30 research outputs found
Large dust particles in disks around T Tauri stars
We present 7-mm continuum observations of 14 low-mass pre-main-sequence stars
in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region obtained with the Very Large Array
with ~1.5" resolution and ~0.3 mJy rms sensitivity. For 10 objects, the
circumstellar emission has been spatially resolved. The large outer disk radii
derived suggest that the emission at this wavelength is mostly optically thin.
The millimetre spectral energy distributions are characterised by spectral
indices alpha = 2.3 to 3.2. After accounting for contribution from free-free
emission and corrections for optical depth, we determine dust opacity indices
beta in the range 0.5 to 1.6, which suggest that millimetre-sized dust
aggregates are present in the circumstellar disks. Four of the sources with
beta > 1 may be consistent with submicron-sized dust as found in the
interstellar medium. Our findings indicate that dust grain growth to
millimetre-sized particles is completed within less than 1 Myr for the majority
of circumstellar disks.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Constraints on the ionizing flux emitted by T Tauri stars
We present the results of an analysis of ultraviolet observations of T Tauri
Stars (TTS). By analysing emission measures taken from the literature we derive
rates of ionizing photons from the chromospheres of 5 classical TTS in the
range ~10^41-10^44 photons/s, although these values are subject to large
uncertainties. We propose that the HeII/CIV line ratio can be used as a
reddening-independent indicator of the hardness of the ultraviolet spectrum
emitted by TTS. By studying this line ratio in a much larger sample of objects
we find evidence for an ionizing flux which does not decrease, and may even
increase, as TTS evolve. This implies that a significant fraction of the
ionizing flux from TTS is not powered by the accretion of disc material onto
the central object, and we discuss the significance of this result and its
implications for models of disc evolution. The presence of a significant
ionizing flux in the later stages of circumstellar disc evolution provides an
important new constraint on disc photoevaporation models.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Lithium and Halpha in stars and brown dwarfs of sigma Orionis
We present intermediate- and low-resolution optical spectra around Halpha and
LiI 6708 A for a sample of 25 low mass stars and 2 brown dwarfs with confirmed
membership in the pre-main sequence stellar sigma Orionis cluster. Our
observations are intended to investigate the age of the cluster. The spectral
types derived for our target sample are found to be in the range K6-M8.5, which
corresponds to a mass interval of roughly 1.2-0.02 Msun on the basis of
state-of-the-art evolutionary models. Radial velocities (except for one object)
are found to be consistent with membership in the Orion complex. All cluster
members show considerable Halpha emission and LiI in absorption, which is
typical of very young ages. We find that our pseudo-equivalent widths appear
rather dispersed (and intense in the case of Halpha) for objects cooler than
M3.5 spectral class, occurring at the approximate mass where low mass stars are
expected to become fully convective. The least massive brown dwarf in our
sample, SOri 45 (M8.5, ~0.02 Msun), displays variable Halpha emission and a
radial velocity that differs from the cluster mean velocity. Tentative
detection of forbidden lines in emission indicates that this brown dwarf may be
accreting mass from a surrounding disk. We also present recent computations of
LiI curves of growth for low gravities and for the temperature interval (about
4000-2600 K) of our sample. The comparison of our observations to these
computations allows us to infer that no lithium depletion has yet taken place
in sigma Orionis, and that the observed pseudo-equivalent widths are consistent
with a cluster initial lithium abundance close to the cosmic value. Hence, the
upper limit to the sigma Orionis cluster age can be set at 8 Myr, with a most
likely value around 2-4 Myr.Comment: 17 pages (figures included). Accepted for publication in A&
Low-mass pre--main-sequence stars in the Magellanic Clouds
[Abridged] The stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF) suggests that sub-solar
stars form in very large numbers. Most attractive places for catching low-mass
star formation in the act are young stellar clusters and associations, still
(half-)embedded in star-forming regions. The low-mass stars in such regions are
still in their pre--main-sequence (PMS) evolutionary phase. The peculiar nature
of these objects and the contamination of their samples by the evolved
populations of the Galactic disk impose demanding observational techniques for
the detection of complete numbers of PMS stars in the Milky Way. The Magellanic
Clouds, the companion galaxies to our own, demonstrate an exceptional star
formation activity. The low extinction and stellar field contamination in
