The Metallicity Distribution Function of Field Stars in M31's Bulge

We have used Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations to construct a color-magnitude diagram (CMD) for the bulge of M31 at a location ~1.6 kpc from the galaxy's center. Using scaled-solar abundance theoretical red giant branches with a range of metallicities, we have translated the observed colors of the stars in the CMD to abundances and constructed a metallicity distribution function (MDF) for this region. The MDF shows a peak at [M/H]~0 with a steep decline at higher metallicities and a more gradual tail to lower metallicities. This is similar in shape to the MDF of the Milky Way bulge but shifted to higher metallicities by ~0.1 dex. As is the case with the Milky Way bulge MDF, a pure closed box model of chemical evolution, even with significant pre-enrichment, appears to be inconsistent with the M31 bulge MDF. However, a scenario in which an initial infall of gas enriched the bulge to an abundance of [M/H] ~ -1.6 with subsequent evolution proceeding as a closed box provides a better fit to the observed MDF. The similarity between the MDF of the M31 bulge and that of the Milky Way stands in stark contrast to the significant differences in the MDFs of their halo populations. This suggests that the bulk of the stars in the bulges of both galaxies were in place before the accretion events that occurred in the halos could influence them.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal, October 200

HIL: designing an exokernel for the data center

We propose a new Exokernel-like layer to allow mutually untrusting physically deployed services to efficiently share the resources of a data center. We believe that such a layer offers not only efficiency gains, but may also enable new economic models, new applications, and new security-sensitive uses. A prototype (currently in active use) demonstrates that the proposed layer is viable, and can support a variety of existing provisioning tools and use cases.Partial support for this work was provided by the MassTech Collaborative Research Matching Grant Program, National Science Foundation awards 1347525 and 1149232 as well as the several commercial partners of the Massachusetts Open Cloud who may be found at http://www.massopencloud.or

The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. X. New Determinations of Centers for 65 Clusters

We present new measurements of the centers for 65 Milky Way globular clusters. Centers were determined by fitting ellipses to the density distribution within the inner 2\arcmin of the cluster center, and averaging the centers of these ellipses. The symmetry of clusters was also analyzed by comparing cumulative radial distributions on opposite sides of the cluster across a grid of trial centers. All of the determinations were done with stellar positions derived from a combination of two single-orbit ACS images of the core of the cluster in $F606W$ and $F814W$. We find that the ellipse-fitting method provides remarkable accuracy over a wide range of core sizes and density distributions, while the symmetry method is difficult to use on clusters with very large cores, or low density. The symmetry method requires a larger field, or a very sharply peaked density distribution.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in AJ, supplementary material will be available upon publicatio

Identifikasi Cendawan Patogen Pada Tanaman Tomat (Solanum Lycopersicum L)

Tanaman Tomat (Solanum lycopersicum L) merupakan salah satu tanaman hortikultura yang penting di Indonesia. Namun, budidaya tanaman tomat banyak mengalami masalah yang dapat menyebabkan produksi tanaman tomat menjadi rendah baik secara kuantitas maupun kualitas. Salah satu masalah tersebut adalah penyakit yangdisebabkan oleh mikrob patogen yaitu cendawan patogen. Penyakit yang disebabkan oleh cendawan patogen yang menyerang tanaman tomat yaitu busuk daun, Penyakit busukbuah, batang dan layu Fusarium.Tujuan dalam penelitian ini adalah mengidentifikasi jenis-jenis cendawan patogen yang terisolasi pada tanaman tomat (Solanum lycopersicum L) melalui identifikasi makroskopik dan mikroskopik. Penelitian bersifat deskripsi, metode yang digunakan adalah metode tanam langsung ke media. Analisis data dilakukan dengan mengidentifikasi jenis cendawan patogen berdasarkan karakteristik morfologimakroskopik dan mikroskopik yang mengacu pada buku Introduction to Food-Borne Fungi. Hasil isolasi diperoleh sembilan jenis cendawan yaitu Peronospora paracitica (IBt1), Cercospora sp (IBt2), F. verticillioides (IBt3), F. cerealis (ID1), Alternaria sp (ID2), Cladosporium sp (ID3), F. oxysporum (IBh1), Phytopthora cactorum (IBh2), dan Fusarium sp (IBh3). Kesembilan cendawan tersebut merupakan patogen pada batang (Peronospora paracitica, Cescospora sp, F. verticillioides), daun (F. cerealis, Alternaria sp, Cladosporium sp), dan buah (F. oxysporum, Phytopthora cactorum, dan Fusarium sp)

Monitoring the dynamic behaviors of the Bosporus Bridge by GPS during Eurasia Marathon

