12,927 research outputs found
The expression and prognostic significance of retinoic acid metabolising enzymes in colorectal cancer
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Digging supplementary buried channels: investigating the notch architecture within the CCD pixels on ESA's Gaia satellite
The European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia satellite has 106 CCD image sensors
which will suffer from increased charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) as a result
of radiation damage. To aid the mitigation at low signal levels, the CCD design
includes Supplementary Buried Channels (SBCs, otherwise known as `notches')
within each CCD column. We present the largest published sample of Gaia CCD SBC
Full Well Capacity (FWC) laboratory measurements and simulations based on 13
devices. We find that Gaia CCDs manufactured post-2004 have SBCs with FWCs in
the upper half of each CCD that are systematically smaller by two orders of
magnitude (<50 electrons) compared to those manufactured pre-2004 (thousands of
electrons). Gaia's faint star (13 < G < 20 mag) astrometric performance
predictions by Prod'homme et al. and Holl et al. use pre-2004 SBC FWCs as
inputs to their simulations. However, all the CCDs already integrated onto the
satellite for the 2013 launch are post-2004. SBC FWC measurements are not
available for one of our five post-2004 CCDs but the fact it meets Gaia's image
location requirements suggests it has SBC FWCs similar to pre-2004. It is too
late to measure the SBC FWCs onboard the satellite and it is not possible to
theoretically predict them. Gaia's faint star astrometric performance
predictions depend on knowledge of the onboard SBC FWCs but as these are
currently unavailable, it is not known how representative of the whole focal
plane the current predictions are. Therefore, we suggest Gaia's initial
in-orbit calibrations should include measurement of the onboard SBC FWCs. We
present a potential method to do this. Faint star astrometric performance
predictions based on onboard SBC FWCs at the start of the mission would allow
satellite operating conditions or CTI software mitigation to be further
optimised to improve the scientific return of Gaia.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 16 pages, 19 figure
The effect of alcohol marketing on people with, or at risk of, an alcohol problem: A rapid literature review
There is a comprehensive evidence base demonstrating the relationship between alcohol marketing and underage drinking. Far less is known about the impact of alcohol marketing on other potentially vulnerable populations, such as people with, or at risk of, an alcohol problem. For the purposes of this review, this includes people with an alcohol use disorder, in recovery from an alcohol use disorder, and
hazardous and harmful drinkers. This report presents findings from a rapid review that aimed to answer the following
research questions:
• What is the effect of alcohol marketing on drinking behaviour in adults with, or
at risk of, an alcohol problem?
• What are the psychological and neurological effects of alcohol marketing in
adults with, or at risk of, an alcohol problem?
A rapid review of primary studies was conducted with the aim of exploring the effect or potential effect of alcohol marketing on people with, or at risk of an alcohol
problem, as defined above. Studies were eligible for inclusion in this review if their populations were defined within the paper as being with, or at risk of an alcohol
problem, taking into account the possibility of different definitions in different settings. Studies were only included if results or outcomes were presented separately for at
least one of the populations of interest. Binge drinkers were not included as a population of interest in this review. Studies covering different aspects of the ‘marketing mix’ (the four Ps of promotion, place, product, and price) were included, with the exception of alcohol outlet density, labelling and non-branded alcohol cues. Children and adolescents were excluded from the review. Quantitative and qualitative study designs were eligible for inclusion. Outcomes related to alcohol use were included, as well as psychological indicators such as awareness of or noticing marketing, appeal or perception of alcohol advertisements,
alcohol craving, intentions to consume alcohol, symptoms of alcohol dependence and alcohol-related emotions and cognitions. Searches for relevant literature were conducted through three peer-reviewed electronic literature databases (from inception to November 2021), reference list
scanning and citation tracking of included studies, grey literature searching of relevant websites, and enquiries through expert networks. We undertook a narrative
