Don't forget to read Part I here! The fashion crowd has left Paris. The endless Instagrams of the Eiffel Tower and the Jardin de Tuileries have come to an end. The world's top fashion designers have presented their Spring 2017 collections and are now prepping for the next season of fashion. It's a quick-moving world, but before we move on, let's take a look at the best stories, trends, and shows from these last few days of Fashion Month.
For many years, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were a fearsome design duo who worked together to create breathtaking collections for Valentino. But this season, Chiuri took over as head designer at Christian Dior following Raf Simon's departure, leaving Piccioli as the solo designer at Valentino. Before their solo debuts, the question was how this team would work individually, without the balance of the other. Now that we've seen the results, it's clear to see how each designer contributed to their collective Valentino vision, but as separate entities, one collection stood above.
At Dior, Chiuri presented a lovely collection of airy chiffon skirts, fencing influences, and tongue-in-cheek T-shirts. The end featured a group of delicate beaded gowns with tarot card motifs in a style that has become her signature. The obvious references to the future and also to feminism (Chiuri is the first woman to be head designer at Dior for the entirety of the brand's existence) were fun, if not a little too on the nose, but my main issue was that she stayed very much within her Valentino comfort zone, and the end result felt far away from the design codes of Christian Dior.
Perhaps Piccioli had the easier task, then, to simply continue his efforts at Valentino. No new archives to mine, no new ethos to put forward, and he did wonderful things sans his old design partner. Piccioli's spring collection was simply stunning, and it felt very much in line with the heritage of the house while maintaining a fresh attitude. It was romantic but strong, as the Valentino woman should be.
I remember the first few collections following Mr. Valentino's retirement were frustrating for me because they didn't feel in line with the original designer's ideas, but now I've grown so used to what Chiuri and Piccioli did for Valentino, so maybe all Chiuri needs is some time.
You can always count on Miu Miu for a fun close to Paris Fashion Week. For spring, Miuccia Prada dove into the world of poolside attire and synchronized swimming, adorning her models in frilly swim caps, Adidas-style shower slides, and coats draped to look like wrapped towels. Infused with candy-colored coats and psychedelic patterns, these clothes are sure to be the envy of every fashion editor for their March issues, and the accessories—including flatform sandals and enviable handbags—are sure to do well commercially, as is the Miu Miu way.
Spring collections are always heavy on colors and patterns, but Paris took it into high gear with a number of psychedelic prints. Elie Saab was totally starry eyed with colorful star motifs throughout the collections. Miu Miu looked straight out of Mad Men with pastel geometrics. Chloé, the boho brand for the modern girl with a penchant for the 70s, featured some pretty floral patterns. Hopefully you're sensing a trend like I am!
Most fashion designers turn to history for inspiration, but Karl Lagerfeld is constantly fascinated with the modern world and even the future. He turned the Grand Palais into a maze of computer hardware, with models in sideways baseball caps and typical Chanel pieces (tweed, pearls, interlocking C logos) winding their way through the technology. The clothes weren't as literal as they can be at Chanel, though the colorful tweeds and the metallics make reference to tech. Plus, there was a novelty robot bag that will be a favorite among street style stars for sure. This wasn't my favorite Chanel show—not after that incredible resort show in Cuba—but it was fun. You can always count on Lagerfeld for that much.
Who would have thought that so much of the conversation this week would have little to do with clothing? At the end of Milan Fashion Week, it was the prevalence of fashion bloggers at runway shows that drew the ire of the Vogue editors, leading to a lively conversation about the importance of social media influencers and their place in the world of high fashion. This week, Kim Kardashian's terrifying robbery was blamed on overzealous social media use that easily revealed locations and emphasized expensive possessions. Kardashian's ordeal serves as a warning to other social media stars who share every detail of their life, and has made many question the consequences of sharing personal details online (our parents warned us in the 90s, I guess).
In any case, it was fitting that blogger (or influencer? street style star?) Chiara Ferragni wore a sassy "I Heart Haters" T-shirt to the Louis Vuitton show on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. It was the perfect message to send to naysayers, especially at one of the hottest shows in Paris, and a fabulous way to end the week.
What was your favorite collection from Paris Fashion Week?


Are you constantly craving sugar? Or maybe you are suffering from afternoon fatigue? You may have the sugar blues.
Join me for this fun and interactive workshop, and learn how to make peace with your sweet tooth.
• Why you are having cravings & how to gain control without deprivation.
• What are the risks associated with excess sugar consumption.
• What the healthiest sources of sugar.
• How to increase your energy levels and maintain focus.


text:
Kansas lawmakers support sports betting
Gambling in the USA
Photo Source: pinterest.com
The recent Governor-elect Laura Kelly has pledged her support for allowing legalised sports betting in the state. There is no draft proposal in the fray during the upcoming session of the state, scheduled on January 14. Still, the topic is expected to be discussed. Senator Bud Estes, chairman of the committee that will be in charge of reviewing bills on the topic, said that sports betting will probably happen in some form, and encouraged lawmakers to participate in a special interim committee session on the topic on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"We need to be educated. I'm not going to let my committee go out and pass a lot of legislation right out of the bag. We need to be smarter before we do it," said Estes.
"It will generate more excitement and interest in sports, which I think will drive more traffic into these social settings," he said and added that it will also generate more revenue and jobs. "There are a lot of different opportunities there." commented Representative Jan Kessinger.
Related Topics:KansasLaura Kellylegalised sports bettingsports betting
Barona Resort and Casino's TGI Thursdays Barona Lottery Returns for the Holidays from December 6 through January 31
Mr Green is the Rising Star in Sports Betting 2018
Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master's degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.
GiG suspends sports betting on Rizk and Guts, challenging the Swedish regulator for clarification on the gambling law
New Figures Show How Online Gambling Continues to Grow in Portugal
Portugal's iGaming Revenue Increases in Q1 2019
France's Sports Betting Revenue Increases in Q1 2019
Indiana to Launch Sports Betting in September
Big game player: Betinvest engage lucrative LATAM sports betting market
Twin River Worldwide Holdings has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City and Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg from Eldorado Resorts in a cash transaction for $230 million.
The purchase price represents an implied trailing twelve month proforma earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation multiple of approximately 8.4× for the properties on a combined basis.
"This transaction continues our focus on creating long-term shareholder value as we strive to develop or acquire assets which we believe will prove accretive to our earnings," George Papanier, President and CEO of TRWH said.
"Isle Kansas City and Lady Luck Vicksburg expand our geographic footprint with assets in attractive markets. We believe these assets are a great fit for our portfolio and see the opportunity to increase the net cash flow from these properties by our redevelopment and operating plans. In particular, in Kansas City, where the property lies within an area near downtown that has been targeted by local officials for development, we feel there is opportunity for capital investment in the property which we believe will have a transformative impact and integrate well with local development efforts in the area," George Papanier added.
The transaction is subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and is expected to close in early 2020.
Victory for Lottery in Pennsylvania Casinos' Gambling Lawsuit
Photo Source: post-gazette.com
Pennsylvania casinos have lost a bid to close down online lottery games that they say are too much like casino gambling, just days before the state's first casinos launch their own online gambling portals.
The decision of Commonwealth Court is a victory for the state lottery, although the casino owners' 9-month-old lawsuit will continue.
Lottery officials say the games are in accordance with the 2017 state law that authorised them, but the casinos argue that some online lottery games violate it because they simulate slot machines and casino-style gambling.
The state regulators will allow Parx Casino and Penn Nation's Hollywood Casino to launch their online gambling portals to patrons statewide as part of a three-day test.
New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada are the only other states that allow online casino gambling.
New Jersey Sportsbooks Show Remarkable Year-Over-Year Growth While Online Casinos Flourish in June, According to PlayNJ.com
New Jersey's online casinos posted yet another near-record month in June while the state's online and retail sportsbooks showed strength during a typically slow month. In all, June's nearly $275 million handle was an impressive showing considering that the summer months are historically the slowest on the sports betting calendar, according to analysts from PlayNJ.com.
"To approach $275 million during a month where the only major sports betting event is the NBA Finals says something about the trajectory of New Jersey's market," says Dustin Gouker, lead sports betting analyst for PlayNJ.com. "Basketball clearly drives interest, but it also shows that interest in sports betting in general continues to expand."
New Jersey's sportsbooks accepted $273.2 million in bets in June, down 14% from $318.9 million in May, according to official reporting released Friday. The handle yielded $9.7 million in revenue, down 37% from $15.5 million in May.
June's handle was up dramatically from $15.3 million in June 2018, and revenue has nearly tripled from $3.5 million in June 2018. Since launch, New Jersey sportsbooks have generated a handle of $3.2 billion and a win of $203.8 million. And New Jersey's handle could surpass Nevada for the second consecutive month.
"The rate of growth will eventually level out, but I do not believe that time is at hand," Gouker said. "The fact that New Jersey is now on par with Nevada, a market that has matured over generations, is remarkable. Competition from the launch of Pennsylvania's sports betting apps could slow momentum, though."
Online sports betting generated 83% — $226.7 million — of June's handle, up from 82.6% in May. FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet generated $2.7 million in online gross revenue, or 28% of the state's handle, edging Resorts/DraftKings. FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands lead the retail market with $1.7 million in June gross revenue.
"FanDuel has refused to loosen its grip on the New Jersey market," Gouker said. "Other operators such as Monmouth Park and its associated online brands have shown plenty of growth, but at this point, it's becoming difficult to see when FanDuel and DraftKings will will be seriously challenged."
New Jersey's online casino and poker industry generated $38.1 million in June revenue. June's revenue was up 68% from $22.7 million gained in June 2018 and down slightly from $38.3 million in May.
The continued growth of online gambling — especially when online sports betting is factored in — shows that it could one day generate as much revenue as gambling in Atlantic City casinos. In fact, the Golden Nugget's online casino brands — home to the Golden Nugget, Betfair, and SugarHouse online casino brands — could surpass Golden Nugget Atlantic City's revenue before the end of the year. The Golden Nugget generated $13.6 million with its online casino games in June, down from $14.1 million in May. By contrast, Golden Nugget AC generated $15.8 million in June.
"Golden Nugget's ability to generate nearly 50% of its revenue through its online casino without cannibalizing its brick-and-mortar operations should be a wakeup call to every state lawmaker and casino owner who still make the false assumption that such a dynamic is not possible," said Steve Ruddock, lead online gambling analyst for PlayNJ.com. "Online and retail gambling are not simply compatible, they're mutually beneficial."
About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network and its state-focused branches (including PlayNJ.com and PlayPennsylvania.com) is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the U.S.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
from .crp import CRP
from .bah import BAH
from .anticor import Anticor
from .corn import CORN
from .bcrp import BCRP
from .cwmr import CWMR
from .olmar import OLMAR
from .pamr import PAMR
from .rmr import RMR
from .up import UP
from .wmamr import WMAMR
from .ons import ONS
from .kelly import Kelly
from .up import UP
from .eg import EG
from .bnn import BNN
from .dynamic_crp import DynamicCRP
from .best_so_far import BestSoFar
from .best_markowitz import BestMarkowitz
from .mpt import MPT

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
En Hanbok (i Sydkorea) eller Chosŏn-ot (i Nordkorea) er en traditionel koreansk kjole til semi-formel eller formel påklædning ved traditionelle lejligheder såsom festivaler, fester og ceremonier. Den er kendetegnet ved livlige farver og enkle linjer uden lommer. Selvom udtrykket bogstaveligt betyder "koreansk tøj", henviser Hanbok i dag normalt til tøj, der bæres i Joseon-dynastiets periode.

