"Invisible AGN" I: Sample Selection and Optical/Near-IR Spectral Energy Distributions

In order to find more examples of the elusive high-redshift molecular absorbers, we have embarked on a systematic discovery program for highly obscured, radio-loud "invisible AGN" using the VLA Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST) radio survey in conjunction with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to identify 82 strong (> 300 mJy) radio sources positionally coincident with late-type, presumably gas-rich galaxies. In this first paper, the basic properties of this sample are described including the selection process and the analysis of the spectral-energydistributions (SEDs) derived from the optical (SDSS) + near-IR (NIR) photometry obtained by us at the Apache Point Observatory 3.5m. The NIR images confirm the late-type galaxy morphologies found by SDSS for these sources in all but a few (6 of 70) cases (12 previously well-studied or misclassified sources were culled). Among 70 sources in the final sample, 33 show galaxy type SEDs, 17 have galaxy components to their SEDs, and 20 have quasar power-law continua. At least 9 sources with galaxy SEDs have K-band flux densities too faint to be giant ellipticals if placed at their photometric redshifts. Photometric redshifts for this sample are analyzed and found to be too inaccurate for an efficient radio-frequency absorption line search; spectroscopic redshifts are required. A few new spectroscopic redshifts for these sources are presented here but more will be needed to make significant progress in this field. Subsequent papers will describe the radio continuum properties of the sample and the search for redshifted H I 21 cm absorption.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A

Spectroscopy of Candidate Members of the Eta Cha and MBM12 Young Associations

We present an analysis of candidate members of the Eta Cha and MBM 12A young associations. For an area of 0.7 deg^2 toward Eta Cha, we have performed a search for members of the association by combining JHK_s photometry from 2MASS and i photometry from DENIS with followup optical spectroscopy at Magellan Observatory. We report the discovery of three new members with spectral types of M5.25-M5.75, corresponding to masses of 0.13-0.08 M_sun by theoretical evolutionary models. Two and three of these members were found independently by Lyo and coworkers and Song and coworkers, respectively. Meanwhile, no brown dwarfs were detected in Eta Cha down to the completeness limit of 0.015 M_sun. For MBM 12A, we have obtained spectra of three of the remaining candidate members that lacked spectroscopy at the end of the survey by Luhman, all of which are found to be field M dwarfs. Ogura and coworkers have recently presented four "probable" members of MBM 12A. However, two of these objects were previously classified as field dwarfs by the spectroscopy of Luhman. In this work, we find that the other two objects are field dwarfs as well.Comment: to be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 19 pages, 7 figure

The Potential of Prisons to Support Drug Recovery

Purpose Recovery is the predominant discourse within current UK drug policy, promoted as freedom from dependence. In support of such a policy driver, prison drug recovery wings have been piloted in ten prisons in England and Wales to address high drug prevalence rates in prisoner populations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of these specialist wings within the context of wider developments to tackle reoffending among drug-using prisoners. Design/methodology/approach The first part of the paper offers an analysis of the emergence of the recovery paradigm in the prison context through analysis of official policy documents. The second draws predominantly upon two process evaluations of the drug recovery wings, alongside literature on prison drug treatment. Findings There is limited empirical evidence to inform the debate about whether prisons can provide settings to facilitate recovery from the effects of illicit drug use. What is available suggests that effective therapeutic environments for recovering drug users could be established within prisons. Key components for these appear to be sufficient numbers of staff who are competent and confident in providing a dual role of support and discipline, and a common purpose of all prisoners committing to recovery from illicit drugs and supporting each other. Further research regarding the impact of drug recovery wings upon health, crime and wider social outcomes is needed. Originality/value This paper provides an updated perspective on the development of drug treatment in prisons, with a particular focus on the implications of the new recovery paradigm

Carbon Cycle Science Data and Services at the Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information and Services Center (GES DISC)

The Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information and Services Center (GES DISC) archives and distributes a number of observational and model carbon cycle science data sets. We also provide services that facilitate data discovery, intercomparison, and visualization of these heterogeneous datasets for both research and applications users, such as subsetting, format conversion, How-To documentation, and the Help Desk

The Ka'ena Highstand of O'ahu, Hawai'i: Further Evidence of Antarctic Ice Collapse during the Middle Pleistocene

Marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 may well represent one of the most significant interglacial highstand events of the past million years. Ocean volume changes charted from coastal exposures imply partial or complete melting of some of the world's major ice caps during a middle Pleistocene interglacial. The coastal geology of both Bermuda and the Bahamas yields evidence of an MIS 11 highstand 20 m higher than present. Further support for this catastrophic episode in sea-level history is revealed in subtidal and intertidal deposits at +28 ± 2 m in O'ahu, Hawai'i. The stratigraphy, petrology, and uplift history of the Hawaiian deposits strongly suggest a correlation with MIS 11, and a compilation of amino acid racemization, uranium/thorium (alpha and mass spectrometry), and electron spin resonance ages shows a scatter between 300 and 550 kyr. When corrected for uplift, the Ka'ena Highstand succession at Wai'anae Health Center (OWH1) reveals a "stepping up" of sea level through the interglaciation, similar to that described in the Bahamas. Previous studies on O'ahu attributed all 28 m elevation of the Ka'ena Highstand to uplift since 0.5 Ma, but now it appears that only 8 m of that was caused by uplift, and the remaining 20 m by eustatic sea-level rise. These findings from O'ahu strengthen evidence for the complete disintegration of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets and partial melting of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the middle Pleistocene. If the instability of polar ice sheets can be linked to prolonged warm interglaciations as the data suggest, then existing conservative predictions for the magnitude of sea-level change by future "greenhouse" warming are seriously underestimated