synthesis of included papers, grouping studies together by population (participants with harmful or hazardous consumption levels of alcohol and those recovering from
an alcohol use disorder) and by type of study (quantitative; qualitative). The review included 11 studies, which focused on participants recovering from an alcohol use disorder (AUD, 6 studies) and those with hazardous or harmful consumption levels of alcohol (5 studies). Seven studies used a quantitative design and four used a qualitative design. Of the quantitative studies, three were crosssectional studies and four were experimental studies. A limited number of studies have investigated the effect of alcohol advertising in harmful/hazardous drinkers. In experimental studies, one included study found no effect of adverts on actual alcohol consumption, but found that alcohol advertising could influence positive alcohol-related emotions and cognitions among heavy drinkers. Another found that individuals who exhibit greater risky alcohol use are more likely to express intentions to consume alcohol upon exposure to beer than
water ads. Finally, one study found shorter reaction times in problem drinkers relative to non-problem drinkers when exposed to non-branded alcohol images in a study where participants were instructed to respond as quickly as possible to ‘go’ stimuli whilst refraining from responding to ‘no-go’ stimuli with branded and unbranded alcohol pictures as stimuli. Two cross-sectional studies highlighted the potential risks of alcohol advertising for heavy drinkers: one found that drinkers reporting symptoms of alcohol problems were more likely to notice alcohol brands in magazines and newspapers, while another found that among students, heavy drinkers perceived alcohol adverts as
more appealing; however, due to the observational designs used, neither of these studies were able to make causal inferences about the effect of alcohol advertising.
Similarly, a small number of quantitative studies have investigated the effects of advertising on drinkers in recovery. Only two studies were found, both of which
suggest a relatively small effect of alcohol advertising in this population. One crosssectional study reported that more than three quarters of participants (77%) recalled
seeing alcohol marketing in the last six months, with 24% reporting that alcohol marketing was influential. The most influential factors affecting the purchase of a
specific alcohol product included price, accessibility, the brand and alcohol percent. Using an experimental design, a further study reported increased craving after exposure to alcohol advertisements and this measure showed a positive association with the number of alcohol-dependence symptoms. In absolute terms, however, craving was relatively low.
In three interview studies, respondents indicated that alcohol advertisements triggered a desire to drink, particularly those which contained the participants’
preferred drink and even where the advertisements were perceived negatively. Some reported that they viewed advertisements as being responsible for their relapse. Television was cited as being a particularly powerful medium, with feelings that television intruded into their own home. One study further reported that music and party scenes were particularly troubling in terms of creating an association with good times. Participants in both studies reported negative emotions associated with viewing alcohol advertisements, including loss, lack of belonging, anger, sadness, guilt and exclusion from the norm. Participants in these studies reported needing to use strategies to avoid alcohol advertising, either through turning off and avoiding
adverts or recalling the negative aspects of alcohol use. The retail environment was also identified in one further qualitative study as being challenging for drinkers in
recovery. High visibility of alcohol, especially in small shops where it is harder to avoid alcohol products, and in-store advertising were identified as risks to recovery.
• Taken together, the findings of the studies included in this review suggest that an effect of alcohol marketing in people with, or at risk of, an alcohol problem
is likely.
• Several studies report effects of alcohol marketing such as influences on positive alcohol-related emotions and cognitions and alcohol craving, which may translate into effects on alcohol consumption. There is also evidence that
alcohol marketing is perceived to act as a trigger by people in recovery from alcohol problems and pose a risk to recovery.
• This review demonstrates that the impact of alcohol marketing on people with or at risk of an alcohol problem should be a concern for marketing regulators and a focus for future research.