Eksterne henvisninger

 History of Hanbok
 Information about Hanbok
 Traditional Korean Clothing - Life in Korea
 Official Korea Tourism Organization - Hanbok Clothing
Folkedragter
Kultur i Korea

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Select a Show * The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeAidaDisney's Aladdin JR.Disney's Aladdin KIDSAnnie JR.Annie KIDSAnnieDisney's The Aristocats KIDSAvenue QDisney's Beauty and the Beast JR.Disney's Beauty and the BeastBilly Elliot The MusicalBring It On The MusicalCatch Me If You CanChitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. Chitty Chitty Bang BangDisney's Cinderella KIDSDisaster!The Drowsy ChaperoneElf The Musical JR.Elf The MusicalFame The Musical JR.Fame The MusicalFiddler on the Roof JR.Fiddler on the RoofFreaky Friday One-Act EditionFreaky FridayDisney's Frozen JR.A Funny Thing... ForumA Gentleman's Guide to Love and MurderGodspell JR.Godspell 2012GodspellGuys and Dolls JR.Guys and DollsHairspray JR.HairsprayDisney's High School Musical (One-Act Version)Disney's High School Musical 2 JR.Disney's High School Musical JR.Disney's High School MusicalHonk! JR.Honk!How to Succeed in Business...The Hunchback of Notre DameInto the WoodsRoald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach JR.Roald Dahl's James and the Giant PeachDisney's The Jungle Book KIDSJunie B. Jones The Musical JR. Junie B. Jones, The MusicalLegally Blonde The Musical JR.Legally Blonde The MusicalDisney's The Lion King JR.Disney's The Lion King KIDSDisney's The Little Mermaid JR.Disney's The Little MermaidLittle Shop of HorrorsMadagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.Mamma Mia!Mary Poppins JR. Mary PoppinsRoald Dahl's Matilda The MusicalDisney's Mulan JR.The Music Man JR.The Music Man KIDSMy Fair Lady NewsiesOliver! Once on This Island JR.Once on This IslandPeter and the StarcatcherPeter Pan (1954 Broadway Version)Disney's Peter Pan JR.Pippin Revival VersionThe Pirates of Penzance JR.The Pirates of PenzanceRent School EditionRentSchoolhouse Rock Live! JR.Schoolhouse Rock Live!Seussical JR.Seussical KIDSSeussicalShrek The Musical JR.Shrek The MusicalSingin' in the Rain JR.Singin' in the RainSister ActDisney's Sleeping Beauty KIDSSweeney Todd School EditionTarzanThe Theory of RelativityThoroughly Modern Millie JR.Thoroughly Modern MillieUrinetownThe Wedding SingerWest Side Story School EditionRoald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR.Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka KIDSRoald Dahl's Willy WonkaDisney's Winnie the Pooh KIDSXanadu JR.


Because, really, is there anything cuter?
I've said it before people, I'm a matching addict. Pjs, moms-and-daughters, fathers-and-sons, family sweaters—you name it, I'm into it. While I'm not a particularly sentimental person, something about people I love wearing matching ensembles…well, it gets me right there.
And really, there's no better time to break out (or splurge on) said identical gear than a holiday, and with Father's Day just around the corner, I've rounded up the cutest father-son combos you can find. From hipster shades to whale-embroidered shorts, these are the things that will make your heart melt. Aaaand, you'll probably get a thousand likes when you post them on Instagram, too. Winning!


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Q: Non-linear system - calculating phase shift between two sine waves - Fourier and Hilbert Edit: From the suggested use of the xcorr function, which gave a result of zero, this data is more likely to represent a non-linear system than I had first thought. In this case, the expressions for a and b are simplified and do not necessarily compare entirely with the real data. Moreover, the value for the phase shift d can no longer be assumed to be a constant.
I have two arrays of raw data that correspond to two sinusoidal signals at the same (known) frequency over time, where one is phase shifted by an unknown amount delta, d.  These signals can be described as:
a = A*sin(wt)
b = B*sin(wt+d)

Where w = 2*pi*f and A, B are the amplitudes of a and b, respectively.
The goal here is to evaluate the phase shift over time for the given signals. This could either be as an instantaneous value or as an averaged value over a number of cycles (which is small compared to the total number of cycles, i.e. at f = 150Hz a 10 second test is equivalent to 1500 cycles).
I am aware that there are many methods that can be used to evaluate such a problem and that many other users have already asked/answered questions on this subject. Below the methods with links to the original posts and the code that I have implemented. The problems I am having at the moment are:

*

*How to interpret the phase shift after it has been evaluated (for my scenario the phase shift is usually quoted as a single, positive number at a point in time that stays fairly constant over many cycles)

*Differences in value between different methods

*Are there any additional methods that I've missed?

For my data with a and b both sized [1 x 399] and covering 20 cycles. This is a small portion of the expected data and I'm using it to test out the different methods. It would be reasonable to expect a phase shift of at least 10 degrees although it is not known exactly:
Fourier Transform
Source: How do I calculate the phase shift between two sinusoidal signals?
fft_a = fft(a);
fft_a = fft_a(2:end);       %Drop the first point
angle_a = angle(fft_a);     %Angle the result

fft_b = fft(b);
fft_b = fft_b(2:end);       %Drop the first point
angle_b = angle(fft_b);     %Angle the result

ps1 = rad2deg(abs(angle_a - angle_b));     %Phase shift calculation

Using this method - what can I do to eliminate the spikes at the beginning/end? Do I need to set the the transform to perform over a certain number of points?
And how can I then plot the phase shift against time as surely this result is now in the frequency domain?
Hilbert Transform
Source: Identifying phase shift between signals
ha = hilbert(a);                 %Hilbert transform
hb = hilbert(b);

ps2 = rad2deg(angle(hb./ha));    %Phase shift calculation

Here the resultant phase shift over time is both negative and positive and seems to oscillate like a waveform. It's fairly consistent in shape but again, I do not know how to interpret the results. After taking the abs value of the phase shift, the result now varies between 0 and 30 degrees.
Graph:
For both these methods, how can I use the results to quote the phase shift as being a single value over a set period of cycles? Taking the mean doesn't seem like an exact method.
For a quick calculation of the phase shift I used:
ps3 = rad2deg(acos(dot(a,b)/(norm(a)*norm(b))))    %Norm product method

ps3 =

    11.8289

I'm fairly new to this type of analysis and a bit of a novice at Matlab so any corrections/guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: With the knowledge that this is a non-linear system, what methods can be used to best evaluate the phase shift?

A: What about cross-correlation?
with cross-correlation you should find an absolute maxima in the shift, since when you shift one of the two signal of the right amount, the two will become the same.
a = A*sin(wt)
b = B*sin(wt+d)
[c, time_c] = xcorr(a,b)
[m, i_m] = max(c)
d_ext = time_c(i_m) * T * w % T is the sampling time

it should work for a constant d, i'm not sure for a variable one.

A: What I mean is this:
clc

% Noiseless example data
x = 0:0.1:40*pi;

p1 = deg2rad(+5.74);
p2 = deg2rad(-4.28);

y = sin(x + p1);
z = sin(x + p2);

input = rad2deg(p1 - p2) % display injected phase difference

% Retrieve values using no assumptions

options = optimset('TolX'   , 0,...
                   'TolFun' , 0, ...
                   'display', 'off');

p1 = fminsearch(@(q) sum( (y - sin(x + q)).^2 ), 0, options);
p2 = fminsearch(@(q) sum( (z - sin(x + q)).^2 ), 0, options);

computed = rad2deg(p1 - p2) % display computed phase difference

For this example, the output is:
input =
    1.002000000000000e+001
computed =
    1.002000000000000e+001

But, as noted, this method is quite simplistic and the accuracy will decrease much faster than one of the other methods when noise comes into play.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


With cutbacks in the troubled computer and telephone fields expected to slow the growth of advertising spending this year, Madison Avenue executives met at the 28th annual Advertising Age Creative conference to face the challenge.
"Economic instability in the marketplace, expanding consumer sophistication and competitive challenges mean that advertising and marketing are undergoing major changes . . . that stand to alter the complexion of the entire industry," the meeting organizer declared in an advance statement to those who attended the conference, in New York.
Robert Coen, senior vice president and director of forecasting for the McCann-Erickson advertising agency, forecast that domestic ad spending in 1985 will increase only 9.1%, down from Coen's December projection of a 9.7% increase.
While Coen predicted some $95 billion will be spent on advertising overall this year, he said weaker than expected economic performance and a "flattening out" of spending by computer companies and utilities will contribute to a chillier advertising climate.
The forecast certainly doesn't warm the hearts of the 1,000 advertising executives expected to attend the three days of workshops, sponsored by the New York-based Advertising Age trade magazine. Held annually, the conference is attended by many of the nation's top advertising executives, who will discuss new marketing and advertising techniques and trends.
But on Sunday they learned from keynote speaker Brian G. Dyson, president of Coca-Cola USA, how to avoid the kind of marketing gaffe that forced Coke to resurrect its controversial 99-year-old soft drink as Coca-Cola Classic.
In a 45-minute speech to conference goers, Dyson conceded that the marketing move "has been a strain" on the company but added--tongue in cheek--that sometimes it pays "to do something smart and imaginative or controversial and notorious."
Madison Avenue had been in an upbeat mood for much of the last three years as heavy consumer spending pulled the nation out of a crippling recession.
Rapid growth in consumers' personal incomes and greater use of credit were largely responsible for the surge in spending, but economic forecasters predict that may change, although there are as yet no signs that overall consumer spending is abating.
Symbolically, the cutbacks in the computer and telephone industries are among the most disturbing trends to face the advertising industry since the 1970s when, according to author William Meyers, recession-weary consumers failed to respond to Madison Avenue's marketing touch.
"The sudden disappearance of Ad Alley's consumer clout during the early 1970s shocked and alarmed advertisers across the country," wrote Meyers in a recently published book on the advertising industry, "The Image-Makers." That was the decade, Meyers wrote, that the economy and changing life styles prompted consumers to grow more skeptical and tight-fisted.
Forecaster Coen believes that growth in the banking and financial services industry may ultimately compensate for the slowdown in high tech.
But for now, conference organizers said in their brochure, the push is on to "think smarter" by trying to "revitalize old-line companies."
Ironically, it was the high-technology industries that, in part, helped rejuvenate the advertising industry--both creatively and financially--after it suffered a loss of confidence in the 1970s.
But the two industries have since fallen on hard times themselves.
American Telephone & Telegraph last week announced that it was laying off 24,000 of its employees. Apple Computer, Intel Corp. and National Semiconductor have all slashed their advertising budgets, forcing high-tech advertising and public relations firms to lay off 5,000 workers since the beginning of the year, according to Adweek, a trade magazine.
Apple, whose meteoric rise in sales has been attributed to its clever but expensive advertising campaign, plans to cut its ad budget by 30% to $50 million, industry sources say.


