The Araucaria Project: the Local Group Galaxy WLM--Distance and metallicity from quantitative spectroscopy of blue Supergiants

The quantitative analysis of low resolution spectra of A and B supergiants is used to determine a distance modulus of 24.99 +/- 0.10 mag (995 +/- 46 Kpc) to the Local Group galaxy WLM. The analysis yields stellar effective temperatures and gravities, which provide a distance through the Flux weighted Gravity--Luminosity Relationship (FGLR). Our distance is 0.07 mag larger than the most recent results based on Cepheids and the tip of the RGB. This difference is within the 1-sigma overlap of the typical uncertainties quoted in these photometric investigations. In addition, non-LTE spectral synthesis of the rich metal line spectra (mostly iron, chromium and titanium) of the A supergiants is carried out, which allows the determination of stellar metallicities. An average metallicity of -0.87 +/- 0.06 dex with respect to solar metallicity is found.Comment: 46 pages, 14 figures (2 low resolution color figures). Accepted for publication by Ap

Hospital food service: a comparative analysis of systems and introducing the ‘Steamplicity’ concept

Background Patient meals are an integral part of treatment hence the provision and consumption of a balanced diet, essential to aid recovery. A number of food service systems are used to provide meals and the Steamplicity concept has recently been introduced. This seeks, through the application of a static, extended choice menu, revised patient ordering procedures, new cooking processes and individual patient food heated/cooked at ward level, to address some of the current hospital food service concerns. The aim of this small-scale study, therefore, was to compare a cook-chill food service operation against Steamplicity. Specifically, the goals were to measure food intake and wastage at ward level; ‘stakeholders’ (i.e. patients, staff, etc.) satisfaction with both systems; and patients’ acceptability of the food provided. Method The study used both quantitative (self-completed patient questionnaires, n = 52) and qualitative methods (semi-structured interviews, n = 16) with appropriate stakeholders including medical and food service staff, patients and their visitors. Results Patients preferred the Steamplicity system overall and in particular in terms of food choice, ordering, delivery and food quality. Wastage was considerably less with the Steamplicity system, although care must be taken to ensure that poor operating procedures do not negate this advantage. When the total weight of food consumed in the ward at each meal is divided by the number of main courses served, at lunch, the mean intake with the cook-chill system was 202 g whilst that for the Steamplicity system was 282 g and for the evening meal, 226 g compared with 310 g. Conclusions The results of this small study suggest that Steamplicity is more acceptable to patients and encourages the consumption of larger portions. Further evaluation of the Steamplicity system is warranted. The purpose of this study was to directly compare selected aspects (food wastage at ward level; satisfaction with systems and food provided) of a traditional cook-chill food service operation against ‘Steamplicity’. Results indicate that patients preferred the ‘Steamplicty’ system in all areas: food choice, ordering, delivery, food quality and overall. Wastage was considerably less with the ‘Steamplicity’ system; although care must be taken to ensure that poor operating procedures do not negate this advantage. When the total weight of food consumed in the ward at each meal is divided by the number of main courses served, results show that at lunch, mean intake with the cook-chill system was 202g whilst that for the ‘Steamplicity’ system was 282g and for the evening meal, 226g compared with 310g

The rapidly pulsating sdO star, SDSS J160043.6+074802.9

A spectroscopic analysis of SDSS J160043.6+074802.9, a binary system containing a pulsating subdwarf-O (sdO) star with a late-type companion, yields Teff = 70 000 +/- 5000 K and log g = 5.25 +/- 0.30, together with a most likely type of K3V for the secondary star. We compare our results with atmospheric parameters derived by Fontaine et al. (2008) and in the context of existing evolution models for sdO stars. New and more extensive photometry is also presented which recovers most, but not all, frequencies found in an earlier paper. It therefore seems probable that some pulsation modes have variable amplitudes. A non-adiabatic pulsation analysis of uniform metallicity sdO models show those having log g > 5.3 to be more likely to be unstable and capable of driving pulsation in the observed frequency range.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, 2009 September

First-egg date and air temperature affect nest construction in Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus, but not in Great Tits Parus major

Capsule For nest construction by Blue Tits, but not Great Tits, first-egg date (FED) and air temperature significantly affected the mass of the nest as a whole and some of its component parts. Aims To test the hypothesis that use of nest materials is influenced by prevailing climatic conditions during nest construction. Methods Nests used in the study were built by Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tits Parus major in nestboxes at a site in Lincolnshire, England during the 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons. Nests were dissected into their component parts and then weighed. Results Stepwise discriminant analysis showed that the asses of grasses, feathers and bark were significantly affected by species (all higher in Blue Tits) and year significantly affected the mass of wool and dust in the nests. ANOVA showed that total mass of the nest was not significantly affected by year of construction or species. By contrast, species, but not year, did significantly influence the masses of animal- and plant-derived materials in the nest. In Blue Tit nests there were significant correlations between FED and the mass of animal-derived material in 2008, but with plant-derived material in 2009. There were significant correlations between mean air temperature recorded during the seven days up to FED and the mass of the nests and their plant-derived materials. No significant correlations were observed between FED and nest components for Great Tits. Conclusion Nest construction is potentially affected by a variety of environmental factors, which may impact upon how nests function. A better understanding of how nest variability affects its function may allow better assessment of how climate change may impact upon the reproductive performance of bird

Environmental conditions but not nest composition affect reproductive success in an urban bird

Adjusting the composition of their nests, breeding birds can influence the environmental conditions that eggs and offspring experience. Birds often use feathers to build nests, presumably due to their insulating properties. The amount of feathers in nests is often associated with increased nestling survival and body condition. However, it is unclear whether these putative beneficial effects of adding feathers to nests are relevant in a wide range of environmental conditions. Here, we combine data on weather conditions and feathers in nests (i.e., nest composition) to investigate their relative contribution to reproductive success in the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). Specifically, we investigate whether the effect of weather conditions on breeding success is modulated by the amount of feathers added to the nest. We found a strong negative effect of rainfall on the number of nestlings that successfully fledged per breeding attempt, but this negative effect was not mitigated by the amount of feathers in nests. We also found that the amount of feathers in nests varied along the breeding season, with nests containing more feathers early in the breeding season, when temperatures were lower. Despite considerable variation in nest composition, our results do not suggest an important role of feathers in nests protecting eggs or nestling tree sparrows against fluctuations in environmental conditions

Cyclic brightening in the short-period WZ Sge-type cataclysmic variable SDSS J080434.20+510349.2

We have observed a new cataclysmic variable (CV) SDSS J080434.20+510349.2 and study the origin of a long-term variability found in its light curve. Multi-longitude time-resolved photometric observations were carried out to analyze the uncommon behavior also found recently in two newly discovered CVs. This study of SDSS J080434.20+510349.2 mainly concerns the understanding of the nature of the observed double-humped light curve and its relation to a cyclic brightening occurring during quiescence. The observations were obtained early in 2007, when the object was at about V~17.1, 0.4 mag brighter than the pre-outburst magnitude. The light curve shows a sinusoidal variability with an amplitude of about 0.07 mag and a periodicity of 42.48 min, which is half of the orbital period of the system. In addition, we have observed two "mini-outbursts" of the system up to 0.6 mag, with a duration of about 4 days each. The "mini-outburst" had a symmetric profile and repeated in about 32 days. Subsequent monitoring of the system shows a cyclical behaviour of such "mini-outbursts" with a similar recurrence period. The origin of the double-humped light curve and the periodic brightening is discussed in the light of the evolutionary state of SDSS J080434.20+510349.2.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, Accepted by A&A, typos added, figure correcte

Conceptualizing community resilience to natural hazards - the emBRACE framework

Abstract. The level of community is considered to be vital for building disaster resilience. Yet, community resilience as a scientific concept often remains vaguely defined and lacks the guiding characteristics necessary for analysing and enhancing resilience on the ground. The emBRACE framework of community resilience presented in this paper provides a heuristic analytical tool for understanding, explaining and measuring community resilience to natural hazards. It was developed in an iterative process building on existing scholarly debates, on empirical case study work in five countries and on participatory consultation with community stakeholders, where the framework was applied and ground-tested in different contexts and for different hazard types. The framework conceptualizes resilience across three core domains: resources and capacities; actions; and learning. These three domains are conceptualized as intrinsically conjoined within a whole. Community resilience is influenced by these integral elements as well as by extra-community forces, comprising disaster risk governance and thus laws, policies and responsibilities on the one hand and on the other, the general societal context, natural and human-made disturbances and system change over time. The framework is a graphically rendered heuristic, which through application can assist in guiding the assessment of community resilience in a systematic way and identifying key drivers and barriers of resilience that affect any particular hazard-exposed community

Climate and predation dominate juvenile and adult recruitment in a turtle with temperature-dependent sex determination

Conditions experienced early in life can influence phenotypes in ecologically important ways, as exemplified by organisms with environmental sex determination. For organisms with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), variation in nest temperatures induces phenotypic variation that could impact population growth rates. In environments that vary over space and time, how does this variation influence key demographic parameters (cohort sex ratio and hatchling recruitment) in early life stages of populations exhibiting TSD? We leverage a 17-year data set on a population of painted turtles, Chrysemys picta, to investigate how spatial variation in nest vegetation cover and temporal variation in climate influence early life-history demography. We found that spatial variation in nest cover strongly influenced nest temperature and sex ratio, but was not correlated with clutch size, nest predation, total nest failure, or hatching success. Temporal variation in climate influenced percentage of total nest failure and cohort sex ratio, but not depredation rate, mean clutch size, or mean hatching success. Total hatchling recruitment in a year was influenced primarily by temporal variation in climate-independent factors, number of nests constructed, and depredation rate. Recruitment of female hatchlings was determined by stochastic variation in nest depredation and annual climate and also by the total nest production. Overall population demography depends more strongly on annual variation in climate and predation than it does on the intricacies of nest-specific biology. Finally, we demonstrate that recruitment of female hatchlings translates into recruitment of breeding females into the population, thus linking climate (and other) effects on early life stages to adult demographics

Flood resilience community pathfinder evaluation: rapid evidence assessment

The increase in the risk of flooding as a result of extreme weather and climate change makes it essential for local authorities and communities to engage with this issue. Defra is providing grant funding to 13 local authorities throughout England under a new Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder (FRCP) scheme aimed at stimulating community action to increase resilience. The measures being developed include property-level protection, flood resilience groups, volunteer flood wardens and community champions, engagement with more vulnerable groups and efforts to increase financial resilience

In-reach specialist nursing teams for residential care homes : uptake of services, impact on care provision and cost-effectiveness

Background: A joint NHS-Local Authority initiative in England designed to provide a dedicated nursing and physiotherapy in-reach team (IRT) to four residential care homes has been evaluated.The IRT supported 131 residents and maintained 15 'virtual' beds for specialist nursing in these care homes. Methods: Data captured prospectively (July 2005 to June 2007) included: numbers of referrals; reason for referral; outcome (e.g. admission to IRT bed, short-term IRT support); length of stay in IRT; prevented hospital admissions; early hospital discharges; avoided nursing home transfers; and detection of unrecognised illnesses. An economic analysis was undertaken. Results: 733 referrals were made during the 2 years (range 0.5 to 13.0 per resident per annum)resulting in a total of 6,528 visits. Two thirds of referrals aimed at maintaining the resident's independence in the care home. According to expert panel assessment, 197 hospital admissions were averted over the period; 20 early discharges facilitated; and 28 resident transfers to a nursing home prevented. Detection of previously unrecognised illnesses accounted for a high number of visits. Investment in IRT equalled £44.38 per resident per week. Savings through reduced hospital admissions, early discharges, delayed transfers to nursing homes, and identification of previously unrecognised illnesses are conservatively estimated to produce a final reduction in care cost of £6.33 per resident per week. A sensitivity analysis indicates this figure might range from a weekly overall saving of £36.90 per resident to a 'worst case' estimate of £2.70 extra expenditure per resident per week. Evaluation early in implementation may underestimate some cost-saving activities and greater savings may emerge over a longer time period. Similarly, IRT costs may reduce over time due to the potential for refinement of team without major loss in effectiveness. Conclusion: Introduction of a specialist nursing in-reach team for residential homes is at least cost neutral and, in all probability, cost saving. Further benefits include development of new skills in the care home workforce and enhanced quality of care. Residents are enabled to stay in familiar surroundings rather than unnecessarily spending time in hospital or being transferred to a higher dependency nursing home setting