What do loose groups tell us about galaxy formation?

We present the results of a Parkes Multibeam HI survey of six loose groups of galaxies analogous to the Local Group. This survey was sensitive to HI-rich objects in these groups to below 10^7 M(sun) of HI, and was designed to search for low mass, gas-rich satellite galaxies and potential analogs to the high-velocity clouds seen around the Milky Way. This survey detected a total of 79 HI-rich objects associated with the six groups, half of which were new detections. While the survey identified a small number of dwarf galaxies, no star-free HI clouds were discovered. The HI mass function of the six groups appears to be roughly flat as is that of the Local Group. The cumulative velocity distribution function (CVDF) of the HI-rich halos in the six groups is identical to that of the Local Group. Both of these facts imply that these groups are true analogs to the Local Group and that the Local Group is not unique in its lack of low-mass dwarf galaxies as compared to the predictions of cold dark matter models of galaxy formation. This survey also constrains the distance to and HI masses of the compact high-velocity clouds (CHVCs) around the Milky Way. The lack of CHVC analog detections implies that they are distributed within <160 kpc of the Milky Way and have average HI masses of <4x10^5 M(sun). The spatial distribution of CHVCs is consistent with the predictions of simulations for dark matter halos. Furthermore the CVDF of Local Group galaxies plus CHVCs matches the predicted CVDF of cold dark matter simulations of galaxy formation. This provides circumstantial evidence that CHVCs may be associated with low-mass dark matter halos.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the proceedings of "Baryons in Dark Matter Halos" Eds R-J., Dettmar, U. Klein, P. Salucci, PoS, SISSA, http://pos.sissa.i

An HI census of Loose Groups of Galaxies

We present results from our Parkes Multibeam HI survey of 3 loose groups of galaxies that are analogous to the Local Group. This is a survey of groups containing only spiral galaxies with mean separations of a few hundred kpc, and total areas of approximately 1 sq. Mpc; groups similar to our own Local Group. We present a census of the HI-rich objects in these groups down to an M(HI), 1-sigma sensitivity ~7x10^5 M(sun), as well as the detailed properties of these detections from follow-up Compact Array observations. We found 7 new HI-rich members in the 3 groups, all of which have stellar counterparts and are, therefore, typical dwarf galaxies. The ratio of low-mass to high-mass gas-rich galaxies in these groups is less than in the Local Group meaning that the ``missing satellite'' problem is not unique. No high-velocity cloud analogs were found in any of the groups. If HVCs in these groups are the same as in the Local Group, this implies that HVCs must be located within ~300-400 kpc of the Milky Way.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in the ASP proceedings of IAU Symposium 217, "Recycling intergalactic and interstellar matter", eds. Pierre-Alain Duc, Jonathan Braine, Elias Brink

Opening up the black box of a Gateway to Medicine programme: a realist evaluation

OBJECTIVES: A Gateway to Medicine programme, developed in partnership between a further and higher education setting and implemented to increase the socioeconomic diversity of medicine, was examined to identify precisely what works within the programme and why. DESIGN: This study employed realist evaluation principles and was undertaken in three phases: document analysis and qualitative focus groups with widening access (WA) programme architects; focus groups and interviews with staff and students; generation of an idea of what works. SETTING: Participants were recruited from a further/higher education setting and were either enrolled or involved in the delivery of a Gateway to Medicine programme. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve staff were interviewed either individually (n=3) or in one of three group interviews. Nine focus groups (ranging from 5 to 18 participants in each focus group) were carried out with Gateway students from three consecutive cohorts at 2-3 points in their Gateway programme year. RESULTS: Data were generated to determine what 'works' in the Gateway programme. Turning a realist lens on the data identified six inter-relating mechanisms which helped students see medicine as attainable and achievable and prepared them for the transition to medical school. These were academic confidence (M1); developing professional identity (M2); financial support/security (M3); supportive relationships with staff (M4) and peers (M5); and establishing a sense of belonging as a university student (M6). CONCLUSIONS: By unpacking the 'black box' of a Gateway programme through realist evaluation, we have shown that such programmes are not solely about providing knowledge and skills but are rather much more complex in respect to how they work. Further work is needed to further test the mechanisms identified in our study in other contexts for theory development and to identify predictors of effectiveness in terms of students' preparedness to transition

