Interferometric Studies of Interstellar Calcium Lines

Interferometric, photoelectric scans of the interstellar calcium K-lines in the spectra of 65 stars are presented. The scans were obtained with a PEPSIOS spectrometer having a passband with a full half-intensity width of 1.0 kms(-1) or 0.013A. The fivefold improvement in resolution over that used by Adams reveals numerous line components which correspond very well to those of the interstellar sodium lines, apart from frequent differences in relative intensities

A Possible Detection of Occultation by a Proto-planetary Clump in GM Cephei

GM Cep in the young (~ 4 Myr) open cluster Trumpler 37 has been known to be an abrupt variable and to have a circumstellar disk with very active accretion. Our monitoring observations in 2009–2011 revealed the star to show sporadic ?are events, each with brightening of . 0.5 mag lasting for days. These brightening events, associated with a color change toward the blue, should originate from an increased accretion activity. Moreover, the star also underwent a brightness drop of ~ 1 mag lasting for about a month, during which the star became bluer when fainter. Such brightness drops seem to have a recurrence time scale of a year, as evidenced in our data and the photometric behavior of GM Cep over a century. Between consecutive drops, the star brightened gradually by about 1 mag and became blue at peak luminosity. We propose that the drop is caused by obscuration of the central star by an orbiting dust concentration. The UX Orionis type of activity in GM Cep therefore exemplifies the disk inhomogeneity process in transition between grain coagulation and planetesimal formation in a young circumstellar disk

Foraging in a patchy environment: prey-encounter rate and residence time distributions

Small bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, foraging among patches in the laboratory did not search systematically within a patch; their intercapture intervals did not differ from a model of random prey encounter within a patch. Patch-residence time, number of prey eaten, and giving-up time (time between last prey capture and leaving the patch) were measured for bluegills foraging in two different three-patch 'environments' (a constant environment, in which each patch began with the same number of prey and a variable environment, in which two patches began with low prey density and one patch with high prey density). When compared with three decision rules a forager may use to determine when to leave a patch, the data most closely agreed with predictions from a 'constant residence time' rule. Bluegills responded to changes in the distribution of prey among patches, but not by using different decision rules. There was qualitative, but not quantitative, agreement with a model of random residence times. The total number of prey eaten by a bluegill during a foraging bout was similar to the number predicted from a model of random search and random residence times

Voicing our concerns: Attempts at Decentring German Theatre and Performance Studies

The field of German Theatre and Performance Studies shows a lack of engagement with colonial history and questions of race. Its overwhelming whiteness manifests itself in a persistent ignorance of a decades-long tradition of works produced by women of colour, feminists, and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) researchers and activists who have actively worked on decentring the discipline from a German-speaking context. This article, a critical conversation between four German theatre scholars, sets out to clarify what it means to decentre GTPS from a Western-centric focus and proposes some methodological solutions to achieve this goal. Through reflecting on our own educational experiences and the sharing of anecdotes from the classroom, we conclude that decentring means more than adding to the reading list, rather it entails a visceral, continuous unlearning of racist attitudes and methodologies and requires a careful positioning of teachers, students and researchers alike

Photometry of the Chromospherically Active Binary HD 197010

For the past several years we have been conducting a study of the spectroscopic and photometric characteristics of a sample X-ray emitting stars from the Einstein Observatory Medium Sensitivity Survey identified as probable binary systems by Fleming (1988) and Fleming, et al.(1989). One of these stars, HD 197010 ( = 1E2038.3-0046 = SAO 144692 = BD -1degree 4025) was discovered to be a short period eclipsing binary by Robb, et al.(1990). The ephemeris he presented was based on observations in 1989 and 1990, but only the 1990 observations included points at eclipse minimum. We report here on first results of almost a year of observations at Gettysburg College Observatory and the National Undergraduate Research Observatory, permitting a new determination of the photometric ephemeris of HD 197010

Fish Cohort Dynamics: Application of Complementary Modeling Approaches

The recruitment to the adult stock of a fish population is a function of both environmental conditions and the dynamics of juvenile fish cohorts. These dynamics can be quite complicated and involve the size structure of the cohort. Two types of models, i-state distribution models (e.g., partial differential equations) and i-state configuration models (computer simulation models following many individuals simultaneously), have been developed to study this type of question. However, these two model types have not to our knowledge previously been compared in detail. Analytical solutions are obtained for three partial differential equation models of early life-history fish cohorts. Equivalent individual-by-individual computer simulation models are also used. These two approaches can produce similar results, which suggests that one may be able to use the approaches interchangeably under many circumstances. Simple uncorrected stochasticity in daily growth is added to the individual-by-individual models, and it is shown that this produces no significant difference from purely deterministic situations. However, when the stochasticity was temporally correlated such that a fish growing faster than the mean 1 d has a tendency to grow faster than the mean the next day, there can be great differences in the outcomes of the simulations.This research was sponsored in part by the Electric Power Research Institute under contract no. RP2932-2 (DOE no. ERD-87-672) with the U.S. Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC05-84OR21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, and in part by grant no. NAI6RG0492-01 from the Coastal Ocean Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the University of North Carolina Sea Grant College Program

SAO 23229: A New Double-Lined Spectroscopic Eclipsing Binary

The discovery of eclipses of the bright star SAO 23229 (HD 14384; V=6.9; Spectral Type F5 V) by Indiana observer Dan Kaiser was described in a recent article in Sky and Telescope magazine (MacRobert, 1990). Photoelectric observations by H. Landis and D. Williams, reproduced in that article, show eclipses of 0.55 mag depth and period of 2.111 days. No secondary eclipses are reported, leaving open the question of whether the system contains a very dim secondary or whether it consists of two identical stars with an actual period of 4.2 days. We report here observations that favor the latter interpretation. [excerpt

Modeling sources of variation for growth and predatory demand of Lake Erie walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), 1986-1995

Abstract in English and FrenchGiven the variable nature of the Lake Erie ecosystem, we investigated biotic and abiotic sources of variation for walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) growth, consumption, and population-wide predatory demand. We determined how temperature, population structure, and age-specific consumption influenced walleye growth and consumption during 1986-1995. For each year, we used individual-based bioenergetics modeling to compare growth and consumption by walleye in Lake Erie's western or central basin with those of walleye moving seasonally between basins. Population structure strongly affected walleye growth and consumption but had little influence on interbasin growth rate comparisons. Based on water temperature alone, growth and consumption by western basin walleye were generally lower than for central basin or migratory populations and were more limited by summer water temperatures. In simulations combining effects of population structure, temperature, and age-specific consumption, migratory walleye grew most rapidly, taking advantage of temperature-related growth peaks in both basins. Estimates of walleye predatory demand declined with population size from 1988 through 1995. With natural feedbacks, predatory demand interacts with prey production, limiting walleye reproductive potential when prey availability is low. However, immediate impact on predatory inertia is limited, complicating our ability to predict how predatory demand and prey availability interact in Lake Erie.Support for this project was provided by a University Fellowship from the Graduate School of the Ohio State University (to M.W.K.) and by Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration F-69-P, administered jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and by the Department of Zoology, Ohio State University

Rotational Periods and Starspot Activity of Young Solar-Type Dwarfs in the Open Cluster IC 4665

We present the results of a V-band photometric monitoring survey of 15 late-type dwarfs in the young open cluster IC 4665. Low-amplitude periodic light variations are found for 8 stars and ascribed to the modulation by starspots that cover typically a few percent of the stellar disk. Periods range from 0.6 to 3.7 d, translating to equatorial velocities between 13 and 93 km/s. That no period longer than 4 d was detected suggests a relative paucity of extremely slow rotators (V(sub eq) much less than 10 km/s) among late-type dwarfs in IC 4665. The fractional number of slow rotators in IC 4665 is similar to that of Alpha Per cluster, suggesting that IC 4665 is close in age to Alpha Per (approx. 50 Myr)