The Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS)

This paper describes the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) under construction at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) of the Australian National University (ANU) for the ANU 2.3m telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory. WiFeS is a powerful integral field, double-beam, concentric, image-slicing spectrograph designed to deliver excellent thoughput, wavelength stability, spectrophotometric performance and superb image quality along with wide spectral coverage throughout the 320-950 nm wavelength region. It provides a 25x38 arcsec. field with 0.5 arcsec. sampling along each of twenty five 38X1 arcsec slitlets. The output format is optimized to match the 4096x4096 pixel CCD detectors in each of two cameras individually optimized for the blue and the red ends of the spectrum, respectively. A process of "interleaved nod-and-shuffle" will be applied to permit quantum noise-limited sky subtraction. Using VPH gratings, spectral resolutions of 3000 and 7000 are provided. The full spectral range is covered in a single exposure at R=3000, and in two exposures in the R=7000 mode. The use of transmissive coated optics, VPH gratings and optimized mirror coatings ensures a throughput (including telescope atmosphere and detector) > 30% over a wide spectral range. The concentric image-slicer design ensures an excellent and uniform image quality across the full field. To maximize scientific return, the whole instrument is configured for remote observing, pipeline data reduction, and the accumulation of calibration image libraries.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science, 16 pages, 14 figure

Resentment and Admiration: Public Opinion Toward Teachers and Public Sector Employees in Ontario

Public opinion toward teachers and other public sector workers is an important factor in Ontario provincial politics. This article uses public opinion data to measure, and identify the correlates of, resentment and admiration of these groups, and to identify the relationship between these attitudes and support for political parties in Ontario. Survey data from over 4,000 Ontarians, collected at the time of the 2022 provincial election, show that Ontarians have greater admiration for, and less resentment toward, teachers than toward other provincial government workers. The data also reveal several factors related to these attitudes, including comparative assessments of compensation and workload, and relationships with members of these groups. Finally, the data show that attitudes toward teachers, but not other public sector workers, are related to provincial vote choice, with negative attitudes toward teachers predicting PC Party support. Teachers are clearly a more salient “target” of resentment in Ontario provincial politics. These findings have implications for educational policy and the tactics of teacher unions.L’opinion publique à l’égard des enseignants et des autres travailleurs du secteur public est un facteur important dans la politique provinciale de l’Ontario. Cet article utilise des données tirées de l’opinion publique pour mesurer et identifier les corrélats du ressentiment et de l’admiration envers ces groupes, et pour identifier la relation entre ces attitudes et le soutien aux partis politiques en Ontario. Les données d’un sondage, mené auprès de plus de 4 000 électeurs ontariens lors des élections provinciales de 2022, montrent que les Ontariens ressentent une plus grande admiration et moins de ressentiment envers les enseignants qu’à l’égard des autres travailleurs du gouvernement provincial. Les données révèlent également plusieurs facteurs associés à ces attitudes — notamment des évaluations comparatives de la rémunération et de la charge de travail — et aux relations avec les membres de ces groupes. Enfin, les données montrent qu’il existe un lien entre les attitudes envers les enseignants et le choix au vote provincial, mais pas avec les autres travailleurs du secteur public, les attitudes négatives envers les enseignants prédisant le soutien du Parti PC. Manifestement, les enseignants sont une « cible » plus saillante du ressentiment dans la politique provinciale de l’Ontario. Ces résultats ont des implications pour la politique éducative et les tactiques des syndicats d’enseignants

Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) genome

In this report we describe the genomic sequence of guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) assembled from a tissue culture-derived bacterial artificial chromosome clone, plasmid clones of viral restriction fragments, and direct PCR sequencing of viral DNA. The GPCMV genome is 232,678 bp, excluding the terminal repeats, and has a GC content of 55%. A total of 105 open reading frames (ORFs) of \u3e 100 amino acids with sequence and/or positional homology to other CMV ORFs were annotated. Positional and sequence homologs of human cytomegalovirus open reading frames UL23 through UL122 were identified. Homology with other cytomegaloviruses was most prominent in the central ~60% of the genome, with divergence of sequence and lack of conserved homologs at the respective genomic termini. Of interest, the GPCMV genome was found in many cases to bear stronger phylogenetic similarity to primate CMVs than to rodent CMVs. The sequence of GPCMV should facilitate vaccine and pathogenesis studies in this model of congenital CMV infection

Gemini Observations of Disks and Jets in Young Stellar Objects and in Active Galaxies

We present first results from the Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (NIFS) located at Gemini North. For the active galaxies Cygnus A and Perseus A we observe rotationally-supported accretion disks and adduce the existence of massive central black holes and estimate their masses. In Cygnus A we also see remarkable high-excitation ionization cones dominated by photoionization from the central engine. In the T-Tauri stars HV Tau C and DG Tau we see highly-collimated bipolar outflows in the [Fe II] 1.644 micron line, surrounded by a slower molecular bipolar outflow seen in the H_2 lines, in accordance with the model advocated by Pyo et al. (2002).Comment: Invited paper presented at the 5th Stromlo Symposium. 9 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Natural Sleep and Its Seasonal Variations in Three Pre-Industrial Societies

How did humans sleep before the modern era? Because the tools to measure sleep under natural conditions were developed long after the invention of the electric devices suspected of delaying and reducing sleep, we investigated sleep in three preindustrial societies[1–3]. We find that all three show similar sleep organization, suggesting that they express core human sleep patterns, likely characteristic of pre-modern era Homo sapiens. Sleep periods, the times from onset to offset, averaged 6.9–8.5-h, with sleep durations of 5.7–7.1-h, amounts near the low end of those industrial societies[4–7]. There was a difference of nearly 1-h between summer and winter sleep. Daily variation in sleep duration was strongly linked to time of onset, rather than offset. None of these groups began sleep near sunset, onset occurring, on average, 3.3-h after sunset. Awakening was usually before sunrise. The sleep period consistently occurred during the nighttime period of falling environmental temperature, was not interrupted by extended periods of waking and terminated, with vasoconstriction, near the nadir of daily ambient temperature. The daily cycle of temperature change, largely eliminated from modern sleep environments, may be a potent natural regulator of sleep. Light exposure, was maximal in the morning greatly decreasing at noon, indicating that all three groups seek shade at midday and that light activation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus is maximal in the morning. Napping occurred on \u3c7% of days in winter and \u3c22% of days in summer. Mimicking aspects of the natural environment might be effective in treating certain modern sleep disorders

Uncertainty and the influence of group norms in the attitude–behaviour relationship

This is the author's post-print version of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in the British Journal of Social Psychology. Reproduced with permission from the British Journal of Social Psychology © The British Psychological Society 2007. The definitve version is available at: http://www.bpsjournals.co.uk/journals/bjsp/Two studies were conducted to examine the impact of subjective uncertainty on conformity to group norms in the attitude–behaviour context. In both studies, subjective uncertainty was manipulated using a deliberative mindset manipulation (McGregor, Zanna, Holmes, & Spencer, 2001). In Study 1 (N=106), participants were exposed to either an attitude-congruent or an attitude-incongruent in-group norm. In Study 2 (N=83), participants were exposed to either a congruent, incongruent, or an ambiguous in-group norm. Ranges of attitude–behaviour outcomes, including attitude-intention consistency and change in attitude-certainty, were assessed. In both studies, levels of group-normative behaviour varied as a function of uncertainty condition. In Study 1, conformity to group norms, as evidenced by variations in the level of attitude-intention consistency, was observed only in the high uncertainty condition. In Study 2, exposure to an ambiguous norm had different effects for those in the low and the high uncertainty conditions. In the low uncertainty condition, greatest conformity was observed in the attitude-congruent norm condition compared with an attitude-congruent or ambiguous norm. In contrast, individuals in the high uncertainty condition displayed greatest conformity when exposed to either an attitude-congruent or an ambiguous in-group norm. The implications of these results for the role of subjective uncertainty in social influence processes are discussed

Onset of Surface-Tension-Driven Benard Convection

Experiments with shadowgraph visualization reveal a subcritical transition to a hexagonal convection pattern in thin liquid layers that have a free upper surface and are heated from below. The measured critical Marangoni number (84) and observation of hysteresis (3%) agree with theory. In some experiments, imperfect bifurcation is observed and is attributed to deterministic forcing caused in part by the lateral boundaries in the experiment.Comment: 4 pages. The RevTeX file has a macro allowing various styles. The appropriate style is "mypprint" which is the defaul

Integrin-mediated traction force enhances paxillin molecular associations and adhesion dynamics that increase the invasiveness of tumor cells into a three-dimensional extracellular matrix.

Metastasis requires tumor cells to navigate through a stiff stroma and squeeze through confined microenvironments. Whether tumors exploit unique biophysical properties to metastasize remains unclear. Data show that invading mammary tumor cells, when cultured in a stiffened three-dimensional extracellular matrix that recapitulates the primary tumor stroma, adopt a basal-like phenotype. Metastatic tumor cells and basal-like tumor cells exert higher integrin-mediated traction forces at the bulk and molecular levels, consistent with a motor-clutch model in which motors and clutches are both increased. Basal-like nonmalignant mammary epithelial cells also display an altered integrin adhesion molecular organization at the nanoscale and recruit a suite of paxillin-associated proteins implicated in invasion and metastasis. Phosphorylation of paxillin by Src family kinases, which regulates adhesion turnover, is similarly enhanced in the metastatic and basal-like tumor cells, fostered by a stiff matrix, and critical for tumor cell invasion in our assays. Bioinformatics reveals an unappreciated relationship between Src kinases, paxillin, and survival of breast cancer patients. Thus adoption of the basal-like adhesion phenotype may favor the recruitment of molecules that facilitate tumor metastasis to integrin-based adhesions. Analysis of the physical properties of tumor cells and integrin adhesion composition in biopsies may be predictive of patient outcome

New Crayfish Species Records from the Sipsey Fork Drainage, Including Lewis Smith Reservoir (Alabama, USA): Native or Introduced Species?

As part of a study of aquatic faunal community changes along riverine-lacustrine transition zones upstream of Lewis Smith Reservoir in northwest Alabama, USA, we collected crayfish from 60 sites in the Sipsey Fork, Brushy Creek, and selected tributaries (Black Warrior River system). After finding two unexpected and possibly-introduced crayfish species, we expanded our investigation of crayfish distributions to include crayfish obtained from stomachs of black bass ( Micropterus spp.) caught at seven sites in the reservoir. To explore what crayfish species were in the drainage historically, we examined museum databases as well as stomach and intestinal contents of a variety of preserved fishes that were caught in the Sipsey Fork and Brushy Creek drainages upstream of the reservoir in the early 1990’s. Of the seven crayfish species collected, one, Orconectes ( Procericambarus ) sp. nr ronaldi , was not previously reported from Alabama, and another, O. lancifer , was not reported from the Black Warrior River system prior to the study. Three are known or possibly introduced species. Upstream of the reservoir, the native species Cambarus obstipus, C. striatus , and O. validus were common. The same three species were found in fish collected in the 1990’s. Orconectes perfectus was found only in the reservoir but may be native to the drainage. Orconectes lancifer was in the reservoir and in stream reaches influenced by the reservoir. Evidence points to O. lancifer being introduced in the drainage, but this is uncertain. Orconectes sp. nr ronaldi was found in a relatively small portion of Brushy Creek and its tributaries, in both flowing and impounded habitats, and may be introduced. Orconectes virilis is introduced in Alabama and was found only in stomachs of fish collected in the reservoir

Exploratory study of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) contributions to household air pollution arising from improved cookstove use in rural Malawi

Around three million premature deaths annually are ascribed to household air pollution (HAP) arising from inefficient burning of biomass and emissions of products of incomplete combustion. The developing-world response has been widespread adoption of improved cookstove (ICS) technologies. This exploratory study evaluates variation in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) attached to inhalable particulate matter (PM) in rural Malawi households adopting ICS use. PM literature supports HAP exposure to inhalable PM is lowered, albeit variably, compared to traditional fires, but remains significant. Similar is expected for PAH; however, datasets lack discerning PAH chemical-specific contributions to risks. The study introduces the Malawian context, invokes a PAH reconnaissance approach sampling kitchen soot ‘spots’ and residential dusts, and relates PAH occurrence to the two sample types collected and ICS types surveyed. The total PAH for dusts was low (c. 2 μg/g mean), with volatile 2-ring naphthalene dominant. Soot total PAH was much higher (c. 200 μg/g mean to a maximum of 815 μg/g). Soot from PM emissions poses a major primary health concern. Despite PAH trends not being obvious with ICS type (limited sample size) and the wide range in soot total PAH, soot PAH fingerprints were well constrained with low variation of diagnostic PAH ratios, exhibiting n-ring fingerprints close to the soot median (0.1% 2-ring, 20% 3-ring, 61% 4-ring, 14% 5-ring, 5% 6-ring PAH). These corroborate the expected wood-related combustions sources, but also point to the needs to understand factors that control wide variations in PM and (total) PAH emitted as these control variations in HAP and differing risks posed to individual households. Further household-based research is thus recommended discerning relationships between PM emissions and PAH contents, driving the chemical composition health risks. These should establish influences on PAH exposure arising from ICS type/model selected, operational modes, building/ventilation conditions, variable fuel sources and nonoptimal ICS use