439 research outputs found
Testing asteroseismology with Gaia DR2: Hierarchical models of the Red Clump
Asteroseismology provides fundamental stellar parameters independent of
distance, but subject to systematics under calibration. Gaia DR2 has provided
parallaxes for a billion stars, which are offset by a parallax zero-point. Red
Clump (RC) stars have a narrow spread in luminosity, thus functioning as
standard candles to calibrate these systematics. This work measures how the
magnitude and spread of the RC in the Kepler field are affected by changes to
temperature and scaling relations for seismology, and changes to the parallax
zero-point for Gaia. We use a sample of 5576 RC stars classified through
asteroseismology. We apply hierarchical Bayesian latent variable models,
finding the population level properties of the RC with seismology, and use
those as priors on Gaia parallaxes to find the parallax zero-point offset. We
then find the position of the RC using published values for the zero-point. We
find a seismic temperature insensitive spread of the RC of ~0.03 mag in the
2MASS K band and a larger and slightly temperature-dependent spread of ~0.13
mag in the Gaia G band. This intrinsic dispersion in the K band provides a
distance precision of ~1% for RC stars. Using Gaia data alone, we find a mean
zero-point of -41 10 as. This offset yields RC absolute magnitudes
of -1.634 0.018 in K and 0.546 0.016 in G. Obtaining these same
values through seismology would require a global temperature shift of ~-70 K,
which is compatible with known systematics in spectroscopy.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Heavy Drinking in College Students Is Associated with Accelerated Gray Matter Volumetric Decline over a 2 Year Period
Background: Heavy and/or harmful alcohol use while in college is a perennial and significant public health issue. Despite the plethora of cross-sectional research suggesting deleterious effects of alcohol on the brain, there is a lack of literature investigating the longitudinal effects of alcohol consumption on the adolescent brain. We aim to probe the longitudinal effects of college drinking on gray matter change in students during this crucial neurodevelopmental period. Methods: Data were derived from the longitudinal Brain and Alcohol Research in College Students (BARCS) study of whom a subset underwent brain MRI scans at two time points 24 months apart. Students were young adults with a mean age at baseline of about 18.5 years. Based on drinking metrics assessed at both baseline and followup, subjects were classified as sustained abstainers/light drinkers (N = 45) or sustained heavy drinkers (N = 84) based on criteria established in prior literature. Gray matter volumetric change (GMV-c) maps were derived using the longitudinal DARTEL pipeline as implemented in SPM12. GMV-c maps were then subjected to a 1-sample and 2-sample t-test in SPM12 to determine within- and between-group GMV-c differences in drinking groups. Supplementary between-group differences were also computed at baseline only. Results: Within-group analysis revealed significant decline in GMV in both groups across the 2 year followup period. However, tissue loss in the sustained heavy drinking group was more significant, larger per region, and more widespread across regions compared to abstainers/light drinkers. Between-group analysis confirmed the above and showed a greater rate of GMV-c in the heavy drinking group in several brain regions encompassing inferior/medial frontal gyrus, parahippocampus, and anterior cingulate. Supplementary analyses suggest that some of the frontal differences existed at baseline and progressively worsened. Conclusion: Sustained heavy drinking while in college was associated with accelerated GMV decline in brain regions involved with executive functioning, emotional regulation, and memory, which are critical to everyday life functioning. Areas of significant GMV decreases also overlapped largely with brain reward and stress systems implicated in addictive behavior
Dynamically constraining the length of the Milky Way bar
We present a novel method for constraining the length of the Galactic bar
using 6D phase space information to directly integrate orbits. We define a
pseudo-length for the Galactic bar, named , based on the maximal
extent of trapped bar orbits. We find the measured from orbits is
consistent with the of the assumed potential only when the length of
the bar and pattern speed of said potential is similar to the model from which
the initial phase-space coordinates of the orbits are derived. Therefore, one
can measure the model's or the Milky Way's bar length from 6D phase-space
coordinates by determining which assumed potential leads to a self-consistent
measured . When we apply this method to 210,000 stars in
APOGEE DR17 and eDR3 data, we find a consistent result only for
potential models with a dynamical bar length of 3.5 kpc. We find the
Milky Way's trapped bar orbits extend out to only 3.5 kpc, but there
is also an overdensity of stars at the end of the bar out to 4.8 kpc which
could be related to an attached spiral arm. We also find that the measured
orbital structure of the bar is strongly dependent on the properties of the
assumed potential.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, accepted to MNRAS, comments welcom
Eco-engineered rock pools: a concrete solution to biodiversity loss and urban sprawl in the marine environment
journal_title: Environmental Research Letters article_type: lett article_title: Eco-engineered rock pools: a concrete solution to biodiversity loss and urban sprawl in the marine environment copyright_information: © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd license_information: cc-by Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. date_received: 2016-05-12 date_accepted: 2016-08-10 date_epub: 2016-09-1
The Kepler Smear Campaign: Light curves for 102 Very Bright Stars
We present the first data release of the Kepler Smear Campaign, using
collateral 'smear' data obtained in the Kepler four-year mission to reconstruct
light curves of 102 stars too bright to have been otherwise targeted. We
describe the pipeline developed to extract and calibrate these light curves,
and show that we attain photometric precision comparable to stars analyzed by
the standard pipeline in the nominal Kepler mission. In this paper, aside from
publishing the light curves of these stars, we focus on 66 red giants for which
we detect solar-like oscillations, characterizing 33 of these in detail with
spectroscopic chemical abundances and asteroseismic masses as benchmark stars.
