367 research outputs found
Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy using KMOS
KMOS (K-Band Multi Object Spectrograph) is a novel integral field
spectrograph installed in the VLT's ANTU unit. The instrument offers an ability
to observe 24 2.8"2.8" sub-fields positionable within a 7.2' patrol
field, each sub-field producing a spectrum with a 1414-pixel spatial
resolution. The main science drivers for KMOS are the study of galaxies, star
formation, and molecular clouds, but its ability to simultaneously measure
spectra of multiple stars makes KMOS an interesting instrument for exoplanet
atmosphere characterization via transmission spectroscopy. We set to test
whether transmission spectroscopy is practical with KMOS, and what are the
conditions required to achieve the photometric precision needed, based on
observations of a partial transit of WASP-19b, and full transits of GJ 1214b
and HD 209458b. Our analysis uses the simultaneously observed comparison stars
to reduce the effects from instrumental and atmospheric sources, and Gaussian
processes to model the residual systematics. We show that KMOS can, in theory,
deliver the photometric precision required for transmission spectroscopy.
However, this is shown to require a) pre-imaging to ensure accurate centering
and b) a very stable night with optimal observing conditions (seeing
0.8"). Combining these two factors with the need to observe several
transits, each with a sufficient out-of-transit baseline (and with the fact
that similar or better precision can be reached with telescopes and instruments
with smaller pressure,) we conclude that transmission spectroscopy is not the
optimal science case to take advantage of the abilities offered by KMOS and
VLT.Comment: 11 pages, accepted to MNRA
Immunolocalization of a Drosha-Like Protein in Tetrahymena thermophila
Drosha is an enzyme used by animals to process pri-miRNA into pre-miRNA. This processing normally occurs in the nucleus. The partly processed RNA molecule is then exported to the cytosol, where it is fully processed and then used in gene regulation. While much is known about this process in animals, less is known about how unicellular organisms process miRNA. We wanted to compare miRNA processing in the unicellular eukaryote, Tetrahymena thermophila with miRNA processing in the animal kingdom. In our past studies, we have successfully purified miRNA from Tetrahymena thermophila. Our searches of the Tetrahymena Genome Database indicated the presence of multiple genes with very high levels of homology to the miRNA processing enzymes Drosha and Dicer. Because of these data, we postulated that an anti-Drosha antibody would bind to a number of proteins in Tetrahymena. We hypothesized that a Drosha-like protein would immunolocalize to the nucleus of Tetrahymena, as seen in animal systems
Men’s health – the impact of stroke
Stroke is a leading cause of adult death and the most common cause of complex disability in the UK. This article discusses the incidence and impact of stroke, focusing on a range of issues from a male perspective, including stroke prevention, psychological needs, sexuality and return to work. There are some gender differences in modifiable risk factors for stroke, and women have better knowledge of stroke symptomatology. For men, the development of post-stroke depression is associated with greater physical disability.
(c) Sherborne Gibbs Limite
A uniform analysis of HD209458b Spitzer/IRAC lightcurves with Gaussian process models
We present an analysis of Spitzer/IRAC primary transit and secondary eclipse
lightcurves measured for HD209458b, using Gaussian process models to
marginalise over the intrapixel sensitivity variations in the 3.6 micron and
4.5 micron channels and the ramp effect in the 5.8 micron and 8.0 micron
channels. The main advantage of this approach is that we can account for a
broad range of degeneracies between the planet signal and systematics without
actually having to specify a deterministic functional form for the latter. Our
results do not confirm a previous claim of water absorption in transmission.
Instead, our results are more consistent with a featureless transmission
spectrum, possibly due to a cloud deck obscuring molecular absorption bands.
For the emission data, our values are not consistent with the thermal inversion
in the dayside atmosphere that was originally inferred from these data.
Instead, we agree with another re-analysis of these same data, which concluded
a non-inverted atmosphere provides a better fit. We find that a solar-abundance
clear-atmosphere model without a thermal inversion underpredicts the measured
emission in the 4.5 micron channel, which may suggest the atmosphere is
depleted in carbon monoxide. An acceptable fit to the emission data can be
achieved by assuming that the planet radiates as an isothermal blackbody with a
temperature of K.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, 6 tables. Accepted by MNRA
Towards equality: gender representation at the Royal College of Radiologists’ Annual Scientific Meeting 2014-2021
Background: Conferences facilitate career advancement, but gender imbalances in public fora may negatively impact both women and men, and society. We aimed to describe the gender distribution of presenters at the UK’s 2014-2021 Royal College of Radiologists’ (RCR) Annual Scientific Meeting. Methods: We extracted data on presenter name, role and session type from meeting programmes. We classified gender as male or female using names, records or personal pronouns, accepting the limitations of these categories. We classified roles by prestige: lead, other (speakers and workshop faculty), proffered paper or poster presenters. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between gender and binary outcomes using logistic regression. Results: Women held 1,059 (37.5%) of 2,826 conference roles and presented 9/27 keynotes. Compared to men, women were less likely to hold other roles such as speakers and workshop faculty (OR 0.72 95% CI 0.61-0.83), and more likely to present posters (OR 1.49 95% CI 1.27-1.76). There were 60 male-only and eight women-only multi-presenter sessions. Sessions led by women had higher proportions of women speakers. The odds of roles being held by women increased during online meetings during COVID in 2020 and 2021 (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.36-1.91) compared to earlier years. Conclusion: The proportion of women presenters and keynote speakers reflects that of RCR membership, but not of wider society. Disadvantage starts from the earliest career stages, prejudicing career opportunities. Efforts to improve inclusion and diversity are needed; focusing on lead roles and hybrid online/in-person formats may accelerate change
The gender suicide paradox under gender role reversal during industrialisation
Objectives:
To test for social structural effects on the gender paradox in suicidal behaviour.
