168 research outputs found
A Threshold of Flowers: Public and Private Eroticism in the Poems of Leona Florentino
Leona Florentino (1849-1884) is a foundational poet and dramatist from the port city of Vigan, located on the northern Philippine island of Luzón, then part of the Spanish Empire. Florentino’s literary production blurs and challenges established gender boundaries and regulations. Writing from the doubly marginalized perspective of a woman and of a colonial subject, Florentino utilizes the imagery of the garden to mobilize a verdant critique against the established gender roles, structures of desire, and domestic and public spaces. Many of Florentino’s known poems were written for public celebrations. However, the private poems she composed conjure erotic themes in a more conspicuous fashion. This study analyzes the ways in which Florentino utilizes garden imagery in two celebratory poems and one erotic composition to harness the tensions between the public and private spheres, and illuminates her representations of gender roles and female sexuality in nineteenth century Vigan.Master of Art
Last will and testament of Sarah Blanton, Rutherford, NC, 27 July 1824
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_a/1005/thumbnail.jp
Cross-correlation Weak Lensing of SDSS Galaxy Clusters III: Mass-to-light Ratios
We present measurements of the excess mass-to-light ratio measured
aroundMaxBCG galaxy clusters observed in the SDSS. This red sequence cluster
sample includes objects from small groups with masses ranging from ~5x10^{12}
to ~10^{15} M_{sun}/h. Using cross-correlation weak lensing, we measure the
excess mass density profile above the universal mean \Delta \rho(r) = \rho(r) -
\bar{\rho} for clusters in bins of richness and optical luminosity. We also
measure the excess luminosity density \Delta l(r) = l(r) - \bar{l} measured in
the z=0.25 i-band. For both mass and light, we de-project the profiles to
produce 3D mass and light profiles over scales from 25 kpc/ to 22 Mpc/h. From
these profiles we calculate the cumulative excess mass M(r) and excess light
L(r) as a function of separation from the BCG. On small scales, where \rho(r)
>> \bar{\rho}, the integrated mass-to-light profile may be interpreted as the
cluster mass-to-light ratio. We find the M/L_{200}, the mass-to-light ratio
within r_{200}, scales with cluster mass as a power law with index 0.33+/-0.02.
On large scales, where \rho(r) ~ \bar{\rho}, the M/L approaches an asymptotic
value independent of cluster richness. For small groups, the mean M/L_{200} is
much smaller than the asymptotic value, while for large clusters it is
consistent with the asymptotic value. This asymptotic value should be
proportional to the mean mass-to-light ratio of the universe . We find
/b^2_{ml} = 362+/-54 h (statistical). There is additional uncertainty in
the overall calibration at the ~10% level. The parameter b_{ml} is primarily a
function of the bias of the L <~ L_* galaxies used as light tracers, and should
be of order unity. Multiplying by the luminosity density in the same bandpass
we find \Omega_m/b^2_{ml} = 0.02+/-0.03, independent of the Hubble parameter.Comment: Third paper in a series; v2.0 incorporates ApJ referee's suggestion
The Galaxy Content of SDSS Clusters and Groups
Imaging data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are used to characterize the
population of galaxies in groups and clusters detected with the MaxBCG
algorithm. We investigate the dependence of Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG)
luminosity, and the distributions of satellite galaxy luminosity and satellite
color, on cluster properties over the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.3. The size of
the dataset allows us to make measurements in many bins of cluster richness,
radius and redshift. We find that, within r_200 of clusters with mass above
3e13 h-1 M_sun, the luminosity function of both red and blue satellites is only
weakly dependent on richness. We further find that the shape of the satellite
luminosity function does not depend on cluster-centric distance for magnitudes
brighter than ^{0.25}M_i - 5log(h) < -19. However, the mix of faint red and
blue galaxies changes dramatically. The satellite red fraction is dependent on
cluster-centric distance, galaxy luminosity and cluster mass, and also
increases by ~5% between redshifts 0.28 and 0.2, independent of richness. We
find that BCG luminosity is tightly correlated with cluster richness, scaling
as L_{BCG} ~ M_{200}^{0.3}, and has a Gaussian distribution at fixed richness,
with sigma_{log L} ~ 0.17 for massive clusters. The ratios of BCG luminosity to
total cluster luminosity and characteristic satellite luminosity scale strongly
with cluster richness: in richer systems, BCGs contribute a smaller fraction of
the total light, but are brighter compared to typical satellites. This study
