The Solar-Type Contact Binary BX Pegasi Revisited
We present the results of new CCD photometry for the contact binary BX Peg, made during three successive months beginning on 2008 September. As do historical light curves, our observations display an O'Connell effect and the November data by themselves indicate clear evidence for very short-term brightness disturbance. For these variations, model spots are applied separately to the two data sets, Group I (Sep.-Oct.) and Group II (Nov.). The former is described by a single cool spot on the secondary photosphere and the latter by a two-spot model with a cool spot on the cool star and a hot one on either star. These are generalized manifestations of the magnetic activity of the binary system. Twenty light-curve timings calculated from Wilson-Devinney code were used for a period study, together with all other minimum epochs. The complex period changes of BX Peg can be sorted into a secular period decrease caused dominantly by angular momentum loss due to magnetic stellar wind braking, a light-travel time (LTT) effect due to the orbit of a low-mass third companion, and a previously unknown short-term oscillation. This last period modulation could be produced either by a second LTT orbit with a period of about 16 yr due to the existence of a fourth body, or by the effect of magnetic activity with a cycle length of about 12 yr.

title: A Chemical Abundance Study of three RHB and two RGB stars in NGC6637 (M69)
abstract: We present a detailed chemical abundance study of three red horizontal branch and two red giant branch stars in the metal-rich globular cluster NGC 6637 (M69). The value of [Fe/H] derived from LTE calculations is $-$0.77 $\pm$ 0.02 dex. We also discuss the anticorrelation between oxygen and sodium abundances in the program stars and compare the [Si/Ti] ratio of NGC 6637 with those of other globular clusters.

title: Enrichment by supernovae in globular clusters with multiple populations
abstract: The most massive globular cluster in the Milky Way, ω Centauri, is thought to be the remaining core of a disrupted dwarf galaxy, as expected within the model of hierarchical merging. It contains several stellar populations having different heavy elemental abundances supplied by supernovae—a process known as metal enrichment. Although M 22 appears to be similar to ω Cen, other peculiar globular clusters do not. Therefore ω Cen and M 22 are viewed as exceptional, and the presence of chemical inhomogeneities in other clusters is seen as ‘pollution’ from the intermediate-mass asymptotic-giant-branch stars expected in normal globular clusters. Here we report Ca abundances for seven globular clusters and compare them to ω Cen. Calcium and other heavy elements can only be supplied through numerous supernovae explosions of massive stars in these stellar systems, but the gravitational potentials of the present-day clusters cannot preserve most of the ejecta from such explosions. We conclude that these globular clusters, like ω Cen, are most probably the relics of more massive primeval dwarf galaxies that merged and disrupted to form the proto-Galaxy.

title: Bootes II: Not a Dwarf Galaxy but Possibly Shed by One
abstract: We present moderately deep V I C photometry of Boötes II, obtained using the SOAR Telescope. While identified initially as an old, metal-poor, dwarf galaxy, Boötes II appears to be a moderately metal-rich globular cluster with [Fe/H] ≈ −0.7. The slope of the red giant branch suggests that [α/Fe] ≈ 0.0, and the turn-off indicates an age of 7 to 9 Gyrs, considerably younger than most globular clusters, but similar to Palomar 12. Like that object, Boötes II lies in the direction of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy tidal stream, and, with a distance of almost 50 kpc, is probably associated with the more distant portion of the stream, as defined by Belokurov et al. (2006a).

title: THE RR LYRAE VARIABLES AND HORIZONTAL BRANCH OF NGC 6656 (M22)
abstract: The first calibrated broadband UBVI time-series photometry is presented for the RR Lyrae variable stars in NGC 6656 (M22), with observations spanning a range of 22 years. We have also redetermined the variability types and periods for the RR Lyrae stars identified previously by photographic observations, revising the number of fundamental-mode RR Lyrae variables (RR0) to 10 and the number of first-overtone variables (RR1) to 16. The mean periods of the RR0 and RR1 variables are (P) {sub RR0} = 0.66 ± 0.02 days and (P) {sub RR1} = 0.33 ± 0.01 days, respectively, supporting an Oosterhoff II classification for the cluster. The number ratio of RR1-type to all RR-type variables is N {sub 1}/N{sub RR} = 0.61, also consistent with an Oosterhoff II designation. Both the RR Lyrae stars' minimum light colors and the blue edge of the RR Lyrae instability strip suggest E( B – – V) = 0.36 ± 0.02 mag toward M22. Regarding the HB morphology of M22, we find (B-R)/(B+V+R) = +0.97 ± 0.1 and at least one ''gap'' located in an unusual part of the blue HB, in the middle of the so-called hot HB stars.

title: INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF NGC 6791
abstract: We present deep JHK photometry of the old and metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791. The photometry reaches below the main-sequence turnoff to K ≈ 16.5 mag. We combine our photometry with that from Stetson et al. to provide color-magnitude diagrams showing K versus J - K, K versus V - K, and V versus V - K. We study the slope of the red giant branch in the infrared but find that it is not a useful metallicity indicator for the cluster, nor any metal-rich cluster that lacks a well-populated red giant branch, because it is not linear, as has often been assumed, in K versus J - K. The mean color of the red horizontal-branch/red clump stars provide an estimate of the cluster reddening, E(B - V) = 0.14 ± 0.04 mag for [Fe/H] = +0.4 ± 0.1. The mean magnitudes of these stars also provide a good distance estimate, (m - M)0 = 13.07 ± 0.04. Finally, we find that the isochrones of Yi et al. provide optimal fits in V versus B - V and V - K and K versus J - K and V - K for such values if [Fe/H] lies between +0.3 and +0.5 (with a slight preference for +0.5) and ages between 9 Gyr ([Fe/H] = +0.3) and 7.5 Gyr ([Fe/H] = +0.5).

title: Measurements of the meson-photon transition form factors of light pseudoscalar mesons at large momentum transfer
abstract: Using the CLEO II detector, we have measured the differential cross sections for exclusive two-photon production of light pseudoscalar mesons {pi}{sup 0}, {eta}, and {eta}{prime}. From our measurements we have obtained the form factors associated with the electromagnetic transitions {gamma}*{gamma} {yields} meson. We have measured these form factors in the momentum transfer ranges from 1.5 to 9, 20, and 30 GeV2 for {pi}{sup 0}, {eta}, and {eta}{prime}, respectively, and have made comparisons to various theoretical predictions.

title: Is Dark Matter a BEC or Scalar Field
abstract: This is a brief review on the history of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) or boson star model of galactic dark matter halos, where ultra-light scalar dark matter particles condense in a single BEC quantum state. The halos can be described as a self-gravitating, possibly self-interacting, coherent scalar field. 
On a scale larger than galaxies, dark matter behaves like cold dark matter while below that scale the quantum mechanical nature suppresses the dark matter structure formation due to the minimum length scale determined by the mass $m\st{>}{\sim}10^{-24} eV$ and the self-interaction of the particles. This property could alleviate the cusp problem and missing satellite problems of the $\Lambda$CDM model. Furthermore, this model well reproduces the observed rotation curves of spiral and dwarf galaxies, which makes the model promising.

title: The expected performance of the ATLAS inner detector
abstract: The ATLAS experiment  is a general purpose detector designed to exploit the discovery potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, which will provide protonproton collisions at a center of mass energy of 14 TeV. The Inner Detector will see of the order of 1000 charged particle tracks for every bunch crossing at the design luminosity of the LHC. A summary of the expected performance for reconstructing single particles is presented, along with some measures of the vertex resolution of the vertexing capabilities. The studies focus on the performance expected for the initial running at the start-up of the LHC.

title: Multi-site campaign for transit timing variations of WASP-12 b: possible detection of a long-period signal of planetary origin
abstract: The transiting planet WASP-12 b was identified as a potential target for transit-timing studies because a departure from a linear ephemeris has been reported in the literature. Such deviations could be caused by an additional planet in the system. We attempt to confirm the claimed variations in transit timing and interpret their origin.  We organised a multi-site campaign to observe transits by WASP-12 b in three observing seasons, using 0.5–2.6-metre telescopes.  We obtained 61 transit light curves, many of them with sub-millimagnitude precision. The simultaneous analysis of the best-quality datasets allowed us to obtain refined system parameters, which agree with values reported in previous studies. The residuals versus a linear ephemeris reveal a possible periodic signal that may be approximated by a sinusoid with an amplitude of 0.00068 ± 0.00013 d and period of 500 ± 20 orbital periods of WASP-12 b. The joint analysis of timing data and published radial velocity measurements results in a two-planet model that explains observations better than do single-planet scenarios. We hypothesise that WASP-12 b might not be the only planet in the system, and there might be the additional 0.1 MJup body on a 3.6-d eccentric orbit. A dynamical analysis indicates that the proposed two-planet system is stable on long timescales.

title: Oscillating inflation with a nonminimally coupled scalar field
abstract: The oscillating inflation model recently proposed by Damour and Mukhanov is investigated with nonminimal coupling. Numerical study confirms an inflationary behavior and density perturbation is obtained. Successful inflation requires the gravity-dilaton coupling to be small.