The influence of AGN nuclear parameters on the FRI/FRII dichotomy

We have investigated the influence of nuclear parameters such as black hole mass and photoionizing luminosity on the FRI/FRII transition in a sample of nearby (z<0.2) radio galaxies from the 3CR catalogue. The sample was observed with medium-resolution, optical spectroscopy and contains some galaxies with unpublished velocity dispersion measurements and emission-line fluxes. The measured velocity dispersions for the sample lie in the range 130-340 km s^(-1) with a mean of 216 km s^(-1). Using the M-σ relation, we convert to black hole mass and find that the black hole mass distribution is identical for FRI and FRII galaxies, with a mean of ≈ 2.5 × 10^8 M_☉. We determine narrow emission-line luminosities from [O III] and [O III] in our spectra, as well as from the literature, and convert them to photoionizing luminosities under the assumption that the gas is ionized by the nuclear UV continuum. Most of the galaxies with FRI morphology and/or low-excitation emission-line spectra have progressively lower black hole masses at lower photoionizing (and jet) luminosities. This agrees with the well-known Ledlow-Owen relation which states that the radio luminosity at the FRI/FRII transition depends on the optical luminosity of the host, L_(radio) ∝ L^(1.8)_(optical), because these two luminosities relate to AGN nuclear parameters. When recasting the Ledlow-Owen relation into black hole mass versus photoionizing luminosity and jet luminosity, we find that the recasted relation describes the sample quite well. Furthermore, the FRI/FRII transition is seen to occur at approximately an order of magnitude lower luminosity relative to the Eddington luminosity than the soft-to-hard transition in X-ray binaries. This difference is also consistent with the Ledlow-Owen relation, which predicts a weak black hole mass dependence in the transition luminosity in Eddington units. We conclude that the FRI/FRII dichotomy is caused by a combination of external and nuclear factors, with the latter dominating

The Influence of Black Hole Mass and Accretion Rate on the FRI/FRII Radio Galaxy Dichotomy

We use medium resolution optical spectra of 3CR radio galaxies to estimate their black hole masses and accretion rates. Black hole masses are found from central stellar velocity dispersions and accretion rates are derived from narrow emission-line luminosities. The sample covers both Fanaroff-Riley (FR) classes; the more powerful FRIIs and the less powerful FRIs. We find that FRIs and FRIIs separate in diagrams of black hole mass versus radio luminosity and narrow-line luminosity. This suggests that, at a given black hole mass, the FRIIs accrete more efficiently, or accrete more matter, than FRIs.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure. Contribution to the proceedings of the conference "Growing Black Holes", Garching, Germany, June 21-24, 2004. Eds. A. Merloni, S. Nayakshin, R. Sunyae

Teaching And Understanding Phonemic Awareness And English Learners

The research question for this paper and project was: Why is phonemic awareness important for English learners (ELs) and how can it be developed? The interest in this topic arose from observing English learners struggle with various English phonemes, especially the vowels, and the surprising difficulty of teaching students to acquire them. Research shows that phonemic awareness contributes to successful reading achievement and can affect intelligibility. English learners may struggle with phonemic awareness as phonemes that exist in English may not exist in their L1s. This paper and project focuses on native Spanish speakers and the distinction of the /i/ and /I/ phonemes, as the /I/ phoneme does not exist in Spanish and is thus often perceived as /i/. The project is a 10-lesson curricular unit aimed to teach K-1 students to both perceive and produce the /i/ and /I/ phonemes distinctly. The project is viewed as a template for further developing phonemic awareness using various phonemes with which students may struggle

Changes from 1986 to 2006 in reasons for liking leisure-time physical activity among adolescents

