Constraints on dark and visible mass in galaxies from strong gravitational lensing

We give a non-exhaustive review of the use of strong gravitational lensing in placing constraints on the quantity of dark and visible mass in galaxies. We discuss development of the methodology and summarise some recent results.Comment: To appear in proceedings of IAU Symposium 244, 'Dark Galaxies and Lost Baryons', 25th - 29th June 2007. Nine pages, five figures. Version 2 updates bibliograph

Presenting whilst retreating in the age of the corporate lanyard

It seems a little curious, that until recently, most of us hadn’t even heard of the word lanyard, let alone knew what it meant or where it came from, given its ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. Rooted in 15th century maritime history, lanyard derives from the French word lanière, meaning strap or thong, which was made from scraps of rope on board ships, presenting a hands-free solution to working on a vessel, whilst keeping weapons close at hand. It is from this utility, as an attachment, that the history of lanyards is largely a military one, gracing different traditions over the centuries. Lanyards were used to connect a sword, pistol or whistle to a uniform by cavalry and naval officers. This is where decoration meets function; a soldier’s or sailor’s status determining what braiding or colour combination might apply. Any appraisal of the lanyard now within a contemporary context cannot ignore this antecedence, which is so central to the object’s DNA

Perception of scene-relative object movement: Optic flow parsing and the contribution of monocular depth cues

AbstractWe have recently suggested that the brain uses its sensitivity to optic flow in order to parse retinal motion into components arising due to self and object movement (e.g. Rushton, S. K., & Warren, P. A. (2005). Moving observers, 3D relative motion and the detection of object movement. Current Biology, 15, R542–R543). Here, we explore whether stereo disparity is necessary for flow parsing or whether other sources of depth information, which could theoretically constrain flow-field interpretation, are sufficient. Stationary observers viewed large field of view stimuli containing textured cubes, moving in a manner that was consistent with a complex observer movement through a stationary scene. Observers made speeded responses to report the perceived direction of movement of a probe object presented at different depths in the scene. Across conditions we varied the presence or absence of different binocular and monocular cues to depth order. In line with previous studies, results consistent with flow parsing (in terms of both perceived direction and response time) were found in the condition in which motion parallax and stereoscopic disparity were present. Observers were poorer at judging object movement when depth order was specified by parallax alone. However, as more monocular depth cues were added to the stimulus the results approached those found when the scene contained stereoscopic cues. We conclude that both monocular and binocular static depth information contribute to flow parsing. These findings are discussed in the context of potential architectures for a model of the flow parsing mechanism

A pen device for injection of recombinant human growth hormone: a European usability engineering study.

The Aluetta™ reusable pen device and instructions for use (IFU) for growth hormone (r-hGH; Saizen®, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) administration were tested for Human-Factors Usability, to ensure it could be used safely and effectively by the intended users in the intended use environment.Usability testing was conducted under simulated conditions in three groups of participants: pediatric or adult patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), participants without GHD, and healthcare professionals (HCPs). The testing comprised a 45-minute training session, a 2-hour testing session, and a participant-feedback session.Twenty-six participants completed the training session and performed all critical tasks related to the pen use across three scenarios. The most difficult tasks were related to the preparation, checking, and maintenance of the device; only 8% of use errors occurred during tasks related to the injection process. Eighty-five percent considered the pen safe and effective to use without further modifications and the training to be clear and effective.The pen device and associated materials benefited from Human Factors Engineering throughout the development process. These evaluations show that patients and HCPs could safely and effectively use the pen device, and the IFU and training were clear and effective

The public image of the social worker.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit