Applications of remote sensing to estuarine management

Projects for sewage outfall siting for pollution control in the lower Chesapeake Bay wetlands are reported. A dye-buoy/photogrammetry and remote sensing technique was employed to gather circulation data used in outfall siting. This technique is greatly favored over alternate methods because it is inexpensive, produces results quickly, and reveals Lagrangian current paths which are preferred in making siting decisions. Wetlands data were obtained by interpretation of color and color infrared photographic imagery from several altitudes. Historical sequences of photographs are shown that were used to document wetlands changes. Sequential infrared photography of inlet basins was employed to determine tidal prisms, which were input to mathematical models to be used by state agencies in pollution control. A direct and crucial link between remote sensing and management decisions was demonstrated in the various projects

Casimir force between sharp-shaped conductors

Casimir forces between conductors at the sub-micron scale cannot be ignored in the design and operation of micro-electromechanical (MEM) devices. However, these forces depend non-trivially on geometry, and existing formulae and approximations cannot deal with realistic micro-machinery components with sharp edges and tips. Here, we employ a novel approach to electromagnetic scattering, appropriate to perfect conductors with sharp edges and tips, specifically to wedges and cones. The interaction of these objects with a metal plate (and among themselves) is then computed systematically by a multiple-scattering series. For the wedge, we obtain analytical expressions for the interaction with a plate, as functions of opening angle and tilt, which should provide a particularly useful tool for the design of MEMs. Our result for the Casimir interactions between conducting cones and plates applies directly to the force on the tip of a scanning tunneling probe; the unexpectedly large temperature dependence of the force in these configurations should attract immediate experimental interest

The Global Pharmacist

Globalisation can facilitate improvements in health through the speed and ease of shared information, advances in health care delivery and health policy, and the enhanced pace of discovery through international research collaborations. However, there are associated potential risks to health such as the spread of communicable diseases and antibiotic-resistance. Current international priorities in the development, supply and use of medicines reflect the influence of globalisation. This is relevant to all aspects of contemporary pharmacy, and means that graduates are increasingly working in a globalised profession

Global health learning outcomes for pharmacy students in the UK

Context : The pharmacy world is a highly globalised environment. Pharmacy graduates must therefore be adequately prepared. The question for educators is, how best to prepare our students. We propose that integrating global health learning outcomes within the core curriculum would ensure that all students – irrespective of their personal interest and intended work sector - are engaged with global issues. / Description: Internal discussions were held with representatives from all disciplines within University College London (UCL) School of Pharmacy and existing curriculum documents were reviewed. A draft set of learning outcomes was proposed and then revised following consultation with representatives from the United Kingdom (UK) pharmacy profession and others with an interest in global health. / Evaluation: Analysis of the consultation data led to the derivation of a revised set of global health learning outcomes for pharmacy. / Future plan: Embedding and assessing global health learning outcomes within the UCL School of Pharmacy’s undergraduate curriculum is now our focus

Learning to work together - lessons from a reflective analysis of a research project on public involvement

Abstract Background Patient and public involvement (PPI) is now an expectation of research funders, in the UK, but there is relatively little published literature on what this means in practice – nor is there much evaluative research about implementation and outputs. Policy literature endorses the need to include PPI representation at all stages of planning, performing and research dissemination, and recommends resource allocation to these roles; but details of how to make such inputs effective in practice are less common. While literature on power and participation informs the debate, there are relatively few published case studies of how this can play out through the lived experience of PPI in research; early findings highlight key issues around access to knowledge, resources, and interpersonal respect. This article describes the findings of a case study of PPI within a study about PPI in research. Methods The aim of the study was to look at how the PPI representatives’ inputs had developed over time, key challenges and changes, and lessons learned. We used realist evaluation and normalisation process theory to frame and analyse the data, which was drawn from project documentation, minutes of meetings and workshops, field notes and observations made by PPI representatives and researchers; documented feedback after meetings and activities; and the structured feedback from two formal reflective meetings. Findings Key findings included the need for named contacts who support, integrate and work with PPI contributors and researchers, to ensure partnership working is encouraged and supported to be as effective as possible. A structure for partnership working enabled this to be enacted systematically across all settings. Some individual tensions were nonetheless identified around different roles, with possible implications for clarifying expectations and deepening understandings of the different types of PPI contribution and of their importance. Even in a team with research expertise in PPI, the data showed that there were different phases and challenges to ‘normalising’ the PPI input to the project. Mutual commitment and flexibility, embedded through relationships across the team, led to inclusion and collaboration. Conclusion Work on developing relationships and teambuilding are as important for enabling partnership between PPI representatives and researchers as more practical components such as funding and information sharing. Early explicit exploration of the different roles and their contributions may assist effective participation and satisfaction

