226 research outputs found
Multiple needle‐pass percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration as first‐line treatment in azoospermic men
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144689/1/andr12143_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144689/2/andr12143.pd
Towards NHS Zero: greener gastroenterology and the impact of virtual clinics on carbon emissions and patient outcomes. A multisite, observational, cross-sectional study
OBJECTIVE: The National Health Service (NHS) produces more carbon emissions than any public sector organisation in England. In 2020, it became the first health service worldwide to commit to becoming carbon net zero, the same year as the COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare systems globally to rapidly adapt service delivery. As part of this, outpatient appointments became largely remote. Although the environmental benefit of this change may seem intuitive the impact on patient outcomes must remain a priority. Previous studies have evaluated the impact of telemedicine on emission reduction and patient outcomes but never before in the gastroenterology outpatient setting. METHOD: 2140 appointments from general gastroenterology clinics across 11 Trusts were retrospectively analysed prior to and during the pandemic. 100 consecutive appointments during two periods of time, from 1 June 2019 (prepandemic) to 1 June 2020 (during the pandemic), were used. Patients were telephoned to confirm the mode of transport used to attend their appointment and electronic patient records reviewed to assess did-not-attend (DNA) rates, 90-day admission rates and 90-day mortality rates. RESULTS: Remote consultations greatly reduced the carbon emissions associated with each appointment. Although more patients DNA their remote consultations and doctors more frequently requested follow-up blood tests when reviewing patients face-to-face, there was no significant difference in patient 90-day admissions or mortality when consultations were remote. CONCLUSION: Remote consultations greatly reduced the carbon emissions associated with each appointment. Although more patients DNA their remote consultations and doctors more frequently requested follow-up blood tests when reviewing patients face-to-face, there was no significant difference in patient 90-day admissions or mortality when consultations were remote
Interactions, star formation and extended nebulae in SDSS type 2 quasars at 0.3<~ z <~ 0.6
We present long-slit spectroscopy and imaging data obtained with FORS2 on the
Very Large Telescope of 13 optically selected type 2 quasars at z~0.3-0.6 from
the original sample of Zakamska et al. (2003). The sample is likely to be
affected by different selection biases. We investigate the evidence for: a)
mergers/interactions b) star formation activity in the neighborhood of the
quasars and c) extended emission line regions and their nature. Evidence for
mergers/interactions is found in 5/13 objects. This is a lower limit for our
sample, given the shallowness of most of our continuum images. Although AGN
photoionization cannot be totally discarded, line ratios consistent with
stellar photoionization are found in general in companion galaxies/knots/nuclei
near these same objects. On the contrary, the gas in the neighborhood of the
quasar nucleus shows line ratios inconsistent with HII galaxies and typical of
AGN photoionized nebulae. A natural scenario to explain the observations is
that star formation is ongoing in companion galaxies/knots/nuclei, possibly
triggered by the interactions. These systems are, therefore, composite in their
emission line properties showing a combination of AGN and star formation
features.
Extended emission line regions (EELRs) have been found in 7/13 objects,
although this fraction might be higher if a complete spatial coverage around
the quasars was performed. The sizes vary between few and up to 64 kpc. In
general, the EELRs apparently consist of an extended nebula associated with the
quasar. In at least one case the EELR is associated with ionized tidal
features.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 19 pages, 30 figure
CellProfiler plugins -- an easy image analysis platform integration for containers and Python tools
CellProfiler is a widely used software for creating reproducible, reusable
image analysis workflows without needing to code. In addition to the >90
modules that make up the main CellProfiler program, CellProfiler has a plugins
system that allows for creation of new modules which integrate with other
Python tools or tools that are packaged in software containers. The
CellProfiler-plugins repository contains a number of these CellProfiler
modules, especially modules that are experimental and/or dependency-heavy.
