New transiting planet candidates are identified in sixteen months (May 2009 - September 2010) of data from the Kepler spacecraft. Nearly five thousand periodic transit-like signals are vetted against ...astrophysical and instrumental false positives yielding 1,091 viable new planet candidates, bringing the total count up to over 2,300. Improved vetting metrics are employed, contributing to higher catalog reliability. Most notable is the noise-weighted robust averaging of multi-quarter photo-center offsets derived from difference image analysis which identifies likely background eclipsing binaries. Twenty-two months of photometry are used for the purpose of characterizing each of the new candidates. Ephemerides (transit epoch, T_0, and orbital period, P) are tabulated as well as the products of light curve modeling: reduced radius (Rp/R*), reduced semi-major axis (d/R*), and impact parameter (b). The largest fractional increases are seen for the smallest planet candidates (197% for candidates smaller than 2Re compared to 52% for candidates larger than 2Re) and those at longer orbital periods (123% for candidates outside of 50-day orbits versus 85% for candidates inside of 50-day orbits). The gains are larger than expected from increasing the observing window from thirteen months (Quarter 1-- Quarter 5) to sixteen months (Quarter 1 -- Quarter 6). This demonstrates the benefit of continued development of pipeline analysis software. The fraction of all host stars with multiple candidates has grown from 17% to 20%, and the paucity of short-period giant planets in multiple systems is still evident. The progression toward smaller planets at longer orbital periods with each new catalog release suggests that Earth-size planets in the Habitable Zone are forthcoming if, indeed, such planets are abundant.
A search of the time-series photometry from NASA's Kepler spacecraft reveals a transiting planet candidate orbiting the 11th magnitude G5 dwarf KIC 10593626 with a period of 290 days. The ...characteristics of the host star are well constrained by high-resolution spectroscopy combined with an asteroseismic analysis of the Kepler photometry, leading to an estimated mass and radius of 0.970 +/- 0.060 MSun and 0.979 +/- 0.020 RSun. The depth of 492 +/- 10ppm for the three observed transits yields a radius of 2.38 +/- 0.13 REarth for the planet. The system passes a battery of tests for false positives, including reconnaissance spectroscopy, high-resolution imaging, and centroid motion. A full BLENDER analysis provides further validation of the planet interpretation by showing that contamination of the target by an eclipsing system would rarely mimic the observed shape of the transits. The final validation of the planet is provided by 16 radial velocities obtained with HIRES on Keck 1 over a one year span. Although the velocities do not lead to a reliable orbit and mass determination, they are able to constrain the mass to a 3{\sigma} upper limit of 124 MEarth, safely in the regime of planetary masses, thus earning the designation Kepler-22b. The radiative equilibrium temperature is 262K for a planet in Kepler-22b's orbit. Although there is no evidence that Kepler-22b is a rocky planet, it is the first confirmed planet with a measured radius to orbit in the Habitable Zone of any star other than the Sun.
The efficacy of spasmolytics in cervix dystocia during labor is very contested. For this reason the authors studied the action of pyrrolidone carboxylate of magnesium for this indication in a ...double-blind versus placebo study (48 patients divided in two groups). Strict inclusion criteria and homogeneity of the two groups of patients allowed them to find out that the use of this particular magnesium salt reduced significantly the length of labor. Consequently the authors assess that spasmolytics work not only through their placebo effect, which is thought by some authors.
From a retrospective study over 11 years of 375 ectopic pregnancies, the authors have analyzed the epidemiological factors that could account for a very sensible and regular increase of the frequency ...of this gravidic accident. If a past history of tubal infection is usually considered as a major cause, in this series, we must mainly consider the abnormal frequency of the use of a modern contraceptive method at the time of the ectopic pregnancy, found in 32% of the cases. The place and the role of intra-uterine devices are discussed since a coil was associated with an ectopic pregnancy in 22.5% of the patients while the notion of a previous usage does not seem to be a predisposing factor: approximately only 2% of these patients had resorted to it. A hormonal contraception in progress may also lead to a late diagnosis, especially in patients using mini and micro-pills (8% of ectopic pregnancies). Finally, the advantages of conservative tubal surgery contingent on an earlier diagnosis are kept in mind by the authors because of the persistence of a high recurrence rate on the contralateral side, even after salpingectomy.
