Idler-resonant femtosecond optical parametric oscillator with high mid-infra-red beam quality

We report an idler-resonant femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with average output power of 520 mW, repetition-rate of 80 MHz, pulse duration of 90 fs and nearly diffraction-limited beam quality at ~2.4 µm

Thermal expansion and crystal structure of cementite, Fe3C, between 4 and 600K determined by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction

The cementite phase of Fe3C has been studied by high-resolution neutron powder diffraction at 4.2 K and at 20 K intervals between 20 and 600 K. The crystal structure remains orthorhombic (Pnma) throughout, with the fractional coordinates of all atoms varying only slightly (the magnetic structure of the ferromagnetic phase could not be determined). The ferromagnetic phase transition, with Tc 480 K, greatly affects the thermal expansion coefficient of the material. The average volumetric coefficient of thermal expansion above Tc was found to be 4.1 (1) × 10-5 K-1; below Tc it is considerably lower (< 1.8 × 10-5 K-1) and varies greatly with temperature. The behaviour of the volume over the full temperature range of the experiment may be modelled by a third-order Grüneisen approximation to the zero-pressure equation of state, combined with a magnetostrictive correction based on mean-field theory

From Finite to Infinite Range Order via Annealing: The Causal Architecture of Deformation Faulting in Annealed Close-Packed Crystals

We analyze solid-state phase transformations that occur in zinc-sulfide crystals during annealing using a random deformation-faulting mechanism with a very simple interaction between adjacent close-packed double layers. We show that, through annealing, infinite-range structures emerge from initially short-range crystal order. That is, widely separated layers carry structurally significant information and so layer stacking cannot be completely described by any finite-range Markov process. We compare our results to two experimental diffraction spectra, finding excellent agreement.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures; See http://www.santafe.edu/projects/CompMech/papers/iro.htm

Pharmacokinetic profile and quantitation of protection against soman poisoning by the antinicotinic compound MB327 in the guinea-pig

Current organophosphorus nerve agent medical countermeasures do not directly address the nicotinic effects of poisoning. A series of antinicotinic bispyridinium compounds has been synthesized in our laboratory and screened in vitro. Their actions can include open-channel block at the nicotinic receptor which may contribute to their efficacy. The current lead compound from these studies, MB327 1,1′-(propane-1,3-diyl)bis(4-tert-butylpyridinium) as either the diiodide (I2) or dimethanesulfonate (DMS) has been examined in vivo for efficacy against nerve agent poisoning. MB327 I2 (0–113 mg kg−1) or the oxime HI-6 DMS (0–100 mg kg− 1), in combination with atropine and avizafone (each at 3 mg kg−1) was administered to guinea-pigs 1 min following soman poisoning. Treatment increased the LD50 of soman in a dose-dependent manner. The increase was statistically significant (p < 0.01) at the 33.9 mg kg−1 (MB327) or 30 mg kg−1 (HI-6) dose with a comparable degree of protection obtained for both compounds. Following administration of 10 mg kg−1 (i.m.), MB327 DMS reached plasma Cmax of 22 μM at 12 min with an elimination t1/2 of 22 min. In an adverse effect study, in the absence of nerve agent poisoning, a dose of 100 mg kg−1 or higher of MB327 DMS was lethal to the guinea-pigs. A lower dose of MB327 DMS (30 mg kg−1) caused flaccid paralysis accompanied by respiratory impairment. Respiration normalised by 30 min, although the animals remained incapacitated to 4 h. MB327 or related compounds may be of utility in treatment of nerve agent poisoning as a component of therapy with atropine, anticonvulsant and oxime, or alternatively as an infusion under medical supervision

A Large Catalog of Accurate Distances to Molecular Clouds from PS1 Photometry

Distance measurements to molecular clouds are important but are often made separately for each cloud of interest, employing very different data and techniques. We present a large, homogeneous catalog of distances to molecular clouds, most of which are of unprecedented accuracy. We determine distances using optical photometry of stars along lines of sight toward these clouds, obtained from PanSTARRS-1. We simultaneously infer the reddenings and distances to these stars, tracking the full probability distribution function using a technique presented in Green et al. We fit these star-by-star measurements using a simple dust screen model to find the distance to each cloud. We thus estimate the distances to almost all of the clouds in the Magnani et al. catalog, as well as many other well-studied clouds, including Orion, Perseus, Taurus, Cepheus, Polaris, California, and Monoceros R2, avoiding only the inner Galaxy. Typical statistical uncertainties in the distances are 5%, though the systematic uncertainty stemming from the quality of our stellar models is about 10%. The resulting catalog is the largest catalog of accurate, directly measured distances to molecular clouds. Our distance estimates are generally consistent with available distance estimates from the literature, though in some cases the literature estimates are off by a factor of more than two