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Colorado Congressional Redistricting, Episode V (Abdication) – or, Why… »
« Colorado Senate kills bill to repeal unconstitutional 'Amazon Tax'…
Colorado Congressional Redistricting goes to the courts
Published May 12, 2011 | By CTBC Director
For the fourth consecutive decade, the ultimate decision on the shape of Colorado's Congressional districts will fall to the courts. Despite Colorado's clear constitutional language assigning responsibility for Congressional redistricting to the General Assembly, the state legislature again failed to pass a redistricting bill and abdicated responsibility to the judicial branch – further politicizing the courts.
This intentional politicization of the judiciary – increasingly seen as acting as just another category of politician, distinguished from the other branches only by a unique mode of dress (black robes) – is corrosive to our institutions, and undermines the sanctity of the rule of law.
The Colorado Constitution, Article V Section 44, unambiguously assigns this responsibility to the legislative branch:
Text of Section 44:Representatives in Congress.
The general assembly shall divide the state into as many congressional districts as there are representatives in congress apportioned to the state by the congress of United States for the election of one representative to congress for each district. When a new apportionment shall be made by congress, the general assembly shall divide the state into congressional districts accordingly.
For the second consecutive decade, Colorado is treated to the sad spectacle of the state Senate majority blocking any possibility of compromise legislation and intentionally sending the issue to the courts. The plan has apparently been in the works for at least a year – with the 2010 session closing out with the "Mary-mandering" bill (HB1408) enabling the courts to consider "non-neutral factors" such as partisan affiliation when evaluating redistricting plans.
The first step in the court battle over Colorado Congressional redistricting was taken even before the legislature had officially adjourned, with the filing of two lawsuits (one from the Democrats, one from the Republicans) on Tuesday, 10 May 2011, in Denver District Court (which has original jurisdiction).
As reported in Law Week Colorado,
Competing lawsuits over the redistricting of Colorado's Congressional districts have been randomly assigned to Denver District Court Judge William Hood, who has been registered as an unaffiliated voter since April 2008. His previous political affiliation wasn't immediately known.
Hood, a 2007 appointee of Democratic former Gov. Bill Ritter, was at the time of his appointment a lawyer with Denver law firm Isaacson Rosenbaum. Hood was retained in the 2010 judicial retention election [Ed. Note: Hood will therefore next be subject to a retention vote in 2016, since District Court judges serve a term of 6 years]
However, the case may not remain with Judge Hood, due to his past association (working together at the same law firm) with Democrat attorney Mark Grueskin, as also reported by Law Week online:
Denver District Judge William Hood, who was randomly assigned to hear Colorado congressional redistricting lawsuits filed Tuesday by Republicans and Democrats, once was a law-firm colleague of the lead attorney for the Democratic side.
Before his appointment to the Denver bench in 2007, Hood worked at Isaacson Rosenbaum, the firm that until recently employed Democratic Party lawyer Mark Grueskin.
Asked about a possible conflict between himself and the judge, Grueskin said, "Even before you get to the issue that he and I were formerly colleagues, he may have a docket that's full."
Astute observers of Clear The Bench Colorado (or of Colorado politics in general) may recall Mark Grueskin from his role in establishing a shadowy and well-funded special-interest group to counteract the Clear The Bench Colorado judicial accountability efforts during the 2010 judicial retention elections.
In any event, the case (combined cases, actually) bears careful watching as it plays out in court.
Read the Republican redistricting lawsuit here.
Read the Democrat redistricting lawsuit here.
Additional references:
Constitutional Provisions Controlling Reapportionment/Redistricting (official Colorado state website, which collates relevant constitutional language on Congressional redistricting and state legislative reapportionment)
Redistricting in Colorado (Ballotpedia site – although the site contains several errors, some of which are being corrected, it does provide useful context and historical background on past restricting battles. As with any Wiki site – contributions come from a variety of sources and are frequently edited – proceed with some skepticism)


text:
The Tuxedo (2002)
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Cabbie-turned-chauffeur Jimmy Tong learns there is really only one rule when you work for playboy millionaire Clark Devlin : Never touch Devlin's prized tuxedo. But when Devlin is temporarily put out of commission in an explosive accident, Jimmy puts on the tux and soon discovers that this extraordinary suit may be more black belt than black tie. Paired with a partner as inexperienced as he is, Jimmy becomes an unwitting secret agent.
Hunting Ava Bravo (2022)
Billionaire sportsman Buddy King unwinds by hunting human captives on his remote mountain estate. But his latest victim, Ava Bravo, is no easy target.
Looop Lapeta (2022)
When her boyfriend loses a mobster's cash, Savi races against the clock to save the day — if only she can break out of a curious cycle of dead ends.
Species (1995)
In 1993, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Project receives a transmission detailing an alien DNA structure, along with instructions on how to splice it with human DNA. The result…
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In the last months of World War II, as the Allies make their final push in the European theatre, a battle-hardened U.S. Army sergeant named 'Wardaddy' commands a Sherman tank…
Country: USA, China, UK
Henry Brogan is an elite 51-year-old assassin who's ready to call it quits after completing his 72nd job. His plans get turned upside down when he becomes the target of…
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
Fourteen years after Third Impact, Shinji Ikari awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, NERV has been dismantled, and…
Genre: Action, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
News of the World (2020)
A Texan traveling across the wild West bringing the news of the world to local townspeople, agrees to help rescue a young girl who was kidnapped.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Western
The Debt Collector (2018)
A classically-trained martial artist goes to work as a debt collector for the mob. The job seems easy enough, until one "client" pulls him into a situation deeper than could…
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000)
Buzz Lightyear must battle Emperor Zurg with the help of three hopefuls who insist on being his partners.
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
As the war between the vampires and the Lycans rages on, Selene, a former member of the Death Dealers (an elite vampire special forces unit that hunts werewolves), and Michael,…
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
The Flu (2013)
A case of the flu quickly morphs into a pandemic. As the death toll mounts and the living panic, the government plans extreme measures to contain it.
Trailer: The Tuxedo (2002)


Free agent QB Peyton Manning is definitely making the rounds. On my way to Nashville this afternoon I tuned to the talk radio stations and they were buzzing about Peyton Manning and the location of his plane. Curious, I kept listening. The buzz is that Manning is taking a meeting with the Titans and just about everyone, and I mean everyone in Tennessee is trying to find the plane carrying Manning to Nashville.
So I called my old news buddies here in Nashville (thanks Fox 17). Here's what I was able to find out.
Bud Adams, owner of the Titans, flew the Titans jet to Nashville from Texas this morning. He had filed a flight plan to go to Raleigh, North Carolina but he canceled that flight plan.
Manning has planned a meeting with Mike Munchak, Titans coach and a friend of Manning's father. They also appear to be stacking the deck by also courting longtime Manning buddy free agent guard Steve Hutchinson.
In the meantime, Manning's plane is still eluding Tennesseans, and Hoosiers, alike.
If he meets with the Titans in Tennessee, my Tennessee news guys will let us know!


The backdrop itself is breathtaking. Harvard Stadium, the first collegiate athletic stadium built in the United States in 1903, has been the stage for countless athletic battles for more than a century. From the power of its concrete steps leading up to the regal pillars lining the top of the framework, it's the epitome of battleground for competitors – or shall we say gladiators – in any sport.
On this particular Saturday, Harvard Stadium would be the stage for a Major League Lacrosse contest between the Cannons and the freshest franchise in the league, the Atlanta Blaze. The action was furious and the crowd was rowdy, a precursor to what will be on display well into the summer months at this legendary venue.
The Cannons sit at 1-1 on the young season, and travel to Maryland for a match-up with the Chesapeake Bayhawks before returning home to square off against the Rochester Rattlers on May 14.
Stay tuned for more to come throughout the Boston Cannons season, and visit their web site to catch the squad live at Harvard Stadium.


I love Christmas decorations. I love a Christmas tree! It provides the perfect amount of light. I love coming home to see the tree all lit up. It adds warmth and comfort to a home. And I love Christmas lights! I've been know to string white Christmas lights throughout my home and leave them up indefinitely. Last year, I went a bit Christmas crazy and attempted some homemade Christmas crafts. But since I do not have a crafty bone in my body, my home ended up looking like a Kindergarten classroom. I still kind of loved it, but I am not sure those decorations will be making a reappearance this year.
Over the holidays, I love getting together with family and friends, that you somehow did not make time to see throughout the year. And I love giving gifts! Finding that perfect gift for someone I love, especially when they are unaware how much they want/need it. I love seeing their reaction. It is priceless.
I love Christmas music – all of it. From O Holy Night to The Chipmunk Song to Jingle Bells to Christmastime in New Orleans. I love singing and dancing along.
All of these things are fun ways to celebrate Christmas. But they have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of our Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ.
My son Finn is almost 3 years old and he is at that age where he is starting to get things. So this year, we are setting the foundation of what he understands about Christmas. Realistically, our Christmas decorations, gift giving and music traditions will continue. But how do we convey to a 3 year old that those things are secondary to Jesus' birth?
I've picked up some ideas from friends, who also have young children. Some have a birthday cake for Jesus. (Of course, I love this idea!) Some avoid the Santa Claus charade. Others support non-profit organizations and downplay the gift giving. Growing up, we always read the story of Jesus' birth during our family Christmas.
It is a lot to consider. What will we teach our child about Christmas? I hope the secular traditions we choose to continue in our family will not overshadow that Jesus is the reason for this Christmas season.


text:
\section{Introduction}\label{sec-intro}

Although it was over 100 years ago that Henrietta Leavitt discovered
the Cepheid Period--Luminosity relation (PL, \citealt{leavitt1908}),
or ``Leavitt Law'', few tools in astronomy have such enduring
importance. Classical Cepheid variable stars are fundamental
calibrators of the extragalactic distance scale and in addition their
observed properties are a benchmark for stellar evolution models of
intermediate mass stars. It is now widely accepted that distances
derived from SN Ia are still significantly influenced by the classical
Cepheid calibration: \citet{riess2005} found a change of 15\% in the
value of $H_0$ when only modern, high-quality SN Ia data and HST
Cepheids were used. Recent works have extended optical and
near-infrared PL and period--color (PC) relations to the mid-infrared
(mid-IR), where there is less interstellar extinction, with
observations of Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids
(\citealt{freedman2008, ngeow2008, ngeow2009, madore2009a}) with the
\emph{Spitzer}{} Space Telescope \citep{werner2004}.

Evolutionary and pulsation properties of intermediate-mass stars in
the core He-burning phase, like Cepheids, play a crucial role in
several long-standing astrophysical problems. They are transition
objects between stellar structures ending up their evolution either as
white dwarfs or as core collapse supernovae. Therefore, they are not
only the most popular primary distance indicators, but are also
crucial to understanding the chemical evolution of stellar systems
hosting a substantial fraction of young stars, e.g the Galactic disk
and the dwarf irregular galaxies in the Local Group and in the Local
Volume ($d \la 10$~Mpc).

Although these objects are fundamental for stellar evolution
\citep{bono2000, beaulieu2001}, stellar pulsation \citep{bono1999,
  marconi2005}, and Galactic chemical evolution models
\citep{pedicelli2009, spitoni2009}, current predictions are still
hampered by several problems. The most outstanding issue is the
``Cepheid mass discrepancy'' between pulsation masses of classical
Cepheids and their evolutionary masses. Evidence was brought forward
more than 30 years ago by \citet{fricke1972} who found that pulsation
masses were from 1.5 to 2 times smaller than the evolutionary
masses. This conundrum was partially solved \citep{moskalik1992} by
the new sets of radiative opacities released by the Opacity Project
\citep{seaton1994} and by OPAL \citep{rogers1992}. However, several
recent investigations focused on Galactic Cepheids \citep{bono2001a,
  caputo2005} and Magellanic Cloud Cepheids \citep{beaulieu2001,
  bono2002, keller2006} suggest that such a discrepancy still amounts
to 10--15\%. Measured masses of Galactic binary Cepheids
(e.g. \citealt{evans2008}) are also smaller than predicted by
evolutionary models neglecting core convective overshooting during
central hydrogen burning phases.

The relative importance of the main factors affecting Cepheid model
mass estimates (extra-mixing, rotation, radiative opacity, mass loss
and binarity) is still debated. Even though commonly used
semi-empirical relations \citep{reimers1975, dejager1997} do not
predict enough mass loss to solve the Cepheid mass discrepancy
problem, mass loss may indeed be the key culprit among the physical
mechanisms suggested to explain the mass discrepancy problem. The
semi-empirical mass loss relation derived by \citet{reimers1975} is
clearly inadequate to correctly estimate the mass loss for certain
evolutionary phases of giant stars (see e.g. \citealt{willson2000}).
A plausible increase in the typically adopted Reimers wind free
parameter ($0.2 \le \eta \le 0.4$) does not account for the entire
range in mass covered by cluster horizontal branch (central helium
burning) stars \citep{yong2000, castellani2005, serenelli2005}.
There is no good reason why a similar discrepancy should not
affect intermediate-mass stars.

Mass loss is often betrayed by the presence of dust shells,
detectable as infrared excesses, or by stellar winds which produce
blue-shifted absorption dips in the ultraviolet. Empirical estimates
of mass loss rates based on infrared (IRAS) and ultraviolet (IUE
spectra) observations for a large sample of Galactic Cepheids suggest
mass-loss rates ranging from 10$^{-10}$ to 10$^{-7}$~M$_\odot$~yr$^{-1}$
\citep{deasy1988}. However, evidence for mass loss rates high enough
to affect evolution is very rare, and it is not clear that mass loss
is a wide-spread phenomenon. \citet{mcalary1986} used IRAS photometry
\citep{beichman1985} and found evidence of very cool dust ($T_d \la
50$~K) around two classical Cepheids (RS~Pup{} and SU~Cas) known to be
associated with reflection nebul\ae{}. Due to the very large IRAS
beamsize (as large as $\sim 5$~arcmin), however, it was very difficult
to separate local dust emission from ``Galactic cirrus'' background
emission. More recently, $K$ band near-IR interferometric observations
\citep{merand2006, merand2007, kervella2006, kervella2008,
  kervella2009} have detected circumstellar emission around five
Classical Cepheids: $\delta$~Cep{}, $\ell$~Car, Polaris, Y~Oph and
RS~Pup. While the nature of the material responsible for this emission
remains mysterious, this is a tantalizing suggestion that mass loss
activity may be present around these nearby Cepheids. A similar
conclusion was also reached by \citet{neilson2009}, that using OGLE
(Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment; \citealt{udalski1999}) and
\emph{Spitzer}{} data for Magellanic Cepheids, found evidence of a wide
range of mass loss rates.

To investigate this possibility, we have obtained \emph{Spitzer}{}
observations of a sample of Galactic Classical Cepheids. All stars
were observed with both the \emph{Spitzer}{} Infrared Array Camera (IRAC,
\citealt{fazio2004}) and the Multiband Infrared Photometer for
\emph{Spitzer}{} (MIPS, \citealt{rieke2004}). The aim of the IRAC
observations was to characterize Galactic Cepheid colors in the
mid-IR, where the emission from the photosphere is still dominant, and
search for infrared excess related to warm ($\sim 500$~K)
circumstellar dust. The MIPS observations were intended to investigate
the presence of extended emission from cool ($\la 100$~K) dust, taking
advantage of the higher angular resolution of \emph{Spitzer}{} (5~arcsec at
24~\micron). In this paper we present the photometry of our Cepheid
sample in the IRAC and MIPS bands, discussing their PL and
period-color (PC) relations. The results of our search for extended
emission in IRAC and MIPS images will be presented in a separate paper
(Barmby et al. in preparation).

The criteria for our sample selection are laid out in
section~\ref{sec-sample}, and the observations are described in
section~\ref{sec-obs}. The techniques adopted to measure the source
photometry in all IRAC and MIPS bands are discussed in detail in
section~\ref{sec-phot}. In section~\ref{sec-leavitt} we derive the
Leavitt Law and PC relations in the IRAC and MIPS bands, and we
compare them with similar relations obtained for the LMC. We study the
intrinsic mid-IR colors of Cepheids in section~\ref{sec-excess}, where
we set limits on infrared excess at \emph{Spitzer}{} wavelengths. Our
results are discussed in section~\ref{sec-discussion} and summarized
in section~\ref{sec-summary}.

\section{Sample Selection}\label{sec-sample}

Our sample stars are listed in Table~\ref{tab-targets}.  They include
29 bright $(K<5.1)$ nearby Cepheids, as well as 3 non-variable
supergiants and one red giant added for comparison.  The sample was
selected to cover a range of several characteristics which may
influence mass loss, or enable us to understand it better. Several of
the Cepheids are in clusters, three are first-overtone pulsators, and
eight are in multiple star systems. The range of periods is about a
factor of ten, and several Bump Cepheids ($9 \le P \le 12$ days) are
included so that we could investigate whether these objects present a
peculiar mass loss rate.  Our sample includes all 9 Cepheids with
measured angular diameters \citep{nordgren2000, lane2002,
  kervella2004} at the time of the \emph{Spitzer}{} proposal submission, as
well as 5 stars (Polaris, S~Mus, W~Sgr, V350~Sgr, and FF~Aql) with
observed masses \citep{evans1997, evans2006, evans2008, evans2009,
  benedict2007}. V350~Sgr, S~Mus, RS~Pup, and $\beta$~Dor are the only
Cepheids with 60~\micron{} excesses observed by IRAS, so they can be
used to check the earlier results. Our sample also includes Y~Oph, a
long period Cepheid with a surprisingly small amplitude and placid
velocity structure (based on line profiles). Its unusual
characteristics make it a candidate for an unusual history (either
mass loss, coalescence, peculiar chemical composition, evolutionary
status).

The stars were also selected for the availability of accurate distance
determinations (with the exception of the cluster star V636~Sco whose
parallax is very uncertain). For 7 Cepheids we have adopted the HST
Fine Guidance Sensor parallaxes measured by \citet{benedict2007},
while we have adopted the Hipparcos distance for Polaris
\citep{vanleeuwen2007}. For the other stars we have adopted distances
derived with the infrared surface brightness (hereafter IRSB)
technique (see e.g. \citealt{fouque1997}). While the IRSB method can
provide very precise parallaxes when the pulsational velocity and
lightcurve of a pulsating star is known, the conversion between the
observable radial velocity $v_r$ into pulsational velocity $v_p$
depends on the so-called projection factor $p = v_p/v_r$. The
$p$-factor, despite its name, does not depend exclusively on the
geometry of the star, but also on its physical properties, including
the period (see e.g. \citealt{nardetto2007}). Several $p(P)$ relations
have been proposed, and agreement on which one better describes the
true dependence of the $p$-factor from period is missing (see
e.g. \citealt{romaniello2008}). Until 2007 several catalogs of Cepheid
IRSB distances (\citealt{storm2004, groenewegen2004, barnes2005} among
others) used the relation $p = 1.39 - 0.03 \log P$ \citep{gieren1993}
characterized by a weak dependence from the period. More recently
\citet{nardetto2007} proposed a new ``steeper'' relation $p = 1.366 -
0.075 \log P$, which is used in the \citet{fouque2007} catalog.

In Table~\ref{tab-targets} we provide two separate columns for the
distance of our targets: the first column mainly lists the ``new''
distance determination from \citet{fouque2007}, while the second lists
the ``old'' IRSB distances. In both cases, whenever available, we
adopt the \citet{benedict2007} and \citet{vanleeuwen2007} distances,
which are independent from the $p$-factor. For three stars (DT~Cyg,
V350~Sgr and U~Aql) we could not find their IRSB distance estimated
using the ``old'' $p(P)$ relation. For completeness we derive the
``old'' distance of these stars (plus V636~Sco) using the method
described in \citet{fouque1997}. These distances, and the parameters
used to derive them, are listed in Table~\ref{tab-extrad}. $V$ and
$E(B-V)$ are derived from the Dunlap Observatory Database of Galactic
Classical Cepheids \citep{fernie1995}, $K$ magnitudes from
\citet{vanleeuwen2007} or \citet{welch1984}, while $R_0$ and $\Delta
R_0$ from \citet{moskalik2005}.

All stars except 3 (DT~Cyg, SZ~Tau and Polaris) are listed as
fundamental mode pulsators, according to \citet{fouque2007}. FF Aql is
here assumed to pulsate in the fundamental mode, as proposed by
\citet{benedict2007}, despite having been previously classified as a
first overtone Cepheid by \citet{feast1997}.

\section{Observations}\label{sec-obs}

The observations were executed between July 19, 2006 and October 28,
2007 as part of the \emph{Spitzer}{} Space Telescope Cycle 3 General
Observer program with PID 30666. Each star was observed in IRAC 3.6,
4.5, 5.8 and 8.0~\micron{} and MIPS 24 and 70~\micron{} bands. The
MIPS 160~\micron{} band was not used: the known near-infrared leak in
this filter would have resulted in strong contamination by
starlight.

The IRAC observations were designed to provide, whenever possible,
high S/N unsaturated images at all wavelengths well within the
linearity regime of the detectors, using the IRAC subarray mode with
0.02 or 0.4~sec frame times. For targets brighter than $K \sim 2.5$
even the shortest subarray frame time was too long to prevent
saturation. For this reason, 6 stars were observed using IRAC full
frame stellar mode (frame time of 0.4~sec at 3.6 and 4.5~\micron{} and
2~sec at 5.8 and 8.0~\micron), with the intent to produce heavily
saturated images suitable for PSF-fitting photometry on high S/N
unsaturated ``wings'' and diffraction spikes. Four other targets were
observed in both subarray and full frame stellar mode, to provide
photometric cross-calibration between the two modes of observations
and to check for linearity. Polaris was not observed with IRAC as part
of this program, since archival data obtained during Cycle 1
(\emph{Spitzer}{} program 19) was available. Each star was dithered on the
array in 4 (subarray) or 5 (full frame) positions, using a small scale
Gaussian offsets pattern, in order to facilitate transient outlier and
bad pixel removals, and produce a better spatial sampling of the
images. The total time on source, for each band, was 25.6~sec for the
subarray observations. Full frame observations had 2.0~sec (3.6 and
4.5~\micron) and 10~sec (5.8 and 8.0~\micron) total integration
times. The IRAC data were reduced starting from the Basic Calibrated
Data (BCDs) generated by the \emph{Spitzer}{} IRAC pipeline versions S14.4.0
through S16.1.0. Mosaic images with a pixel scale of 0.8627~arcsec/pix
for each source in each band were then created using the IRACproc
post-BCD software \citep{schuster2006}.

MIPS observations at both 24~\micron{} and 70~\micron{} were obtained
with the Photometry Astronomical Observation Template.  The
24~\micron{} observations used 1~cycle of 3~sec frames with the
standard 16 point dither pattern. The MIPS 70~\micron{} observations
used the default pixel scale and small field size, with 1 to 12 cycles
of 3 or 10~sec frames (depending on source and background brightness)
with the standard dither pattern. The cluster Cepheids S~Nor, U~Sgr,
and V~Cen had slightly different 70~\micron{} observations: 2 adjacent
fields of view were observed, to increase the sky coverage to $5\times
5$\arcmin.  The total on-source integration times were 48.2~sec at
24~\micron{} and from 37.7 to 1,300.2~sec at 70~\micron.  The MIPS
data, generated by the \emph{Spitzer}{} pipeline version S16.1, was
retrieved from the Archive.  No post-processing was performed on most
of the data: post-BCD mosaics were used for the 24~\micron{} data and
most of the 70~\micron{} data (filtered versions were used).  For the
three cluster stars (S~Nor, SZ~Tau, U~Sgr), the 70~\micron{} data was
remosaiced using MOPEX to combine the data for the two fields of
view. The pipeline mosaics for two other stars (RS~Pup, GH Lup)
showed negative sidelobes; for these stars the BCDs were time- and
column filtered and the mosaics re-made.

\section{Source Photometry}\label{sec-phot}

We measured the IRAC Vega magnitude of all sources observed in
subarray mode using aperture photometry. We derived photometric zero
points from the IRAC absolute calibration factors (FLUXCONV) in the
BCD headers (listed in Table~\ref{tab-params}). For most sources we
used an aperture of 12.2~arcsec radius ($\sim 10$~pixels in the IRAC
array pixel scale) with background level determined from a sky annulus
with 12.2 and 24.4 arcsec inner and outer radii. This aperture is the
standard used for the IRAC point source calibration, and as such
corresponds to an aperture correction equal to one. Three stars
(AQ~Pup, VY~Car and FF~Aql, see Figure~\ref{fig-thumb}) had one or
more background sources falling within this aperture, and required
using a smaller 6.1~arcsec radius aperture ($\sim 5$ IRAC pixels). For
these sources we derived our own aperture corrections, listed in
Table~\ref{tab-params}, using the other stars as templates. This
determination of the aperture correction is more reliable than using
the values listed in the IRAC Data
Handbook\footnote{http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/irac/dh/} (2006),
which were obtained from images with different spatial sampling and
dither pattern. We have corrected our subarray point source photometry
for the position-dependent geometric and gain distortion factors
provided by \citet{hora2008}. These factors ($f_{corr}$) are listed in
Table~\ref{tab-params} for the subarray central position. The
photometric uncertainty was estimated adding in quadrature the sky RMS
variation and source photon noise. At 3.6 and 4.5~\micron, an extra
1\% uncertainty due to uncharacterized pixel-phase variations was also
added (see the IRAC Data Handbook, 2006, p. 50).

The IRAC photometry of the stars observed in full frame stellar mode
was obtained by fitting the unsaturated ``wings'' and diffraction
spikes of the mosaic images with the IRAC extended Pixel Response
Function (PRF). The extended PRF was constructed from multi-epoch deep
images of Sirius, Vega (2 epochs), Fomalhaut (2 epochs),
$\epsilon$~Eridani (2 epochs) and $\epsilon$~Indi, obtained in a
separate Guaranteed Time Observation program (PID 90) and IRAC
calibration observations. The individual observations were reduced
with IRACproc, and the mosaic of each star was masked to remove any
pixel closer than 50\% or 80\% to the saturation level to preserve
flux linearity. The individual images were then rescaled to one of the
images of Vega and combined with a sigma-clipping algorithm in order
to remove background sources. The final product is a high S/N
representation of the extended features of the IRAC Point Spread
Function (PSF) projected on the IRAC pixel grid (e.g. a PRF), and is
ideally suited to derive PSF fitting photometry of bright saturated
sources. Given that the PRF is normalized as a calibrated image of
Vega, the best-fit scaling factor between a star image and the PRF is
equal to the flux ratio of the star with Vega, and can be directly
converted into Vega magnitudes without relying on the IRAC absolute
calibration. Magnitudes derived with this procedure are not affected
by the position-dependent geometric and gain distortion factors, since
the sources and the PSF stars have all been observed at the center of
the IRAC arrays. An image of the IRAC PRF obtained with a similar
procedure is shown in \citet{marengo2009a}, and the PRF files are
available at the Spitzer Science Center web
site\footnote{http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/irac/psf.html}.

The photometric error was estimated by bracketing the best subtraction
with an over- and under-subtracted fit in which the PSF-subtraction
residuals were of the same magnitude as the background noise.  The fit
was done using only the overlapping region where both the objects in
our programs and the PRF were not saturated. This region is relatively
narrow (width of $\sim 20$ -- 30 pixels) at 3.6 and 4.5~\micron, due
to the short total exposure time (2~sec) in these two bands. As a
consequence, The PSF-fitting photometric errors tend to be larger at
3.6 and 4.5~\micron{} than at 5.8 and 8.0~\micron. The dominant source
of uncertainty for the PSF-fitting photometry is the ``sampling
noise'' (grid pattern due to the coarse sampling of the IRAC PSF on
the pixel grid) in the subtraction residuals. This coherent noise does
not follow Poisson statistics. For this reason the photometric errors
estimated for the PSF-fitting photometry should not be taken as $1
\sigma$ statistical errors (as in the case of the aperture photometry
uncertainties), but rather as upper and lower limits in the
photometric measurements.

To test the agreement between aperture and PSF-fitting photometry we
used the 4 stars observed in both modes. In general, the full frame
and subarray mode observations of these stars have been executed at
different epochs. As a consequence, based on Large Magellanic Cloud
(LMC) Cepheid photometry by \citet{madore2009b}, we should expect a
variability in the IRAC bands as large as $\pm 0.4$~mag. Still, we can
use these stars observed in both modes to assess the cross calibration
of the aperture and PSF-fitting methods, although with this
limitation. Table~\ref{tab-test} and Figure~\ref{fig-testpsf} show
that we do not measure in our data any statistically significant shift
between the subarray and the full frame photometry: the average
difference between subarray and full frame magnitudes is much smaller
than its RMS variation. The RMS variation (0.02, 0.07, 0.05 and
0.02~mags at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0~\micron{} respectively) is smaller
than the average uncertainty in the PSF-fitting photometry estimated
with the fit-bracketing method. For V~Cen (the only case in which both
subarray and full frame observations were executed at the same epoch),
the difference between the aperture and PSF fitting photometry is
0.01, $-$0.04, $-$0.02 and $-$0.02~mags at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and
8.0~\micron{} respectively. This is within the uncertainty of the PSF
fitting photometry of this star (0.27, 0.16, 0.09 and 0.06~mags,
respectively). At least in the case of V~Cen, this test can be viewed
as an independent confirmation of the IRAC absolute photometric
calibration, since aperture photometry depends on the FLUXCONV
parameters, while PSF-fitting with our PRF does not.

Table~\ref{tab-phot} shows the final magnitudes of all sources. When
available, we list the IRAC aperture photometry of unsaturated images
(which has smaller nominal uncertainty) rather than the PSF-fitting
photometry. The PSF-fitting photometry is instead listed for the
sources observed only in IRAC full frame mode.

Measurements of MIPS 24~\micron{} flux densities followed standard
procedures. Flux densities for most objects were measured in a
20\arcsec{} radius apertures with background subtraction from sky
annuli of 40\arcsec--50\arcsec{} and the recommended aperture
correction of 1.13 applied. There are a few stars with apparent
extended emission nearby; for these, flux densities were measured in
7\arcsec{} radius apertures with the same sky annulus, and an aperture
correction of 1.61. The flux densities measured for Polaris and
$\ell$~Car ($\sim3.7$~Jy) are formally above the saturation limit for
3~second exposures, but both objects are below the ``hard'' saturation
limit (4.1~Jy): the pipeline correctly replaced the saturated pixels
with values from the 0.5~second exposures taken as part of the
photometry AOR. Uncertainties for the 24~\micron{} flux densities were
computed using the standard IRAF/PHOT formula as:

\begin{equation}
\sigma^2 = (F/G + A\sigma^2+A^2\sigma^2/A^{\prime})^{1/2}
\end{equation}

\noindent
where $F$ is the flux in image units (MJy~sr$^{-1}$), $G$ is the
effective gain (the product of the detector gain, individual frame
exposure time, and number of frames, divided by the FLUXCONV factor
which converts from DN~s$^{-1}$ to MJy~sr$^{-1}$), $A$ is the aperture
area, $A^{\prime}$ is the background annulus area, and $\sigma$ is the
standard deviation of image counts in the background area. The values
listed in Table~\ref{tab-phot} do not include the 2\% uncertainty in
the absolute calibration \citep{engelbracht2007}, the dominant
systematic error for these bright stars.

Measurements of MIPS 70~\micron{} flux densities also followed
standard procedures. Flux densities were measured in 16\arcsec{} radius
apertures fixed on the 24~\micron{} position, with sky annuli of
18\arcsec--39\arcsec{}, and an aperture correction of 2.04. There were
no saturation issues in the 70~\micron{} data. Uncertainties in the
70~\micron{} flux densities were calculated using a similar equation
to that for MIPS-24, except that for 70~\micron{} data Poisson noise
is negligible. Following \citet{carpenter2008}, the uncertainties are
increased by extra multiplicative factors of $\eta_{\rm corr} = 2.5$
(noise correlation between pixels due to re-sampling during
mosaicing), and $\eta_{\rm sky} = 1.5 $ (excess sky noise due to the
data-taking procedure). The absolute calibration uncertainty at
70~\micron{} is 5\% \citep{gordon2007}, again not included in the data
table. A number of stars were not detected at 70~\micron{}: for these
sources $3\sigma$ upper limits are recorded.

