1,161 research outputs found
Ultraviolet Imaging of the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
We have used the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope to obtain deep far-UV (1620
Angstrom), 40' diameter images of the prototypical metal-rich globular cluster
47 Tucanae. We find a population of about 20 hot (Teff > 9000 K) objects near
or above the predicted UV luminosity of the hot horizontal branch (HB) and
lying within two half-light radii of the cluster center. We believe these are
normal hot HB or post-HB objects rather than interacting binaries or blue
stragglers. IUE spectra of two are consistent with post-HB phases. These
observations, and recent HST photometry of two other metal-rich clusters,
demonstrate that populations with rich, cool HB's can nonetheless produce hot
HB and post-HB stars. The cluster center also contains an unusual diffuse
far-UV source which is more extended than its V-band light. It is possible that
this is associated with an intracluster medium, for which there was earlier
infrared and X-ray evidence, and is produced by C IV emission or scattered
light from grains.Comment: 13 pages AASLaTeX including one postscript figure and one bitmapped
image, JPEG format. Submitted to the Astronomical Jorunal. Full Postscript
version available at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~bd4r
Ultraviolet Imagery of NGC 6752: A Test of Extreme Horizontal Branch Models
We present a 1620 A image of the nearby globular cluster NGC 6752 obtained
with the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) during the Astro-2 mission of the
Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1995 March. An ultraviolet-visible color-magnitude
diagram (CMD) is derived for 216 stars matched with the visible photometry of
Buonanno et al. (1986). This CMD provides a nearly complete census of the hot
horizontal branch (HB) population with good temperature and luminosity
discrimination for comparison with theoretical tracks. The observed data show
good agreement with the theoretical zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB) of
Sweigart (1996) for an assumed reddening of E(B-V) = 0.05 and a distance
modulus of 13.05. The observed HB luminosity width is in excellent agreement
with the theoretical models and supports the single star scenario for the
origin of extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars. However, only four stars can
be identified as post-EHB stars, whereas almost three times this many are
expected from the HB number counts. If this effect is not a statistical
anomaly, then some non-canonical effect may be decreasing the post-EHB
lifetime. The recent non-canonical models of Sweigart (1996), which have
helium-enriched envelopes due to mixing along the red giant branch, cannot
explain the deficit of post-EHB stars, but might be better able to explain
their luminosity distribution.Comment: 14 pages, AASTeX, includes 4 EPS figures ApJ Letters accepte
Differential loss of spinal interneurons in a mouse model of ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) leads to a loss of specific motor neuron populations in the spinal cord and cortex. Emerging evidence suggests that interneurons may also be affected, but a detailed characterization of interneuron loss and its potential impacts on motor neuron loss and disease progression is lacking. To examine this issue, the fate of V1 inhibitory neurons during ALS was assessed in the ventral spinal cord using the SODG93A mouse model. The V1 population makes up âŒ30% of all ventral inhibitory neurons, âŒ50% of direct inhibitory synaptic contacts onto motor neuron cell bodies, and is thought to play a key role in modulating motor output, in part through recurrent and reciprocal inhibitory circuits. We find that approximately half of V1 inhibitory neurons are lost in SODG93A mice at late disease stages, but that this loss is delayed relative to the loss of motor neurons and V2a excitatory neurons. We further identify V1 subpopulations based on transcription factor expression that are differentially susceptible to degeneration in SODG93A mice. At an early disease stage, we show that V1 synaptic contacts with motor neuron cell bodies increase, suggesting an upregulation of inhibition before V1 neurons are lost in substantial numbers. These data support a model in which progressive changes in V1 synaptic contacts early in disease, and in select V1 subpopulations at later stages, represent a compensatory upregulation and then deleterious breakdown of specific interneuron circuits within the spinal cord
UIT Detection of Hot Stars in the Globular Cluster NGC362
We used the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope during the March 1995 Astro-2
