A combined spectroscopic and photometric stellar activity study of Epsilon Eridani

We present simultaneous ground-based radial velocity (RV) measurements and space-based photometric measurements of the young and active K dwarf Epsilon Eridani. These measurements provide a data set for exploring methods of identifying and ultimately distinguishing stellar photospheric velocities from Keplerian motion. We compare three methods we have used in exploring this data set: Dalmatian, an MCMC spot modeling code that fits photometric and RV measurements simultaneously; the FF$'$ method, which uses photometric measurements to predict the stellar activity signal in simultaneous RV measurements; and H$\alpha$ analysis. We show that our H$\alpha$ measurements are strongly correlated with photometry from the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars (MOST) instrument, which led to a promising new method based solely on the spectroscopic observations. This new method, which we refer to as the HH$'$ method, uses H$\alpha$ measurements as input into the FF$'$ model. While the Dalmatian spot modeling analysis and the FF$'$ method with MOST space-based photometry are currently more robust, the HH$'$ method only makes use of one of the thousands of stellar lines in the visible spectrum. By leveraging additional spectral activity indicators, we believe the HH$'$ method may prove quite useful in disentangling stellar signals

Modélisation et vérification du flux d'information pour les systèmes orientés objets

RÉSUMÉ Afin d'assurer la protection de la confidentialité et l'intégrité des systèmes orientés objet, cet article propose une modèle d'étiquettes décentralisées (méfiance mutuelle et sécurité décentralisée) pour le contrôle des flux d'information dans des modèles UML et son intégration dans UML. Le document présente la syntaxe et la sémantique formelle des modèles UML (les diagrammes de classes, diagrammes d'objets et diagrammes d'états) étendus avec des fonctionnalités supplémentaires qui prennent en charge le contrôle des flux d'information. Il prend en charge la vérification du flux d'information à l'exécution et permet de s'assurer que le système n'admet que des flux d'information légaux. Ainsi des politiques de sécurité flexibles sont définies sur des diagrammes UML juste en les étiquetant. Le contrôle du flot de données et des canaux de transmission est effectué au niveau des diagrammes de classes, diagrammes d'objets et diagrammes d'états. Cela permet de définir le flux d'information lorsque le comportement des objets changent.----------ABSTRACT For protection of the confidentiality and integrity of object-oriented systems, this paper proposes a decentralized label model for control of information flow in UML system models with mutual distrust and decentralized security and its integration into UML. The paper introduces UML (class diagrams, object and statecharts) syntax and formal semantics extensions with additional features that support information flow control. It supports run-time verification of information flow so that the system model can be certified to permit only admissible information flows. Using this, flexible security policies can be easily defined through UML diagrams just by labelling them. The control of data flows and transmitting channels is performed at the level of Class diagrams, Object diagrams and Statechart diagrams. This allows to define information flow when the behaviour of objects change

The homing flight method to assess the effect of sublethal doses of plant protection products on the honey bee in field conditions: results of the ring tests

The evaluation of the potential effects of plants protection products on honeybee behavior is considered as part of the risk assessment according to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and the EFSA Guidance document (EFSA 2013). But no standardized and validated method is still available. With current revisions of plant protection product risk assessment on the honeybee, a European ring test is conducted since 2015 with 11 voluntary laboratories to test a methodology assessing the effects of sublethal doses of a plant protection product administered in controlled conditions on the homing capacity of forager bees in the field. Homing success is measured by monitoring free-ranging honey bees with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging technology

Generation and trapping of ketenes in flow

Ketenes were generated by the thermolysis of alkoxyalkynes under flow conditions, and then trapped with amines and alcohols to cleanly give amides and esters. For a 10 min reaction time, temperatures of 180, 160, and 140 °C were required for >95?% conversion of EtO, iPrO, and tBuO alkoxyalkynes, respectively. Variation of the temperature and flow rate with inline monitoring of the output by IR spectroscopy allowed the kinetic parameters for the conversion of 1-ethoxy-1-octyne to be easily estimated (Ea = 105.4 kJ/mol). Trapping of the in-situ-generated ketenes by alcohols to give esters required the addition of a tertiary amine catalyst to prevent competitive [2+2] addition of the ketene to the alkoxyalkyne precurso

Treatment of fast breathing in neonates and young infants with oral amoxicillin compared with penicillin-gentamicin combination: study protocol for a randomized, open-label equivalence trial

Background: The World Health Organization recommends hospitalization and injectable antibiotic treatment for young infants (0–59 days old), who present with signs of possible serious bacterial infection. Fast breathing alone is not associated with a high mortality risk for young infants and has been treated with oral antibiotics in some settings. This trial was designed to examine the safety and efficacy of oral amoxicillin for young infants with fast breathing compared with that of an injectable penicillin–gentamicin combination. The study is currently being conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Nigeria Methods/Design: This is a randomized, open-label equivalence trial. All births in the community are visited at home by trained community health workers to identify sick infants who are then referred to a trial study nurse for assessment. The primary outcome is treatment failure by day 8 after enrollment, defined as clinical deterioration, development of a serious adverse event including death, persistence of fast breathing by day 4 or recurrence up to day 8. Secondary outcomes include adherence to study therapy, relapse, death between days 9 and 15 and adverse effects associated with the study drugs. Study outcomes are assessed on days 4, 8, 11 and 15 after randomization by an independent outcome assessor who is blinded to the treatment being given. Discussion: The results of this study will help inform the development of policies for the treatment of fast breathing among neonates and young infants in resource-limited settings

Simplified Regimens for Management of Neonates and Young Infants With Severe Infection When Hospital Admission Is Not Possible

Background: In resource-limited settings, most young infants with signs of severe infection do not receive the recommended inpatient treatment with intravenous broad spectrum antibiotics for 10 days or more because such treatment is not accessible, acceptable or affordable to families. This trial was initiated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Nigeria to assess the safety and efficacy of simplified treatment regimens for the young infants with signs of severe infection who cannot receive hospital care. Methods: This is a randomized, open-label equivalence trial in which 3600 young infants with signs of clinical severe infection will be enrolled. The primary outcome is treatment failure in 7 days after enrollment, which includes death or worsening of the clinical condition on any day, or no improvement in the clinical condition by day 4 of treatment. Secondary outcomes include compliance with study therapy, adverse effects due to the study drugs and relapse or death during the week after completion of treatment. Discussion: The results of this study, along with ongoing studies in Pakistan and Bangladesh, will inform the development of global policy for treatment of severe neonatal infections in resource-limited settings

Landscape drivers of mammal habitat use and richness in a protected area and its surrounding agricultural lands

Protected areas (PAs) are key to conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services globally, but their effectiveness increasingly depends on the ability of the surrounding agricultural areas to support biodiversity and secure connectivity at the landscape level. This requires monitoring the broader multi-use landscapes in which PAs exist and identifying the landscape characteristics that support rich, functional wildlife communities. Here, we investigated the species richness and habitat use patterns of a mammal community in relation to different landscape variables and land use and land cover (LULC) types in a PA and its surrounding agricultural lands in the Cerrado. We first used a hierarchical multi-species occupancy model with input camera trap data and eight landscape variables (vegetation productivity, phenology, and heterogeneity, distance to water, roads and settlements, and the PA, slope, and elevation) to estimate the species richness and habitat use of 29 mammal species across the landscape. We then analyzed the relationships between the species richness and habitat use and the landscape variables at the site level, as well as the distribution of species at the landscape level in relation to the different natural and agricultural LULC types