Has Cosmology Advanced in Recent Years?

Cosmologists are astronomers who study the universe as\ud a whole. The idea of the universe as a whole presents\ud some difficulty both to science and philosophy. In science,\ud because we can only study parts of a system unknown in\ud its totality. Moreover there are features of scientific cosmology\ud which set it apart from other sciences: we cannot\ud in cosmology speak of experiments or verifiable predictions\ud (Cosmologists are prophets of the past!). We can\ud only check astronomical observations with theories and\ud models. Philosophically, the connection between models\ud of the universe and reality, the intelligibility of an universe\ud as an independently existing entity and the perennial\ud questions about the origin of the universe remain unsolved

OGO-6 experiment F-03

The results obtained with the retarding potential analyzer on the OGO-6 satellite are discussed. The information obtained during the OGO-6 flight concerned the following subjects: (1) measurement of electron flux density in the plasmasphere, (2) latitudinal variations of ion temperature, (3) heating in the nighttime ionosphere by conjugate photoelectrons, (4) longitudinal variation in equatorial ion temperature at low altitude, and (5) identification of heavy ions in the upper F region

Une vraie transition vers la pratique : simulation de rôles inversés

Implication Statement This article explores a direct-observation simulation swapping resident and consultant roles as a measure to assess competence during the final “transition to practice” phase of residency. As indicated by the Royal College, assessment of competency in this stage should include direct observation; however, this is challenging to implement, both from the perspective of a busy clinical environment, but also logistically, as a final-stage resident is still a learner in a consultant clinic. Our suggested approach allows for both real-world experience for the resident as well as direct observation and assessment by the consultant, thus providing the resident with targeted, actionable feedback, as well as ensuring the final-stage resident is competent for practice.Énoncé des implications de la recherche Cet article explore une simulation d’observation directe dans laquelle les rôles de résident et de consultant sont inversés comme moyen d’évaluation des compétences durant l’étape finale de la résidence, la « transition vers la pratique ». Le Collège royal indique qu’à ce stade, l’observation directe doit faire partie de l’évaluation des compétences; or, cette modalité d’évaluation est difficile à mettre en œuvre dans un environnement clinique animé et un contexte logistique où le résident est encore un apprenant dans une clinique de consultants. L’approche que nous proposons permet à la fois au résident d’acquérir une expérience réelle et au consultant de faire l’observation directe pour l’évaluation, et d’offrir une rétroaction ciblée et utile, tout en s’assurant que le résident en fin de parcours a les compétences requises pour pratiquer

Plasma measurements with the retarding potential analyser on OGO 6

Plasma measurements with retarding potential analyzer on OGO

« Ça réveille l’esprit » : Initier les professeurs et stagiaires de la Faculté d’oncologie à la pratique de l’observation et de la formation directes au cours d’un cours de maître donné à des musiciens

Bringing faculty to a realization of the importance of direct observation is a major task during the transition to competency-based medical education. Musicians generally already endorse a strong coaching culture. We included a live cello masterclass in an oncology faculty and trainee workshop in order to demonstrate coaching and feedback. Based on participant post-event interviews, the musical masterclass was a highly effective catalyst for self-reflection in regards to teaching practices and lead to new and revised perspectives on observation and coaching in medicine.  With just a musician-trainee, music coach, and faculty moderator, this effective demonstration can be easily replicated

Planar ion trap (retarding potential analyzer) experiment for atmosphere explorer

The retarding potential analyzer and drift meter were carried aboard all three Atmosphere Explorer spacecraft. These instruments measure the total thermal ion concentration and temperature, the bulk thermal ion velocity vector and some limited properties of the relative abundance of H(+), He(+), O(+) and molecular ions. These instruments functioned with no internal failures on all the spacecraft. On AE-E there existed some evidence for external surface contamination that damaged the integrity of the RPA sweep grids. This led to some difficulties in data reduction and interpretation that did not prove to be a disastrous problem. The AE-D spacecraft functioned for only a few months before it re-entered. During this time the satellite suffered from a nutation about the spin axis of about + or - 2 deg. This 2 deg modulation was superimposed upon the ion drift meter horizontal ion arrival angle output requiring the employment of filtering techniques to retrieve the real data

Near miss or standard of care? DPYD screening for cancer patients receiving fluorouracil

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its pro-drug capecitabine are widely used anticancer agents. Most 5-FU catabolism is dependent on dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) encoded by the DPYD gene, and DPYD variants that reduce DPD function increase 5-FU toxicity. Most DPD deficient patients are heterozygous and can be treated with reduced 5-FU dosing. We describe a patient with a genotype associated with near complete absence of DPD function, and severe and likely fatal toxicity with 5-FU treatment. The patient was treated effectively with alternative systemic therapy. Routine pretreatment DPYD genotyping is recommended by the European Medicines Agency, and guidelines for use of 5-FU in DPD deficient patients are available. However, outside the province of Quebec, routine pretreatment screening for DPD deficiency remains unavailable in Canada. It is likely our patient would have died from 5-FU toxicity under the current standard of care, but instead provides an example of the potential benefit of DPYD screening on patient outcomes

The safety of sports in children with inherited arrhythmia substrates

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a rare and devastating event in children and remains a leading cause of death in young athletes. Channelopathies and cardiomyopathies, in particular long QT syndrome (LQTS), catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) are associated with exercise-related SCD. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are often placed for secondary prevention for athletes with cardiomyopathy or channelopathy. There remains concern regarding the safety of return to participation with an ICD in place. Guidelines have historically recommended that patients with inherited heart rhythm disorders be restricted from competitive sports participation. Increasing evidence suggests a lower risk of exercise-related cardiac events in young athletes with inherited heart rhythm disorders. In this review, we highlight current knowledge, evolving guidelines, and present a multidisciplinary approach involving shared decision-making and appropriate planning for safe sports participation of children with inherited heart rhythm disorders