420 research outputs found
New ground-based observational methods and instrumentation for asteroseismology
Space instrumentation like SOHO, MOST, CoRoT and Kepler has been and is being
built to attain very high precision data to be used for asteroseismic analysis.
Nonetheless, there is a very strong need for providing additional information,
especially on mode identification. With this contribution I will review the
efforts been put on new ground-based instrumentation and the methodology that
can be used to achieve this aim.Comment: 6 pages. Review contribution to be published in Astrophysics and
Space Science Proceedings series (ASSP), in the proceedings of "20th Stellar
Pulsation Conference Series: Impact of new instrumentation and new insights
in stellar pulsations", 5-9 September 2011, Granada, Spai
Sub-chronic inhalation of high concentrations of manganese sulfate induces lower airway pathology in rhesus monkeys
BACKGROUND: Neurotoxicity and pulmonary dysfunction are well-recognized problems associated with prolonged human exposure to high concentrations of airborne manganese. Surprisingly, histological characterization of pulmonary responses induced by manganese remains incomplete. The primary objective of this study was to characterize histologic changes in the monkey respiratory tract following manganese inhalation. METHODS: Subchronic (6 hr/day, 5 days/week) inhalation exposure of young male rhesus monkeys to manganese sulfate was performed. One cohort of monkeys (n = 4â6 animals/exposure concentration) was exposed to air or manganese sulfate at 0.06, 0.3, or 1.5 mg Mn/m(3 )for 65 exposure days. Another eight monkeys were exposed to manganese sulfate at 1.5 mg Mn/m(3 )for 65 exposure days and held for 45 or 90 days before evaluation. A second cohort (n = 4 monkeys per time point) was exposed to manganese sulfate at 1.5 mg Mn/m(3 )and evaluated after 15 or 33 exposure days. Evaluations included measurement of lung manganese concentrations and evaluation of respiratory histologic changes. Tissue manganese concentrations were compared for the exposure and control groups by tests for homogeneity of variance, analysis of variance, followed by Dunnett's multiple comparison. Histopathological findings were evaluated using a Pearson's Chi-Square test. RESULTS: Animals exposed to manganese sulfate at â„0.3 mg Mn/m(3 )for 65 days had increased lung manganese concentrations. Exposure to manganese sulfate at 1.5 mg Mn/m(3 )for â„15 exposure days resulted in increased lung manganese concentrations, mild subacute bronchiolitis, alveolar duct inflammation, and proliferation of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue. Bronchiolitis and alveolar duct inflammatory changes were absent 45 days post-exposure, suggesting that these lesions are reversible upon cessation of subchronic high-dose manganese exposure. CONCLUSION: High-dose subchronic manganese sulfate inhalation is associated with increased lung manganese concentrations and small airway inflammatory changes in the absence of observable clinical signs. Subchronic exposure to manganese sulfate at exposure concentrations (â€0.3 mg Mn/m(3)) similar to the current 8-hr occupational threshold limit value established for inhaled manganese was not associated with pulmonary pathology
The statistics of the photometric accuracy based on MASS data and the evaluation of high-altitude wind
The effect of stellar scintillation on the accuracy of photometric
measurements is analyzed. We obtain a convenient form of estimaton of this
effect in the long exposure regime, when the turbulence shift produced by the
wind is much larger than the aperture of the telescope. A simple method is
proposed to determine index introduced by perture of the Kenyon et al.
(2006), directly from the measurements with the Multi Aperture Scintillation
Sensor (MASS) without information on vertical profile of the wind. The
statistics resulting from our campaign of 2005 -- 2007 at Maidanak
observatory is presented. It is shown that these data can be used to estimate
high-altitude winds at pressure level 70 -- 100 mbar. Comparison with the wind
speed retrieved from the NCEP/NCAR global models shows a good agreement. Some
prospects for retrieval of the wind speed profile from the MASS measurements
are outlined.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy Letter
A Method for the Detection of Planetary Transits in Large Time-Series Datasets
We present a fast, efficient and easy to apply computational method for the
detection of planetary transits in large photometric datasets. The code has
been specifically produced to analyse an ensemble of 21,950 stars in the
globular cluster 47 Tucanae, the results of which are the subject of a separate
paper. Using cross correlation techniques and Monte Carlo tested detection
criteria, each time-series is compared with a large database of appropriate
transit models. The algorithm recovers transit signatures with high efficiency
while maintaining a low false detection probability, even in noisy data.
This is illustrated by describing its application to our 47 Tuc dataset, for
which the algorithm produced a weighted mean transit recoverabilty spanning 85%
to 25% for orbital periods of 1-16 days despite gaps in the time series caused
by weather and observing duty cycle. The code is easily adaptable and is
currently designed to accept time-series produced using Difference Imaging
Analysis.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures. Accepted and 'in press' for ApJ. Higher
resolution versions for both this paper and astro-ph/0411233 are available at
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~dtf
PHASES High Precision Differential Astrometry of delta Equulei
delta Equulei is among the most well-studied nearby binary star systems.
