Near-infrared Detection of WD 0806-661 B with the Hubble Space Telescope

WD 0806-661 B is one of the coldest known brown dwarfs (T=300-345 K) based on previous mid-infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In addition, it is a benchmark for testing theoretical models of brown dwarfs because its age and distance are well-constrained via its primary star (2+/-0.5 Gyr, 19.2+/-0.6 pc). We present the first near-infrared detection of this object, which has been achieved through F110W imaging (~Y+J) with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We measure a Vega magnitude of m110=25.70+/-0.08, which implies J~25.0. When combined with the Spitzer photometry, our estimate of J helps to better define the empirical sequence of the coldest brown dwarfs in M4.5 versus J-[4.5]. The positions of WD 0806-661 B and other Y dwarfs in that diagram are best matched by the cloudy models of Burrows et al. and the cloudless models of Saumon et al., both of which employ chemical equilibrium. The calculations by Morley et al. for 50% cloud coverage differ only modestly from the data. Spectroscopy would enable a more stringent test of the models, but based on our F110W measurement, such observations are currently possible only with Hubble, and would require at least ~10 orbits to reach a signal-to-noise ratio of ~5

Bulletin No. 238 - Lamb-Fattening Experiments in Utah

This bulletin includes the results of Station Project 99-Fattening Lambs in Winter Drylot-which was begun at Monroe on November 15, 1928, and at Delta on November 13, 1929. The experiment was conducted for a period of four years at Monroe and for one year at Delta. Messers Alma and Milton Magelby of Monroe were closely associated with the Monroe experiment, furnishing the yards and the lambs as well as the feed used; the Monroe Lamb-feeders Association also cooperated in conducting this experiment. During the period that the Delta test was under way, Mr. J. F. Roe furnished the yards, the necessary lambs, and the feed supplies. Members of the Animal Husbandry Section of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station have assisted in planning the experimental feeding work and have analyzed the results of the experiments

Bulletin No. 307 - Skin Folds in Sheep

Sheep vary greatly, even within breeds, in the number and size of folds in the skin. At one time producers were emphasizing the importance of having a large number of skin folds in fine wool sheep such as the Merino and Rambouillet. This was based on the belief that skin folds were associated with high yields of grease wool and fineness of wool fibers. In recent years the trend has been toward a smoother bodied sheep with longer staple and less grease in the fleece. The objects of this bulletin are to present a review of the available information concerning the relative merits of sheep differing in the amount of skin folds, and to present information on the inheritance of this character and the value of early estimates of the amount of skin folds for predicting this character in yearlings. The applications of the findings in sheep breeding are discussed

Bulletin No. 203 - Cattle Ranching in Utah: Report of a Preliminary Economic Survey of the Ranch Situations as of 1925

The Mexican War ended in 1846, but the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was not signed until 1848. Meantime, Utah was occupied by the Mormon pioneers, who having no land laws to guide them took land according to a plan furnished by Brigham Young. In Salt Lake City 10-acre blocks were divided into 8 building lots of 1 1/4 acres each. Just at the edge of the city were five acre lots to accommodate mechanics and artisans; next beyond were 10-acre lots, followed by forty and eighty acres, where farmers could build and reside

Are inner disc misalignments common? ALMA reveals an isotropic outer disc inclination distribution for young dipper stars

Dippers are a common class of young variable star exhibiting day-long dimmings with depths of up to several tens of per cent. A standard explanation is that dippers host nearly edge-on (id ≈ 70°) protoplanetary discs that allow close-in (10 au) disc resolved by ALMA and that inner disc misalignments may be common during the protoplanetary phase. More than one mechanism may contribute to the dipper phenomenon, including accretion-driven warps and ‘broken’ discs caused by inclined (sub-)stellar or planetary companions