star-forming regions of these galaxies imply a more efficient detection of
low-mass PMS stars than in the Milky Way, but their distance from us make the
application of special detection techniques unfeasible. Nonetheless, imaging
with the Hubble Space Telescope yield the discovery of solar and sub-solar PMS
stars in the Magellanic Clouds from photometry alone. Unprecedented numbers of
such objects are identified as the low-mass stellar content of their
star-forming regions, changing completely our picture of young stellar systems
outside the Milky Way, and extending the extragalactic stellar IMF below the
persisting threshold of a few solar masses. This review presents the recent
developments in the investigation of PMS stars in the Magellanic Clouds, with
special focus on the limitations by single-epoch photometry that can only be
circumvented by the detailed study of the observable behavior of these stars in
the color-magnitude diagram. The achieved characterization of the low-mass PMS
stars in the Magellanic Clouds allowed thus a more comprehensive understanding
of the star formation process in our neighboring galaxies.Comment: Review paper, 26 pages (in LaTeX style for Springer journals), 4
figures. Accepted for publication in Space Science Review
Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.
PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks
Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study
PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks
Characterizing the Syphilis-Causing Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum Proteome Using Complementary Mass Spectrometry
YesBackground.
The spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum is the etiological agent of
syphilis, a chronic multistage disease. Little is known about the global T. pallidum proteome,
therefore mass spectrometry studies are needed to bring insights into pathogenicity and
protein expression profiles during infection.
Methodology/Principal Findings.
To better understand the T. pallidum proteome profile during infection, we studied T. pallidum ssp. pallidum DAL-1 strain bacteria isolated from rabbits using complementary mass
spectrometry techniques, including multidimensional peptide separation and protein identification via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF/TOF) and
electrospray ionization (ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap) tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 6033 peptides were detected, corresponding to 557 unique T. pallidum proteins at a high level of confidence, representing 54% of the predicted proteome. A previous gel-based T. pallidum MS
proteome study detected 58 of these proteins. One hundred fourteen of the detected proteins were previously annotated as hypothetical or uncharacterized proteins; this is the first
account of 106 of these proteins at the protein level. Detected proteins were characterized
according to their predicted biological function and localization; half were allocated into a
wide range of functional categories. Proteins annotated as potential membrane proteins
and proteins with unclear functional annotations were subjected to an additional bioinformatics pipeline analysis to facilitate further characterization. A total of 116 potential membrane proteins were identified, of which 16 have evidence supporting outer membrane
localization. We found 8/12 proteins related to the paralogous tpr gene family: TprB, TprC/D, TprE, TprG, TprH, TprI and TprJ. Protein abundance was semi-quantified using
label-free spectral counting methods. A low correlation (r = 0.26) was found between previous microarray signal data and protein abundance.
Conclusions.
This is the most comprehensive description of the global T. pallidum proteome to date.
These data provide valuable insights into in vivo T. pallidum protein expression, paving the
way for improved understanding of the pathogenicity of this enigmatic organism.This work was supported by the grants from the Flanders Research Foundation, SOFI-B Grant to CRK, http://www.fwo.be/, a Public Health Service Grant from the National Institutes of Health to CEC, (grant # AI-051334), https://www.nih.gov/ and a grant from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic to DS and MS (P302/12/0574, GP14-29596P), https:// gacr.cz/
Fixed-parameter algorithms for Kemeny Scores
The Kemeny Score problem is central to many applications in the context of rank aggregation. Given a set of permutations (votes) over a set of candidates, one searches for a "consensus permutation" that is "closest" to the given set of permutations. Computing an optimal consensus permutation is NP-hard. We provide first, encouraging fixed-parameter tractability results for computing optimal scores (that is, the overall distance of an optimal consensus permutation). Our fixed-parameter algorithms employ the parameters "score of the consensus", "maximum distance between two input permutations", and "number of candidates". We extend our results to votes with ties and incomplete votes, thus, in both cases having no longer permutations as input