The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale XVII. The Cepheid Distance to NGC 4725

The distance to NGC 4725 has been derived from Cepheid variables, as part of the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. Thirteen F555W (V) and four F814W (I) epochs of cosmic-ray-split Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 observations were obtained. Twenty Cepheids were discovered, with periods ranging from 12 to 49 days. Adopting a Large Magellanic Cloud distance modulus and extinction of 18.50+/-0.10 mag and E(V-I)=0.13 mag, respectively, a true reddening-corrected distance modulus (based on an analysis employing the ALLFRAME software package) of 30.50 +/- 0.16 (random) +/- 0.17 (systematic) mag was determined for NGC 4725. The corresponding of distance of 12.6 +/- 1.0 (random) +/- 1.0 (systematic) Mpc is in excellent agreement with that found with an independent analysis based upon the DoPHOT photometry package. With a foreground reddening of only E(V-I)=0.02, the inferred intrinsic reddening of this field in NGC 4725, E(V-I)=0.19, makes it one of the most highly-reddened, encountered by the HST Key Project, to date.Comment: To be published in The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 512 (1999). 34 pages, LaTeX, 9 jpg figure

From mindless masses to small groups: Conceptualizing collective behavior in crowd modeling.

Computer simulations are increasingly used to monitor and predict behavior at large crowd events, such as mass gatherings, festivals and evacuations. We critically examine the crowd modeling literature and call for future simulations of crowd behavior to be based more closely on findings from current social psychological research. A systematic review was conducted on the crowd modeling literature (N = 140 articles) to identify the assumptions about crowd behavior that modelers use in their simulations. Articles were coded according to the way in which crowd structure was modeled. It was found that 2 broad types are used: mass approaches and small group approaches. However, neither the mass nor the small group approaches can accurately simulate the large collective behavior that has been found in extensive empirical research on crowd events. We argue that to model crowd behavior realistically, simulations must use methods which allow crowd members to identify with each other, as suggested by self-categorization theory

The Hubble Space Telescope Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project XXIII. The Discovery of Cepheids In NGC 3319

The distance to NGC 3319 has been determined from Cepheid variable stars as part of the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. Thirteen and four epochs of observations, using filters F555W (V) and F814W (I) respectively, were made with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Thirty-three Cepheid variables between periods of 8 and 47 days were discovered. Adopting a Large Magellanic Cloud distance modulus of 18.50 +- 0.10 mag and extinction of E(V-I)=0.13 mag, a true reddening-corrected distance modulus (based on an analysis employing the ALLFRAME software package) of 30.78 +- 0.14 (random) +- 0.10 (systematic) mag and the extinction of E(V-I) = 0.06 mag were determined for NGC 3319. This galaxy is the last galaxy observed for the HST H0 Key Project.Comment: 22 pages. A gzipped tar file containing 16 figures can be obtained from http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/H0kp/n3319/n3319.htm

The X-ray Reflectors in the Nucleus of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068

(abridged) Based on observations of the Seyfert nucleus in NGC1068 with ASCA, RXTE and BeppoSAX, we report the discovery of a flare (increase in flux by a factor of ~1.6) in the 6.7 keV Fe K line component between observations obtained 4 months apart, with no significant change in the other (6.21, 6.4, and 6.97 keV) Fe K_alpha line components. During this time, the continuum flux decreased by ~20%. The RXTE spectrum requires an Fe K absorption edge near 8.6 keV (Fe XXIII - XXV). The spectral data indicate that the 2-10 keV continuum emission is dominated (~2/3 of the luminosity) by reflection from a previously unidentified region of warm, ionized gas located <~ 0.2 pc from the AGN. The remaining ~1/3 of the observed X-ray emission is reflected from optically thick, neutral gas. The inferred properties of the warm reflector (WR) are: size (diameter) ~ 10^{5.5} /cm3, ionization parameter xi approx 10^{3.5} erg cm/s, and covering fraction 0.003 (L_0/10^{43.5} erg/s)^{-1} < (Omega/4 pi) < 0.024 (L_0/10^{43.5})^{-1}, where L_0 is the intrinsic 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity of the AGN. We suggest that the WR gas is the source of the (variable) 6.7 keV Fe line emission, and the 6.97 keV Fe line emission. The 6.7 keV line flare is assumed to be due to an increase in the emissivity of the WR gas from a decrease (by 20-30%) in L_0. The properties of the WR are most consistent with an intrinsically X-ray weak AGN with L_0 approx 10^{43.0} erg/s. The optical and UV emission that scatters from the WR into our line of sight is required to suffer strong extinction, which can be reconciled if the line-of-sight skims the outer surface of the torus. Thermal bremsstrahlung radio emission from the WR may be detectable in VLBA radio maps of the NGC 1068 nucleus.Comment: 39 pages (9 postscript figures) AASTEX, ApJ, accepte

The Roots of Diversity: Below Ground Species Richness and Rooting Distributions in a Tropical Forest Revealed by DNA Barcodes and Inverse Modeling

