The Variability of Halpha Equivalent Widths in Be Stars

Focusing on B-emission stars, we investigated a set of H$\alpha$ equivalent widths calculated from observed spectra acquired over a period of about 4 years from 2003 to 2007. During this time, changes in equivalent width for our program stars were monitored. We have found a simple statistical method to quantify these changes in our observations. This statistical test, commonly called the F ratio, involves calculating the ratio of the external and internal error. We show that the application of this technique can be used to place bounds on the degree of variability of Be stars. This observational tool provides a quantitative way to find Be stars at particular stages of variability requiring relatively little observational data.Comment: 8 figures accepted by The Astronomical Journa

A study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial on mindfulness-based stress reduction : studying effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction and an additional organisational health intervention on mental health and work-related perceptions of teachers in Dutch secondary vocational schools

Dutch teachers in secondary vocational schools suffer from stress and burnout complaints that can cause considerable problems at work. This paper presents a study design that can be used to evaluate the short-term and long-term effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a person-focused intervention, both within and outside of the context of an additional organisational health intervention. The proposed study comprises a cluster randomised controlled trial that will be conducted in at least three secondary vocational schools, to which teachers will be recruited from three types of courses: Care, Technology, and Economy. The allocation of the intervention programme to the participating schools will be randomised. The teachers from each school will be assigned to intervention group 1 (IG 1), intervention group 2 (IG 2), or the waiting list group (WG). IG 1 will receive MBSR training and IG 2 will receive MBSR training combined with an additional organisational health intervention. WG, that is the control group, will receive MBSR training one year later. The primary outcome variable of the proposed study is mindfulness, which will be measured using the Dutch version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-NL). In the conceptual model, the effects of teachers' mindfulness resulting from the intervention programmes (MBSR training and MBSR training combined with an additional organisational health intervention) will be related to salient (secondary outcome) variables: mental health outcomes (e.g., burnout, work engagement), work performance, work-related perceptions (job demands and job resources), and personal competencies (e.g., occupational self-efficacy). Data will be collected before (T ) and immediately after the MBSR training (T ), and 3 (T ) and 9 months (T ) after the training. The power analysis revealed a required sample size of 66 teachers (22 in each group). The proposed study aims to provide insight into (1) the short-term and long-term effects of MBSR on teachers' mental health, (2) the possible enhancing effects of the additional organisational health intervention, and (3) the teachers' experiences with the interventions (working mechanisms, steps in the mindfulness change process). Strengths of this study design are the use of both positive and negative outcomes, the wide range of outcomes, both outcome and process measures, longitudinal data, mixed methods, and an integral approach. Although the proposed study protocol may not address all weaknesses of current studies (e.g., self-selection bias, self-reporting of data, the Hawthorne effect), it is innovative in many ways and can be expected to make important contributions to both the scientific and practical debate on how to beat work-related stress and occupational burnout, and on how to enhance work engagement and work performance. Dutch Trial Register (www.trialregister.nl): NL5581. Registered on 6 July 2016

Nanoimprinted diffraction gratings for crystalline silicon solar cells: implementation, characterization and simulation

Light trapping is becoming of increasing importance in crystalline silicon solar cells as thinner wafers are used to reduce costs. In this work, we report on light trapping by rear-side diffraction gratings produced by nano-imprint lithography using interference lithography as the mastering technology. Gratings fabricated on crystalline silicon wafers are shown to provide significant absorption enhancements. Through a combination of optical measurement and simulation, it is shown that the crossed grating provides better absorption enhancement than the linear grating, and that the parasitic reflector absorption is reduced by planarizing the rear reflector, leading to an increase in the useful absorption in the silicon. Finally, electro-optical simulations are performed of solar cells employing the fabricated grating structures to estimate efficiency enhancement potential

Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on healthcare professionals' mental health : results from a pilot study testing its predictive validity in a specialized hospital setting

