Costs and benefits of automation for astronomical facilities

The Observatorio Astrof\'isico de Javalambre (OAJ{\dag}1) in Spain is a young astronomical facility, conceived and developed from the beginning as a fully automated observatory with the main goal of optimizing the processes in the scientific and general operation of the Observatory. The OAJ has been particularly conceived for carrying out large sky surveys with two unprecedented telescopes of unusually large fields of view (FoV): the JST/T250, a 2.55m telescope of 3deg field of view, and the JAST/T80, an 83cm telescope of 2deg field of view. The most immediate objective of the two telescopes for the next years is carrying out two unique photometric surveys of several thousands square degrees, J-PAS{\dag}2 and J-PLUS{\dag}3, each of them with a wide range of scientific applications, like e.g. large structure cosmology and Dark Energy, galaxy evolution, supernovae, Milky Way structure, exoplanets, among many others. To do that, JST and JAST are equipped with panoramic cameras under development within the J-PAS collaboration, JPCam and T80Cam respectively, which make use of large format (~ 10k x 10k) CCDs covering the entire focal plane. This paper describes in detail, from operations point of view, a comparison between the detailed cost of the global automation of the Observatory and the standard automation cost for astronomical facilities, in reference to the total investment and highlighting all benefits obtained from this approach and difficulties encountered. The paper also describes the engineering development of the overall facilities and infrastructures for the fully automated observatory and a global overview of current status, pinpointing lessons learned in order to boost observatory operations performance, achieving scientific targets, maintaining quality requirements, but also minimizing operation cost and human resources.Comment: Global Observatory Control System GOC

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

The truncation of the disk of NGC 4565: Detected up to z = 4 kpc, with star formation, and affected by the warp

Context. The hierarchical model of galaxy formation suggests that galaxies are continuously growing. However, our position inside the Milky Way prevents us from studying the disk edge. Truncations are low surface brightness features located in the disk outskirts of external galaxies. They indicate where the disk brightness abruptly drops, and their location is thought to change dynamically. In previous analyses of Milky Way-like galaxies, truncations were detected up to 3 kpc above the mid-plane, but whether they remain present beyond that height remains unclear. Aims. Our goal is to determine whether truncations can be detected above 3 kpc in height in the Milky Way-like galaxy NGC 4565 and thus establish the actual disk thickness. We also aim to study how the truncation relates to disk properties such as star formation activity or the warp. Methods. We performed a vertical study of the disk of the NGC 4565 edge in unprecedented detail. We explored the truncation radius at different heights above and below the disk mid-plane (0., < z <., 8 kpc) and at different wavelengths. We used new ultra-deep optical data (μg,lim = 30.5 mag arcsec2; 3Ï within 10 A - 10 arcsec2 boxes) in the g, r, and i broadbands, along with near-ultraviolet, far-ultraviolet, Hα, and H ¯I observations. Results. We detect the truncation up to 4 kpc in the g, r, and i ultra-deep bands, which is 1 kpc higher than in any previous study for any galaxy. The radial position of the truncation remains constant up to 3 kpc, while higher up it is located at a smaller radius. This result is independent of the wavelength but is affected by the presence of the warp. Conclusions. We propose an inside-out growth scenario for the formation of the disk of NGC 4565. Our results point towards the truncation feature being linked to a star-forming threshold and to the onset of the disk warp

Introducing the LBT Imaging of Galactic Halos and Tidal Structures (LIGHTS) survey: A preview of the low surface brightness Universe to be unveiled by LSST

We present the first results of the LBT Imaging of Galaxy Haloes and Tidal Structures (LIGHTS) survey. LIGHTS is an ongoing observational campaign with the 2 × 8.4 m Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) aiming to explore the stellar haloes and the low surface brightness population of satellites down to a depth of μV ∼31 mag arcsec-2 (3σ in 10″ × 10″ boxes) of nearby galaxies. We simultaneously collected deep imaging in the g and r Sloan filters using the Large Binocular Cameras. The resulting images are 60 times (i.e. ∼4.5 mag) deeper than those from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and they have characteristics comparable (in depth and spatial resolution) to the ones expected from the future Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Here we show the first results of our pilot programme targeting NGC 1042 (an M 33 analogue at a distance of 13.5 Mpc) and its surroundings. The depth of the images allowed us to detect an asymmetric stellar halo in the outskirts of this galaxy whose mass (1.4 ± 0.4 × 108 M) is in agreement with the ΛCDM expectations. Additionally, we show that deep imaging from the LBT reveals low mass satellites (a few times 105 M) with very faint central surface brightness μV(0) ∼27 mag arcsec-2 (i.e. similar to Local Group dwarf spheroidals, such as Andromeda XIV or Sextans, but at distances well beyond the local volume). The depth and spatial resolution provided by the LIGHTS survey open up a unique opportunity to explore the 'missing satellites' problem in a large variety of galaxies beyond our Local Group down to masses where the difference between the theory and observation (if any) should be significant

Determinants of Peak Bone Mass Acquisition

Peak bone mass (PBM) is an important determinant of osteoporotic fracture risk later in life. Bone mineral mass accumulation from infancy to postpuberty is a complex process implicating interactions of genetic, endocrine, mechanical, and nutritional factors. PBM is attained in the axial skeleton and in the proximal femur by the end of the second decade of life. The increase in mass and strength is essentially due to an increment in bone size, with volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) changing very little during growth. In adult women, an increase of PBM by 10%, that is, by approximately 1 standard deviation (SD), could decrease the risk of fragility fracture by 50% or be equivalent to retarding menopause by 14 years. Bone mineral mass during growth follows a trajectory. The main influencing factor is genetics. Increasing calcium intake or mechanical loading can shift upward the age-bone mass trajectory, while chronic diseases and their treatment can shift it downward. Prepuberty appears to be an opportune time for obtaining a substantial benefit of increasing physical activity with appropriate intakes of calcium and proteins