Unsupervised clustering of Type II supernova light curves

As new facilities come online, the astronomical community will be provided with extremely large datasets of well-sampled light curves (LCs) of transient objects. This motivates systematic studies of the light curves of supernovae (SNe) of all types, including the early rising phase. We performed unsupervised k-means clustering on a sample of 59 R-band Type II SN light curves and find that our sample can be divided into three classes: slowly-rising (II-S), fast-rise/slow-decline (II-FS), and fast-rise/fast-decline (II-FF). We also identify three outliers based on the algorithm. We find that performing clustering on the first two components of a principal component analysis gives equivalent results to the analysis using the full LC morphologies. This may indicate that Type II LCs could possibly be reduced to two parameters. We present several important caveats to the technique, and find that the division into these classes is not fully robust and is sensitive to the uncertainty on the time of first light. Moreover these classes have some overlap, and are defined in the R-band only. It is currently unclear if they represent distinct physical classes, and more data is needed to study these issues. However, our analysis shows that the outliers are actually composed of slowly-evolving SN IIb, demonstrating the potential use of such methods. The slowly-evolving SNe IIb may arise from single massive progenitors.Comment: Comments welcome. Fixed small typo

Arithmetic of the Asai L-function for Hilbert Modular Forms.

Arithmetic of the Asai L-function for Hilbert modular forms Adam Kaye Chair: Kartik Prassanna We prove two results on rationality of special values of the Asai L-function attached to Hilbert modular forms at critical points. Such L-functions only admit critical values when the Hilbert modular form has non-parallel weight. Our rationality results generalize previous work of Shimura on algebraicity. The first result uses a period defined by transferring the Hilbert modular form to a Shimura curve. The second result uses a period defined using rational structures on the coherent cohomology of Hilbert modular surfaces. We also give some partial results towards integrality of such L-values. Our results are motivated by the study of a p-adic analog of the Beilinson conjecture, which is a deep conjecture relating algebraic cycles (and motivic cohomology) to values of L-functions.PhDMathematicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/120693/1/adamkaye_1.pd

Dissecting the Gaseous Halos of z~2 Damped Lyα\alpha Systems with Close Quasar Pairs

We use spectroscopy of close pairs of quasars to study diffuse gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding a sample of 40 Damped Lya systems (DLAs). The primary sightline in each quasar pair probes an intervening DLA in the redshift range 1.6 < z_DLA < 3.6, such that the second quasar sightline then probes Lya, CII, SiII, and CIV absorption in the CGM transverse to the DLA to projected distances $R_{\perp} < 300$ kpc. Analysis of the Lya profiles in these CGM sightlines constrains the covering fraction (f_C) of optically thick HI (having column density N_HI > 10^17.2 cm^-2) to be greater than ~30% within $R_{\perp} < 200$ kpc of DLAs. Strong SiII 1526 absorption with equivalent width W_1526 > 0.2 Ang occurs with an incidence f_C (W_1526 > 0.2 Ang) = 20(+12/-8)% within $R_{\perp}<100$ kpc, indicating that low-ionization metal absorption associated with DLAs probes material at a physical distance R_3D < 30 kpc. However, we find that strong CIV 1548 absorption is ubiquitous in these environments (f_C (W_1548 > 0.2 Ang) = 57(+12/-13)% within $R_{\perp} < 100$ kpc), and in addition exhibits a high degree of kinematic coherence on scales up to ~175 kpc. We infer that this high-ionization material arises predominantly in large, quiescent structures extending beyond the scale of the DLA host dark matter halos rather than in ongoing galactic winds. The Lya equivalent width in the DLA-CGM is anticorrelated with $R_{\perp}$ at >98% confidence, suggesting that DLAs arise close to the centers of their host halos rather than on their outskirts. Finally, the average Lya, CII and CIV equivalent widths are consistent with those measured around z~2 Lyman Break Galaxies. Assuming that DLAs trace a galaxy population with lower masses and luminosities, this finding implies that the absorption strength of cool circumgalactic material has a weak dependence on dark matter halo mass for M_h < 10^12 M_sun.Comment: Submitted to ApJ. 30 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, 1 appendix. Uses emulateapj forma

