Recent Transits of the Super-Earth Exoplanet GJ 1214b

We report recent ground-based photometry of the transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ1214b at several wavelengths, including the infrared near 1.25 microns (J-band). We observed a J-band transit with the FLAMINGOS infrared imager and the 2.1-meter telescope on Kitt Peak, and we observed several optical transits using a 0.5-meter telescope on Kitt Peak and the 0.36-meter Universidad de Monterrey Observatory telescope. Our high-precision J-band observations exploit the brightness of the M-dwarf host star at this infrared wavelength as compared to the optical, as well as being significantly less affected by stellar activity and limb darkening. We fit the J-band transit to obtain an independent determination of the planetary and stellar radii. Our radius for the planet (2.61^+0.30_-0.11 Earth radii) is in excellent agreement with the discovery value reported by Charbonneau et al. based on optical data. We demonstrate that the planetary radius is insensitive to degeneracies in the fitting process. We use all of our observations to improve the transit ephemeris, finding P=1.5804043 +/- 0.0000005 days, and T0=2454964.94390 +/- 0.00006 BJD.Comment: Accepted for ApJ Letters, 7 pages, 3 Figures, 2 Table

‘Block teaching’ – exploring lecturers' perceptions of intensive modes of delivery in the context of undergraduate education

This article evaluates changes in teaching delivery during the first year of an undergraduate Tourism Management degree programme at a university in the North West of England. Moving from traditional semesterised mode, delivery was changed to shortened, time-intensive modules delivered one at a time, for two full days (six hours per day) over a three-week period. This was implemented in response to student feedback and concerns regarding student outcomes. Albeit limited, previous research suggests that intensive forms of delivery can improve engagement, attendance and attainment, particularly amongst students from diverse entry pathways. Although it is clear that the efficacy of block teaching relies heavily on – and creates new pressures for – teaching staff, little research has explored those impacts. Here instead, the perceptions of teaching staff were the focus. A qualitative approach was taken using an anonymous, online questionnaire, completed following one full year of block teaching. Findings suggest that, although most lecturers found that block teaching enabled them to manage their time more effectively, as the year progressed, block teaching negatively affected student attendance and subsequently hampered deep learning. Fully-integrated placement of assessment and use of one intensive module to aid transition was recommended to help overcome these issues

Readiness of Quantum Optimization Machines for Industrial Applications

There have been multiple attempts to demonstrate that quantum annealing and, in particular, quantum annealing on quantum annealing machines, has the potential to outperform current classical optimization algorithms implemented on CMOS technologies. The benchmarking of these devices has been controversial. Initially, random spin-glass problems were used, however, these were quickly shown to be not well suited to detect any quantum speedup. Subsequently, benchmarking shifted to carefully crafted synthetic problems designed to highlight the quantum nature of the hardware while (often) ensuring that classical optimization techniques do not perform well on them. Even worse, to date a true sign of improved scaling with the number of problem variables remains elusive when compared to classical optimization techniques. Here, we analyze the readiness of quantum annealing machines for real-world application problems. These are typically not random and have an underlying structure that is hard to capture in synthetic benchmarks, thus posing unexpected challenges for optimization techniques, both classical and quantum alike. We present a comprehensive computational scaling analysis of fault diagnosis in digital circuits, considering architectures beyond D-wave quantum annealers. We find that the instances generated from real data in multiplier circuits are harder than other representative random spin-glass benchmarks with a comparable number of variables. Although our results show that transverse-field quantum annealing is outperformed by state-of-the-art classical optimization algorithms, these benchmark instances are hard and small in the size of the input, therefore representing the first industrial application ideally suited for testing near-term quantum annealers and other quantum algorithmic strategies for optimization problems.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures. Content updated according to Phys. Rev. Applied versio

Personal tutoring: a recognition of ‘levelness’ in the support for undergraduates

The changing terrain of higher education in the UK, and particularly the greater diversity of the student body, has undoubtedly led to the need for universities to provide greater support, both from frontline teaching staff and in the provision of extra institutional services. Added to the mix are sectoral concerns for the wellbeing and welfare of the student. It is therefore unsurprising that we are seeing a renewed focus on, and interest in, personal tutoring. Taking a qualitative approach, we set out to explore the needs of undergraduate students, on an event management programme, in relation to personal tutoring. Outlined in this paper are the different senses of personal tutoring as student transition through their course

Applying machine learning to improve simulations of a chaotic dynamical system using empirical error correction