• Future research should include longitudinal and experimental studies to determine whether alcohol advertisement has a causal effect on alcohol use in people with or at risk of an alcohol problems, including the differential effects between these groups and of different types of marketing
Active Galactic Nuclei and the Truncation of Star Formation in K+A Galaxies
We have searched for active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in K+A galaxies, using
multiwavelength imaging and spectroscopy in the Bootes field of the NOAO Deep
Wide-Field Survey. The K+A galaxies, which have had their star formation
rapidly truncated, are selected via their strong Balmer absorption lines and
weak H-alpha emission. Our sample consists of 24 K+A galaxies selected from
6594 0.10<z<0.35 galaxies brighter than I=20 with optical spectroscopy from the
AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. Two thirds of the K+A galaxies are likely
ongoing galaxy mergers, with nearby companion galaxies or tidal tails. Galaxy
mergers may be responsible for the truncation of star formation, or we are
observing the aftermath of merger triggered starbursts. As expected, the
optical colors of K+A galaxies largely fall between blue galaxies with ongoing
star formation and red passive galaxies. However, only 1% of the galaxies with
colors between the red and blue populations are K+A galaxies, and we conclude
that the truncation of star formation in K+A galaxies must have been unusually
abrupt (<100 Myr). We examined the AGN content of K+A galaxies with both
optical emission-line ratios (BPT diagrams) and Chandra X-ray imaging. At least
half of all K+A galaxies display the optical emission-line ratios of AGNs, and
a third of M_R<-22 K+A galaxies host AGNs with X-ray luminosities of 10^{42}
erg/s. The faintest K+A galaxies do not show clear evidence for hosting AGNs,
having emission-line ratios consistent with photoionization by massive stars
and few X-ray detections. We speculate that two mechanisms may be responsible
for the truncation of star formation in K+A galaxies, with AGN feedback only
playing a role in M_R<-20.5 galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 13 pages, 8
figure
The expression and prognostic significance of bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1 in rectal cancer following neoadjuvant therapy
Acknowledgements This study was supported by funding from the Encompass kick start and SMART:Scotland award schemes of Scottish Enterprise and Friends of Anchor. The Grampian Biorepository assisted with the immunohistochemical investigations.Peer reviewedPostprin
The Cluster and Field Galaxy AGN Fraction at z = 1 to 1.5: Evidence for a Reversal of the Local Anticorrelation Between Environment and AGN Fraction
The fraction of cluster galaxies that host luminous AGN is an important probe
of AGN fueling processes, the cold ISM at the centers of galaxies, and how
tightly black holes and galaxies co-evolve. We present a new measurement of the
AGN fraction in a sample of 13 clusters of galaxies (M >= 10^{14} Msun) at
1<z<1.5 selected from the Spitzer/IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey, as well as the
field fraction in the immediate vicinity of these clusters, and combine these
data with measurements from the literature to quantify the relative evolution
of cluster and field AGN from the present to z~3. We estimate that the cluster
AGN fraction at 1<z<1.5 is f_A = 3.0^{+2.4}_{-1.4}% for AGN with a rest-frame,
hard X-ray luminosity greater than L_{X,H} >= 10^{44} erg/s. This fraction is
measured relative to all cluster galaxies more luminous than M*_{3.6}(z)+1,
where M*_{3.6}(z) is the absolute magnitude of the break in the galaxy
luminosity function at the cluster redshift in the IRAC 3.6um bandpass. The
cluster AGN fraction is 30 times greater than the 3sigma upper limit on the
value for AGN of similar luminosity at z~0.25, as well as more than an order of
magnitude greater than the AGN fraction at z~0.75. AGN with L_{X,H} >= 10^{43}
erg/s exhibit similarly pronounced evolution with redshift. In contrast with
the local universe, where the luminous AGN fraction is higher in the field than
in clusters, the X-ray and MIR-selected AGN fractions in the field and clusters
are consistent at 1<z<1.5. This is evidence that the cluster AGN population has
evolved more rapidly than the field population from z~1.5 to the present. This
environment-dependent AGN evolution mimics the more rapid evolution of
star-forming galaxies in clusters relative to the field.Comment: ApJ Accepted. 16 pages, 8 figures in emulateapj forma
The Mid-IR and X-ray Selected QSO Luminosity Function
We present the J-band luminosity function of 1838 mid-infrared and X-ray
selected AGNs in the redshift range 0<z<5.85. These luminosity functions are
constructed by combining the deep multi-wavelength broad-band observations from
the UV to the mid-IR of the NDWFS Bootes field with the X-ray observations of
the XBootes survey and the spectroscopic observations of the same field by
AGES. Our sample is primarily composed of IRAC-selected AGNs, targeted using
modifications of the Stern et al.(2005) criteria, complemented by MIPS 24
microns and X-ray selected AGNs to alleviate the biases of IRAC mid-IR
selection against z~4.5 quasars and AGNs faint with respect to their hosts.
