Noise Sources in Photometry and Radial Velocities

The quest for Earth-like, extrasolar planets (exoplanets), especially those located inside the habitable zone of their host stars, requires techniques sensitive enough to detect the faint signals produced by those planets. The radial velocity (RV) and photometric transit methods are the most widely used and also the most efficient methods for detecting and characterizing exoplanets. However, presence of astrophysical "noise" makes it difficult to detect and accurately characterize exoplanets. It is important to note that the amplitude of such astrophysical noise is larger than both the signal of Earth-like exoplanets and state-of-the-art instrumentation limit precision, making this a pressing topic that needs to be addressed. In this chapter, I present a general review of the main sources of noise in photometric and RV observations, namely, stellar oscillations, granulation, and magnetic activity. Moreover, for each noise source I discuss the techniques and observational strategies which allow us to mitigate their impact.Comment: 11 pages, 2 tables, Lecture presented at the IVth Azores International Advanced School in Space Sciences on "Asteroseismology and Exoplanets: Listening to the Stars and Searching for New Worlds" (arXiv:1709.00645), which took place in Horta, Azores Islands, Portugal in July 201

The dS/CFT Correspondence and the Big Smash

Recent observations suggest that the cosmological equation-of-state parameter w is close to -1. To say this is to imply that w could be slightly less than -1, which leads to R.Caldwell's "Phantom cosmologies". These often have the property that they end in a "Big Smash", a final singularity in which the Universe is destroyed in a finite proper time by excessive *expansion*. We show that, classically, this fate is not inevitable: there exist Smash-free Phantom cosmologies, obtained by a suitable perturbation of the deSitter equation of state, in which the spacetime is in fact asymptotically deSitter. [Contrary to popular belief, such cosmologies, which violate the Dominant Energy Condition, do not necessarily violate causality.] We also argue, however, that the physical interpretation of these classically acceptable spacetimes is radically altered by ``holography'', as manifested in the dS/CFT correspondence. It is shown that, if the boundary CFTs have conventional properties, then recent ideas on "time as an inverse renormalization group flow" can be used to rule out these cosmologies. Very recently, however, it has been argued that the CFTs in dS/CFT are of a radically unconventional form, and this opens up the possibility that Smash-free Phantom spacetimes offer a simple model of a "bouncing" cosmology in which the quantum-mechanical entanglement of the field theories in the infinite past and future plays an essential role.Comment: 22 pages, clarification of triple analytic continuation, additional Comments added in the light of hep-th/020724

The physical meaning of the de Sitter invariants

We study the Lie algebras of the covariant representations transforming the matter fields under the de Sitter isometries. We point out that the Casimir operators of these representations can be written in closed forms and we deduce how their eigenvalues depend on the field's rest energy and spin. For the scalar, vector and Dirac fields, which have well-defined field equations, we express these eigenvalues in terms of mass and spin obtaining thus the principal invariants of the theory of free fields on the de Sitter spacetime. We show that in the flat limit we recover the corresponding invariants of the Wigner irreducible representations of the Poincare group.Comment: 22 pages no figure

The SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey. Paper II: Image detection, parameterisation, classification and photometry

In this, the second in a series of three papers concerning the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey, we describe the methods for image detection, parameterisation, classification and photometry. We demonstrate the internal and external accuracy of our object parameters. Using examples from the first release of data, the South Galactic Cap survey, we show that our image detection completeness is close to 100% to within 1.5 mag of the nominal plate limits. We show that for the Bj survey data, the image classification is externally > 99% reliable to Bj = 19.5. Internally, the image classification is reliable at a level of > 90% to Bj=21, R=19. The photometric accuracy of our data is typically 0.3 mag with respect to external data for m > 15. Internally, the relative photometric accuracy in restricted position and magnitude ranges can be as accurate as 5% for well exposed stellar images. Colours (B-R or R-I) are externally accurate to 0.07 mag at Bj = 16.5 rising to 0.16 mag at Bj = 20.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA

Feasibility and Acceptability of Maternal Choline Supplementation in Heavy Drinking Pregnant Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Choline, an essential nutrient, serves as a methyl-group donor for DNA methylation and is a constituent of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and a precursor to major components of cell membranes. Findings from animal studies suggest that choline supplementation during pregnancy can mitigate adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on growth and neurocognitive function. We conducted a randomized, double-blind exploratory trial to examine feasibility and acceptability of a choline supplementation intervention during pregnancy. Methods: Seventy heavy drinkers, recruited in mid-pregnancy, were randomly assigned to receive a daily oral dose of 2 g of choline or a placebo from time of enrollment until delivery. Each dose consisted of an individually wrapped packet of powder that, when mixed with water, produced a sweet tasting grape-flavored drink. Adherence was assessed by collecting used and unused drink packets on a monthly basis and tabulating the number used. Side effects were assessed in monthly interviews. Blood samples obtained at enrollment and at 4 and 12 weeks after randomization were assayed for plasma choline concentration. Results: Adherence was good-to-excellent (median doses taken = 74.0%; interquartile range = 53.9 to 88.7%) and was not related to a range of sociodemographic characteristics or to alcohol consumption ascertained using a timeline follow-back interview. By 4 weeks, plasma choline concentrations were significantly higher in the choline supplementation than the placebo arm, and this group difference continued to be evident at 12 weeks. The only side effect was a small increase in nausea/dyspepsia. No effects were seen for diarrhea, vomiting, muscle stiffness, blood pressure, or body odor changes. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a choline supplementation program with very heavy drinkers during pregnancy is feasible even among highly disadvantaged, poorly educated women. The broad acceptability of this intervention is indicated by our finding that adherence was not related to maternal education, intellectual function, depression, nutritional status, or alcohol use

Seagrass spatial data synthesis from north-east Australia, Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria, 1983 to 2022

The Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait in north-eastern Australia support globally significant seagrass ecosystems that underpin fishing and cultural heritage of the region. Reliable data on seagrass distribution are critical to understanding how these ecosystems are changing, while managing for resilience. Spatial data on seagrass have been collected since the early 1980s, but the early data were poorly curated. Some was not publicly available, and some already lost. We validated and synthesized historical seagrass spatial data to create a publicly available database. We include a site layer of 48,612 geolocated data points including information on seagrass presence/absence, sediment, collection date, and data custodian. We include a polygon layer with 641 individual seagrass meadows. Thirteen seagrass species are identified in depths ranging from intertidal to 38 m below mean sea level. Our synthesis includes scientific survey data from 1983 to 2022 and provides an important evidence base for marine resource management

Efficacy of Maternal Choline Supplementation During Pregnancy in Mitigating Adverse Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Growth and Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: We recently demonstrated the acceptability and feasibility of a randomized, double-blind choline supplementation intervention for heavy drinking women during pregnancy. In this study, we report our results relating to the efficacy of this intervention in mitigating adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on infant growth and cognitive function. Methods: Sixty-nine Cape Coloured (mixed ancestry) heavy drinkers in Cape Town, South Africa, recruited in mid-pregnancy, were randomly assigned to receive a daily oral dose of either 2 g of choline or placebo from time of enrollment until delivery. Each dose consisted of an individually wrapped packet of powder that, when mixed with water, produced a sweet tasting grape-flavored drink. The primary outcome, eyeblink conditioning (EBC), was assessed at 6.5 months. Somatic growth was measured at birth, 6.5, and 12 months, recognition memory and processing speed on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, at 6.5 and 12 months. Results: Infants born to choline-treated mothers were more likely to meet criterion for conditioning on EBC than the placebo group. Moreover, within the choline arm, degree of maternal adherence to the supplementation protocol strongly predicted EBC performance. Both groups were small at birth, but choline-treated infants showed considerable catch-up growth in weight and head circumference at 6.5 and 12 months. At 12 months, the infants in the choline treatment arm had higher novelty preference scores, indicating better visual recognition memory. Conclusions: This exploratory study is the first to provide evidence that a high dose of choline administered early in pregnancy can mitigate adverse effects of heavy PAE on EBC, postnatal growth, and cognition in human infants. These findings are consistent with studies of alcohol-exposed animals that have demonstrated beneficial effects of choline supplementation on classical conditioning, learning, and memory

Comparison of immune response to lipopolysaccharide of rabbit does selected for litter size at weaning or founded for reproductive longevity

To evaluate differences in maternal lines to the immune response of reproductive rabbit does, a total of 64 animals of two different lines: (1) founded for hyper-longevity and litter size criteria (LP) and (2) selected for litter size at weaning (V) were used. Females were subjected to three different reproductive efforts: post-partum (PP) mating at first lactation and 9 kits during the second; post-weaning (PW) mating at first lactation and 9 kits during the second; and PW mating at first lactation and 5 kits during the second. At second weaning (30 days PP), an acute response was induced by intravenous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LP females seemed to be lower affected during the hyper-acute phase than V females, showing lower plasma glucose content at 1.5 h post infusion (pi) and rectal temperature at 6 h pi; and showed higher ulterior immune response, with higher levels of C-reactive protein at 48 h pi and haptoglobin in plasma from 24 h pi. Survival test conferred a higher risk of culling for V than for LP females during the first hours after challenge. These results may suggest that, regarding immune response to LPS challenge, foundation by hyper-longevity productive criteria lead to obtain a more robust population of rabbit does, characterized by improved response ability. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This study has been supported by the Interministerial Commission for Science and Technology (CICYT) from the Spanish Government. Grants Number: AGL2011-30170-C02-01; AGL2011-30170-C02-02), is gratefully acknowledged.Ferrian, S.; Blas Ferrer, E.; Larsen, T.; Sánchez Serrano, JP.; Friggens, NC.; Corpa, JM.; Baselga Izquierdo, M.... (2013). Comparison of immune response to lipopolysaccharide of rabbit does selected for litter size at weaning or founded for reproductive longevity. Research in Veterinary Science. 94(3):518-525. doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2013.01.008S51852594