A search for OH 6 GHz maser emission towards southern supernova remnants

OH masers at 1720 MHz have proven to be excellent indicators of interactions between supernova remnants and molecular clouds. Recent calculations suggest that the 6049 MHz OH maser line is excited for higher column densities than for the 1720 MHz line. It is therefore a potentially valuable indicator of remnant-cloud interaction. We present preliminary results of a survey using the Parkes Methanol Multibeam receiver for 6049 MHz and 6035/6030 MHz OH masers towards 36 supernova remnants and 4 fields in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. While no 6049 MHz masers have been found, three new sites of 6035 and 6030 MHz OH maser emission have been discovered in star-forming regions.Comment: 2 pages, 1 fig, iaus.cls. To appear in IAU 242, Astrophysical Masers and Their Environments, eds. J. Chapman & W. Baa

Mourning Sun

The original idea for this work came from a period of self-reflection, specifically during this past summer where life as we knew it shifted dramatically. I have had a passion for the arts, in all forms, for as long as I can remember, all as a direct impact that my grandfather had on me. Charlie had always loved art, specifically dance and theater, and was a constant supporter of the arts. At a young age, he began taking me to the New York City Ballet to see The Nutcracker, and seeing how I fell in love with dance, he made it his mission to provide me with as much inspiration and access to the arts, as possible. He took me to see shows whenever he had the chance, up until the day that he died. This constant support and access is what drove me to pursue a career in the arts and has shaped me into the person that I am today. After his death, I truly realized how much of an impact that he made on me and how I feel as though I took his life for granted. I’ve realized that this is one of my major flaws, and I want to spend more time reflecting and suspending in the substance of each moment. I want to start appreciating what I have when I have it, instead of turning a blind eye to the treasures that fill each day. I keep a card on my desk that reads “Gratitude in advance is the most powerful creative force in the universe� and this principle is what I wanted the focus of this piece to be about. I felt as though it would be selfish to not create a piece that also reflects the dramatic change in life that has happened this year. Life can change so quickly and so we need to be grateful for what we have while we have it and truly appreciate this beautiful life

Childbirth and the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms: an examination of prevalence and possible contributing factors

Prior to the reformulation of diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -Forth Edition (DSM-IV), it was widely believed that in order to qualify for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) one had to experience a trauma that was outside the range of normal human experience. However, a growing body of research informed a shift in criteria to include subjective factors in the diagnosis ofthe disorder. Therefore, it was not the event itself that predicted the development ofPTSD, rather a person's reaction to it. Following this shift in thinking it became accepted that women could develop PTSD following childbirth.The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms in women one month and three months after giving birth in a NHS hospital in Scotland. In addition a number of potential predictive variables were considered in relation to the development ofPTSD symptoms. They included the number of obstetric interventions experienced by women; locus of control; number of perinatal life events experienced; baby's admission to the Special Care Baby Unit; and co-morbid anxiety and depression in the postpartum period.Sixty-one mothers completed measures assessing PTSD symptomatology and predictive variables one month following delivery. Fifty-two mothers responded three months following delivery.Results revealed that 14.8% of women experienced symptoms suggestive of post¬ traumatic stress disorder one month after giving birth. This figure fell to 9.6% three 1 months after birth. The number of obstetric interventions experienced, locus of control or life events which occurred prior to labour and delivery were not related to the development of symptoms. Events which occurred during labour and delivery significantly differentiated women with more PTSD symptoms at one month but not at three months post-delivery. Events which occurred after delivery significantly differentiated women with PTSD symptoms from those without PTSD symptoms at one month and three months postpartum. Mothers whose infants were admitted to the special care baby unit had more symptoms ofPTSD than those whose infants were not, at one month, but not three months, following delivery. Finally, women who had higher scores for PTSD had significantly higher anxiety and depression scores at one month post-delivery. Only anxiety scores remained significant at three months postdeliveryThe results are discussed in relation to previous research in the area of postpartum PTSD and the limitations of the study and implications for future research are considere

Stochastic Rainfall-runoff Model with Explicit Soil Moisture Dynamics

Stream runoff is perhaps the most poorly represented process in ecohydrological stochastic soil moisture models. Here we present a rainfall-runoff model with a new stochastic description of runoff linked to soil moisture dynamics. We describe the rainfall-runoff system as the joint probability density function (PDF) of rainfall, soil moisture and runoff forced by random, instantaneous jumps of rainfall. We develop a master equation for the soil moisture PDF that accounts explicitly for a general state-dependent rainfall-runoff transformation. This framework is then used to derive the joint rainfall-runoff and soil moisture-runoff PDFs. Runoff is initiated by a soil moisture threshold and a linear progressive partitioning of rainfall based on the soil moisture status. We explore the dependence of the PDFs on the rainfall occurrence PDF (homogeneous or state-dependent Poisson process) and the rainfall magnitude PDF (exponential or mixed-exponential distribution). We calibrate the model to 63 years of rainfall and runoff data from the Upper Little Tennessee watershed (USA) and show how the new model can reproduce the measured runoff PDF

The Effect of Participating in Continuing Optometric Education: a Pilot Study

Purpose: To determine whether participation in two different post graduate optometry workshops resulted in a change in practice for the participants, in their subsequent practice. Methods: 38 optometrists, who had attended a continuing professional development (CPD) workshop on punctal plugs and lacrimal syringing, were surveyed by email and telephone, between four and thirteen months post workshop, to ascertain if they had made a change to their practice. A second group of 32 optometrists, who had attended a continuing education and training (CET) workshop on binocular vision, were surveyed by email, telephone and postal mail between six and nine months post workshop, to ascertain if their practice had changed. Results: After the CPD workshop, 29% (11 out of 38) practitioners had inserted punctal plugs and 11% (4 out of 38) had syringed post-workshop. After the CET workshop 37.5% (12 out of 32) had made a significant change to their practice. Conclusions: In common with other healthcare professionals, attendance at post graduate education events does not appear to effect a change in practice for most optometrists. The effectiveness of a workshop cannot, however, be judged entirely on whether or not those attending it subsequently make changes to their practice

Engagement With a Custom-Made Online System Designed to Support Undergraduate Work Placement

This paper describes an online system that was custom-made to allow BSc Optometry undergraduates to submit work electronically, while off-campus on work placement. One of the main aims of the system was to allow internal (college) supervisors to provide students with timely, formative feedback on work submitted. The system was piloted in academic year 2013-14 and an intrinsic case study was carried out to examine the engagement of the students, the external placement supervisors and the internal supervisors with the system. Engagement was gauged by examining all subjects’ interaction with the system and by asking them to complete a post placement questionnaire. The results showed a high level of engagement from both the students and external supervisors but a lower level of engagement from the internal supervisors, in particular with regard to the provision of formative feedback. Possible reasons for the different levels of engagement are discussed and changes to be made to the system for academic year 2014-15 (based on the findings of the case study) are outlined

Dust Flux Monitor Instrument measurements during Stardust-NExT Flyby of Comet 9P/Tempel 1

The Dust Flux Monitor Instrument (DFMI) on the Stardust and Stardust-NExT missions measured impacts from coma dust particles with masses from ∼10−15 to >10−6 kg using two kinds of sensors – one based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin films and the other on acoustic detectors (ACs) mounted on the front and second layers of the Whipple Bumper Shield. At the higher encounter speed of 10.9 km s−1 at Comet 9P/Tempel 1 compared with 6.12 km s−1 at 81P/Wild 2 encounter, the mass sensitivity of DFMI sensors increased by between a factor of 2 and 12 (depending on the sensor subsystem), but the spatial resolution (⩾1.09 km) decreased to approximately a half. The coma of Comet Tempel 1 exhibits highly non-uniform spatial distribution of dust, as found at comet Wild 2, with bursts of impacts of up to 1000 particles over km scales near closest approach surrounded by void regions of many kilometers with no impacts. These data are consistent with passage through clouds of particles resulting from fragmentation of larger aggregates emitted from the nucleus. These fragmentation products dominate the total dust production of small particles, with only a small contribution likely from direct emission from the nucleus. The derived overall mass distribution is similar to that found at comet Wild 2 with the total mass dominated by large particles. The average cumulative mass index α = 0.65 ± 0.08 (where the particle flux is defined by ϕ (>m) = km−α) but a better fit is obtained with α = 0.85 ± 0.08 for particle masses below 10−10 kg and a significantly lower value for higher masses