity structure of molecular clouds is a first step towards a better understanding of interstellar turbulence and its link to star formation. Aims. We present observations and structure analysis results for a large-scale (∼7.10 deg 2 ) 13 CO J = 2-1 and 12 CO J = 3-2 survey towards the nearby Perseus molecular cloud observed with the KOSMA 3 m telescope. Methods. We study the spatial structure of line-integrated and velocity channel maps, measuring the ∆-variance as a function of size scale. We determine the spectral index β of the corresponding power spectrum and study its variation across the cloud and across the lines. Results. We find that the spectra of all CO line-integrated maps of the whole complex show the same index, β ≈ 3.1, for scales between about 0.2 and 3 pc, independent of isotopomer and rotational transition. A complementary 2MASS map of optical extinction shows a noticeably smaller index of 2.6. In contrast to the overall region, the CO maps of individual subregions show a significant variation of β. The 12 CO 3-2 data provide e.g. a spread of indices between 2.9 in L 1455 and 3.5 in NGC 1333. In general, active star forming regions show a larger power-law exponent. We find that the ∆-variance spectra of individual velocity channel maps are very sensitive to optical depth effects clearly indicating self-absorption in the densest regions. When studying the dependence of the channel-map spectra as a function of the velocity channel width, the expected systematic increase of the spectral index with channel width is only detected in the blue line wings. This could be explained by a filamentary, pillar-like structure which is left at low velocities while the overall molecular gas is swept up by a supernova shock wave.

Context. Star formation at earlier cosmological times took place in an interstellar medium with low metallicity. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is ideally suited to study star formation in such an environment. Aims. The physical and chemical state of the ISM in a star forming environment can be constrained by observations of submm and FIR spectral lines of the main carbon carrying species, CO, C i and C ii, which originate in the surface layers of molecular clouds illuminated by the UV radiation of the newly formed, young stars. Methods. We present high-angular resolution sub-millimeter observations in the N159W region in the LMC obtained with the NANTEN2 telescope of the 12 CO J = 4 → 3, J = 7 → 6, and 13 CO J = 4 → 3 rotational and [C i]3 P 1 − 3 P 0 and 3 P 2 − 3 P 1 finestructure transitions. The 13 CO J = 4 → 3 and [C i] 3 P 2 − 3 P 1 transitions are detected for the first time in the LMC. We derive the physical and chemical properties of the low-metallicity molecular gas using an escape probability code and a self-consistent solution of the chemistry and thermal balance of the gas in the framework of a clumpy cloud PDR model. Results. The separate excitation analysis of the submm CO lines and the carbon fine structure lines shows that the emitting gas in the N159W region has temperatures of about 80 K and densities of about 10 4 cm −3 . The estimated C to CO abundance ratio close to unity is substantially higher than in dense massive star-forming regions in the Milky Way. The analysis of all observed lines together, including the [C ii] line intensity reported in the literature, in the context of a clumpy cloud PDR model constrains the UV intensity to about χ ≈ 220 and an average density of the clump ensemble of about 10 5 cm −3 , thus confirming the presence of high density material in the LMC N159W region.