Determining the effects of interstellar extinction on \emph{Spitzer}{} IRAC
and MIPS photometry is tricky, because of the difficulty of estimating
the reddening in the Galaxy, compared to that for an external
galaxy. Measurements of the Galactic extinction curve \citep{lutz1996,
  indebetouw2005, flaherty2007, roman2007} when scaled to IRAC
wavelengths give $A_{5.8 \mu m}/A_B \approx 0.04$
\citep{rieke1985, freedman2008}. We should thus expect reddening at
mid-IR wavelengths for all our nearby Cepheids to be negligible, and
for this reason we do not correct  our data for reddening.

\section{Leavitt Law  and Period-Color Relations}\label{sec-leavitt}

The advantages of deriving a PL relation (the Leavitt Law) in the
mid-IR (rather than in the optical or near-IR) are manifold:
luminosity variation amplitudes, metallicity effects and interstellar
extinction are all expected to be smaller at longer wavelengths. A well
calibrated PL relation in the IRAC and MIPS bands is of great utility
for the available Galactic and extragalactic stellar photometric
catalogs obtained in the \emph{Spitzer}{} legacy projects.

The PC relation at optical wavelength provides important diagnostics
for basic stellar parameters such as effective temperature and
metallicity (see e.g. \citealt{sandage2004, sandage2009, tammann2003}
for a comparative study of the PC relations between the Galaxy, the
LMC and the SMC). Extending the study of PC relations into the mid-IR
offers the chance to study the effects of these parameters on
different spectral features, at wavelengths where the interstellar
reddening is less important. A firm understanding of the ``intrinsic''
color properties of classical Cepheids, and their dependence on
stellar parameters and period, is also essential to search for the
presence of ``extrinsic'' color excess that may be related to
circumstellar dust emission.

\subsection{PL Relations}\label{ssec-pl}

An IRAC PL relation has already been obtained for Cepheids in the LMC
\citep{freedman2008, ngeow2008, ngeow2009, madore2009a}, using data
from the SAGE project \citep{meixner2006}, and was used to derive the
distance modulus for two galaxies in the Local Group, NGC~6822
\citep{madore2009b} and IC~1613 \citep{freedman2009}. Using our
photometry in Table~\ref{tab-phot} we can derive the same relation for
a sample of Cepheids in our Galaxy. These are the same Cepheids that,
by virtue of their independent distance determination, are at the base
of the PL relation zero-point calibration.

We derived the best-fit PL relations for all IRAC and MIPS data with a
linear least square fit method, weighed on the uncertainty of each
photometric point. For IRAC subarray data we use as weight the $3
\sigma$ photometric uncertainty, while for all other measurements we
use the uncertainty quoted in Table~\ref{tab-phot}. In particular, for
IRAC full frame photometry we use the PSF-fit ``bracketing'' interval,
which is similar to a $3 \sigma$ uncertainty. For MIPS 70~\micron{}
data we exclude data points for which only an upper flux limit is
available. Table~\ref{tab-PL} lists the coefficients of the best-fit
relations, in the form:

\begin{equation}
M = \alpha \left [\log P - 1.0 \right] + \beta
\end{equation}

Note how the PL relations we have derived are based on single epoch
measurements, and not on mean photometry that would have required
multiple epoch observations. To include the first overtone Cepheids
(DT~Cyg, SZ~Tau and Polaris) in the fit, we have converted their
observed period $P_1$ into a ``fundamentalized'' period $P_0$ using
the relation:

\begin{equation}
P_1/P_0 = 0.716 - 0.027 \log P_1
\end{equation}

\noindent
from \citet{feast1997}, derived in turn from \citet{alcock1995}. We
provide the best-fit PL relations for three different cases. First,
using the ``new'' IRSB distance determination relying on the ``steep''
$p(P)$ relation. Then, using only the stars for which the
astrometric \citet{benedict2007} and \citet{vanleeuwen2007}
distances are available. Last, using the ``old'' distances based on the
$p(P)$ relation with weak period dependence. Note than in both ``old''
and ``new'' cases we still use the astrometric distances when
available. The best-fit PL relations for the ``new'' (solid lines) and
astrometric (dashed lines) distances are shown in
Figure~\ref{fig-PL}.

Table~\ref{tab-PL} also includes the $K$ band relations from
\citet{fouque2007}, \citet{benedict2007} and \citet{storm2004} for the
``new,'' astrometric, and ``old'' distances respectively. The
table shows that the slopes and zero points of the three
cases are consistent within their uncertainties. The astrometric
PL relations have larger uncertainties because most of the stars in
that sample have the less precise full frame PSF-fitting photometry,
and because of the smaller size of the sample. We can however note
some trends: the astrometric Leavitt laws are consistently
less steep than the relations using IRSB distances. The ``old''
distances produce steeper relations than the ``new'' distances. A
similar trend is present in the $K$ band relations. The zero points
are very similar for all cases, well within their uncertainties.

Figure~\ref{fig-PL} also shows that FF~Aql (data-point at $\log P =
0.73$) closely matches the general trend. If instead, as suggested by
\citet{feast1997}, the source was pulsating in the first overtone, its
``fundamentalized'' PL ratio would be a significant outlier. This
result supports the view that FF~Aql is indeed behaving as a
fundamental mode pulsator as suggested by \citet{benedict2007}.

The dispersion around the best-fit PL relations is $\sim 0.2$~mag in
the four IRAC bands and MIPS 24~\micron{}, and $\sim 0.4$~mag at
70~\micron{}. This is comparable with the expected dispersion at
\emph{Spitzer}{} wavelengths, once our photometric and distance uncertainty
is taken into account. The larger uncertainty in the best-fit
parameters at 70~\micron{} is due to the larger photometric errors and
the smaller number of sources for which a measured flux is available
at this wavelength.

The dispersion around the best-fit PL relations has correlated and
uncorrelated components between bands. The correlated scatter is a
consequence of Cepheid variability. The uncorrelated scatter
$\sigma_\Delta$ is instead due in part to the absolute magnitude
uncertainties (geometric sum of the photometric error and the
uncertainty in the distance) and in part to intrinsic variations
related to the ``width'' of the Cepheid instability strip (due to
differences in metallicity and other stellar parameters).
Figure~\ref{fig-res} (left column) shows that the correlated component
of the fit residual has an amplitude of about $-0.3$ to $+0.5$~mag. We
may assume this value to approximate the amplitude of the Cepheid
light curves in the IRAC bands. While the weighted average residual is
zero (by virtue of the least-square fit used to derive the PL
relation), it is interesting to note that the IRAC residuals are
asymmetrically distributed. This may be a reflection of a prevalence
of asymmetric light curves in our sample. While the amplitude of the
correlated component of the PL dispersion in our data is similar to
the one measured in the LMC by \citet{freedman2008}, they do not note
any asymmetry in their sample (three times larger). Comparison between
our measured $\sigma_{\Delta}$ ($\sim 0.04$--0.05) and the absolute
magnitude uncertainty (on average $\sim 0.15$~mag) shows that we do not
have enough accuracy to measure the intrinsic scatter in the PL
relation, and all the observed scatter can be explained by the
uncertainty of our data.

Our sample does not show any correlation between variability and color
residuals in the IRAC bands (Figure~\ref{fig-res}, right column),
similar to the result obtained by \citet{madore2009a} in the
LMC. Again, we cannot test for color correlation between the IRAC and
MIPS bands due to the different epochs at which the two sets of data
were acquired.

\subsection{PC Relations}\label{ssec-PC}

Figure~\ref{fig-pc} shows the period vs. \emph{Spitzer}{} color trends in
our data. These diagrams are better suited to analyze color variations
between the sample Cepheids than the color residuals in
Figure~\ref{fig-res}, because they do not suffer from the larger
uncertainties due to the distance estimates necessary to derive the PL
fits. Even in the case of colors using only IRAC bands (taken
simultaneously, and hence with each star at a given phase), the data
show a scatter that is well above the photometric error. The only
exception is the $[3.6]-[8.0]$ color, for which it is possible to
derive a weighted, least-square best-fit PC relation:

\begin{equation}
[3.6]-[8.0] = 0.039 \left[ \log(P)-1.0 \right] [\pm0.008] -
0.019[\pm0.011]
\end{equation}

The only apparent outliers are some nearby Cepheids observed in full
frame mode that have large photometric errors, and in particular
Polaris which is consistently red in all IRAC colors by $\sim 0.1$
mag. This detection is above the PSF-fitting photometry uncertainty
for this source, but should be taken with care, given that this
observation was not planned to maximize the accuracy of the PSF fit,
and may suffer from uncharacterized systematic errors. The large
scatter in the $[3.6]-[4.5]$ and $[3.6]-[5.8]$ color (as large as
$\sim 0.1$~mag) prevents the determination of a meaningful PC relation
in these colors. This scatter (which tends to be larger for long
period Cepheids) may be related to either some intrinsic property of
the stellar emission (the presence of broad spectral features in their
mid-IR spectrum) or some external cause (emission/absorption features
of interstellar or circumstellar origin). These two possibilities will
be examined in detail in the next section.

Colors combining IRAC and MIPS bands have an additional scatter due to
the different epochs at which the data were acquired. We can estimate
this scatter to be at least $\pm 0.4$~mag, as determined in the
previous section for the IRAC bands (assuming that the variability at
MIPS wavelengths is negligible, which is not necessarily the case). To
be detected, any excess in the $[3.6]-[24]$ and $[3.6]-[70]$ colors
(or other combinations mixing IRAC and MIPS bands) must be larger than
0.4~mag. Figure~\ref{fig-pc} shows that none of our sources have
excess in the $[3.6]-[24]$ color above this threshold (dashed
line). None of the sources with a 70~\micron{} measured flux has a
$[3.6]-[70]$ excess above $3 \sigma$ of the minimum expected
variability scatter (dotted line), with only sources undetected at
70~\micron{} above that line. Similar results are obtained by
combining the MIPS 24 and 70~\micron{} bands with the other IRAC
channels.

The $[24]-[70]$ color does not suffer from multi-epoch scatter, but
the lack of good photometric measurements for the 70~\micron{} band
prevent us from determining reliable colors for most of the
sources. Only one target (SZ~Tau) has a non-zero $[24]-[70]$ color at
more than 3$\sigma$ significance, which may indicate the presence of a
true color excess from this star. The significance of this detection
will be described in the next paper of this series (Barmby et al., in
preparation).

\section{Cepheid Mid-IR Colors and Search for Infrared
  Excess}\label{sec-excess}

Dusty mass loss in the wind of a Cepheid star would reveal itself in
the form of an infrared excess caused by thermal radiation from the
dust grains. IRAC and MIPS are particularly sensitive to this excess,
as shown in the case of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars
\citep{marengo2008}. To isolate any excess from our data, we need
however to first characterize the intrinsic colors of Cepheids at
mid-IR bands. While a systematic study of the infrared spectral
properties of Classical Cepheids is beyond the scope of this work, we
can use available models of the 10~d period Cepheid $\zeta$~Gem (one
of our target stars) computed by \citet{marengo2002} as a test case.