An L Band Spectrum of the Coldest Brown Dwarf

The coldest brown dwarf, WISE 0855, is the closest known planetary-mass, free-floating object and has a temperature nearly as cold as the solar system gas giants. Like Jupiter, it is predicted to have an atmosphere rich in methane, water, and ammonia, with clouds of volatile ices. WISE 0855 is faint at near-infrared wavelengths and emits almost all its energy in the mid-infrared. Skemer et al. 2016 presented a spectrum of WISE 0855 from 4.5-5.1 micron (M band), revealing water vapor features. Here, we present a spectrum of WISE 0855 in L band, from 3.4-4.14 micron. We present a set of atmosphere models that include a range of compositions (metallicities and C/O ratios) and water ice clouds. Methane absorption is clearly present in the spectrum. The mid-infrared color can be better matched with a methane abundance that is depleted relative to solar abundance. We find that there is evidence for water ice clouds in the M band spectrum, and we find a lack of phosphine spectral features in both the L and M band spectra. We suggest that a deep continuum opacity source may be obscuring the near-infrared flux, possibly a deep phosphorous-bearing cloud, ammonium dihyrogen phosphate. Observations of WISE 0855 provide critical constraints for cold planetary atmospheres, bridging the temperature range between the long-studied solar system planets and accessible exoplanets. JWST will soon revolutionize our understanding of cold brown dwarfs with high-precision spectroscopy across the infrared, allowing us to study their compositions and cloud properties, and to infer their atmospheric dynamics and formation processes.Comment: 19 pages, 21 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Nonresponse to 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate for recurrent spontaneous preterm birth prevention: clinical prediction and generation of a risk scoring system

Spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) remains a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality amongst non-anomalous neonates in the United States. SPTB tends to recur at similar gestational ages. Intramuscular 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHP-C) reduces the risk of recurrent SPTB. Unfortunately, one-third of high-risk women will have a recurrent SPTB despite 17OHP-C therapy; the reasons for this variability in response are unknown

Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth Among Nulliparous Women With a Short Cervix

To evaluate whether demographic and sonographic factors associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) among nulliparous women with a cervical length (CL) < 30 mm could be combined into an accurate prediction model for sPTB

A method for selecting M dwarfs with an increased likelihood of unresolved ultracool companionship

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The version of record [N. J, Cook, et al, 'A method for selecting M dwarfs with an increased likelihood of unresolved ultracool companionship', MNRAS, Vol. 457(2): 2192-2208, February 2016] is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw061. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.Locating ultracool companions to M dwarfs is important for constraining low-mass formation models, the measurement of substellar dynamical masses and radii, and for testing ultracool evolutionary models. We present an optimized method for identifying M dwarfs which may have unresolved ultracool companions. We construct a catalogue of 440 694 M dwarf candidates, from Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, Two Micron All-Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey, based on optical- and near-infrared colours and reduced proper motion. With strict reddening, photometric and quality constraints we isolate a subsample of 36 898 M dwarfs and search for possible mid-infrared M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates by comparing M dwarfs which have similar optical/near-infrared colours (chosen for their sensitivity to effective temperature and metallicity). We present 1082 M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates for follow-up. Using simulated ultracool dwarf companions to M dwarfs, we estimate that the occurrence of unresolved ultracool companions amongst our M dwarf + ultracool dwarf candidates should be at least four times the average for our full M dwarf catalogue. We discuss possible contamination and bias and predict yields of candidates based on our simulations.Peer reviewe

Sporadic naturally occurring melanoma in dogs as a preclinical model for human melanoma

Melanoma represents a significant malignancy in humans and dogs. Different from genetically engineered models, sporadic canine melanocytic neoplasms share several characteristics with human disease that could make dogs a more relevant preclinical model. Canine melanomas rarely arise in sun-exposed sites. Most occur in the oral cavity, with a subset having intra-epithelial malignant melanocytes mimicking the in situ component of human mucosal melanoma. The spectrum of canine melanocytic neoplasia includes benign lesions with some analogy to nevi, as well as invasive primary melanoma, and widespread metastasis. Growing evidence of distinct subtypes in humans, differing in somatic and predisposing germ-line genetic alterations, cell of origin, epidemiology, relationship to ultraviolet radiation and progression from benign to malignant tumors, may also exist in dogs. Canine and human mucosal melanomas appear to harbor BRAF, NRAS, and c-kit mutations uncommonly, compared with human cutaneous melanomas, although both species share AKT and MAPK signaling activation. We conclude that there is significant overlap in the clinical and histopathological features of canine and human mucosal melanomas. This represents opportunity to explore canine oral cavity melanoma as a preclinical model