ACCURACY OF DIGITIZATION USING AUTOMATED AND MANUAL METHODS

The objective of this study was to determine the limits of accuracy of angular estimates produced by a computerized three-dimensional (3-D) motion measurement system using auto-digitization and manual digitization. We hypothesized that auto-digitization would produce more accurate and reliable estimates of angular data than manual digitization. Twelve reference angles were estimated from markers placed on a T-shaped pendulum. The pendulum’s angular velocity was systematically increased by changing the release position from four angles (0 -static, 45 , 90 , and 120 ). Angular estimates were compared over 20 frames for 10 trials at each release position using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC’s) were used to estimate the variability among release positions. Two S-VHS camcorders were placed at 45 angles relative to the activity plane for filming, forming an inter-camera angle of 90 . The cameras operated at a film speed of 60 Hz, with a shutter speed of 1/500 second. A single 300-W flood light was positioned beside each camera to illuminate 1.90 cm diameter retro reflective markers. A 3-D calibration structure defined a calibration area 182.88 cm wide, 152.40 cm high, and 60.96 cm deep. Eighty independent film clips (4 angular velocities X 10 trials X 2 views) were manually digitized across 20 frames by five experienced digitizers. Data was transformed to 3-D coordinates using a DLT, and smoothed with a Butterworth second-order, low-pass recursive filter with a fc of 6 Hz. Mean errors of the angular estimates across trials and frames were within ±1.0 for each of the four release positions. ANOVA and a post-hoc Tukey test revealed the mean error of the auto-digitized trials was statistically larger (

Ultraviolet Imaging Polarimetry of the Large Magellanic Cloud. II. Models

Motivated by new sounding-rocket wide-field polarimetric images of the Large Magellanic Cloud, we have used a three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiation transfer code to investigate the escape of near-ultraviolet photons from young stellar associations embedded within a disk of dusty material (i.e. a galaxy). As photons propagate through the disk, they may be scattered or absorbed by dust. Scattered photons are polarized and tracked until they escape to be observed; absorbed photons heat the dust, which radiates isotropically in the far-infrared, where the galaxy is optically thin. The code produces four output images: near- UV and far-IR flux, and near-UV images in the linear Stokes parameters Q and U. From these images we construct simulated UV polarization maps of the LMC. We use these maps to place constraints on the star + dust geometry of the LMC and the optical properties of its dust grains. By tuning the model input parameters to produce maps that match the observed polarization maps, we derive information about the inclination of the LMC disk to the plane of the sky, and about the scattering phase function g. We compute a grid of models with i = 28 deg., 36 deg., and 45 deg., and g = 0.64, 0.70, 0.77, 0.83, and 0.90. The model which best reproduces the observed polarization maps has i = 36 +2/-5 degrees and g ~0.7. Because of the low signal-to-noise in the data, we cannot place firm constraints on the value of g. The highly inclined models do not match the observed centro-symmetric polarization patterns around bright OB associations, or the distribution of polarization values. Our models approximately reproduce the observed ultraviolet photopolarimetry of the western side of the LMC; however, the output images depend on many input parameters and are nonunique.Comment: Accepted to AJ. 20 pages, 7 figure

Comparison of antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from Australian and Vietnamese pigs

This study aimed to compare the antibiogram phenotype and carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) of 97 porcine multidrug-resistant (MDR) enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates obtained from Vietnam and 117 porcine MDR-ETEC obtained from Australia, two countries with different antimicrobial regulation systems. An antimicrobial resistance index (ARI) was calculated to quantify their potential significance to public health. Both Vietnamese and Australian isolates had moderate to high levels of resistance to commonly used antibiotics (ampicillin, tetracycline and sulphonamides). None of the Australian isolates were resistant to fluoroquinolones or third-generation cephalosporins and none possessed associated plasmid-mediated ARGs. However, 23.1% of Australian isolates were resistant to gentamicin owing to ARGs associated with apramycin or neomycin resistance [e.g. aac(3)-IV] that impart cross-resistance to gentamicin. Whilst Vietnamese isolates carried aminoglycoside ARGs, 44.4% of commercial pig isolates were resistant to gentamicin in comparison with 0% of village pig isolates. The plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone ARG qnrB was commonly detected in Vietnamese isolates (52.3% commercial, 44.1% village), but phenotypic resistance was low (3.2% and 11.8%, respectively). The mean ARI for Vietnamese isolates (26.0) was significantly different (P < 0.001) from the mean ARI for Australian isolates (19.8), primarily reflecting fluoroquinolone resistance in the former collection. This comparison suggests the effectiveness of regulations that slow the dissemination of 'critical' resistance by restricting the availability of important classes of antimicrobials

The Sensitivity of Harassment to Orbit: Mass Loss from Early-Type Dwarfs in Galaxy Clusters

