1,692 research outputs found
Significance analysis and statistical mechanics: an application to clustering
This paper addresses the statistical significance of structures in random
data: Given a set of vectors and a measure of mutual similarity, how likely
does a subset of these vectors form a cluster with enhanced similarity among
its elements? The computation of this cluster p-value for randomly distributed
vectors is mapped onto a well-defined problem of statistical mechanics. We
solve this problem analytically, establishing a connection between the physics
of quenched disorder and multiple testing statistics in clustering and related
problems. In an application to gene expression data, we find a remarkable link
between the statistical significance of a cluster and the functional
relationships between its genes.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Elemental Abundances of Solar Sibling Candidates
Dynamical information along with survey data on metallicity and in some cases
age have been used recently by some authors to search for candidates of stars
that were born in the cluster where the Sun formed. We have acquired high
resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra for 30 of these objects to
determine, using detailed elemental abundance analysis, if they could be true
solar siblings. Only two of the candidates are found to have solar chemical
composition. Updated modeling of the stars' past orbits in a realistic Galactic
potential reveals that one of them, HD162826, satisfies both chemical and
dynamical conditions for being a sibling of the Sun. Measurements of
rare-element abundances for this star further confirm its solar composition,
with the only possible exception of Sm. Analysis of long-term high-precision
radial velocity data rules out the presence of hot Jupiters and confirms that
this star is not in a binary system. We find that chemical tagging does not
necessarily benefit from studying as many elements as possible, but instead
from identifying and carefully measuring the abundances of those elements which
show large star-to-star scatter at a given metallicity. Future searches
employing data products from ongoing massive astrometric and spectroscopic
surveys can be optimized by acknowledging this fact.Comment: ApJ, in press. Tables 2 and 4 are available in full in the "Other
formats: source" downloa
Revisiting rho 1 Cancri e: A New Mass Determination Of The Transiting super-Earth
We present a mass determination for the transiting super-Earth rho 1 Cancri e
based on nearly 700 precise radial velocity (RV) measurements. This extensive
RV data set consists of data collected by the McDonald Observatory planet
search and published data from Lick and Keck observatories (Fischer et al.
2008). We obtained 212 RV measurements with the Tull Coude Spectrograph at the
Harlan J. Smith 2.7 m Telescope and combined them with a new Doppler reduction
of the 131 spectra that we have taken in 2003-2004 with the
High-Resolution-Spectrograph (HRS) at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) for the
original discovery of rho 1 Cancri e. Using this large data set we obtain a
5-planet Keplerian orbital solution for the system and measure an RV
semi-amplitude of K = 6.29 +/- 0.21 m/s for rho 1 Cnc e and determine a mass of
8.37 +/- 0.38 M_Earth. The uncertainty in mass is thus less than 5%. This
planet was previously found to transit its parent star (Winn et al. 2011,
Demory et al. 2011), which allowed them to estimate its radius. Combined with
the latest radius estimate from Gillon et al. (2012), we obtain a mean density
of rho = 4.50 +/- 0.20 g/cm^3. The location of rho 1 Cnc e in the mass-radius
diagram suggests that the planet contains a significant amount of volitales,
possibly a water-rich envelope surrounding a rocky core.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal (the 300+ RV measurements will be published as online tables or can
be obtained from the author
Long-lived, long-period radial velocity variations in Aldebaran: A planetary companion and stellar activity
We investigate the nature of the long-period radial velocity variations in
Alpha Tau first reported over 20 years ago. We analyzed precise stellar radial
velocity measurements for Alpha Tau spanning over 30 years. An examination of
the Halpha and Ca II 8662 spectral lines, and Hipparcos photometry was also
done to help discern the nature of the long-period radial velocity variations.