Jet substructure as a new Higgs search channel at the LHC

It is widely considered that, for Higgs boson searches at the Large Hadron Collider, WH and ZH production where the Higgs boson decays to b anti-b are poor search channels due to large backgrounds. We show that at high transverse momenta, employing state-of-the-art jet reconstruction and decomposition techniques, these processes can be recovered as promising search channels for the standard model Higgs boson around 120 GeV in mass.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

CLEO Spectroscopy Results

Recent contributions of the CLEO experiment to hadron spectroscopy are presented.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, presented at Beauty 2005, Assisi, Italy, 20--24 June 2005 References further update

Homophobia and heterosexism

“Homophobia” is a widely understood term referring to antihomosexual attitudes and practices, but terms such as “homophobia,” “heterosexism,” and “heteronormativity” point to different ideas of what “homosexual” means, and where opposition to same-sex relations originates. Gayle Rubin, relying on structural anthropology, proposes that it arises as a disciplinary mechanism used by men to exercise control over women’s reproductive power in families. Gender panic theory focuses particularly on how defensiveness against losing male status and privilege generates homophobia. Sociohistorical theories examine how homophobia increases or decreases according to the symbolic placement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the social status system. In the early twenty-first century, contradictory trends have led to improved citizenship rights for LGBT people in some countries, while others have reinforced or increased state and social violence against their LGBT populations

Edward Albee: 02-04-1981

Edward Albee was an American playwright, best known for plays such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Delicate Balance, and Seascape. The interview begins with a discussion about creative art and its usefulness in sending messages to an audience. Albee then discusses the different types of theater and how they appeal to different audiences. He continues by talking about the plays he has adapted from books, the criticism he’s received for those adaptions, and a general discussion of why his critics critique him so harshly. The interview concludes with a discourse on film as a medium, the future of playwriting, and a discussion about Albee’s own plays and his writing process.https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/writers_videos/1014/thumbnail.jp

Potential for promoting recurrent laryngeal nerve regeneration by remote delivery of viral gene therapy

Objectives/Hypothesis: The aims of this study were to demonstrate the ability to enhance nerve regeneration by remote delivery of a viral vector to the crushed recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), to demonstrate the usefulness of a crushed RLN model to test the efficacy of viral gene therapy, and to discuss future potential applications of this approach. Study Design: Animal study. Methods: Adult Sprague‐Dawley rats were assigned to two groups. In the experimental group, an adeno‐associated viral (AAV) vector carrying a zinc‐finger transcription factor, which stimulates endogenous insulinlike growth factor I production (AAV2‐TO‐6876vp16), was injected into the crushed RLN. In the control group, an AAV vector carrying the gene for green fluorescent protein was injected into the crushed RLN. Unilateral RLN paralysis was confirmed endoscopically. At 1 week, laryngeal endoscopies were repeated and recorded. Larynges were cryosectioned in 15‐μm sections and processed for acetylcholine histochemistry (motor endplates) followed by neurofilament immunoperoxidase (nerve fibers). Percentage nerve‐endplate contact (PEC) was determined and compared. Vocal fold motion was evaluated by blinded reviewers using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: The difference between PEC on the crushed and uncrushed sides was statistically less in the experimental group (0.54 ± 0.18 vs. 0.30 ± 0.26, P = .0006). The VAS score at 1 week was significantly better in the experimental group ( P = .002). Conclusions: AAV2‐TO‐6876vp16 demonstrated a neurotrophic effect when injected into the crushed RLN. The RLN offers a conduit for viral gene therapy to the brainstem that could be useful for the treatment of RLN injury or bulbar motor neuron disease.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90195/1/22436_ftp.pd