Photometric stability analysis of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory

Photometric stability is a key requirement for time-resolved spectroscopic observations of transiting extrasolar planets. In the context of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) mission design, we here present and investigate means of translating spacecraft pointing instabilities as well as temperature fluctuation of its optical chain into an overall error budget of the exoplanetary spectrum to be retrieved. Given the instrument specifications as of date, we investigate the magnitudes of these photometric instabilities in the context of simulated observations of the exoplanet HD189733b secondary eclipse.Comment: submitted to MNRA

EChOSim: The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory software simulator

EChOSim is the end-to-end time-domain simulator of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) space mission. EChOSim has been developed to assess the capability EChO has to detect and characterize the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets, and through this revolutionize the knowledge we have of the Milky Way and of our place in the Galaxy. Here we discuss the details of the EChOSim implementation and describe the models used to represent the instrument and to simulate the detection. Software simulators have assumed a central role in the design of new instrumentation and in assessing the level of systematics affecting the measurements of existing experiments. Thanks to its high modularity, EChOSim can simulate basic aspects of several existing and proposed spectrometers for exoplanet transits, including instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer, or ground-based and balloon borne experiments. A discussion of different uses of EChOSim is given, including examples of simulations performed to assess the EChO mission

The Hidden Curriculum of Veterinary Education: Mediators and Moderators of Its Effects

The “hidden curriculum” has long been supposed to have an effect on students' learning during their clinical education, and in particular in shaping their ideas of what it means to be a professional. Despite this, there has been little evidence linking specific changes in professional attitudes to the individual components of the hidden curriculum. This study aimed to recognize those components that led to a change in students' professional attitudes at a UK veterinary school, as well as to identify the attitudes most affected. Observations were made of 11 student groups across five clinical rotations, followed by semi-structured interviews with 23 students at the end of their rotation experience. Data were combined and analyzed thematically, taking both an inductive and deductive approach. Views about the importance of technical competence and communication skills were promoted as a result of students' interaction with the hidden curriculum, and tensions were revealed in relation to their attitudes toward compassion and empathy, autonomy and responsibility, and lifestyle ethic. The assessment processes of rotations and the clinical service organization served to communicate the messages of the hidden curriculum, bringing about changes in student professional attitudes, while student-selected role models and the student rotation groups moderated the effects of these influences

Perceive Symptom-Related Barriers to Eating and Associated Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors experience significant symptom burden as a result of tumor location and treatment received. These symptoms may negatively impact quality of life (QOL) and compromise dietary intake into the post-treatment survivorship phase. Few studies have examined how symptoms are associated with quality of life in HNC survivors beyond the acute phase of care. Purpose: The objective of this research was to examine associations between perceived symptom-related barriers to eating and quality of life (QOL) in post-treatment head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors who participated in a dietary intervention trial. Methods: This was an exploratory analysis of 23 post-treatment HNC survivors who had previously participated in a 12-week randomized dietary intervention trial to assess the feasibility of increasing cruciferous (CV) and green leafy vegetable (GLV) intake. For this analysis, both treatment groups were combined into one. Participants completed a pre-intervention survey that assessed HNC-specific QOL (FACT-HN) and ranked self-perceived symptom-related barriers to eating on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = “never” to 5 = “very often”). A summary score for all symptom-related barriers was computed (maximum of 80 points) and Pearson correlations between the summary score and QOL were examined. Pearson correlations were also examined between scores for individual symptom-related barriers and QOL. Results: A lower symptom-related barrier summary score was significantly correlated with improved physical, emotional, and functional QOL (p < 0.01 for all). Lower individual symptom-related barrier scores for dry mouth, food does not taste good, feeling full too quickly, choking, phlegm production in mouth, difficulty swallowing, and lack of appetite were significantly associated with improved physical QOL (p < 0.05 for all). Symptom-related barrier summary score was not correlated with overall QOL. Conclusions: In this analysis of post-treatment HNC survivors, the degree of perceived symptom related barriers was associated with reduced QOL in several domains. Many individual perceived symptom related barriers were positively correlated with the physical domain of QOL. Although this was a small and exploratory secondary data analysis, these results suggest that perceived symptom related barriers and reduced QOL may be unmet needs in this survivor population and a larger study is warranted. Funding for the original study was provided by a NIH/NCI Cancer Prevention and Control Training Grant: R25 CA047888 and a Research Enhancement Project Grant from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care.NIH/NCI Cancer Prevention and Control Training GrantR25 CA047888Research Enhancement Project Grant from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive CareOpe

Lead isotopic evidence for synextensional lithospheric ductile flow in the Colorado River extensional corridor, western United States

