Nachfolgebeobachtungen junger Transitplanetenkandidaten

Um die Entstehung und frühe Entwicklung von Planeten erforschen zu können, müssen junge Exoplaneten beobachtet werden. Die Kombination von Transit- und der Radialgeschwindigkeitsmethode ermöglicht die Bestimmung der Masse und des Radius dieser Objekte. Diese Parameter sind wichtige Indikatoren, um theoretische Modelle zur Planetenentstehung zu testen. Allerdings sind nahezu alle bekannten Exoplaneten alt. Aus diesem Grund hat sich die Young Exoplanet Transit Initiative auf die gezielte Suche nach jungen Transitplaneten spezialisiert. Im Rahmen der dazugehörigen Beobachtungskampagnen wurden Planetenkandidaten in den Sternhaufen IC 348, 25 Ori, Trumpler 37 und NGC 7243 detektiert. Die vorliegende Dissertation widmet sich den Nachfolgebeobachtungen, welche erforderlich sind, um das Szenario einer falsch-positiven Planetendetektion auszuschließen. Neben Transitplaneten können bspw. auch partielle Bedeckungen zweier Sterne oder die Überblendung eines Doppelsternsystems mit einem hellen Vordergrundstern ähnliche Signaturen in den photometrischen Messungen hervorrufen. Die wellenlängenabhängige Beobachtung der transitähnlichen Helligkeitseinbrüche erfolgte mit den Meter-Klasse-Teleskopen des YETI-Netzwerkes. Die dazugehörigen Daten wurden mittels Differentialphotometrie ausgewertet. Anhand von Hochkontrastbeobachtungen im Infrarot und unter Einsatz einer adaptiven Optik können zuvor nicht aufgelöste Sterne innerhalb der Apertur aus dem optischen Wellenlängenbereich detektiert werden. Die Verwendung der Daten der Gaia-Mission führten zur Identifikation neuer Mitglieder der jungen Sternhaufen und einer Charakterisierung der Transitkandidatenmuttersterne mit noch nie dagewesener Präzision

Addressing the mental health needs of the rural underserved: Findings from a multiple case study of a behavioral telehealth project

Behavioral telehealth is a reasonable solution to the accessibility to mental health care problem that exists in many rural communities. This paper reports the results of a multiple case study of a behavioral telehealth program administered through a marriage and family therapy training program. The results suggest that mental health services can be effectively delivered using existing distance education technology to underserved rural populations. Rural communities have unique barriers to accessing mental health care, some of which can be overcome through the distance delivery of services and some of which cannot. In order to effectively deliver treatment, accommodations to the technology must be made by both therapist and client

Can we translate vitamin D immunomodulating effect on innate and adaptive immunity to vaccine response?

Vitamin D (VitD), which is well known for its classic role in the maintenance of bone mineral density, has now become increasingly studied for its extra-skeletal roles. It has an important influence on the body's immune system and modulates both innate and adaptive immunity and regulates the inflammatory cascade. In this review our aim was to describe how VitD might influence immune responsiveness and its potential modulating role in vaccine immunogenicity. In the first instance, we consider the literature that may provide molecular and genetic support to the idea that VitD status may be related to innate and/or adaptive immune response with a particular focus on vaccine immunogenicity and then discuss observational studies and controlled trials of VitD supplementation conducted in humans. Finally, we conclude with some knowledge gaps surrounding VitD and vaccine response, and that it is still premature to recommend "booster" of VitD at vaccination time to enhance vaccine response

Competency-based training in the supervision of relational telemental supervision

Supervision has long been considered essential to developing effective mental health practice, especially among COAMFTE accredited training programs. But with telemental health rapidly being accepted as a standard treatment medium for couple and family therapy, there is little guidance about how to supervise clinicians who are engaged in telemental health practice. This paper presents an important step toward increasing the effectiveness of the supervision of therapists who are delivering relational therapies online through the identification of relational competencies unique to this delivery medium. These competencies have been adopted and integrated into a COAMFTE accredited master\u27s degree program that has been providing training in telemental health since 2008. The competencies are described, and supervision strategies that can be utilized and developmentally assessed throughout the program will be detailed

COLLABORATIVE CARE AT A DISTANCE: STUDENT THERAPISTS’ EXPERIENCES OF LEARNING AND DELIVERING RELATIONALLY FOCUSED TELEMENTAL HEALTH

There is mounting evidence that telemental health is an effective delivery method for treating a variety of mental, emotional, behavioral, and relational health problems. While many of the therapeutic skills leading to the effectiveness of face-to-face treatments are transferable, the effectiveness of telemental health requires unique skills. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine the experience of learning how to use videoconferencing to deliver relationally focused mental health care. Participants included 10 graduates of a COAMFTE-accredited master’s degree program emphasizing training in telemental health. Each student had practicum placements that required videoconferencing to deliver relationally based psychotherapy. Analysis of interview data revealed (a) personal reservations about distance delivery; (b) the importance of scaffolding student learning through curriculum, supervision, and mental health-care delivery protocols; (c) the technological barriers associated with this delivery method; and (d) overcoming technological barriers through intentionality