Parent and child mental health during COVID-19 in Australia: The role of pet attachment

Restrictions, social isolation, and uncertainty related to the global COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the ways that parents and children maintain family routines, health, and wellbeing. Companion animals (pets) can be a critical source of comfort during traumatic experiences, although changes to family routines, such as those caused by COVID-19, can also bring about challenges like managing undesirable pet behaviours or pet-human interactions. We aimed to examine the relationship between pet attachment and mental health for both parents and their children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. A total of 1,034 parents living with a child under 18 years and a cat or dog completed an online cross-sectional survey between July and October 2020. Path analysis using multivariate linear regression was conducted to examine associations between objective COVID-19 impacts, subjective worry about COVID-19, human-pet attachment, and mental health. After adjusting for core demographic factors, stronger pet-child attachment was associated with greater child anxiety (parent-reported, p < .001). Parent-pet attachment was not associated with self-reported psychological distress (p = .42), however, parents who reported a strong emotional closeness with their pet reported greater psychological distress (p = .002). Findings highlight the role of pets during times of change and uncertainty. It is possible that families are turning to animals as a source of comfort, during a time when traditional social supports are less accessible. Alternatively, strong pet attachment is likely to reflect high levels of empathy, which might increase vulnerability to psychological distress. Longitudinal evidence is required to delineate the mechanisms underpinning pet attachment and mental health

Spectroscopic and photometric analysis of HS 1136+6646: A hot young DAO+K7V post-common- envelope, pre-cataclysmic variable binary

Copyright © 2004 IOP Publishing / American Astronomical SocietyExtensive photometric and spectroscopic observations have been obtained for HS 1136+6646. The observations reveal a newly formed post–common-envelope binary system containing a hot ~DAO.5 primary and a highly irradiated secondary. HS 1136+6646 is the most extreme example yet of a class of short-period hot H-rich white dwarfs with K–M companion systems such as V471 Tau and Feige 24. HS 1136+6646 is a double-line spectroscopic binary showing emission lines of H I, He II, C II, Ca II, and Mg II, due in part to irradiation of the K7 V secondary by the hot white dwarf. Echelle spectra reveal the hydrogen emission lines to be double-peaked with widths of ~200 km s-1, raising the possibility that emission from an optically thin disk may also contribute. The emission lines are observed to disappear near the inferior conjunction. An orbital period of 0.83607 ± 0.00003 days has been determined through the phasing of radial velocities, emission-line equivalent widths, and photometric measurements spanning a range of 24 months. Radial velocity measurements yield an amplitude of KWD = 69 ± 2 km s-1 for the white dwarf and KK7V = 115 ± 1 km s-1 for the secondary star. In addition to orbital variations, photometric measurements have also revealed a low-amplitude modulation with a period of 113.13 minutes and a semiamplitude of 0.0093 mag. These short-period modulations are possibly associated with the rotation of the white dwarf. From fits of the Balmer line profiles, the white dwarf is estimated to have an effective temperature and gravity of ~70,000 K and log g ~ 7.75, respectively. However, this optically derived temperature is difficult to reconcile with the far-UV spectrum of the Lyman line region. Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer spectra show the presence of O VI absorption lines and a spectral energy distribution whose slope persists nearly to the Lyman limit. The extremely high temperature of the white dwarf, from both optical and UV measurements, indicates that the binary system is one of the earliest post–common-envelope objects known, having an age around 7.7 × 105 yr. Although the spectrum of the secondary star is best represented by a K7 V star, indications are that the star may be overly luminous for its mass.NASAParticle and Astronomy Research Council, UKNS

Modelling charge storage in Euclid CCD structures

The primary aim of ESA's proposed Euclid mission is to observe the distribution of galaxies and galaxy clusters, enabling the mapping of the dark architecture of the universe [1]. This requires a high performance detector, designed to endure a harsh radiation environment. The e2v CCD204 image sensor was redesigned for use on the Euclid mission [2]. The resulting e2v CCD273 has a narrower serial register electrode and transfer channel compared to its predecessor, causing a reduction in the size of charge packets stored, thus reducing the number of traps encountered by the signal electrons during charge transfer and improving the serial Charge Transfer Efficiency (CTE) under irradiation [3]. The proposed Euclid CCD has been modelled using the Silvaco TCAD software [4], to test preliminary calculations for the Full Well Capacity (FWC) and the channel potential of the device and provide indications of the volume occupied by varying signals. These results are essential for the realisation of the mission objectives and for radiation damage studies, with the aim of producing empirically derived formulae to approximate signal-volume characteristics in the devices. These formulae will be used in the radiation damage (charge trapping) models. The Silvaco simulations have been tested against real devices to compare the experimental measurements to those predicted in the models. Using these results, the implications of this study on the Euclid mission can be investigated in more detail

The Faint Sky Variability Survey I: Goals and data reduction process

The Faint Sky Variability Survey is aimed at finding photometric and/or astrometric variable objects in the brightness range between 16<V<24 on timescales between tens of minutes and years with photometric precisions ranging from 3 millimagnitudes for the brightest to 0.2 magnitudes for the faintest objects. An area of ~23 square degrees, located at mid and high Galactic latitudes, has been covered using the Wide Field Camera on the 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope on La Palma. Here we describe the main goals of the Faint Sky Variability Survey and the data reduction process.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS, 8 pages, 6 figure + 3 as JPEG

Self-diffusion in dense granular shear flows

Diffusivity is a key quantity in describing velocity fluctuations in granular materials. These fluctuations are the basis of many thermodynamic and hydrodynamic models which aim to provide a statistical description of granular systems. We present experimental results on diffusivity in dense, granular shear in a 2D Couette geometry. We find that self-diffusivities are proportional to the local shear rate with diffusivities along the mean flow approximately twice as large as those in the perpendicular direction. The magnitude of the diffusivity is D \approx \dot\gamma a^2 where a is the particle radius. However, the gradient in shear rate, coupling to the mean flow, and drag at the moving boundary lead to particle displacements that can appear sub- or super-diffusive. In particular, diffusion appears superdiffusive along the mean flow direction due to Taylor dispersion effects and subdiffusive along the perpendicular direction due to the gradient in shear rate. The anisotropic force network leads to an additional anisotropy in the diffusivity that is a property of dense systems with no obvious analog in rapid flows. Specifically, the diffusivity is supressed along the direction of the strong force network. A simple random walk simulation reproduces the key features of the data, such as the apparent superdiffusive and subdiffusive behavior arising from the mean flow, confirming the underlying diffusive motion. The additional anisotropy is not observed in the simulation since the strong force network is not included. Examples of correlated motion, such as transient vortices, and Levy flights are also observed. Although correlated motion creates velocity fields qualitatively different from Brownian motion and can introduce non-diffusive effects, on average the system appears simply diffusive.Comment: 13 pages, 20 figures (accepted to Phys. Rev. E

Asteroseismology of red giants & galactic archaeology

Red-giant stars are low- to intermediate-mass ($M \lesssim 10$~M$_{\odot}$) stars that have exhausted hydrogen in the core. These extended, cool and hence red stars are key targets for stellar evolution studies as well as galactic studies for several reasons: a) many stars go through a red-giant phase; b) red giants are intrinsically bright; c) large stellar internal structure changes as well as changes in surface chemical abundances take place over relatively short time; d) red-giant stars exhibit global intrinsic oscillations. Due to their large number and intrinsic brightness it is possible to observe many of these stars up to large distances. Furthermore, the global intrinsic oscillations provide a means to discern red-giant stars in the pre-helium core burning from the ones in the helium core burning phase and provide an estimate of stellar ages, a key ingredient for galactic studies. In this lecture I will first discuss some physical phenomena that play a role in red-giant stars and several phases of red-giant evolution. Then, I will provide some details about asteroseismology -- the study of the internal structure of stars through their intrinsic oscillations -- of red-giant stars. I will conclude by discussing galactic archaeology -- the study of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way by reconstructing its past from its current constituents -- and the role red-giant stars can play in that.Comment: Lecture presented at the IVth Azores International Advanced School in Space Sciences on "Asteroseismology and Exoplanets: Listening to the Stars and Searching for New Worlds" (arXiv:1709.00645), which took place in Horta, Azores Islands, Portugal in July 201

Kepler-22b: A 2.4 Earth-radius Planet in the Habitable Zone of a Sun-like Star

A search of the time-series photometry from NASA's Kepler spacecraft reveals a transiting planet candidate orbiting the 11th magnitude G5 dwarf KIC 10593626 with a period of 290 days. The characteristics of the host star are well constrained by high-resolution spectroscopy combined with an asteroseismic analysis of the Kepler photometry, leading to an estimated mass and radius of 0.970 +/- 0.060 MSun and 0.979 +/- 0.020 RSun. The depth of 492 +/- 10ppm for the three observed transits yields a radius of 2.38 +/- 0.13 REarth for the planet. The system passes a battery of tests for false positives, including reconnaissance spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, and centroid motion. A full BLENDER analysis provides further validation of the planet interpretation by showing that contamination of the target by an eclipsing system would rarely mimic the observed shape of the transits. The final validation of the planet is provided by 16 radial velocities obtained with HIRES on Keck 1 over a one year span. Although the velocities do not lead to a reliable orbit and mass determination, they are able to constrain the mass to a 3{\sigma} upper limit of 124 MEarth, safely in the regime of planetary masses, thus earning the designation Kepler-22b. The radiative equilibrium temperature is 262K for a planet in Kepler-22b's orbit. Although there is no evidence that Kepler-22b is a rocky planet, it is the first confirmed planet with a measured radius to orbit in the Habitable Zone of any star other than the Sun.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Discovery of an inflated hot Jupiter around a slightly evolved star TOI-1789

Stars and planetary system

Asteroseismology of Eclipsing Binary Stars in the Kepler Era

Eclipsing binary stars have long served as benchmark systems to measure fundamental stellar properties. In the past few decades, asteroseismology - the study of stellar pulsations - has emerged as a new powerful tool to study the structure and evolution of stars across the HR diagram. Pulsating stars in eclipsing binary systems are particularly valuable since fundamental properties (such as radii and masses) can determined using two independent techniques. Furthermore, independently measured properties from binary orbits can be used to improve asteroseismic modeling for pulsating stars in which mode identifications are not straightforward. This contribution provides a review of asteroseismic detections in eclipsing binary stars, with a focus on space-based missions such as CoRoT and Kepler, and empirical tests of asteroseismic scaling relations for stochastic ("solar-like") oscillations.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables; Proceedings of the AAS topical conference "Giants of Eclipse" (AASTCS-3), July 28 - August 2 2013, Monterey, C