Evidence of a Mira-like tail and bow shock about the semi-regular variable V CVn from four decades of polarization measurements

Polarization is a powerful tool for understanding stellar atmospheres and circumstellar environments. Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been observed for decades and some are known to be polarimetrically variable, however, the semi-regular variable V Canes Venatici displays an unusually large, unexplained amount of polarization. We present ten years of optical polarization observations obtained with the HPOL instrument, supplemented by published observations spanning a total interval of about forty years for V CVn. We find that V CVn shows large polarization variations ranging from 1 - 6%. We also find that for the past forty years the position angle measured for V CVn has been virtually constant suggesting a long-term, stable, asymmetric structure about the star. We suggest that this asymmetry is caused by the presence of a stellar wind bow shock and tail, consistent with the star's large space velocity.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in A&

Detecting foraminiferal photosymbionts in the fossil record: a combined micropalaeontological and geochemical approach

Poster from International Conference on Paleoceanography 12 (ICP 12). See the above link for more information on the conference

Broadband Transmission Spectroscopy of the super-Earth GJ 1214b suggests a Low Mean Molecular Weight Atmosphere

We used WIRCam on CFHT to observe four transits of the super-Earth GJ 1214b in the near-infrared. For each transit we observed in two bands nearly-simultaneously by rapidly switching the WIRCam filter wheel back and forth for the duration of the observations. By combining all our J-band (~1.25 microns) observations we find a transit depth in this band of 1.338\pm0.013% - a value consistent with the optical transit depth reported by Charbonneau and collaborators. However, our best-fit combined Ks-band (~2.15 microns) transit depth is deeper: 1.438\pm0.019%. Formally our Ks-band transits are deeper than the J-band transits observed simultaneously by a factor of 1.072\pm0.018 - a 4-sigma discrepancy. The most straightforward explanation for our deeper Ks-band depth is a spectral absorption feature from the limb of the atmosphere of the planet; for the spectral absorption feature to be this prominent the atmosphere of GJ 1214b must have a large scale height and a low mean molecular weight. That is, it would have to be hydrogen/helium dominated and this planet would be better described as a mini-Neptune. However, recently published observations from 0.78 - 1.0 microns, by Bean and collaborators, show a lack of spectral features and transit depths consistent with those obtained by Charbonneau and collaborators. The most likely atmospheric composition for GJ 1214b that arises from combining all these observations is less clear; if the atmosphere of GJ 1214b is hydrogen/helium dominated then it must have either a haze layer that is obscuring transit depth differences at shorter wavelengths, or significantly different spectral features than current models predict. Our observations disfavour a water-world composition, but such a composition will remain a possibility until observations reconfirm our deeper Ks-band transit depth or detect features at other wavelengths. [Abridged]Comment: ApJ accepted. 12 pages, 6 figures, in EmulateApJ forma

Once-weekly oral medication with alendronate does not prevent migration of knee prostheses: A double-blind randomized RSA study

Background and purpose Early migration of joint replacements is an effect of poor fixation and can predict late loosening. By reducing the bone resorption after implantation of a joint replacement, it should be possible to enhance the initial fixation of the implant. We studied the effect of once-weekly treatment with alendronate after knee replacement

The effect of a Heat and Moisture Exchanger (Provox® HME) on pulmonary protection after total laryngectomy: a randomized controlled study

The goal of this randomized controlled study was to investigate the effect of Heat and Moisture Exchanger use on pulmonary symptoms and quality of life aspects in laryngectomized patients. Eighty laryngectomized patients were included and randomized into an HME and Control group. The effect of the HME was evaluated by means of Tally Sheets and Structured Questionnaires. The results showed a significant decrease in the frequency of coughing, forced expectoration, and stoma cleaning in the HME group. There were trends for the prosthetic speakers to report more fluent speech with the HME and for the HME group to report fewer sleeping problems. In conclusion, this study, performed in Poland, confirms the results of previous studies performed in other countries, showing that pulmonary symptoms decrease significantly with HME use and that related aspects such as speech and sleeping tend to improve, regardless of country or climate

X-Ray Observations of the Peculiar Cepheid V473 Lyr Identify A Low-mass Companion

V473 Lyr is a classical Cepheid which is unique in having substantial amplitude variations with a period of approximately 3.3 years, thought to be similar to the Blazhko variations in RR Lyrae stars. We obtained an {\it XMM-Newton} observation of this star to followup a previous detection in X-rays. Rather than the X-ray burst and rapid decline near maximum radius seen in $\delta$ Cephei itself, the X-ray flux in V473 Lyr remained constant for a third of the pulsation cycle covered by the observation. Thus the X-rays are most probably not produced by the changes around the pulsation cycle. The X-ray spectrum is soft (kT = 0.6 keV), with X-ray properties which are consistent with a young low mass companion. Previously there was no evidence of a companion in radial velocities or in {\it Gaia} and {\it Hipparcos} proper motions. While this rules out companions which are very close or very distant, a binary companion at a separation between 30 and 300 AU is possible. This is an example of an X-ray observation revealing evidence of a low mass companion, which is important in completing the mass ratio statistics of binary Cepheids. Furthermore, the detection of a young X-ray bright companion is a further indication that the Cepheid (primary) is a Population I star, even though its pulsation behavior differs from other classical Cepheids.Comment: Accepted by A

Stellar Astrophysics and Exoplanet Science with the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE)

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is a planned 11.25-m aperture facility with a 1.5 square degree field of view that will be fully dedicated to multi-object spectroscopy. A rebirth of the 3.6m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Maunakea, MSE will use 4332 fibers operating at three different resolving powers (R ~ 2500, 6000, 40000) across a wavelength range of 0.36-1.8mum, with dynamical fiber positioning that allows fibers to match the exposure times of individual objects. MSE will enable spectroscopic surveys with unprecedented scale and sensitivity by collecting millions of spectra per year down to limiting magnitudes of g ~ 20-24 mag, with a nominal velocity precision of ~100 m/s in high-resolution mode. This white paper describes science cases for stellar astrophysics and exoplanet science using MSE, including the discovery and atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and substellar objects, stellar physics with star clusters, asteroseismology of solar-like oscillators and opacity-driven pulsators, studies of stellar rotation, activity, and multiplicity, as well as the chemical characterization of AGB and extremely metal-poor stars.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures; To appear as a chapter for the Detailed Science Case of the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explore