3,466 research outputs found
Hawaiian stream ecology as exemplified by the streams of the Kipahulu District, Haleakala National Park
Western Region, National Park Servic
Robust designs for Poisson regression models
We consider the problem of how to construct robust designs for Poisson regression models. An analytical expression is derived for robust designs for first-order Poisson regression models where uncertainty exists in the prior parameter estimates. Given certain constraints in the methodology, it may be necessary to extend the robust designs for implementation in practical experiments. With these extensions, our methodology constructs designs which perform similarly, in terms of estimation, to current techniques, and offers the solution in a more timely manner. We further apply this analytic result to cases where uncertainty exists in the linear predictor. The application of this methodology to practical design problems such as screening experiments is explored. Given the minimal prior knowledge that is usually available when conducting such experiments, it is recommended to derive designs robust across a variety of systems. However, incorporating such uncertainty into the design process can be a computationally intense exercise. Hence, our analytic approach is explored as an alternative
Retired A Stars and Their Companions VI. A Pair of Interacting Exoplanet Pairs Around the Subgiants 24 Sextanis and HD200964
We report radial velocity measurements of the G-type subgiants 24 Sextanis
(=HD90043) and HD200964. Both are massive, evolved stars that exhibit periodic
variations due to the presence of a pair of Jovian planets. Photometric
monitoring with the T12 0.80m APT at Fairborn Observatory demonstrates both
stars to be constant in brightness to <= 0.002 mag, thus strengthening the
planetary interpretation of the radial velocity variations. 24 Sex b,c have
orbital periods of 453.8 days and 883~days, corresponding to semimajor axes
1.333 AU and 2.08 AU, and minimum masses (Msini) 1.99 Mjup and 0.86 Mjup,
assuming a stellar mass 1.54 Msun. HD200964 b,c have orbital periods of 613.8
days and 825 days, corresponding to semimajor axes 1.601 AU and 1.95 AU, and
minimum masses 1.85 Mjup and 0.90 Mjup, assuming M* = 1.44 Msun. We also carry
out dynamical simulations to properly account for gravitational interactions
between the planets. Most, if not all, of the dynamically stable solutions
include crossing orbits, suggesting that each system is locked in a mean motion
resonance that prevents close encounters and provides long-term stability. The
planets in the 24 Sex system likely have a period ratio near 2:1, while the
HD200964 system is even more tightly packed with a period ratio close to 4:3.
However, we caution that further radial velocity observations and more detailed
dynamical modelling will be required to provide definitive and unique orbital
solutions for both cases, and to determine whether the two systems are truly
resonant.Comment: AJ accepte
The Photoeccentric Effect and Proto-Hot Jupiters I. Measuring photometric eccentricities of individual transiting planets
Exoplanet orbital eccentricities offer valuable clues about the history of
planetary systems. Eccentric, Jupiter-sized planets are particularly
interesting: they may link the "cold" Jupiters beyond the ice line to close-in
hot Jupiters, which are unlikely to have formed in situ. To date,
eccentricities of individual transiting planets primarily come from radial
velocity measurements. Kepler has discovered hundreds of transiting Jupiters
spanning a range of periods, but the faintness of the host stars precludes
radial velocity follow-up of most. Here we demonstrate a Bayesian method of
measuring an individual planet's eccentricity solely from its transit light
curve using prior knowledge of its host star's density. We show that eccentric
Jupiters are readily identified by their short ingress/egress/total transit
durations -- part of the "photoeccentric" light curve signature of a planet's
eccentricity --- even with long-cadence Kepler photometry and
loosely-constrained stellar parameters. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo exploration
of parameter posteriors naturally marginalizes over the periapse angle and
automatically accounts for the transit probability. To demonstrate, we use
three published transit light curves of HD 17156 b to measure an eccentricity
of e = 0.71 +0.16/-0.09, in good agreement with the discovery value e =
0.67+/-0.08 based on 33 radial-velocity measurements. We present two additional
tests using actual Kepler data. In each case the technique proves to be a
viable method of measuring exoplanet eccentricities and their confidence
intervals. Finally, we argue that this method is the most efficient, effective
means of identifying the extremely eccentric, proto hot Jupiters predicted by
Socrates et al. (2012).Comment: ApJ, 756, 122. Received 2012 April 5; accepted 2012 July 9; published
2012 August 2
Retired A Stars and Their Companions. III. Comparing the Mass-Period Distributions of Planets Around A-Type Stars and Sun-Like Stars
We present an analysis of ~5 years of Lick Observatory radial velocity
measurements targeting a uniform sample of 31 intermediate-mass subgiants (1.5
< M*/Msun < 2.0) with the goal of measuring the occurrence rate of Jovian
planets around (evolved) A-type stars and comparing the distributions of their
orbital and physical characteristics to those of planets around Sun-like stars.
