The high-resolution optical spectra of the two X-ray active binaries RS CVn stars HD 113816 (IS Vir) and HD 119285 (V851 Cen) are analysed and their Co and Ni contents determined, in the framework of a larger program of chemical analysis of RS CVn stellar atmosphere. The analysis of IS Vir and V851 Cen is performed with three different LTE methods. In the first one, abundances are derived for a...

Recent research has put forward the idea that Chinese speech production is governed by the syllable as the fundamental phonological unit. However, it may be that onset priming might be more difficult to obtain in Mandarin Chinese. Therefore, in this study, the degree of overlap between prime and target was increased from C to CV (i.e., extending beyond the phoneme) as well as whether primes and...

We show that the observed K velocities and periodicities of AM CVn can be reconciled given a mass ratio q ≈ 0.22 and a secondary star with a modest magnetic field of surface strength B ∼ 1 T. We see that the new mass ratio implies that the secondary is most likely semi-degenerate. The effect of the field on the accretion disc structure is examined. The theory of precessing discs and resonant or...

Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are very expensive ships to build, own, and operate. The procurement cost for CVN 77 will be more than $5 billion. Each Nimitz-class carrier has an average annual operations and maintenance cost of approximately $240 million, slightly less than half of which is for shipyard availabilities. A little less than a third of the annual cost is for the pay and allowances...

We present simultaneous Hα, Na i D 1 , D 2 , and He i D 3 spectroscopic observations on the RS CVn system UX Ari. We have found a dramatic increase in the excess Hα emission equivalent width by a factor of 2 in an interval of 1 day that indicates the beginning of a strong flare in this system. The presence of the He i D 3 in emission in coincidence with the enhancement of the Hα emission confir...

High speed photometry of the helium-transferring binary ES Cet – taken over a two-year period (2001 October – 2003 October) – shows a very stable photometric period of 620.211437 ± 0.000038 s, with a tentative indication of curvature in the O–C diagram suggesting a change in period at a rate of Ṗ ∼ 1.6×10 . Phase-resolved spectroscopy of ES Cet obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope shows a c...