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Background: African American (AA) male survivors of strokes or transient ischemic attacks (TIA) have the highest risk of recurrent stroke when compared to other racial-ethnic men. However, there is a paucity of evidence-based strategies, including organizational, educational, or behavioral interventions, that targets secondary stroke risk reduction in AA men. Methods: Targeted Management for Reducing Stroke Risk (TEAM) is an ongoing, 6-month prospective, randomized controlled trial that will determine whether a curriculum-guided self-management approach, using peer dyads (men who had a stroke or TIA and their care partners) will improve post-stroke care in AA men. Results: The study sample will consist of 160 AA men who have experienced a stroke or TIA within 5 years, randomized to TEAM or Wait-list control group. The primary outcome changes in systolic blood pressure (BP) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), while secondary outcomes include diastolic BP, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and glycemic control for diabetics. We hypothesize that AA men in TEAM will have significantly lower systolic BP and higher HDL when compared to AA men in the Wait-list control group at 6-month. Conclusion: Persistent disparities for stroke burden in AA men highlight the need for novel interventions to promote secondary stroke-risk reduction. Building on promising pilot data, TEAM uses a group format, with a nurse and patient co-led intervention focused on AA men and family needs, practice in problem-solving, and attention to emotional and role management. In addition, the TEAM approach may help reduce stroke risk factors and health disparities in AA men. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04402125. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adoption of technology has increased to support self-managing chronic diseases. However, behavioral interventions evaluating such technology have been understudied in African Americans with hypertension. The aim of this study was to explore a community and technology-based intervention for hypertension self-management (COACHMAN) intervention on blood pressure (BP) control and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in African Americans with hypertension. Methods: Sixty African Americans (mean age 60; 75% females) who were prescribed antihypertensive medications and owning a smartphone were randomized to the COACHMAN (n = 30) or enhanced usual care (n = 30) group for 12 weeks. COACHMAN is comprised of four components: web-based education, home BP monitoring, medication management application, and nurse counseling. Hypertension knowledge, self-efficacy, technology adoption/use, medication adherence, BP, and HRQoL scores were assessed. Results: Mean systolic and diastolic BP at baseline was 150.49 (SD = 13.89) and 86.80 (SD = 13.39), respectively. After completing the 3-month intervention to improve hypertension self-management, the groups did not significantly differ in BP control and HRQoL. Clinically relevant BP reduction was observed in the intervention group. Paired t-test showed that mean medication-taking adherence scores significantly improved in the intervention group (P = 0.023) compared to the control group (P = 0.075). Conclusion: Using technology may have a positive impact on supporting hypertension self-management, particularly in medication-taking adherence. Further research is warranted in a larger sample and should include standardization of medication management to isolate the effects of behavioral interventions on changes in BP. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03722667. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Caulerpa taxifolia is a fast-spreading invasive seaweed that threatens biodiversity in temperate Australian estuaries. To date, little is known about its effects on infauna. In the present study, we describe variation in demographic and life-history traits of the abundant infaunal bivalve, Anadara trapezia, in C. taxifolia and uninvaded habitats (seagrass and unvegetated sediments) at multiple sites across three estuaries in south-eastern New South Wales. Densities of A. trapezia were always lower in C. taxifolia than on unvegetated sediment, and lower in C. taxifolia than in seagrass at three out of four sites where they were compared. Dry tissue weight of A. trapezia was also lower in C. taxifolia than on unvegetated sediment at most sites, but was only lower in C. taxifolia than in seagrass at one of four sites. Populations were dominated by larger individuals (>45 mm length), but smaller individuals (35?45 mm length) were more common in C. taxifolia and seagrass. A. trapezia shell weight and morphology was variable and appeared weakly affected by invasion. Generally, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that A. trapezia is negatively affected by C. taxifolia. However, C. taxifolia invasion appears complex and, at some places, its effects may not differ from those of native seagrass. There is a need for manipulative studies to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of C. taxifolia on infauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the concepts of entities, identities, identifiers and credentials, their definitions, and how they combine to authenticate an identity to an account, or function, within a service. Credentials can be divided into several different types on the basis of their use, origin and