Our radial velocity data show that the long-period, low amplitude radial
velocity variations are long-lived and coherent. Furthermore, Halpha equivalent
width measurements and Hipparcos photometry show no significant variations with
this period. Another investigation of this star established that there was no
variability in the spectral line shapes with the radial velocity period. An
orbital solution results in a period of P = 628.96 +/- 0.90 d, eccentricity, e
= 0.10 +/- 0.05, and a radial velocity amplitude, K = 142.1 +/- 7.2 m/s.
Evolutionary tracks yield a stellar mass of 1.13 +/- 0.11 M_sun, which
corresponds to a minimum companion mass of 6.47 +/- 0.53 M_Jup with an orbital
semi-major axis of a = 1.46 +/- 0.27 AU. After removing the orbital motion of
the companion, an additional period of ~ 520 d is found in the radial velocity
data, but only in some time spans. A similar period is found in the variations
in the equivalent width of Halpha and Ca II. Variations at one-third of this
period are also found in the spectral line bisector measurements. The 520 d
period is interpreted as the rotation modulation by stellar surface structure.
Its presence, however, may not be long-lived, and it only appears in epochs of
the radial velocity data separated by 10 years. This might be due to an
activity cycle. The data presented here provide further evidence of a planetary
companion to Alpha Tau, as well as activity-related radial velocity variations.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
A Second Giant Planet in 3:2 Mean-Motion Resonance in the HD 204313 System
We present 8 years of high-precision radial velocity (RV) data for HD 204313
from the 2.7 m Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory. The star is
known to have a giant planet (M sin i = 3.5 M_J) on a ~1900-day orbit, and a
Neptune-mass planet at 0.2 AU. Using our own data in combination with the
published CORALIE RVs of Segransan et al. (2010), we discover an outer Jovian
(M sin i = 1.6 M_J) planet with P ~ 2800 days. Our orbital fit suggests the
planets are in a 3:2 mean motion resonance, which would potentially affect
their stability. We perform a detailed stability analysis, and verify the
planets must be in resonance.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
The spin-orbit angle of the transiting hot jupiter CoRoT-1b
We measure the angle between the planetary orbit and the stellar rotation
axis in the transiting planetary system CoRoT-1, with new HIRES/Keck and
FORS/VLT high-accuracy photometry. The data indicate a highly tilted system,
with a projected spin-orbit angle lambda = 77 +- 11 degrees. Systematic
uncertainties in the radial velocity data could cause the actual errors to be
larger by an unknown amount, and this result needs to be confirmed with further
high-accuracy spectroscopic transit measurements.
Spin-orbit alignment has now been measured in a dozen extra-solar planetary
systems, and several show strong misalignment. The first three misaligned
planets were all much more massive than Jupiter and followed eccentric orbits.
CoRoT-1, however, is a jovian-mass close-in planet on a circular orbit. If its
strong misalignment is confirmed, it would break this pattern. The high
occurence of misaligned systems for several types of planets and orbits favours
planet-planet scattering as a mechanism to bring gas giants on very close
orbits.Comment: to appear in in MNRAS letters [5 pages
The McDonald Observatory Planet Search: New Long-Period Giant Planets, and Two Interacting Jupiters in the HD 155358 System
We present high-precision radial velocity (RV) observations of four
solar-type (F7-G5) stars - HD 79498, HD 155358, HD 197037, and HD 220773 -
taken as part of the McDonald Observatory Planet Search Program. For each of
these stars, we see evidence of Keplerian motion caused by the presence of one
or more gas giant planets in long-period orbits. We derive orbital parameters
for each system, and note the properties (composition, activity, etc.) of the
host stars. While we have previously announced the two-gas-giant HD 155358
system, we now report a shorter period for planet c. This new period is
consistent with the planets being trapped in mutual 2:1 mean-motion resonance.
We therefore perform an in-depth stability analysis, placing additional
constraints on the orbital parameters of the planets. These results demonstrate
the excellent long-term RV stability of the spectrometers on both the Harlan J.