This sample provides an accurate link between low and high redshift AGN
luminosity functions and does not suffer from the usual incompleteness of
optical samples at z~3. We find that the space density of the brightest quasars
strongly decreases from z=3 to z=0, while the space density of faint quasars is
at least flat, and possibly increasing, over the same redshift range. At z>3 we
observe a decrease in the space density of quasars of all brightnesses. We
model the luminosity function by a double power-law and find that its evolution
cannot be described by either pure luminosity or pure density evolution, but
must be a combination of both. Our best-fit model has bright and faint
power-law indices consistent with the low redshift measurements based on the
2QZ and 2SLAQ surveys and it generally agrees with the number of bright quasars
predicted by other LFs at all redshifts. If we construct the QSO luminosity
function using only the IRAC-selected AGNs, we find that the biases inherent to
this selection method significantly modify the behavior of phi*(z) only for z<1
and have no significant impact upon the characteristic magnitude M*_J(z).Comment: Corrected minor typo in equations (4) and (6). Accepted for
publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 56 pages + 6 tables + 16 figure
XBootes: An X-Ray Survey of the NDWFS Bootes Field - Paper I Overview and Initial Results
We obtained a 5 ksec deep Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS-I map of the 9.3
square degree Bootes field of the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey. Here we describe
the data acquisition and analysis strategies leading to a catalog of 4642
(3293) point sources with 2 or more (4 or more) counts, corresponding to a
limiting flux of roughly 4(8)x10^{-15} erg cm^{-2}s^{-1} in the 0.5-7 keV band.
These Chandra XBootes data are unique in that they consitute the widest
contiguous X-ray field yet observed to such a faint flux limit. Because of the
extraordinarily low background of the ACIS, we expect only 14% (0.7%) of the
sources to be spurious. We also detected 43 extended sources in this survey.
The distribution of the point sources among the 126 pointings (ACIS-I has a 16
x 16 arcminute field of view) is consistent with Poisson fluctuations about the
mean of 36.8 sources per pointing. While a smoothed image of the point source
distribution is clumpy, there is no statistically significant evidence of large
scale filamentary structure. We do find however, that for theta>1 arcminute,
the angular correlation function of these sources is consistent with previous
measurements, following a power law in angle with slope -0.7. In a 1.4 deg^{2}
sample of the survey, approximately 87% of the sources with 4 or more counts
have an optical counterpart to R ~26 mag. As part of a larger program of
optical spectroscopy of the NDWFS Bootes area, spectra have been obtained for
\~900 of the X-ray sources, most of which are QSOs or AGN.Comment: 18 Pages, 10 figures (AASTex Preprint format
KLF9 and JNK3 Interact to Suppress Axon Regeneration in the Adult CNS
Neurons in the adult mammalian CNS decrease in intrinsic axon growth capacity during development in concert with changes in Krüppel-like transcription factors (KLFs). KLFs regulate axon growth in CNS neurons including retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Here, we found that knock-down of KLF9, an axon growth suppressor that is normally upregulated 250-fold in RGC development, promotes long-distance optic nerve regeneration in adult rats of both sexes. We identified a novel binding partner, MAPK10/JNK3 kinase, and found that JNK3 (c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3) is critical for KLF9\u27s axon-growth-suppressive activity. Interfering with a JNK3-binding domain or mutating two newly discovered serine phosphorylation acceptor sites, Ser106 and Ser110, effectively abolished KLF9\u27s neurite growth suppression in vitro and promoted axon regeneration in vivo. These findings demonstrate a novel, physiologic role for the interaction of KLF9 and JNK3 in regenerative failure in the optic nerve and suggest new therapeutic strategies to promote axon regeneration in the adult CNS
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