A 'reality of return': the case of the Sarawakian-Chinese visiting China

Using an interpretive ethnographic framework, this paper focuses on how travel to the homeland informs the identity of the Sarawakian-Chinese, a diaspora that contains a composite of subcultures. The data collection is based upon 35 semi-structured interviews and participant observation of a Sarawakian-Chinese tour group to China. Whilst emotional connections with China are universally significant in constructing the diaspora's ethnic identity, the strength of association is influenced by characteristics of education, religion and language, as identity becomes re-defined and plural. The findings suggest that the influence of tourism to the homeland may not necessarily be significant in enhancing emotional and cultural connections with China. Instead, ambivalent connections to homeland become established during tourism experiences. Visits to the homeland could play a significant role in forging new and hybrid identities of ethnic communities outside the homeland, thereby bringing a new vital dimension to identity formation and communication of the Sarawakian-Chinese in the future

X-ray Observations of Distant Optically Selected Cluster

We have measured fluxes or flux limits for 31 of the 79 cluster candidates in the Palomar Distant Cluster Survey (PDCS) using archival ROSAT/PSPC pointed observations. Our X-ray survey reaches a flux limit of $\simeq 3 \times 10^{-14}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ (0.4 - 2.0 keV), which corresponds to luminosities of $L_x\simeq 5 \times 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$ ($H_o$ = 50 km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$, $q_o$ = ${1/2}$), if we assume the PDCS estimated redshifts. Of the 31 cluster candidates, we detect six at a signal-to-noise greater than three. We estimate that $2.9^{+3.3}_{-1.4}$ (90% confidence limits) of these six detections are a result of X-ray emission from objects unrelated to the PDCS cluster candidates. The net surface density of X-ray emitting cluster candidates in our survey, $1.71^{+0.91}_{-2.19}$ clusters deg$^{-2}$, agrees with that of other, X-ray selected, surveys. It is possible, given the large error on our contamination rate, that we have not detected X-ray emission from any of our observed PDCS cluster candidates. We find no statistically significant difference between the X-ray luminosities of PDCS cluster candidates and those of Abell clusters of similar optical richness. This suggests that the PDCS contains objects at high redshift similar to the low redshift clusters in the Abell catalogs. We show that the PDCS cluster candidates are not bright X-ray sources, the average luminosity of the six detected candidates is only $\bar{L_x}=0.9\times10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (0.4-2.0 keV). This finding is in agreement with previous X-ray studies of high redshift, optically selected, rich clusters of galaxies.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX with AAS Preprint Macros (v. 4), 3 embedded postscript figures, 3 Seperate Tables using aj_pt4.sty, Accepted by the Astronomical Journal for November 199

A Turn-over in the Galaxy Luminosity Function of the Coma Cluster Core?

Our previous study of the faint end (R$\leq$21.5) of the galaxy luminosity function (GLF) was based on spectroscopic data in a small region near the Coma cluster center. In this previous study Adami et al. (1998) suggested, with moderate statistical significance, that the number of galaxies actually belonging to the cluster was much smaller than expected. This led us to increase our spectroscopic sample. Here, we have improved the statistical significance of the results of the Coma GLF faint end study (R$\leq$22.5) by using a sample of 85 redshifts. This includes both new spectroscopic data and a literature compilation. The relatively small number of faint galaxies belonging to Coma that was suggested by Adami et al. (1998) and Secker et al. (1998) has been confirmed with these new observations. We also confirm that the color-magnitude relation is not well suited for finding the galaxies inside the Coma cluster core, close to the center at magnitudes fainter than R$\sim$19. We show that there is an enhancement in the Coma line of sight of field galaxies compared to classical field counts. This can be explained by the contribution of groups and of a distant $z\sim 0.5$ cluster along the line of sight. The result is that the Coma GLF appears to turn-over or at least to become flat for the faint galaxies. We suggest that this is due to environmental effects.Comment: 8 pages, 6 postscript figures, accepted in A&A, new table 1, updated figure

Anomalous oxygen isotope effect on the in-plane FIR conductivity of detwinned YBa2Cu316,18^{16,18}O6.9_{6.9}

We observe an anomalous oxygen isotope effect on the a-axis component of the far-infrared electronic response of detwinned YBa2Cu3$^{16,18}$O$_{6.9}$. For $^{18}$O a pronounced low-energy electronic mode (LEM) appears around 240 cm$^{-1}$. This a-axis LEM exhibits a clear aging effect, after one year it is shifted to 190 cm$^{-1}$. For $^{16}$O we cannot resolve a corresponding a-axis LEM above 120 cm$^{-1}$. We interpret the LEM in terms of a collective electronic mode that is pinned by `isotopic defects', i.e. by the residual $^{16}$O in the matrix of $^{18}$O.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

The CFH Optical PDCS survey (COP) I: The Data

This paper presents and gives the COP (COP: CFHT Optical PDCS; CFHT: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope; PDCS: Palomar Distant Cluster Survey) survey data. We describe our photometric and spectroscopic observations with the MOS multi-slit spectrograph at the CFH telescope. A comparison of the photometry from the PDCS (Postman et al. 1996) catalogs and from the new images we have obtained at the CFH telescope shows that the different magnitude systems can be cross-calibrated. After identification between the PDCS catalogues and our new images, we built catalogues with redshift, coordinates and V, I and Rmagnitudes. We have classified the galaxies along the lines of sight into field and structure galaxies using a gap technique (Katgert et al. 1996). In total we have observed 18 significant structures along the 10 lines of sight.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, accepted in A