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training and to examine positive and negative symptom-focused mental health variables. The mental health variables were used to test the predictive validity of the training among healthcare professionals. Thirty healthcare professionals participated in this non-randomized pre-post intervention pilot study. The questionnaire on mental health was filled in twice. Baseline and post-intervention differences were tested with paired samples -tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The participants' evaluation of the training was assessed with a five-item questionnaire. The recruitment and retention were successful, and participants' evaluation of the training itself was positive but the influence on daily life was rated only moderately positive. In comparison with baseline at post-intervention participants showed significant improvements in general mindfulness, the burnout dimension personal accomplishment, quality of sleep, positive emotions, and self-efficacy. A significant decrease was found in the burnout dimension emotional exhaustion, stress level, negative emotions at work, and worrying. No significant changes were found for the burnout dimension mental distance, and work engagement. The measures showed ample within-person differences and low, medium, or high effect sizes. The current trial approach of the MBSR training seems feasible and acceptable. Our results suggest that mindfulness, burnout, stress level, quality of sleep, positive emotions at work, negative emotions at work, self-efficacy, and worrying are meaningful mental health variables for inclusion in a larger-scale Randomized Controlled Trial on the effects of MBSR

The Lantern Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1933

• Remember: Translation of Rappelle-toi by Alfred de Musset • Lighting the Lantern • Footfalls • To a Lovely Lady • The Sons of Martha • Strategy • Lumine Lunae • Poetry in Retrospect • Nirvana • A Domestic Episode • At Night • Haman and Hitler • This is What He Said • Bookocracy • Four Loves • Cities and Personalitieshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1000/thumbnail.jp

Regulatory aspects of nanotechnology in the agri/feed/food sector in EU and non-EU countries

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Age-Related Attenuation of Dominant Hand Superiority

The decline of motor performance of the human hand-arm system with age is well-documented. While dominant hand performance is superior to that of the non-dominant hand in young individuals, little is known of possible age-related changes in hand dominance. We investigated age-related alterations of hand dominance in 20 to 90 year old subjects. All subjects were unambiguously right-handed according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. In Experiment 1, motor performance for aiming, postural tremor, precision of arm-hand movement, speed of arm-hand movement, and wrist-finger speed tasks were tested. In Experiment 2, accelerometer-sensors were used to obtain objective records of hand use in everyday activities

Scientists' warning to humanity on illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade

Illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade is growing at a global level, threatening the traded species and coexisting biota, and promoting the spread of invasive species. From the loss of ecosystem services to diseases transmitted from wildlife to humans, or connections with major organized crime networks and disruption of local to global economies, its ramifications are pervading our daily lives and perniciously affecting our well-being. Here we build on the manifesto 'World Scientists' Warning to Humanity, issued by the Alliance of World Scientists. As a group of researchers deeply concerned about the consequences of illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade, we review and highlight how these can negatively impact species, ecosystems, and society. We appeal for urgent action to close key knowledge gaps and regulate wildlife trade more stringently.Peer reviewe

Sum of Lyapunov exponents of the Hodge bundle with respect to the Teichmuller geodesic flow

We compute the sum of the positive Lyapunov exponents of the Hodge bundle with respect to the Teichmuller geodesic flow. The computation is based on the analytic Riemann-Roch Theorem and uses a comparison of determinants of flat and hyperbolic Laplacians when the underlying Riemann surface degenerates.Comment: Minor corrections. To appear in Publications mathematiques de l'IHE

Serum amyloid A: high-density lipoproteins interaction and cardiovascular risk

Aims High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are considered as anti-atherogenic. Recent experimental findings suggest that their biological properties can be modified in certain clinical conditions by accumulation of serum amyloid A (SAA). The effect of SAA on the association between HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and cardiovascular outcome remains unknown. Methods and results We examined the association of SAA and HDL-C with mortality in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study, which included 3310 patients undergoing coronary angiography. To validate our findings, we analysed 1255 participants of the German Diabetes and Dialysis study (4D) and 4027 participants of the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) S4 study. In LURIC, SAA concentrations predicted all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In patients with low SAA, higher HDL-C was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, in patients with high SAA, higher HDL-C was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, indicating that SAA indeed modifies the beneficial properties of HDL. We complemented these clinical observations by in vitro experiments, in which SAA impaired vascular functions of HDL. We further derived a formula for the simple calculation of the amount of biologically ‘effective' HDL-C based on measured HDL-C and SAA from the LURIC study. In 4D and KORA S4 studies, we found that measured HDL-C was not associated with clinical outcomes, whereas calculated ‘effective' HDL-C significantly predicted better outcome. Conclusion The acute-phase protein SAA modifies the biological effects of HDL-C in several clinical conditions. The concomitant measurement of SAA is a simple, useful, and clinically applicable surrogate for the vascular functionality of HD