Results of its observation have been applied to a wide range of fundamental
studies of binary systems and stellar astrophysics. It is widely used to
calibrate and constrain theoretical models of the physics of stars. We report
27 high precision differential astrometry measurements of delta Equulei from
the Palomar High-precision Astrometric Search for Exoplanet Systems (PHASES).
The median size of the minor axes of the uncertainty ellipses for these
measurements is 26 micro-arcseconds. These data are combined with previously
published radial velocity data and other previously published differential
astrometry measurements using other techniques to produce a combined model for
the system orbit. The distance to the system is determined to within a
twentieth of a parsec and the component masses are determined at the level of a
percent. The constraints on masses and distance are limited by the precisions
of the radial velocity data; we outline plans improve this deficiency and
discuss the outlook for further study of this binary.Comment: Accepted by AJ. Complete versions of tables 2-7 now available at
http://stuff.mit.edu/~matthew1/deltaEquTables/ (removed from astroph server
Rotational velocities of A-type stars I. Measurement of vsini in the southern hemisphere
Within the scope of a Key Programme determining fundamental parameters of
stars observed by HIPPARCOS, spectra of 525 B8 to F2-type stars brighter than
V=8 have been collected at ESO. Fourier transforms of several line profiles in
the range 4200-4500 A are used to derive vsini from the frequency of the first
zero. Statistical analysis of the sample indicates that measurement error is a
function of vsini and this relative error of the rotational velocity is found
to be about 6% on average. The results obtained are compared with data from the
literature. There is a systematic shift from standard values from Slettebak et
al. (1975), which are 10 to 12% lower than our findings. Comparisons with other
independent vsini values tend to prove that those from Slettebak et al. are
underestimated. This effect is attributed to the presence of binaries in the
standard sample of Slettebak et al., and to the model atmosphere they used.Comment: 17 pages, includes 18 figures, accepted in A&
The Orbital Solution and Spectral Classification of the High-Mass X-Ray Binary IGR J01054-7253 in the Small Magellanic Cloud
We present X-ray and optical data on the Be/X-ray binary (BeXRB) pulsar IGR
J01054-7253 = SXP11.5 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Rossi X-ray Timing
Explorer (RXTE) observations of this source in a large X-ray outburst reveal an
11.483 +/- 0.002s pulse period and show both the accretion driven spin-up of
the neutron star and the motion of the neutron star around the companion
through Doppler shifting of the spin period. Model fits to these data suggest
an orbital period of 36.3 +/- 0.4d and Pdot of (4.7 +/- 0.3) x 10^{-10}
ss^{-1}. We present an orbital solution for this system, making it one of the
best described BeXRB systems in the SMC. The observed pulse period, spin-up and
X-ray luminosity of SXP11.5 in this outburst are found to agree with the
predictions of neutron star accretion theory. Timing analysis of the long-term
optical light curve reveals a periodicity of 36.70 +/- 0.03d, in agreement with
the orbital period found from the model fit to the X-ray data. Using blue-end
spectroscopic observations we determine the spectral type of the counterpart to
be O9.5-B0 IV-V. This luminosity class is supported by the observed V-band
magnitude. Using optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy, we
study the circumstellar environment of the counterpart in the months after the
X-ray outburst.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures and 3 tables. This paper has been accepted for
publication in MNRA
A T8.5 Brown Dwarf Member of the Xi Ursae Majoris System
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer has revealed a T8.5 brown dwarf (WISE
J111838.70+312537.9) that exhibits common proper motion with a
solar-neighborhood (8 pc) quadruple star system - Xi Ursae Majoris. The angular
separation is 8.5 arc-min, and the projected physical separation is about 4000
AU. The sub-solar metallicity and low chromospheric activity of Xi UMa A argue
that the system has an age of at least 2 Gyr. The infrared luminosity and color
of the brown dwarf suggests the mass of this companion ranges between 14 and 38
Jupiter masses for system ages of 2 and 8 Gyr respectively.Comment: AJ in press, 12 pages LaTeX with 6 figures. More astrometric data and
a laser guide star adaptive optics image adde
Rotation of planet-harbouring stars
The rotation rate of a star has important implications for the detectability,
characterisation and stability of any planets that may be orbiting it. This
chapter gives a brief overview of stellar rotation before describing the
methods used to measure the rotation periods of planet host stars, the factors
affecting the evolution of a star's rotation rate, stellar age estimates based
on rotation, and an overview of the observed trends in the rotation properties
of stars with planets.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures: Invited review to appear in 'Handbook of
Exoplanets', Springer Reference Works, edited by Hans J. Deeg and Juan
Antonio Belmont
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