Binary central stars of planetary nebulae with long orbits: the radial velocity orbit of BD+33.2642 (PN G052.7+50.7) and the orbital motion of HD112313 (PN LoTr5)

We study the impact of binary interaction processes on the evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars using long-term monitoring of their radial velocity. Here we report on our results on the central stars of two planetary nebulae (PNe): the well-studied spectrophotometric standard BD+33.2642 (central star of PNG 052.7+50.7) and HD112313 (central star of PN LoTr5), the optical light of which is dominated by a rapidly rotating G star. The high-resolution spectra were cross-correlated with carefully selected masks of spectral lines. The individual masks were optimised for the spectral signatures of the dominant contributor of the optical light. We report on the first detection of orbital motion in these two objects. For BD+33.2642 we sampled 1.5 cycles of the 1105 +/- 24 day orbital period. For HD 112313 a full period is not yet covered, despite our 1807 days of monitoring. The radial-velocity amplitude shows that it is unlikely that the orbital plane is co-planar with the one defined by the nebular waist of the bipolar nebula. To our knowledge these are the first detections of orbits in PNe that are in a range from several weeks to a few years. The orbital properties and chemical composition of BD+33.2642 are similar to what is found in post-AGB binaries with circumbinary discs. The latter are probably progenitors of these PNe. For LoTr5 the Ba-rich central star and the long orbital period are similar to the Ba star giants, which hence serve as natural progeny. In contrast to the central star in LoTr5, normal Ba stars are slow rotators. The orbits of these systems have a low probability of occurrence according to recent population synthesis calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, letter

Training van werkgeheugen en inhibitie bij kinderen en adolescenten met obesitas

Obesitas bij kinderen is de afgelopen decennia sterk toegenomen. Er is een aantal redenen om te interveniëren bij obesitas op de kinderleeftijd. Cardiovasculaire risicofactoren komen bij ernstige obese kinderen veel vaker voor dan bij kinderen zonder gewichtsproblemen en obesitas op de kinderleeftijd vergroot het risico op cardiovasculaire morbiditeit en mortaliteit op volwassen leeftijd1. Bovendien zijn de psychosociale gevolgen van obesitas vaak aanzienlijk en hinderen ze het kind in zijn ontwikkeling2. Preventie en behandeling zijn vereist, maar de resultaten zijn wisselend en eerder zwak met een grote kans op terugval

Reliability of residents' assessments of their postgraduate medical education learning environment:an observational study

Background: Even in anonymous evaluations of a postgraduate medical education (PGME) program, residents may be reluctant to provide an honest evaluation of their PGME program, because they fear embarrassment or repercussions from their supervisors if their anonymity as a respondent is endangered. This study was set up to test the hypothesis that current residents in a PGME program provide more positive evaluations of their PGME program than residents having completed it. We therefore compared PGME learning environment evaluations of current residents in the program to leaving residents having completed it. Methods: This observational study used data gathered routinely in the quality cycle of PGME programs at two Dutch teaching hospitals to test our hypothesis. At both hospitals, all current PGME residents are requested to complete the Scan of Postgraduate Education Environment Domains (SPEED) annually. Residents leaving the hospital after completion of the PGME program are also asked to complete the SPEED after an exit interview with the hospital's independent residency coordinator. All SPEED evaluations are collected and analysed anonymously. We compared the residents' grades (on a continuous scale ranging from 0 (poor) to 10 (excellent)) on the three SPEED domains (content, atmosphere, and organization of the program) and their mean (overall department grade) between current and leaving residents. Results: Mean (SD) overall SPEED department grades were 8.00 (0.52) for 287 current residents in 39 PGME programs and 8.07 (0.48) for 170 leaving residents in 39 programs. Neither the overall SPEED department grades (t test, p = 0.53, 95% CI for difference -0.16 to 0.31) nor the department SPEED domain grades (MANOVA, F(3, 62) = 0.79, p = 0.51) were significantly different between current and leaving residents. Conclusions: Residents leaving the program did not provide more critical evaluations of their PGME learning environment than current residents in the program. This suggests that current residents' evaluations of their postgraduate learning environment were not affected by social desirability bias or fear of repercussions from faculty

Addendum to “on the measurability of a function which occurs in a paper by A. C. Zaanen”