The first massive compact companion in a wide orbit around a hot subdwarf star

We report the discovery of the first hot subdwarf B (sdB) star with a massive compact companion in a wide ($P=892.5\pm60.2\,{\rm d}$) binary system. It was discovered based on an astrometric binary solution provided by the Gaia mission Data Release 3. We performed detailed analyses of the spectral energy distribution (SED) as well as spectroscopic follow-up observations and confirm the nature of the visible component as a sdB star. The companion is invisible despite of its high mass of $M_{\rm comp}=1.50_{-0.45}^{+0.37}\,M_{\rm \odot}$. A main sequence star of this mass would significantly contribute to the SED and can be excluded. The companion must be a compact object, either a massive white dwarf or a neutron star. Stable Roche lobe overflow to the companion likely led to the stripping of a red giant and the formation of the sdB, the hot and exposed helium core of the giant. Based on very preliminary data, we estimate that $\sim9\%$ of the sdBs might be formed through this new channel. This binary might also be the prototype for a new progenitor class of supernovae type Ia, which has been predicted by theory.Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in A&

Analytical and Numerical Demonstration of How the Drude Dispersive Model Satisfies Nernst's Theorem for the Casimir Entropy

In view of the current discussion on the subject, an effort is made to show very accurately both analytically and numerically how the Drude dispersive model, assuming the relaxation is nonzero at zero temperature (which is the case when impurities are present), gives consistent results for the Casimir free energy at low temperatures. Specifically, we find that the free energy consists essentially of two terms, one leading term proportional to T^2, and a next term proportional to T^{5/2}. Both these terms give rise to zero Casimir entropy as T -> 0, thus in accordance with Nernst's theorem.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures; minor changes in the discussion. Contribution to the QFEXT07 proceedings; matches version to be published in J. Phys.

Tropical coastal fish

Climate change will affect populations and communities of marine fishes in many ways, ranging from indirect effects associated with habitat degradation and altered resource availability to direct effects of rapidly changing environmental conditions. In the short-term (up to 2030), the impact of climate change on Australia’s tropical coastal and demersal fishes is largely tied to the fate of critical benthic habitats, especially for coral reef environments, which are highly vulnerable to elevated temperature and ocean acidification. There is good evidence and high consensus that climate-induced coral bleaching affects the community structure and abundance of reef-associated fishes, especially when it leads to the structural collapse of reef habitat. In the longer-term (after 2030), sea level rise and altered rainfall patterns will also significantly alter coastal wetlands that are important nursery areas for estuarine and nearshore species. In addition to the effects of habitat degradation, warmer ocean temperatures will cause distributional shifts in some tropical fishes, increasing the geographic ranges of some species and decreasing the ranges of others, including some commercially important species. Life history traits and population dynamics will be affected by warmer temperatures, with potential implications for fisheries yields. Altered oceanic circulation and ocean acidification could have very significant effects on populations and communities of coastal fishes. However, these impacts are still poorly understood and are likely to become most apparent in the longer term. There are a many critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of the effect of climate change on tropical marine fish, including the impact of warmer temperatures on adult reproduction, and the development, survival and behaviour of larvae; the effect of ocean acidification on the development, survival and behaviour; and the degree to which fish will acclimate or adapt to the expected rapid climate change. Non-reefal environments and commercially important species are especially understudied in relation to climate change impacts. Key strategies in mitigating effects of climate change on coastal marine fishes are to maintain and restore habitat quality, incorporate climate uncertainty into fisheries management plans, and limit impacts of other human activities in coastal regions