Smith 2.7 m telescope and the Hobby-Eberly telescope.Comment: 38 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Ipl1/aurora kinase suppresses S-CDK-driven spindle formation during prophase I to ensure chromosome integrity during meiosis
Cells coordinate spindle formation with DNA repair and morphological modifications to chromosomes prior to their segregation to prevent cell division with damaged chromosomes. Here we uncover a novel and unexpected role for Aurora kinase in preventing the formation of spindles by Clb5-CDK (S-CDK) during meiotic prophase I and when the DDR is active in budding yeast. This is critical since S-CDK is essential for replication during premeiotic S-phase as well as double-strand break induction that facilitates meiotic recombination and, ultimately, chromosome segregation. Furthermore, we find that depletion of Cdc5 polo kinase activity delays spindle formation in DDR-arrested cells and that ectopic expression of Cdc5 in prophase I enhances spindle formation, when Ipl1 is depleted. Our findings establish a new paradigm for Aurora kinase function in both negative and positive regulation of spindle dynamics
Gaps in detailed knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine among medical students in Scotland
<p>Background: A vaccination programme targeted against human papillomavirus (HPV) types16 and 18 was introduced in the UK in 2008, with the aim of decreasing incidence of cervical disease. Vaccine roll out to 12–13 year old girls with a catch-up programme for girls aged up to 17 years and 364 days was accompanied by a very comprehensive public health information (PHI) campaign which described the role of HPV in the development of cervical cancer.</p>
<p>Methods: A brief questionnaire, designed to assess acquisition of knowledge of HPV infection and its association to cervical cancer, was administered to two different cohorts of male and female 1st year medical students (school leavers: 83% in age range 17–20) at a UK university. The study was timed so that the first survey in 2008 immediately followed a summer's intensive PHI campaign and very shortly after vaccine roll-out (150 students). The second survey was exactly one year later over which time there was a sustained PHI campaign (213 students).</p>
<p>Results: We addressed three research questions: knowledge about three specific details of HPV infection that could be acquired from PHI, whether length of the PHI campaign and/or vaccination of females had any bearing on HPV knowledge, and knowledge differences between men and women regarding HPV. No female student in the 2008 cohort had completed the three-dose vaccine schedule compared to 58.4% of female students in 2009. Overall, participants’ knowledge regarding the sexually transmitted nature of HPV and its association with cervical cancer was high in both year groups. However, in both years, less than 50% of students correctly identified that HPV causes over 90% of cases of cervical cancer. Males gave fewer correct answers for these two details in 2009. In 2008 only around 50% of students recognised that the current vaccine protects against a limited subset of cervical cancer-causing HPV sub-types, although there was a significant increase in correct response among female students in the 2009 cohort compared to the 2008 cohort.</p>
<p>onclusions: This study highlights a lack of understanding regarding the extent of protection against cervical cancer conferred by the HPV vaccine, even among an educated population in the UK who could have a vested interest in acquiring such knowledge. The intensive PHI campaign accompanying the first year of HPV vaccination seemed to have little effect on knowledge over time. This is one of the first studies to assess detailed knowledge of HPV in both males and females. There is scope for continued improvements to PHI regarding the link between HPV infection and cervical cancer.</p>
Convective Wavelength Shifts in the Spectra of Late-Type Stars
We present ultra-high resolution spectra for a set of nearby F-G-K stars on,
or close to, the main sequence. The wavelength shifts of stellar lines relative
to their laboratory wavelengths are measured for more than a thousand Fe I
lines per star, finding a clear correlation with line depth. The observed
patterns are interpreted as convective blue-shifts that become more prominent
for weaker lines, which are formed in deeper atmospheric layers. A
morphological sequence with spectral type or effective temperature is apparent.
Two K giant stars have also been studied. The velocity span between weak and
strong lines for these stars is larger than for the dwarfs and subgiants of
similar spectral types. Our results show that convective wavelength shifts may
seriously compromise the accuracy of absolute spectroscopic radial velocities,
but that an empirical correction may be applied to measured velocities.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; uses emulateapj.sty; to appear in ApJ
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