Clindamycin adjunctive therapy for severe Staphylococcus aureus treatment evaluation (CASSETTE)—an open-labelled pilot randomized controlled trial

Background Combination antibiotic therapy with an antitoxin agent, such as clindamycin, is included in some guidelines for severe, toxin-mediated Staphylococcus aureus infections. The evidence to support this practice is currently limited to in vitro, animal and observational human case-series data, with no previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Objectives This pilot RCT aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial to examine if adjunctive clindamycin with standard therapy has greater efficacy than standard therapy alone for S. aureus infections. Methods We performed an investigator-initiated, open-label, multicentre, pilot RCT (ACTRN12617001416381p) in adults and children with severe S. aureus infections, randomized to standard antibiotic therapy with or without clindamycin for 7 days. Results Over 28 months, across nine sites, 127 individuals were screened and 34 randomized, including 11 children (32%). The primary outcome—number of days alive and free of systemic inflammatory response syndrome ≤14 days—was similar between groups: clindamycin (3 days [IQR 1–6]) versus standard therapy (4 days [IQR 0–8]). The 90 day mortality was 0% (0/17) in the clindamycin group versus 24% (4/17) in the standard therapy group. Secondary outcomes—microbiological relapse, treatment failure or diarrhoea—were similar between groups. Conclusions As the first clinical trial assessing adjunctive clindamycin for S. aureus infections, this study indicates feasibility and that adults and children can be incorporated into one trial using harmonized endpoints, and there were no safety concerns. The CASSETTE trial will inform the definitive S. aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) trial, which includes an adjunctive clindamycin domain and participants with non-severe disease

A Map of Dust Reddening to 4.5 kpc from Pan-STARRS1

We present a map of the dust reddening to 4.5 kpc derived from Pan-STARRS1 stellar photometry. The map covers almost the entire sky north of declination –30° at a resolution of 7'-14', and is based on the estimated distances and reddenings to more than 500 million stars. The technique is designed to map dust in the Galactic plane, where many other techniques are stymied by the presence of multiple dust clouds at different distances along each line of sight. This reddening-based dust map agrees closely with the Schlegel et al. (SFD) far-infrared emission-based dust map away from the Galactic plane, and the most prominent differences between the two maps stem from known limitations of SFD in the plane. We also compare the map with Planck, finding likewise good agreement in general at high latitudes. The use of optical data from Pan-STARRS1 yields reddening uncertainty as low as 25 mmag E(B – V)

Feasibility of implementing a rapid-learning methodology to inform radiotherapy treatments: key professional stakeholders’ views

Objective Pragmatic methodologies, often termed rapid-learning, are being pursued that can match the pace of innovation in radiotherapy and generate evidence from the real-world treatment setting. It is important to understand the feasibility of implementing such pragmatic approaches before their application in practice. This study investigated key professional stakeholders’ perceptions and opinions of rapid-learning and real-world data (RWD). Methods and analysis Twenty-three interviews were conducted with key professional stakeholders based across five UK radiotherapy cancer centres. Centres varied in size and reflected different healthcare environments. Data were collected between December 2022 and May 2023, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Four themes were generated: (1) the alignment of rapid-learning methodologies with the reality of practice, (2) concerns related to the variability of RWD, (3) the maturity of data infrastructures and capacity for rapid-learning and (4) further support, education and evidence needed to convince stakeholders to adopt rapid-learning approaches. Conclusion The potential of rapid-learning to help address evidence gaps in radiotherapy development was positively received by different professional stakeholders. However, the effectiveness of rapid-learning was viewed as being highly dependent on the collection of quality data in the routine setting, while the variable set-up at different cancer centres is also likely to be a key challenge for potential implementation. Developing data infrastructures to improve data interoperability was considered crucial for rapid-learning implementation, along with method clarity, educational support and training for radiotherapy teams

Tensor Correlations Measured in 3He(e,e'pp)n

We have measured the 3He(e,e'pp)n reaction at an incident energy of 4.7 GeV over a wide kinematic range. We identified spectator correlated pp and pn nucleon pairs using kinematic cuts and measured their relative and total momentum distributions. This is the first measurement of the ratio of pp to pn pairs as a function of pair total momentum, $p_{tot}$. For pair relative momenta between 0.3 and 0.5 GeV/c, the ratio is very small at low $p_{tot}$ and rises to approximately 0.5 at large $p_{tot}$. This shows the dominance of tensor over central correlations at this relative momentum.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR