Pulsar Wind Nebulae in EGRET Error Boxes

A remarkable number of pulsar wind nebulae (PWN) are coincident with EGRET gamma-ray sources. X-ray and radio imaging studies of unidentified EGRET sources have resulted in the discovery of at least 6 new pulsar wind nebulae (PWN). Stationary PWN (SPWN) appear to be associated with steady EGRET sources with hard spectra, typical for gamma-ray pulsars. Their toroidal morphologies can help determine the geometry of the pulsar which is useful for constraining models of pulsed gamma-ray emission. Rapidly moving PWN (RPWN) with more cometary morphologies seem to be associated with variable EGRET sources in regions where the ambient medium is dense compared to what is typical for the ISM.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The Multiwavelength Approach to Unidentified Sources", ed. G. Romero & K.S. Chen

Multi‐scale effects of land cover, weather, and fire on Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse

Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) are endemic to grassland and shrub‐steppe ecosystems of western North America, yet their distribution has contracted to \u3c10% of their historical range. Primary threats to Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse include loss of native habitat and conversion to agriculture, reductions in habitat once provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), wildfire, and drought conditions, yet population‐level consequences of these threats and their spatio‐temporal scales of effect are poorly understood. We evaluated multi‐scale effects of land cover, weather, and fire histories on patterns of abundance and productivity for Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse populations during 1995–2020 in Idaho, USA, using mixedeffects generalized regression and remotely sensed data. We demonstrated negative effects of fire, tree encroachment, and bare ground, positive effects of spring and summer precipitation and cover of shrubs and perennial forbs and grasses, and positive effects of CRP on grouse abundance that changed in magnitude with cover of perennials and shrubs near leks (i.e., strongest effects when average cover of shrubs and perennial forbs and grasses were less abundant). We also demonstrated per capita recruitment of Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse is positively associated with late‐summer greenness. Our results show that several suspected threats have measurable, population‐level impacts to Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse within Idaho. Moreover, our results suggest ongoing changes occurring within the core range of Columbian sharp‐tailed grouse, including loss of CRP cover to tilled agriculture and changes to wildfire and precipitation dynamics are likely to have negative effects on populations

Interest and barriers to research in obstetric haematology – findings from a national survey in the United Kingdom

Introduction: In 2021, the steering committee members of British Society of Haematology Obstetric Haematology Special Interest Group noted difficulties in opening research studies. This led to the development of a survey to further evaluate this issue. Method: An electronic survey was distributed to all members of the British Society of Haematology Obstetric Haematology Special Interest Group and to relevant specialty leads of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Research Network for further dissemination within these networks. Results: Responses were received from 65 participants (73% consultant grade); mainly haematologists (52%) or obstetricians (39%). Less than a third of participants reported dedicated time for research in their job plan, with only five participants reporting no challenges in opening research studies in obstetric haematology. Discussion: The survey confirmed significant interest in obstetric haematology research, with barriers to participation. We propose further actions to facilitate increased research

Developing young people's sense of self and place through sport

Previous research has recognized positive health implications, both physical and mental, as an outcome of participation in leisure pursuits. They provide opportunities for self-expression and stress reduction, as well as an environment in which people can socialize. Leisure activities, specifically sport activities, can play a significant role in young people's identity development. This paper explores the leisure activities in which young people in Adelaide, Australia participate. It examines the role of leisure activities in terms of young people's identity and feelings towards their hometown. This study consisted of semi-structured focus groups conducted with 24 senior high school students, followed by a survey resulting in 226 useable responses. Respondents were aged between 16 and 18 years of age. From the range of activities identified and explored, the results revealed sports activities to have the greatest impact on young people's lives. The results demonstrated that frequency of participation has a significant effect on young people's involvement levels and how they identify with the activity

Improving response rates using a monetary incentive for patient completion of questionnaires: an observational study

Background: Poor response rates to postal questionnaires can introduce bias and reduce the statistical power of a study. To improve response rates in our trial in primary care we tested the effect of introducing an unconditional direct payment of 5 pound for the completion of postal questionnaires. Methods: We recruited patients in general practice with knee problems from sites across the United Kingdom. An evidence-based strategy was used to follow-up patients at twelve months with postal questionnaires. This included an unconditional direct payment of 5 pound to patients for the completion and return of questionnaires. The first 105 patients did not receive the 5 pound incentive, but the subsequent 442 patients did. We used logistic regression to analyse the effect of introducing a monetary incentive to increase the response to postal questionnaires. Results: The response rate following reminders for the historical controls was 78.1% ( 82 of 105) compared with 88.0% ( 389 of 442) for those patients who received the 5 pound payment (diff = 9.9%, 95% CI 2.3% to 19.1%). Direct payments significantly increased the odds of response ( adjusted odds ratio = 2.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.0, P = 0.009) with only 12 of 442 patients declining the payment. The incentive did not save costs to the trial - the extra cost per additional respondent was almost 50 pound. Conclusion: The direct payment of 5 pound significantly increased the completion of postal questionnaires at negligible increase in cost for an adequately powered study