characteristics. In particular, types such as composite, dynamic and derived credentials will be considered, and their applicability within an identity management system. Each credential must be managed through its entire life cycle from initial registration, general use and suspension, to deletion. The notion of public (i.e. freely distributable) and private (i.e. known only to you) aspects of a credential is explored. The bindings, by trusted third parties, of identifiers and public credentials into permits and instruments of proof is explained along with the convenience, but greater exposure, of local information. Several scenarios are analysed in terms of how different types of credentials are employed during the authentication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle contusions represent a major part of sports injuries. The suggested treatments are generally sufficient to support muscle healing, but require a relatively long period of time. Given that autologous blood products are safe treatments, we have used a technique which stimulates the release of certain growth factors in the autologous conditioned serum (ACS). Those growth factors are known to improve the proliferative activity of myogenic precursor cells. Mice were subjected to an experimental contusion injury to their gastrocnemius muscle; one group received local injections of ACS at 2 hrs, 24 hrs, and 48 hrs after injury, a control group received saline injections. The histology results showed that satellite cell activation at 30/48 hrs post injury was accelerated and the diameter of the regenerating myofibers was increased compared to the controls within the first week after injury. ELISA results on the ACS have shown that the elevations in FGF-2 (460 %) and TGF-β1 (82 %) could be partly responsible for the accelerating effects on regeneration due to proliferative and chemotactic properties. We conclude that ACS injection is a promising approach to reduce the time of recovery from muscle injury. In terms of clinical targets, this new approach could be used in the treatment of sports injuries and may also be interesting in postoperative situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle injuries represent a major part of sports injuries and are a challenging problem in traumatology. Strain injuries are the most common muscle injuries after contusions. These injuries can lead to significant pain and disability causing time to be lost to training and competition. Despite the frequency of strain injuries the treatment available is limited and is generally not sufficient to enhance muscle regeneration efficiently when fast resumption of sport activity is a primary target. A number of growth factors play a specific role in regeneration and it has been proven that a previously described method of physically and chemically stimulating whole blood (to produce autologous conditioned serum) induces concentration increases in FGF-2, HGF, and TGF-β1. A preliminary study was conducted on muscle strain injuries in professional sportsmen receiving either: 1. autologous conditioned serum (ACS) or 2. Actovegin/Traumeel® treatment as control. Assessment of recovery from injury was done by: 1. sport professional's ability to participate to 100 % under competition conditions in their respective sport and 2. MRI analysis. A significant difference in the recovery time from injury was demonstrated: 16.6 ± 0.9 in the ACS treated instead of 22.3 ± 1.2 (mean ± SEM) days in the Actovegin/Traumeel® control group (p = 0.001). MRI analysis supported the observed acceleration of the lesion recovery time. We conclude that ACS injection is a promising approach to reduce the time to recovery from muscle injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent legislation in the USA and across Europe, such as the Electronic Communications Act 2000 in the UK, and the ESIGN federal bill in the USA, has provided the missing legal aspect to electronic security that is driving the acceptance and utilisation of electronic documentation in high-value commercial and legal domains. Now legal and financial documents, such as contracts or financial records, no longer require handwritten signatures for non-repudiation, and can gain the advantages of electronic indexing, transmission and storage. The resulting growth in both the volume and value of critical electronic documents has caused a surge in digital archiving services, which offer secure storage to protect against media failure, theft and natural disasters, while providing and maintaining the security and integrity that can be built into the data. This paper describes how digital archiving uses PKI-based technologies, including timestamping, and XML structuring to provide controlled access, integrity and legally binding data. Finally, the paper summarises the work in which BT has been involved, from the ETERMS project with the International Chamber of Commerce, to building prototypes offering timestamping and document archiving, enhancing existing uses of digital certificates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High fidelity iodine spectra provide the wavelength and instrument calibration needed to extract precise radial velocities (RVs) from stellar spectral observations taken through iodine cells. Such iodine spectra are usually taken by a Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS). In this work, we investigated the reason behind the discrepancy between two FTS spectra of the iodine cell used for precise RV work