78,409 research outputs found
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The Only Eye Study (OnES): a qualitative study of surgeon experiences of only eye surgery and recommendations for patient safety
OBJECTIVE: Performing surgery on patients with only one seeing-eye, where complications may result in catastrophic vision loss, presents unique challenges for the ophthalmic care team. There is currently no evidence regarding how surgeons augment their care when treating only eye patients and no guidelines for how these patients should be managed in hospital eye services. This study aimed to explore ophthalmic surgeons' experiences of only eye surgery and perceptions of current practice.
DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Ten ophthalmic surgeons were asked to relate their experiences and views on performing only eye surgery in indepth, semistructured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis to identify key themes.
SETTING: Hospital eye service.
RESULTS: Five key themes emerged relating to surgeons' experiences and perceptions of only eye surgery: (1) differences in approach to consent, (2) strategies for risk reduction, (3) unmet training needs, (4) value of surgical mentor and (5) emotional impact of unsuccessful outcomes. Recommendations for improving the surgical journey for both the patient and the surgeon related primarily to better recognition and understanding of the complexities inherent with only eye surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes of only eye surgery may be improved through a number of methods, including development of purpose-designed training fellowships, adoption of stress-reducing strategies and enhancement of available support services. The findings identify emerging themes unique to only eye surgery and the need for guidelines on the provision of care for these high-stakes surgical patients
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How do different lighting conditions affect the vision and quality of life of people with glaucoma? A systematic review
This article is a systematic review of evidence regarding the impact of different lighting conditions on the vision and quality of life (QoL) of people with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). A systematic literature search was carried out using CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Embase, and Ovid Nursing Database for studies: published up to April 2019; including people diagnosed with POAG; and assessing visual function or QoL in response to changing lighting/luminance levels or glare. Two researchers independently screened studies for eligibility. Data were extracted from eligible studies regarding study design, participant characteristics, outcomes, and results. Quality of included studies was critically appraised. Of 8437 studies, 56 eligible studies were included. Studies investigated the effects of lighting on the following domains among people with POAG: QoL (18/56), psychophysical measures (16/56), functional vision (10/56), activities of daily living (10/56), and qualitative findings (2/56). POAG negatively affects low-luminance contrast sensitivity, glare symptoms, and dark adaptation time and extent. In vision-related QoL questionnaires, people with POAG report problems with lighting, glare, and dark adaptation more frequently than any other domain. These problems worsen with progressing visual field loss. Early-stage POAG patients experience significantly more difficulties in low-luminance or changing lighting conditions than age-matched controls (AMCs), challenging perceptions of early-stage POAG as asymptomatic. However, performance-based studies seldom show significant differences between POAG participants and AMCs on tasks simulating daily activities under non-optimal lighting conditions. Further research with larger samples is required to optimise ambient and task-oriented lighting that can support patients’ adaptation to POAG
Northern JHK Standard Stars for Array Detectors
We report J, H and K photometry of 86 stars in 40 fields in the northern
hemisphere. The fields are smaller than or comparable to a 4x4 arcmin
field-of-view, and are roughly uniformly distributed over the sky, making them
suitable for a homogeneous broadband calibration network for near-infrared
panoramic detectors. K magnitudes range from 8.5 to 14, and J-K colors from
-0.1 to 1.2. The photometry is derived from a total of 3899 reduced images;
each star has been measured, on average, 26.0 times per filter on 5.5 nights.
Typical errors on the photometry are about 0.012.Comment: 10 pages including 3 figures, one separate figure on four pages. The
finding chart of the AS-30 field and a few coordinates have been corrected.
GIF finding charts can also be found at
http://www.arcetri.astro.it/~hunt/std.htm
Small animal disease surveillance: respiratory disease 2017
This report focuses on surveillance for respiratory disease in companion animals. It begins with an analysis of data from 392 veterinary practices contributing to the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) between January and December 2017.
The following section describes canine respiratory coronavirus infections in dogs, presenting results from laboratory-confirmed cases across the country between January 2010 and December 2017. This is followed by an update on the temporal trends of three important syndromes in companion animals, namely gastroenteritis, pruritus and respiratory disease, from 2014 to 2017.
