A Molecular Line Survey of the Carbon-Rich Proto-Planetary Nebula AFGL 2688 in the 3mm and 1.3mm Windows

We present a spectral line survey of the proto-planetary nebula AFGL 2688 in the frequency ranges of 71-111 GHz, 157-160 GHz, and 218-267 GHz using the Arizona Radio Observatory 12m telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope. A total of 143 individual spectral features associated with 32 different molecular species and isotopologues were identified. The molecules C3H, CH3CN, H2CO, H2CS, and HCO+ were detected for the first time in this object. By comparing the integrated line strengths of different transitions, we are able to determine the rotation temperatures, column densities, and fractional abundances of the detected molecules. The C, O, and N isotopic ratios in AFGL 2688 are compared with those in IRC+10216 and the Sun, and were found to be consistent with stellar nucleosynthesis theory. Through comparisons of molecular line strengths in asymptotic giant branch stars, proto-planetary nebulae, and planetary nebulae, we discuss the evolution in circumstellar chemistry in the late stages of evolution.Comment: 41 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Applying the cognitive theory of multimedia learning to the design of pharmacology learning resources

BACKGROUND The past few decades have seen an increase in the use of multimedia learning in the teaching of medical and biomedical sciences, where interactive instructions provide an invaluable mean to demonstrate complex physiological processes and simulate clinical environments. In order to develop educationally effective multimedia learning, it is important to design these resources with reference to the human cognitive abilities. Among the proposed human cognitive theories, the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) is one of the most effective frameworks in guiding the design of e-learning instructions. AIMS We aimed to develop animations to the teaching of neuromuscular pharmacology according to CTML. SOURCES OF EVIDENCE Interactive multimedia instructions such as animations and simulations have been used increasingly to help students understand complex phenomena that involve dynamic changes over time and location of multiple interacting elements. Past research has found empirical evidence supporting the educational value of the application of CTML to the design of multimedia instructions (Mayer, 2010). MAIN ARGUMENT Neuromuscular pharmacology is an area of biomedical science that explores the molecular events leading to skeletal muscle contraction, as well as the modes of actions of drugs targeting the neuromuscular junction. These concepts encompass dynamic biological processes occurring rapidly at a microscopic level that exceed the capacity of the human visual perception. As a result, it is likely to be more educationally effective to present these processes to students via dynamic visualisations. This study discusses the application of CTML principles such as coherence, redundancy, spatial contiguity, signalling, learner-paced segmenting, modality and multimedia to the development of animations illustrating neuromuscular transmission and how this process can be modified by drugs. CONCLUSIONS CTML principles provide a versatile theoretically grounded approach to the design of multimedia educational resources. The application of CTML principles can be extended to other medical and biomedical interactive learning activities such as virtual patients and laboratory simulations. Further research on applying CTML principles to the design of medical and biomedical multimedia learning resources is needed to verify the effect they have on long-term learning outcome and experience among students. REFERENCES Mayer RE (2010). Applying the science of learning to medical education. Medical Education 44(6): 543-549

Extended Structures of Planetary Nebulae Detected in H2 Emission

Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.We present narrowband near-infrared images of a sample of 11 Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) obtained in the H 2.122 μm and Brγ 2.166 μm emission lines and the K 2.218 μm continuum. These images were collected with the Wide-field Infrared Camera on the 3.6 m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT); their unprecedented depth and wide field of view allow us to find extended nebular structures in H emission in several PNe, some of these being the first detection. The nebular morphologies in H emission are studied in analogy with the optical images, and indication of stellar wind interactions is discussed. In particular, the complete structure of the highly asymmetric halo in NGC 6772 is witnessed in H, which strongly suggests interaction with the interstellar medium. Our sample confirms the general correlation between H emission and the bipolarity of PNe. The knotty or filamentary fine structures of the H gas are resolved in the inner regions of several ring-like PNe, also confirming the previous argument that H emission mostly comes from knots or clumps embedded within fully ionized material at the equatorial regions. Moreover, the H image of the butterfly-shaped Sh 1-89, after removal of field stars, clearly reveals a tilted ring structure at the waist. These high-quality CFHT images justify follow-up detailed morphokinematic studies that are desired in order to deduce the true physical structures of a few PNe in the sample.© 2018. The American Astronomical Society.© 2018. The American Astronomical Society.Part of the data presented here were obtained with ALFOSC, which is provided by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA-CSIC) under a joint agreement with the University of Copenhagen and NOSTA, and the 1.5 m telescope at San Pedro Martir of the National Astronomical Observatory (OAN) operated by Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). Financial support for this work was provided by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong under grant HKU 7027/11P C.-H.H. acknowledges financial support from the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macau (project No. 119/2017/A3 and 061/2017/A2). M.A.G. acknowledges support of the grant AYA 2014-57280-P, cofunded with FEDER funds. This research uses data obtained through the Telescope Access Program (TAP), which has been funded by the National Astronomical Observatories of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (the Strategic Priority Research Program >The Emergence of Cosmological Structures> Grant No. XDB09000000), and the Special Fund for Astronomy from the Ministry of Finance. This research made use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France, and of NASA's Astrophysics Data System Bibliographic Services. We thank Quentin A. Parker and Foteini Lykou for their reading of the manuscript and comments. This research has made use of the HST archival data from MAST, the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. Support for MAST for non-HST data is provided by the NASA Office of Space Science via grant NAG5-7584 and by other grants and contracts. This publication makes use of data products from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which is a joint project of the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This research also utilized the software SAOImage. DS9 (Joye & Mandel 2003) developed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

MRI-based visual and haptic catheter feedback: simulating a novel system's contribution to efficient and safe MRI-guided cardiac electrophysiology procedures

Oral Presentationpublished_or_final_versio

Validation study of a Chinese version of Partners in Health in Hong Kong (C-PIH HK)

“The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1315-5."Background The Partners in Health (PIH) scale is a measure designed to assess the generic knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and impacts of self-management. A cross-cultural adaptation of the PIH for use in Hong Kong was evaluated in this study. This paper reports the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of PIH (C-PIH[HK]). Method A 12-item PIH was translated using forward–backward translation technique and reviewed by individuals with chronic diseases and health professionals. A total of 209 individuals with chronic diseases completed the scale. The construct validity, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability were evaluated in two waves. Results The findings in Wave 1 (n = 73) provided acceptable psychometric properties of the C-PIH(HK) but supported the adaptation of question 5 to improve the cultural relevance, validity, and reliability of the scale. An adapted version of C-PIH(HK) was evaluated in Wave 2. The findings in Wave 2 (n = 136) demonstrated good construct validity and internal consistency of C-PIH(HK). A principal component analysis with Oblimin rotation yielded a 3-factor solution, and the Cronbach’s alphas of the subscales ranged from 0.773 to 0.845. Participants were asked whether they perceived the self-management workshops they attended and education provided by health professionals as useful or not. The results showed that the C-PIH(HK) was able to discriminate those who agreed and those who disagreed related to the usefulness of individual health education (p < 0.0001 in all subscales) and workshops (p < 0.001 in the knowledge subscale) as hypothesized. The test–retest reliability was high (ICC = 0.818). Conclusion A culturally adapted version of PIH for use in Hong Kong was evaluated. The study supported good construct validity, discriminate validity, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability of the C-PIH(HK)

Journey with Ting-Peng Liang in Pacific Asia Information Systems Field

Our respectful old friend Professor Ting-Peng Liang (in short, TP) whom we loved suddenly passed away on May 20, 2021. But we cannot forget his smile and passion, and his inerasable footprints in PACIS, PAJAIS, and AIS Community. He was the founder of PACIS, founding editor-in-chief of PAJAIS, and past president of AIS to list just a few. He was the pioneer who received the first AIS Fellow and the first LEO Award from Asia Pacific. That is why the leaders of the information systems field organized the first ever special tribute session in PACIS 2021 in memory of TP (https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2021/253/

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements