Variability Study of the SX Phoenicis Star BL Camelopardalis

New time-series photometric observations of BL Cam in the V band and white light were made during 2005 to 2007 at the Xinglong Station of China. The frequency analysis confirms two closely separated frequencies, 25.181 d^-1 and 25.571 d^-1, but the frequency of 31-32 d^- 1 reported in the literature was not detected in the new data. New times of maximum light were determined from both our light curves and those available on Internet, allowing a more comprehensive study of the O - C diagram, together with the times of maximum light in the literature. A new interpretation, including the period increasing before 1988 and decreasing since 1992 of BL Cam and the light-time effect in a binary system, looks plausible.

Storage reliability assessment model based on competition failure of multi-components in missile

The degradation data of multi-components in missile is derived by periodical testing. How to use these data to assess the storage reliability (SR) of the whole missile is a difficult problem in current research. An SR assessment model based on competition failure of multi-components in missile is proposed. By analyzing the missile life profile and its storage failure feature, the key components in missile are obtained and the characteristics voltage is assumed to be its key performance parameter. When the voltage testing data of key components in missile are available, a state space model (SSM) is applied to obtain the whole missile degradation state, which is defined as the missile degradation degree (DD). A Wiener process with the time-scale model (TSM) is applied to build the degradation failure model with individual variability and nonlinearity. The Weibull distribution and proportional risk model are applied to build an outburst failure model with performance degradation effect. Furthermore, a competition failure model with the correlation between degradation failure and outburst failure is proposed. A numerical example with a set of missiles in storage is analyzed to demonstrate the accuracy and superiority of the proposed model.

Orthokeratology for myopia control: an optometrist’s view

Orthokeratology(OK)is a clinical technique that uses reverse geometry design rigid contact lenses to reshape the corneal profile and modify its refractive power during overnight lens wear in order to correct refractive error temporarily.OK achieves its reshaping effect through thinning of the central corneal epithelium.This raises concerns about the safety of this modality particularly in terms of microbial keratitis(MK).Since the mid 2000’s,with our increasing understanding of modifiable risk factors for MK in OK the prevalence of MK appears to have reduced significantly.It is now clear that the relative risk of MK in overnight OK is equivalent to other modalities of contact lens wear,provided that safe practice is followed in terms of lens fitting,wear and care.Although OK was originally used predominantly for correction of low to moderate myopic refractive error,its use for myopia control have become more common in recent years.This follows on from published clinical trials demonstrating an average of approximately 45%reduction in axial eye elongation when overnight OK is used in progressive myopic children.But there is significant individual variability in efficacy,and one of the current challenges for OK in myopia control is to identify those children who will benefit most from this particular intervention.Modifying OK lens parameters to customise corneal reshaping for enhanced myopia control efficacy also remains a significant challenge for the future of this modality.

Gene Expression Profiles in Porcine Tissues of Liver and Kidney

Microarray technologies are widely used all over the world for the gene expression analysis in various tissues, but still this technology has some limitations. The problem of eliminated reproducibility of the results, obtained in different laboratories using different platforms, is very relevant nowadays. For revelation of problems ofmicroarrays, the comparative analysis of hepatic and renal gene expression profiles （GEP） was carried out by using swine protein annotated oligonucleotide microarrays （SPAM）. Revealed differences in GEP between kidney and liver of pigs were correlated with functional and histological distinctions of these organs. It was shown that sources of errors in the comparative analysis of organ-specific GEP could be connected to the cross hybridization of one probe to transcripts （cDNA of mRNA） of different genes and to individual variability in gene expression between animals, related with the changeability of influences of exo- and endogenous regulation factors.

Searching for Variable Stars in the Field of NGC 7789

We present the results of a time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 7789. In a field of about one degree centering on the cluster, a total of 28 new variable stars are discovered (14 W UMa systems, nine EA-type eclipsing binaries, one RR Lyr star, and four unclassified). In addition, we recovered 11 old variables previously discovered by other authors. Preliminary parameters are given for some of these variables.

