Discovery and characterisation of detached M-dwarf eclipsing binaries in the WFCAM Transit Survey

We report the discovery of 16 detached M-dwarf eclipsing binaries with J<16 mag and provide a detailed characterisation of three of them, using high-precision infrared light curves from the WFCAM Transit Survey (WTS). Such systems provide the most accurate and model-independent method for measuring the fundamental parameters of these poorly understood yet numerous stars, which currently lack sufficient observations to precisely calibrate stellar evolution models. We fully solve for the masses and radii of three of the systems, finding orbital periods in the range 1.5<P<4.9 days, with masses spanning 0.35-0.50 Msun and radii between 0.38-0.50 Rsun, with uncertainties of ~3.5-6.4% in mass and ~2.7-5.5% in radius. Close-companions in short-period binaries are expected to be tidally-locked into fast rotational velocities, resulting in high levels of magnetic activity. This is predicted to inflate their radii by inhibiting convective flow and increasing star spot coverage. The radii of the WTS systems are inflated above model predictions by ~3-12%, in agreement with the observed trend, despite an expected lower systematic contribution from star spots signals at infrared wavelengths. We searched for correlation between the orbital period and radius inflation by combining our results with all existing M-dwarf radius measurements of comparable precision, but we found no statistically significant evidence for a decrease in radius inflation for longer period, less active systems. Radius inflation continues to exists in non-synchronised systems indicating that the problem remains even for very low activity M-dwarfs. Resolving this issue is vital not only for understanding the most populous stars in the Universe, but also for characterising their planetary companions, which hold the best prospects for finding Earth-like planets in the traditional habitable zone.Comment: 30 pages, 14 figures, 16 tables, Accepted for publication in MNRA

Hand sanitisers for reducing illness absences in primary school children in New Zealand: a cluster randomised controlled trial study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>New Zealand has relatively high rates of morbidity and mortality from infectious disease compared with other OECD countries, with infectious disease being more prevalent in children compared with others in the population. Consequences of infectious disease in children may have significant economic and social impact beyond the direct effects of the disease on the health of the child; including absence from school, transmission of infectious disease to other pupils, staff, and family members, and time off work for parents/guardians. Reduction of the transmission of infectious disease between children at schools could be an effective way of reducing the community incidence of infectious disease. Alcohol based no-rinse hand sanitisers provide an alternative hand cleaning technology, for which there is some evidence that they may be effective in achieving this. However, very few studies have investigated the effectiveness of hand sanitisers, and importantly, the potential wider economic implications of this intervention have not been established.</p> <p>Aims</p> <p>The primary objective of this trial is to establish if the provision of hand sanitisers in primary schools in the South Island of New Zealand, in addition to an education session on hand hygiene, reduces the incidence rate of absence episodes due to illness in children. In addition, the trial will establish the cost-effectiveness and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the intervention in this setting.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>A cluster randomised controlled trial will be undertaken to establish the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of hand sanitisers. Sixty-eight primary schools will be recruited from three regions in the South Island of New Zealand. The schools will be randomised, within region, to receive hand sanitisers and an education session on hand hygiene, or an education session on hand hygiene alone. Fifty pupils from each school in years 1 to 6 (generally aged from 5 to 11 years) will be randomly selected for detailed follow-up about their illness absences, providing a total of 3400 pupils. In addition, absence information will be collected on all children from the school rolls. Investigators not involved in the running of the trial, outcome assessors, and the statistician will be blinded to the group allocation until the analysis is completed.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ACTRN12609000478213</p

Signal Transmission in the Auditory System

Contains table of contents for Section 3, an introduction and reports on nine research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant 5 T32 NS07047National Institutes of Health Grant 5 P01 NS13126National Institutes of Health Grant 8 R01 DC00194National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 NS25995National Institutes of Health Grant 8 R01 DC00238National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 NS20322National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 DC00235National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 NS20269National Institutes of Health Grant 1 P01 NS23734Johnson and Johnson FoundationUnisys Corporation Doctoral Fellowshi