We conduct a comprehensive numerical study of the orbital dependence of harassment on early-type dwarfs consisting of 168 different orbits within a realistic, Virgo-like cluster, varying in eccentricity and pericentre distance. We find harassment is only effective at stripping stars or truncating their stellar disks for orbits that enter deep into the cluster core. Comparing to the orbital distribution in cosmological simulations, we find that the majority of the orbits (more than three quarters) result in no stellar mass loss. We also study the effects on the radial profiles of the globular cluster systems of early-type dwarfs. We find these are significantly altered only if harassment is very strong. This suggests that perhaps most early-type dwarfs in clusters such as Virgo have not suffered any tidal stripping of stars or globular clusters due to harassment, as these components are safely embedded deep within their dark matter halo. We demonstrate that this result is actually consistent with an earlier study of harassment of dwarf galaxies, despite the apparent contradiction. Those few dwarf models that do suffer stellar stripping are found out to the virial radius of the cluster at redshift=0, which mixes them in with less strongly harassed galaxies. However when placed on phase-space diagrams, strongly harassed galaxies are found offset to lower velocities compared to weakly harassed galaxies. This remains true in a cosmological simulation, even when halos have a wide range of masses and concentrations. Thus phase-space diagrams may be a useful tool for determining the relative likelihood that galaxies have been strongly or weakly harassed.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, Accepted to MNRAS 8th September 201

Managing healthcare budgets in times of austerity: the role of program budgeting and marginal analysis

Given limited resources, priority setting or choice making will remain a reality at all levels of publicly funded healthcare across countries for many years to come. The pressures may well be even more acute as the impact of the economic crisis of 2008 continues to play out but, even as economies begin to turn around, resources within healthcare will be limited, thus some form of rationing will be required. Over the last few decades, research on healthcare priority setting has focused on methods of implementation as well as on the development of approaches related to fairness and legitimacy and on more technical aspects of decision making including the use of multi-criteria decision analysis. Recently, research has led to better understanding of evaluating priority setting activity including defining ‘success’ and articulating key elements for high performance. This body of research, however, often goes untapped by those charged with making challenging decisions and as such, in line with prevailing public sector incentives, decisions are often reliant on historical allocation patterns and/or political negotiation. These archaic and ineffective approaches not only lead to poor decisions in terms of value for money but further do not reflect basic ethical conditions that can lead to fairness in the decision-making process. The purpose of this paper is to outline a comprehensive approach to priority setting and resource allocation that has been used in different contexts across countries. This will provide decision makers with a single point of access for a basic understanding of relevant tools when faced with having to make difficult decisions about what healthcare services to fund and what not to fund. The paper also addresses several key issues related to priority setting including how health technology assessments can be used, how performance can be improved at a practical level, and what ongoing resource management practice should look like. In terms of future research, one of the most important areas of priority setting that needs further attention is how best to engage public members

The sensitivity of harassment to orbit: Mass loss from early-type dwarfs in galaxy clusters

We conduct a comprehensive numerical study of the orbital dependence of harassment on early-type dwarfs consisting of 168 different orbits within a realistic, Virgo-like cluster, varying in eccentricity and pericentre distance. We find harassment is only effective at stripping stars or truncating their stellar discs for orbits that enter deep into the cluster core. Comparing to the orbital distribution in cosmological simulations, we find that the majority of the orbits (more than three quarters) result in no stellar mass loss. We also study the effects on the radial profiles of the globular cluster systems of early-type dwarfs. We find these are significantly altered only if harassment is very strong. This suggests that perhaps most early-type dwarfs in clusters such as Virgo have not suffered any tidal stripping of stars or globular clusters due to harassment, as these components are safely embedded deep within their dark matter halo. We demonstrate that this result is actually consistent with an earlier study of harassment of dwarf galaxies, despite the apparent contradiction. Those few dwarf models that do suffer stellar stripping are found out to the virial radius of the cluster at redshift = 0, which mixes them in with less strongly harassed galaxies. However when placed on phase-space diagrams, strongly harassed galaxies are found offset to lower velocities compared to weakly harassed galaxies. This remains true in a cosmological simulation, even when haloes have a wide range of masses and concentrations. Thus phase-space diagrams may be a useful tool for determining the relative likelihood that galaxies have been strongly or weakly harassed

Financial sector reforms and stochastic policy simulations: A flow of funds model for India

We apply stochastic simulation methods to a system-wide flow of funds model for India for 1951-94. We address two issues; first, the impact of financial reforms on interest rates and loanable funds, and second, the robustness of policy where there is uncertainty about the true model. We find considerable variation in policy risk depending on the policy instrument and the policy regime. Interest rate risks are greater in the controlled regime; quantity risks are greater in the decontrolled regime. Outcomes also depend on controls on intermediaries: more heavily controlled banks respond differently from other less heavily controlled financial intermediaries