Spectroscopic evidence for the binary nature of AM CVn

We analysed archival spectroscopic data of AM CVn taken with the William Herschel Telescope in 1996. In the literature two orbital periods for AM CVn are proposed. A clear S-wave in the HeI 4471, 4387 and 4143 \AA lines is revealed when the spectra are folded on the 1029 s period. No signature of this S-wave is seen when folded on 1051 s. Doppler tomography of the line profiles shows a clear signature of the hotspot. Using this we can constrain the value of K_2 to lie between 210 and 280 km/s. Our work confirms the binary nature of AM CVn beyond any doubt, establishes 1028.73 s as the true orbital period and supports the interpretation of AM CVn as a permanent superhump system.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Constraints on Cosmological Models from Hubble Space Telescope Observations of High-z Supernovae

We have coordinated Hubble Space Telescope photometry with ground-based discovery for three supernovae: two SN Ia near z~0.5 (SN 1997ce, SN 1997cj) and a third event at z=0.97 (SN 1997ck). The superb spatial resolution of HST separates each supernova from its host galaxy and leads to good precision in the light curves. The HST data combined with ground-based photometry provide good temporal coverage. We use these light curves and relations between luminosity, light curve shape, and color calibrated from low-z samples to derive relative luminosity distances which are accurate to 10% at z~0.5 and 20% at z=1. The redshift-distance relation is used to place constraints on the global mean matter density, Omega_matter, and the normalized cosmological constant, Omega_Lambda. When the HST sample is combined with the distance to SN 1995K (z=0.48), analyzed by the same precepts, it suggests that matter alone is insufficient to produce a flat Universe. Specifically, for Omega_matter+Omega_Lambda=1, Omega_matter is less than 1 with >95% confidence, and our best estimate of Omega_matter is -0.1 +/- 0.5 if Omega_Lambda=0. Although the present result is based on a very small sample whose systematics remain to be explored, it demonstrates the power of HST measurements for high redshift supernovae.Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letters, 3 figures, 1 plate, additional tabl

Tooth development and replacement in the Atlantic Cutlassfish, Trichiurus lepturus, with comparisons to other Scombroidei

Atlantic Cutlassfish, Trichiurus lepturus, have large, barbed, premaxillary and dentary fangs, and sharp dagger-shaped teeth in their oral jaws. Functional teeth firmly ankylose to the dentigerous bones. We used dry skeletons, histology, SEM, and micro-CT scanning to study 92 specimens of T. lepturus from the western North Atlantic to describe its dentition and tooth replacement. We identified three modes of intraosseous tooth replacement in T. lepturus depending on the location of the tooth in the jaw. Mode 1 relates to replacement of premaxillary fangs, in which new tooth germs enter the lingual surface of the premaxilla, develop horizontally, and rotate into position. We suggest that growth of large fangs in the premaxilla is accommodated by this horizontal development. Mode 2 occurs for dentary fangs: new tooth germs enter the labial surface of the dentary, develop vertically, and erupt into position. Mode 3 describes replacement of lateral teeth, in which new tooth germs enter a trench along the crest of the dentigerous bone, develop vertically, and erupt into position. Such distinct modes of tooth replacement in a teleostean species are unknown. We compared modes of replacement in T. lepturus to 20 species of scombroids to explore the phylogenetic distribution of these three replacement modes. Alternate tooth replacement (in which new teeth erupt between two functional teeth), ankylosis, and intraosseous tooth development are plesiomorphic to Bluefish + other Scombroidei. Our study highlights the complexity and variability of intraosseous tooth replacement. Within tooth replacement systems, key variables include sites of formation of tooth germs, points of entry of tooth germs into dentigerous bones, coupling of tooth germ migration and bone erosion, whether teeth develop horizontally or immediately beneath the tooth to be replaced, and how tooth eruption and ankylosis occur. Developmentally different tooth replacement processes can yield remarkably similar dentitions

Hypervelocity Stars II. The Bound Population

Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) are stars ejected completely out of the Milky Way by three-body interactions with the massive black hole in the Galactic center. We describe 643 new spectroscopic observations from our targeted survey for HVSs. We find a significant (3.5 sigma) excess of B-type stars with large velocities +27510 kpc that are most plausibly explained as a new class of HVSs: stars ejected from the Galactic center on bound orbits. If a Galactic center ejection origin is correct, the distribution of HVSs on the sky should be anisotropic for a survey complete to a fixed limiting apparent magnitude. The unbound HVSs in our survey have a marginally anisotropic distribution on the sky, consistent with the Galactic center ejection picture.Comment: 8 pages, accepted to Ap

The luminosity of supernovae of type Ia from TRGB distances and the value of H_0

Distances from the tip of the red-giant branch (TRGB) in the halo Population of galaxies - calibrated through RR Lyr stars as well as tied to Hipparcos parallaxes and further supported by stellar models - are used to determine the luminosity of six nearby type Ia supernovae (SN 2011fe, 2007sr, 1998bu, 1989B, 1972E, and 1937C). The result is M_V^corr = -19.41 +/- 0.05. If this value is applied to 62 SNe Ia with 3000< v < 20,000 km/s a large-scale value of the Hubble constant follows of H_0 = 64.0 +/- 1.6 +/- 2.0. The SN HST Project gave H_0 = 62.3 +/- 1.3 +/- 5.0 from ten Cepheid-calibrated SNe Ia (Sandage et al. 2006). The agreement of young Population I (Cepheids) and old, metal-poor Population II (TRGB) distance indicators is satisfactory. The combined weighted result is H_0 = 63.7 +/- 2.3 (i.e. +/-3.6%). The result can also be reconciled with WMAP5 data (Reid et al. 2010).Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Knockout mice: Is it just genetics? Effect of enriched housing on fibulin-4+/- mice

