Improved spatial resolution of the sodium distribution on Mercury

The distribution of sodium emission over the surface of Mercury is non-uniform, and changes over time. These non-uniformities and time-dependent changes give clues to the processes that produce the sodium. However, observations of the distribution of sodium on Mercury are hampered by the bad seeing that accompanies the need to observe either in daytime, or at extremely large air masses in twilight. In an effort to improve this situation, we have developed an image stabilizer utilizing a piezoelectric driven tip-tilt correction mirror for daytime spectral imaging of Mercury. The system is a modification of one that was originally developed for solar observations at the McMath-Pierce solar telescope. Use of image stabilization results in a noticeable improvement in spatial resolution of our Mercury sodium images. A series of sodium images taken over an eight-day period show changes in which an emission peak in high southern latitudes disappears, and is replaced by an emission peak at high northern latitudes. Further systematic observations and improvements are planned for the image stabilizer system, as well as experimental observations with a low-order adaptive optics system incorporating a commercially available 37-actuator deformable mirror

Impact of introducing an electronic physiological surveillance system on hospital mortality

YesBackground Avoidable hospital mortality is often attributable to inadequate patient vital signs monitoring, and failure to recognise or respond to clinical deterioration. The processes involved with vital sign collection and charting; their integration, interpretation and analysis; and the delivery of decision support regarding subsequent clinical care are subject to potential error and/or failure. Objective To determine whether introducing an electronic physiological surveillance system (EPSS), specifically designed to improve the collection and clinical use of vital signs data, reduced hospital mortality. Methods A pragmatic, retrospective, observational study of seasonally adjusted in-hospital mortality rates in three main hospital specialties was undertaken before, during and after the sequential deployment and ongoing use of a hospital-wide EPSS in two large unconnected acute general hospitals in England. The EPSS, which uses wireless handheld computing devices, replaced a paper-based vital sign charting and clinical escalation system. Results During EPSS implementation, crude mortality fell from a baseline of 7.75% (2168/27 959) to 6.42% (1904/29 676) in one hospital (estimated 397 fewer deaths), and from 7.57% (1648/21 771) to 6.15% (1614/26 241) at the second (estimated 372 fewer deaths). At both hospitals, multiyear statistical process control analyses revealed abrupt and sustained mortality reductions, coincident with the deployment and increasing use of the system. The cumulative total of excess deaths reduced in all specialties with increasing use of the system across the hospital. Conclusions The use of technology specifically designed to improve the accuracy, reliability and availability of patients’ vital signs and early warning scores, and thereby the recognition of and response to patient deterioration, is associated with reduced mortality in this study

Improved spatial resolution of the sodium distribution on Mercury

The distribution of sodium emission over the surface of Mercury is non-uniform, and changes over time. These non-uniformities and time-dependent changes give clues to the processes that produce the sodium. However, observations of the distribution of sodium on Mercury are hampered by the bad seeing that accompanies the need to observe either in daytime, or at extremely large air masses in twilight. In an effort to improve this situation, we have developed an image stabilizer utilizing a piezoelectric driven tip-tilt correction mirror for daytime spectral imaging of Mercury. The system is a modification of one that was originally developed for solar observations at the McMath-Pierce solar telescope. Use of image stabilization results in a noticeable improvement in spatial resolution of our Mercury sodium images. A series of sodium images taken over an eight-day period show changes in which an emission peak in high southern latitudes disappears, and is replaced by an emission peak at high northern latitudes. Further systematic observations and improvements are planned for the image stabilizer system, as well as experimental observations with a low-order adaptive optics system incorporating a commercially available 37-actuator deformable mirror

The gas-surface interaction of a human-occupied spacecraft with a near-Earth object

AbstractNASA’s asteroid redirect mission (ARM) will feature an encounter of the human-occupied Orion spacecraft with a portion of a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) previously placed in orbit about the Moon by a capture spacecraft. Applying a shuttle analog, we suggest that the Orion spacecraft should have a dominant local water exosphere, and that molecules from this exosphere can adsorb onto the NEA. The amount of adsorbed water is a function of the defect content of the NEA surface, with retention of shuttle-like water levels on the asteroid at 1015 H2O’s/m2 for space weathered regolith at T∼300K