5,755 research outputs found

    Some considerations in the sephardic treatment of the "Romancero"

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    El romancero, que forma parte de la cultura española, fue igualmente importante entre los judíos, un componente fundamental de su patrimonio cultural que los acompañó en su exilio de España en 1492. Estos romances se convirtieron así en un elemento de cultura sefardí en todas las esferas de la diáspora. Obras medievales perdidas en España se han conservado por medio de la diáspora sefardí. El relativamente reciente descubrimiento de un cuerpo de romances entre los Sefardíes marroquíes ha sacado a la luz la existencia de algunas baladas medievales no existentes en otros lugares.The romancero, so much a part of Spanish culture, was equally important among the Spanish Jews, a significant component of the cultural patrimony which accompanied them in their exile from Spain in 1492. These ballads thus became an element of Sephardic culture in all areas of the diaspora. Medieval works long gone in Spain have been preserved in the Sephardic diaspora. The relatively recent discovery of a body of romances current among the Moroccan Sephardim has brought to light the existence of some medieval ballads not extant elsewhere.notPeerReviewe

    The Valladolid Taqqanot of 1432: a linguistic study

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    The Valladolid Taqqanot of 1432: a linguistic study

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    Sex Bias in Neuroscience and Biomedical Research

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    Female mammals have long been neglected in biomedical research. The NIH mandated enrollment of women in human clinical trials in 1993, but no similar initiatives exist to foster research on female animals. We reviewed sex bias in research on mammals in 10 biological fields for 2009 and their historical precedents. Male bias was evident in 8 disciplines and most prominent in neuroscience, with single-sex studies of male animals outnumbering those of females 5.5 to 1. In the past half-century, male bias in non-human studies has increased while declining in human studies. Studies of both sexes frequently fail to analyze results by sex. Underrepresentation of females in animal models of disease is also commonplace, and our understanding of female biology is compromised by these deficiencies. The majority of articles in several journals are conducted on rats and mice to the exclusion of other useful animal models. The belief that non-human female mammals are intrinsically more variable than males and too troublesome for routine inclusion in research protocols is without foundation. We recommend that when only one sex is studied, this should be indicated in article titles, and that funding agencies favor proposals that investigate both sexes and analyze data by sex

    The Highly Unusual Chemical Composition of the Hercules Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

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    We report on the abundance analysis of two red giants in the faint Hercules dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxy. These stars show a remarkable deficiency in the neutron-capture elements, while the hydrostatic alpha-elements (O, Mg) are strongly enhanced. Our data indicate [Ba/Fe] and [Mg/Fe] abundance ratios of <-2 dex and ~+0.8 dex, respectively, with essentially no detection of other n-capture elements. In contrast to the only other dSph star with similar abundance patterns, Dra 119, which has a very low metallicity at [Fe/H]=-2.95 dex, our objects, at [Fe/H]~-2.0 dex, are only moderately metal poor. The measured ratio of hydrostatic/explosive alpha-elements indicates that high-mass (~35 M_sun) Type II supernovae progenitors are the main, if not only, contributors to the enrichment of this galaxy. This suggests that star formation and chemical enrichment in the ultrafaint dSphs proceeds stochastically and inhomogeneously on small scales, or that the IMF was strongly skewed to high mass stars. The neutron capture deficiencies and the [Co/Fe] and [Cr/Fe] abundance ratios in our stars are similar to those in the extremely low metallicity Galactic halo. This suggests that either our stars are composed mainly of the ejecta from the first, massive, population III stars (but at moderately high [Fe/H]), or that SN ejecta in the Hercules galaxy were diluted with ~30 times less hydrogen than typical for extreme metal-poor stars.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letter

    The SPLASH Survey: A Spectroscopic Analysis of the Metal-Poor, Low-Luminosity M31 dSph Satellite Andromeda X

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    Andromeda X (And X) is a newly discovered low-luminosity M31 dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) found by Zucker et al. (2007) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS - York et al. 2000). In this paper, we present the first spectroscopic study of individual red giant branch stars in And X, as a part of the SPLASH Survey (Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of Andromeda's Stellar Halo). Using the Keck II telescope and multiobject DEIMOS spectrograph, we target two spectroscopic masks over the face of the galaxy and measure radial velocities for ~100 stars with a median accuracy of sigma_v ~ 3 km/s. The velocity histogram for this field confirms three populations of stars along the sight line: foreground Milky Way dwarfs at small negative velocities, M31 halo red giants over a broad range of velocities, and a very cold velocity ``spike'' consisting of 22 stars belonging to And X with v_rad = -163.8 +/- 1.2 km/s. By carefully considering both the random and systematic velocity errors of these stars (e.g., through duplicate star measurements), we derive an intrinsic velocity dispersion of just sigma_v = 3.9 +/- 1.2 km/s for And X, which for its size, implies a minimum mass-to-light ratio of M/L =37^{+26}_{-19} assuming the mass traces the light. Based on the clean sample of member stars, we measure the median metallicity of And X to be [Fe/H] = -1.93 +/- 0.11, with a slight radial metallicity gradient. The dispersion in metallicity is large, sigma([Fe/H]) = 0.48, possibly hinting that the galaxy retained much of its chemical enrichment products. We discuss the potential for better understanding the formation and evolution mechanisms for M31's system of dSphs through (current) kinematic and chemical abundance studies, especially in relation to the Milky Way sample. (abridged version)Comment: Accepted for Publication in Astrophys. J. 14 pages including 7 figures and 2 tables (journal format

    A Search for Planetary Nebulae With the SDSS: the outer regions of M31

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    We have developed a method to identify planetary nebula (PN) candidates in imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This method exploits the SDSS' five-band sampling of emission lines in PN spectra, which results in a color signature distinct from that of other sources. Selection criteria based on this signature can be applied to nearby galaxies in which PNe appear as point sources. We applied these criteria to the whole area of M31 as scanned by the SDSS, selecting 167 PN candidates that are located in the outer regions of M31. The spectra of 80 selected candidates were then observed with the 2.2m telescope at Calar Alto Observatory. These observations and cross-checks with literature data show that our method has a selection rate efficiency of about 90%, but the efficiency is different for the different groups of PNe candidates. In the outer regions of M31, PNe trace different well-known morphological features like the Northern Spur, the NGC205 Loop, the G1 Clump, etc. In general, the distribution of PNe in the outer region 8<R<20 kpc along the minor axis shows the "extended disk" - a rotationally supported low surface brightness structure with an exponential scale length of 3.21+/-0.14 kpc and a total mass of ~10^10 M_{\sun}, which is equivalent to the mass of M33. We report the discovery of three PN candidates with projected locations in the center of Andromeda NE, a very low surface brightness giant stellar structure in the outer halo of M31. Two of the PNe were spectroscopically confirmed as genuine PNe. These two PNe are located at projected distances along the major axis of ~48 Kpc and ~41 Kpc from the center of M31 and are the most distant PNe in M31 found up to now.Comment: 58 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, Accepted to Astronomical Journa

    Interstellar medium oxygen abundances of dwarf irregular galaxies in Centaurus A and nearby groups

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    We present results of optical spectroscopy of 35 H ii regions from eight dwarf galaxies in the Centaurus A (Cen A) group. [O iii]λ4363 is detected in ESO272−G025 and ESO324−G024, and direct oxygen abundances of 12 + log (O/H) = 7.76 ± 0.09 and 7.94 ± 0.11 are derived, respectively. For the remaining galaxies, abundances are derived using common bright-line methods. To compare the influence of group environments on dwarf galaxies, we have also gathered data for additional dwarf irregular galaxies from the Cen A and the Sculptor groups from the literature. We have examined possible relationships between oxygen abundance, gas fraction, effective chemical yield and tidal indices. Despite large positive tidal indices for a number of Cen A dwarfs in the present sample, there is no clear separation between galaxies with positive tidal indices and galaxies with negative tidal indices in the luminosity-metallicity, metallicity-gas fraction and metallicity-tidal index diagrams. The H i surface mass density decreases with increasing positive tidal index, which is expected in strong tidal encounters. There are no strong trends between oxygen abundances or yields and projected distances of galaxies within their respective groups. We also present spectra for 13 H ii regions in three nearby dwarf irregular galaxies: DDO 47, NGC 3109 and Sextans B. For DDO 47, the [O iii]λ4363 oxygen abundance (7.92 ± 0.06) for the H ii region SHK91 No. 18 agrees with recently published values. For Sextans B, the [O iii]λ4363 oxygen abundance (7.80 ± 0.13) for H ii region SHK91 No. 5 agrees with published work in which O+ abundances were determined entirely from [O ii]λλ7320, 7330 fluxe

    Same-Sex Social Behavior in Meadow Voles: Multiple and Rapid Formation of Attachments

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    Adult meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) are solitary in the spring–summer reproductive season, but during winter months, females and males are socially tolerant and aggregate in groups. This behavioral difference is triggered by day length: female meadow voles housed in short, winterlike day lengths form same-sex partner preferences, whereas those housed in long, summer-like day lengths are less social. The present study demonstrates that same-sex social attachments in short day lengths are not exclusive; females formed concurrent attachments with more than one individual, and with non-kin as well as siblings. Partner preferences between females were established within one day of cohousing and did not intensify with greater durations of cohabitation. Males also formed same-sex social attachments, but unlike female affiliative behavior, male partner preferences were not significantly affected by day length. These data are discussed in the context of field behavior and the physiological mechanisms supporting social behavior in voles
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