Beyond the equilibrium assumption: towards non-LTE analysis of exoplanet atmospheres

As a field of research, the study of exoplanets is advancing rapidly both in breadth and depth; since the relatively recent discovery of the first exoplanet, thousands have been detected and great progress has been made in their characterisation, including the analysis of their atmospheres. This pace of advancement is unlikely to diminish, with large surveys and more detailed analysis on the short-term horizon. Improving the detail of exoplanet atmospheric analysis is increasingly important as high resolution spectroscopic instruments come online and start to produce observational data. One key means of adding such detail is via the inclusion of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) into analyses; the assumption that atmospheres are completely in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) has provided a convenient means of simplifying atmospheric modelling but it differs from reality. In the real scenarios seen on Earth and in the solar system, non-LTE plays a significant role in some spectral features. As a result, its inclusion is necessary to correctly infer atmospheric parameters including species abundances. Unfortunately, limitations exist in applying full non-LTE modelling approaches to exoplanet atmospheres. Data prerequisites necessary for calculating species state populations are prohibitive; collisional and reaction rate data is not available for all species and conditions. These limitations have driven the pragmatic approaches to non-LTE analysis presented in this thesis; they are empirically motivated and aim to take non-LTE into account, without calculating full state populations. One such approach is a two temperature approximation, which is implemented in a forward model and for which non-LTE spectral signatures are shown. Another is the individual vibrational band analysis of the atmosphere of WASP-33b; by isolating individual vibrational bands, LTE is not a required assumption. This thesis presents methodologies for simple treatments of non-LTE in exoplanet atmospheres and shows the results of analyses conducted with these methods

The State of Hispanic Education in Kentucky School Districts

The study was designed to provide information on the state of Hispanic education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The data were obtained from Kentucky school Superintendents or their designees in 175 public school districts through a survey (12 questions) mailed in late spring, 2007. We received responses from 136 Kentucky public school districts for a 77.7% return percent

Postcard: Castle Kimble, Manhattan, Kansas

This colorized photographic postcard features a castle located in Manhattan Kansas. It is a two story limestone structure with three turrets on the third story. Two American flags are on top. The building is surrounded by a manicured lawn and trees. Red print is at the top of the card. Printed text and handwriting is on the back of the card.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_postcards/1628/thumbnail.jp

Hierarchical clustering-based segmentation (HCS) aided interpretation of the DCE MR Images of the Prostate

In Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) for prostate cancer, there is early intense enhancement and rapid washout of contrast material, due to the heterogeneous and leaky characteristics of the tumour angiogenesis. These characteristics can be demonstrated by the quantitative measurement of signal enhancement with time (Time Intensity Curve). The TIC is plotted for the pixels', averaged intensity value, within a user drawn Region of Interest (ROI). The ROI, normally chosen within an area of the largest enhancement, may enclose tissues of different enhancement pattern. Hence the averaged TIC from the ROI may not represent the actual characteristics of the enclosed tissue of interest. Hierarchical Clustering-based Segmentation (HCS) is an approach to Computer Aided Monitoring (CAM) that generates a hierarchy of segmentation results to highlight the varied dissimilarities in images. As a diagnostic aid for the analysis of DCE-MR image data, the process starts with the HCS process applied to all the DCE-MR temporal frames of a slice. HCS process output provides heat map images based on the normalised average pixel value of the various dissimilar regions. TIC of the contrast wash-in, wash-out process are then plotted for suspicious regions confirmed by the user. In this paper we have demonstrated how the HCS process as asemi-quantitative analytical tool to analyse the DCE MR images of the Prostate complements the radiologist's interpretation of DCE MR images

A history of parent involvement in organized youth sport:A scoping review

A fundamental step in describing a research field is the review and synthesis of accumulated knowledge. Multiple qualitative reviews have been conducted over the last decade to provide a summary and commentary on the growing literature in the area of youth sport parenting. However, these reviews have focused on contemporary findings in the field, largely ignoring work in the area that began in the late 1960s. In light of this underdiscussed history, there remains a need to highlight the historical foundations of the youth sport parenting literature, the transitions that shaped the trajectory of work, as well as the contemporary research that informs our current understanding. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide a historical analysis of the literature on parent involvement in organized youth sport. In conducting the analysis, we identified key concepts and trajectories that define the field’s foundational (1968–1981), transitional (1982–1998), and contemporary (1999–2020) periods. Specifically, this review not only sought to define and summarize these periods of research but also to use the synthesized knowledge to frame remaining gaps and potential future directions for the field

Faculty Jazz Quartet, The Music of Jim Hall

KSU School of Music presents Faculty Jazz Quartet.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1208/thumbnail.jp

Non-Local thermal equilibrium spectra of atmospheric molecules for exoplanets

Here we present a study of non-LTE effects on the exoplanetary spectra of a collection of molecules which are key in the investigation of exoplanet atmospheres: water, methane, carbon monoxide and titanium oxide. These molecules are chosen as examples of different spectral ranges (IR and UV), molecular types (diatomics and polyatomics) and spectral types (electronic and ro-vibrational); the importance of different vibrational bands in forming distinct non-LTE spectral features are investigated. Most notably, such key spectral signatures for distinguishing between the LTE and non-LTE cases include: for CH4 the 3.15 $\mu$m band region; for H2O the 2.0 $\mu$m and 2.7 $\mu$m band regions; for TiO, a strong variation in intensity in the bands between 0.5 and 0.75 $\mu$m; and a sole CO signature between 5 and 6 $\mu$m. The analysis is based on the ExoMol cross sections and takes advantage of the extensive vibrational assignment of these molecular line lists in the ExoMol database. We examine LTE and non-LTE cross sections under conditions consistent with those on WASP-12b and WASP-76b using the empirically motivated bi-temperature Treanor model. In addition, we make a simplistic forward model simulation of transmission spectra for H2O in the atmosphere of WASP-12b using the TauREx 3 atmospheric modelling code