Reasons for participating in physical activity (PA) may have changed in accordance with the general modernization of society. The aim is to examine changes in self-reported reasons for liking leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and their association with self-reported LTPA over a 20-year period. Data were collected among nationally representative samples of 13-year-olds in Finland, Norway, and Wales in 1986 and 2006 (N = 9252) as part of the WHO cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Univariate ANOVAs to establish differences according to gender, year, and country were conducted. In all countries, 13-year-olds in 2006 tended to report higher importance in terms of achievement and social reasons than their counterparts in 1986, while changes in health reasons were minor. These reasons were associated with LTPA in a similar way at both time points. Health reasons for liking LTPA were considered most important, and were the strongest predictor of LTPA. The findings seem robust as they were consistent across countries and genders. Health education constitutes the most viable strategy for promoting adolescents' motivation for PA, and interventions and educational efforts could be improved by an increased focus on LTPA and sport as a social activity

Quasar 3C 298: a test-case for meteoritic nanodiamond 3.5 µm emission

Aims. We calculate the dust emission expected at 3.43 and 3.53 µm if meteoritic (i.e. hydrogenated) nanodiamonds are responsible for most of the far-UV break observed in quasars. Methods. We integrate the UV flux that hydrogenated nanodiamonds must absorb to reproduce the far-UV break. Based on laboratory spectra of H-terminated diamond surfaces, we analyse the radiative energy budget and derive theoretically the IR emission profiles expected for possible C-H surface stretch modes of the diamonds. Results. Using as test case a spectrum of 3C 298 provided by the Spitzer Observatory, we do not find evidence of these emission bands. Conclusions. While diamonds without surface adsorbates remain a viable candidate for explaining the far-UV break observed in quasars, hydrogenated nanodiamonds appear to be ruled out, as they would give rise to IR emission bands, which have not been observed so far

L’Écosse et la Révolution française

L’impact de la Révolution française sur l’Écosse n’a pas été aussi étudié que celui qu’elle a eu sur l’Angleterre et l’Irlande. Cet article s’attache à évoquer les travaux récents à présent disponibles sur le radicalisme et le loyalisme écossais, sur la réponse des autorités écossaises à la Révolution française, sur les poursuites contre les radicaux, et sur la contribution financière et militaire de l’Écosse à la guerre contre la France en révolution.Scotland and the French Revolution. The impact of the French Revolution on Scotland had not been paid the same degree of scholarly attention as its influence on England and Ireland, but this essay explores the recent work now available on Scottish radicalism and loyalism, the Scottish government’s response to the French Revolution, the prosecution of radicals, and Scotland’s military and financial contribution to the war against Revolutionary France

The Scottish Government and the French Threat, 1792-1802

Over the period 1792 to 1802 the British state faced the unprecedented situation of fighting a war against France, while simultaneously being challenged on the home front by an upsurge of political radicalism and demands for extensive alterations in the British political system. In the early part of the period, it was the threat posed by domestic radicalism and radical agitation which posed the greatest challenge to the government, but gradually, as radicalism was defeated and the threat of invasion from France increased, the war effort became the main priority and cause of concern for the authorities. This thesis examines Scotland’s contribution to the British state‘s war against Revolutionary France and its struggles against the domestic challenges of the 1790s, with a view to establish how the government of Scotland met and handled the specific challenges it faced over the course of the decade, and the extent to which the Scots rallied to the defence of British state at this time of crisis. Chapter one sets out the main challenges facing the authorities in Scotland in this period, while chapter two addresses the government‘s overall response and policies. Emphasis has been placed on the relationship between the central government in London and local government officials in Scotland, and the degree of interaction which took place between the two. Chapter three provides more detail on the political trials which followed the government’s decision to bring some of the leading radicals before the law courts on a charge of sedition, while chapters four and five address the two crucial aspects of the Scottish contribution to the war effort - the recruitment of men for service in the armed forces, and the financing of military operations. It is argued here that, while Scotland provided more than a proportionate share of men for armed service, the Scottish financial contribution was less than proportionate. The last two chapters examine the support the government received from the Scottish public. Chapter six looks at the various ways in which the Scots demonstrated loyalty to the British state at a time of war, and chapter seven discusses the arguments presented by loyalist writers in Scotland. Sections on naval protection for Scotland, barracks-building and the Scottish whisky-industry were omitted from the final version of the thesis to reduce its length, as were some details on the manager system and Henry Dundas, on the law of sedition in Scotland, and on the causes of the militia riots in 1797