ExoClock Project III: 450 new exoplanet ephemerides from ground and space observations

The ExoClock project has been created with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the Ariel mission. It will achieve this by continuously monitoring and updating the ephemerides of Ariel candidates over an extended period, in order to produce a consistent catalogue of reliable and precise ephemerides. This work presents a homogenous catalogue of updated ephemerides for 450 planets, generated by the integration of $\sim$18000 data points from multiple sources. These sources include observations from ground-based telescopes (ExoClock network and ETD), mid-time values from the literature and light-curves from space telescopes (Kepler/K2 and TESS). With all the above, we manage to collect observations for half of the post-discovery years (median), with data that have a median uncertainty less than one minute. In comparison with literature, the ephemerides generated by the project are more precise and less biased. More than 40\% of the initial literature ephemerides had to be updated to reach the goals of the project, as they were either of low precision or drifting. Moreover, the integrated approach of the project enables both the monitoring of the majority of the Ariel candidates (95\%), and also the identification of missing data. The dedicated ExoClock network effectively supports this task by contributing additional observations when a gap in the data is identified. These results highlight the need for continuous monitoring to increase the observing coverage of the candidate planets. Finally, the extended observing coverage of planets allows us to detect trends (TTVs - Transit Timing Variations) for a sample of 19 planets. All products, data, and codes used in this work are open and accessible to the wider scientific community.Comment: Recommended for publication to ApJS (reviewer's comments implemented). Main body: 13 pages, total: 77 pages, 7 figures, 7 tables. Data available at http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/P298

Feasibility work to inform the design of a randomized clinical trial of wound dressings in elective and unplanned abdominal surgery

Background: Designing RCTs in surgery requires consideration of existing evidence, stakeholders' views and emerging interventions, to ensure that research questions are relevant to patients, surgeons and the health service. When there is uncertainty about RCT design, feasibility work is recommended. This study aimed to assess how feasibility work could inform the design of a future pilot study and RCT (Bluebelle, HTA ‐ 12/200/04). Methods: This was a prospective survey of dressings used to cover abdominal wounds. Surgical trainees from 25 hospitals were invited to participate. Information on patient risk factors, operation type and type of wound dressings used was recorded for elective and unplanned abdominal procedures over a 2‐week interval. The types of dressing used were summarized, and associations with operation type and patient risk factors explored. Results: Twenty hospitals participated, providing data from 727 patients (1794 wounds). Wounds were predominantly covered with basic dressings (1203 of 1769, 68·0 per cent) and tissue adhesive was used in 27·4 per cent (485 of 1769); dressing type was missing for 25 wounds. Just 3·6 per cent of wounds (63 of 1769) did not have a dressing applied at the end of the procedure. There was no evidence of an association between type of dressing used and patient risk factors, type of operation, or elective and unscheduled surgery. Conclusion: Based on the findings from this large study of current practice, the pilot study design has evolved. The inclusion criteria have expanded to encompass patients undergoing unscheduled surgery, and tissue adhesive as a dressing will be evaluated as an additional intervention group. Collaborative methods are recommended to inform the design of RCTs in surgery, helping to ensure they are relevant to current practice

ExoClock Project. III. 450 New Exoplanet Ephemerides from Ground and Space Observations

The ExoClock project has been created to increase the efficiency of the Ariel mission. It will achieve this by continuously monitoring and updating the ephemerides of Ariel candidates, in order to produce a consistent catalog of reliable and precise ephemerides. This work presents a homogenous catalog of updated ephemerides for 450 planets, generated by the integration of ∼18,000 data points from multiple sources. These sources include observations from ground-based telescopes (the ExoClock network and the Exoplanet Transit Database), midtime values from the literature, and light curves from space telescopes (Kepler, K2, and TESS). With all the above, we manage to collect observations for half of the postdiscovery years (median), with data that have a median uncertainty less than 1 minute. In comparison with the literature, the ephemerides generated by the project are more precise and less biased. More than 40% of the initial literature ephemerides had to be updated to reach the goals of the project, as they were either of low precision or drifting. Moreover, the integrated approach of the project enables both the monitoring of the majority of the Ariel candidates (95%), and also the identification of missing data. These results highlight the need for continuous monitoring to increase the observing coverage of the candidate planets. Finally, the extended observing coverage of planets allows us to detect trends (transit-timing variations) for a sample of 19 planets. All the products, data, and codes used in this work are open and accessible to the wider scientific community

Superoxide production by NAD(P)H oxidase and mitochondria is increased in genetically obese and hyperglycemic rat heart and aorta before the development of cardiac dysfunction. The role of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-derived NADPH

Increased oxidative stress is a known cause of cardiac dysfunction in animals and patients with diabetes, but the sources of reactive oxygen species [e.g., superoxide anion (O2−)] and the mechanisms underlying O2− production in diabetic hearts are not clearly understood. Our aim was to determine whether NADPH oxidase (Nox) is a source of O2− and whether glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-derived NADPH plays a role in augmenting O2− generation in diabetes. We assessed cardiac function, Nox and G6PD activities, NADPH levels, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes in heart homogenates from young (9–11 wk old) Zucker lean and obese (fa/fa) rats. We found that myocardial G6PD activity was significantly higher in fa/fa than in lean rats, whereas superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were decreased (P < 0.05). O2− levels were elevated (70–90%; P < 0.05) in the diabetic heart, and this elevation was blocked by the Nox inhibitor gp-91ds-tat (50 μM) or by the mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors antimycin (10 μM) and rotenone (50 μM). Inhibition of G6PD by 6-aminonicotinamide (5 mM) and dihydroepiandrosterone (100 μM) also reduced (P < 0.05) O2− production. Notably, the activities of Nox and G6PD in the fa/fa rat heart were inhibited by chelerythrine, a protein kinase C inhibitor. Although we detected no changes in stroke volume, cardiac output, or ejection fraction, left ventricular diameter was slightly increased during diastole and systole, and left ventricular posterior wall thickness was decreased during systole (P < 0.05) in Zucker fa/fa rats. Our findings suggest that in a model of severe hyperlipidema and hyperglycemia Nox-derived O2− generation in the myocardium is fueled by elevated levels of G6PD-derived NADPH. Similar mechanisms were found to activate O2− production and induce endothelial dysfunction in aorta. Thus G6PD may be a useful therapeutic target for treating the cardiovascular disease associated with type 2 diabetes, if second-generation drugs specifically reducing the activity of G6PD to near normal levels are developed