International audienceEngineering structures, like bridges, dams and towers are designed by considering temperature changes, earthquakes, wind, traffic and pedestrian loads. However, generally, it can not be estimated that these structures may be affected by special, complex and different loads. So it could not be known whether these loads are dangerous for the structure and what the response of the structures would be to these loads. Such a situation occurred on the Bosporus Bridge, which is one of the suspension bridges connecting the Asia and Europe continents, during the Eurasia Marathon on 2 October 2005, in which 75 000 pedestrians participated. Responses of the bridge to loads such as rhythmic running, pedestrian walking, vehicle passing during the marathon were observed by a real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS), with a 2.2-centimeter vertical accuracy. Observed responses were discussed in both time domain and frequency domain by using a time series analysis. High (0.1?1 Hz) and low frequencies (0.00036?0.01172 Hz) of observed bridge responses under 12 different loads which occur in different quantities, different types and different time intervals were calculated in the frequency domain. It was seen that the calculated high frequencies are similar, except for the frequencies of rhythmic running, which causes a continuously increasing vibration. Any negative response was not determined, because this rhythmic effect continued only for a short time. Also when the traffic load was effective, explicit changes in the bridge movements were determined. Finally, it was seen that bridge frequencies which were calculated from the observations and the finite element model were harmonious. But the 9th natural frequency value of the bridge under all loads, except rhythmic running could not be determined with observations

The Age of the Inner Halo Globular Cluster NGC 6652

HST (V,I) photometry has been obtained for the inner halo globular cluster NGC 6652. The photometry reaches approximately 4 mag below the turn-off and includes a well populated horizontal branch. This cluster is located close to the Galactic center at a galactocentric distance of approximately 2.0 kpc with a reddening of E(V-I) = 0.15 +/- 0.02 and has a metallicity of [Fe/H] approximately -0.85. Based upon Delta(V) between the point on the sub-giant branch which is 0.05 mag redder than the turn-off and the horizontal branch, NGC 6652 is 11.7 +/- 1.6 Gyr old. Using this same Delta(V), precise differential ages for 47 Tuc (a thick disk globular), M107 and NGC 1851 (both halo clusters) were obtained. NGC 6652 appears to be the same age as 47 Tuc and NGC 1851 (within +/- 1.2 Gyr), while there is a slight suggestion that M107 is older than NGC 6652 by 2.3 +/- 1.5 Gyr. As this is a less than 2-sigma result, this issue needs to be investigated further before a definitive statement regarding the relative age of M107 and NGC 6652 may be made.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, December 2000 issu

A New Giant Branch Clump Structure In the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present Washington C, T1 CCD photometry of 21 fields located in the northern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and spread over a region of more than 2.52 degrees approximately 6 degrees from the bar. The surveyed areas were chosen on the basis of their proximity to SL 388 and SL 509, whose fields showed the presence of a secondary giant clump, observationally detected by Bica et al. (1998, AJ, 116, 723). From the collected data we found that most of the observed field CMDs do not show a separate secondary clump, but rather a continuous vertical structure (VS), which is clearly seen for the first time. Its position and size are nearly the same throughout the surveyed regions: it lies below the Red Giant Clump (RGC) and extends from the bottom of the RGC to approximately 0.45 mag fainter, spanning the bluest color range of the RGC. The more numerous the VS stars in a field, the larger the number of LMC giants in the same zone. Our analysis demonstrate that VS stars belong to the LMC and are most likely the consequence of some kind of evolutionary process in the LMC, particularly in those LMC regions with a noticeable large giant population. Our results suggest that in order to trigger the formation of VS stars, there should be other conditions besides the appropriate age, metallicity, and the necessary red giant star density. Indeed, stars satisfying the requisites mentioned above are commonly found throughout the LMC, but the VS phenomenon is only clearly seen in some isolated regions. Finally, the fact that clump stars have an intrinsic luminosity dispersion further constrains the use of the clump magnitude as a reliable distance indicator.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables; to be published in AJ, Dec. issu

CCD Photometry of the Classic Second Parameter Globular Clusters M3 and M13

We present high-precision V, B-V color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) for the classic second parameter globular clusters M3 and M13 from wide-field deep CCD photometry. The data for the two clusters were obtained during the same photometric nights with the same instrument, allowing us to determine accurate relative ages. Based on a differential comparison of the CMDs using the Delta (B-V) method, an age difference of 1.7 +/- 0.7 Gyr is obtained between these two clusters. We compare this result with our updated horizontal-branch (HB) population models, which confirm that the observed age difference can produce the difference in HB morphology between the clusters. This provides further evidence that age is the dominant second parameter that influences HB morphology.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in A

Design and Optimization of High-Speed Resonant Cavity Enhanced Schottky Photodiodes

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) photodiodes (PD’s) are promising candidates for applications in optical communications and interconnects where high-speed high-efficiency photodetection is desirable. In RCE structures, the electrical properties of the photodetector remain mostly unchanged; however, the presence of the microcavity causes wavelength selectivity accompanied by a drastic increase of the optical field at the resonant wavelengths. The enhanced optical field allows to maintain a high efficiency for faster transit-time limited PD’s with thinner absorption regions. The combination of an RCE detection scheme with Schottky PD’s allows for the fabrication of high-performance photodetectors with relatively simple material structures and fabrication processes. In top-illuminated RCE Schottky PD’s, a semitransparent Schottky contact can also serve as the top reflector of the resonant cavity. We present theoretical and experimental results on spectral and high-speed properties of GaAs–AlAs–InGaAs RCE Schottky PD’s designed for 900-nm wavelength