23 research outputs found
Hubble Space Telescope Images of Stephan's Quintet: Star Cluster Formation in a Compact Group Environment
Analysis of Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 images of
Stephan's Quintet, Hickson Compact Group 92, yielded 115 candidate star
clusters (with V-I < 1.5). Unlike in merger remants, the cluster candidates in
Stephan's Quintet are not clustered in the inner regions of the galaxies; they
are spread over the debris and surrounding area. Specifically, these sources
are located in the long sweeping tail and spiral arms of NGC 7319, in the tidal
debris of NGC 7318B/A, and in the intragroup starburst region north of these
galaxies. Analysis of the colors of the clusters indicates several distinct
epochs of star formation that appear to trace the complex history of dynamical
interactions in this compact group.Comment: 24 pages, 21 figures (13 PostScript and 8 JPEG), LaTeX (uses
aastexug.sty), accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal (July
2001). Full-resolution PostScript figures available at
http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/gallsc/sq/figs.tar.g
The Luminosity Function of Galaxies in Compact Groups
From R-band images of 39 Hickson compact groups (HCGs), we use galaxy counts
to determine a luminosity function extending to M_R=-14.0, approximately two
magnitudes deeper than previous compact group luminosity functions. We find
that a single Schechter function is a poor fit to the data, so we fit a
composite function consisting of separate Schechter functions for the bright
and faint galaxies. The bright end is best fit with M^*=-21.6 and alpha=-0.52
and the faint end with M^*=-16.1 and alpha=-1.17. The decreasing bright end
slope implies a deficit of intermediate luminosity galaxies in our sample of
HCGs and the faint end slope is slightly steeper than that reported for earlier
HCG luminosity functions. Furthermore, luminosity functions of subsets of our
sample reveal more substantial dwarf populations for groups with x-ray halos,
groups with tidal dwarf candidates, and groups with a dominant elliptical or
lenticular galaxy. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that
within compact groups, the initial dwarf galaxy population is replenished by
"subsequent generations" formed in the tidal debris of giant galaxy
interactions.Comment: 26 pages, to be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 8 greyscale
plates (figures 1 and 2) can be retrieved at
http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/sdh/pubs.htm
Identifying Old Tidal Dwarf Irregulars
We examine the observational consequences of the two possible origins for
irregular galaxies: formation from collapse of a primordial cloud of gas early
in the age of the Universe, and formation from tidal tails in an interaction
that could have occured any time in the history of the Universe. Because the
formation from tidal tails could have occurred a long time ago, proximity to
larger galaxies is not sufficient to distinguish tidal dwarfs from traditional
dwarfs. We consider the effects of little or no dark matter on rotation speeds
and the Tully-Fisher relationship, the metallicity-luminosity relationship,
structure, and stellar populations. From these selection criteria, we identify
a small list of dwarf irregular galaxies that are candidates for having formed
as tidal dwarfs.Comment: ApJ, to appear September 20, 200
From Globular Clusters to Tidal Dwarfs: Structure Formation in the Tidal Tails of Merging Galaxies
Using V and I images obtained with WFPC2/HST, we investigate compact stellar
structures within tidal tails. Six regions of tidal debris in the four classic
``Toomre Sequence'' mergers: NGC 4038/39 (``Antennae''), NGC 3256, NGC 3921,
and NGC 7252 (``Atoms for Peace'') have been studied in order to explore how
the star formation depends upon the local and global physical conditions. These
mergers sample a range of stages in the evolutionary sequence and tails with
and without embedded tidal dwarf galaxies. The six tails are found to contain a
variety of stellar structures, with sizes ranging from those of globular
clusters up to those of dwarf galaxies. From V and I WFPC2 images, we measure
the luminosities and colors of the star clusters. NGC 3256 is found to have a
large population of blue clusters (0.2 < V-I < 0.9), particularly in its
Western tail, similar to those found in the inner region of the merger. In
contrast, NGC 4038/39 has no clusters in the observed region of the tail, only
less luminous point sources likely to be individual stars. A significant
cluster population is clearly associated with the prominent tidal dwarf
candidates in the eastern and western tails of NGC 7252. The cluster-rich
Western tail of NGC 3256 is not distinguished from the others by its dynamical
age or by its total HI mass. However, the mergers that have few clusters in the
tail all have tidal dwarf galaxies, while NGC 3256 does not have prominent
tidal dwarfs. We speculate that star formation in tidal tails may manifest
itself either in small structures like clusters along the tail or in large
structures such as dwarf galaxies, but not in both. Also, NGC 3256 has the
highest star formation rate of the four mergers studied, which may contribute
to the high number of star clusters in its tidal tails.Comment: Accepted to Astronomical Journal. 34 pages including 15 figures and 4
table
A survey of tuberculosis infection control practices at the NIH/NIAID/DAIDS-supported clinical trial sites in low and middle income countries
BACKGROUND: Health care associated transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) is well described. A previous survey of infection control (IC) practices at clinical research sites in low and middle income countries (LMIC) funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) conducting HIV research identified issues with respiratory IC practices. A guideline for TB IC based on international recommendations was developed and promulgated. This paper reports on adherence to the guideline at sites conducting or planning to conduct TB studies with the intention of supporting improvement. METHODS: A survey was developed that assessed IC activities in three domains: facility level measures, administrative control measures and environmental measures. An external site monitor visited each site in 2013–2014, to complete the audit. A central review committee evaluated the site-level survey and results were tabulated. Fisher’s exact test was performed to determine whether there were significant differences in practices at sites that had IC officers versus sites that did not have IC officers. Significance was assessed at p</=.05 RESULTS: Seven of thirty-three sites surveyed (22 %) had all the evaluated tuberculosis IC (TB IC) elements in place. Sixty-one percent of sites had an IC officer tasked with developing and maintaining TB IC standard operating procedures. Twenty-two (71 %) sites promptly identified and segregated individuals with TB symptoms. Thirty (93 %) sites had a separate waiting area for patients, and 26 (81 %) collected sputum within a specific well-ventilated area that was separate from the general waiting area. Sites with an IC officer were more likely to have standard operating procedures covering TB IC practices (p = 0.02) and monitor those policies (p = 0.02) and perform regular surveillance of healthcare workers (p = 0.02). The presence of an IC officer had a positive impact on performance in most of the TB IC domains surveyed including having adequate ventilation (p = 0.02) and a separate area for sputum collection (p = 0.02) CONCLUSIONS: Specific and targeted support of TB IC activities in the clinical research environment is needed and is likely to have a positive and sustained impact on preventing the transmission of TB to both health care workers and vulnerable HIV-infected research participants. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1579-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users