385 research outputs found
An Extreme-AO Search for Giant Planets around a White Dwarf --VLT/SPHERE performance on a faint target GD 50
CONTEXT. Little is known about the planetary systems around single white
dwarfs although there is strong evidence that they do exist.
AIMS. We performed a pilot study with the extreme-AO system on the
Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) on the Very
Large Telescopes (VLT) to look for giant planets around a young white dwarf, GD
50.
METHODS. We were awarded science verification time on the new ESO instrument
SPHERE. Observations were made with the InfraRed Dual-band Imager and
Spectrograph in classical imaging mode in H band.
RESULTS. Despite the faintness of the target (14.2 mag in R band), the AO
loop was closed and a strehl of 37\% was reached in H band. No objects were
detected around GD 50. We achieved a 5-sigma contrast of 6.2, 8.0 and 8.25 mags
at 0{\farcs}2, 0{\farcs}4 and 0{\farcs}6 and beyond, respectively. We exclude
any substellar objects more massive than 4.0 M at 6.2 AU, 2.9
M at 12.4 AU and 2.8 M at 18.6 AU and beyond. This
rivals the previous upper limit set by Spitzer. We further show that SPHERE is
the most promising instrument available to search for close-in substellar
objects around nearby white dwarfs.Comment: A&A letters, accepte
Associations Between Adolescent Sport and Exercise Participation and Device-Assessed Physical Activity in Adulthood: Evidence From the 1970 British Cohort Study
BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a critical period filled with life changes. Early implementation of effective health promotion strategies could help alleviate the morbidity and mortality associated with inactivity. This study investigated whether adolescent participation in exercise and sport is associated with device-assessed physical activity (PA) levels in midlife. METHODS: A total of 2984 participants (41.2% male) from the 1970 British Cohort Study were included. Participants were surveyed at age 16Â years on 5 indicators of exercise and sport participation. Total daily PA and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) at age 46Â years were measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer, worn for 7Â days. Associations between each adolescent exercise or sport indicator and adulthood total daily PA and MVPA were examined using linear regressions, adjusting for sex, wear time, body mass index, smoking, disability, malaise, alcohol consumption, social class, education, and self-rated health. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, adolescents who reported exercising "much more" than others (8.6Â min/d; 95% confidence interval, -0.1 to 17.1), who played sports at the park/playground more than once a week (8.5 [3.0-14.0]Â min/d), and who exercised on the most recent Saturday (3.8 [0.7-6.9]Â min/d) had higher adult total PA levels than those who reported the lowest activity levels. There was no evidence of an association between greater sport and exercise participation at age 16 y and MVPA at age 46 y. There was no association between sports at school and either measure of adult PA. CONCLUSION: Active adolescents, particularly those who engaged in out-of-school exercise, had higher total daily PA levels, but not MVPA levels, in midlife. This highlights the potential of early PA interventions to improve PA levels in adulthood
Obtaining a marketing authorisation for nitrous oxide
OBJECTIVE: To prepare a Common Technical
Document for nitrous oxide (NO) in accordance to European
Guidelines, for submission to the Medicineâs Authority to
obtain a Marketing Authorisation (MA) and to carry out a
project feasibility study.
METHOD: Directives and guidelines issued by the
European Commission were followed to compile a dossier
for NO in the Common Technical Document (CTD) format,
in preparation of an abridged application.
KEY FINDINGS: The Common Technical Document
gave details on the Administrative Information (Module
1), Summaries (Module 2), Quality (Module 3) and Non-
Clinical Studies (Module 4) consisting of a detailed scientific
bibliography. The active substance manufacturer was
inspected and accepted as an approved supplier. A feasibility
study which was conducted proved the project feasible.
CONCLUSION: The whole manufacturing process
of nitrous oxide is well controlled and batches can be
produced with a constant level of quality. NO has been used
for 150 years for analgesia and anesthesia and has proven
safe and effective. Even though its administration is not
without risks, it currently has a niche role as an inhalational
analgesic and sedative.peer-reviewe
Rapid grain growth in post-AGB disc systems from far-infrared and sub-millimetre photometry
The timescales on which astronomical dust grows remain poorly understood,
with important consequences for our understanding of processes like
circumstellar disk evolution and planet formation.A number of post-asymptotic
giant branch stars are found to host optically thick, dust- and gas-rich
circumstellar discs in Keplerian orbits. These discs exhibit evidence of dust
evolution, similar to protoplanetary discs; however since post-AGB discs have
substantially shorter lifetimes than protoplanetary discs they may provide new
insights on the grain-growth process. We examine a sample of post-AGB stars
with discs to determine the FIR and sub-mm spectral index by homogeneously
fitting a sample of data from \textit{Herschel}, the SMA and the literature. We
find that grain growth to at least hundreds of micrometres is ubiquitous in
these systems, and that the distribution of spectral indices is more similar to
that of protoplanetary discs than debris discs. No correlation is found with
the mid-infrared colours of the discs, implying that grain growth occurs
independently of the disc structure in post-AGB discs. We infer that grain
growth to mm sizes must occur on timescales yr, perhaps by
orders of magnitude, as the lifetimes of these discs are expected to be
~yr and all objects have converged to the same state. This
growth timescale is short compared to the results of models for protoplanetary
discs including fragmentation, and may provide new constraints on the physics
of grain growth.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Patient and Surrogate Views of Community Consultation for Emergency Research
