Complex Velocity Fields in the Shell of T Pyxidis

We present spatially-resolved, moderate-resolution spectrophotometry of the recurrent nova T Pyx and a portion of the surrounding shell. The spectrum extracted from a strip of width 10'' centered on the star shows well-known, strong emission lines typical of old novae, plus a prominent, unfamiliar emission line at 6590 Angstroms. This line, and a weaker companion at 6540 Angstroms which we also detect, have been previously reported by Shahbaz et al., and attributed to Doppler-shifted H alpha emission from a collimated jet emerging from T Pyx. We demonstrate that these lines are instead due to [NII] 6548, 6584 from a complex velocity field in the surrounding nebula. The comments of past workers concerning the great strength of HeII 4686 in T Pyx itself are also reiterated.Comment: 8 pages including 2 figures; Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Proposed Schematics for an Advanced Development Lunar Portable Life Support System

The latest development of the NASA space suit is an integrated assembly made up of primarily a Pressure Garment System (PGS) and a Portable Life Support System (PLSS). The PLSS is further composed of an oxygen (O2) subsystem, a ventilation subsystem, and a thermal subsystem. This paper baselines a detailed schematic of the PLSS to provide a basis for current and future PLSS development efforts. Both context diagrams and detailed schematics describe the hardware components and overall functions for all three of the PLSS subsystems. The various modes of operations for the PLSS are also presented. A comparison of the proposed PLSS to the Apollo and Shuttle PLSS designs is presented, highlighting several anticipated improvements over the historical PLSS architectures

Variations on Keeler's Theorem

The 2010 Futurama episode The Prisoner of Benda features a mind swapping machine that swaps the minds of two people at a time with the restriction that the same pair of people cannot use the machine more than once. We show that if a machine swaps $n$ people cyclically with the condition that the same group of people cannot use the machine again, we can find a way to get everyone back. We prove our solution is optimal for when $n =3$. We also introduce an infinite variant of the mind swapping machine

The Use of and Interest in Ancient Grains in Northeastern Institutional Kitchens

We report on a survey of institutional kitchens in the Northeast, seeking to better understand the extent to which institutions currently use locally produced grain products and what barriers they face in increasing their use of local grain products. We focus additional attention on local, organic grains, and ask specifically about a set of “ancient” grains: barley, einkorn, farro, rye, and spelt. Results indicate that current use of these products is extremely low. Familiarity with the grains in question, both by kitchen staff and their customers, emerges as a first-order barrier to expanding use of ancient grains in institutional kitchens. Additionally, while many of the respondents are open to the idea of substituting ancient grain products for their current grain products (rice, wholewheat flour), limited budgets, uncertainties regarding the procurement process and staff and equipment limitations pose additional challenges

Senate \u27libelously\u27 labeled by Campus

Letter to the editor of The Maine Campus. We feel it necessary to take issue with your recent editorial, entitled, Elected Cowardice. The seven authors of the letter express support for the decision made by the University Senate to deny finding to the Wilde-Stein club and vow, ...if they successfully obtain travel funds, we intend to approach the senate with the idea of one of our classmates and form a Happy Hetero Club, and [ask] for funds to travel [to] prime chick locations

Limitations of Species Delimitation Based on Phylogenetic Analyses: A Case Study in the Hypogymnia hypotrypa Group (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota)

Delimiting species boundaries among closely related lineages often requires a range of independent data sets and analytical approaches. Similar to other organismal groups, robust species circumscriptions in fungi are increasingly investigated within an empirical framework. Here we attempt to delimit species boundaries in a closely related Glade of lichen-forming fungi endemic to Asia, the Hypogymnia hypotrypa group (Parmeliaceae). In the current classification, the Hypogymnia hypotrypa group includes two species: H. hypotrypa and H. flavida, which are separated based on distinctive reproductive modes, the former producing soredia but absent in the latter. We reexamined the relationship between these two species using phenotypic characters and molecular sequence data (ITS, GPD, and MCM7sequences) to address species boundaries in this group. In addition to morphological investigations, we used Bayesian clustering to identify potential genetic groups in the H. hypotrypa/H. flavida Glade. We also used a variety of empirical, sequence-based species delimitation approaches, including: the "Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery" (ABGD), the Poisson tree process model (PTP), the General Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC), and the multispecies coalescent approach BPP. Different species delimitation scenarios were compared using Bayes factors delimitation analysis, in addition to comparisons of pairwise genetic distances, pairwise fixation indices (FST). The majority of the species delimitation analyses implemented in this study failed to support H. hypotrypa and H. flavida as distinct lineages, as did the Bayesian clustering analysis. However, strong support for the evolutionary independence of H. hypotrypa and H. flavida was inferred using BPP and further supported by Bayes factor delimitation. In spite of rigorous morphological comparisons and a wide range of sequence-based approaches to delimit species, species boundaries in the H. hypotrypa group remain uncertain. This study reveals the potential limitations of relying on distinct reproductive strategies as diagnostic taxonomic characters for Hypogymnia and also the challenges of using popular sequence-based species delimitation methods in groups with recent diversification histories