In this paper we present a study of chemical abundances in six star-forming regions. Stellar parameters and metallicities are derived using high-resolution, high S/N spectra of weak-line T-Tauri stars in each region. The results show that nearby starforming regions have a very small abundance dispersion (only 0.033 dex in [Fe/H]). The average metallicity found is slightly below that of the Sun,...

Aims. Following our solar work, we perform NLTE calculations of the Mn abundance for fourteen stars with [Fe/H] from 0 to -2.5, mainly to show how NLTE affects Mn abundances in cool stars of different metallicities. Methods. The spectrum synthesis and Mn abundances are based on statistical equilibrium calculations using various estimates for the influence of hydrogen collisions. Results. The NL...

Multiple co-occurring environmental changes are affecting soil nitrogen cycling processes, which are mainly mediated by microbes. While it is likely that various nitrogen-cycling functional groups will respond differently to such environmental changes, very little is known about their relative responsiveness. Here we conducted four long-term experiments in a steppe ecosystem by removing plant f...

This paper presents an automated method to determine detailed abundances for A and F-type stars. This method is applied on spectra taken with the ELODIE spectrograph. Since the standard reduction procedure of ELODIE is optimized to obtain accurate radial velocities but not abundances, we present a more appropriate reduction procedure based on IRAF. We describe an improvement of the method of Hi...

We review the observed properties of extremely hot hydrogen-deficient post-AGB stars of spectral type [WC] and PG1159. Their H-deficiency is probably caused by a (very) late heliumshell flash or a AGB final thermal pulse, laying bare interior stellar regions which are usually kept hidden below the hydrogen envelope. Thus, the photospheric element abundances of these stars allow to draw conclusi...

A sample of 7 new stars ranging in metallicity from [Fe/H]=−2.0 to [Fe/H]=−0.75 has been analyzed in the boron spectral region. The spectra were observed with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The targets were selected on the basis of their lithium and beryllium abundances in order to investigate in a more complete way light element depletion a...

We present aluminium abundances for a sample of about 100 red giant stars in each of the Galactic globular clusters 47 Tuc (NGC 104) and M 4 (NGC 6121). We have derived homogeneous abundances from intermediate-resolution FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectra. Aluminium abundances are from the strong doublet Al i 8772-8773 Å, as in previous works done for giants in NGC 6752 and NGC 1851, and nitrogen abundance...

Conceptual models suggest that certain microorganisms (e.g., the "red" complex) are indicative of a specific disease state (e.g., periodontitis); however, recent studies have questioned the validity of these models. Here, the abundances of 500+ microbial species were determined in 16 patients with clinical signs of one of the following oral conditions: periodontitis, established caries, edentul...

Lithium abundances determined by spectral synthesis from both the 6708 Å resonance line and the 6104 Å subordinate line are reported for 11 Pleiades late-G and early-K stars observed at the William Herschel Telescope. Firm detections of the weak subordinate line are found for four objects, marginal detections for four, and upper limits for the remaining three stars. Some of these spectra were p...

We have compiled all available data on chemical abundances in damped Lyman alpha absorption systems for comparison with results from our combined chemical and spectrophotometric galaxy evolution models. Preliminary results from chemically consistent calculations are in agreement with observations of damped Lyα systems. 1 Models of galaxy evolution Our model is most briefly described as kind of ...