Pulsations of the High-Amplitude δ Scuti star YZ Bootis

We present a study on pulsations of the high-amplitudeδScuti star YZ Boo based on photometric observations in Johnson V and R bands with both the Nanshan 1-m telescope of Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory（XAO）and the Xinglong 85-cm telescope of National Astronomical Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences（NAOC）.Fourier analysis of the light curves reveals the fundamental radial mode and its five harmonics,with the fourth and fifth being newly detected.Thirtynine new times of maximum light are determined from the light curves,and combined with those in the literature,we construct the O-C diagram,derive a new ephemeris and determine a new value for the updated period of 0.104091579（2）.In addition,the O-C diagram reveals an increasing rate of period change for YZ Boo.Theoretical models are calculated and constrained with the observationally determined parameters of YZ Boo.The mass and age of YZ Boo are hence derived as M=1.61±0.05 M_⊙ and age=（1.44±0.14）×10~9 yr,respectively.With both the frequency of the fundamental radial mode and the rate of period change,YZ Boo is located at the post main sequence stage.

Variable stars in the open cluster NGC 2141

We report the results of a search for variable stars in the open cluster NGC 2141. Ten variable stars are detected, among which nine are new variable stars and they are classified as three short-period W UMa-type eclipsing binaries, two EA- type eclipsing binaries, one EB-type eclipsing binary, one very short-period RS CVn- type eclipsing binary, one d-type RR Lyrae variable star, and one unknown type of variable star. The membership and physical properties are discussed, based on their light curves, positions in the color magnitude diagrams, spatial locations and periods. A known EB-type eclipsing binary is also identified as a blue straggler candidate in the cluster. Furthermore, we find that all eclipsing contact binaries have prominent asymmetric eclipses and display the O＇Connell effect, which increases with a decrease in orbital periods. This suggests that the O＇Connell effect is probably related to the evolution of the orbital period in short period eclipsing binary systems.

1RXS J232953.9+062814: a New SU UMa Dwarf Nova below the Period Minimum

RXS 1232953.9+062814 was identified as a cataclysmic variable by Wei et al. (1999). Four low-resolution spectra of 1RXS J232953.9+062814 were obtained with the 2.16-rn telescope of the National Astronomical Observatories, of which two were at outburst, and two were at quiescence. The system is about 16.8 B and 16.5 V at quiescence, and 12.6 B and 12.6 V at outburst. The quiescent spectra were dominated by double-peaked Balmer emissions, which indicates a hydrogen-rich system with a high-inclination accretion disc. MgH and TiO absorption bands appeared in the quiescent spectrum which implies a companion with a spectral type of early M dwarf. If we take it as a MO dwarf, then the system is located at a distance of 350 pc with a proper motion velocity 150 km s-1. The superhump period of 0.046311 days was confirmed by our V photometry. The short period and the hydrogen-rich nature reveal that this system is another SU Ursae Majoris-type dwarf nova below the period minimum after V485 Centauri. 1RXS J23 2953.9+062814 is one of the most important systems for studying the evolutionary scenario of cataclysmic variables since it is much brighter than V485 Cen.

Analysis of a selected sample of RR Lyrae stars in the LMC from OGLE-Ⅲ

A systematic study of RR Lyrae stars is performed using a selected sample of 655 objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud （LMC） with long-term observations and numerous measurements from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment III project. The phase dispersion method and linear superposition of the harmonic oscillations are used to derive the pulsation frequency and properties of light variation. It is found that a dichotomy exists in Oosterhoff Type I and Oosterhoff Type II for RR Lyrae stars in the LMC. Due to our strict criteria for identifying a frequency, a lower limit for the incidence rate of Blazhko modulation in the LMC is estimated in various subclasses of RR Lyrae stars. For fundamental-mode RR Lyrae stars, the rate of 7.5% is smaller than the previous result. In the case of the first-overtone RR Lyrae variables, the rate of 9.1% is relatively high. In addition to the Blazhko variables, 15 objects are identified to pulsate in the fundamental/first-overtone double mode. Furthermore, four objects show a period ratio around 0.6, which makes them very likely to be rare pulsators in the fundamental/second-overtone double mode.

