Context. Westerlund 1 is a young, massive Galactic starburst cluster that contains a rich coeval population of WolfRayet stars, hotand cool-phase transitional supergiants, and a magnetar. Aims. We use spectroscopic and photometric observations of the eclipsing double-lined binary W13 to derive dynamical masses for the two components, in order to determine limits for the progenitor masses of the...

One of the most remarkable properties of extrasolar planets revealed by the on-going radial-velocity surveys is their high orbital eccentricities, which are difficult to explain within our current theoretical paradigm for planet formation. Observations have shown that at least ∼ 20% of these planets, including some with particularly high eccentricities, are orbiting a component of a wide binary...

We have identified three possible ways in which future XMM-Newton observations can provide significant constraints on the equation of state of neutron stars. First, using a long observation of the neutron star X-ray transient Cen X–4 in quiescence one can use the RGS spectrum to constrain the interstellar extinction to the source. This removes this parameter from the X-ray spectral fitting of t...

Stripe wear occurs when the components of hip prostheses move a sufficient distance laterally to contact the edge of the acetabular cup, causing abnormally high contact stresses. In this research, edge loading contact of prosthetic hip is analyzed in the most commonly used material pairs. The contact dimensions and maximal contact pressure are investigated in mutative normal edge loading with 3...

Glenoid inclination has been associated with rotator cuff tears and superior humeral translation, but the relationship between glenoid inclination and superior humeral translation has not been assessed in vivo. This study compared glenoid inclination between repaired and contralateral shoulders in 21 unilateral rotator cuff repair patients. As a secondary analysis, we assessed the relationship ...

We determine the dynamical distance D, inclination i, mass-to-light ratio M/L and the intrinsic orbital structure of the globular cluster ω Cen, by fitting axisymmetric dynamical models to the ground-based proper motions of van Leeuwen et al. and line-of-sight velocities from four independent data-sets. We bring the kinematic measurements onto a common coordinate system, and select on cluster m...

The angle of inclination of the acetabular component in total hip replacement is a recognised contributing factor in dislocation and early wear. During non-navigated surgery, insertion of the acetabular component has traditionally been performed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the sagittal plane as judged by the surgeon's eye, the operative inclination. Typically, the method used to asses...

The AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn) binaries are a rare group of hydrogendeficient, ultra-short period, mass-transferring white dwarf binaries, and are possible progenitors of type Ia supernovae. We present time-resolved spectroscopy of the recently-discovered AM CVn binary SDSS J173047.59+554518.5. The average spectrum shows strong double-peaked helium emission lines, as well as a variety of met...

The Lyon-Meudon Extragalactic database (LEDA) gives a free access to the main astrophysical parameters for more than 100,000 galaxies. The most common names are compiled allowing users to recover quickly any galaxy. All these measured astrophysical parameters are first reduced to a common system according to well defined reduction formulae leading to mean homogeneized parameters. Further, these...

We present the results of a wide-field survey designed to measure the size, inclination, and radial distributions of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). The survey found 86 KBOs in 73 square degrees observed to limiting red magnitude 23.7 using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the 12k x 8k CCD Mosaic camera. For the first time, both ecliptic and off-ecliptic fields were examined to more accuratel...