demonstrates the power of cross-correlation techniques for measuring galaxy
populations in purely photometric data.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Ap
REC, Drosophila MCM8, Drives Formation of Meiotic Crossovers
Crossovers ensure the accurate segregation of homologous chromosomes from one another during meiosis. Here, we describe the identity and function of the Drosophila melanogaster gene recombination defective (rec), which is required for most meiotic crossing over. We show that rec encodes a member of the mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) protein family. Six MCM proteins (MCM2–7) are essential for DNA replication and are found in all eukaryotes. REC is the Drosophila ortholog of the recently identified seventh member of this family, MCM8. Our phylogenetic analysis reveals the existence of yet another family member, MCM9, and shows that MCM8 and MCM9 arose early in eukaryotic evolution, though one or both have been lost in multiple eukaryotic lineages. Drosophila has lost MCM9 but retained MCM8, represented by REC. We used genetic and molecular methods to study the function of REC in meiotic recombination. Epistasis experiments suggest that REC acts after the Rad51 ortholog SPN-A but before the endonuclease MEI-9. Although crossovers are reduced by 95% in rec mutants, the frequency of noncrossover gene conversion is significantly increased. Interestingly, gene conversion tracts in rec mutants are about half the length of tracts in wild-type flies. To account for these phenotypes, we propose that REC facilitates repair synthesis during meiotic recombination. In the absence of REC, synthesis does not proceed far enough to allow formation of an intermediate that can give rise to crossovers, and recombination proceeds via synthesis-dependent strand annealing to generate only noncrossover products
SDSS-V Algorithms: Fast, Collision-Free Trajectory Planning for Heavily Overlapping Robotic Fiber Positioners
Robotic fiber positioner (RFP) arrays are becoming heavily adopted in wide
field massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey instruments. RFP arrays
decrease nightly operational overheads through rapid reconfiguration between
fields and exposures. In comparison to similar instruments, SDSS-V has selected
a very dense RFP packing scheme where any point in a field is typically
accessible to three or more robots. This design provides flexibility in target
assignment. However, the task of collision-less trajectory planning is
especially challenging. We present two multi-agent distributed control
strategies that are highly efficient and computationally inexpensive for
determining collision-free paths for RFPs in heavily overlapping workspaces. We
demonstrate that a reconfiguration path between two arbitrary robot
configurations can be efficiently found if "folded" state, in which all robot
arms are retracted and aligned in a lattice-like orientation, is inserted
between the initial and final states. Although developed for SDSS-V, the
approach we describe is generic and so applicable to a wide range of RFP
designs and layouts. Robotic fiber positioner technology continues to advance
rapidly, and in the near future ultra-densely packed RFP designs may be
feasible. Our algorithms are especially capable in routing paths in very
crowded environments, where we see efficient results even in regimes
significantly more crowded than the SDSS-V RFP design.Comment: To be published in the Astronomical Journa
CFHT Legacy Ultraviolet Extension (CLUE): Witnessing Galaxy Transformations up to 7 Mpc from Rich Cluster Cores
Using the optical data from the Wide component of the CFHT Legacy Survey, and
new ultraviolet data from GALEX, we study the colours and specific star
formation rates (SSFR) of ~100 galaxy clusters at 0.16<z<0.36, over areas
extending out to radii of r~7Mpc. We use a multicolour, statistical background
subtraction method to study the galaxy population at this radius; thus our
results pertain to those galaxies which constitute an excess over the average
field density. We find that the average SSFR, and its distribution, of the
star-forming galaxies (with SFR>0.7 M_sun/yr at z~0.2 and SFR>1.2 M_sun/yr at
z~0.3) have no measurable dependence on the cluster-centric radius, and are
consistent with the field values. However, the fraction of galaxies with SFR
above these thresholds, and the fraction of optically blue galaxies, are lower
for the overdense galaxy population in the cluster outskirts compared with the
average field value, at all stellar masses M*>10^{9.8} M_sun and at all radii
out to at least 7Mpc. Most interestingly, the fraction of blue galaxies that
are forming stars at a rate below our UV detection limit is much higher in all
radial bins around our cluster sample, compared with the general field value.
