3,077 research outputs found
Improved Searches for HI in Three Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
Previous searches for HI in our Galaxy's dwarf spheroidal companions have not
been complete enough to settle the question of whether or not these galaxies
have HI, especially in their outer parts. We present VLA observations of three
dwarf spheroidals: Fornax, Leo II, and Draco, all of which have known stellar
velocities. The new data show no HI emission or absorption. Column density
limits in emission are 4--7 x 10^18 atoms/cm^2 in the centers of the galaxies.
The importance of the new observations is that they cover larger areas than
previous searches and they are less plagued by confusion with foreground
(Galactic) HI. The apparent absence of neutral gas in the Fornax dwarf
spheroidal is especially puzzling because recent photometry shows evidence of
stars only 10^8 years old. We discuss whether the VLA observations could have
missed significant amounts of HI.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures; to appear in the Astronomical Journa
The Velocity Dispersion Profile of the Remote Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Leo I: A Tidal Hit and Run?
(abridged) We present kinematic results for a sample of 387 stars located
near Leo I based on spectra obtained with the MMT's Hectochelle spectrograph
near the MgI/Mgb lines. We estimate the mean velocity error of our sample to be
2.4 km/s, with a systematic error of < 1 km/s. We produce a final sample of 328
Leo I red giant members, from which we measure a mean heliocentric radial
velocity of 282.9 +/- 0.5 km/s, and a mean radial velocity dispersion of 9.2
+/- 0.4 km/s for Leo I. The dispersion profile of Leo I is flat out to beyond
its classical `tidal' radius. We fit the profile to a variety of equilibrium
dynamical models and can strongly rule out models where mass follows light.
Two-component Sersic+NFW models with tangentially anisotropic velocity
distributions fit the dispersion profile well, with isotropic models ruled out
at a 95% confidence level. The mass and V-band mass-to-light ratio of Leo I
estimated from equilibrium models are in the ranges 5-7 x 10^7 M_sun and 9-14
(solar units), respectively, out to 1 kpc from the galaxy center. Leo I members
located outside a `break radius' (about 400 arcsec = 500 pc) exhibit
significant velocity anisotropy, whereas stars interior appear to have
isotropic kinematics. We propose the break radius represents the location of
the tidal radius of Leo I at perigalacticon of a highly elliptical orbit. Our
scenario can account for the complex star formation history of Leo I, the
presence of population segregation within the galaxy, and Leo I's large outward
velocity from the Milky Way. The lack of extended tidal arms in Leo I suggests
the galaxy has experienced only one perigalactic passage with the Milky Way,
implying that Leo I may have been injected into its present orbit by a third
body a few Gyr before perigalacticon.Comment: ApJ accepted, 23 figures, access paper as a pdf file at
http://www.astro.lsa.umich.edu/~mmateo/research.htm
Temperature and Kinematics of CIV Absorption Systems
We use Keck HIRES spectra of three intermediate redshift QSOs to study the
physical state and kinematics of the individual components of CIV selected
heavy element absorption systems. Fewer than 8 % of all CIV lines with column
densities greater than 10^{12.5} cm^{-2} have Doppler parameters b < 6 km/s. A
formal decomposition into thermal and non-thermal motion using the simultaneous
presence of SiIV gives a mean thermal Doppler parameter b_{therm}(CIV) = 7.2
km/s, corresponding to a temperature of 38,000 K although temperatures possibly
in excess of 300,000 K occur occasionally. We also find tentative evidence for
a mild increase of temperature with HI column density. Non-thermal motions
within components are typically small (< 10 km/s) for most systems, indicative
of a quiescent environment. The two-point correlation function (TPCF) of CIV
systems on scales up to 500 km/s suggests that there is more than one source of
velocity dispersion. The shape of the TPCF can be understood if the CIV systems
are caused by ensembles of objects with the kinematics of dwarf galaxies on a
small scale, while following the Hubble flow on a larger scale. Individual high
redshift CIV components may be the building blocks of future normal galaxies in
a hierarchical structure formation scenario.Comment: submitted to the ApJ Letters, March 16, 1996 (in press); (13 Latex
pages, 4 Postscript figures, and psfig.sty included
Ecology and physiology of photosynthetic organisms in highly acid streams
