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We present the discoveries of NGTS-31b(= TOI-2721), and NGTS-32b, two hot Jupiters from the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) transiting slightly evolved stars. The orbital periods, radii, and masses are 4.16 and 3.31 d, 1.61 and 1.42 |$R_{J}$|⁠ , and 1.12 and 0.57 |$M_{J}$|⁠ , respectively. Both planets have an incident stellar flux significantly above the threshold where inflation occurs, with both planets showing signs of inflation. These planets have widely different equilibrium temperatures than other hot Jupiters of similar mass and radius, with NGTS-31b having a significantly lower temperature, and NGTS-32b being hotter. This dichotomy raises the question of how prevalent the roles of other inflation mechanisms are in the radius anomaly phenomena and will help further constrain different inflationary models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few decades, planet search surveys have been focusing on solar-type stars, and only recently the high-mass regimes. This is mostly due to challenges arising from the lack of instrumental precision, and more importantly, the inherent active nature of fast-rotating massive stars. Here, we report NGTS-33b (TOI-6442b), a super-Jupiter planet with mass, radius, and orbital period of 3.6 |$\pm$| 0.3 M |$_{\rm J}$|⁠ , 1.64 |$\pm$| 0.07 R |$_{\rm J}$|⁠ , and |$2.827\,972 \pm 0.000\,001$|  d, respectively. The host is a fast-rotating (⁠|$0.6654 \pm 0.0006$|  d) and hot (T |$_{\rm eff}$| = 7437 |$\pm$| 72 K) A9V type star, with a mass and radius of 1.60 |$\pm$| 0.11 M |$_{\odot }$| and 1.47 |$\pm$| 0.06 R |$_{\odot }$|⁠ , respectively. Planet structure and gyrochronology models show that NGTS-33 is also very young with age limits of 10–50 Myr. In addition, membership analysis points towards the star being part of the Vela OB2 association, which has an age of |$\sim$| 20–35 Myr, thus providing further evidence about the young nature of NGTS-33. Its low bulk density of 0.19 |$\pm$| 0.03 g cm |$^{-3}$| is 13 per cent smaller than expected when compared to transiting hot Jupiters (HJs) with similar masses. Such cannot be solely explained by its age, where an up to 15 per cent inflated atmosphere is expected from planet structure models. Finally, we found that its emission spectroscopy metric is similar to JWST community targets, making the planet an interesting target for atmospheric follow-up. Therefore, NGTS-33b's discovery will not only add to the scarce population of young, massive and HJs, but will also help place further strong constraints on current formation and evolution models for such planetary systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology has often been called the "great equalizer" that will bring more opportunity and access with each advancement. That advancement has continued to grow exponentially for decades. Unfortunately, the promise of greater access has not always been fulfilled because digital accessibility for people with disabilities is not guaranteed without intentional effort. Higher education, like many industries, has a long history of failing to meet digital accessibility requirements by both user standards and legal requirements. COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of digital materials and technologies and further revealed the detrimental impact of not planning for accessibility. As a result, institutions of higher education are continuing to receive greater pressure to ensure digital accessibility, which includes growing interest from federal regulators and enforcement agencies. Despite clear expectations for accessibility, there is no single best practice to ensure those requirements are met. It is not clear where to start or how to build a proactive, systemic approach that does not solely rely on the time-consuming process of remediation. This practice brief proposes the adoption of the AEM Quality Indicators with Critical Components for Higher Education as a framework to help postsecondary institutions realize the vision of digital accessibility. The authors will describe the development and use of the AEM Quality Indicators with Critical Components for Higher Education and share experiences and narratives from three experts that have successfully utilized this framework at their institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common sexual problem, resulting in adverse effects on the quality of life, of both the patient and the partner. The idea of muscular contraction inhibition during the ejection phase of ejaculation by Botulinum toxin-A injection may delay ejaculation. Aim of study: This study was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of Botulinum toxin-A injection in PE treatment. Material and methods: This study included 45 married male patients diagnosed with primary PE. All included patients were injected with 75 units of Dysport equal efficacy of 25 units of Botulinum toxin-A (Botox) into three sites: the root of the penis (Group 1), glans penis (Group 2), and each side of the ischiocavernosus muscle (Group 3). All patients were subjected to an assessment of intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) using a stopwatch and answering the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) Questionnaire before and after treatment. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in IELT after treatment in all groups. The most significant improvement was shown in Group 3 (average 108% increase), followed by Group 1 (74%) and Group 2 (40%), respectively. There was a positive correlation between age and the improvement in improved IELT. There was a statistically significant improvement in PEDTq scores in Group 1 and Group 3. Conclusion: Botulinum toxin-A injection into the root of the penis and ischiocavernosus muscle could be recommended in the treatment of premature ejaculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand the etiological landscape and phenotypic differences between 2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) syndromes: DEE with spike–wave activation in sleep (DEE‐SWAS) and epileptic encephalopathy with spike–wave activation in sleep (EE‐SWAS). Methods: All patients fulfilled International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) DEE‐SWAS or EE‐SWAS criteria with a Core cohort (n = 91) drawn from our Epilepsy Genetics research program, together with 10 etiologically solved patients referred by collaborators in the Expanded cohort (n = 101). Detailed phenotyping and analysis of molecular genetic results were performed. We compared the phenotypic features of individuals with DEE‐SWAS and EE‐SWAS. Brain‐specific gene co‐expression analysis was performed for D/EE‐SWAS genes. Results: We identified the etiology in 42/91 (46%) patients in our Core cohort, including 29/44 (66%) with DEE‐SWAS and 13/47 (28%) with EE‐SWAS. A genetic etiology was identified in 31/91 (34%). D/EE‐SWAS genes were highly co‐expressed in brain, highlighting the importance of channelopathies and transcriptional regulators. Structural etiologies were found in 12/91 (13%) individuals. We identified 10 novel D/EE‐SWAS genes with a range of functions: ATP1A2, CACNA1A, FOXP1, GRIN1, KCNMA1, KCNQ3, PPFIA3, PUF60, SETD1B, and ZBTB18, and 2 novel copy number variants, 17p11.2 duplication and 5q22 deletion. Although developmental regression patterns were similar in both syndromes, DEE‐SWAS was associated with a longer duration of epilepsy and poorer intellectual outcome than EE‐SWAS. Interpretation: DEE‐SWAS and EE‐SWAS have highly heterogeneous genetic and structural etiologies. Phenotypic analysis highlights valuable clinical differences between DEE‐SWAS and EE‐SWAS which inform clinical care and prognostic counseling. Our etiological findings pave the way for the development of precision therapies. ANN NEUROL 2024;96:932–943 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intensive reverberation mapping campaign of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 817 using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope revealed significant variations in the response of broad UV emission lines to fluctuations in the continuum emission. The response of the prominent UV emission lines changes over an ∼60 day duration, resulting in distinctly different time lags in the various segments of the light curve over the 14 month observing campaign. One-dimensional echo-mapping models fit these variations if a slowly varying background is included for each emission line. These variations are more evident in the C iv light curve, which is the line least affected by intrinsic absorption in Mrk 817 and least blended with neighboring emission lines. We identify five temporal windows with a distinct emission-line response, and measure their corresponding time delays, which range from 2 to 13 days. These temporal windows are plausibly linked to changes in the UV and X-ray obscuration occurring during these same intervals. The shortest time lags occur during periods with diminishing obscuration, whereas the longest lags occur during periods with rising obscuration. We propose that the obscuring outflow shields the broad UV lines from the ionizing continuum. The resulting change in the spectral energy distribution of the ionizing continuum, as seen by clouds at a range of distances from the nucleus, is responsible for the changes in the line response.

We present the results from the first two years of the Planet Hunters Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) citizen science project, which searches for transiting planet candidates in data from the NGTS by enlisting the help of members of the general public. Over 8000 registered volunteers reviewed 138,198 light curves from the NGTS Public Data Releases 1 and 2. We utilize a user weighting scheme to combine the classifications of multiple users to identify the most promising planet candidates not initially discovered by the NGTS team. We highlight the five most interesting planet candidates detected through this search, which are all candidate short-period giant planets. This includes the TIC-165227846 system that, if confirmed, would be the lowest-mass star to host a close-in giant planet. We assess the detection efficiency of the project by determining the number of confirmed planets from the NASA Exoplanet Archive and TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) successfully recovered by this search and find that 74% of confirmed planets and 63% of TOIs detected by NGTS are recovered by the Planet Hunters NGTS project. The identification of new planet candidates shows that the citizen science approach can provide a complementary method to the detection of exoplanets with ground-based surveys such as NGTS.

We observed the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 817 during an intensive multiwavelength reverberation mapping campaign for 16 months. Here, we examine the behavior of narrow UV absorption lines seen in the Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectra, both during the campaign and in other epochs extending over 14 yr. We conclude that, while the narrow absorption outflow system (at −3750 km s ^−1 with FWHM = 177 km s ^−1 ) responds to the variations of the UV continuum as modified by the X-ray obscurer, its total column density (log N _H = 19.5 ${}_{-0.13}^{+0.61}$ cm ^−2 ) did not change across all epochs. The adjusted ionization parameter (scaled with respect to the variations in the hydrogen-ionizing continuum flux) is log U _H = −1.0 ${}_{-0.3}^{+0.1}$ . The outflow is located at a distance smaller than 38 pc from the central source, which implies a hydrogen density of n _H > 3000 cm ^−3 . The absorption outflow system only covers the continuum emission source and not the broad emission line region, which suggests that its transverse size is small (< 10 ^16 cm), with potential cloud geometries ranging from spherical to elongated along the line of sight.

We present 1.8 yr of near-daily Swift monitoring of the bright, strongly variable Type 1 active galactic nucleus (AGN) Fairall 9. Totaling 575 successful visits, this is the largest such campaign reported to date. Variations within the UV/optical are well correlated, with longer wavelengths lagging shorter wavelengths in the direction predicted by thin-disk/lamppost models. The correlations are improved by “detrending,” subtracting a second-order polynomial fit to the UV/optical light curves to remove long-term trends that are not of interest to this study. Extensive testing indicates detrending with higher-order polynomials removes too much intrinsic variability signal on reverberation timescales. These data provide the clearest detection to date of interband lags within the UV, indicating that neither emission from a large disk nor diffuse continuum emission from the broad-line region (BLR) can independently explain the full observed lag spectrum. The observed X-ray flux variations are poorly correlated with those in the UV/optical. Further, subdivision of the data into four ∼160 days light curves shows that the UV/optical lag spectrum is highly stable throughout the four periods, but the X-ray to UV lags are unstable, significantly changing magnitude and even direction from one period to the next. This indicates the X-ray to UV relationship is more complex than predicted by the simple reprocessing model often adopted for AGN. A “bowl” model (lamppost irradiation and blackbody reprocessing on a disk with a steep rim) fit suggests the disk thickens at a distance (∼10 lt-day) and temperature (∼8000 K) consistent with the inner edge of the BLR.

We present the results of the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations taken as part of the ongoing, intensive multiwavelength monitoring program of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 817 by the AGN Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping 2 (AGN STORM 2) Project. The campaign revealed an unexpected and transient obscuring outflow, never before seen in this source. Of our four XMM-Newton/NuSTAR epochs, one fortuitously taken during a bright X-ray state has strong narrow absorption lines in the high-resolution grating spectra. From these absorption features, we determine that the obscurer is in fact a multiphase ionized wind with an outflow velocity of ∼5200 km s ^−1 , and for the first time find evidence for a lower ionization component with the same velocity observed in absorption features in the contemporaneous Hubble Space Telescope spectra. This indicates that the UV absorption troughs may be due to dense clumps embedded in diffuse, higher ionization gas responsible for the X-ray absorption lines of the same velocity. We observe variability in the shape of the absorption lines on timescales of hours, placing the variable component at roughly 1000 R _g if attributed to transverse motion along the line of sight. This estimate aligns with independent UV measurements of the distance to the obscurer suggesting an accretion disk wind at the inner broad line region. We estimate that it takes roughly 200 days for the outflow to travel from the disk to our line of sight, consistent with the timescale of the outflow's column density variations throughout the campaign.

X-ray reverberation mapping is a powerful technique for probing the innermost accretion disk, whereas continuum reverberation mapping in the UV, optical, and infrared (UVOIR) reveals reprocessing by the rest of the accretion disk and broad-line region (BLR). We present the time lags of Mrk 817 as a function of temporal frequency measured from 14 months of high-cadence monitoring from Swift and ground-based telescopes, in addition to an XMM-Newton observation, as part of the AGN STORM 2 campaign. The XMM-Newton lags reveal the first detection of a soft lag in this source, consistent with reverberation from the innermost accretion flow. These results mark the first simultaneous measurement of X-ray reverberation and UVOIR disk reprocessing lags—effectively allowing us to map the entire accretion disk surrounding the black hole. Similar to previous continuum reverberation mapping campaigns, the UVOIR time lags arising at low temporal frequencies are longer than those expected from standard disk reprocessing by a factor of 2–3. The lags agree with the anticipated disk reverberation lags when isolating short-timescale variability, namely timescales shorter than the H β lag. Modeling the lags requires additional reprocessing constrained at a radius consistent with the BLR size scale inferred from contemporaneous H β -lag measurements. When we divide the campaign light curves, the UVOIR lags show substantial variations, with longer lags measured when obscuration from an ionized outflow is greatest. We suggest that, when the obscurer is strongest, reprocessing by the BLR elongates the lags most significantly. As the wind weakens, the lags are dominated by shorter accretion disk lags.

The local ( z = 0.0315) active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 817 was monitored over more than 500 days with space-borne and ground-based instruments as part of a large international campaign, AGN STORM 2. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the broadband continuum variations using detailed modeling of the broad line region (BLR), several types of disk winds classified by their optical depth, and new numerical simulations. We find that diffuse continuum (DC) emission, with additional contributions from strong and broad emission lines, can explain the continuum lags observed in this source during high- and low-luminosity phases. Disk illumination by the variable X-ray corona contributes only a small fraction of the observed continuum lags. Our BLR models assume radiation-pressure-confined clouds distributed over a distance of 2–122 light days. We present calculated mean emissivity radii of many emission lines, and DC emission, and suggest a simple, transfer-function-dependent method that ties them to cross-correlation lag determinations. We do not find clear indications for large-optical-depth winds, but identify the signature of lower-column-density winds. In particular, we associate the shortest observed continuum lags with a combination of τ (1 Ryd) ≈ 2 wind and a partly shielded BLR. Even smaller optical depth winds may be associated with X-ray absorption features and with noticeable variations in the widths and lags of several high-ionization lines like He ii and C iv . Finally, we demonstrate the effect of torus dust emission on the observed lags in the i and z bands.

Currently, limited data are available on student retention rates and attrition factors in online physical education (OLPE) courses. Several early OLPE studies as well as the 2007 NASPE Initial Guidelines for Online Physical Education have suggested that certain prescreening efforts be in place prior to student enrollment in OLPE; however, at present no such empirically sound and theoretically based screening instruments exist. The purpose of the study is to identify online student cognitive characteristics and environmental factors associated with success and/or failure within college online health-related fitness (HRF) courses. Students (N = 821) enrolled in a 16-week online HRF course at a university during the Fall 2017 participated in the study. Data were collected at the beginning of the course with two previously validated research instruments, the Educational Success Prediction Instrument Version-2 (ESPRI-V2) and the Distance Learning Survey (DLS). Results reveled a relationship between course completion and six variables: GPA, class standing, hours worked outside of school, achievement, organization and study environment). The full model containing all predictors was statistically significant (X[superscript 2] (6, N = 821) = 94.296, p <0.001), indicating that the model was able to distinguish between students who completed and did not complete the online course. This analysis provides an initial understanding of the unique student characteristics affecting OLPE course completion.

Distance learning is something many physical educators never thought they would have to do, given the practical and philosophical contradictions inherent in teaching and learning movement-based content through a computer. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced most physical education teachers to transition to distance learning modalities. Questions abound regarding the maintenance of quality physical education within the generally unfamiliar online teaching and learning environment. Therefore, the purpose of this three-part series of articles is to address common questions from teachers and students about providing engaging, meaningful online physical education during the pandemic and beyond. The first article focuses on questions related to meeting the needs of low-income students, strategies for at-home equipment, teaching online elementary physical education, engaging parents, and online relationship building. This article answers questions about determining student workload, developing content beyond personal fitness, designing engaging synchronous and asynchronous lessons, assessing meaningfully online, and accommodating learning for all students. Finally, the third article provides discussion about the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning in physical education and offers strategies for transitioning back to face-to-face learning. The ideas and strategies provided throughout this series are meant to be general guidelines for physical education teachers to consider and adjust to fit their own unique community contexts. [For part 1, see EJ1296531. For part 3, see EJ1296533.]

Over 40 years ago physical education pedagogy researchers Anderson and Barrette asked the question, "What's going on in Gym?" This inquiry sparked widespread research and innovation that moved our field forward. Today, physical educators are faced with a new reality of teaching movement-based content remotely and the question has now shifted to, "What's going on in Online Physical Education?" During the Spring of 2020 and into the Fall, many physical educators had to rapidly transform their face-to-face lessons to a virtual environment. In the previous two parts of this three-part series, frequently asked questions related to distance learning in physical education have been addressed. These previous parts addressed instructional strategies and pedagogical considerations related to the unique aspects of teaching physical education remotely during the pandemic. The purpose of this article is to provide teachers with guidance and resources to consider how to adapt pandemic pedagogies to enhance student learning in their face-to-face classes when that inevitability occurs. [For part 1, see EJ1296531. For part 2, see EJ1296532.]

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of stress and anxiety to physical educators. This is likely due to school schedule changes, job security, balancing work and family commitments, and trying to navigate how to teach physical education in a distance learning format. Governments, schools, teachers, and families have been navigating the complexity of the mass shift to distance learning. The purpose of this feature is to address some frequently asked questions about teaching physical education remotely. Specifically, this article addresses meeting the needs of low-income students, at-home equipment strategies, teaching elementary physical education remotely, parent/guardian engagement, and building and maintaining relationships online. The social connectedness between teacher-student and student-student, which is inherently lacking in distance learning, is an important consideration for teachers. It is essential that teachers address the social needs for themselves and their students during remote teaching and learning. To adequately address each question, connections to research are made in addition to identifying best practices and instructional resources. Although the pandemic has created uncertain times, educators are resilient and will find a way to overcome barriers to meet the needs of their learners to achieve quality learning outcomes. [For part 2, see EJ1296532. For part 3, see EJ1296533.]

Swift intensive accretion disk reverberation mapping of four AGN yielded light curves sampled ∼200-350 times in 0.3-10 keV X-ray and six UV/optical bands. Uniform reduction and cross-correlation analysis of these data sets yields three main results: (1) The X-ray/UV correlations are much weaker than those within the UV/optical, posing severe problems for the lamp-post reprocessing model in which variations in a central X-ray corona drive and power those in the surrounding accretion disk. (2) The UV/optical interband lags are generally consistent with as predicted by the centrally illuminated thin accretion disk model. While the average interband lags are somewhat larger than predicted, these results alone are not inconsistent with the thin disk model given the large systematic uncertainties involved. (3) The one exception is the U band lags, which are on average a factor of ∼2.2 larger than predicted from the surrounding band data and fits. This excess appears to be due to diffuse continuum emission from the broad-line region (BLR). The precise mixing of disk and BLR components cannot be determined from these data alone. The lags in different AGN appear to scale with mass or luminosity. We also find that there are systematic differences between the uncertainties derived by JAVELIN versus more standard lag measurement techniques, with JAVELIN reporting smaller uncertainties by a factor of 2.5 on average. In order to be conservative only standard techniques were used in the analyses reported herein.

Algae is not desirable in hydroponics and creates problems such as reduced yield and decreased dissolved oxygen, and affects the physiology of plants and, thus, needs to be controlled. An experiment was conducted in Ebb and Flow hydroponic systems to investigate the application timing and rates of two hydrogen peroxide products (Zerotol and PERpose Plus). Treatments included 35 mL weekly, 35 mL biweekly, 70 mL weekly, 70 mL biweekly, and a control with no application of hydrogen peroxide using a 40-gallon reservoir of water. Pepper ‘Early Jalapeno’ and ‘Lunchbox Red’ and tomato ‘Geronimo’ and ‘Little Sicily’ were used. The study was conducted in a split-plot design with two replications over time. Plant growth parameters, including plant height, flower number, net CO2 assimilation, fresh weight, and dry weight were recorded. Algae data, including dry weight, algae cell counts, and chl a were also measured. Results indicated that with increasing rate and timing of either product decreased algae counts, dry weight, and chl a values. However, weekly and biweekly application of 70 mL of both products were not different for algae quantification. In pepper, plant height, shoot fresh and dry weight, and root fresh and dry weight were found to be significantly greater with Zerotol 35 mL biweekly, Zerotol 70 mL weekly, PERpose Plus 35 mL biweekly, and PERpose Plus 70 mL weekly compared with the control. ‘Lunchbox Red’ was significantly greater than ‘Early Jalapeno’ in all growth parameters, except soil plant analysis development (SPAD). ‘Lunchbox Red’ had the greatest flower number, with weekly application of 70 mL PERpose Plus. In tomato, greatest flower number and SPAD were observed in ‘Geronimo’ with a weekly application of 70 mL PERpose Plus and 70 mL Zerotol, respectively. Greater shoot and root fresh and dry weight for both tomato cultivars were recorded with 35 mL biweekly or 70 mL weekly application with either product. The results from both plants as well as algae analysis suggest that weekly application of 70 mL of either Zerotol or PERpose Plus produced the best results in terms of controlling algae and improving the growth of pepper and tomato plants.