with the High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) at the Hobby–Eberly Telescope (HET). We concluded that the discrepancy between the two HRS FTS spectra was due to temperature changes of the iodine cell. Our work demonstrated that the ultra-high resolution spectra taken by the TS12 arm of the Tull Spectrograph One at McDonald Observatory are of similar quality to the FTS spectra and thus can be used to validate the FTS spectra. Using the software IodineSpec5, which computes the iodine absorption lines at different temperatures, we concluded that the HET/HRS cell was most likely not at its nominal operating temperature of 70°C during its FTS scan at National Institute of Standards and Technology or at the TS12 measurement. We found that extremely high resolution echelle spectra (R > 200,000) can validate and diagnose deficiencies in FTS spectra. We also recommend best practices for temperature control and nightly calibration of iodine cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a computationally tractable implementation of spectro-perfectionism, a method which minimizes error imparted by spectral extraction. We develop our method in conjunction with a full raw reduction pipeline for the MINiature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array (MINERVA), capable of performing both optimal extraction and spectro-perfectionism. Although spectro-perfectionism remains computationally expensive, our implementation can extract a MINERVA exposure in approximately 30 minutes. We describe our localized extraction procedure and our approach to point-spread function (PSF) fitting. We compare the performance of both extraction methods on a set of 119 exposures on HD 122064, an RV standard star. Both the optimal extraction and spectro-perfectionism pipelines achieve nearly identical RV precision under a six-exposure chronological binning. We discuss the importance of reliable calibration data for PSF fitting and the potential of spectro-perfectionism for future precise radial velocity exoplanet studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: OBJECTIVE This study was designed to determine whether smoking patients have poorer outcomes after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) based on a reliable validated rhinosinusitis-specific quality-of-life outcomes test.STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart and computed tomography (CT) review with telephone and letter questionnaire.METHODS Charts of 230 adult patients undergoing ESS for chronic rhinosinusitis between January 1995 and December 1998 were reviewed. Each participating patient completed a detailed questionnaire, including the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-16 (SNOT-16), at an average of 52 months after surgery. Preoperative CT scans were reviewed and the findings used to stage the patients' conditions. Multivariate analysis was used to assess these data.RESULTS Eighty-two patients completed the questionnaire, with 26 who smoked at the time of surgery and continued to smoke at the time of answering the questionnaire (Smokers). Average SNOT-16 score in Smokers was 27.5, versus 18.2 in those who did not smoke at the time of surgery (Non-Smokers). There was a statistically significant correlation between elevated SNOT-16 scores and smoking (P < .001) and antibiotic use within the past year (P < .001). There was an association between high SNOT-16 scores and both prior smoking and passive smoke exposure that did not reach statistical significance (P = .055 and P = .267, respectively). CT staging scores and prior ESS were not statistically correlated with SNOT-16 scores.CONCLUSIONS Smoking is associated with statistically worse outcomes after ESS based on average SNOT-16 scores. Although no investigator has proved that the effects of smoking on sinonasal health are reversible, we counsel smoking patients considering ESS about the desirability of smoking cessation (for this and many health reasons), and the possibility of a poorer postsurgery outcome should they continue smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MINiature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array (MINERVA) is a dedicated observatory of four 0.7 m robotic telescopes fiber-fed to a KiwiSpec spectrograph. The MINERVA mission is to discover super-Earths in the habitable zones of nearby stars. This can be accomplished with MINERVA’s unique combination of high precision and high cadence over long time periods. In this work, we detail changes to the MINERVA facility that have occurred since our previous paper. We then describe MINERVA’s robotic control software, the process by which we perform 1D spectral extraction, and our forward modeling Doppler pipeline. In the process of improving our forward modeling procedure, we found that our spectrograph’s intrinsic instrumental profile is stable for at least nine months. Because of that, we characterized our instrumental profile with a time-independent, cubic spline function based on the profile in the cross dispersion direction, with which we achieved a radial velocity precision similar to using a conventional “sum-of-Gaussians” instrumental profile: 1.8 m s−1 over 1.5 months on the RV standard star HD 122064. Therefore, we conclude that the instrumental profile need not be perfectly accurate as long as it is stable. In addition, we observed 51 Peg and our results are consistent with the literature, confirming our spectrograph and Doppler pipeline are producing accurate and