We also classify the whole sample, finding nearly all to be variable, with
classical pulsations and binary effects. All source code, light curves, TRES
spectra, and asteroseismic and stellar parameters are publicly available as a
Kepler legacy sample.Comment: 35 pages, accepted ApJ
The blameworthiness of health and safety rule violations
Man-made disasters usually lead to the tightening of safety regulations, because rule breaking is seen as a major cause of them. This reaction is based on the presumptions that the safety rules are good and that the rule-breakers are wrong. The reasons the personnel of a coke factory gave for breaking rules raise doubt about the tenability of these presumptions. It is unlikely that this result would have been achieved on the basis of a disaster evaluation or High-Reliability Theory. In both approaches, knowledge of the consequences of human conduct hinders an unprejudiced judgement about the blameworthiness of rule breaking
The Spectra of T Dwarfs I: Near-Infrared Data and Spectral Classification
We present near-infrared spectra for a sample of T dwarfs, including eleven
new discoveries made using the Two Micron All Sky Survey. These objects are
distinguished from warmer (L-type) brown dwarfs by the presence of methane
absorption bands in the 1--2.5 \micron spectral region. A first attempt at a
near-infrared classification scheme for T dwarfs is made, based on the
strengths of CH and HO bands and the shapes of the 1.25, 1.6, and 2.1
\micron flux peaks. Subtypes T1 V through T8 V are defined, and spectral
indices useful for classification are presented. The subclasses appear to
follow a decreasing T scale, based on the evolution of CH and
HO bands and the properties of L and T dwarfs with known distances.
However, we speculate that this scale is not linear with spectral type for cool
dwarfs, due to the settling of dust layers below the photosphere and subsequent
rapid evolution of spectral morphology around T 1300--1500 K.
Similarities in near-infrared colors and continuity of spectral features
suggest that the gap between the latest L dwarfs and earliest T dwarfs has been
nearly bridged. This argument is strengthened by the possible role of CH as
a minor absorber shaping the K-band spectra of the latest L dwarfs. Finally, we
discuss one peculiar T dwarf, 2MASS 0937+2931, which has very blue
near-infrared colors (J-K = 0.24) due to suppression of the 2.1
\micron peak. The feature is likely caused by enhanced collision-induced
H absorption in a high pressure or low metallicity photosphere.Comment: 74 pages including 26 figures, accepted by ApJ v563 December 2001;
full paper including all of Table 3 may be downloaded from
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~pa/adam/classification ;also see submission
010844
Can programme theory be used as a 'translational tool’ to optimise health service delivery in a national early years’ initiative in Scotland: a case study
Background
Theory-based evaluation (TBE) approaches are heralded as supporting formative evaluation by facilitating increased use of evaluative findings to guide programme improvement. It is essential that learning from programme implementation is better used to improve delivery and to inform other initiatives, if interventions are to be as effective as they have the potential to be. Nonetheless, few studies describe formative feedback methods, or report direct instrumental use of findings resulting from TBE. This paper uses the case of Scotland’s, National Health Service, early years’, oral health improvement initiative (Childsmile) to describe the use of TBE as a framework for providing feedback on delivery to programme staff and to assess its impact on programmatic action.<p></p>
Methods
In-depth, semi-structured interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders explored perceived deviations between the Childsmile programme 'as delivered’ and its Programme Theory (PT). The data was thematically analysed using constant comparative methods. Findings were shared with key programme stakeholders and discussions around likely impact and necessary actions were facilitated by the authors. Documentary review and ongoing observations of programme meetings were undertaken to assess the extent to which learning was acted upon.<p></p>
Results
On the whole, the activities documented in Childsmile’s PT were implemented as intended. This paper purposefully focuses on those activities where variation in delivery was evident. Differences resulted from the stage of roll-out reached and the flexibility given to individual NHS boards to tailor local implementation. Some adaptations were thought to have diverged from the central features of Childsmile’s PT, to the extent that there was a risk to achieving outcomes. The methods employed prompted national service improvement action, and proposals for local action by individual NHS boards to address this.<p></p>
Conclusions
The TBE approach provided a platform, to direct attention to areas of risk within a national health initiative, and to agree which intervention components were 'core’ to its hypothesised success. The study demonstrates that PT can be used as a 'translational tool’ to facilitate instrumental use of evaluative findings to optimise implementation within a complex health improvement programme.<p></p>
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