4,854 research outputs found
Reliable inference of exoplanet light curve parameters using deterministic and stochastic systematics models
Time-series photometry and spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets allow us to
study their atmospheres. Unfortunately, the required precision to extract
atmospheric information surpasses the design specifications of most general
purpose instrumentation, resulting in instrumental systematics in the light
curves that are typically larger than the target precision. Systematics must
therefore be modelled, leaving the inference of light curve parameters
conditioned on the subjective choice of models and model selection criteria.
This paper aims to test the reliability of the most commonly used systematics
models and model selection criteria. As we are primarily interested in
recovering light curve parameters rather than the favoured systematics model,
marginalisation over systematics models is introduced as a more robust
alternative than simple model selection. This can incorporate uncertainties in
the choice of systematics model into the error budget as well as the model
parameters. Its use is demonstrated using a series of simulated transit light
curves. Stochastic models, specifically Gaussian processes, are also discussed
in the context of marginalisation over systematics models, and are found to
reliably recover the transit parameters for a wide range of systematics
functions. None of the tested model selection criteria - including the BIC -
routinely recovered the correct model. This means that commonly used methods
that are based on simple model selection may underestimate the uncertainties
when extracting transmission and eclipse spectra from real data, and
low-significance claims using such techniques should be treated with caution.
In general, no systematics modelling techniques are perfect; however,
marginalisation over many systematics models helps to mitigate poor model
selection, and stochastic processes provide an even more flexible approach to
modelling instrumental systematics.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, published in MNRAS, typo in footnote eq
correcte
Time resolved spectroscopy of dust and gas from extrasolar planetesimals orbiting WD 1145+017
Multiple long and variable transits caused by dust from possibly
disintegrating asteroids were detected in light curves of WD 1145+017. We
present time-resolved spectroscopic observations of this target with QUCAM CCDs
mounted in the Intermediate dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System at the
4.2-m William Herschel Telescope in two different spectral arms: the blue arm
covering 3800-4025 {\AA} and the red arm covering 7000-7430 {\AA}. When
comparing individual transits in both arms, our observations show with 20
{\sigma} significance an evident colour difference between the in- and
out-of-transit data of the order of 0.05-0.1 mag, where transits are deeper in
the red arm. We also show with > 6 {\sigma} significance that spectral lines in
the blue arm are shallower during transits than out-of-transit. For the
circumstellar lines it also appears that during transits the reduction in
absorption is larger on the red side of the spectral profiles. Our results
confirm previous findings showing the u'-band excess and a decrease in line
absorption during transits. Both can be explained by an opaque body blocking a
fraction of the gas disc causing the absorption, implying that the absorbing
gas is between the white dwarf and the transiting objects. Our results also
demonstrate the capability of EMCCDs to perform high-quality time resolved
spectroscopy of relatively faint targets.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Accepted to MNRA
Non-continuous and variable rate processes: Optimisation for energy use
The need to develop new and improved ways of reducing energy use and increasing energy intensity in industrial processes is currently a major issue in New Zealand. Little attention has been given to optimisation of non-continuous processes in the past, due to their complexity, yet they remain an essential and often energy intensive component of many industrial sites. Novel models based on pinch analysis that aid in minimising utility usage have been constructed here through the adaptation of proven continuous techniques. The knowledge has been integrated into a user friendly software package, and allows the optimisation of processes under variable operating rates and batch conditions. An example problem demonstrates the improvements in energy use that can be gained when using these techniques to analyse non-continuous data. A comparison with results achieved using a pseudo-continuous method show that the method described can provide simultaneous reductions in capital and operating costs
A ground-based NUV secondary eclipse observation of KELT-9b
KELT-9b is a recently discovered exoplanet with a 1.49 d orbit around a
B9.5/A0-type star. The unparalleled levels of UV irradiation it receives from
its host star put KELT-9b in its own unique class of ultra-hot Jupiters, with
an equilibrium temperature > 4000 K. The high quantities of dissociated
hydrogen and atomic metals present in the dayside atmosphere of KELT-9b bear
more resemblance to a K-type star than a gas giant. We present a single
observation of KELT-9b during its secondary eclipse, taken with the Wide Field
Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). This observation was taken in the
U-band, a window particularly sensitive to Rayleigh scattering. We do not
detect a secondary eclipse signal, but our 3 upper limit of 181 ppm on
the depth allows us to constrain the dayside temperature of KELT-9b at
pressures of ~30 mbar to 4995 K (3). Although we can place an
observational constraint of 0.14, our models suggest that the actual
value is considerably lower than this due to H opacity. This places KELT-9b
squarely in the albedo regime populated by its cooler cousins, almost all of
which reflect very small components of the light incident on their daysides.
This work demonstrates the ability of ground-based 2m-class telescopes like the
INT to perform secondary eclipse studies in the NUV, which have previously only
been conducted from space-based facilities.Comment: Accepted in ApJL. 7 pages, 3 figure
Meiotic DSB patterning: A multifaceted process
Meiosis is a specialized two-step cell division responsible for genome haploidization and the generation of genetic diversity during gametogenesis. An integral and distinctive feature of the meiotic program is the evolutionarily conserved initiation of homologous recombination (HR) by the developmentally programmed induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The inherently dangerous but essential act of DSB formation is subject to multiple forms of stringent and self-corrective regulation that collectively ensure fruitful and appropriate levels of genetic exchange without risk to cellular survival. Within this article we focus upon an emerging element of this controlâspatial regulationâdetailing recent advances made in understanding how DSBs are evenly distributed across the genome, and present a unified view of the underlying patterning mechanisms employed
Events, processes, and the time of a killing
The paper proposes a novel solution to the problem of the time of a killing (ToK), which persistently besets theories of act-individuation. The solution proposed claims to expose a crucial wrong-headed assumption in the debate, according to which ToK is essentially a problem of locating some event that corresponds to the killing. The alternative proposal put forward here turns on recognizing a separate category of dynamic occurents, viz. processes. The paper does not aim to mount a comprehensive defense of process ontology, relying instead on extant defenses. The primary aim is rather to put process ontology to work in diagnosing the current state of play over ToK, and indeed in solving it
The Genetic and Environmental Sources of Resemblance Between Normative Personality and Personality Disorder Traits
Recent work has suggested a high level of congruence between normative personality, most typically represented by the big five factors, and abnormal personality traits. In 2,293 Norwegian adult twins ascertained from a population-based registry, the authors evaluated the degree of sharing of genetic and environmental influences on normative personality, assessed by the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and personality disorder traits (PDTs), assessed by the Personality Inventory for DSM-S-Norwegian Brief Form (PID-5NBF). For four of the five BFI dimensions, the strongest genetic correlation was observed with the expected PID-5-NBF dimension (e.g., neuroticism with negative affectivity [+], conscientiousness with disinhibition [-]). However, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and agreeableness had substantial genetic correlations with other PID-S-NBF dimensions (e.g., neuroticism with compulsivity [+], agreeableness with detachment [-]). Openness had no substantial genetic correlations with any PID-5-NBF dimension. The proportion of genetic risk factors shared in aggregate between the BFI traits and the PID-5-NBF dimensions was quite high for conscientiousness and neuroticism, relatively robust for extraversion and agreeableness, but quite low for openness. Of the six PID-S-NBF dimensions, three (negative affectivity, detachment, and disinhibition) shared, in aggregate, most of their genetic risk factors with normative personality traits. Genetic factors underlying psychoticism, antagonism, and compulsivity were shared to a lesser extent, suggesting that they are influenced by etiological factors not well indexed by the BFI
Preface: Earth Observation for Integrated Water and Basin Management: Challenges for adaptation to a changing environment
Integrated river basin management involves a sound knowledge of water and land interactions, and impacts from and feedbacks to human activity. Remote sensing has been an efficient and increasingly promising means of gathering direct information of the Earth surface, as well as information on water and energy fluxes. The recent generation of high-resolution sensors offers a huge potential for monitoring, assessing, and modelling our changing environment in a context of uncertainty about how future climate conditions will affect the current water resource and basin management framework. Moreover, large amounts of data are now available posing a challenging opportunity to the scientific community for both exploring and transforming these data into readily usable information products for different end-users in our societies
Cloning and Sequencing of Protein Kinase cDNA from Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Lymphocytes
Protein kinases (PKs) play critical roles in signal transduction and
activation of lymphocytes. The identification of PK genes provides a tool for
understanding mechanisms of immunotoxic xenobiotics. As part of a larger study
investigating persistent organic pollutants in the harbor seal and their possible
immunomodulatory actions, we sequenced harbor seal cDNA fragments encoding
PKs. The procedure, using degenerate primers based on conserved motifs of
human protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), successfully amplified nine phocid PK gene
fragments with high homology to human and rodent orthologs. We identified eight
PTKs and one dual (serine/threonine and tyrosine) kinase. Among these were
several PKs important in early signaling events through the B- and T-cell receptors
(FYN, LYN, ITK and SYK) and a MAP kinase involved in downstream signal
transduction. V-FGR, RET and DDR2 were also expressed. Sequential activation
of protein kinases ultimately induces gene transcription leading to the proliferation
and differentiation of lymphocytes critical to adaptive immunity. PKs are potential
targets of bioactive xenobiotics, including persistent organic pollutants of the marine
environment; characterization of these molecules in the harbor seal provides
a foundation for further research illuminating mechanisms of action of contaminants
speculated to contribute to large-scale
die-offs of marine mammals via immunosuppression
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