Dynamical weather and climate prediction models underpin many studies of the Earth system and hold the promise of being able to make robust projections of future climate change based on physical laws. However, simulations from these models still show many differences compared with observations. Machine learning has been applied to solve certain prediction problems with great success, and recently it's been proposed that this could replace the role of physically-derived dynamical weather and climate models to give better quality simulations. Here, instead, a framework using machine learning together with physically-derived models is tested, in which it is learnt how to correct the errors of the latter from timestep to timestep. This maintains the physical understanding built into the models, whilst allowing performance improvements, and also requires much simpler algorithms and less training data. This is tested in the context of simulating the chaotic Lorenz '96 system, and it is shown that the approach yields models that are stable and that give both improved skill in initialised predictions and better long-term climate statistics. Improvements in long-term statistics are smaller than for single time-step tendencies, however, indicating that it would be valuable to develop methods that target improvements on longer time scales. Future strategies for the development of this approach and possible applications to making progress on important scientific problems are discussed.Comment: 26p, 7 figures To be published in Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth System

The systemic inflammatory response, weight loss, performance status and survival in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

The relationship between the magnitude of systemic inflammatory response and the nutritional/functional parameters in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer were studied. The extent of weight loss, albumin, C-reactive protein, performance status and quality of life was measured in 106 patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (stages III and IV). Survival analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. The majority of patients were male and almost 80% had elevated circulating C-reactive protein concentrations (>10 mg l−1). On multivariate analysis, age (P=0.012), tumour type (0.002), weight loss (P=0.056), C-reactive protein (P=0.047), Karnofsky performance status (P=0.002) and fatigue (P=0.046) were independent predictors of survival. The patients were grouped according to the magnitude of the C-reactive protein concentrations (⩽10, 11–100 and >100 mg l−1). An increase in the magnitude of the systemic inflammatory response was associated with increased weight loss (P=0.004), reduced albumin concentrations (P=0.001), reduced performance status (P=0.060), increased fatigue (P=0.011) and reduced survival (HR 1.936 95%CI 1.414–2.650, P<0.001). These results indicate that the majority of patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer have evidence of a systemic inflammatory response. Furthermore, an increase in the magnitude of the systemic inflammatory response resulted in greater weight loss, poorer performance status, more fatigue and poorer survival

ALMA sub-mm maser and dust distribution of VY Canis Majoris

Cool, evolved stars have copious, enriched winds. The structure of these winds and the way they are accelerated is not well known. We need to improve our understanding by studying the dynamics from the pulsating stellar surface to about 10 stellar radii, where radiation pressure on dust is fully effective. Some red supergiants have highly asymmetric nebulae, implicating additional forces. We retrieved ALMA Science Verification data providing images of sub-mm line and continuum emission from VY CMa. This enables us to locate water masers with milli-arcsec precision and resolve the dusty continuum. The 658-, 321- and 325-GHz masers lie in irregular, thick shells at increasing distances from the centre of expansion. For the first time this is confirmed as the stellar position, coinciding with a compact peak offset to the NW of the brightest continuum emission. The maser shells (and dust formation zone) overlap but avoid each other on tens-au scales. Their distribution is broadly consistent with excitation models but the conditions and kinematics appear to be complicated by wind collisions, clumping and asymmetries.Comment: Letter 4 pages, 5 figures plus appendix with 3 figures. Accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics Letter

Foreign body ingestion mimicking irritable bowel syndrome: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Foreign body ingestion is associated with a variety of symptoms and complications, often mimicking various diseases. This case report describes an unusual presentation following foreign body ingestion.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 56-year-old Greek Caucasian woman presented to a primary care setting, in rural Crete, Greece, with complaints of abdominal pain, cramping and bloating, for the last four months. Alternating constipation and diarrhea was reported. The patient had unknowingly ingested a foreign body that resulted in an irritable bowel syndrome-like presentation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This case report emphasizes the need for a high index of suspicion from physicians for a wide differential in their approach to abdominal complaints, as well as the importance of an individualized approach to patients in the setting of clinical medicine.</p

Aerodynamic investigations of ventilated brake discs.

The heat dissipation and performance of a ventilated brake disc strongly depends on the aerodynamic characteristics of the flow through the rotor passages. The aim of this investigation was to provide an improved understanding of ventilated brake rotor flow phenomena, with a view to improving heat dissipation, as well as providing a measurement data set for validation of computational fluid dynamics methods. The flow fields at the exit of four different brake rotor geometries, rotated in free air, were measured using a five-hole pressure probe and a hot-wire anemometry system. The principal measurements were taken using two-component hot-wire techniques and were used to determine mean and unsteady flow characteristics at the exit of the brake rotors. Using phase-locked data processing, it was possible to reveal the spatial and temporal flow variation within individual rotor passages. The effects of disc geometry and rotational speed on the mean flow, passage turbulence intensity, and mass flow were determined. The rotor exit jet and wake flow were clearly observed as characterized by the passage geometry as well as definite regions of high and low turbulence. The aerodynamic flow characteristics were found to be reasonably independent of rotational speed but highly dependent upon rotor geometry