F. Andrew Jones is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, David L. Erickson is with the Smithsonian Institution, Moises A. Bernal is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and UT Austin, Eldredge Bermingham is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, W. John Kress is with the Smithsonian Institution, Edward Allen Herre is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Helene C. Muller-Landau is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Benjamin L. Turner is with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.Background -- Plants interact with each other, nutrients, and microbial communities in soils through extensive root networks. Understanding these below ground interactions has been difficult in natural systems, particularly those with high plant species diversity where morphological identification of fine roots is difficult. We combine DNA-based root identification with a DNA barcode database and above ground stem locations in a floristically diverse lowland tropical wet forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, where all trees and lianas >1 cm diameter have been mapped to investigate richness patterns below ground and model rooting distributions. Methodology/Principal Findings -- DNA barcode loci, particularly the cpDNA locus trnH-psba, can be used to identify fine and small coarse roots to species. We recovered 33 species of roots from 117 fragments sequenced from 12 soil cores. Despite limited sampling, we recovered a high proportion of the known species in the focal hectare, representing approximately 14% of the measured woody plant richness. This high value is emphasized by the fact that we would need to sample on average 13 m2 at the seedling layer and 45 m2 for woody plants >1 cm diameter to obtain the same number of species above ground. Results from inverse models parameterized with the locations and sizes of adults and the species identifications of roots and sampling locations indicates a high potential for distal underground interactions among plants. Conclusions -- DNA barcoding techniques coupled with modeling approaches should be broadly applicable to studying root distributions in any mapped vegetation plot. We discuss the implications of our results and outline how second-generation sequencing technology and environmental sampling can be combined to increase our understanding of how root distributions influence the potential for plant interactions in natural ecosystems.FAJ acknowledges the support of a Tupper postdoctoral fellowship in tropical biology and the National Science Foundation (DEB 0453665). Funding was provided by the Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute/Center for Tropical Forest Sciences endowment fund, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute/Frank Levinson fund. We would like to thank Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for processing research permits. We thank S. Hubbell and R. Condit for access to plot data, S. Schnitzer for liana census data (NSF DEB 0613666), and L. Comita and S. Hubbell for access to seedling data (NSF DEB 0075102 and DEB 0823728). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Marine Scienc

Parsimony versus reductionism: how can crowd psychology be introduced into computer simulation?

Computer simulations are increasingly being used to predict the behaviour of crowds. However, the models used are mainly based on video observations, not an understanding of human decision making. Theories of crowd psychology can elucidate the factors underpinning collective behaviour in human crowds. Yet, in contrast to psychology, computer science must rely upon mathematical formulations in order to implement algorithms and keep models manageable. Here we address the problems and possible solutions encountered when incorporating social psychological theories of collective behaviour in computer modelling. We identify that one primary issue is retaining parsimony in a model whilst avoiding reductionism by excluding necessary aspects of crowd psychology, such as the behaviour of groups. We propose cognitive heuristics as a potential avenue to create a parsimonious model that incorporates core concepts of collective behaviour derived from empirical research in crowd psychology

Department of Radiation Oncology and Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas jefferson University, The intronic G13964C variant in p53 is not a high-risk mutation in familial breast cancer in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for approximately 50% of breast cancer families with more than four affected cases, whereas exonic mutations in p53, PTEN, CHK2 and ATM may account for a very small proportion. It was recently reported that an intronic variant of p53--G13964C--occurred in three out of 42 (7.1%) \u27hereditary\u27 breast cancer patients, but not in any of 171 \u27sporadic\u27 breast cancer control individuals (P = 0.0003). If this relatively frequent occurrence of G13964C in familial breast cancer and absence in control individuals were confirmed, then this would suggest that the G13964C variant plays a role in breast cancer susceptibility. METHOD: We genotyped 71 familial breast cancer patients and 143 control individuals for the G13964C variant using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. RESULTS: Three (4.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0-8.9%) G13964C heterozygotes were identified. The variant was also identified in 5 out of 143 (3.5%; 95% CI 0.6-6.4%) control individuals without breast cancer or a family history of breast cancer, however, which is no different to the proportion found in familial cases (P = 0.9). CONCLUSION: The present study would have had 80% power to detect an odds ratio of 4.4, and we therefore conclude that the G13946C polymorphism is not a \u27high-risk\u27 mutation for familial breast cancer

Author Correction: Longitudinal assessment of tumor development using cancer avatars derived from genetically engineered pluripotent stem cells.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Shared social identity transforms social relations in imaginary crowds

In this paper we present three studies that address the difference between physical and psychological groups, the conditions that create a transformation from the one into the other, and the psychological processes underlying this transformation. In Study 1 we demonstrate correlations between shared social identity, desired physical proximity to others, and positive emotions in the company of others. Study 2, employing a between-subjects design, finds that an event that creates shared fate, such as the breakdown of a train, leads to greater comfort in social interactions (e.g., ease of conversation) and comfort in sensual interactions (e.g., tolerance of physical touch) with other passengers, and that this occurs through an increase in shared social identity but not through social identification. Study 3 obtains similar findings using a within-subjects design. In combination, these studies provide consistent evidence for the role of shared social identity in the emergence of psychological groups from physical groups