mission to obtain a deep far-UV image of the globular cluster NGC 362, which
was formerly thought to have an almost entirely red horizontal branch (HB). 84
hot (T_eff > 8500 K) stars were detected within a radius of 8'.25 of the
cluster center. Of these, 43 have FUV magnitudes consistent with HB stars in
NGC 362, and at least 34 are cluster members. The number of cluster members is
made uncertain by background contamination from blue stars in the Small
Magellanic Cloud (SMC). There are six candidate supra-HB stars which have
probably evolved from the HB. We discuss the implications of these results for
the production of hot blue stars in stellar populations.Comment: 10 pages AASLaTeX including one postscript figure and one compressed
bitmap, .jpg format. To appear in Ap. J. Letters. Postscript version also
available at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~bd4r
The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope: Instrument and Data Characteristics
The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) was flown as part of the Astro
observatory on the Space Shuttle Columbia in December 1990 and again on the
Space Shuttle Endeavor in March 1995. Ultraviolet (1200-3300 Angstroms) images
of a variety of astronomical objects, with a 40 arcmin field of view and a
resolution of about 3 arcsec, were recorded on photographic film. The data
recorded during the first flight are available to the astronomical community
through the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC); the data recorded
during the second flight will soon be available as well. This paper discusses
in detail the design, operation, data reduction, and calibration of UIT,
providing the user of the data with information for understanding and using the
data. It also provides guidelines for analyzing other astronomical imagery made
with image intensifiers and photographic film.Comment: 44 pages, LaTeX, AAS preprint style and EPSF macros, accepted by PAS
Development of an Index of Socio-Emotional Competence for Preschool Children in the Growing Up in New Zealand Study
Growing international recognition of the importance of socio-emotional competence has led to calls to understand the prevalence and development of such competence in young children. However, socio-emotional competence is a multifaceted concept and hence difficult to track. The present research describes the processes we used to develop an index of socio-emotional competence in preschool children taking part in the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study. We draw on data collected from 6,156 children when they were 9 months, 2 years and 4.5 years of age. Twenty-six variables from seven measures were found to provide conceptual coverage of socio-emotional competence and had adequate discriminatory power and internal consistency. Our final sample consisted of 4,839 participants who had adequate data on the variables of interest. Exploratory factor analysis led to the emergence of three dimensions: easy-going, regulation, and exuberance. Multiple methods of weighting (equal, empirical, and time-based) were used to calculate the index, which resulted in eight possible index versions. The index with equally weighted variables (including observations scores) and dimension scores, and time weighted scores of socio-emotional competence at each data collection wave, was found to be the most empirically sound. Both categorical and continuous index scores were calculated to allow for variety of later analytical usage. Our findings may be of interest to policy-makers and clinicians who could use this knowledge to better understand the trajectories of development of socio-emotional competence, and factors associated with any derived patterns and change. This may also help identify children at risk of poor socio-emotional development as early as possible, which may be of interest to those looking to mitigate the risk of poor socio-emotional development
Terrestrial Planet Occurrence Rates for the Kepler GK Dwarf Sample
We measure planet occurrence rates using the planet candidates discovered by
the Q1-Q16 Kepler pipeline search. This study examines planet occurrence rates
for the Kepler GK dwarf target sample for planet radii, 0.75<Rp<2.5 Rearth, and
orbital periods, 50<Porb<300 days, with an emphasis on a thorough exploration
and identification of the most important sources of systematic uncertainties.
Integrating over this parameter space, we measure an occurrence rate of F=0.77
planets per star, with an allowed range of 0.3<F<1.9. The allowed range takes
into account both statistical and systematic uncertainties, and values of F
beyond the allowed range are significantly in disagreement with our analysis.
We generally find higher planet occurrence rates and a steeper increase in
planet occurrence rates towards small planets than previous studies of the
Kepler GK dwarf sample. Through extrapolation, we find that the one year
orbital period terrestrial planet occurrence rate, zeta_1=0.1, with an allowed
range of 0.01<zeta_1<2, where zeta_1 is defined as the number of planets per
star within 20% of the Rp and Porb of Earth. For G dwarf hosts, the zeta_1
parameter space is a subset of the larger eta_earth parameter space, thus
zeta_1 places a lower limit on eta_earth for G dwarf hosts. From our analysis,
we identify the leading sources of systematics impacting Kepler occurrence rate
determinations as: reliability of the planet candidate sample, planet radii,
pipeline completeness, and stellar parameters.Comment: 19 Pages, 17 Figures, Submitted ApJ. Python source to support Kepler
pipeline completeness estimates available at
http://github.com/christopherburke/KeplerPORTs
Predictors of locating women six to eight years after contact: internet resources at recruitment may help to improve response rates in longitudinal research
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ability to locate those sampled has important implications for response rates and thus the success of survey research. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of locating women requiring tracing using publicly available methods (primarily Internet searches), and to determine the additional benefit of vital statistics linkages.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Random samples of women aged 65â89 years residing in two regions of Ontario, Canada were selected from a list of those who completed a questionnaire between 1995 and 1997 (n = 1,500). A random sample of 507 of these women had been searched on the Internet as part of a feasibility pilot in 2001. All 1,500 women sampled were mailed a newsletter and information letter prior to recruitment by telephone in 2003 and 2004. Those with returned mail or incorrect telephone number(s) required tracing. Predictors of locating women were examined using logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Tracing was required for 372 (25%) of the women sampled, and of these, 181 (49%) were located. Predictors of locating women were: younger age, residing in less densely populated areas, having had a web-search completed in 2001, and listed name identified on the Internet prior to recruitment in 2003. Although vital statistics linkages to death records subsequently identified 41 subjects, these data were incomplete.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Prospective studies may benefit from using Internet resources at recruitment to determine the listed names for telephone numbers thereby facilitating follow-up tracing and improving response rates. Although vital statistics linkages may help to identify deceased individuals, these may be best suited for post hoc response rate adjustment.</p
UV Colors and Extinctions of HII Regions in the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
Far-UV (1520 ang.), U, H-alpha, and R images of the interacting Sbc spiral
galaxy M51 were obtained by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) and at Mt.
Laguna Observatory. The mu(152)-mu(U) radial gradient of >1 mag, becoming bluer
with increasing radius, is attributed primarily to a corresponding radial
extinction gradient. Magnitudes in both UV bands and H-alpha fluxes are
reported for 28 HII regions. Optical extinctions for the 28 corresponding UV
sources are computed from the measured m(152)-U colors by fitting to the
optical extinctions of Nakai and Kuno (1995). The normalized far-UV extinction
A(152)/E(B-V) increases with radius or decreasing metallicity, from 5.99 to
6.54, compared with the Galactic value 8.33. The best-fit m(152)-U color for no
extinction, -3.07, is the color of a model solar metallicity starburst of age
~2.5 Myr with IMF slope -1.0. HII regions show decreasing observed H-alpha
fluxes with decreasing radius, relative to the H-alpha fluxes predicted from
the observed f(152) for age 2.5 Myr, after correction for extinction. We
attribute the increasing fraction of ``missing'' H-alpha flux with decreasing
radius to increasing extinction in the Lyman continuum. Increasing
extinction-corrected far-UV flux of the HII regions with decreasing radius is
probably a result of the corresponding increasing column density of the
interstellar gas resulting in larger mass OB associations. The estimated
dust-absorbed Lyman continuum flux is ~0.6 times the far-infrared energy flux
of M51 observed by IRAS.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, latex, uses AASMS4 and EPS
Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler IV: Planet Sample From Q1-Q8 (22 Months)
We provide updates to the Kepler planet candidate sample based upon nearly
two years of high-precision photometry (i.e., Q1-Q8). From an initial list of
nearly 13,400 Threshold Crossing Events (TCEs), 480 new host stars are
identified from their flux time series as consistent with hosting transiting
planets. Potential transit signals are subjected to further analysis using the
pixel-level data, which allows background eclipsing binaries to be identified
through small image position shifts during transit. We also re-evaluate Kepler
Objects of Interest (KOI) 1-1609, which were identified early in the mission,
using substantially more data to test for background false positives and to
find additional multiple systems. Combining the new and previous KOI samples,
we provide updated parameters for 2,738 Kepler planet candidates distributed
across 2,017 host stars. From the combined Kepler planet candidates, 472 are
new from the Q1-Q8 data examined in this study. The new Kepler planet
candidates represent ~40% of the sample with Rp~1 Rearth and represent ~40% of
the low equilibrium temperature (Teq<300 K) sample. We review the known biases
in the current sample of Kepler planet candidates relevant to evaluating planet
population statistics with the current Kepler planet candidate sample.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, Accepted ApJ Supplemen
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