Continuum and Emission-Line Properties of Broad Absorption Line Quasars

We investigate the continuum and emission-line properties of 224 broad absorption line quasars (BALQSOs) with 0.9<z<4.4 drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Early Data Release (EDR), which contains 3814 bona fide quasars. We find that low-ionization BALQSOs (LoBALs) are significantly reddened as compared to normal quasars, in agreement with previous work. High-ionization BALQSOs (HiBALs) are also more reddened than the average nonBALQSO. Assuming SMC-like dust reddening at the quasar redshift, the amount of reddening needed to explain HiBALs is E(B-V)~0.023 and LoBALs is E(B-V)~0.077 (compared to the ensemble average of the entire quasar sample). We find that there are differences in the emission-line properties between the average HiBAL, LoBAL, and nonBAL quasar. These differences, along with differences in the absorption line troughs, may be related to intrinsic quasar properties such as the slope of the intrinsic (unreddened) continuum; more extreme absorption properties are correlated with bluer intrinsic continua. Despite the differences among BALQSO sub-types and nonBALQSOs, BALQSOs appear to be drawn from the same parent population as nonBALQSOs when both are selected by their UV/optical properties. We find that the overall fraction of traditionally defined BALQSOs, after correcting for color-dependent selection effects due to different SEDs of BALQSO and nonBALQSOs, is 13.4+/-1.2% and shows no significant redshift dependence for 1.7<z<3.45. After a rough completeness correction for the effects of dust extinction, we find that approximately one in every six quasars is a BALQSO.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures (1 color), 1 table; accepted by A

Renal neoplasms in patients with renal cystic diseases

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42394/1/261-23-3-237_23n3p237.pd

Material radiopurity control in the XENONnT experiment

The selection of low-radioactive construction materials is of the utmost importance for rare-event searches and thus critical to the XENONnT experiment. Results of an extensive radioassay program are reported, in which material samples have been screened with gamma-ray spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and $^{222}Rn$ emanation measurements. Furthermore, the cleanliness procedures applied to remove or mitigate surface contamination of detector materials are described. Screening results, used as inputs for a XENONnT Monte Carlo simulation, predict a reduction of materials background (∼17%) with respect to its predecessor XENON1T. Through radon emanation measurements, the expected $^{222}Rn$ activity concentration in XENONnT is determined to be 4.2 $(^{+0.5}_{−0.7}) μBq/kg$, a factor three lower with respect to XENON1T. This radon concentration will be further suppressed by means of the novel radon distillation system

Fruit crops, 1980: a summary of research

Performance of selected apple cultivars on semi-standard rootstocks in southern Ohio / David C. Ferree, Donald A. Chandler, and John C. Schmid -- Influence of summer pruning and alar on growth, flowering, and fruit set of Jerseymac apple trees / D. C. Ferree and E. J. Stang -- Influence of promalin on Delicious in Ohio / D. C. Ferree, E. J. Stang and R. C. Funt -- The effects of overtree misting for bloom delay on soil water status, net photosynthesis, transpiration, and carbohydrate levels of apple trees / R. M. Crassweller and D. C. Ferree -- Effect of orchard heaters on vertical temperature profiles / R. D. Fox, R. D. Brazee, and D. C. Ferree -- The effect of orchard heaters on air movement and temperature / R. D. Fox, R. D. Brazee, and D. C. Ferree -- Organotins and mite control on apples in Ohio / Franklin R. Hall -- Model of the air sprayer / R. D. Fox, R. D. Brazee, D. L. Reichard and F. R. Hall -- Effects of application equipment variables on spray deposition by orchard air sprayers / D. L. Reichard, F. R. Hall and H. R. Krueger -- Fungi associated with moldy-core of apple and their location within fruit / Michael A. Ellis -- Nutrient content of twelve french and american hybrid grape cultivars grown under a wide range of soil conditions / Garth A. Cahoo

Herschel-ATLAS: the far-infrared properties and star-formation rates of broad absorption line quasi-stellar objects

We have used data from the Herschel-ATLAS at 250, 350 and 500 \mu m to determine the far-infrared (FIR) properties of 50 Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs). Our sample contains 49 high-ionization BAL QSOs (HiBALs) and 1 low-ionization BAL QSO (LoBAL) which are compared against a sample of 329 non-BAL QSOs. These samples are matched over the redshift range 1.5 \leq z < 2.3 and in absolute i-band magnitude over the range -28 \leq M_{i} \leq -24. Of these, 3 BAL QSOs (HiBALs) and 27 non-BAL QSOs are detected at the > 5 sigma level. We calculate star-formation rates (SFR) for our individually detected HiBAL QSOs and the non-detected LoBAL QSO as well as average SFRs for the BAL and non-BAL QSO samples based on stacking the Herschel data. We find no difference between the HiBAL and non-BAL QSO samples in the FIR, even when separated based on differing BAL QSO classifications. Using Mrk 231 as a template, the weighted mean SFR is estimated to be \approx240\pm21 M_{\odot} yr^{-1} for the full sample, although this figure should be treated as an upper limit if AGN-heated dust makes a contribution to the FIR emission. Despite tentative claims in the literature, we do not find a dependence of {\sc C\,iv} equivalent width on FIR emission, suggesting that the strength of any outflow in these objects is not linked to their FIR output. These results strongly suggest that BAL QSOs (more specifically HiBALs) can be accommodated within a simple AGN unified scheme in which our line-of-sight to the nucleus intersects outflowing material. Models in which HiBALs are caught towards the end of a period of enhanced spheroid and black-hole growth, during which a wind terminates the star-formation activity, are not supported by the observed FIR properties.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Extreme gas properties in the most distant quasars

We present near-IR, low resolution spectra of eight of the most distant quasars known, with redshifts in the range 4.9<z<6.4. Half of these quasars are characterized by deep, broad and blueshifted absorption features associated with both high and low ionization species (CIV, SiIV, AlIII, MgII), i.e. they belong to the class of Broad Absorption Line (BAL) quasars, which are associated with powerful outflows of dense gas. Although the sample is small, the large fraction of BAL quasars, the depth and ionization state of the absorption features suggest that these most distant quasars are surrounded by a much larger amount of dense gas than lower redshift (z<4) quasars. The possible interpretation in terms of extremely high accretion rates and the association with the early formation of quasars and of their host galaxies is discussed. The absorption properties of the dust, associated with the gas along the line of sight, appear different with respect to lower redshift quasars, possibly indicating different dust physics at these highest redshifts.Comment: 9 pages, replaced with accepted version (A&A in press

The JANUS X-Ray Flash Monitor

JANUS is a NASA small explorer class mission which just completed phase A and was intended for a 2013 launch date. The primary science goals of JANUS are to use high redshift (6<z<12) gamma ray bursts and quasars to explore the formation history of the first stars in the early universe and to study contributions to reionization. The X-Ray Flash Monitor (XRFM) and the Near-IR Telescope (NIRT) are the two primary instruments on JANUS. XRFM has been designed to detect bright X-ray flashes (XRFs) and gamma ray bursts (GRBs) in the 1-20 keV energy band over a wide field of view (4 steradians), thus facilitating the detection of z>6 XRFs/GRBs, which can be further studied by other instruments. XRFM would use a coded mask aperture design with hybrid CMOS Si detectors. It would be sensitive to XRFs/GRBs with flux in excess of approximately 240 mCrab. The spacecraft is designed to rapidly slew to source positions following a GRB trigger from XRFM. XRFM instrument design parameters and science goals are presented in this paper.Comment: submitted to Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7435 (2009), 7 pages, 8 figure