Here, we present an upgraded CellProfiler-plugins repository with examples of
accessing containerized tools, improved documentation, and added
citation/reference tools to facilitate the use and contribution of the
community.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011: Spectroscopic Campaign and Emission-Line Light Curves
In the Spring of 2011 we carried out a 2.5 month reverberation mapping
campaign using the 3 m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory, monitoring 15
low-redshift Seyfert 1 galaxies. This paper describes the observations,
reductions and measurements, and data products from the spectroscopic campaign.
The reduced spectra were fitted with a multicomponent model in order to isolate
the contributions of various continuum and emission-line components. We present
light curves of broad emission lines and the AGN continuum, and measurements of
the broad H-beta line widths in mean and root-mean square (rms) spectra. For
the most highly variable AGNs we also measured broad H-beta line widths and
velocity centroids from the nightly spectra. In four AGNs exhibiting the
highest variability amplitudes, we detect anticorrelations between broad H-beta
width and luminosity, demonstrating that the broad-line region "breathes" on
short timescales of days to weeks in response to continuum variations. We also
find that broad H-beta velocity centroids can undergo substantial changes in
response to continuum variations; in NGC 4593 the broad H-beta velocity shifted
by ~250 km/s over a one-month duration. This reverberation-induced velocity
shift effect is likely to contribute a significant source of confusion noise to
binary black hole searches that use multi-epoch quasar spectroscopy to detect
binary orbital motion. We also present results from simulations that examine
biases that can occur in measurement of broad-line widths from rms spectra due
to the contributions of continuum variations and photon-counting noise.Comment: 33 pages, 28 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Supplement
Serie
Effectiveness of a training-of-trainers model in a HIV counseling and testing program in the Caribbean Region
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>To evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of a voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) training program based on a training-of-trainers (TOT) model in the Caribbean Region, we gathered data on the percentage of participants trained as VCT providers who were providing VCT services, and those trained as VCT trainers who were conducting VCT training.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The VCT training program trained 3,489 providers in VCT clinical skills and 167 in VCT training skills within a defined timeframe. An information-monitoring system tracked HIV trainings conducted, along with information about course participants and trainers. Drawing from this database, a telephone survey followed up on program-trained VCT providers; an external evaluation analyzed data on VCT trainers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Almost 65% of trained VCT providers could be confirmed as currently providing VCT services. This percentage did not decrease significantly with time. Of the VCT trainers, 80% became certified as trainers by teaching at least one course; of these, 66% taught more than one course.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A TOT-based training program is an effective and sustainable method for rapid scale-up of VCT services and training capacity in a large-scale VCT program.</p
Mergers and interactions in SDSS type 2 quasars at z~0.3-0.4. SDSS J143027.66-005614.8: a case study
We present a compilation of HST images of 58 luminous SDSS type 2 AGNs at
0.3<z<0.4. 42 of them are type 2 quasars, which are a good representation of
all optically selected SDSS type 2 quasars in this range. We find that the
majority of the host galaxies are ellipticals (30/42 or 71%). This is
consistent with studies of radio loud and radio quiet type 1 quasars which show
that their host galaxies are in general ellipticals. A significant fraction of
type 2 quasars (>25/42 or >59%) show clear signatures of morphological
disturbance which are in most cases identified with merger/interaction
processes. We discuss this in the context of related works on type 2 quasars
and powerful radio galaxies.