Two surveys of the water chemistry and photosynthetic flora were carried out in England, for waters with a pH of 3.0 or less. Of the 16 sites located, fourteen were associated with coal mining, one with a barytes mine and one with an industrial effluent. One coal mining site (Site 16) and the industrial effluent (Site 15), were found to run intermittently below pH 3.0. Samples collected from 95 10 m reaches, showed that the waters were characterized by high levels of heavy metals, silicate and sulphate and that most carried moderately large levels of phosphate and combined inorganic nitrogen. The total flora from the 16 sites consisted of 24 algal species, two mosses and two flowering plants. Of the 8 species which occurred in over 20% of the roaches sampled, Euglena mutabilis was the most widespread and abundant species. One stream with a pH gradient of 2.6 - 7.0 (Brandon Pithouse Acid Stream) was studied in greater detail. Observations were made in respect to seasonal variation and to changes in chemistry and flora along the pH gradient. In addition, monthly estimations of the maximum standing crop of algae and moss protonema were carried out for one year. Analysis of these data suggests that over a large pH range, H+ concentration has the greatest influence on the number of species present in the stream; although other factors (eg. precipitation of ferric hydroxide) may also affect the presence and abundance of some algae. in addition to field studies, laboratory experiments were conducted on five species of algae isolated from Brandon Pithouse Acid Stream. These included an examination Of the effect pH had on growth and morphology and also the relationship between low pH and heavy metal toxicity
Targeting Mr Average: Participation, gender equity and school sport partnerships
The School Sport Partnership Programme (SSPP) is one strand of the national strategy for physical education and school sport in England, the physical education and school sport Club Links Strategy (PESSCL). The SSPP aims to make links between school physical education (PE) and out of school sports participation, and has a particular remit to raise the participation levels of several identified under-represented groups, of which girls and young women are one. National evaluations of the SSPP show that it is beginning to have positive impacts on young people's activity levels by increasing the range and provision of extra curricular activities (Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), 2003, 2004, 2005; Loughborough Partnership, 2005, 2006). This paper contributes to the developing picture of the phased implementation of the programme by providing qualitative insights into the work of one school sport partnership with a particular focus on gender equity. The paper explores the ways in which gender equity issues have been explicitly addressed within the 'official texts' of the SSPP; how these have shifted over time and how teachers are responding to and making sense of these in their daily practice. Using participation observation, interview and questionnaire data, the paper explores how the coordinators are addressing the challenge of increasing the participation of girls and young women. The paper draws on Walby's (2000) conceptualisation of different kinds of feminist praxis to highlight the limitations of the coordinators' work. Two key themes from the data and their implications are addressed: the dominance of competitive sport practices and the PE professionals' views of targeting as a strategy for increasing the participation of under-represented groups. The paper concludes that coordinators work within an equality or difference discourse with little evidence of the transformative praxis needed for the programme to be truly inclusive. © 2008 Taylor & Francis
Exploring Halo Substructure with Giant Stars IV: The Extended Structure of the Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal
We present a large area photometric survey of the Ursa Minor dSph. We
identify UMi giant star candidates extending to ~3 deg from the center of the
dSph. Comparison to previous catalogues of stars within the tidal radius of UMi
suggests that our photometric luminosity classification is 100% accurate. Over
a large fraction of the survey area, blue horizontal branch stars associated
with UMi can also be identified. The spatial distribution of both the UMi giant
stars and the BHB stars are remarkably similar, and a large fraction of both
samples of stars are found outside the tidal radius of UMi. An isodensity
contour map of the stars within the tidal radius of UMi reveals two
morphological peculiarities: (1) The highest density of dSph stars is offset
from the center of symmetry of the outer isodensity contours. (2) The overall
shape of the outer contours appear S-shaped. We find that previously determined
King profiles with ~50' tidal radii do not fit well the distribution of our UMi
stars. A King profile with a larger tidal radius produces a reasonable fit,
however a power law with index -3 provides a better fit for radii > 20'. The
existence of UMi stars at large distances from the core of the galaxy, the
peculiar morphology of the dSph within its tidal radius, and the shape of its
surface density profile all suggest that UMi is evolving significantly due to
the tidal influence of the Milky Way. However, the photometric data on UMi
stars alone does not allow us to determine if the candidate extratidal stars
are now unbound or if they remain bound to the dSph within an extended dark