Golden Ratio Sinusoidal Sequences and the Multimode Pulsation of the δ Sct Star V784 Cassiopeiae

Non periodic ordered sequences obtained by production rules in formal grammars are applied to the analysis of the multi-periodicity of the δ-Scuti type variable star V784 Cas. An artificial light curve for V784 Cas is generated by a non deterministic derivation in a context-sensitive grammar by concatenation of two sinusoidal fragments following certain word sequences. The two basic building blocks represent temporal segments in a golden ratio and the number of long and short segments in a word are also in a golden ratio.

Physical parameters and orbital period variation of a newly discovered cataclysmic variable GSC 4560-02157

GSC 4560-02157 is a new eclipsing cataclysmic variable with an orbital period of 0.265359 days. By using the published V- and R-band data together with our observations, we discovered that the O - C curve of GSC 4560-02157 may show a cyclic variation with a period of 3.51 years and an amplitude of 1.40 min. If this variation is caused by a light travel-time effect via the existence of a third body, then its mass can be derived as M3 sin i1≈ 91.08 Mjup, and it should be a low-mass star. In addition, several physical parameters were measured. The color of the secondary star was determined to be V - R = 0.77（±0.03） which corresponds to a spectral type of K2-3. The secondary star＇s mass was estimated as M2 = 0.73（±0.02） Mo by combing the derived V - R value around phase 0 with the assumption that it obeys the mass-luminosity relation for main sequence stars. This mass is consistent with the mass-period relation for CV donor stars. For the white dwarf, the eclipse durations and contacts of the white dwarf yield an upper limit on the white dwarf＇s radius corresponding to a lower limit on mass of M1 ≈ 0.501 M⊙. The overestimated radius and previously published spectral data indicate that the boundary layer may have a very high temperature.

Photometry of δ Sct-type and Related Stars: Results of AD Ari, IP Vir and YZ Boo

Photometric results of three δ Scuti stars, AD Ari, IP Vir and YZ Boo from new observations obtained at the:Xinglong Station of the Beijing Astronom- ical Observatory (BAO) during 2000 aELd 2001 are reported. We present here the preliminary analyses. Detailed studies of these stars based on additional data will be published separately.

Long-term photometric behavior of the PMS stars V977 Cep and V982 Cep in the vicinity of NGC 7129

Long-term BVRI photometric light curves of the pre-main sequence stars V977 Cep and V982 Cep during the period from 2000 October to 2016 August are presented. The stars are located in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7129. Our photometric data show that both stars exhibit strong photometric variability in all optical passbands, which is typical for Classical T Tauri stars. Using our observational data we analyze the reasons for the observed brightness variations. In the case of V977 Cep we identify previously unknown periodicity in its light curve.

High amplitude δ Scuti star BO Lyn with evidence of a late A-type companion in an elliptical orbit

We present 145 times of light maximum for high amplitude δ Scuti star BO Lyn based on several sky surveys（CRTS,DASCH,NSVS,OMC and Super WASP）and our photometric observations.Combining with the data in literature,a total of 179 times of light maximum are used to analyze the O-C diagram of BO Lyn.We find that it can be described by an upward parabolic component and a periodic variation with a period of 34.5±0.1 yr.The latter could be caused by the light travel time effect as a result of an additional companion orbiting in a highly elliptical orbit（e=0.64±0.03）.Our study indicates that the companion’s luminosity cannot be ignored,and it should be a late A-type main-sequence star.The long-term period change of BO Lyn is also detected,and its value,1.52±0.26×10^（-3）d Myr^（-1）,is consistent with evolutionary models.We suggest that more spectroscopic and photometric observations are needed in the future to confirm the nature of the BO Lyn system.

Correlated Radio-Optical Variations on Intraday Timescales

Correlated radio-optical variations on intraday timescales have been observed （e.g. in BLO 0716＋714） and such radio intraday variability is suggested to have an intrinsic origin. Recently, multi-wavelength observations, simultaneous at radio, mm-submm, optical and hard X-rays, of 0716＋714, show that during a period of intraday/interday variations at radio and mm wavelengths, the apparent brightness temperature of the source exceeded the Compton-limit （-10^12 K） by 2-4 orders of magnitude, but no Compton catastrophe （or no high luminosity of inverse-Compton radiation） was detected. It is also found that the intraday/interday variations at mm-submm wavelengths are consistent with the evolutionary behavior of a standard synchrotron source and for the intraday/interday variations at centimeter wavelengths opacity effects can play a significant role, which is consistent with the interpretation suggested previously by Qian et al. Thus the apparent high brightness temperatures may probably be explained in terms of Doppler boosting effects due to bulk relativistic motion of the source. We will argue a scenario to simulate the correlations between the radio and optical variations on intraday timescales observed in BLO 0716＋714 in terms of a relativistic shock propagating through a jet with a dual structure.