precise radial velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radio transmitter that is accelerating with a non-zero radial component with respect to a receiver will produce a signal that appears to change its frequency over time. This effect, commonly produced in astrophysical situations where orbital and rotational motions are ubiquitous, is called a drift rate. In radio SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) research, it is unknown a priori which frequency a signal is being sent at, or even if there will be any drift rate at all besides motions within the solar system. Therefore drift rates across the potential range need to be individually searched and a maximum drift rate needs to be chosen. The middle of this range is zero, indicating no acceleration, but the absolute value for the limits remains unconstrained. A balance must be struck between computational time and the possibility of excluding a signal from an ETI. In this work, we examine physical considerations that constrain a maximum drift rate and highlight the importance of this problem in any narrowband SETI search. We determine that a normalized drift rate of 200 nHz (e.g., 200 Hz s−1 at 1 GHz) is a generous, physically motivated guideline for the maximum drift rate that should be applied to future narrowband SETI projects if computational capabilities permit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe techniques for performing photolithography and electron beam lithography in succession on the same resist-covered substrate. Larger openings are defined in the resist film through photolithography whereas smaller openings are defined through conventional electron beam lithography. The two processes are carried out one after the other and without an intermediate wet development step. At the conclusion of the two exposures, the resist film is developed once to reveal both large and small openings. Interestingly, these techniques are applicable to both positive and negative tone lithographies with both optical and electron beam exposure. Polymethyl methacrylate, by itself or mixed with a photocatalytic cross-linking agent, is used for this purpose. We demonstrate that such resists are sensitive to both ultraviolet and electron beam irradiation. All four possible combinations, consisting of optical and electron beam lithographies, carried out in positive and negative tone modes have been described. Demonstration grating structures have been shown and process conditions have been described for all four cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of two extended ∼0.12 mag dimming events of the weak-lined T Tauri star V1334. The start of the first event was missed but came to an end in late 2003, and the second began in 2009 February, and continues as of 2016 November. Since the egress of the current event has not yet been observed, it suggests a period of >13 years if this event is periodic. Spectroscopic observations suggest the presence of a small inner disk, although the spectral energy distribution shows no infrared excess. We explore the possibility that the dimming events are caused by an orbiting body (e.g., a disk warp or dust trap), enhanced disk winds, hydrodynamical fluctuations of the inner disk, or a significant increase in the magnetic field flux at the surface of the star. We also find a ∼0.32 day periodic photometric signal that persists throughout the 2009 dimming which appears to not be due to ellipsoidal variations from a close stellar companion. High-precision photometric observations of V1334 Tau during K2 campaign 13, combined with simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic observations from the ground, will provide crucial information about the photometric variability and its origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present multiwavelength, ground-based follow-up photometry of the white dwarf WD 1145+017, which has recently been suggested to be orbited by up to six or more short-period, low-mass, disintegrating planetesimals. We detect nine significant dips in flux of between 10% and 30% of the stellar flux in our ∼32 hr of photometry, suggesting that WD 1145+017 is indeed being orbited by multiple, short-period objects. Through fits to the asymmetric transits that we observe, we confirm that the transit egress is usually longer than the ingress, and that the transit duration is longer than expected for a solid body at these short periods, all suggesting that these objects have cometary tails streaming behind them. The precise orbital periods of the planetesimals are unclear, but at least one object, and likely more, have orbital periods of ∼4.5 hr. We are otherwise unable to confirm the specific periods that have been reported, bringing into question the long-term stability of these periods. Our high-precision photometry also displays low-amplitude variations, suggesting that dusty material is consistently passing in front of the white dwarf, either from discarded material from these disintegrating planetesimals or from the detected dusty debris disk. We compare the transit depths in the V- and R-bands of our multiwavelength photometry, and find no significant difference; therefore, for likely compositions, the radius of single-size particles in the cometary tails streaming behind the planetesimals must be ∼0.15 μm or larger, or ∼0.06 μm or smaller, with 2σ confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the discovery of three modestly irradiated, roughly Neptune-mass planets