H-alpha Emission Variability in the gamma-ray Binary LS I +61 303

LS I +61 303 is an exceptionally rare example of a high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) that also exhibits MeV-TeV emission, making it one of only a handful of "gamma-ray binaries". Here we present H-alpha spectra that show strong variability during the 26.5 day orbital period and over decadal time scales. We detect evidence of a spiral density wave in the Be circumstellar disk over part of the orbit. The H-alpha line profile also exhibits a dramatic emission burst shortly before apastron, observed as a redshifted shoulder in the line profile, as the compact source moves almost directly away from the observer. We investigate several possible origins for this red shoulder, including an accretion disk, mass transfer stream, and a compact pulsar wind nebula that forms via a shock between the Be star's wind and the relativistic pulsar wind.Comment: Accepted to Ap

The Female Leadership Experience in Pre-Professional and Professional Ballet

ABSTRACT THE FEMALE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE IN PRE-PROFESSIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BALLET By Jill Grundstrom The purpose of this qualitative, narrative research study was to explore the experiences of current female leaders in pre-professional and professional ballet. These stories often remain untold, as leadership in ballet has been largely male-dominated. The study examined the stories of four female leaders in ballet, including their journey to leadership, leadership philosophy and protocol, and thoughts regarding the future of female leadership in ballet. This study collected data using in-person, phone, and email interviews. The collected data was analyzed and coded for themes and conclusions using deductive and inductive approaches. From the data, four conclusions emerged. First, it was determined that a particular training was common among the participants and directly influenced their career development. Second, similar female leadership philosophies, qualities and traits were recognized, indicating that a successful leadership protocol could be identified from the data. Third, extensive leadership responsibilities were prevalent in each participant’s story. Fourth, the significance of mentorship was acknowledged; the participants both having and being strong mentors

Hot Stars with Disks

The evolutionary paths of the massive O and B type stars are often defined by angular momentum transformations that involve circumstellar gas disks. This circumstellar gas is revealed in several kinds of observations, and here I describe a series of investigations of the hydrogen line emission from such disk using detailed studies of five massive binaries and a survey of 128 Be stars. By examining three sets of spectra of the active mass-transfer binary system RY Scuti, I determined masses of 7.1 +/- 1.2 M_sun for the bright supergiant and 30.0 +/- 2.1 M_sun for the massive companion that is hidden by an accretion torus. I also present a cartoon model of the complex mass flows in the system. Using optical spectroscopy and X-ray flux data, I investigated the mass transfer processes in four massive X-ray binaries (a massive B star with mass flowing onto a compact, neutron star companion). The B-supergiant system LS I +65 010 transfers mass via stellar winds. I find the X-ray flux modulates with the orbital period. In the other three X-ray binary systems (LS I +61 303, HDE 245770, and X Persei), an outflowing circumstellar disk is responsible for the mass transfer, and in all three systems, the disk appears to be truncated by gravitational interactions with the compact companion. The disk in the microquasar system LS I +61 303 is limited in radius by the periastron separation and an increase in both H-alpha equivalent width and X-ray flux following periastron may be due to a density wave in the disk induced by tidal forces. Observations of HDE 245770 document what appears to be the regeneration of a circumstellar disk. The disk of X Persei appears to have grown to near record proportions and the X-ray flux has dramatically increased. Tidal interaction may generate a spiral density wave in the disk and cause an increase in H-alpha equivalent width and mass transfer to the compact companion. During the course of the analysis of the X-ray binaries, I developed numerical models for estimating the size of the Be star disks using just the H-alpha equivalent width. Finally, I present the results of a three year spectroscopic survey of both the H-alpha and H-gamma regions of 128 Be stars. I find that the median fractional variation in the equivalent width of the disk emission lines is 15% over a two year period. I also find that two-thirds of the sample displays evidence of Fe II emission or absorption resulting from surrounding circumstellar material. Many candidates for non-radial pulsation and binary systems are also found. Spectra and notes for all of the sample stars are presented in an appendix

