16 research outputs found
Bayesian analysis of quasar lightcurves with a running optimal average : new time delay measurements of COSMOGRAIL gravitationally lensed quasars
Funding: KH and JVHS acknowledge support from UK Science and Technology Facilities Council grant ST/R00824/1.We present a new method of modelling time-series data based on the running optimal average (ROA). By identifying the effective number of parameters for the ROA model, in terms of the shape and width of its window function and the times and accuracies of the data, we enable a Bayesian analysis, optimising the ROA width, along with other model parameters, by minimising the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and sampling joint posterior parameter distributions using MCMC methods. For analysis of quasar lightcurves, our implementation of ROA modelling can measure time delays among lightcurves at different wavelengths or from different images of a lensed quasar and, in future work, be used to inter-calibrate lightcurve data from different telescopes and estimate the shape and thus the power-density spectrum of the lightcurve. Our noise model implements a robust treatment of outliers and error-bar adjustments to account for additional variance or poorly-quantified uncertainties. Tests with simulated data validate the parameter uncertainty estimates. We compare ROA delay measurements with results from cross-correlation and from JAVELIN, which models lightcurves with a prior on the power-density spectrum. We analyse published COSMOGRAIL lightcurves of multi-lensed quasar lightcurves and present the resulting measurements of the inter-image time delays and detection of microlensing effects.PostprintPeer reviewe
Impact of clinical trial findings on Bell's palsy management in general practice in the UK 2001-2012 : Interrupted time series regression analysis
OBJECTIVES: To measure the incidence of Bell's palsy and determine the impact of clinical trial findings on Bell's palsy management in the UK. DESIGN: Interrupted time series regression analysis and incidence measures. SETTING: General practices in the UK contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). PARTICIPANTS: Patients ≥16 years with a diagnosis of Bell's palsy between 2001 and 2012. INTERVENTIONS: (1) Publication of the 2004 Cochrane reviews of clinical trials on corticosteroids and antivirals for Bell's palsy, which made no clear recommendation on their use and (2) publication of the 2007 Scottish Bell's Palsy Study (SBPS), which made a clear recommendation that treatment with prednisolone alone improves chances for complete recovery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of Bell's palsy per 100 000 person-years. Changes in the management of Bell's palsy with either prednisolone therapy, antiviral therapy, combination therapy (prednisolone with antiviral therapy) or untreated cases. RESULTS: During the 12-year period, 14 460 cases of Bell's palsy were identified with an overall incidence of 37.7/100 000 person-years. The 2004 Cochrane reviews were associated with immediate falls in prednisolone therapy (-6.3% (-11.0 to -1.6)), rising trends in combination therapy (1.1% per quarter (0.5 to 1.7)) and falling trends for untreated cases (-0.8% per quarter (-1.4 to -0.3)). SBPS was associated with immediate increases in prednisolone therapy (5.1% (0.9 to 9.3)) and rising trends in prednisolone therapy (0.7% per quarter (0.4 to 1.2)); falling trends in combination therapy (-1.7% per quarter (-2.2 to -1.3)); and rising trends for untreated cases (1.2% per quarter (0.8 to 1.6)). Despite improvements, 44% still remain untreated. CONCLUSIONS: SBPS was clearly associated with change in management, but a significant proportion of patients failed to receive effective treatment, which cannot be fully explained. Clarity and uncertainty in clinical trial recommendations may change clinical practice. However, better ways are needed to understand and circumvent barriers in implementing clinical trial findings.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Testing super-eddington accretion on to a supermassive black hole : reverberation mapping of PG 1119+120