\citet{marengo2002} developed a method to derive time-dependent
hydrodynamic models of classical Cepheids by solving Local
Thermodynamical Equilibrium (LTE) plane parallel radiative transfer
for a dynamic stellar atmosphere. The dynamic atmosphere, computed in
spherical geometry and in non-LTE conditions, was in turn driven by a
``pulsation piston'' reproducing the correct radial profile of the
star. While this procedure was not simultaneously solving the
hydrodynamic and radiative transfer solution for the star, it was
still able to produce realistic time-dependent intensity spectra, then
used to evaluate the temporal variations of the stellar limb darkening
at optical and infrared wavelengths \citep{marengo2003}. The method
was applied to the case of $\zeta$~Gem to estimate the effect of limb
darkening variations on the star's distance determination with the
geometric Baade-Wesselink method \citep{marengo2004}.

Figure~\ref{fig-spectra} shows the hydrodynamic model spectra of
$\zeta$~Gem at 5 significant phases: $\phi_L=0$ (maximum visible
luminosity), $\phi_L=0.32$ (maximum radius), $\phi_L=0.49$ (minimum
visible luminosity), $\phi_L=0.63$ (a phase at which a shock-wave is
crossing the photosphere), $\phi_L=0.74$ (minimum radius) and
$\phi_L=0.85$ (the phase at which the star was observed with IRAC). The
thick line shows the hydrodynamic model spectra, while the thin line
shows an equivalent hydrostatic equilibrium atmosphere having the same
$T_{eff}$ and $\log g$ of the dynamic models. The two sets of spectra
are compared with Rayleigh-Jeans black bodies normalized to the model
spectral emission for $\lambda \ga 8$~\micron.

It is apparent from the plot that the model spectra of $\zeta$~Gem
strongly depart from black body spectra at IRAC wavelengths: we should
thus expect IRAC colors that are significantly different from zero
magnitudes. The second most obvious characteristic of the models is
the presence of a broad spectral feature between 4 and 6~\micron{},
due to CO molecular absorption. This feature falls within the
band-passes of the IRAC 4.5 and 5.8~\micron{} filters, and is strong
enough to have a significant effect on the IRAC colors including these
bands. This feature is present in both the dynamic and static models,
and is thus a general property of stars with the temperature and
gravity of Cepheids, rather than being a consequence of the
pulsations. The strength of the feature appears however to be variable
with phase: it is stronger when the stellar atmosphere is more
expanded, as at maximum radius. When the atmosphere is compressed (as
at minimum radius, or when a shock-wave is crossing the photosphere in
the dynamic models), the feature is reduced to a minimum. The
absorption is also generally stronger in the static than in the
dynamic model spectra (the former corresponding to an atmosphere with
a more ``relaxed'' structure, as opposed to the ``compressed''
atmosphere in the dynamic models). This is not the only difference
between the static and dynamic models: at $\phi_L = 0.63$ (when a
shock-wave is transiting in the continuum-forming photosphere) the
dynamic and static atmospheres have very different continuum slopes in
their spectral emission, reflecting the dramatic consequences of
the pulsations in the affecting the structure of the Cepheid
atmosphere.

The presence of this CO absorption, and of the time-dependent
hydrodynamic effects, induce significant color variations in the IRAC
bands. Figure~\ref{fig-modcol} shows the synthetic IRAC colors of the
$\zeta$~Gem dynamic and static models. The largest spread is in the
$[3.6]-[4.5]$ color ($\sim 0.8$~mag and $\sim 1$~mag in the dynamic
and static model respectively), while the $[3.6]-[8.0]$ color shows a
much smaller variation ($\sim 0.08$~mag and $\sim 0.02$~mag). The
reason for this difference is that the $[3.6]-[4.5]$ color is affected
by the variable CO absorption, while the $[3.6]$ and $[8.0]$ bands are
outside this spectral feature. The dynamic model colors in fact are
confined for most phases in a smaller region ($\sim 0.03$~mag in both
colors), with the exception of a large excursion when the shock-wave
crossing the $\zeta$~Gem photosphere at $\phi_L = 0.63$ suddenly
expands the atmosphere. The $[3.6]-[4.5]$ colors of the static models
have instead a large variation that follows closely the changes in the
effective temperature of the star.

The figure also shows the actual colors of $\zeta$~Gem as observed
with IRAC. Due to the large uncertainty of this star's photometry, the
measured colors cannot be used to assess the respective accuracy of
the two class of models (the measurement is within 1$\sigma$ of both
model colors at the observation's phase $\phi_L = 0.85$).

Figure~\ref{fig-col} shows the IRAC and MIPS color-color diagrams of
the program stars (including the 3 non-variable supergiants and 1 red
giant added to the sample for comparison). The dashed and dotted boxes
indicate the location of the dynamic and static model IRAC colors. It
is clear that the color variation of the $\zeta$~Gem models are
sufficient to explain the color spread present for most of the program
stars. The dynamic models are actually closer in both axes to the
actual colors of the observed stars, while the static models seem to
have a systematic offset of $\sim 0.04$~mag in the $[3.6]-[8.0]$ color
(the stars appear to be bluer). While it is unwise to extract general
considerations from this effect (the color difference is barely
significant given the photometric uncertainty, and the models are
specific to only one of the stars), this discrepancy suggests that the
color effects induced by the dynamics of the Cepheid pulsations may be
important in determining their actual IRAC colors. Three stars have a
$[3.6]-[4.5]$ colors ($\la -0.15$) significantly different from the
range predicted by both the dynamic and static models. These stars are
among the longest period Cepheids in our sample. This suggest that
long period Cepheids may present a deeper CO absorption, at least at
some pulsation phases, than $\zeta$~Gem. Shorter period Cepheids
instead show small $[3.6]-[4.5]$ color scatter, suggesting less
variability in the CO feature. Polaris shows $\sim 0.1$~mag
redder colors than all other sources or models, but this needs to be
confirmed with higher precision photometry for this star.

The colors of the 4 non-variable control stars are indistinguishable
from the colors of the Cepheids, confirming that the mid-IR CO
spectral feature that is responsible for the color shift is common in
giant stars with this spectral type even when not on the Cepheid
instability strip.

The comparison of the observed IRAC colors with the $\zeta$~Gem
models spectra indicates that the $[3.6]-[4.5]$ and $[3.6]-[5.8]$
scatter in the PC plots in Figure~\ref{fig-pc} is intrinsic. The
$[3.6]-[8.0]$ colors are consistent with the model colors. We
therefore conclude that there is no measurable extrinsic infrared
excess in the IRAC bands, with only the possible exception of
Polaris. Given that $[3.6]-[8.0]$ excess would correspond to the
presence of warm dust ($T_d \sim 500$~K), this means that we do not
find compelling evidence, for most sources, of circumstellar
\emph{dusty} wind that could be associated with currently active
\emph{dusty} mass loss (contrary to what was stated in
\citealt{marengo2009b} where Cepheid intrinsic color variations were
not taken into account). This result does not exclude however
the presence of winds with low dust content.

The $[24]-[70]$ color does not suffer from variability-induced
scatter, but the lack of good photometric measurements for the
70~\micron{} band prevents determining reliable colors for most
of the sources. The plot shows a trend in this color for the stars in
the sample, but this trend is most likely a consequence of having only
upper limits for the 70~\micron{} brightness of most stars. Only one
star (again SZ~Tau) has a $[24]-[70]$ excess above its 3$\sigma$
photometric error, which may indicate the presence of cold dust ($T_d
\sim 50$~K) in the proximity of the star.

\section{Discussion}\label{sec-discussion}

The reliability of Classical Cepheids as standard candles is of
paramount importance for astronomy. The recent advances in infrared
space astronomy have shifted the focus of obtaining accurate PL
relations to wavelengths longer than the visible, where interstellar
extinction is reduced. \citet{madore2009b} and \citet{freedman2009}
have demonstrated how PL relations obtained at IRAC wavelengths can be
effectively used to measure the distance of nearby galaxies. This work
is a further step in the characterization of PL relations in all
\emph{Spitzer}{} photometric bands, including two MIPS bands at 24 and
70~\micron, by using a sample of Classical Cepheids in the Galaxy.

In order to provide a detailed comparison between theory and
observations we adopted the large set of nonlinear, convective models
computed by \citet{bono1999, marconi2005} and by
\citet{fiorentino2007}. For Galactic Cepheids we chose a scaled-solar
chemical composition (helium, $Y=0.28$; metals, $Z=0.02$) and
accounted for fundamental mode pulsators. Moreover, we covered a broad
range of stellar masses ($3.5 \le M/M_\odot \le 11.5$), and to account
for current uncertainties affecting the size of the helium core
\citep{bono2006} we adopted two different mass-luminosity relations
based on canonical and non-canonical (the latter incorporating a range
of main sequence core convective overshoot) evolutionary
models. Theoretical predictions were transformed into the
observational plane using scaled-solar atmospheres based on {\tt
  ATLAS9} models \citep{castelli2003}, and multiplied with the IRAC
band-passes. The slopes and zero points of these model Leavitt laws
are listed in the last two columns of Table~\ref{tab-PL}. While the
zero points are in general agreement with all our fits, the slopes are
significantly shallower than our best fits obtained with both ``new''
and ``old'' distances (the disagreement is however reduced in the fits
adopting the ``new'' distances). The PL relations derived with the
exclusive use of the astrometric distances (that do not rely on the
$p(P)$ relation), are however in excellent agreement with the
theoretical relations. This result may suggest that the period
dependence of the $p-$factor currently adopted in IRSB distances may
still need further refinement. Because of the small number of Cepheids
and the limited range of periods for which accurate parallaxes are
available, we could not attempt to invert the problem and estimate the
$p(P)$ dependence with our data.

Comparison between our Galactic PL relations and the relations derived
for the LMC by \citet{madore2009a} and \citet{ngeow2009} leads to
contradictory results. The PL relations obtained with both the ``new''
and ``old'' IRSB distances are steeper than the LMC relations, while
the Galactic PL relations we obtain with the astrometric distances are
significantly shallower. To add to the confusion, it should be noted
that the slopes derived by \citet{ngeow2009} and \citet{madore2009a}
disagree by more than their respective uncertainties, despite using
stars from the same galaxy\footnote{The difference between the two LMC
  results can be an issue of crowding and binarity in the
  \citet{ngeow2009} sample (selected without individual image
  inspection, and containing a larger fraction of fainter short
  period Cepheids) that could result in shallower slopes.}. The
contradictory results in our Galactic PL relation slopes shows once
more the effects of the systematics introduced by the IRSB distances
and their dependence on the $p(P)$ relation. Based on the more
reliable astrometric distances we should conclude that the slope of
the PL relation could be shallower at Galactic metallicity than in the
LMC, but even this result is not statistically significant, due to the
larger uncertainty in the PL slope. In conclusion, the insufficient
reliability of the IRSB distances, and the small number of stars for
which astrometric distances are available, prevents us from resolving
the dependence of the PL relations from metallicity. This problem has
already been noticed at optical and near-IR wavelengths by other
authors (see e.g. \citealt{storm2004, fouque2007,
  romaniello2008}). \citet{riess2009} also noted that the precision of
current datasets does not allow measurement of the dependence of the
PL relation on metallicity; those authors measured statistically
consistent slopes at 1.6 micron for the Milky Way, the LMC and other
galaxies.