orbiting three nearby Solar-type stars. HD 42618 b has a minimum mass of 15.4 ± 2.4 , a semimajor axis of 0.55 au, an equilibrium temperature of 337 K, and is the first planet discovered to orbit the solar analogue host star, HD 42618. We also discover new planets orbiting the known exoplanet host stars HD 164922 and HD 143761 (ρ CrB). The new planet orbiting HD 164922 has a minimum mass of 12.9 ± 1.6 and orbits interior to the previously known Jovian mass planet orbiting at 2.1 au. HD 164922 c has a semimajor axis of 0.34 au and an equilibrium temperature of 418 K. HD 143761 c orbits with a semimajor axis of 0.44 au, has a minimum mass of 25 ± 2 , and is the warmest of the three new planets with an equilibrium temperature of 445 K. It orbits exterior to the previously known warm Jupiter in the system. A transit search using space-based CoRoT data and ground-based photometry from the Automated Photometric Telescopes (APTs) at Fairborn Observatory failed to detect any transits, but the precise, high-cadence APT photometry helped to disentangle planetary-reflex motion from stellar activity. These planets were discovered as part of an ongoing radial velocity survey of bright, nearby, chromospherically inactive stars using the Automated Planet Finder (APF) telescope at Lick Observatory. The high-cadence APF data combined with nearly two decades of radial velocity data from Keck Observatory and gives unprecedented sensitivity to both short-period low-mass, and long-period intermediate-mass planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe in detail the growth procedures and properties of thermal silicon dioxide grown in a limited and dilute oxygen atmosphere. Thin thermal oxide films have become increasingly important in recent years due to the continuing down-scaling of ultra large scale integration metal oxide silicon field effect transistors. Such films are also of importance for organic transistors where back-gating is needed. The technique described here is novel and allows self-limited formation of high quality thin oxide films on silicon surfaces. This technique is easy to implement in both research laboratory and industrial settings. Growth conditions and their effects on film growth have been described. Properties of the resulting oxide films, relevant for microelectronic device applications, have also been investigated and reported here. Overall, our findings are that thin, high quality, dense silicon dioxide films of thicknesses up to 100 nm can be easily grown in a depleted oxygen environment at temperatures similar to that used for usual silicon dioxide thermal growth in flowing dry oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absolute dose delivered to a dynamically scanned sample in the Imaging and Medical Beamline (IMBL) on the Australian Synchrotron was measured with a graphite calorimeter anticipated to be established as a primary standard for synchrotron dosimetry. The calorimetry was compared to measurements using a free-air chamber (FAC), a PTW 31 014 Pinpoint ionization chamber, and a PTW 34 001 Roos ionization chamber. The IMBL beam height is limited to approximately 2 mm. To produce clinically useful beams of a few centimetres the beam must be scanned in the vertical direction. In practice it is the patient/detector that is scanned and the scanning velocity defines the dose that is delivered. The calorimeter, FAC, and Roos chamber measure the dose area product which is then converted to central axis dose with the scanned beam area derived from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and film measurements. The Pinpoint chamber measures the central axis dose directly and does not require beam area measurements. The calorimeter and FAC measure dose from first principles. The calorimetry requires conversion of the measured absorbed dose to graphite to absorbed dose to water using MC calculations with the EGSnrc code. Air kerma measurements from the free air chamber were converted to absorbed dose to water using the AAPM TG-61 protocol. The two ionization chambers are secondary standards requiring calibration with kilovoltage x-ray tubes. The Roos and Pinpoint chambers were calibrated against the Australian primary standard for air kerma at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). Agreement of order 2% or better was obtained between the calorimetry and ionization chambers. The FAC measured a dose 3–5% higher than the calorimetry, within the stated uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a Doppler survey at Keck combined with NIRC2 K-band adaptive optics (AO) imaging to search for massive, long-period companions to 123 known exoplanet systems with one or two planets detected using the radial velocity (RV) method. Our survey is sensitive to Jupiter-mass planets out to 20 au for a majority of stars in our sample, and we report the discovery of eight new long-period planets, in addition to 20 systems with statistically significant RV trends that indicate the presence of an outer companion beyond 5 AU. We combine our RV observations with AO imaging to determine the range of allowed masses and orbital separations for these companions, and account for variations in our sensitivity to companions among stars in our sample. We estimate the total occurrence rate of companions in our sample to be 52 ± 5% over the range 1–20 MJup and 5–20 AU. Our data also suggest a declining frequency for gas giant planets in these systems beyond 3–10 AU, in contrast to earlier studies that found a