Background. Fibulin-4 is an extracellular matrix protein expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells that is essential for maintaining arterial integrity. Fibulin-4-/- mice die just before birth due to arterial hemorrhage, but fibulin-4+/- mice appear to be outwardly normal. Experiments were therefore performed to determine whether fibulin-4+/- mice display arterial pathologies on a microscopic scale. After preliminary experiments were performed, a second purpose developed, which was to test the hypothesis that any observed pathologies would be ameliorated by housing the animals in enriched cages. Methodology. Fibulin-4+/- and wild-type mice were housed either four/cage in standard cages or two per cage in larger cages, each cage containing a tunnel and a wheel. After three weeks the mice were sacrificed, and the aortas perfusion-fixed and excised for light and electron microscopy. Principle Findings. When the mice were in standard cages, localized regions of disorganized extracellular matrix and collagen fibers consistently appeared between some of the medial smooth muscle cells in the fibulin-4+/- mice. In the wild-type mice, the smooth muscle cells were closely connected to each other and the media was more compact. The number of disorganized regions per square mm was significantly greater for fibulin-4+/- mice (172±43 (SEM)) than for wild-type mice (15±8) (p<0.01, n = 8). When the mice were in enriched cages, the fibulin-4+/- mice showed significantly fewer disorganized regions than those in standard cages (35±12) (p<0.05, n = 8). The wild type mice also showed fewer disorganized regions (3±2), but this difference was not significant. Conclusions. These results indicate that arterial pathologies manifested in fibulin-4+/- mice can be reduced by enriching the housing conditions, and imply that appropriate environments may counteract the effects of some genetic deficiencies

The Hubble Constant

I review the current state of determinations of the Hubble constant, which gives the length scale of the Universe by relating the expansion velocity of objects to their distance. There are two broad categories of measurements. The first uses individual astrophysical objects which have some property that allows their intrinsic luminosity or size to be determined, or allows the determination of their distance by geometric means. The second category comprises the use of all-sky cosmic microwave background, or correlations between large samples of galaxies, to determine information about the geometry of the Universe and hence the Hubble constant, typically in a combination with other cosmological parameters. Many, but not all, object-based measurements give $H_0$ values of around 72-74km/s/Mpc , with typical errors of 2-3km/s/Mpc. This is in mild discrepancy with CMB-based measurements, in particular those from the Planck satellite, which give values of 67-68km/s/Mpc and typical errors of 1-2km/s/Mpc. The size of the remaining systematics indicate that accuracy rather than precision is the remaining problem in a good determination of the Hubble constant. Whether a discrepancy exists, and whether new physics is needed to resolve it, depends on details of the systematics of the object-based methods, and also on the assumptions about other cosmological parameters and which datasets are combined in the case of the all-sky methods.Comment: Extensively revised and updated since the 2007 version: accepted by Living Reviews in Relativity as a major (2014) update of LRR 10, 4, 200

Allan Sandage and the Cosmic Expansion

This is an account of Allan Sandage's work on (1) The character of the expansion field. For many years he has been the strongest defender of an expanding Universe. He later explained the CMB dipole by a local velocity of 220 +/- 50 km/s toward the Virgo cluster and by a bulk motion of the Local supercluster (extending out to ~3500 km/s) of 450-500 km/s toward an apex at l=275, b=12. Allowing for these streaming velocities he found linear expansion to hold down to local scales (~300 km/s). (2) The calibration of the Hubble constant. Probing different methods he finally adopted - from Cepheid-calibrated SNe Ia and from independent RR Lyr-calibrated TRGBs - H_0 = 62.3 +/- 1.3 +/- 5.0 km/s/Mpc.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, Submitted to Astrophysics and Space Science, Special Issue on the Fundamental Cosmic Distance Scale in the Gaia Er

Properties of Blood, Porphyrins, and Exposure to Legacy and Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants in Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) Overwintering on the South Coast of British Columbia, Canada

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a little-studied species of North American sea duck. Estimates suggest it has experienced a precipitous decline in breeding numbers over the latter half of the past century. To investigate the potential role of contaminant uptake and toxicity in the population decline, this study undertook to measure blood chemistry, porphyrin concentrations, EROD, and organic contaminants in mature surf scoters wintering in the Strait of Georgia, BC, Canada. Hepatic organochlorine pesticide, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, polychlorinated dibenzofuran, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), polybrominated diphenyl ether, and nonylphenol concentrations were relatively low; for example, ΣTEQs (toxic equivalents) for PCBs, dioxins, and furans combined ranged from 4.7 ng/kg wet weight in reference-site (Baynes Sound) birds to 11.4 ng/kg wet weight in birds from Vancouver Harbour. Nonetheless, elevated EROD activity indicated that birds in Howe Sound were responding to an Ah-receptor-mediated stressor, which was also affecting hematocrit values and possibly vitamin A status. In addition, a low proportion of lymphocytes in individuals across locations in early spring samples was associated with poor body condition. The apparent loss of fitness just prior to the onset of northerly migrations to breeding grounds is of particular concern. Compromised health of mature birds at this point in the season might impact negatively on the productivity and survival of some individuals, particularly those overwintering in Howe Sound