The Vega debris disc: A view from Herschel

We present five band imaging of the Vega debris disc obtained using the Herschel Space Observatory. These data span a wavelength range of 70-500 mu m with full-width half-maximum angular resolutions of 5.6-36.9 ''. The disc is well resolved in all bands, with the ring structure visible at 70 and 160 mu m. Radial profiles of the disc surface brightness are produced, and a disc radius of 11 '' (similar to 85AU) is determined. The disc is seen to have a smooth structure thoughout the entire wavelength range, suggesting that the disc is in a steady state, rather than being an ephemeral structure caused by the recent collision of two large planetesimals

Vector-apodizing phase plate coronagraph: design, current performance, and future development [Invited]

Instrumentatio

The mid-infrared instrument for the James Webb space telescope, II: design and build

Instrumentatio

Tip malposition of peripherally inserted central catheters: a prospective randomized controlled trial to compare bedside insertion to fluoroscopically guided placement.

Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) use continues to increase, leading to the development of a blind bedside technique (BST) for placement. The aim of our study was to compare the BST with the fluoroscopically guided technique (FGT), with specific regard to catheter tip position (CTP). One hundred eighty patients were randomized to either the BST or the FGT. All procedures were done by the same interventional team and included postprocedural chest X-ray to assess CTP. Depending on the international guidelines for optimal CTP, patients were classified in three types: optimal, suboptimal not needing repositioning, and nonoptimal requiring additional repositioning procedures. Fisher's test was used for comparisons. One hundred seventy-one PICCs were successful inserted. In the BST groups, 23.3% of placements were suboptimal and 30% nonoptimal, requiring repositioning. In the FGT group, 5.6% were suboptimal and 1.1% nonoptimal. Thus, suboptimal and nonoptimal CTP were significantly lower in the FGT group (p < 0.001). Tip malposition rates are high when using blind BST, exposing the patient to an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis and catheter malfunction. Using the FGT or emerging technologies that could help tip positioning are recommended, especially for long-term indications. • Bedside and fluoroscopy guided techniques are commonly used for PICC placement. • Catheter malposition is the major technical issue with the bedside technique. • Catheter malposition occurred in 53% of patients with the bedside technique

The final design of the cryostat for ELT/METIS

Instrumentatio

Data from: Corticosterone: effects on feather quality and deposition into feathers

1. The concentration of the glucocorticoid hormone corticosterone (CORT) is increasingly used in ecology and conservation biology as an integrated measure of the historical record of an individual's hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity during feather growth. However, where and how CORT is incorporated in feathers is incompletely known. 2. We therefore examined whether CORT is reliably measured with an enzyme immunoassay, where CORT is incorporated in the feather and where it affects feather quality, and whether CORT incorporation is related to plasma CORT levels, feather growth rate and melanin pigmentation. 3. During regrowth of plucked tail feathers, we injected pigeons with tritium-labelled CORT, and implanted a CORT-releasing pellet to increase plasma CORT concentration for about three days. In feather segments we measured labelled CORT (DPM3H) and we quantified CORT with an enzyme immunoassay EIA (CORTEIA) and double-checked the results with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS) (CORTMS). 4. Administered CORT affected feather structure and colour at the very base of the feather (epidermal collar, ramogenic zone) and reduced growth rate. In contrast, incorporation of CORT into the feather happened mainly in the blood quill, as shown with all three methods (DPM3H, CORTEIA, and CORTMS). 5. Incorporation of CORT into feathers was only roughly proportional to plasma concentration, proportional to feather-growth rate and increased with melanin pigmentation. 6. Measuring CORT in feather is a way to reveal past events of increased stress during feather growth in birds