Bimodality in low-luminosity E and S0 galaxies

Stellar population characteristics are presented for a sample of low-luminosity early-type galaxies (LLEs) in order to compare them with their more luminous counterparts. Long-slit spectra of a sample of 10 LLEs were taken with the ESO New Technology Telescope, selected for their low luminosities. Line strengths were measured on the Lick standard system. Lick indices for these LLEs were correlated with velocity dispersion (σ), alongside published data for a variety of Hubble types. The LLEs were found to fall below an extrapolation of the correlation for luminous ellipticals and were consistent with the locations of spiral bulges in plots of line strengths versus σ. Luminosity weighted average ages, metallicities and abundance ratios were estimated from χ2 fitting of 19 Lick indices to predictions from simple stellar population models. The LLEs appear younger than luminous ellipticals and of comparable ages to spiral bulges. These LLEs show a bimodal metallicity distribution, consisting of a low-metallicity group (possibly misclassified dwarf spheroidal galaxies) and a high-metallicity group (similar to spiral bulges). Finally, they have low α-element to iron peak abundance ratios indicative of slow, extended star formation

„Serce mam jakby podzielone na dwie części…” Elementy kulturowe w zbiorze ćwiczeń dla użytkowników języka polskiego jako dziedziczonego Na końcu języka

Artykuł omawia elementy kulturowe w zbiorze ćwiczeń pt. Na końcu języka, opracowanym na potrzeby doskonalenia kompetencji językowej u Polaków o nierównoważonej dwujęzyczności polsko-niemieckiej. Adresatami ćwiczeń są osoby należące do pierwszego pokolenia polonijnego, a zatem dzieci polskich emigrantów w Niemczech. Tematem naszych rozważań są treści kulturowe w dydaktyce języka dziedziczonego (heritage language) – języka, który występuje u osób wychowujących się za granicą i znających język rodzimy głównie z komunikacji w domu. Wraz z dorastaniem tzw. heritage speaker przyjmuje język kraju zamieszkania jako kod funkcjonalnie pierwszy, a język rodzimy nie ma możliwości zupełnego wykształcenia się lub jego elementy stopniowo ulegają erozji. Przytoczony w tytule cytat jest fragmentem wypowiedzi przedstawicielki drugiego pokolenia polskich emigrantów w Niemczech i wprowadza w problematykę tożsamości kulturowej osób bilingwalnych.Modern changes related to globalization and more intensive mobility of people, imply the increase of number of Poles living abroad. Bilingualism of children of Polish immigrants, who grow up in a foreign country, quite often remains unbalanced. Polish language then becomes their heritage language. However, growing up abroad not only makes someone bilingual, but also bicultural. Inheriting the culture of one’s parents and gaining knowledge about the culture from a limited number of sources (parents, Saturday School, stereotypes circulating in the country of residence) results in learning about it passively and selectively. Language exercises on the website At the tip of the tongue which develop language competence of Polish heritage speakers were designed for Poles living in Germany as a result of the project Linguistic and glottodidactic aspects of Polish-German unbalanced bilingualism. An integral part of the exercises are intra-, inter- and trans-cultural content. This article aims to discuss the role of cultural content in teaching Polish as a heritage language

Brittleness index of machinable dental materials and its relation to the marginal chipping factor

OBJECTIVES: The machinability of a material can be measured with the calculation of its brittleness index (BI). It is possible that different materials with different BI could produce restorations with varied marginal integrity. The degree of marginal chipping of a milled restoration can be estimated by the calculation of the marginal chipping factor (CF). The aim of this study is to investigate any possible correlation between the BI of machinable dental materials and the CF of the final restorations. METHODS: The CERECTM system was used to mill a wide range of materials used with that system; namely the Paradigm MZ100TM (3M/ESPE), Vita Mark II (VITA), ProCAD (Ivoclar-Vivadent) and IPS e.max CAD (Ivoclar-Vivadent). A Vickers hardness Tester was used for the calculation of BI, while for the calculation of CF the percentage of marginal chipping of crowns prepared with bevelled marginal angulations was estimated. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that Paradigm MZ100 had the lowest BI and CF, while IPS e.max CAD demonstrated the highest BI and CF. Vita Mark II and ProCAD had similar BI and CF and were lying between the above materials. Statistical analysis of the results showed that there is a perfect positive correlation between BI and CF for all the materials. CONCLUSIONS: The BI and CF could be both regarded as indicators of a material’s machinability. Within the limitations of this study it was shown that as the BI increases so does the potential for marginal chipping, indicating that the BI of a material can be used as a predictor of the CF

Evaluation of the marginal fit of three margin designs of resin composite crowns using CAD/CAM

OBJECTIVES: To examine the marginal fit of resin composite crowns manufactured with the CEREC 3 system employing three different margin designs; bevel, chamfer and shoulder, by means of a replica technique and a luting agent. METHODS: Three master casts were fabricated from an impression of a typodont molar tooth and a full-coverage crown prepared with a marginal finish of a bevel, a chamfer and a shoulder. Each cast was replicated 10 times (n = 10). Scanning of the replicas and crown designing was performed using the CEREC ScanTM system. The crowns were milled from Paradigm MZ100TM composite resin blocks. The marginal fit of the crowns was evaluated with a replica technique (AquasilTM LV, Dentsply), and with a resin composite cement (RelyXTM Unicem, AplicapTM) and measured with a travelling microscope. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: For the replica technique the average marginal gaps recorded were: Bevel Group 105±34 mm, Chamfer Group 94±27 mm and Shoulder Group 91±22 mm. For the resin composite cement the average marginal gaps were: Bevel Group 102±28 mm, Chamfer Group 91±11 mm and Shoulder Group 77±8 mm. Two-way ANOVA analysis showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups of finishing lines regardless of the cementation technique used. CONCLUSIONS: The marginal gap of resin composite crowns manufactured with the CEREC 3 system is within the range of clinical acceptance, regardless of the finishing line prepared or the cementation technique used

A GIS model-based assessment of the environmental distribution of g-hexachlorocyclohexane in European soils and waters

The MAPPE GIS based multimedia model is used to produce a quantitative description of the behaviour of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) in Europe, with emphasis on continental surface waters. The model is found to reasonably reproduce γ-HCH distributions and variations along the years in atmosphere and soil; for continental surface waters, concentrations were reasonably well predicted for year 1995, when lindane was still used in agriculture, while for 2005, assuming severe restrictions in use, yields to substantial underestimation. Much better results were yielded when same mode of release as in 1995 was considered, supporting the conjecture that for γ-HCH, emission data rather that model structure and parameterization can be responsible for wrong estimation of concentrations. Future research should be directed to improve the quality of emission data. Joint interpretation of monitoring and modelling results, highlights that lindane emissions in Europe, despite the marked decreasing trend, persist beyond the provisions of existing legislation. An spatially-explicit multimedia modelling strategy was applied to describe the historical distribution of γ-HCH in European soils and surface waters

Sleep homeostasis during daytime food entrainment in mice

24h rhythms of physiology and behavior are driven by the environment and an internal endogenous timing system. Daily restricted feeding (RF) in nocturnal rodents during their inactive phase initiates food anticipatory activity (FAA) and a reorganisation of the typical 24h sleep-wake structure. Here, we investigate the effects of daytime feeding, where food access was restricted to 4h during the light period ZT4-8 (Zeitgeber time; ZT0 is lights on), on sleep-wake architecture and sleep homeostasis in mice. Following 10 days of RF, mice were returned to ad libitum feeding. To mimic the spontaneous wakefulness associated with FAA and daytime feeding, mice were then sleep deprived between ZT3-6. While the amount of wake increased during FAA and subsequent feeding, total wake time over 24h remained stable as the loss of sleep in the light phase was compensated for by an increase in sleep in the dark phase. Interestingly, sleep which followed spontaneous wake episodes during the dark period and the extended period of wake associated with FAA, exhibited lower levels of slow-wave activity (SWA) when compared to baseline or after sleep deprivation, despite a similar duration of waking. This suggests an evolutionary mechanism of reducing sleep drive during negative energy balance to enable greater arousal for food seeking behaviors. However, the total amount of sleep and SWA accumulated during the 24h was similar between baseline and RF. In summary, our study suggests that despite substantial changes in the daily distribution and quality of wake induced by RF, sleep homeostasis is maintained.</p