AUTOMATION OF THE APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE: MEASURING THE VALUE ADDED

This research explores the relationship between the use of systems development technology (i.e., CASE) and the process and performance of teams engaged in the design and delivery of business information systems. Using information gathered from one hundred development projects in twenty-five organizations, this project addresses the following research questions. 1. What are the characteristics of high-performing software development teams? 2. What are the effects of automation of the system life cycle on software development quality and productivity? 3. How can we measure the value of investing in CASE technology? We use two major theoretical perspectives: group process theory and control theory. The basic premise of group process theories is that high performance is the result of the interactions and dynamics of the members of the team. This perspective offers valuable insights into the study of CASE usage, since researchers can examine how the interdependent activities of team members are facilitated by the coordination and communications functions of the CASE tools. Control theory proposes that the relationship between the project manager and team members is critical to effective performance. CASE tools which facilitate improved managerial processes by providing functions such as on-line performance metric systems and tracking of project goals and progress may impact control behaviors relating to team performance. The methodological perspective for this study is longitudinal. In essence, we investigate the impact of CASE usage by following a set of application development teams over the course of their development projects. We administer questionnaires to participants at four points in their projects: at completion of requirements determination, at completion of physical design (during coding), at implementation, and six months after systems delivery. Additionally, we are attempting to gather a rich set of qualitative data by interviewing key organizational stakeholders, project managers, and team members. Finally, we are collecting objectives and perceptual measures of project performance. We have already found a number of interesting preliminary results in the study. These results suggest that CASE can be successfully conceptualized and measured with a relatively small set of dimensions. In examining factors that affect CASE usage, we found availability, power, and ease-Of-use to be particularly significant. Surprisingly, our results indicate that the use of structured methods is not a predicator of increased CASE usage, but is a predicator of dective usage. Similarly, for teams with relatively high levels of CASE experience, CASE usage relates to higher quality outputs. Teams with low experience use CASE much less effectively. Finally, we have found that both control and group processes impact CASE effectiveness

The Role of Temperature and Swab Materials in the Recovery of Herpes Simplex Virus from Lesions

Swab specimens of lesions from patients attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic that were thought to be caused by HSV were cultured to determine whether recovery of HSV was influenced by the use of cotton swabs vs. calcium alginate swabs and by storage of the specimens at refrigerator temperature (4 C) vs. freezer temperature ( - 20 C). Adverse effects by both the use of calcium alginate swabs and the storage of specimens at freezing temperatures have been reported for laboratory-prepared stock cultures of HSV [2, 3] but not for clinical specimens

Measurement-based care training curriculum in psychiatry residency programs: I: Description of the curriculum and demonstration of implementation.

BACKGROUND: Recent literature shows that most practicing psychiatrists do not receive training in measurement-based care (MBC). Among the primary barriers to MBC implementation are the lack of formal training and curriculums. We present the first comprehensive MBC curriculum for use in adult psychiatric practice, and describe how the curriculum is adapted and implemented in psychiatry residency training programs. METHODS: The Standard for Clinicians\u27 Interview in Psychiatry (SCIP) was developed as a measurement-based care tool for clinicians\u27 use. The SCIP is the only instrument that includes 18 reliable and validated clinician-rated scales covering most adult psychiatric disorders. The SCIP has simple, unified rules of measurement that apply to the 18 scales. The MBC curriculum includes 2 instruction manuals, 4 didactic lectures, and 12 videotaped interviews. We describe the annual learning and implementation of MBC curriculum in residency programs. RESULTS: The curriculum implementation at West Virginia University and Delaware Psychiatric Center began in 2019 and is ongoing. We present 3 case demonstrations of the implementation of MBC in clinical settings. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive implementation of MBC curriculum in residency programs has the potential to facilitate research and create a culture of MBC in future generations of psychiatrists