Pulsation analysis of the high amplitude δ Scuti star CW Serpentis

Time-series photometric observations were made for the high amplitudeδScuti star CW Ser between 2011 and 2012 at the Xinglong Station of National Astronomical Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences.After performing the frequency analysis of the light curves,we confirmed the fundamental frequency of f=5.28677 c d 1,together with seven harmonics of the fundamental frequency,which are newly detected.No additional frequencies were detected.The O C diagram,produced with the 21 newly determined times of maximum light combined with those provided in the literature,helps to obtain a new ephemeris formula of the times of maximum light with the pulsation period of 0.189150355±0.000000003 d.

Discovery of 13 New Variable Stars in the Field of the Open Cluster NGC 2168 (M35)

A wide-field time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 2168 was carried out using the BATC Schmidt telescope. In total 13 new variable stars are discovered with three W UMa systems,one EA type and two EB type eclipsing binaries （one of them could be a W UMa system）, and seven pulsating stars including three candidates of δ Scuti stars.

Variable stars in the field of open cluster NGC 2126

We report the results of a time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of open cluster NGC 2126. In about a one square degree field covering the cluster, a total of 21 variable candidates are detected during this survey, of which 16 are newly found. The periods, classifications and spectral types of 14 newly discovered variables are discussed, which consist of six eclipsing binary systems, three pulsating variable stars, three long period variables, one RS CVn star, and one W UMa or δ Scuff star. In addition, there are two variable candidates, the properties of which cannot be determined. By a method based on fitting observed spectral energy distributions of stars with theoretical ones, the membership probabilities and the fundamental parameters of this cluster are determined. As a result, five variables are probably members of NGC 2126. The fundamental parameters of this cluster are determined as： metallicity to be 0.008 Z, age log（t） = 8.95, distance modulus （m - M）0 = 10.34 and reddening value E（B - V） = 0.55 mag.

Near-infrared studies of nova V5584 Sgr in the pre-maximum and early decline phase

We present near-infrared spectroscopic and photometric observations of nova V5584 Sgr taken during the first 12 d following its discovery on Oct. 26.439 UT2009. The evolution of the spectra is shown from the initial P Cygni phase to an emission line phase. The prominent carbon lines seen in the JHK spectra closely match those observed in an Fe II class nova outburst. The spectra show first-overtone CO bands in emission between 2.29-2.40 μm. By examining WISE and other publicly available data, we show that the nova underwent a pronounced dust formation phase between February- April 2010.

Refractive Focusing of Interstellar Clouds and Intraday Polarization Angle Swings

Intraday variations of compact extragalactic radio sources in flux density and polarization are generally interpreted in terms of refractive scintillation from the continuous interstellar medium of our Galaxy. However, continuous polarization angle swings of - 180° （for example, the one observed in the QSO 0917＋624） could not be interpreted in this way. Qian et al. have shown that the polarization angle swing observed in the QSO 1150＋812 can be explained in terms of focusing-defocusing effect by an interstellar cloud, which occults two closely-placed polarized components. Here we further show that the polarization angle swing event observed in the QSO 0917＋624 can also be explained in this way. We also found evidence for the cloud eclipsing a non-polarized （core） component during a short period out- side the swing. A particular （and specific） plasma-lens model is proposed to model-fit the polarization swing event of 0917＋624. Some physical parameters related to the plasma-lens and the source components are estimated. The brightness temperatures of the two lensed components are estimated to be -1.6× 10^13 K. Thus bulk relativistic motion with a Lorentz factor less than -20 may be sufficient to avoid the inverse - Compton catastrophe.