This is the published version. Copyright 1998 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.Temporal changes in the Pb isotopic compositions of Miocene lavas erupted in the northern Colorado River extensional corridor suggest that lithospheric mantle and middle to deep crust migrated from beneath the Colorado Plateau into the corridor during extension. Basaltic to rhyolitic lavas erupted in the extensional corridor prior to 12.2 Ma have Pb isotopic values that are similar to those of Tertiary to Quaternary lavas erupted through Proterozoic Mojave crust, which comprises surface exposures of basement in the corridor and much of the extended territory to the west. In contrast, most post-12.2 Ma lavas from the same region have Pb isotopic compositions similar to those of lavas erupted through Arizona crust, which forms the basement of the Colorado Plateau. The changes in isotopic compositions of the basaltic lavas, and perhaps a portion of the changes in isotopic compositions of silicic lavas, are attributed to a change in the composition of the mantle source. However, the 206Pb/204Pb ratios for lavas erupted before and after 12.2 Ma in the corridor decrease with decreasing MgO concentrations, suggesting that the Pb isotopic compositions of crustal assimilants changed at about the same time as the composition of the mantle. In the area of the Black Mountains accommodation zone, the surface boundary between the Arizona and Mojave crustal provinces lies a minimum of 60–80 km to the east of the westernmost lava with an Arizona Pb isotopic signature. This distance cannot be accounted for by displacements along nearby major faults, suggesting that middle to deep Arizona crust flowed a significant distance to the west during extension

Developing sustainability in a dental practice through an Action Research approach

Introduction: For dental practices to become more environmentally sustainable, the full cooperation of all practice staff can lead to greater engagement with proposed initiatives. Action Research is a participatory approach to change that involves participants in the decisions that affect them. Aim: The aim of this study was to collaboratively develop interventions to improve environmental sustainability at one dental practice. Methods: This was a mixed methods study following an Action Research process for intervention design. The study was set in a mixed NHS / private dental practice in England, UK. Results: Participants engaged in the process and were able to choose the measures they wished to implement. Feedback showed that whilst some measures had been discarded, others had led to changes both in professional and personal behaviour. Conclusion: Action Research offers an innovative and constructive method of engaging participants in developing their own sustainability strategies and can encourage positive change

Quantifying Age-Related Differences in Information Processing Behaviors When Viewing Prescription Drug Labels

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are a significant problem in health care. While effective warnings have the potential to reduce the prevalence of ADEs, little is known about how patients access and use prescription labeling. We investigated the effectiveness of prescription warning labels (PWLs, small, colorful stickers applied at the pharmacy) in conveying warning information to two groups of patients (young adults and those 50+). We evaluated the early stages of information processing by tracking eye movements while participants interacted with prescription vials that had PWLs affixed to them. We later tested participants’ recognition memory for the PWLs. During viewing, participants often failed to attend to the PWLs; this effect was more pronounced for older than younger participants. Older participants also performed worse on the subsequent memory test. However, when memory performance was conditionalized on whether or not the participant had fixated the PWL, these age-related differences in memory were no longer significant, suggesting that the difference in memory performance between groups was attributable to differences in attention rather than differences in memory encoding or recall. This is important because older adults are recognized to be at greater risk for ADEs. These data provide a compelling case that understanding consumers’ attentive behavior is crucial to developing an effective labeling standard for prescription drugs

Future response of global coastal wetlands to sea-level rise.

The response of coastal wetlands to sea-level rise during the twenty-first century remains uncertain. Global-scale projections suggest that between 20 and 90 per cent (for low and high sea-level rise scenarios, respectively) of the present-day coastal wetland area will be lost, which will in turn result in the loss of biodiversity and highly valued ecosystem services1-3. These projections do not necessarily take into account all essential geomorphological4-7 and socio-economic system feedbacks8. Here we present an integrated global modelling approach that considers both the ability of coastal wetlands to build up vertically by sediment accretion, and the accommodation space, namely, the vertical and lateral space available for fine sediments to accumulate and be colonized by wetland vegetation. We use this approach to assess global-scale changes in coastal wetland area in response to global sea-level rise and anthropogenic coastal occupation during the twenty-first century. On the basis of our simulations, we find that, globally, rather than losses, wetland gains of up to 60 per cent of the current area are possible, if more than 37 per cent (our upper estimate for current accommodation space) of coastal wetlands have sufficient accommodation space, and sediment supply remains at present levels. In contrast to previous studies1-3, we project that until 2100, the loss of global coastal wetland area will range between 0 and 30 per cent, assuming no further accommodation space in addition to current levels. Our simulations suggest that the resilience of global wetlands is primarily driven by the availability of accommodation space, which is strongly influenced by the building of anthropogenic infrastructure in the coastal zone and such infrastructure is expected to change over the twenty-first century. Rather than being an inevitable consequence of global sea-level rise, our findings indicate that large-scale loss of coastal wetlands might be avoidable, if sufficient additional accommodation space can be created through careful nature-based adaptation solutions to coastal management.Personal research fellowship of Mark Schuerch (Project Number 272052902) and by the Cambridge Coastal Research Unit (Visiting Scholar Programme). Furthermore, this work has partly been supported by the EU research project RISES-AM- (FP7-ENV-693396)