Understanding Social Resilience in the Maine Lobster Industry

The Maine lobster Homarus americanus fishery is considered one of the most successful fisheries in the world due in part to its unique comanagement system, the conservation ethic of the harvesters, and the ability of the industry to respond to crises and solve collective-action problems. However, recent threats raise the question whether the industry will be able to respond to future threats as successfully as it has to ones in the past or whether it is now less resilient and can no longer adequately respond to threats. Through ethnographic research and oral histories with fishermen, we examined the current level of social resilience in the lobster fishery. We concentrated on recent threats to the industry and the ways in which it has responded to them, focusing on three situations: a price drop beginning in 2008, a recovery in 2010–2011, and a second collapse of prices in 2012. In addition, we considered other environmental and regulatory concerns identified by fishermen. We found that the industry is not responding effectively to recent threats and identified factors that might explain the level of social resilience in the fishery

Diel Variations in Survey Catch Rates and Survey Catchability of Spiny Dogfish and their Pelagic Prey in the Northeast US Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem

This study examines the potential uncertainty in survey biomass estimates of Spiny Dogfish Squalus acanthias in the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (NES LME). Diel catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) estimates are examined from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center bottom trawl surveys conducted during autumn (1963-2009) and spring (1968-2009). Influential environmental variables on survey catchability are identified for Spiny Dogfish life history stages and five pelagic prey species: Butterfish Peprilus triacanthus, Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus, shortfin squid Illex spp., longfin squid Doryteuthis spp., and Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus. Daytime survey catchability was significantly higher than nighttime catchability for most species during autumn and for mature male Spiny Dogfish, shortfin squid, and longfin squid during spring in the NES LME. For most stages and species examined, breakpoint analyses identified significant increases in CPUE in the morning, peak CPUE during the day, and significant declines in CPUE in the late afternoon. Seasonal probabilities of daytime catch were largely driven by solar zenith angle for most species, with stronger trends identified during autumn. Unadjusted CPUE estimates appear to overestimate absolute abundance, with adjustments resulting in reductions in absolute abundance ranging from 41% for Spiny Dogfish to 91% for shortfin and longfin squids. These findings have important implications for Spiny Dogfish regarding estimates of population consumption of key pelagic prey species and their ecological footprint within the NES LME

Applied Machine Learning for the Prediction of Growth of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Humans

Objective: Accurate prediction of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) growth in an individual can allow personalised stratification of surveillance intervals and better inform the timing for surgery. The authors recently described the novel significant association between flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and future AAA growth. The feasibility of predicting future AAA growth was explored in individual patients using a set of benchmark machine learning techniques. Methods: The Oxford Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Study (OxAAA) prospectively recruited AAA patients undergoing the routine NHS management pathway. In addition to the AAA diameter, FMD was systemically measured in these patients. A benchmark machine learning technique (non-linear Kernel support vector regression) was applied to predict future AAA growth in individual patients, using their baseline FMD and AAA diameter as input variables. Results: Prospective growth data were recorded at 12 months (360 ± 49 days) in 94 patients. Of these, growth data were further recorded at 24 months (718 ± 81 days) in 79 patients. The average growth in AAA diameter was 3.4% at 12 months, and 2.8% per year at 24 months. The algorithm predicted the individual's AAA diameter to within 2 mm error in 85% and 71% of patients at 12 and 24 months. Conclusions: The data highlight the utility of FMD as a biomarker for AAA and the value of machine learning techniques for AAA research in the new era of precision medicine

Environmental harm and environmental victims: scoping out a ‘green victimology'

In this paper I intend to discuss the adaptability of victimological study to the question of ‘environmental victimisation’. The impact on those affected by environment crime, or other environmentally damaging activities, is one that has received scarce attention in the mainstream victimological literature (see Williams, 1996). The role or position of such victims in criminal justice and/or other processes has likewise rarely been topic of academic debate. I have recently expanded upon various aspects of this subject and surrounding issues at greater length (Hall, 2013) but for the purposes of this article I wish to expand specifically on what a so-called ‘green victimology’ might look like, together with some of the particular questions and challenges it will face