M2K: I. A Jovian mass planet around the M3V star HIP79431

Doppler observations from Keck Observatory reveal the presence of a planet with Msini of 2.1 Mjup orbiting the M3V star HIP79431. This is the sixth giant planet to be detected in Doppler surveys of M dwarfs and it is one of the most massive planets discovered around an M dwarf star. The planet has an orbital period of 111.7 days and an orbital eccentricity of 0.29. The host star is metal rich, with an estimated [Fe/H] = +0.4. This is the first planet to emerge from our new survey of 1600 M-to-K dwarf stars.Comment: 5 figure

GIWAXS Characterization of Metal–Organic Framework Thin Films and Heterostructures: Quantifying Structure and Orientation

For optoelectronic applications of metal–organic framework (MOF) thin films, it is important to be able to fabricate films and heterostructures that are highly oriented relative to the substrate\u27s surface normal. However, process optimization to achieve this is difficult without sufficiently detailed structural characterization of the deposited films. It is demonstrated that 2D grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) data from a laboratory system go a long way to providing such characterization and can 1) better test structural models than 1D scans, 2) provide a quantitative estimate—useful for process optimization—of the fraction of the deposited film that has the desired surface-oriented texture (2D powder), and 3) deliver such information as a function of depth into the film—useful for heterostructure characterization. Herein, GIWAXS data collection and analysis are introduced in the context of understanding MOF thin films, then it is shown how the desired oriented fraction (2D powder fraction) of UiO-66 fabricated by vapor-assisted conversion can be increased from 4% to over 95% by minimizing nucleation in solution. Finally, it is demonstrated that heterostructures of UiO-66 and UiO-67 can be grown wherein both layers are highly ordered (UiO-66 83%, UiO-67 >94%) once synthetic protocols are optimized

Searching for Monomeric Nickel Tetrafluoride: Unravelling Infrared Matrix Isolation Spectra of Higher Nickel Fluorides

Binary transition metal fluorides are textbook examples combining complex electronic features with most fundamental molecular structures. High‐valent nickel fluorides are among the strongest known fluorinating and oxidizing agents, but there is a lack of experimental structural and spectroscopic investigations on molecular NiF3 or NiF4. Apart from their demanding synthesis, also their quantum‐chemical description is difficult due to their open shell nature and low‐lying excited electronic states. Distorted tetrahedral NiF4 (D2d) and trigonal planar NiF3 (D3h) molecules were produced by thermal evaporation and laser ablation of nickel atoms in a fluorine/noble gas mixture and spectroscopically identified by a joint matrix‐isolation and quantum‐chemical study. Their vibrational band positions provide detailed insights into their molecular structures

Motivational Effects of Acknowledging Feedback from a Socially Assistive Robot

Schneider S, Kummert F. Motivational Effects of Acknowledging Feedback from a Socially Assistive Robot. In: Agah A, Cabibihan J-J, Howard AM, Salichs MA, He H, eds. Social Robotics. ICSR 2016. Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Social Robotics. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol 9979. Cham: Springer; 2016: 870-879

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog IV. Fifth Data Release

We present the fourth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog. The catalog contains 77,429 objects; this is an increase of over 30,000 entries since the previous edition. The catalog consists of the objects in the SDSS Fifth Data Release that have luminosities larger than M_i = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H_0 = 70 km/s/Mpc, Omega_M = 0.3, and Omega_Lambda = 0.7) have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km/s, or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i=15.0, and have highly reliable redshifts. The area covered by the catalog is 5740 sq. deg. The quasar redshifts range from 0.08 to 5.41, with a median value of 1.48; the catalog includes 891 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 36 are at redshifts greater than five. Approximately half of the catalog quasars have i < 19; nearly all have i < 21. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.2 arcsec. rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains basic radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800--9200A at a spectral resolution of ~2000. The spectra can be retrieved from the public database using the information provided in the catalog. The average SDSS colors of quasars as a function of redshift, derived from the catalog entries, are presented in tabular form. Approximately 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS.Comment: 37 pages, Accepted for publication in A

Using the Prevalence of Individual Species of Intestinal Nematode Worms to Estimate the Combined Prevalence of Any Species

