The Prevalence of Aspiration Pneumonia in Rest Home Residents with Reduced Cough Reflex Sensitivity

The aim of this study was to determine whether there was an association between a failed test of cough reflex sensitivity and history of chest infection in a general population of rest home residents. One hundred rest home residents from four different levels of care (rest home, hospital, dementia and psycho-geriatric) were recruited and their cough reflex assessed using a solution of 0.6 Mol/L citric acid nebulised and presented via a facemask.Participant’s records were then checked to see if there were any documented episodes of chest infection in the 6 month period prior to cough reflex testing.The results showed that out of 100 participants, 4 failed the cough reflex test. Of the 4 that failed the test, 3 had no documented episodes of chest infections recorded in the 6 month period prior to cough reflex testing. Data was not available for one participant who was deceased by the time of collection of the second data set. As such, there was no direct association demonstrated between a failed cough reflex test and development of chest infection or aspiration pneumonia. The results of the study are unexpected in two ways. Firstly, the relatively low number of participants who failed the cough reflex test is surprising as 72% of the participants for whom a full data set was obtained had neurological conditions that are known predisposing factors for reduced cough reflex sensitivity. Secondly, the finding of no association between a failed cough reflex test and history of recorded chest infection is not consistent with other studies. There is however an established body of research that indicates the causes of aspiration pneumonia are multifactorial and not solely dependent upon aspiration. The characteristics of participants and the implications of the findings are described. The potential use of cough reflex testing as a tool to screen against the risks of silent aspiration in relation to assessment of oro-pharyngeal dysphagia in this frail, elderly population is discussed

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning

This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period. We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments, and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases, JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least 4 m. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the 6.5 m James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 yr, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit