1,377 research outputs found
Observations of M87 and Hydra A at 90 GHz
This paper presents new observations of the AGNs M87 and Hydra A at 90 GHz
made with the MUSTANG bolometer array on the Green Bank Telescope at 8.5"
resolution. A spectral analysis is performed combining this new data and
archival VLA data on these objects at longer wavelengths. This analysis can
detect variations in spectral index and curvature expected from energy losses
in the radiating particles. M87 shows only weak evidence for steepening of the
spectrum along the jet suggesting either re-acceleration of the relativistic
particles in the jet or insufficient losses to affect the spectrum at 90 GHz.
The jets in Hydra A show strong steepening as they move from the nucleus
suggesting unbalanced losses of the higher energy relativistic particles. The
difference between these two sources may be accounted for by the different
lengths over which the jets are observable, 2 kpc for M87 and 45 kpc for Hydra
A.Comment: 11 pages, submitted to Ap
CMB observations with the Jodrell Bank - IAC interferometer at 33 GHz
The paper presents the first results obtained with the Jodrell Bank - IAC
two-element 33 GHz interferometer. The instrument was designed to measure the
level of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) fluctuations at angular scales
of 1 - 2 degrees. The observations analyzed here were taken in a strip of the
sky at Dec = +41 deg with an element separation of 16.7 lambda, which gives a
maximum sensitivity to ~1.6 deg structures on the sky. The data processing and
calibration of the instrument are described. The sensitivity achieved in each
of the two channels is 7 micro K per resolution element. A reconstruction of
the sky at Dec = +41 deg using a maximum entropy method shows the presence of
structure at a high level of significance. A likelihood analysis, assuming a
flat CMB spatial power spectrum, gives a best estimate of the level of CMB
fluctuations of Delta Tl = 43 (+13,-12) micro K for the range l = 109 +/- 19;
the main uncertainty in this result arises from sample variance. We consider
that the contamination from the Galaxy is small. These results represent a new
determination of the CMB power spectrum on angular scales where previous
results show a large scatter; our new results are in agreement with the
theoretical predictions of the standard inflationary cold dark matter models.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Web site at
http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/research/cmb/ Accepted for publication in MNRA
A systematic review of the burden of vaccine preventable pneumococcal disease in UK adults
BACKGROUND: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumococcal pneumonia are common and carry a significant morbidity and mortality. Current strategies to prevent pneumococcal disease are under review in the United Kingdom (UK). We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the burden of vaccine type adult pneumococcal disease specifically in the UK.METHODS: A systematic review conducted and reported according to MOOSE guidelines. Relevant studies from 1990 to 2015 were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of vaccine type pneumococcal disease, focussing on the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV), the 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and the 7-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV7).RESULTS: Data from surveillance in England and Wales from 2013/14 shows an incidence of 6.85 per 100,000 population across all adult age groups for IPD, and an incidence of 20.58 per 100,000 population in those aged >65 years. The corresponding incidences for PCV13 serotype IPD were 1.4 per 100,000 and 3.72 per 100,000. The most recent available data for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) including non-invasive disease showed an incidence of 20.6 per 100,000 for adult pneumococcal CAP and 8.6 per 100,000 population for PCV13 serotype CAP. Both IPD and CAP data sources in the UK suggest an ongoing herd protection effect from childhood PCV13 vaccination causing a reduction in the proportion of cases caused by PCV13 serotypes in adults. Despite this, applying the incidence rates to UK population estimates suggests more than 4000 patients annually will be hospitalised with PCV13 serotype CAP and more than 900 will be affected by IPD, although with a trend for these numbers to decrease over time. There was limited recent data on serotype distribution in high risk groups such as those with chronic respiratory or cardiac disease and no data available for vaccine type (VT) CAP managed in the community where there is likely to be a considerable unmeasured burden.CONCLUSION: The most recent available data suggests that VT pneumococcal disease continues to have a high burden in UK adults despite the impact of childhood PCV13 vaccination. IPD estimates represent only a fraction of the total burden of pneumococcal disease.STUDY REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42015025043.</p
Novel actions of next-generation taxanes benefit advanced stages of prostate cancer.
PURPOSE: To improve the outcomes of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), there is an urgent need for more effective therapies and approaches that individualize specific treatments for patients with CRPC. These studies compared the novel taxane cabazitaxel with the previous generation docetaxel, and aimed to determine which tumors are most likely to respond.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Cabazitaxel and docetaxel were compared via in vitro modeling to determine the molecular mechanism, biochemical and cell biologic impact, and cell proliferation, which was further assessed ex vivo in human tumor explants. Isogenic pairs of RB knockdown and control cells were interrogated in vitro and in xenograft tumors for cabazitaxel response.
RESULTS: The data herein show that (i) cabazitaxel exerts stronger cytostatic and cytotoxic response compared with docetaxel, especially in CRPC; (ii) cabazitaxel induces aberrant mitosis, leading to pyknotic and multinucleated cells; (iii) taxanes do not act through the androgen receptor (AR); (iv) gene-expression profiling reveals distinct molecular actions for cabazitaxel; and (v) tumors that have progressed to castration resistance via loss of RB show enhanced sensitivity to cabazitaxel.
CONCLUSIONS: Cabazitaxel not only induces improved cytostatic and cytotoxic effects, but also affects distinct molecular pathways, compared with docetaxel, which could underlie its efficacy after docetaxel treatment has failed in patients with CRPC. Finally, RB is identified as the first potential biomarker that could define the therapeutic response to taxanes in metastatic CRPC. This would suggest that loss of RB function induces sensitization to taxanes, which could benefit up to 50% of CRPC cases
Implications of a High Angular Resolution Image of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in RXJ1347-1145
The most X-ray luminous cluster known, RXJ1347-1145 (z=0.45), has been the
object of extensive study across the electromagnetic spectrum. We have imaged
the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) at 90 GHz (3.3 mm) in RXJ1347-1145 at 10"
resolution with the 64-pixel MUSTANG bolometer array on the Green Bank
Telescope (GBT), confirming a previously reported strong, localized enhancement
of the SZE 20" to the South-East of the center of X-ray emission. This
enhancement of the SZE has been interpreted as shock-heated (> 20 keV) gas
caused by an ongoing major (low mass-ratio) merger event. Our data support this
interpretation. We also detect a pronounced asymmetry in the projected cluster
pressure profile, with the pressure just east of the cluster core ~1.6 times
higher than just to the west. This is the highest resolution image of the SZE
made to date.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
The Radio - 2 mm Spectral Index of the Crab Nebula Measured with GISMO
We present results of 2 mm observations of the Crab Nebula, obtained using
the Goddard-IRAM Superconducting 2 Millimeter Observer (GISMO) bolometer camera
on the IRAM 30 m telescope. Additional 3.3 mm observations with the MUSTANG
bolometer array on the Green Bank Telescope are also presented. The integrated
2 mm flux density of the Crab Nebula provides no evidence for the emergence of
a second synchrotron component that has been proposed. It is consistent with
the radio power law spectrum, extrapolated up to a break frequency of
log(nu_{b} [GHz]) = 2.84 +/- 0.29 or nu_{b} = 695^{+651}_{-336} GHz. The Crab
Nebula is well-resolved by the ~16.7" beam (FWHM) of GISMO. Comparison to radio
data at comparable spatial resolution enables us to confirm significant spatial
variation of the spectral index between 21 cm and 2 mm. The main effect is a
spectral flattening in the inner region of the Crab Nebula, correlated with the
toroidal structure at the center of the nebula that is prominent in the near-IR
through X-ray regime.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Ap
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