MOST observations of the roAp stars HD 9289, HD 99563, and HD 134214

We report on the analysis of high-precision space-based photometry of the roAp (rapidly oscillating Ap) stars HD 9289, HD 99563, and HD134214. All three stars were observed by the MOST satellite for more than 25 days, allowing unprecedented views of their pulsation. We find previously unknown candidate frequencies in all three stars. We establish the rotation period of HD 9289 (8.5 d) for the first time and show that the star is pulsating in two modes that show different mode geometries. We present a detailed analysis of HD 99563's mode multiplet and find a new candidate frequency which appears independent of the previously known mode. Finally, we report on 11 detected pulsation frequencies in HD 134214, 9 of which were never before detected in photometry, and 3 of which are completely new detections. Thanks to the unprecedentedly small frequency uncertainties, the p-mode spectrum of HD 134214 can be seen to have a well-defined large frequency spacing similar to the well-studied roAp star HD 24712 (HR 1217).Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Cyclosporin A inhibits PGE2 release from vascular smooth muscle cells

The influence of the fungoid undecapeptide cyclosporin A (CyA) on PGE2 release from cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells was investigated in this study. We found that CyA time and concentration dependently (ED50:500 ng/ml) inhibited PGE2 release from the cells. CyA attenuated both basal and PGE2 release evoked by angiotensin II (10(-10)-10(-6) M), arginine vasopressin (10(-10)-10(-6) M) and ionomycin (10(-9)-10(-6) M). CyA (1 microgram/ml) did not affect the conversion of exogenous arachidonic acid (1 microM) into PGE2. The inhibitory effect of CyA was neutralized by high concentrations of the calcium ionophore ionomycin (greater than 3 X 10(-6) M). Taken together our results indicate that CyA inhibits both basal and vasoconstrictor evoked PGE2 release from vascular smooth muscle by impairing the availability of free arachidonic acid rather than by inhibiting the conversion of arachidonic acid into PGE2

On the understanding of pulsations in the atmosphere of roAp stars: phase diversity and false nodes

Studies based on high-resolution spectroscopic data of rapidly oscillating Ap stars show a surprising diversity of pulsation behavior in the atmospheric layers, pointing, in particular, to the co-existence of running and standing waves. The correct interpretation of these data requires a careful modelling of pulsations in these magnetic stars. In light of this, in this work we present a theoretical analysis of pulsations in roAp stars, taking into account the direct influence of the magnetic field. We derive approximate analytical solutions for the displacement components parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field, that are appropriate to the outermost layer. From these, we determine the expression for the theoretical radial velocity for an observer at a general position, and compute the corresponding pulsation amplitude and phase as function of height in the atmosphere. We show that the integral for the radial velocity has contributions from three different types of wave solutions, namely, running waves, evanescent waves, and standing waves of nearly constant amplitude. We then consider a number of case studies to illustrate the origin of the different pulsational behaviour that is found in the observations. Concerning pulsation amplitude, we find that it generally increases with atmospheric height. Pulsation phase, however, shows a diversity of behaviours, including phases that are constant, increasing, or decreasing with atmospheric height. Finally, we show that there are situations in which the pulsation amplitude goes through a zero, accompanied by a phase jumps of $\pi$, and argue that such behaviour does not correspond to a pulsation node in the outermost layers of the star, but rather to a visual effect, resulting from the observers inability to resolve the stellar surface.Comment: 21 pages, 25 figure

The NASA Astrophysics Data System: Overview

The NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstract Service has become a key component of astronomical research. It provides bibliographic information daily, or near daily, to a majority of astronomical researchers worldwide. We describe the history of the development of the system and its current status. We show several examples of how to use the ADS, and we show how ADS use has increased as a function of time. Currently it is still increasing exponentially, with a doubling time for number of queries of 17 months. Using the ADS logs we make the first detailed model of how scientific journals are read as a function of time since publication. The impact of the ADS on astronomy can be calculated after making some simple assumptions. We find that the ADS increases the efficiency of astronomical research by 333 Full Time Equivalent (2000 hour) research years per year, and that the value of the early development of the ADS for astronomy, compared with waiting for mature technologies to be adopted, is 2332 FTE research years. The ADS is available at http://adswww.harvard.edu/.Comment: 19 pages, 22 figure

Proper Motion of Pulsar B1800-21

We report high angular resolution, multi-epoch radio observations of the young pulsar PSR B1800-21. Using two pairs of data sets, each pair spanning approximately a ten year period, we calculate the proper motion of the pulsar. We obtain a proper motion of mu_alpha=11.6 +- 1.8 mas/yr, mu_delta=14.8 +- 2.3 mas/yr, which clearly indicates a birth position at the extreme edge of the W30 supernova remnant. Although this does not definitively rule out an association of W30 and PSR B1800-21, it does not support an association.Comment: 13 pages, 1 color figure. Replaced with version accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa

The NASA Astrophysics Data System: Data Holdings

Since its inception in 1993, the ADS Abstract Service has become an indispensable research tool for astronomers and astrophysicists worldwide. In those seven years, much effort has been directed toward improving both the quantity and the quality of references in the database. From the original database of approximately 160,000 astronomy abstracts, our dataset has grown almost tenfold to approximately 1.5 million references covering astronomy, astrophysics, planetary sciences, physics, optics, and engineering. We collect and standardize data from approximately 200 journals and present the resulting information in a uniform, coherent manner. With the cooperation of journal publishers worldwide, we have been able to place scans of full journal articles on-line back to the first volumes of many astronomical journals, and we are able to link to current version of articles, abstracts, and datasets for essentially all of the current astronomy literature. The trend toward electronic publishing in the field, the use of electronic submission of abstracts for journal articles and conference proceedings, and the increasingly prominent use of the World Wide Web to disseminate information have enabled the ADS to build a database unparalleled in other disciplines. The ADS can be accessed at http://adswww.harvard.eduComment: 24 pages, 1 figure, 6 tables, 3 appendice

The Century Survey Galactic Halo Project II: Global Properties and the Luminosity Function of Field Blue Horizontal Branch Stars

We discuss a 175 deg^2 spectroscopic survey for blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars in the Galactic halo. We use the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to select BHB candidates, and find that the 2MASS and SDSS color-selection is 38% and 50% efficient, respectively, for BHB stars. Our samples include one likely run-away B7 star 6 kpc below the Galactic plane. The global properties of the BHB samples are consistent with membership in the halo population: the median metallicity is [Fe/H]=-1.7, the velocity dispersion is 108 km/s, and the mean Galactic rotation of the BHB stars 3<|z|<15 kpc is -4 +- 30 km/s. We discuss the theoretical basis of the Preston, Shectman & Beers M_V-color relation for BHB stars, and conclude that intrinsic shape of the BHB M_V-color relation results from the physics of stars on the horizontal branch. We calculate the luminosity function for the field BHB star samples using the Efstathiou, Ellis, & Peterson maximum-likelihood method which is unbiased by density variations. The field BHB luminosity function exhibits a steep rise at bright luminosities, a peak between 0.8 < M_V < 1.0, and a tail at faint luminosities. We compare the field BHB luminosity functions with the luminosity functions derived from sixteen different globular cluster BHBs. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests suggest that field BHB stars and BHB stars in globular clusters share a common distribution of luminosities, with the exception of globular clusters with extended BHBs.Comment: 14 pages, including 16 figures, accepted for publication in A