A near-infrared study of the luminous merging galaxies NGC 2623 and ARP 148

As part of an investigation of the physical mechanisms which produce large infrared luminosities in interacting systems, multicolor near-infrared maps were obtained of the long tailed galaxy NGC 2623 and the ring galaxy Arp 148. The near-infrared broadband spectrum was decomposed to obtain the contribution of four processes: emission from evolved stars, nebular continuum emission, thermal reradiation, and extinction. This multicolor analysis, along with 2 micrometer maps and 10 micrometer measurements, is used to determine the structure of these interacting galaxies and to delineate regions of star formation

Preliminary results on two-dimensional interferometry of HL Tau

Preliminary two-dimensional speckle interferometry results of HL Tau were found to be qualitatively similar to those found with one-dimensional slit scanning techniques; results consist of a resolved component (approximately 0.7 arcsec in size) and an unresolved component. Researchers are currently reducing the rest of the data (taken on three different telescopes and at three different wavelengths) and are also exploring other high resolution methods like the shift and add technique and selecting only the very best images for processing. The availability of even better two-dimensional arrays within the next couple of years promises to make speckle interferometry and other high resolution techniques very powerful and exiting tools for probing a variety of objects in the subarcsec regime

Star formation in the large Magellanic cloud

What role the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a dwarf irregular galaxy, plays in understanding infrared luminous galaxies is discussed. There are two main reasons the LMC may prove helpful. One, the LMC is only 55 kpc away, very nearby compared to much rarer high luminosity systems. Second, the environment in the LMC is distinctly different than in the Milky Way, at least those parts of the Milky Way interior to the sun, where most of the studies of massive star formation were concentrated. The LMC is an interacting system with a large amount of neutral hydrogen that is pushed around by the galaxy's encounter with the Milky Way. Perhaps a good understanding of star formation process in the LMC will provide guidance in the study of the infrared luminous galaxies. Two questions which will be addressed are: how is star formation in the LMC similar to the Milky Way Galaxy, and how is it different

Evidence for J and H-band excess in classical T Tauri stars and the implications for disk structure and estimated ages

We argue that classical T Tauri stars (cTTs) possess significant non- photospheric excess in the J and H bands. We first show that normalizing the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of cTTs to the J-band leads to a poor fit of the optical fluxes, while normalizing the SEDs to the Ic-band produces a better fit to the optical bands and in many cases reveals the presence of a considerable excess at J and H. NIR spectroscopic veiling measurements from the literature support this result. We find that J and H-band excesses correlate well with the K-band excess, and that the J-K and H-K colors of the excess emission are consistent with that of a black body at the dust sublimation temperature (~ 1500-2000 K). We propose that this near-IR excess originates at a hot inner rim, analogous to those suggested to explain the near-IR bump in the SEDs of Herbig Ae/Be stars. To test our hypothesis, we use the model presented by Dullemond et al. (2001) to fit the photometry data between 0.5 um and 24 um of 10 cTTs associated with the Chamaeleon II molecular cloud. The models that best fit the data are those where the inner radius of the disk is larger than expected for a rim in thermal equilibrium with the photospheric radiation field alone. In particular, we find that large inner rims are necessary to account for the mid infrared fluxes (3.6-8.0 um) obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope. Finally, we argue that deriving the stellar luminosities of cTTs by making bolometric corrections to the J-band fluxes systematically overestimates these luminosities. The overestimated luminosities translate into underestimated ages when the stars are placed in the H-R diagram. Thus, the results presented herein have important implications for the dissipation timescale of inner accretion disks.Comment: 45 pages, 13 figure

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dermatology Office Visits among Insured Patients, 2005-2010

Objective:To determine whether differences in race and ethnicity affect the usage of dermatological services. Methods: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used to study trends in ethnic/race rates of outpatient dermatology office visits among publicly and privately insured patients from 2005-2010. In multivariable models, we explored the magnitude of ethnic/race differences in dermatology visit attendance for patients with public vs. private insurance. Results: From 2005-2010, dermatology visit utilization increased among insured Hispanics, but not among insured non-Hispanic Blacks or whites. Visits were less frequent by those with public insurance compared to private insurance. Privately and publicly insured visits were less common for non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics compared to whites after adjustment for patient demographics and primary visit diagnosis. Racial and ethnic differences in visit utilization rates were most apparent among non-referred visits. However, primary diagnoses for non-referred visits were similar across races and ethnicities, which suggests that differences in utilization may result from factors unrelated to clinical indications for care. Conclusion: Ethnic/race differences in the use of dermatological services in the United States may result from patient preferences for dermatologic care or health system related factors (e.g., insurance coverage regulations)

Karyology of the redfin minnows, genus Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): one of the evolutionarily tetraploid lineages of South African barbines

The karyotypes of six species of Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841, namely P. afer (Peters, 1864), P. asper (Boulenger, 1911), P. burchelli Smith, 1841, P. burgi (Boulenger, 1911), P. phlegethon (Barnard, 1938) and P. tenuis (Barnard, 1938), were examined by conventional Giemsa staining and described. All six karyotypes have 2n = 100 chromosomes, dominated by biarmed chromosomes, as does the only other member of the genus, P. quathlambae (Barnard, 1938). Sex-related intraspecific karyotype variation was not found. The shared chromosome numbers and general similarity of the karyotypes (FN = 186–192) provide a new synapomorphy to support their monophyly, which is already indicated by anatomical and mtDNA markers. Karyotype evolution within the genus has been accompanied by chromosomal inversions and centromeric shifts. Comparison of the diploid number found in Pseudobarbus with other African barbine cyprinines, which have in the region of 2n=50 and lower FNs, suggests a tetraploid evolutionary origin of the genus, possibly by allotetraploidy

Complete characterization of ultrashort pulse sources at 1550 nm

This paper reviews the use of frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) to characterize mode-locked lasers producing ultrashort pulses suitable for high-capacity optical communications systems at wavelengths around 1550 nm, Second harmonic generation (SHG) FROG is used to characterize pulses from a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser, and both single-mode and dual-mode gain-switched semiconductor lasers. The compression of gain-switched pulses in dispersion compensating fiber is also studied using SHG-FROG, allowing optimal compression conditions to be determined without a priori assumptions about pulse characteristics. We also describe a fiber-based FROG geometry exploiting cross-phase modulation and show that it is ideally suited to pulse characterization at optical communications wavelengths. This technique has been used to characterize picosecond pulses with energy as low as 24 pJ, giving results in excellent agreement with SHG-FROG characterization, and without any temporal ambiguity in the retrieved puls

Sigma-model soliton intersections from exceptional calibrations

A first-order `BPS' equation is obtained for 1/8 supersymmetric intersections of soliton-membranes (lumps) of supersymmetric (4+1)-dimensional massless sigma models, and a special non-singular solution is found that preserves 1/4 supersymmetry. For 4-dimensional hyper-K\"ahler target spaces ($HK_4$) the BPS equation is shown to be the low-energy limit of the equation for a Cayley-calibrated 4-surface in \bE^4\times HK_4. Similar first-order equations are found for stationary intersections of Q-lump-membranes of the massive sigma model, but now generic solutions preserve either 1/8 supersymmetry or no supersymmetry, depending on the time orientation.Comment: 21 pages. Version 3: Minor corrections and one further reference: version published in JHE

Decline in an Atlantic Puffin population : evaluation of magnitude and mechanisms

Funding: This study was funded annually by Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust (www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk) with contributions from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (jncc.defra.gov.uk). Funding was received from these two sources by Fair Isle Bird Observatory from 1986 to 2013. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust supplied guidance on study design, data collection, analyses, preparation of the manuscript and the decision to publish.Peer reviewedPublisher PD