rPICARD: A CASA-based Calibration Pipeline for VLBI Data

Currently, HOPS and AIPS are the primary choices for the time-consuming process of (millimeter) Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) data calibration. However, for a full end-to-end pipeline, they either lack the ability to perform easily scriptable incremental calibration or do not provide full control over the workflow with the ability to manipulate and edit calibration solutions directly. The Common Astronomy Software Application (CASA) offers all these abilities, together with a secure development future and an intuitive Python interface, which is very attractive for young radio astronomers. Inspired by the recent addition of a global fringe-fitter, the capability to convert FITS-IDI files to measurement sets, and amplitude calibration routines based on ANTAB metadata, we have developed the the CASA-based Radboud PIpeline for the Calibration of high Angular Resolution Data (rPICARD). The pipeline will be able to handle data from multiple arrays: EHT, GMVA, VLBA and the EVN in the first release. Polarization and phase-referencing calibration are supported and a spectral line mode will be added in the future. The large bandwidths of future radio observatories ask for a scalable reduction software. Within CASA, a message passing interface (MPI) implementation is used for parallelization, reducing the total time needed for processing. The most significant gain is obtained for the time-consuming fringe-fitting task where each scan be processed in parallel.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, EVN 2018 symposium proceeding

Borstvoeding in de eerste zes maanden:een focusgroep studie naar redenen en motieven van vrouwen om gedeeltelijk of geheel te stoppen met het geven van borstvoeding in de eerste 6 maanden

Deze focusgroep studie geeft inzicht in de redenen en motieven van vrouwen om vroegtijdig te stoppen met het geven van borstvoeding of om vroegtijdig kunstvoeding te gaan geven. De resultaten van dit onderzoek zijn gebaseerd op een kwalitatief onderzoek met 10 focusgroepen met in totaal 69 vrouwen die op het moment van het onderzoek borstvoeding gaven aan hun kind maar die vroegtijdig kunstvoeding gingen geven naast de borstvoeding (voordat de baby 6 maanden oud was), en vrouwen die borstvoeding hebben gegeven maar die op het moment van het onderzoek, voordat de baby 6 maanden oud was, daarmee waren gestopt. Het doel van het onderzoek is niet geweest om kwantitatieve gegevens op te leveren; daartoe is kwantitatief vervolgonderzoek nodig

A New Type of Intensity Correlation in Random Media

A monochromatic point source, embedded in a three-dimensional disordered medium, is considered. The resulting intensity pattern exhibits a new type of long-range correlations. The range of these correlations is infinite and their magnitude, normalized to the average intensity, is of order $1/k_0 \ell$, where $k_0$ and $\ell$ are the wave number and the mean free path respectively.Comment: RevTeX, 8 pages, 3 figures, Accepted to Phys. Rev. Let

Universal conductance fluctuations in non-integer dimensions

We propose an Ansatz for Universal conductance fluctuations in continuous dimensions from 0 up to 4. The Ansatz agrees with known formulas for integer dimensions 1, 2 and 3, both for hard wall and periodic boundary conditions. The method is based solely on the knowledge of energy spectrum and standard assumptions. We also study numerically the conductance fluctuations in 4D Anderson model, depending on system size L and disorder W. We find a small plateau with a value diverging logarithmically with increasing L. Universality gets lost just in 4D.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures submitted to Phys. Rev.

Perceived weight stigma in healthcare settings among adults living with obesity:A cross-sectional investigation of the relationship with patient characteristics and person-centred care

Introduction: Patients living with obesity often experience weight stigma in healthcare settings, which has worrying consequences for their healthcare experiences. This cross-sectional study aimed to: (1) provide an overview of stigmatising experiences in healthcare settings reported by adults living with varying classes of obesity, (2) identify associations among patient characteristics and perceived weight stigma and (3) investigate the association between perceived weight stigma and person-centred care (PCC). Methods: Dutch adults living with obesity classes I (body mass index [BMI]: 30 to &lt;35 kg/m2; n = 426), II (BMI: 35 to &lt;40 kg/m2; n = 124) and III (BMI: ≥40 kg/m2; n = 40) completed measures of perceived weight stigma in healthcare settings and PCC. Descriptive, correlational and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results: Of patients living with classes I, II and III obesity, 41%, 59% and 80%, respectively reported experiences of weight stigma in healthcare settings. Younger age, greater obesity severity and the presence of chronic illnesses were associated with greater perceived weight stigma. Greater perceived weight stigma was associated with lower PCC. Conclusion: The results of this study emphasise the significant role of weight stigma in the healthcare experiences of patients living with obesity. Reducing weight stigma is expected to improve PCC and the overall quality of care for these patients. Minimising weight stigma will require efforts across various healthcare domains, including increasing awareness among healthcare professionals about sensitive communication in weight-related discussions. Patient Contribution: Our sample consisted of patients living with obesity. Additionally, patients were involved in the pilot testing and refinement of the PCC instrument.</p