We provide updated orbital solutions incorporating new radial velocity
measurements for five known planet-hosting stars in our sample; uncertainties
in the fitted parameters are assessed using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method.
The frequency of Jovian planets interior to 3 AU is 26 (+9,-8)%, which is
significantly higher than the ~5-10% frequency observed around solar-mass
stars. The median detection threshold for our sample includes minimum masses
down to {0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 1.3} MJup within {0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0, 3.0} AU. To
compare the properties of planets around intermediate-mass stars to those
around solar-mass stars we synthesize a population of planets based on the
parametric relationship dN ~ M^{alpha}P^{beta} dlnM dlnP, the observed planet
frequency, and the detection limits we derived. We find that the values of
alpha and beta for planets around solar-type stars from Cumming et al. fail to
reproduce the observed properties of planets in our sample at the 4 sigma
level, even when accounting for the different planet occurrence rates. Thus,
the properties of planets around A stars are markedly different than those
around Sun-like stars, suggesting that only a small (~ 50%) increase in stellar
mass has a large influence on the formation and orbital evolution of planets.Comment: Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal; 15 pages, 15 figure
The Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project XXVII. A Derivation of the Hubble Constant Using the Fundamental Plane and Dn-Sigma Relations in Leo I, Virgo, and Fornax
Using published photometry and spectroscopy, we construct the fundamental
plane and D_n-Sigma relations in Leo I, Virgo and Fornax. The published Cepheid
P-L relations to spirals in these clusters fixes the relation between angular
size and metric distance for both the fundamental plane and D_n-Sigma
relations. Using the locally calibrated fundamental plane, we infer distances
to a sample of clusters with a mean redshift of cz \approx 6000 \kms, and
derive a value of H_0=78+- 5+- 9 km/s/Mpc (random, systematic) for the local
expansion rate. This value includes a correction for depth effects in the
Cepheid distances to the nearby clusters, which decreased the deduced value of
the expansion rate by 5% +- 5%. If one further adopts the metallicity
correction to the Cepheid PL relation, as derived by the Key Project, the value
of the Hubble constant would decrease by a further 6%+- 4%. These two sources
of systematic error, when combined with a +- 6% error due to the uncertainty in
the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a +- 4% error due to uncertainties
in the WFPC2 calibration, and several small sources of uncertainty in the
fundamental plane analysis, combine to yield a total systematic uncertainty of
+- 11%. We find that the values obtained using either the CMB, or a flow-field
model, for the reference frame of the distant clusters, agree to within 1%. The
Dn-Sigma relation also produces similar results, as expected from the
correlated nature of the two scaling relations. A complete discussion of the
sources of random and systematic error in this determination of the Hubble
constant is also given, in order to facilitate comparison with the other
secondary indicators being used by the Key Project.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. XXVIII. Combining the Constraints on the Hubble Constant
Since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope nine years ago, Cepheid
distances to 25 galaxies have been determined for the purpose of calibrating
secondary distance indicators. A variety of these can now be calibrated, and
the accompanying papers by Sakai, Kelson, Ferrarese, and Gibson employ the full
set of 25 galaxies to consider the Tully-Fisher relation, the fundamental plane
of elliptical galaxies, Type Ia supernovae, and surface brightness
fluctuations.
When calibrated with Cepheid distances, each of these methods yields a
measurement of the Hubble constant and a corresponding measurement uncertainty.
We combine these measurements in this paper, together with a model of the
velocity field, to yield the best available estimate of the value of H_0 within
the range of these secondary distance indicators and its uncertainty.
The result is H_0 = 71 +/- 6 km/sec/Mpc. The largest contributor to the
uncertainty of this 67% confidence level result is the distance of the Large
Magellanic Cloud, which has been assumed to be 50 +/- 3 kpc
Pharmacogenetic Association of NOS3 Variants with Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Hypertension: The GenHAT Study
Nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) catalyzes production of NO in the endothelium and may play a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD). We assessed the pharmacogenetic associations of three NOS3 polymorphisms and three antihypertensive drugs with CVD outcomes. Hypertensive subjects (n = 30,280) from a multi-center, double-blind clinical trial were randomized to chlorthalidone, amlodipine, or lisinopril treatment (mean follow up, 4.9 years). Outcomes included coronary heart disease (CHD: fatal CHD and nonfatal myocardial infarction); stroke; heart failure (fatal, requiring hospitalization, or outpatient treatment); all-cause mortality; and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Main effects of NOS3 variants on outcome and genotype-treatment interactions were tested. For NOS3 −690 C>T (rs3918226), a higher hazard ratio (HR) was found in minor allele carriers for CHD (CC = 1.00, CT+TT = 1.12 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.00–1.26), P = 0.048). For NOS3 −922 A>G (rs1800779), a higher HR was found in minor allele carriers for heart failure (AA = 1.00, AG+GG = 1.10 (CI = 1.00–1.21), P = 0.046). Significant pharmacogenetic findings were observed for stroke and all-cause mortality. For −690 C>T, a lower HR was observed for stroke in minor allele carriers when treated with amlodipine versus lisinopril (CC = 0.85 (CI = 0.73–0.99), CT+TT = 0.49 (CI = 0.31–0.80), P = 0.04). For glu298asp G>T (rs1799983), a lower HR was observed for all-cause mortality in minor allele carriers when treated with amlodipine versus lisinopril (GG = 1.01 (CI = 0.91–1.13), GT+TT = 0.85 (CI = 0.75–0.97), P = 0.04). We observed significant associations with NOS3 variants and CHD and heart failure and significant pharmacogenetic effects for stroke and all cause mortality. This suggests that NOS3 variants may potentially provide useful clinical information with respect to treatment decisions in the future
Discovery of Two Distant Type Ia Supernovae in the Hubble Deep Field North with the Advanced Camera for Surveys
We present observations of the first two supernovae discovered with the
recently installed Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space
Telescope. The supernovae were found in Wide Field Camera images of the Hubble
Deep Field North taken with the F775W, F850LP, and G800L optical elements as
part of the ACS guaranteed time observation program. Spectra extracted from the
ACS G800L grism exposures confirm that the objects are Type Ia supernovae (SNe
Ia) at redshifts z=0.47 and z=0.95. Follow-up HST observations have been
conducted with ACS in F775W and F850LP and with NICMOS in the near-infrared
F110W bandpass, yielding a total of 9 flux measurements in the 3 bandpasses
over a period of 50 days in the observed frame. We discuss many of the
important issues in doing accurate photometry with the ACS. We analyze the
multi-band light curves using two different fitting methods to calibrate the
supernovae luminosities and place them on the SNe Ia Hubble diagram. The
resulting distances are consistent with the redshift-distance relation of the
accelerating universe model, although evolving intergalactic grey dust remains
as a less likely possibility. The relative ease with which these SNe Ia were
found, confirmed, and monitored demonstrates the potential ACS holds for
revolutionizing the field of high-redshift SNe Ia, and therefore of testing the
accelerating universe cosmology and constraining the "epoch of deceleration".Comment: 11 pages, 8 embedded figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
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