We also cannot determine a reliable wavelength dependence of the PL
slope, as all our values are within 1$\sigma$ from the average slope
value. This is consistent with the expected flattening of the PL slope
wavelength dependence in the mid-IR shown by the models. If we compare
our slope values with Figure~4 in \citet{freedman2008}, however, we
note a similar trend. Our result for 4.5~\micron{} is marginally
higher (by $\sim 0.1$) than the slope at the 3.6 and 8.0~\micron, as
also shown by the LMC Cepheid fit (and by the models). This anomaly in
the 4.5~\micron{} (and, to a minor extent, 5.8~\micron) slope is
related to the presence of the variable CO band, which increases the
amplitude variation in these bandpasses.

For the first time we have measured the PL relation in the MIPS 24 and
70~\micron{} bands. The 24~\micron{} relation, in particular, is
important for the determination of Cepheid distances in the Galactic
plane from datasets such as MIPSGAL \citep{carey2009}, where high
extinction from ISM dust may complicate their detection at IRAC bands.

The determination of a PC relation is in principle not limited by the
uncertainty in the distances affecting our PL
relations. Figure~\ref{fig-pc}, however, clearly shows that such a
relation can be derived with sufficient accuracy only in the
$[3.6]-[8.0]$ color. Other colors show a scatter that is increasingly
larger with the period, as high as $\sim 0.1$~mag, one order of
magnitude larger than our color accuracy of $\sim 0.02$. The fact that
this scatter was not found by \citet{ngeow2009} may again be a
consequence of the difference in the median period between our
Galactic and their LMC sample.

Based on our data and on numerical modeling of one representative
Cepheid ($\zeta$~Gem), we conclude that the color scatter affecting
long period Cepheids is a consequence of variable stellar CO
absorption, rather than infrared excess from circumstellar
dust. Circumstellar dust at $\sim 500$~K (the temperature where dust
thermal emission is maximum in the IRAC bands) would produce the
largest excess in the $[3.6]-[8.0]$ color, which we do not observe,
with the possible exception of a weak detection ($\sim 0.1$~mag)
around Polaris. Our $\zeta$~Gem models show that scatter in the IRAC
4.5 and 5.8~\micron{} bands can be induced by variations in effective
temperature and/or the propagation of shocks through the Cepheid
atmospheres. A more comprehensive modeling effort, including Cepheids
with different periods and pulsation modes, is however required to
confirm and quantify this effect.

Not finding an infrared excess in most, if not all, stars is somewhat
unexpected, given the detection of circumstellar shells by near-IR
interferometers. Figure~8 in \citet{merand2007} shows a number of
targets, including the long period Cepheids Y~Oph and $\ell$~Car (both
part of our sample), with a significant (4--5\%) excess in the K
band. We do not measure any excess of this magnitude in these or other
stars, which seems to rule out the presence of circumstellar dust in
the shells detected around these and other Cepheids. The
interferometric determination of the radius of these circumstellar
shells, however, indicate values as low as $\sim 2$ stellar radii
\citep{merand2006}. For a Cepheid with $T_{\textrm{eff}} \sim
5$,000--6,000~K, dust equilibrium temperature at $\sim 2$~R$_*$ would
be $T_d \simeq T_*/\sqrt{R_d/R_*} \la 3$,500~K. This is well above the
sublimation temperature of any known astronomical dust.

Our results can be reconciled with the interferometric detection of
circumstellar shells close to the star if the emission is not due to
dust, but rather to some strong molecular line emission. Given that
the observations in \citet{merand2006, merand2007} and
\citet{kervella2006} were made in the $K$ band, a possible
candidate for this emission is shocked $H_2$. The presence of $H_2$
shocked emission lines could further contribute to the scatter in the
IRAC 4.5~\micron{} band, for certain densities and shock velocities
\citep{smith2006}. This hypothesis supports the idea that Cepheid
stars indeed have a strong stellar wind associated with a pulsation
driven mass-loss mechanism, as suggested by \citet{merand2007}. Unlike
the case of mass loss in red giants, AGB and supergiant stars (showing
a dust-driven wind), this stellar wind would be largely dustless, due
to the higher temperature of the star. This hypothesis needs to be
tested by near-IR multi-epoch spectral monitoring of these stars.

This hypothesis does not imply that a Cepheid stellar wind is
completely devoid of dust, that may be condensing at larger radii, in
quantities below the detection limits of our IRAC observations (see
$\ell$~Car mid-IR detection of mid-IR circumstellar emission with the
VLT MIDI and VISIR instruments, \citealt{kervella2009}). Cold dust may
also be collected by the outflow, at much larger distances (thousands
of AU), from the ISM, as in the case of the well known nebula around
RS~Pup \citep{kervella2009}. We find evidence supporting this
mechanism in our IRAC and MIPS images. Extended emission at 5.8, 8.0,
24 and 70~\micron{} around $\delta$~Cep indicate that this star may be
losing mass due to a strong wind pushing into the local interstellar
medium, which is leading to the formation of a 70~\micron{} bow shock
detected at large distance from the star ($\sim 10$,000~AU). A
detailed analysis of this phenomenon is being published elsewhere
(Marengo et al., in preparation).  In a more comprehensive paper
\citep{barmby2009} we will discuss the presence of spatially resolved
extended emission at 24 and 70~\micron{} around more targets, and
quantify the occurrence of mass loss in the Cepheid phase that can be
inferred from our imaging data.

\section{Summary}\label{sec-summary}

We have derived the PL and PC relations in \emph{Spitzer}/IRAC bands for a
sample of Galactic Cepheids. These relations are critically dependent
on the choice of the period dependence of the $p$-factors used for the
distance determination with the IRSB method, even though the
uncertainties in our fits prevent the assessment of the best $p(P)$
relation choice. The best agreement with theoretical PL relations,
however, is obtained when only distances obtained by astrometric
methods are used. We do not detect statistically significant
variations between the slope and zero points of the PL relations
between our Galactic sample and LMC relations obtained by
\citet{madore2009a}, despite the difference in metallicity. We find
that the intrinsic variations in the 4.5 and 5.8~\micron{} fluxes are
larger for long period Cepheids. These variations (of the order of
$\sim 0.1$~mag) are related to deep CO absorption, dependent on the
stellar $T_{eff}$ and hydrodynamic effects associated to the stellar
pulsations. We do not find significant infrared excess related to warm
circumstellar dust, except for a weak excess detected at IRAC
wavelengths for Polaris, and at 70~\micron{} for SZ~Tau. This may rule
out the presence of extensive dust driven mass loss in the Cepheid
phase, but leaves open the possibility of pulsation-driven mass loss
from a dust-poor wind, as suggested by recent interferometric
observations.

\acknowledgments

This work is based on observations made with the \emph{Spitzer}{} Space
Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
California Institute of Technology under NASA contract 1407. P.~B. and
D.~W. both acknowledge research support through Discovery Grants from
the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of
Canada. N.~R.~E. acknowledges support from the Chandra X-Ray Center
grant NAS8-03060. We thank Robert Kurucz and Chow-Choong Ngeow
for helpful discussions during the preparation of this manuscript.  We
also acknowledge M. Marconi and P.G. Prada Moroni for sending us the
predicted Cepheid PL relations in advance of publication.

{\it Facilities:} \facility{Spitzer (IRAC, MIPS)}.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


A daily overview of the top business, market, and economic stories to watch in the UK, Europe, and abroad.
Barclays said on Thursday it opposed activist investor Edward Bramson's bid to be appointed to its board and urged shareholders to oppose the resolution at its annual general meeting on May 2. In response to a letter sent by Bramson's Sherborne investment vehicle to shareholders, Barclays said the activist investor would have "a disruptive and uncollaborative influence on the board". Chairman John McFarlane said shareholders needed to "appreciate how damaging this could be", adding he was well aware that returns from Barclays' investment banking business had been below required return levels.
British banking giant Barclays is restructuring around 450 jobs, it said on Tuesday, in a move employee union Unite said would lead to large numbers of redundancies across the UK midlands. The union said the lender had informed staff at its Coventry Westwood Park and Birmingham Snowhill sites that their jobs were at risk. Further job losses will impact other Barclays sites in locations including Canary Wharf in London, the union said.
Activist Sherborne Investors on Monday wrote another letter to shareholders of Barclays seeking to drum up support for the election of its founder Edward Bramson to the board of the British bank. Bramson has so far failed in attempts to get the lender to scale back its investment banking activities, which he says have weighed on shareholder returns and run the risk of the bank needing to raise fresh capital. While Barclays has said it remains committed to its strategy, Chief Executive Jes Staley last month ousted the head of its investment banking division and instead took direct control of the unit, a move referenced in Sherborne's latest letter.


text:
El Museo de historia natural y ciencia de Kuwait es un museo de historia natural en Safat, en la ciudad de Kuwait, en el país asiático de Kuwait. Se sitúa específicamente en la calle Abdullah Mubarak. El museo explora el progreso tecnológico y científico del país y contiene artefactos y demostraciones notables de la industria petrolera en Kuwait, que está entre las más grandes del mundo.

El museo está organizado en los siguientes departamentos:

Departamento de Historia Natural
Departamento de Ciencia Espacial
El Planetario
Departamento de Electrónica
Departamento de Maquinaria
Departamento de Zoología
Departamento de Aviación
Un salón de Salud

Véase también
Museología
Museografía
Museos

Referencias

Historia natural
Historia natural
Kuwait
Kuwait
Arquitectura de Kuwait del siglo XX


Louisa and Daniel's celebrated their wedding just before Christmas 2012 at Dundas Castle, Edinburgh. What a lovely venue for a wedding! The ceremony took place in the Old Keep of Dundas Castle and the evening reception in the purpose-built marquee just next to the castle. The ceremony took place at 2 pm so we only had little daylight left for some romantic wedding photographs, but we managed to spend a little time with the couple around the Dundas Castle.
Louisa and Daniel decided to hold the speeches on the staircase inside the castle rather than before the meal. But there was something else planned - Roddy the Piper - performed an "Address to the haggis" - This is a poem written about Scotland's national dish, The Haggis. It's great fun to watch, as it is performed in broad Scots accent. There were a few puzzled faces in the audience.
Nobody knew that the couple had organised Fireworks after the first few dances. Even though it was very cold in December, everyone enjoyed it.
Great day for a romantic and Christmas Winter Wedding at Dundas Castle, just outside Edinburgh.