A fourth section presents a brief update on Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus in companion animals. The final section summarises some recent developments pertinent to companion animal health, namely eyeworm (Thelazzia callipaeda) infestations in dogs imported to the UK and canine influenza virus in the USA and Canada
Calculation of the metric in the Hilbert space of a PT-symmetric model via the spectral theorem
In a previous paper (arXiv:math-ph/0604055) we introduced a very simple
PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian with real spectrum and derived a closed
formula for the metric operator relating the problem to a Hermitian one. In
this note we propose an alternative formula for the metric operator, which we
believe is more elegant and whose construction -- based on a backward use of
the spectral theorem for self-adjoint operators -- provides new insights into
the nature of the model.Comment: LaTeX, 6 page
Three-Dimensional Spectral Classification of Low-Metallicity Stars Using Artificial Neural Networks
We explore the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for the
estimation of atmospheric parameters (Teff, logg, and [Fe/H]) for Galactic F-
and G-type stars. The ANNs are fed with medium-resolution (~ 1-2 A) non
flux-calibrated spectroscopic observations. From a sample of 279 stars with
previous high-resolution determinations of metallicity, and a set of (external)
estimates of temperature and surface gravity, our ANNs are able to predict Teff
with an accuracy of ~ 135-150 K over the range 4250 <= Teff <= 6500 K, logg
with an accuracy of ~ 0.25-0.30 dex over the range 1.0 <= logg <= 5.0 dex, and
[Fe/H] with an accuracy ~ 0.15-0.20 dex over the range -4.0 <= [Fe/H] <= +0.3.
Such accuracies are competitive with the results obtained by fine analysis of
high-resolution spectra. It is noteworthy that the ANNs are able to obtain
these results without consideration of photometric information for these stars.
We have also explored the impact of the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) on the
behavior of ANNs, and conclude that, when analyzed with ANNs trained on spectra
of commensurate S/N, it is possible to extract physical parameter estimates of
similar accuracy with stellar spectra having S/N as low as 13. Taken together,
these results indicate that the ANN approach should be of primary importance
for use in present and future large-scale spectroscopic surveys.Comment: 51 pages, 11 eps figures, uses aastex; to appear in Ap
Dynamical Characterization of Galaxies at z~4-6 via Tilted Ring Fitting to ALMA [CII] Observations
Until recently, determining the rotational properties of galaxies in the
early universe (z>4, Universe age <1.5Gyr) was impractical, with the exception
of a few strongly lensed systems. Combining the high resolution and sensitivity
of ALMA at (sub-) millimeter wavelengths with the typically high strength of
the [CII] 158um emission line from galaxies and long-developed dynamical
modeling tools raises the possibility of characterizing the gas dynamics in
both extreme starburst galaxies and normal star forming disk galaxies at z~4-7.
Using a procedure centered around GIPSY's ROTCUR task, we have fit tilted ring
models to some of the best available ALMA [CII] data of a small set of
galaxies: the MS galaxies HZ9 & HZ10, the Damped Lyman-alpha Absorber (DLA)
host galaxy ALMA J0817+1351, the submm galaxies AzTEC/C159 and COSMOS
J1000+0234, and the quasar host galaxy ULAS J1319+0950. This procedure directly
derives rotation curves and dynamical masses as functions of radius for each
object. In one case, we present evidence for a dark matter halo of O(10^11)
solar masses. We present an analysis of the possible velocity dispersions of
AzTEC/C159 and ULAS J1319+0950 based on matching simulated observations to the
integrated [CII] line profiles. Finally, we test the effects of observation
resolution and sensitivity on our results. While the conclusions remain limited
at the resolution and signal-to-noise ratios of these observations, the results
demonstrate the viability of the modeling tools at high redshift, and the
exciting potential for detailed dynamical analysis of the earliest galaxies, as
ALMA achieves full observational capabilities.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
The brightest pure-H ultracool white dwarf
We report the identification of LSR J0745+2627 in the United Kingdom InfraRed
Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS) as a cool
white dwarf with kinematics and age compatible with the thick-disk/halo
population. LSR J0745+2627 has a high proper motion (890 mas/yr) and a high
reduced proper motion value in the J band (H_J=21.87). We show how the
infrared-reduced proper motion diagram is useful for selecting a sample of cool
white dwarfs with low contamination. LSR J0745+2627 is also detected in the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
(WISE). We have spectroscopically confirmed this object as a cool white dwarf
using X-Shooter on the Very Large Telescope. A detailed analysis of its
spectral energy distribution reveals that its atmosphere is compatible with a
pure-H composition model with an effective temperature of 3880+-90 K. This
object is the brightest pure-H ultracool white dwarf (Teff<4000 K) ever
identified. We have constrained the distance (24-45 pc), space velocities and
age considering different surface gravities. The results obtained suggest that
LSR J0745+2627 belongs to the thick-disk/halo population and is also one of the
closest ultracool white dwarfs.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter
The Reliability of Global and Hemispheric Surface Temperature Records
The purpose of this review article is to discuss the development and associated estimation of uncertainties in the global and hemispheric surface temperature records. The review begins by detailing the groups that produce surface temperature datasets. After discussing the reasons for similarities and differences between the various products, the main issues that must be addressed when deriving accurate estimates, particularly for hemispheric and global averages, are then considered. These issues are discussed in the order of their importance for temperature records at these spatial scales: biases in SST data, particularly before the 1940s; the exposure of land-based thermometers before the development of louvred screens in the late 19th century; and urbanization effects in some regions in recent decades. The homogeneity of land-based records is also discussed; however, at these large scales it is relatively unimportant. The article concludes by illustrating hemispheric and global temperature records from the four groups that produce series in near-real time
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