matter halo. (Abridged)Comment: accepted by AJ, 32 pages, 15 figures, emulateapj5 styl
Chlorpyrifos- and chlorpyrifos oxon-induced neurite retraction in pre-differentiated N2a cells is associated with transient hyperphosphorylation of neurofilament heavy chain and ERK 1/2
Chlorpyrifos (CPF) and CPF-oxon (CPO) are known to inhibit neurite outgrowth but little is known about their ability to induce neurite retraction in differentiating neuronal cells. The aims of this study were to determine the ability of these compounds to destabilize neurites and to identify the key molecular events involved. N2a cells were induced to differentiate for 20 h before exposure to CPF or CPO for 2-8 h. Fixed cell monolayers labeled with carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester or immunofluorescently stained with antibodies to tubulin (B512) or phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (Ta51) showed time- and concentration-dependent reductions in numbers and length of axon-like processes compared to the control, respectively, retraction of neurites being observed within 2 h of exposure by live cell imaging. Neurofilament disruption was also observed in treated cells stained by indirect immunofluorescence with anti- phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (NFH) monoclonal antibody SMI34, while the microtubule network was unaffected. Western blotting analysis revealed transiently increased levels of reactivity of Ta51 after 2 h exposure and reduced levels of reactivity of the same antibody following 8 h treatment with both compounds, whereas reactivity with antibodies to anti-total NFH or anti-tubulin was not affected. The alteration in NFH phosphorylation at 2 h exposure was associated with increased activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase ERK 1/2. However, increased levels of phosphatase activity were observed following 8 h exposure. These findings suggest for the first time that organophosphorothionate pesticide-induced neurite retraction in N2a cells is associated with transient increases in NFH phosphorylation and ERK1/2 activation
A study of 15N14N isotopic exchange over cobalt molybdenum nitrides
The 14N/15N isotopic exchange pathways over Co3Mo3N, a material of interest as an ammonia synthesis catalyst and for the development of nitrogen transfer reactions, have been investigated. Both the homomolecular and heterolytic exchange processes have been studied, and it has been shown that lattice nitrogen species are exchangeable. The exchange behavior was found to be a strong function of pretreatment with ca. 25% of lattice N atoms being exchanged after 40 min at 600 °C after N2 pretreatment at 700 °C compared to only 6% following similar Ar pretreatment. This observation, for which the potential contribution of adsorbed N species can be discounted, is significant in terms of the application of this material. In the case of the Co6Mo6N phase, regeneration to Co3Mo3N under 15N2 at 600 °C occurs concurrently with 14N15N formation. These observations demonstrate the reactivity of nitrogen in the CoâMoâN system to be a strong function of pretreatment and worthy of further consideration
Diffusion of particles in an expanding sphere with an absorbing boundary
We study the problem of particles undergoing Brownian motion in an expanding
sphere whose surface is an absorbing boundary for the particles. The problem is
akin to that of the diffusion of impurities in a grain of polycrystalline
material undergoing grain growth. We solve the time dependent diffusion
equation for particles in a d-dimensional expanding sphere to obtain the
particle density function (function of space and time). The survival rate or
the total number of particles per unit volume as a function of time is
evaluated. We have obtained particular solutions exactly for the case where d=3
and a parabolic growth of the sphere. Asymptotic solutions for the particle
density when the sphere growth rate is small relative to particle diffusivity
and vice versa are derived.Comment: 12 pages. To appear in J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 (2008
'It's a Form of Freedom': The experiences of people with disabilities within equestrian sport
This paper explores the embodied, gendered experiences of disabled horseâriders. Drawing on data from five inâdepth interviews with paradressage riders, the ways in which their involvement in elite disability sport impacts upon their sense of identity and confidence are explored, as well as the considerable health and social benefits that this involvement brings. Social models of disability are employed and the shortcomings of such models, when applied to disability sport, are highlighted. The data presented here demonstrates the necessity of seeing disability sport as an embodied experience and acknowledging the importance of impairment to the experiences of disabled athletes. Living within an impaired body is also a gendered experience and the implications of this when applied to elite disability sport are considered
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