rising frequency for giant planets in the range 0.01–3 AU. This suggests either that the frequency of gas giant planets peaks between 3 and 10 AU, or that outer companions in these systems have a different semi-major axis distribution than the overall population of gas giant planets. Our results also suggest that hot gas giants may be more likely to have an outer companion than cold gas giants. We find that planets with an outer companion have higher average eccentricities than their single counterparts, suggesting that dynamical interactions between planets may play an important role in these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planets in highly eccentric orbits form a class of objects not seen within our solar system. The most extreme case known among these objects is the planet orbiting HD 20782, with an orbital period of 597 days and an eccentricity of 0.96. Here we present new data and analysis for this system as part of the Transit Ephemeris Refinement and Monitoring Survey. We obtained CHIRON spectra to perform an independent estimation of the fundamental stellar parameters. New radial velocities from Anglo-Australian Telescope and PARAS observations during periastron passage greatly improve our knowledge of the eccentric nature of the orbit. The combined analysis of our Keplerian orbital and Hipparcos astrometry show that the inclination of the planetary orbit is , ruling out stellar masses for the companion. Our long-term robotic photometry show that the star is extremely stable over long timescales. Photometric monitoring of the star during predicted transit and periastron times using Microvariability and Oscillations of STars rule out a transit of the planet and reveal evidence of phase variations during periastron. These possible photometric phase variations may be caused by reflected light from the planet’s atmosphere and the dramatic change in star–planet separation surrounding the periastron passage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is widely used as an electron beam resist but is not used as a photoresist because of its insensitivity to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than about 300 nm. In this paper we describe a technique for performing conventional photolithography with high molecular weight PMMA at the widely used 365 nm i-line wavelength. The technique involves photosensitizing PMMA with Irgacure 651—a commercially available photo-initiator that can cause PMMA strands to cross-link. Optimum amount of Irgacure can produce a negative tone photoresist with adequate photosensitivity and plasma etch resistance. We describe this technique in detail with complete processing conditions and discuss the effects of varying Irgacure 651 concentration in PMMA as well as changes in UV exposure dose. We also show example structures patterned with commonly available materials and equipment. Finally, we show that it is possible to carry out gradient lithography with this approach, in order to produce structures in relief in photosensitive PMMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arnold, Forgan, and Korpela et al. noted that planet-sized artificial structures could be discovered with Kepler as they transit their host star. We present a general discussion of transiting megastructures, and enumerate 10 potential ways their anomalous silhouettes, orbits, and transmission properties would distinguish them from exoplanets. We also enumerate the natural sources of such signatures. Several anomalous objects, such as KIC 12557548 and CoRoT-29, have variability in depth consistent with Arnold’s prediction and/or an asymmetric shape consistent with Forgan’s model. Since well-motivated physical models have so far provided natural explanations for these signals, the ETI hypothesis is not warranted for these objects, but they still serve as useful examples of how non-standard transit signatures might be identified and interpreted in a SETI context. Boyajian et al. recently announced KIC 8462852, an object with a bizarre light curve consistent with a “swarm” of megastructures. We suggest that this is an outstanding SETI target. We develop the normalized information content statistic M to quantify the information content in a signal embedded in a discrete series of bounded measurements, such as variable transit depths, and show that it can be used to distinguish among constant sources, interstellar beacons, and naturally stochastic or artificial, information-rich signals. We apply this formalism to KIC 12557548 and a specific form of beacon suggested by Arnold to illustrate its utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial aspect of understanding planet formation is determining the binarity of the host stars. Results from radial velocity (RV) surveys and the follow-up of Kepler exoplanet candidates have demonstrated that stellar binarity certainly does not exclude the presence of planets in stable orbits and the configuration may in fact be relatively common. Here we present new results for the 30 Arietis system which confirms that the B component hosts both planetary and stellar companions. Keck AO imaging provides direct detection of the stellar companion and additional RV data are consistent with an orbiting star. We present a revised orbit of the known planet along with photometry during predicted transit times. Finally, we provide constraints on the properties of the stellar companion based on orbital stability considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]