HI 21cm observations of the PG1216+069 sub-DLy-alpha absorber field at z=0.00632

The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope finds a weak 21cm line emission feature at the coordinates (RA-Dec-velocity) of the sub-Damped Lyman-alpha absorber observed at z_abs=0.00632 in the spectrum of PG1216+069. The emission feature, WSRT-J121921+0639, lies within 30" of the quasar sightline, is detected at 99.8% (3 sigma) confidence level, has M_HI between 5 and 15x10^6 M_solar, and has velocity spread between 20 and 60 km/s. Other HI emitters in the field include VCC297 at a projected distance of 86/h_75 kpc and a previously unreported HI cloud, WSRT-J121919+0624 at 112/h_75 kpc with M_HI ~ 3x10^8 M_solar. The optically identified, foreground galaxy that is closest to the quasar sightline appears to be VCC339 (~L*/25) at 29/h_75 kpc and velocity offset 292 km/s . A low surface brightness galaxy with the HI mass of the sub-DLA absorber WSRT-J121921+0639 would likely have m_B ~ 17, and its diffuse optical emission would need to compete with the light of both the background QSO and a brighter foreground star ~10" from the QSO sight line.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJLet

The Luminosity Function and Surface Brightness Distribution of HI Selected Galaxies

We measure the z=0 B-band optical luminosity function (LF) for galaxies selected in a blind HI survey. The total LF of the HI selected sample is flat, with Schechter parameters M*=-19.38_{-0.62}^{+1.02} + 5 log h mag and alpha=-1.03_{-0.15}^{+0.25}, in good agreement with LFs of optically selected late-type galaxies. Bivariate distribution functions of several galaxy parameters show that the HI density in the local Universe is more widely spread over galaxies of different size, central surface brightness, and luminosity than is the optical luminosity density. The number density of very low surface brightness (>24.0 mag/arcsec^2) gas-rich galaxies is considerably lower than that found in optical surveys designed to detect dim galaxies. This suggests that only a part of the population of LSB galaxies is gas rich and that the rest must be gas poor. However, we show that this gas-poor population must be cosmologically insignificant in baryon content. The contribution of gas-rich LSB galaxies (>23.0 mag/arcsec^2) to the local cosmological gas and luminosity density is modest (18_{-5}^{+6} and 5_{-2}^{+2} per cent respectively); their contribution to Omega_matter is not well-determined, but probably < 11 per cent. These values are in excellent agreement with the low redshift results from the Hubble Deep Field.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 12 pages 6 figure

Mark 4A antenna control system data handling architecture study

A high-level review was conducted to provide an analysis of the existing architecture used to handle data and implement control algorithms for NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas and to make system-level recommendations for improving this architecture so that the DSN antennas can support the ever-tightening requirements of the next decade and beyond. It was found that the existing system is seriously overloaded, with processor utilization approaching 100 percent. A number of factors contribute to this overloading, including dated hardware, inefficient software, and a message-passing strategy that depends on serial connections between machines. At the same time, the system has shortcomings and idiosyncrasies that require extensive human intervention. A custom operating system kernel and an obscure programming language exacerbate the problems and should be modernized. A new architecture is presented that addresses these and other issues. Key features of the new architecture include a simplified message passing hierarchy that utilizes a high-speed local area network, redesign of particular processing function algorithms, consolidation of functions, and implementation of the architecture in modern hardware and software using mainstream computer languages and operating systems. The system would also allow incremental hardware improvements as better and faster hardware for such systems becomes available, and costs could potentially be low enough that redundancy would be provided economically. Such a system could support DSN requirements for the foreseeable future, though thorough consideration must be given to hard computational requirements, porting existing software functionality to the new system, and issues of fault tolerance and recovery

1,2-Dimethyl-4,5-diphenylbenzene determined on a Bruker SMART X2S benchtop crystallographic system

The title compound, C(20)H(18), has two crystallographically independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The phenyl substituents of molecule A are twisted away from the plane defined by the central benzene ring by 131.8 (2) and -52.7 (3)degrees. The phenyl substituents of molecule B are twisted by -133.3 (2) and 50.9 (3)degrees. Each molecule is stabilized by a pair of intraMolecular C(aryl, sp(2))-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions, as well as by several interMolecular C(methyl, sp(3))-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions

2,3-Bis(bromomethyl)-1,4-diphenylbenzene

In the title compound, C(20)H(16)Br(2), the terminal phenyl groups are twisted away from the central ring by approximately 55 and -125 degrees (average of four dihedral angles each), respectively. The crystal structure is stabilized by a combination of interMolecular and intraMolecular interactions including interMolecular pi-pi stacking interactions [C atoms of closest contact = 3.423 ( 5) angstrom]

Hearing new voices: re-viewing youth justice policy through practitioners’ relationships with young people

The relationship between young people and practitioners is the centre-piece of youth justice provision, yet little research-based knowledge has accumulated on its minutiae. After reviewing reforms affecting professional discretion, the paper draws on the concepts of dyadic relationships and praxis to reinvigorate a research agenda aimed at delineating a more nuanced understanding of practice relationships. Drawing on practice wisdom from across related social work fields, we argue that centralizing the practitioner-young person relationship remains the key to successful practice and thus needs greater, more detailed research attention. These claims are supported with a number of pilot interviews with youth justice workers about successful interventions that complement and extend related studies. The paper concludes with suggestions for research to enable joint activity between young people and practitioners to ‘rethink’ youth justice