The distance to NGC 6397 by M-subdwarf main-sequence fitting

Recent years have seen a substantial improvement both in photometry of low luminosity stars in globular clusters and in modelling the stellar atmospheres of late-type dwarfs. We build on these observational and theoretical advances in undertaking the first determination of the distance to a globular cluster by main-sequence fitting using stars on the lower main sequence. The calibrating stars are extreme M subdwarfs, as classified by Gizis (1997), with parallaxes measured to a precision of better than 10%. Matching against King et al's (1998) deep (V, (V-I)) photometry of NGC 6397, and adopting E_{B-V}=0.18 mag, we derive a true distance modulus of 12.13 +- 0.15 mag for the cluster. This compares with (m-M)_0=12.24 +- 0.1 derived through conventional main-sequence fitting in the (V, (B-V)) plane. Allowing for intrinsic differences due to chemical composition, we derive a relative distance modulus of delta (m-M)_0=2.58 mag between NGC 6397 and the fiducial metal-poor cluster M92. We extend this calibration to other metal-poor clusters, and examine the resulting RR Lyrae (M_V, [Fe/H]) relation.Comment: 19 pages, AASTeX, to appear in the December 1998 A

Orbital maneuvering end effectors

This invention relates to an end effector device for grasping and maneuvering objects such as berthing handles of a space telescope. The device includes a V-shaped capture window defined as inclined surfaces in parallel face plates which converge toward a retainer recess in which the handle is retained. A pivotal finger (30) meshes with a pair of pivoted fingers which rotate in counterrotation. The fingers rotate to pull a handle within the capture window into recess where latches lock handle in the recess. To align the capture window, plates may be cocked plus or minus five degrees on base. Drive means is included in the form of a motor coupled with a harmonic drive speed reducer, which provides for slow movement of the fingers at a high torque so that large articles may be handled. Novelty of the invention is believed to reside in the combined intermeshing finger structure, drive means and the harmonic drive speed reducer, which features provide the required maneuverability and strength

The contested “White Lady”: perceptions and social meanings of the “White Lady” in Auckland

The White Lady (WL) is a mobile fast food takeaway eatery. The WL has been trading in Auckland City’s central business district for almost fifty years. The WL opens in the early evening and remains open until the early morning hours. At closing, the WL is towed to a storage area where it remains until this process is repeated. This daily pattern has occurred since the WL opened in 1948. Because of its longevity, the WL, and many of its stakeholders have experienced ongoing change as Auckland City has grown, and competition within fast food has increased. Thus, for many stakeholders, the WL is representative of their lives, a mirror of their reality and life experiences. Obviously, these realities and experiences are different for different stakeholders. In this thesis, I examine the contested “White Lady” (WL): the perceptions and the social meanings that its stakeholder groups attribute to it. This thesis illuminates differences and similarities within stakeholder viewpoints and in doing so defines that pie carts like the WL are a valid part of New Zealand’s culinary and social cultures Ultimately, this thesis provides a platform of knowledge from which stakeholders and others can come to understand and know the differing and similar views that other stakeholder groups hold. With this in mind, this research ranges in scope from the examination of city administration to the symbolism associated with the (WL) by some of its stakeholders. Therefore, this research is founded within socio-historic constructs: the history of fast food and, the similarities that this history holds to today’s WL operation. The contextualisation of hospitality within “three domains” (Lashley, 2004, p.13) aids in defining the WL as well as recognising the competitive growth of New Zealand’s fast food industry. This research suggests that fast food growth and subsequent competition have had negative impacts upon many small fast food outlets including the WL. viii The growth of fast food has facilitated a “slow food” (Jones, Shears, Hiller Comfort and Lowell, 2003, p. 298) movement. This movement coupled with the hierarchy of food typologies, adds a Saussurian overlay and sociological discourse to this work. This overlay clarifies for the reader Bourdieu’s (1984) position that all food is reflective of class status. Within postmodernist constructs and the rise of the individual, (and the consequent opportunity to hear ‘voices from the margins’), movement within class and individuality within New Zealand’s wider culture has occurred. Social change therefore, has facilitated some of the issues within WL contestation. In highlighting Bourdieu’s (1984) concept, the “binary opposition” (Levi-Strauss, 1981, as cited in Adamenko, 2007, p.27) inherent within food hierarchies and, as often expressed within the media, is examined. This examination reveals that while the media inform, this information often contributes to the polarisation of opinion that facilitates the formation of contested viewpoints by WL stakeholders. It is against a backdrop of compliance need, the absence of an official street trading policy, the differing views of stakeholders, and the intensification of competition in fast food, coupled with a lacuna in the knowledge base of younger Auckland residents regarding the WL that this research finds its voice

The Labour Market Impact of the Run on Northern Rock: Continuity and Evolution in an old Industrial Region

The Northern Rock mortgage bank was a high profile casualty of the credit crunch in 2007. A longitudinal investigation focused on the redundancy and resettlement of employees at the bank provides a case study of the labour market impact of the banking crisis on the North East of England. An evolutionary geographical political economy approach indicates that Northern RockÕs growth and decline was shaped by its location in an old industrial region, and echoes the historical position of the peripheral region in the spatial division of labour. The Northern Rock case highlights the enduring occupational structure of the regionÕs labour market, and suggests older industrial regions may suffer from a process of Ôoccupational disadvantageÕ that restricts their ability to adapt to economic change.Financial crisis, Northern Rock, Labour market impact, Evolutionary geographical political economy

An Improved Red Spectrum of the Methane or T-dwarf SDSS 1624+0029: Role of the Alkali Metals

A Keck~II low resolution spectrum shortward of ome-micron is presented for SDSS 1624+0029, the first field methane or T dwarf discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Significant flux is detected down to the spectrum's short wavelength limit of 6200\AA. The spectrum exhibits a broad absorption feature centered at 7700\AA, which we interpret as the K~I 7665/7699 resonance doublet. The observed flux declines shortward of 7000\AA, due most likely to the red wing of the Na~I doublet. Both Cs~I doublet lines are detected more strongly than in an earlier red spectrum. Neither Li~I absorption nor H$\alpha$ emission are detected. An exploratory model fit to the spectrum suggests that the shape of the red spectrum can be primarily accounted for by the broad wings of the K~I and Na~I doublets. This behavior is consistent with the argument proffered by Burrows, Marley and Sharp that strong alkali absorption is principally responsible for depressing T dwarf spectra shortward of 1$\mu$m. In particular, there seems no compelling reason at this time to introduce dust or an additional opacity source in the atmosphere of the SDSS object. The width of the K~I and strengths of the Cs~I lines also indicate that the Sloan object is warmer than Gl~229B.Comment: accepted March 3, 2000 for Ap.J. Letters, LaTeX, 2 figure