Current guidelines discourage combined oral contraceptive (COC) use in women with hereditary thrombophilic defects. However, qualifying all hereditary thrombophilic defects as similarly strong risk factors might be questioned. Recent studies indicate the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) of a factor V Leiden mutation as considerably lower than a deficiency of protein C, protein S, or antithrombin. In a retrospective family cohort, the VTE risk during COC use and pregnancy (including postpartum) was assessed in 798 female relatives with or without a heterozygous, double heterozygous, or homozygous factor V Leiden or prothrombin G20210A mutation. Overall, absolute VTE risk in women with no, single, or combined defects was 0.13 (95% confidence interval 0.08-0.21), 0.35 (0.22-0.53), and 0.94 (0.47-1.67) per 100 person-years, while these were 0.19 (0.07-0.41), 0.49 (0.18-1.07), and 0.86 (0.10-3.11) during COC use, and 0.73 (0.30-1.51), 1.97 (0.94-3.63), and 7.65 (3.08-15.76) during pregnancy. COC use and pregnancy were independent risk factors for VTE, with highest risk during pregnancy postpartum, as demonstrated by adjusted hazard ratios of 16.0 (8.0-32.2) versus 2.2 (1.1-4.0) during COC use. Rather than strictly contraindicating COC use, we advocate that detailed counseling on all contraceptive options, including COCs, addressing the associated risks of both VTE and unintended pregnancy, enabling these women to make an informed choice. (Blood. 2011;118(8):2055-2061

Companions to Kepler giant stars: A long-period eccentric substellar companion to KIC 3526061 and a stellar companion to HD 187878

Context. Our knowledge of populations and occurrence of planets orbiting evolved intermediate-mass stars is still incomplete. In 2010 we started a planet-search program among 95 giant stars observed by the Kepler mission to increase the sample of giant stars with planets and with reliable estimates of stellar masses and radii. Aims. We present the two systems KIC 3526061 and HD 187878 from our planet-search program for which we could characterise their companions. Methods. We used precise stellar radial velocity measurements taken with four different echelle spectrographs to derive an orbital solution. We used Gaia astrometric measurements to obtain the inclination of the HD 187878 system and Kepler photometric observations to estimate the stellar mass and radius. Results. We report the discovery of a sub-stellar and a stellar companion around two intermediate-mass red giant branch stars. KIC 3526061 b is most likely a brown dwarf with a minimum mass of 18.15 Jupiter masses in a long-period eccentric orbit, with the orbital period 3552 d and orbital eccentricity 0.85. It is the most evolved system found having a sub-stellar companion with such a large eccentricity and wide separation. HD 187878 B has a minimum mass of 78.4 Jupiter masses. Combining the spectroscopic orbital parameters with the astrometric proper motion anomaly we derived an orbital inclination 9.8 deg, which corresponds to the companion's mass in the stellar regime of 0.51 Sun mass. Conclusions. A sub-stellar companion of KIC 3526061 extends the sample of known red giant branch stars with sub-stellar companions on very eccentric wide orbits and might provide a probe of the dynamical evolution of such systems over time.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Accepted to A&

Evaluatie Politiewet 2012 in de Eenheid Oost-Nederland en landelijke thema's

At the request of the commission ‘Evaluatie Politiewet 2012’, the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, conducted an evaluation of the functioning of the Police Unit East-Netherlands (Eenheid Oost-Nederland). In addition, the nationally relevant themes with respect to ‘the role of the corps chef’, ‘the use of the right to appoint’, and the ‘construction of the police force as a separate legal entity’ were included in the evaluation at the request of the minister of Security and Justice of the Netherlands. The goal of the evaluation is to gain insights into the consequences of the implementation of the national police for the Unit East-Netherlands. The main question of th

Characterization of AIM2 DNA-Binding Properties and Filament Formation

High levels of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) are a supposed risk factor for thrombosis. However, results from previous studies are conflicting.We assessed the absolute risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism in subjects with high TAFI levels (> 126 U/dl) versus subjects with normal levels, and the contribution of other concomitant thrombophilic defects. Relatives from four identical cohort studies in families with either deficiencies of antithrombin, protein C or protein S, prothrombin 202 1 OA, high factorVIII levels, or hyperhomocysteinemia were pooled. Probands were excluded. Of 1,940 relatives, 187 had high TAR levels. Annual incidences of venous thromboembolism were 0.23% in relatives with highTAFI levels versus 0.26% in relatives with normal TAFI levels (adjusted relative risk [RR] 0.8; 95% confidence interval [0], 0.5-1.3). For arterial thrombosis these were 0.3 1 % versus 0.23% (adjusted RR 1.4; 95% Cl, 0.9-2.2). High levels of factor VIII, IX and XI were observed more frequently in relatives with high TAR levels. Only high factor VIII levels were associated with an increased risk of venous and arterial thrombosis, independently of TAR levels. None of these concomitant defects showed interaction with high TAR levels. High TAR levels were not associated with an increased risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism in thrombophilic families