We study in detail the particular case of the radio quiet type 2 quasar SDSS
J143027.66-005614.8 at z=0.32 based on VLT, HST and SDSS imaging and
spectroscopic data. We discuss the global properties of the object in the
context of theoretical and observational studies of galaxy mergers/interactions
and their role in the triggering of the nuclear and star formation activities
in the most luminous active galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 25 pages, 21 figure
The Lick AGN Monitoring Project: Reverberation Mapping of Optical Hydrogen and Helium Recombination Lines
We have recently completed a 64-night spectroscopic monitoring campaign at
the Lick Observatory 3-m Shane telescope with the aim of measuring the masses
of the black holes in 12 nearby (z < 0.05) Seyfert 1 galaxies with expected
masses in the range ~10^6-10^7M_sun and also the well-studied nearby active
galactic nucleus (AGN) NGC 5548. Nine of the objects in the sample (including
NGC 5548) showed optical variability of sufficient strength during the
monitoring campaign to allow for a time lag to be measured between the
continuum fluctuations and the response to these fluctuations in the broad
Hbeta emission, which we have previously reported. We present here the light
curves for the Halpha, Hgamma, HeII 4686, and HeI 5876 emission lines and the
time lags for the emission-line responses relative to changes in the continuum
flux. Combining each emission-line time lag with the measured width of the line
in the variable part of the spectrum, we determine a virial mass of the central
supermassive black hole from several independent emission lines. We find that
the masses are generally consistent within the uncertainties. The time-lag
response as a function of velocity across the Balmer line profiles is examined
for six of the AGNs. Finally we compare several trends seen in the dataset
against the predictions from photoionization calculations as presented by
Korista & Goad. We confirm several of their predictions, including an increase
in responsivity and a decrease in the mean time lag as the excitation and
ionization level for the species increases. Further confirmation of
photoionization predictions for broad-line gas behavior will require additional
monitoring programs for these AGNs while they are in different luminosity
states. [abridged]Comment: 37 pages, 18 figures and 15 tables, accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011: Reverberation Mapping of Markarian 50
The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011 observing campaign was carried out over
the course of 11 weeks in Spring 2011. Here we present the first results from
this program, a measurement of the broad-line reverberation lag in the Seyfert
1 galaxy Mrk 50. Combining our data with supplemental observations obtained
prior to the start of the main observing campaign, our dataset covers a total
duration of 4.5 months. During this time, Mrk 50 was highly variable,
exhibiting a maximum variability amplitude of a factor of 4 in the U-band
continuum and a factor of 2 in the H-beta line. Using standard
cross-correlation techniques, we find that H-beta and H-gamma lag the V-band
continuum by tau_cen = 10.64(-0.93,+0.82) and 8.43(-1.28,+1.30) days,
respectively, while the lag of He II 4686 is unresolved. The H-beta line
exhibits a symmetric velocity-resolved reverberation signature with shorter
lags in the high-velocity wings than in the line core, consistent with an
origin in a broad-line region dominated by orbital motion rather than infall or
outflow. Assuming a virial normalization factor of f=5.25, the virial estimate
of the black hole mass is (3.2+-0.5)*10^7 solar masses. These observations
demonstrate that Mrk 50 is among the most promising nearby active galaxies for
detailed investigations of broad-line region structure and dynamics.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters. 6 pages, 4 figure
The New Generation Atlas of Quasar Spectral Energy Distributions from Radio to X-rays
We have produced the next generation of quasar spectral energy distributions
(SEDs), essentially updating the work of Elvis et al. (1994) by using
high-quality data obtained with several space and ground-based telescopes,
including NASA's Great Observatories. We present an atlas of SEDs of 85
optically bright, non-blazar quasars over the electromagnetic spectrum from
radio to X-rays. The heterogeneous sample includes 27 radio-quiet and 58
radio-loud quasars. Most objects have quasi-simultaneous ultraviolet-optical
spectroscopic data, supplemented with some far-ultraviolet spectra, and more
than half also have Spitzer mid-infrared IRS spectra. The X-ray spectral
parameters are collected from the literature where available. The radio,
far-infrared, and near-infrared photometric data are also obtained from either
the literature or new observations. We construct composite spectral energy
distributions for radio-loud and radio-quiet objects and compare these to those
of Elvis et al., finding that ours have similar overall shapes, but our
improved spectral resolution reveals more detailed features, especially in the
mid and near-infrared.Comment: 46 pages, 10 figures, 10 tables, Accepted by ApJS. Composite SED data
files for radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars (rlmsedMR.txt, rqmsedMR.txt) are
included in the source (Other formats -> Source). Supplemental figures are
not include
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