This is most noticeable for massive galaxies M*>10^{10.7} M_sun; while almost
all blue field galaxies of this mass have detectable star formation, this is
true for less than 20% of the blue cluster galaxies, even at 7Mpc from the
cluster centre. Our results support a scenario where galaxies are pre-processed
in locally overdense regions, in a way that reduces their SFR below our UV
detection limit, but not to zero.Comment: MNRAS accepte
Estimating the global burden of endemic canine rabies
Background: Rabies is a notoriously underreported and neglected disease of lowincome
countries. This study aims to estimate the public health and economic burden
of rabies circulating in domestic dog populations, globally and on a country-by-country
basis, allowing an objective assessment of how much this preventable disease costs
endemic countries.<p></p>
Methodology/Principal Findings: We established relationships between rabies mortality
and rabies prevention and control measures, which we incorporated into a model
framework. We used data derived from extensive literature searches and
questionnaires on disease incidence, control interventions and preventative measures
within this framework to estimate the disease burden. The burden of rabies impacts on
public health sector budgets, local communities and livestock economies, with the
highest risk of rabies in the poorest regions of the world. This study estimates that
globally canine rabies causes approximately 59,000 (95% Confidence Intervals: 25-
159,000) human deaths, over 3.7 million (95% CIs: 1.6-10.4 million) disability-adjusted
life years (DALYs) and 8.6 billion USD (95% CIs: 2.9-21.5 billion) economic losses
annually. The largest component of the economic burden is due to premature death
(55%), followed by direct costs of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP, 20%) and lost
income whilst seeking PEP (15.5%), with only limited costs to the veterinary sector due
to dog vaccination (1.5%), and additional costs to communities from livestock losses
(6%).<p></p>
Conclusions/Significance: This study demonstrates that investment in dog vaccination,
the single most effective way of reducing the disease burden, has been inadequate
and that the availability and affordability of PEP needs improving. Collaborative
investments by medical and veterinary sectors could dramatically reduce the current
large, and unnecessary, burden of rabies on affected communities. Improved
surveillance is needed to reduce uncertainty in burden estimates and to monitor the
impacts of control efforts.<p></p>
The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: Direct constraints on blue galaxy intrinsic alignments at intermediate redshifts
Correlations between the intrinsic shapes of galaxy pairs, and between the
intrinsic shapes of galaxies and the large-scale density field, may be induced
by tidal fields. These correlations, which have been detected at low redshifts
(z<0.35) for bright red galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and
for which upper limits exist for blue galaxies at z~0.1, provide a window into
galaxy formation and evolution, and are also an important contaminant for
current and future weak lensing surveys. Measurements of these alignments at
intermediate redshifts (z~0.6) that are more relevant for cosmic shear
observations are very important for understanding the origin and redshift
evolution of these alignments, and for minimising their impact on weak lensing
measurements. We present the first such intermediate-redshift measurement for
blue galaxies, using galaxy shape measurements from SDSS and spectroscopic
redshifts from the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. Our null detection allows us to
place upper limits on the contamination of weak lensing measurements by blue
galaxy intrinsic alignments that, for the first time, do not require
significant model-dependent extrapolation from the z~0.1 SDSS observations.
Also, combining the SDSS and WiggleZ constraints gives us a long redshift
baseline with which to constrain intrinsic alignment models and contamination
of the cosmic shear power spectrum. Assuming that the alignments can be
explained by linear alignment with the smoothed local density field, we find
that a measurement of \sigma_8 in a blue-galaxy dominated, CFHTLS-like survey
would be contaminated by at most +/-0.02 (95% confidence level, SDSS and
WiggleZ) or +/-0.03 (WiggleZ alone) due to intrinsic alignments. [Abridged]Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, accepted to MNRAS; v2 has correction to one
author's name, NO other changes; v3 has minor changes in explanation and
calculations, no significant difference in results or conclusions; v4 has an
additional footnote about model interpretation, no changes to
data/calculations/result
SDSS-IV from 2014 to 2016: A Detailed Demographic Comparison over Three Years
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is one of the largest international
astronomy organizations. We present demographic data based on surveys of its
members from 2014, 2015 and 2016, during the fourth phase of SDSS (SDSS-IV). We
find about half of SDSS-IV collaboration members were based in North America, a
quarter in Europe, and the remainder in Asia and Central and South America.
Overall, 26-36% are women (from 2014 to 2016), up to 2% report non-binary
genders. 11-14% report that they are racial or ethnic minorities where they
live. The fraction of women drops with seniority, and is also lower among
collaboration leadership. Men in SDSS-IV were more likely to report being in a
leadership role, and for the role to be funded and formally recognized. SDSS-IV
collaboration members are twice as likely to have a parent with a college
degree, than the general population, and are ten times more likely to have a
parent with a PhD. This trend is slightly enhanced for female collaboration
members. Despite this, the fraction of first generation college students (FGCS)
is significant (31%). This fraction increased among collaboration members who
are racial or ethnic minorities (40-50%), and decreased among women (15-25%).
SDSS-IV implemented many inclusive policies and established a dedicated
committee, the Committee on INclusiveness in SDSS (COINS). More than 60% of the
collaboration agree that the collaboration is inclusive; however, collaboration
leadership more strongly agree with this than the general membership. In this
paper, we explain these results in full, including the history of inclusive
efforts in SDSS-IV. We conclude with a list of suggested recommendations based
on our findings, which can be used to improve equity and inclusion in large
astronomical collaborations, which we argue is not only moral, but will also
optimize their scientific output.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, accepted in PAS
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