LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta<+34.5^\circ$, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, $ugrizy$, covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg$^2$ region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to $r\sim27.5$. The remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products, including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie

Guidelines for Perioperative Care for Emergency Laparotomy Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society Recommendations: Part 1—Preoperative: Diagnosis, Rapid Assessment and Optimization

BackgroundEnhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols reduce length of stay, complications and costs fora large number of elective surgical procedures. A similar, structured approach appears to improve outcomes, including mortality, for patients undergoing high-risk emergency general surgery, and specifically emergency laparotomy. These are the first consensus guidelines for optimal care of these patients using an ERAS approach.MethodsExperts in aspects of management of the high-risk and emergency general surgical patient were invited to contribute by the International ERAS Society. Pubmed, Cochrane, Embase, and MEDLINE database searches on English language publications were performed for ERAS elements and relevant specific topics. Studies on each item were selected with particular attention to randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and large cohort studies, and reviewed and graded using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Recommendations were made on the best level of evidence, or extrapolation from studies on non-emergency patients when appropriate. The Delphi method was used to validate final recommendations. The guideline has been divided into two parts: Part 1—Preoperative Care and Part 2—Intraoperative and Postoperative management. This paper provides guidelines for Part 1.ResultsTwelve components of preoperative care were considered. Consensus was reached after three rounds.ConclusionsThese guidelines are based on the best available evidence for an ERAS approach to patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. Initial management is particularly important for patients with sepsis and physiological derangement. These guidelines should be used to improve outcomes for these high-risk patients

Building International Business Theory: A Grounded Theory Approach

The field of international business (IB) is in need of more theory development (Morck & Yeung, 2007). As such, the main focus of our manuscript was to provide guidance on how to build IB specific theory using grounded theory (GT). Moreover, we contribute to future theory development by identifying areas within IB where GT can be applied and the type of research issues that can be addressed using this methodology. Finally, we make a noteworthy contribution by discussing some of GT’s caveats and limitations, particularly those relevant to IB. This effort is intended to spur further interest in the development of IB theory

Clinical outcomes and response to treatment of patients receiving topical treatments for pyoderma gangrenosum: a prospective cohort study

Background: pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon dermatosis with a limited evidence base for treatment. Objective: to estimate the effectiveness of topical therapies in the treatment of PG. Methods: prospective cohort study of UK secondary care patients with a clinical diagnosis of PG suitable for topical treatment (recruited July 2009 to June 2012). Participants received topical therapy following normal clinical practice (mainly Class I-III topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus 0.03% or 0.1%). Primary outcome: speed of healing at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes: proportion healed by 6 months; time to healing; global assessment; inflammation; pain; quality-of-life; treatment failure and recurrence. Results: Sixty-six patients (22 to 85 years) were enrolled. Clobetasol propionate 0.05% was the most commonly prescribed therapy. Overall, 28/66 (43.8%) of ulcers healed by 6 months. Median time-to-healing was 145 days (95% CI: 96 days, ∞). Initial ulcer size was a significant predictor of time-to-healing (hazard ratio 0.94 (0.88;80 1.00); p = 0.043). Four patients (15%) had a recurrence. Limitations: No randomised comparator Conclusion: Topical therapy is potentially an effective first-line treatment for PG that avoids possible side effects associated with systemic therapy. It remains unclear whether more severe disease will respond adequately to topical therapy alone

Nesting Success as an Indicator of Habitat Quality for Forest Songbirds

This study investigates approaches to habitat evaluation for forest songbirds using fledgling observations to document successful nesting. The initial work involved morning and afternoon point and transect surveys to test feasibility of fledgling detection and identification in 4 replicates of 3 forest types in northern New Hampshire. Mean fledgling detection rates were significantly higher for transect than point surveys. We then compared a transect-based behavior-mapping protocol, adapted from traditional spot-mapping, to nest-searching and monitoring on 3 sites and to constant effort mist-netting on one site in western Maine. Compared with nest searching, behavior mapping detected more occupant species (98% vs. 57%), successful species (93% vs. 39%), home ranges (97% vs. 42%), and successful pairs (95% vs. 29%). Compared with mist-netting, behavior mapping detected more occupant species (98% vs. 56%), successful species (100% vs. 38%), home ranges (98% vs. 37%), and successful pairs (100% vs. 28%). Data for species composition, home range abundance, pairing success, and nesting success on 55 15-30 ha sites, ranging from urban neighborhoods to primary forests, provided a basis for developing and testing candidate metrics to assess forest biological integrity. The nine selected metrics include 3 representing species richness and composition, 4 representing nest guild structure, and 2 representing abundance and condition. We used breeding data from a managed Acadian spruce-fir ecosystem to explore relationships among bird home range density, pair density, and nesting success. Relationships among the three metrics were not consistent among species. Behavior-mapping and vegetation data from 11 20-ha sites (28 site-years) in northern New Hampshire and adjacent Maine provided a basis for evaluating effects of partial cutting on breeding birds in Acadian spruce-fir forest. Mean values differed significantly between partially cut (residual basal area 14.3 to 22.4 m2/ha) and control sites (residual basal area 28.5 to 36.2 rn2/ha) for 13 of 48 vegetation variables considered. Eighteen of 24 bird species analyzed showed no significant differences in abundance between partially cut and control sites. Harvested sites supported significantly more home ranges for 5 species and significantly higher nesting success for 2 species

Pesticides: Learning About Labels

Pesticides carry labels because the information is vital to your safety and important for proper application. The fact sheet provides a sample label, then walks you through the different sections, explaining what each means. Numbers for Poison Control Centers in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are included. Replaces EB1468. 4 pages

Pesticides: Safe handling

Think of safety first when handling chemicals around the house. When dealing with liquid soaps, furniture polish, bleach, antifreeze, or chemical pesticides, treat all as hazardous. This guide offers a checklist to help you handle pesticides and other household chemicals. Subjects covered include first aid tips, pesticide spills, safe disposal, transporting pesticides, storing pesticides, applying pesticides safely, and clothing to wear while applying pesticides

Pesticides: Learning about labels

Pesticides carry labels because the information is vital to your safety and important for proper application. The fact sheet provides a sample label, then walks you through the different sections, explaining what each means. Numbers for Poison Control Centers in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are included