Mixed infections with roundworm, whipworm and hookworm are common, but survey reports often give only the separate prevalence of each type. However, the combined prevalence is important to estimate accurately the number of individuals who would benefit from control programmes and to make decisions about the frequency of treatment. Previous work suggests that mixed infections involving hookworm occur randomly, but that roundworm and whipworm infections are found together more frequently than would be expected by chance. We used 63 data sets from community surveys that reported both the proportions infected with individual types of worms and the combined proportion infected with any worm. We then calculated the proportion that would be infected with any type of worm if infections had occurred randomly and compared it with the observed combined proportion infected. We found a strong correlation between the observed and predicted combined proportions infected. A small downward correction of the predicted proportion infected by dividing by a factor of 1.06 brought it to a value that nearly equalled the observed proportion infected almost all the time. This simple model could be applied to published survey data to estimate accurately the number of individuals that would benefit from mass deworming

Supersymmetric Monojets at the Large Hadron Collider

Supersymmetric monojets may be produced at the Large Hadron Collider by the process qg -> squark neutralino_1 -> q neutralino_1 neutralino_1, leading to a jet recoiling against missing transverse momentum. We discuss the feasibility and utility of the supersymmetric monojet signal. In particular, we examine the possible precision with which one can ascertain the neutralino_1-squark-quark coupling via the rate for monojet events. Such a coupling contains information on the composition of the neutralino_1 and helps bound dark matter direct detection cross-sections and the dark matter relic density of the neutralino_1. It also provides a check of the supersymmetric relation between gauge couplings and gaugino-quark-squark couplings.Comment: 46 pages, 10 figures. The appendix has been rewritten to correct an error that appears in all previous versions of the appendix. This error has no effect on the results in the main body of the pape

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog V. Seventh Data Release

We present the fifth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog, which is based upon the SDSS Seventh Data Release. The catalog, which contains 105,783 spectroscopically confirmed quasars, represents the conclusion of the SDSS-I and SDSS-II quasar survey. The catalog consists of the SDSS objects that have luminosities larger than M_i = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H_0 = 70 km/s/Mpc Omega_M = 0.3, and Omega_Lambda = 0.7) have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km/s or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i > 15.0 and have highly reliable redshifts. The catalog covers an area of 9380 deg^2. The quasar redshifts range from 0.065 to 5.46, with a median value of 1.49; the catalog includes 1248 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 56 are at redshifts greater than five. The catalog contains 9210 quasars with i < 18; slightly over half of the entries have i< 19. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.1" rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 Ang. at a spectral resolution R = 2000 the spectra can be retrieved from the SDSS public database using the information provided in the catalog. Over 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS. We also include a supplemental list of an additional 207 quasars with SDSS spectra whose archive photometric information is incomplete.Comment: Accepted, to appear in AJ, 7 figures, electronic version of Table 2 is available, see http://www.sdss.org/dr7/products/value_added/qsocat_dr7.htm

Characterizing the Cool KOIs III. KOI-961: A Small Star with Large Proper Motion and Three Small Planets

We present the characterization of the star KOI 961, an M dwarf with transit signals indicative of three short-period exoplanets, originally discovered by the Kepler Mission. We proceed by comparing KOI 961 to Barnard's Star, a nearby, well-characterized mid-M dwarf. By comparing colors, optical and near-infrared spectra, we find remarkable agreement between the two, implying similar effective temperatures and metallicities. Both are metal-poor compared to the Solar neighborhood, have low projected rotational velocity, high absolute radial velocity, large proper motion and no quiescent H-alpha emission--all of which is consistent with being old M dwarfs. We combine empirical measurements of Barnard's Star and expectations from evolutionary isochrones to estimate KOI 961's mass (0.13 +/- 0.05 Msun), radius (0.17 +/- 0.04 Rsun) and luminosity (2.40 x 10^(-3.0 +/- 0.3) Lsun). We calculate KOI 961's distance (38.7 +/- 6.3 pc) and space motions, which, like Barnard's Star, are consistent with a high scale-height population in the Milky Way. We perform an independent multi-transit fit to the public Kepler light curve and significantly revise the transit parameters for the three planets. We calculate the false-positive probability for each planet-candidate, and find a less than 1% chance that any one of the transiting signals is due to a background or hierarchical eclipsing binary, validating the planetary nature of the transits. The best-fitting radii for all three planets are less than 1 Rearth, with KOI 961.03 being Mars-sized (Rp = 0.57 +/- 0.18 Rearth), and they represent some of the smallest exoplanets detected to date.Comment: Accepted to Ap