13,379 research outputs found
The Fornax Spectroscopic Survey I. Survey Strategy and Preliminary Results on the Redshift Distribution of a Complete Sample of Stars and Galaxies
The Fornax Spectroscopic Survey will use the Two degree Field spectrograph
(2dF) of the Anglo-Australian Telescope to obtain spectra for a complete sample
of all 14000 objects with 16.5<=Bj<=19.7 in a 12 square degree area centred on
the Fornax Cluster. By selecting all objects---both stars and
galaxies---independent of morphology, we cover a much larger range of surface
brightness and scale size than previous surveys. In this paper we present
results from the first 2dF field. Redshift distributions and velocity
structures are shown for all observed objects in the direction of Fornax,
including Galactic stars, galaxies in and around the Fornax Cluster, and for
the background galaxy population. The velocity data for the stars show the
contributions from the different Galactic components, plus a small tail to high
velocities. We find no galaxies in the foreground to the cluster in our 2dF
field. The Fornax Cluster is clearly defined kinematically. The mean velocity
from the 26 cluster members having reliable redshifts is 1560+/-80 km/s. They
show a velocity dispersion of 380+/-50 km/s. Large-scale structure can be
traced behind the cluster to a redshift beyond z=0.3. Background compact
galaxies and low surface brightness galaxies are found to follow the general
galaxy distribution.Comment: LaTeX format; uses aa.cls (included). Accepted for publication in
Astronomy and Astrophysic
Solar Flare Intermittency and the Earth's Temperature Anomalies
We argue that earth's short-term temperature anomalies and the solar flare
intermittency are linked. The analysis is based upon the study of the scaling
of both the spreading and the entropy of the diffusion generated by the
fluctuations of the temperature time series. The joint use of these two methods
evidences the presence of a L\'{e}vy component in the temporal persistence of
the temperature data sets that corresponds to the one that would be induced by
the solar flare intermittency. The mean monthly temperature datasets cover the
period from 1856 to 2002.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
The Reliability of Global and Hemispheric Surface Temperature Records
The purpose of this review article is to discuss the development and associated estimation of uncertainties in the global and hemispheric surface temperature records. The review begins by detailing the groups that produce surface temperature datasets. After discussing the reasons for similarities and differences between the various products, the main issues that must be addressed when deriving accurate estimates, particularly for hemispheric and global averages, are then considered. These issues are discussed in the order of their importance for temperature records at these spatial scales: biases in SST data, particularly before the 1940s; the exposure of land-based thermometers before the development of louvred screens in the late 19th century; and urbanization effects in some regions in recent decades. The homogeneity of land-based records is also discussed; however, at these large scales it is relatively unimportant. The article concludes by illustrating hemispheric and global temperature records from the four groups that produce series in near-real time
Unique Conference Design Showcases Small Towns, Highlights Entrepreneurs, and Strengthens Capacity
Michigan State University Extension (MSUE)âs annual conference, Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC), has served as a catalyst for entrepreneurial ecosystems across Michigan since 2012. Designed by MSUE for small towns, CEC has gained national interest as evidenced by the adoption of this conference model by four other Extension services. This article outlines the unique conference design, details the partnership between Extension and host communities, and explores conference evaluation data validating the need to continue this programming. Lessons learned and successes to date are provided to ensure readers learn the value this unique conference format has in Extension entrepreneurship programming nationally
2MASS Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster Spectroscopic Survey
The Fornax Cluster Spectroscopic Survey (FCSS) is an all-object survey of a
region around the Fornax Cluster of galaxies undertaken using the 2dF
multi-object spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Its aim was to
obtain spectra for a complete sample of all objects with 16.5 < b_j < 19.7
irrespective of their morphology (i.e. including `stars', `galaxies' and
`merged' images). We explore the extent to which (nearby) cluster galaxies are
present in 2MASS. We consider the reasons for the omission of 2MASS galaxies
from the FCSS and vice versa. We consider the intersection (2.9 square degrees
