A Young Planetary-Mass Object in the ρ Oph Cloud Core

We report the discovery of a young planetary-mass brown dwarf in the ρ Oph cloud core. The object was identified as such with the aid of a 1.5-2.4 μm low-resolution spectrum obtained using the NIRC instrument on the Keck I telescope. Based on the COND model, the observed spectrum is consistent with a reddened (A_V ~ 15-16) brown dwarf whose effective temperature is in the range 1200-1800 K. For an assumed age of 1 Myr, comparison with isochrones further constrains the temperature to ~1400 K and suggests a mass of ~2-3 Jupiter masses. The inferred temperature is suggestive of an early T spectral type, which is supported by spectral morphology consistent with weak methane absorption. Based on its inferred distance (~100 pc) and the presence of overlying visual absorption, it is very likely to be a ρ Oph cluster member. In addition, given the estimated spectral type, it may be the youngest and least massive T dwarf found so far. Its existence suggests that the initial mass function for the ρ Oph star-forming region extends well into the planetary-mass regime

Toby Davidson. Good for the Soul: John Curtin’s Life with Poetry

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Introduction

Introduction to From Colony to Transnatio

Low-mass Tertiary Companions to Spectroscopic Binaries. I. Common Proper Motion Survey for Wide Companions Using 2MASS

We report the first results of a multi-epoch search for wide (separations greater than a few tens of AU), low-mass tertiary companions of a volume-limited sample of 118 known spectroscopic binaries within 30 pc of the Sun, using the Two Micron All Sky Survey Point Source Catalog and follow-up observations with the KPNO and CTIO 4 m telescopes. Note that this sample is not volume complete but volume limited, and, thus, there is incompleteness in our reported companion rates. We are sensitive to common proper motion companions with separations from roughly 200 AU to 10,000 AU (~10ˮ → ~ 10'). From 77 sources followed-up to date, we recover 11 previously known tertiaries, 3 previously known candidate tertiaries, of which 2 are spectroscopically confirmed and 1 rejected, and 3 new candidates, of which 2 are confirmed and 1 rejected. This yields an estimated wide tertiary fraction of 19.5^(+5.2)_(–3.7)%. This observed fraction is consistent with predictions set out in star formation simulations where the fraction of wide, low-mass companions to spectroscopic binaries is >10%

Near-Infrared Variability in the 2MASS Calibration Fields: A Search for Planetary Transit Candidates

The 2MASS photometric calibration observations cover ~6 square degrees on the sky in 35 "calibration fields" each sampled in nominal photometric conditions between 562 and 3692 times during the four years of the 2MASS mission. We compile a catalog of variables from the calibration observations to search for M dwarfs transited by extra-solar planets. We present our methods for measuring periodic and non-periodic flux variability. From 7554 sources with apparent Ks magnitudes between 5.6 and 16.1, we identify 247 variables, including extragalactic variables and 23 periodic variables. We have discovered three M dwarf eclipsing systems, including two candidates for transiting extrasolar planets.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal Supplement, in press; figures compresse

Support for older people with COPD in community settings: a systematic review of qualitative research.

There are an estimated three million people affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the UK with only about 900,000 of these being diagnosed according to the Healthcare Commission, and prevalence is increasing. Significant progress has been made in respect of treatment and management of the disease. However, there is limited evidence related to the perspective of those with COPD despite an acknowledgement that lung function, as determined by spirometry, does not necessarily equate with pulmonary disease5 and subsequent functional level or disability. The impact of COPD on patients, their family, carers and healthcare services demands that better ill health prevention and disease maintenance strategies be employed. The objective of this review was to explore the common and shared experiences of those in caring partnership for patients with COPD receiving care and support in their community. For this review, the definition of support takes the view that support relates to ‘any activity or intervention aimed at improving or maintaining the health status of a patient with COPD’. The review focused on the experiences of patients, carers, family members, nurses and doctors involved in providing support to patients with COPD in their own home. Patients aged 65 years and over were included. The review considered studies that represented patient, carer, nursing and medical staff experiences and perceptions of support relating to COPD. The review considered evidence from qualitative research including phenomenology, grounded theory, and descriptive studies, where support for COPD in a community context was the focus. The search set out to find published studies in English from 1990-2010. The studies were appraised and findings extracted using the JBI critical appraisal tool for qualitative research. Three reviewers appraised the studies independently. 72 studies were critically appraised and 39 met the inclusion criteria. Findings from included papers were aggregated, categorised and synthesised. Three syntheses were extracted from the categorised findings: 1) Consistence in service provision. If those with COPD received more consistent support in relation to information, rehabilitation, end of life care and other service provision then their quality of life could be enhanced. 2) Home based care. Better planned and more integrated support for home based care around self-care/management and in managing exacerbations can reduce patient and carer anxiety and distress related to COPD. 3) Individualisation of care. Individualisation of care, which is not based on the patient's ‘disease state’ (i.e. physical parameters) but on assessed need, is a necessary part of care for those with COPD

Effect of parent-delivered action observation therapy on upper limb function in unilateral cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial

AIM:To determine whether home-based, parent-delivered therapy comprising action observation (AO) and repeated practice (RP) improves upper limb function more than RP alone in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP).METHOD:Design: single-blinded parallel-group randomized controlled trial with 1:1 allocation comparing AO+RP (intervention) with RP alone (control). Randomization: computer-generated, with allocation concealment by opaque sequentially-numbered envelopes.SETTING: northern England, August 2011 to September 2013.PARTICIPANTS: 70 children with UCP; mean age 5.6 years (SD 2.1), 31 female.INTERVENTION: home-based activities were provided, tailored to interests and abilities.DURATION: 15 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 3 months.ASSESSMENTS: Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA; primary outcome measure), Melbourne Assessment 2 (MA2), and ABILHAND-Kids at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.RESULTS: Outcome data was available at 3 months for 28 children in the AO+RP group and 31 controls, and at 6 months for 26 and 28 children respectively. There were no between-group differences in AHA, MA2, or ABILHAND-Kids at 3 or 6 months versus baseline (all p>0.05). Combined-group improvements (p<0.001), observed in AHA and MA2 at 3 months, were maintained at 6 months. ABILHAND-Kids also showed improvement at 3 months (p=0.003), maintained at 6 months.INTERPRETATION: Parent-delivered RP (with or without AO) improves upper limb function and could supplement therapist input

Literary Vaudeville: Lennie Lower's Comic Journalism

TB

Walking through Seven Poor Men of Sydney

The paper explores the apparent disjunction between 'realism' and the 'poetic' in Christina Stead's Seven Poor Men of Sydney and argues that the novel's 'hallucinatory' qualities are, in part, a function of the constnat peripatetic movements of Stead's characters