Intervention in Foundational Skills on Accelerating Reading Growth in Third Grade Students

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of intervention in foundational skills, usually the focus of intervention in grades kindergarten through second grade, on accelerating growth in reading for third grade students. This study aimed to determine if a systematic and sequential phonics-based intervention would still be a crucial component to below grade level readers beyond the primary grade levels. As part of this research, FastBridge Learning screeners and progress monitoring Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) tools were utilized, to monitor the ongoing results and progress of participants in this study. The students who were a part of this study were identified as in need of intervention to accelerate their learning to meet grade level expectations, and received the systematic and sequential phonics-based intervention using SIPPS: Systematic Instruction in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and sight words, for thirty minutes a day, every day. The research for this study occurred between October 2021 and May 2022. After analyzing the data, it was determined that a systematic and sequential phonics-based intervention was an effective instructional plan for third grade students to close their achievement gap in reading, and bring them closer to meeting grade level standards

A Transforming Insurance Company and the 4 Types of Health Data Challenges that Arise: A Finnish Case Study

Abstract This paper aims to identify the challenges of health data in the context of an insurance company that is transforming from a reactive company into a proactive one. Using 23 interviews from a case study of an insurance company in Finland, we revealed 4 key areas of challenges that arise during this transition. The identified areas were found to be the following: Access, Ownership, Sharing, and Use. These findings are then discussed in context of the shift towards a proactive paradigm for organizations. The customer experience is suggested to be pivotal for organizations to create value and for managing the 4 identified health data challenges

The Be Star HD 215227: A Candidate Gamma-ray Binary

The emission-line Be star HD 215227 lies within the positional error circle of the newly identified gamma-ray source AGL J2241+4454. We present new blue spectra of the star, and we point out the morphological and variability similarities to other Be binaries. An analysis of the available optical photometry indicates a variation with a period of 60.37 +/- 0.04 d, which may correspond to an orbital modulation of the flux from the disk surrounding the Be star. The distance to the star of 2.6 kpc and its relatively large Galactic latitude suggest that the binary was ejected from the plane by a supernova explosion that created the neutron star or black hole companion. The binary and runaway properties of HD 215227 make it an attractive candidate as the optical counterpart of AGL J2241+4454 and as a new member of the small class of gamma-ray emitting binaries.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters on September 24, 201

Personal Health Data: Accessibility and Value in a Danish Context

The rapidly-evolving digital life of individuals has led to an increasing amount of personal health data (PHD) that are stored across various databases. This study aims to examine challenges encountered by healthy participants while accessing their PHD and to discuss how this knowledge can be used for the creation of future healthcare services. The participants were tasked to find and access their PHD. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and journaling were the methodologies to examine participants’ experience of accessing their PHD, and the perceived value of data. Our findings point out that the participants felt that PHD are accessible through services, nevertheless accessing of PHD were found to be a laborious task. Participants were disappointed by the experience of using various interfaces of the services. The perceived value of PHD was found to be dependent on the usability and personalisation features of the services, rather than on the data itself

Unveiling the super-orbital modulation of LS I +61 303 in X-rays

From the longest monitoring of LS I +61 303 done to date by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) we found evidence for the long-sought, years- long modulation in the X-ray emission of the source. The time evolution of the modulated fraction in the orbital lightcurves can be well fitted with a sinusoidal function having a super-orbital period of 1667 days, the same as the one reported in non-contemporaneous radio measurements. However, we have found a 281.8 \pm 44.6 days shift between the super-orbital variability found at radio frequencies extrapolated to the observation time of our campaign and what we found in the super-orbital modulation of the modulated fraction of our X-ray data. We also find a super-orbital modulation in the maximum count rate of the orbital lightcurves, compatible with the former results, including the shift.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, Accepted to ApJ Letter