on the sky) of our data set with the infra-red 2 Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS),
using both the 2MASS Extended Source Catalogue (XSC) and the Point Source
Catalogue (PSC). We match all the XSC objects to FCSS counterparts by position
and also extract a sample of galaxies, selected by their FCSS redshifts, from
the PSC. We confirm that all 114 XSC objects in the overlap sample are
galaxies, on the basis of their FCSS velocities. A total of 23 Fornax Cluster
galaxies appear in the matched data, while, as expected, the remainder of the
sample lie at redshifts out to z = 0.2 (the spectra show that 61% are early
type galaxies, 18% are intermediate types and 21% are strongly star
forming).The PSC sample turns out to contain twice as many galaxies as does the
XSC. However, only one of these 225 galaxies is a (dwarf) cluster member. On
the other hand, galaxies which are unresolved in the 2MASS data (though almost
all are resolved in the optical) amount to 71% of the non-cluster galaxies with
2MASS detections and have redshifts out to z=0.32.Comment: 5 pages, accepted by A&A, resubmitted due to missing reference
The CFEPS Kuiper Belt Survey: Strategy and Pre-survey Results
We present the data acquisition strategy and characterization procedures for
the Canada-France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS), a sub-component of the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey. The survey began in early 2003
and as of summer 2005 has covered 430 square degrees of sky within a few
degrees of the ecliptic. Moving objects beyond the orbit of Uranus are detected
to a magnitude limit of =23 -- 24 (depending on the image quality). To
track as large a sample as possible and avoid introducing followup bias, we
have developed a multi-epoch observing strategy that is spread over several
years. We present the evolution of the uncertainties in ephemeris position and
orbital elements as the objects progress through the epochs. We then present a
small 10-object sample that was tracked in this manner as part of a preliminary
survey starting a year before the main CFEPS project.
We describe the CFEPS survey simulator, to be released in 2006, which allows
theoretical models of the Kuiper Belt to be compared with the survey
discoveries since CFEPS has a well-documented pointing history with
characterized detection efficiencies as a function of magnitude and rate of
motion on the sky. Using the pre-survey objects we illustrate the usage of the
simulator in modeling the classical Kuiper Belt.Comment: to be submitted to Icaru
Wound healing and hyper-hydration - a counter intuitive model
Winters seminal work in the 1960s relating to providing an optimal level of moisture to aid wound healing (granulation and re-epithelialisation) has been the single most effective advance in wound care over many decades. As such the development of advanced wound dressings that manage the fluidic wound environment have provided significant benefits in terms of healing to both patient and clinician. Although moist wound healing provides the guiding management principle confusion may arise between what is deemed to be an adequate level of tissue hydration and the risk of developing maceration. In addition, the counter-intuitive model âhyper-hydrationâ of tissue appears to frustrate the moist wound healing approach and advocate a course of intervention whereby tissue is hydrated beyond what is a normally acceptable therapeutic level. This paper discusses tissue hydration, the cause and effect of maceration and distinguishes these from hyper-hydration of tissue. The rationale is to provide the clinician with a knowledge base that allows optimisation of treatment and outcomes and explains the reasoning behind wound healing using hyper-hydration
Near-Infrared Mapping and Physical Properties of the Dwarf-Planet Ceres
We study the physical characteristics (shape, dimensions, spin axis
direction, albedo maps, mineralogy) of the dwarf-planet Ceres based on
high-angular resolution near-infrared observations. We analyze adaptive optics
J/H/K imaging observations of Ceres performed at Keck II Observatory in
September 2002 with an equivalent spatial resolution of ~50 km. The spectral
behavior of the main geological features present on Ceres is compared with
laboratory samples. Ceres' shape can be described by an oblate spheroid (a = b
= 479.7 +/- 2.3 km, c = 444.4 +/- 2.1 km) with EQJ2000.0 spin vector
coordinates RA = 288 +/- 5 deg. and DEC = +66 +/- 5 deg. Ceres sidereal period
is measured to be 9.0741 +/- 0.0001 h. We image surface features with diameters
in the 50-180 km range and an albedo contrast of ~6% with respect to the
average Ceres albedo. The spectral behavior of the brightest regions on Ceres
is consistent with phyllosilicates and carbonate compounds. Darker isolated
regions could be related to the presence of frost.Comment: 11 pages, 8 Postscript figures, Accepted for publication in A&
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