ObjectivePretrial community consultation (CC) is required for emergency research conducted under an exception from informed consent (EFIC) in the United States. CC remains controversial and challenging, and minimal data exist regarding the views of individuals enrolled in EFIC trials on this process. It is important to know whether participants perceive CC to be meaningful and, if so, whom they believe should be consulted.MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of data from two studies interviewing patients and surrogates of two recent EFIC trials (PEERâRAMPART and PEERâProTECT). These interviews included similar openâ and closedâended questions regarding participantsâ views of the importance of CC, the rationale for their responses, and their views regarding which populations should be included in consultation efforts. A template analytic strategy was used for qualitative analysis of textual data, and descriptive statistics were tabulated to characterize demographic data and instances of major themes.ResultsNinety percent of participants perceived CC to be valuable. Participantsâ reasons for finding CC valuable clustered in two categories: 1) as a method of informing the public about the trial to be conducted and 2) as a way of obtaining input and feedback from the community. Participants cited the medical community (43%) and individuals with a connection to the study condition (41%) as the most important groups to involve in consultation efforts; only 5% suggested consulting the general public in the area where the research will be conducted.ConclusionParticipants in EFIC trials and their decision makers generally valued CC as a method of informing and seeking input from the community. Participants felt that the most appropriate groups to consult were the medical community and individuals with connections to the condition under study. Consultation efforts focused on these two groups, rather than the general public, may be more efficient and more meaningful to individuals involved in EFIC trials. These findings also reinforce the importance of the distinction between public disclosure and CC.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139974/1/acem13265-sup-0001-DataSupplementS1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139974/2/acem13265_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139974/3/acem13265.pd
XSHOOTER spectroscopy of the enigmatic planetary nebula Lin49 in the Small Magellanic Cloud
We performed a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the fullerene C60-containing planetary nebula (PN) Lin49 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using XSHOOTER at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope and the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph instruments. We derived nebular abundances for nine elements. We used TLUSTY to derive photospheric parameters for the central star. Lin49 is C-rich and metal-deficient PN (Z ⌠0.0006). The nebular abundances are in good agreement with asymptotic giant branch nucleosynthesis models for stars with initial mass 1.25 Mâ and metallicity Z = 0.001. Using the TLUSTY synthetic spectrum of the central star to define the heating and ionizing source, we constructed the photoionization model with CLOUDY that matches the observed spectral energy distribution (SED) and the line fluxes in the UV to far-IR wavelength ranges simultaneously. We could not fit the âŒ1â5 ÎŒm SED using a model with 0.005â0.1-ÎŒm-sized graphite grains and a constant hydrogen density shell owing to the prominent near-IR excess, while at other wavelengths the model fits the observed values reasonably well. We argue that the near-IR excess might indicate either (1) the presence of very small particles in the form of small carbon clusters, small graphite sheets, or fullerene precursors, or (2) the presence of a high-density structure surrounding the central star. We found that SMC C60 PNe show a near-IR excess component to lesser or greater degree. This suggests that these C60 PNe might maintain a structure nearby their central star
Valutazione di alcune performance diagnostiche di kit ELISA per la diagnosi sierologica di Anemia Infettiva Equina (AIE)
Data on evaluation of some diagnostic parameters of all ELISA kits available in Italy for the serodiagnosis of AIE are presented and discussed. Ten laboratories were involved using a panel of 30 sera ran with 4 commercial kits and 2 in-house kits. Kits were also evaluated using a panel of sera from vaccinated animals at different days post vaccination (p.v.). All sera were also tested in agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID). The parameters evaluated were: diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp), Cohen K, weighted Cohen K, coefficient of variation (CV), accordance, concordance. Analysis of these parameters indicates that all kits have a higher sensitivity than AGID, even if a complete evaluation, as indicated by OIE (1) should be carried out
Impact of a brief group intervention to enhance parenting and the home learning environment for children aged 6-36 months: A cluster randomised controlled trial
This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.This study evaluated the effectiveness of a group parenting intervention designed to strengthen the home learning environment of children from disadvantaged families. Two cluster randomised controlled superiority trials were conducted in parallel and delivered within existing services: a 6-week parenting group (51 locations randomised; 986 parents) for parents of infants (aged 6-12Â months), and a 10-week facilitated playgroup (58 locations randomised; 1200 parents) for parents of toddlers (aged 12-36Â months). Each trial had three conditions: intervention (smalltalk group-only); enhanced intervention with home coaching (smalltalk plus); and 'standard'/usual practice controls. Parent-report and observational measures were collected at baseline, 12 and 32Â weeks follow-up. Primary outcomes were parent verbal responsivity and home learning activities at 32Â weeks. In the infant trial, there were no differences by trial arm for the primary outcomes at 32Â weeks. In the toddler trial at 32-weeks, participants in the smalltalk group-only trial showed improvement compared to the standard program for parent verbal responsivity (effect size (ES)â=â0.16; 95% CI 0.01, 0.36) and home learning activities (ESâ=â0.17; 95% CI 0.01, 0.38) but smalltalk plus did not. For the secondary outcomes in the infant trial, several initial differences favouring smalltalk plus were evident at 12Â weeks, but not maintained to 32Â weeks. For the toddler trial, differences in secondary outcomes favouring smalltalk plus were evident at 12Â weeks and maintained to 32Â weeks. These trials provide some evidence of the benefits of a parenting intervention focused on the home learning environment for parents of toddlers but not infants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 8 September 2011; ACTRN12611000965909 .This research was commissioned and funded by the Victorian Government Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), and designed and conducted at the Parenting Research Centre. NH, EW, SB, AS, MT, MY and JN were employees of the Parenting Research Centre when this study was conducted. EW was part-funded by the Centre for Research Excellence in Child Language at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (NHMRC grant 1023493). NH, EW, SB and JN are funded by the Australian Communities Foundation (Coronella sub-fund) at La Trobe University. OU is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. Views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of DEECD, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health
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