Methods:
We analyzed newspaper reports of completed and attempted suicides in the Scottish city
of Dundee during the mass movement of women into the paid labour force in the 19th and
early 20th Centuries. We calculated rates of suicides per 100,000 of the male and female
populations.
Results:
We found that the female suicide rate dropped during this time period, whereas there was
only a significant reduction in attempted suicide amongst men.
Conclusions:
Our understanding, and action to prevent, suicide in men and women must take place in the
context of our gendered social world
Power and resistance: Reflections on the rhetoric and reality of using participatory methods to promote student voice and engagement in higher education
The focus of this article is methods for facilitating student voice and engagement in higher education, specifically participatory methods. Across the student voice and engagement literature there is a growing emphasis on promoting collaborative partnerships between staff and students. However, there is a lack of detail and criticality with regards to (1) exactly how genuine partnerships can be achieved and (2) comparing the vision for and the reality of positioning ‘students as partners’ in the current higher education climate. In this article, we evaluate the potential of participatory methods to facilitate quality partnerships between staff and students. Drawing on our experiences of being involved in a participatory project in one higher education institution, we offer reflective narratives from three different partners who participated in the project: student, lecturer and researcher. We use these narratives to explore the nature of the partnerships between lecturers and students, focusing specifically on issues of resistance and power. We conclude by considering the implications for how we conceptualise and implement student voice and engagement projects in higher education
The Very Low Albedo of WASP-12b From Spectral Eclipse Observations with
We present an optical eclipse observation of the hot Jupiter WASP-12b using
the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope.
These spectra allow us to place an upper limit of (97.5%
confidence level) on the planet's white light geometric albedo across 290--570
nm. Using six wavelength bins across the same wavelength range also produces
stringent limits on the geometric albedo for all bins. However, our
uncertainties in eclipse depth are 40% greater than the Poisson limit and
may be limited by the intrinsic variability of the Sun-like host star --- the
solar luminosity is known to vary at the level on a timescale of
minutes. We use our eclipse depth limits to test two previously suggested
atmospheric models for this planet: Mie scattering from an aluminum-oxide haze
or cloud-free Rayleigh scattering. Our stringent nondetection rules out both
models and is consistent with thermal emission plus weak Rayleigh scattering
from atomic hydrogen and helium. Our results are in stark contrast with those
for the much cooler HD 189733b, the only other hot Jupiter with spectrally
resolved reflected light observations; those data showed an increase in albedo
with decreasing wavelength. The fact that the first two exoplanets with optical
albedo spectra exhibit significant differences demonstrates the importance of
spectrally resolved reflected light observations and highlights the great
diversity among hot Jupiters.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, published in ApJL, in pres
Maternal Physical Activity and Neonatal Cord Blood pH: Findings from the Born in Bradford Pregnancy Cohort
Objective: Evidence suggests that physical activity whilst pregnant is beneficially associated with maternal cardiometabolic health and perinatal outcomes. It is unknown if benefits extend to objective markers of the neonate condition at birth. This study investigated associations of maternal pregnancy physical activity with cord blood pH. Methods: Cord blood pH was measured when clinically indicated in a subgroup of Born in Bradford birth cohort participants (n = 1,467). Pregnant women were grouped into one of four activity categories (inactive/somewhat active/moderately active/active) based on their self-reported physical activity at 26–28 weeks gestation. Linear regression was used to calculate adjusted mean differences in cord blood pH, and Poisson regression was used to quantify relative risks for moderate cord blood acidaemia (pH < 7.10), across physical activity groups. Results: More than half of pregnant women (52.0%) were inactive, one-fifth were somewhat active (21.7%), fewer were moderately active (14.6%) and active (11.7%), respectively. Pregnancy physical activity was favourably associated with higher cord blood pH. Compared to neonates of inactive women, there was some evidence that neonates of women who were at least somewhat active in pregnancy had lower relative risk of moderate cord blood acidaemia (for arterial blood: relative risk = 0.70 (95% confidence interval 0.48–1.03)). Conclusions: Modest volumes of mid-pregnancy maternal physical activity do not appear to adversely influence cord blood pH and may enhance the neonate condition at birth
How the Western Was Won: Evidence for Netrin Signaling Machinery in Tetrahymena thermophila
Netrins are pleiotropic signaling molecules with diverse roles in animal development. Netrin signals through a number of receptors in animals, including the UNC-5 family, neogenin, DSCAM, and DCC. Previous studies have shown that netrin-1-peptide, netrin-3-peptide, and recombinant netrin-4 all act as chemorepellents in Tetrahymena (Kuruvilla et al., 2016, Khol et al., 2018; Bradley and Kuruvilla, 2020). In addition, netrin-1 peptide appears to signal through a tyrosine kinase in this organism (Kuruvilla et al., 2016), similar to vertebrate signaling through UNC-5, which uses the tyrosine kinase, src. In light of these data, we hypothesized that Tetrahymena thermophila possess netrin signaling machinery, including a tyrosine kinase. In order to investigate this hypothesis, we searched for various netrin receptors, as well as a src homologue, in Tetrahymena using immunofluorescence (Khol et al., 2018). We found that anti-UNC-5 and anti-neogenin antibodies showed fluorescence, while anti-DCC and anti-DSCAM antibodies did not. In addition, an anti-src antibody showed significant fluorescence in Tetrahymena (Khol et al., 2018. In our current study, we searched the Tetrahymena Genome Database for homologs of UNC-5, neogenin, and src. We also used Western blotting to screen for potential homologues of these proteins. At the present time, there are several proteins of interest which we would like to study further
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