Molecular Hydrogen in the Lagoon: H2 line emission from Messier 8

The 2.12 micron v=1-0 S(1) line of molecular hydrogen has been imaged in the Hourglass region of M8. The line is emitted from a roughly bipolar region, centred around the O7 star Herschel 36. The peak H2 1-0 S(1) line intensity is 8.2 x 10E-15 erg s-1 cm-2 arcsec-2. The line centre emission velocity varies from -25 kms in the SE lobe to +45 kms in the NW lobe. The distribution is similar to that of the CO J=3-2 line. The H2 line appears to be shock-excited when a bipolar outflow from Herschel 36 interacts with the ambient molecular cloud. The total luminosity of all H2 lines is estimated to be ~ 16 Lsun and the mass of the hot molecular gas ~9 x 10E-4 Msun (without any correction for extinction).Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures (1 in colour). Submitted to Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, December 200

The Michigan Abortion Refusal Act

Since the United States Supreme Court handed down the landmark decisions of Roe v. Wade andDoe v. Bolton, which placed constitutional limitations, on state regulation of abortions, efforts have been made on the federal and state levels to blunt the effect of those cases. One prevalent reaction has been the enactment of state conscience clause legislation, such as the Michigan Abortion Refusal Act, which seeks to extend to all hospitals the right to refuse admission of abortion patients. This legislative note will consider whether the Michigan conscience clause is legally necessary to ensure the right it seeks to establish for (1) denominational hospitals, (2) private hospitals, and (3) public hospitals. In addition, the constitutionality of the Act as to each class of hospital will be assessed in light of the standards enunciated by the Supreme Court in Wade and Bolton

Target enrichment of ultraconserved elements from arthropods provides a genomic perspective on relationships among Hymenoptera

Gaining a genomic perspective on phylogeny requires the collection of data from many putatively independent loci collected across the genome. Among insects, an increasingly common approach to collecting this class of data involves transcriptome sequencing, because few insects have high-quality genome sequences available; assembling new genomes remains a limiting factor; the transcribed portion of the genome is a reasonable, reduced subset of the genome to target; and the data collected from transcribed portions of the genome are similar in composition to the types of data with which biologists have traditionally worked (e.g., exons). However, molecular techniques requiring RNA as a template are limited to using very high quality source materials, which are often unavailable from a large proportion of biologically important insect samples. Recent research suggests that DNA-based target enrichment of conserved genomic elements offers another path to collecting phylogenomic data across insect taxa, provided that conserved elements are present in and can be collected from insect genomes. Here, we identify a large set (n$=$1510) of ultraconserved elements (UCE) shared among the insect order Hymenoptera. We use in silico analyses to show that these loci accurately reconstruct relationships among genome-enabled Hymenoptera, and we design a set of baits for enriching these loci that researchers can use with DNA templates extracted from a variety of sources. We use our UCE bait set to enrich an average of 721 UCE loci from 30 hymenopteran taxa, and we use these UCE loci to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships spanning very old ($\geq$220 MYA) to very young ($\leq$1 MYA) divergences among hymenopteran lineages. In contrast to a recent study addressing hymenopteran phylogeny using transcriptome data, we found ants to be sister to all remaining aculeate lineages with complete support

Development of a simplistic vegetative filter strip model for sediment and nutrient retention at the field scale

Vegetative filter strips (VFSs) are a commonly used conservation measure to remove pollutants from agricultural runoff. The effectiveness of VFSs has been widely studied at the plot scale, yet researchers generally agree that field scale implementations are far less effective. The purpose of this research was to develop a field scale VFS submodel for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). A model for the retention of sediments and nutrients in VFSs was developed from experimental observations derived from 22 publications. A runoff retention model was developed from Vegetative Filter Strip MODel (VFSMOD) simulations. This model was adapted to operate at the field scale by considering the effects of flow concentration generally absent from plot scale experiments. Flow concentration through 10 hypothetical VFSs was evaluated using high resolution (2 m) topographical data and multipath flow accumulation. Significant flow concentration was predicted at all sites, on average 10% of the VFS received half of the field runoff. As implemented in SWAT, the VFS model contains two sections, a large section receiving relatively modest flow densities and a smaller section treating more concentrated flow. This field scale model was incorporated into SWAT and verified for proper function. This model enhances the ability of SWAT to evaluate the effectiveness of VFSs at the watershed scale

Morphology and reactivity of size-selected titanium oxide nanoclusters on Au(111).

The morphology and reactivity of mass-selected titania clusters, Ti3O6 and Ti3O5, deposited onto Au(111) were studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and temperature programmed desorption. Despite differing by only one oxygen atom, the stoichiometric Ti3O6 and the sub-stoichiometric ("reduced") Ti3O5 clusters exhibit very different structures and preferred binding sites. The Ti3O6 clusters bind at step edges and form small assemblies (2-4 clusters) on Au terraces, while the "reduced" Ti3O5 clusters form much larger fractal-like assemblies that can extend across step boundaries. Annealing the Ti3O5,6/Au(111) systems to higher temperatures causes changes in the size-distributions of cluster assemblies, but does not lead to the formation of TiOx nanoislands for temperatures ≤700 K. Reactivity studies show that the reduced Ti3O5 cluster has higher activity than Ti3O6 for 2-propanol dehydration, although both clusters exhibit substantial activity for dehydrogenation to acetone. Calculations using DFT+U suggest that the differences in aggregate morphology and reactivity are associated with the number of undercoordinated Ti3c sites in the supported clusters

Expectation adjustment in the housing market: insights from the Scottish auction system

This paper examines price expectation adjustment of house buyers and sellers to rapid changes in the housing market using data from Scotland where houses are sold through 'first-price sealed-bid' auctions. These auctions provide more information on market signals, incentives and the behaviour of market participants than private treaty sales. This paper therefore provides a theoretical framework for analysing revealed preference data generated from these auctions. We specifically focus on the analysis of the selling to asking price difference, the 'bid-premium'. The bid-premium is shown to be affected by expectations of future price movements, market duration and high bidding frequency. The bid-premium reflects consumers' expectations, adapting to market conditions more promptly than asking price setting behaviour and final sale prices. The volatile conditions of the recent housing market bubble are fully reflected in the bid-premium, whereas the asking and sale prices are much less prone to rapid movements

A multispecies model for the transmission and control of mastitis in dairy cows

Mastitis in dairy cows is a significant economic and animal welfare issue in the dairy industry. The bacterial pathogens responsible for infection of the mammary gland may be split into two main categories: major and minor pathogens. Infection with major pathogens generally results in clinical illness or strong inflammatory responses and reduced milk yields, whereas minor pathogen infection is usually subclinical. Previous investigations have considered the transmission of these pathogens independently. Experimental evidence has shown cross-protection between species of pathogens. In this study a mathematical model for the coupled transmission of major and minor pathogens along with their interaction via the host was developed in order to consider various methods for controlling the incidence of major pathogen infection. A stability analysis of the model equilibria provides explanations for observed phenomena and previous decoupled modelling results. This multispecies model structure has provided a basis for quantifying the extent of cross-protection between species and assessing possible control strategies against the disease

Determining SUSY model parameters and masses at the LHC using cross-sections, kinematic edges and other observables

We address the problem of mass measurements of supersymmetric particles\ud at the Large Hadron Collider, using the ATLAS detector as an example. By\ud using Markov Chain sampling techniques to combine standard measurements of kinematic\ud edges in the invariant mass distributions of decay products with a measurement\ud of a missing pT cross-section, we show that the precision of mass measurements at\ud the LHC can be dramatically improved, even when we do not assume that we have\ud measured the kinematic endpoints precisely, or that we have identified exactly which\ud particles are involved in the decay chain causing the endpoints. The generality of the\ud technique is demonstrated in a preliminary investigation of a non-universal SUGRA\ud model, in which we relax the requirements of mSUGRA by breaking the degeneracy\ud of the GUT scale gaugino masses. The model studied is compatible with the WMAP\ud limits on dark matter relic density

Discovery of a Classic FR-II Broad Absorption Line Quasar from the FIRST Survey

We have discovered a remarkable quasar, FIRST J101614.3+520916, whose optical spectrum shows unambiguous broad absorption features while its double-lobed radio morphology and luminosity clearly indicate a classic Fanaroff-Riley Type II radio source. Its radio luminosity places it at the extreme of the recently established class of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars (Becker et al. 1997, 2000; Brotherton et al. 1998). Because of its hybrid nature, we speculate that FIRST J101614.3+520916 is a typical FR-II quasar which has been rejuvenated as a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar with a Compact Steep Spectrum core. The direction of the jet axis of FIRST J101614.3+520916 can be estimated from its radio structure and optical brightness, indicating that we are viewing the system at a viewing angle of > 40 degrees. The position angles of the radio jet and optical polarization are not well-aligned, differing by 20 to 30 degrees. When combined with the evidence presented by Becker et al. (2000) for a sample of 29 BAL quasars showing that at least some BAL quasars are viewed along the jet axis, the implication is that no preferred viewing orientation is necessary to observe BAL systems in a quasar's spectrum. This, and the probable young nature of compact steep spectrum sources, leads naturally to the alternate hypothesis that BALs are an early stage in the lives of quasars.Comment: 14 pages, 6 postscript figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Three body kinematic endpoints in SUSY models with non-universal Higgs masses.

We derive and present expressions for the kinematic endpoints that arise in the invariant mass distributions of visible decay products of cascade decays featuring a two body decay followed by a three body decay. This is an extension of a current technique that addresses chains of successive two body decays. We then apply these to a supergravity model with Non-Universal Higgs Masses (NUHM), having simulated a data set using the ATLFAST detector simulation. We find that, should such a model be chosen by nature, the endpoints will be visible in ATLAS data, and we discuss the problems associated with mass reconstruction in models with a similar phenomenology