Xenon in Mercury-Manganese Stars

Previous studies of elemental abundances in Mercury-Manganese (HgMn) stars have occasionally reported the presence of lines of the ionized rare noble gas Xe II, especially in a few of the hottest stars with Teff ~ 13000--15000 K. A new study of this element has been undertaken using observations from Lick Observatory's Hamilton Echelle Spectrograph. In this work, the spectrum synthesis program UCLSYN has been used to undertake abundance analysis assuming LTE. We find that in the Smith & Dworetsky sample of HgMn stars, Xe is vastly over-abundant in 21 of 22 HgMn stars studied, by factors of 3.1--4.8 dex. There does not appear to be a significant correlation of Xe abundance with Teff. A comparison sample of normal late B stars shows no sign of Xe II lines that could be detected, consistent with the expected weakness of lines at normal abundance. The main reason for the previous lack of widespread detection in HgMn stars is probably due to the strongest lines being at longer wavelengths than the photographic blue. The lines used in this work were 4603.03A, 4844.33A and 5292.22A.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 8 January 200

Inclination-Independent Galaxy Classification

We present a new method to classify galaxies from large surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using inclination-corrected concentration, inclination-corrected location on the color-magnitude diagram, and apparent axis ratio. Explicitly accounting for inclination tightens the distribution of each of these parameters and enables simple boundaries to be drawn that delineate three different galaxy populations: Early-type galaxies, which are red, highly concentrated, and round; Late-type galaxies, which are blue, have low concentrations, and are disk dominated; and Intermediate-type galaxies, which are red, have intermediate concentrations, and have disks. We have validated our method by comparing to visual classifications of high-quality imaging data from the Millennium Galaxy Catalogue. The inclination correction is crucial to unveiling the previously unrecognized Intermediate class. Intermediate-type galaxies, roughly corresponding to lenticulars and early spirals, lie on the red sequence. The red sequence is therefore composed of two distinct morphological types, suggesting that there are two distinct mechanisms for transiting to the red sequence. We propose that Intermediate-type galaxies are those that have lost their cold gas via strangulation, while Early-type galaxies are those that have experienced a major merger that either consumed their cold gas, or whose merger progenitors were already devoid of cold gas (the ``dry merger'' scenario).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 7 pages in emulateap

Globalization and Equestrian Cultures: The case of Equitation in the French Tradition

In 2011, Equitation in the French Tradition was included on the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This listing brings not only notions of heritage and culture, but also the complex balance between global and local scales to the forefront. France, like many other countries, has an age-old equestrian culture which is still alive and well, nourished by various international and local influences and sometimes by conflicting ideas.   In second half of the 20th century, both the nation and its equestrian culture were brought within the sphere of Western societies of leisure and consumption under the hegemony of the American model, upsetting the ancestral utilitarian functions of horses and riding and urging their redefinition within the prism of pleasure-oriented, sporting and emotional relationships. This in turn raised issues about what constitutes the French equestrian culture which is protected today, within the more general landscape of globalization. This chapter examines its construction and definition within a progressive society, combining both resistance to and assimilation of new national and international trends. The methodology employed conjoins diachronic and synchronic approaches, associating quantitative and qualitative data in a study based on historical bibliography, current French Equestrian Federation and the French Institute for Horse and Horse Riding (IFCE) statistics, in-depth interviews with key actors of French equestrian and cultural institutions and observations and interviews undertaken during introductory ‘baucheriste’ horse-riding training

Investigating Heating and Cooling in the BCS & B55 Cluster Samples

We study clusters in the BCS cluster sample which are observed by Chandra and are more distant than redshift, z>0.1. We select from this subsample the clusters which have both a short central cooling time and a central temperature drop, and also those with a central radio source. Six of the clusters have clear bubbles near the centre. We calculate the heating by these bubbles and express it as the ratio r_heat/r_cool=1.34+/-0.20. This result is used to calculate the average size of bubbles expected in all clusters with central radio sources. In three cases the predicted bubble sizes approximately match the observed radio lobe dimensions. We combine this cluster sample with the B55 sample studied in earlier work to increase the total sample size and redshift range. This extended sample contains 71 clusters in the redshift range 0<z<0.4. The average distance out to which the bubbles offset the X-ray cooling in the combined sample is at least r_heat/r_cool=0.92+/-0.11. The distribution of central cooling times for the combined sample shows no clusters with clear bubbles and t_cool>1.2Gyr. An investigation of the evolution of cluster parameters within the redshift range of the combined samples does not show any clear variation with redshift.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Cool White Dwarfs Identified in the Second Data Release of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey

We have paired the Second Data Release of the Large Area Survey of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey with the Fifth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to identify ten cool white dwarf candidates, from their photometry and astrometry. Of these ten, one was previously known to be a very cool white dwarf. We have obtained optical spectroscopy for seven of the candidates using the GMOS-N spectrograph on Gemini North, and have confirmed all seven as white dwarfs. Our photometry and astrometry indicates that the remaining two objects are also white dwarfs. Model analysis of the photometry and available spectroscopy shows that the seven confirmed new white dwarfs, and the two new likely white dwarfs, have effective temperatures in the range Teff = 5400-6600 K. Our analysis of the previously known white dwarf confirms that it is cool, with Teff = 3800 K. The cooling age for this dwarf is 8.7 Gyr, while that of the nine ~6000 K white dwarfs is 1.8-3.6 Gyr. We are unable to determine the masses of the white dwarfs from the existing data, and therefore we cannot constrain the total ages of the white dwarfs. The large cooling age for the coolest white dwarf in the sample, combined with its low estimated tangential velocity, suggests that it is an old member of the thin disk, or a member of the thick disk of the Galaxy, with an age 10-11 Gyr. The warmer white dwarfs appear to have velocities typical of the thick disk or even halo; these may be very old remnants of low-mass stars, or they may be relatively young thin disk objects with unusually high space motion.Comment: 37 pages (referee format), 4 tables, 7 figures, accepted to Ap

Extremely metal-poor stars from the SDSS

We give a progress report about the activities within the CIFIST Team related to the search for extremely metal-poor stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's spectroscopic catalog. So far the search has provided 25 candidates with metallicities around or smaller -3. For 15 candidates high resolution spectroscopy with UVES at the VLT has confirmed their extremely metal-poor status. Work is under way to extend the search to the SDSS's photometric catalog by augmenting the SDSS photometry, and by gauging the capabilities of X-shooter when going to significantly fainter targets.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings paper of the conference "A stellar journey: A symposium in celebration of Bengt Gustafsson's 65th birthday

Outliers from the Mass--Metallicity Relation II: A Sample of Massive Metal-Poor Galaxies from SDSS

We present a sample of 42 high-mass low-metallicity outliers from the mass--metallicity relation of star-forming galaxies. These galaxies have stellar masses that span log(M_*/M_sun) ~9.4 to 11.1 and are offset from the mass--metallicity relation by -0.3 to -0.85 dex in 12+log(O/H). In general, they are extremely blue, have high star formation rates for their masses, and are morphologically disturbed. Tidal interactions are expected to induce large-scale gas inflow to the galaxies' central regions, and we find that these galaxies' gas-phase oxygen abundances are consistent with large quantities of low-metallicity gas from large galactocentric radii diluting the central metal-rich gas. We conclude with implications for deducing gas-phase metallicities of individual galaxies based solely on their luminosities, specifically in the case of long gamma-ray burst host galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 11 pages, 11 figure

Theoretical determination of lifetimes of metastable states in Sc III and Y III

Lifetimes of the first two metastable states in Sc^{2+} and Y^{2+} are determined using the relativistic coupled-cluster theory. There is a considerable interest in studying the electron correlation effects in these ions as though their electronic configurations are similar to the neutral alkali atoms, their structures are very different from the latter. We have made a comparative study of the correlation trends between the above doubly ionized systems with their corresponding neutral and singly ionized iso-electronic systems. The lifetimes of the excited states of these ions are very important in the field of astrophysics, especially for the study of post-main sequence evolution of the cool giant stars.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure and 5 table

Pathways to mental health services for young people: a systematic review

Purpose: While early access to appropriate care can minimise the sequelae of mental illnesses, little is known about how youths come to access mental healthcare. We therefore conducted a systematic review to synthesise literature on the pathways to care of youths across a range of mental health problems. Methods: Studies were identified through searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, HealthSTAR and CINAHL), supplemented by backward and forward mapping and hand searching. We included studies on the pathways to mental healthcare of individuals aged 11–30 years. Two reviewers independently screened articles and extracted data. Results: Forty-five studies from 26 countries met eligibility criteria. The majority of these studies were from settings that offered services for the early stages of psychosis, and others included inpatient and outpatient settings targeting wide-ranging mental health problems. Generally, youths’ pathways to mental healthcare were complex, involved diverse contacts, and, sometimes, undue treatment delays. Across contexts, family/carers, general practitioners and emergency rooms featured prominently in care pathways. There was little standardization in the measurement of pathways. Conclusions: Except in psychosis, youths’ pathways to mental healthcare remain understudied. Pathways to care research may need to be reconceptualised to account for the often transient and overlapping nature of youth mental health presentations, and the possibility that what constitutes optimal care may vary. Despite these complexities, additional research, using standardized methodology, can yield a greater understanding of the help-seeking behaviours of youths and those acting on their behalf; service responses to help-seeking; and the determinants of pathways. This understanding is critical to inform ongoing initatives to transform youth mental healthcare