KH and JVHS acknowledge support from STFC grant ST/R000824/1. CH acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation of China (12122305). PD acknowledges support from NSFC grant 12022301, 11991051, and 11991054, and from National Key R&D Program of China (grant 2021YFA1600404). LCH was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (grants 11721303, 11991052,12011540375, and 12233001) and the China Manned Space Project (CMS-CSST-2021-A04, CMS-CSST-2021-A06).We measure the black hole mass and investigate the accretion flow around the local (z = 0.0502) quasar PG 1119+120. Spectroscopic monitoring with Calar Alto provides H β lags and linewidths from which we estimate a black hole mass of log (M•/M⊙) = 7.0, uncertain by ∼0.4 dex. High cadence photometric monitoring over 2 yr with the Las Cumbres Observatory provides light curves in seven optical bands suitable for intensive continuum reverberation mapping. We identify variability on two time-scales. Slower variations on a 100-d time-scale exhibit excess flux and increased lag in the u′ band and are thus attributable to diffuse bound-free continuum emission from the broad-line region. Faster variations that we attribute to accretion disc reprocessing lack a u′-band excess and have flux and delay spectra consistent with either τ ∝ λ4/3, as expected for a temperature structure of T(R) ∝ R−3/4 for a thin accretion disc, or τ ∝ λ2 expected for a slim disc. Decomposing the flux into variable (disc) and constant (host galaxy) components, we find the disc SED to be flatter than expected with ƒv ∼ const. Modelling the SED predicts an Eddington ratio of λEdd > 1, where the flat spectrum can be reproduced by a slim disc with little dust extinction or a thin disc that requires more dust extinction. While this accretion is super-Eddington, the geometry is still unclear; however, a slim disc is expected due to the high radiation pressure at these accretion rates, and is entirely consistent with our observations.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Key Results
We present the final data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation
Mapping (SDSS-RM) project, a precursor to the SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper
Reverberation Mapping program. This data set includes 11-year photometric and
7-year spectroscopic light curves for 849 broad-line quasars over a redshift
range of 0.1<z<4.5 and a luminosity range of Lbol=1E44-47.5 erg/s, along with
spectral and variability measurements. We report 23, 81, 125, and 110
reverberation mapping lags (relative to optical continuum variability) for
broad Halpha, Hbeta, MgII and CIV using the SDSS-RM sample, spanning much of
the luminosity and redshift ranges of the sample. Using 30 low-redshift RM AGNs
with dynamical-modeling black hole masses, we derive a new estimate of the
average virial factor of =0.62+-0.07 for the line dispersion measured
from the RMS spectrum. The intrinsic scatter of individual virial factors is
0.31+-0.07 dex, indicating a factor of two systematic uncertainty in RM black
hole masses. Our lag measurements reveal significant R-L relations for Hbeta
and MgII at high redshift, consistent with the latest measurements based on
heterogeneous samples. While we are unable to robustly constrain the slope of
the R-L relation for CIV given the limited dynamical range in luminosity, we
found substantially larger scatter in CIV lags at fixed L1350. Using the
SDSS-RM lag sample, we derive improved single-epoch (SE) mass recipes for
Hbeta, MgII and CIV, which are consistent with their respective RM masses as
well as between the SE recipes from two different lines, over the luminosity
range probed by our sample. The new Hbeta and MgII recipes are approximately
unbiased estimators at given RM masses, but there are systematic biases in the
CIV recipe. The intrinsic scatter of SE masses around RM masses is ~0.45 dex
for Hbeta and MgII, increasing to ~0.58 dex for CIV.Comment: 33 pages. Data products available at
ftp://quasar.astro.illinois.edu/public/sdssrm/final_result
Spectroscopic verification of very luminous galaxy candidates in the early universe
During the first 500 million years of cosmic history, the first stars and
galaxies formed and seeded the cosmos with heavy elements. These early galaxies
illuminated the transition from the cosmic "dark ages" to the reionization of
the intergalactic medium. This transitional period has been largely
inaccessible to direct observation until the recent commissioning of JWST,
which has extended our observational reach into that epoch. Excitingly, the
first JWST science observations uncovered a surprisingly high abundance of
early star-forming galaxies. However, the distances (redshifts) of these
galaxies were, by necessity, estimated from multi-band photometry. Photometric
redshifts, while generally robust, can suffer from uncertainties and/or
degeneracies. Spectroscopic measurements of the precise redshifts are required
to validate these sources and to reliably quantify their space densities,
stellar masses, and star formation rates, which provide powerful constraints on
galaxy formation models and cosmology. Here we present the results of JWST
follow-up spectroscopy of a small sample of galaxies suspected to be amongst
the most distant yet observed. We confirm redshifts z > 10 for two galaxies,
including one of the first bright JWST-discovered candidates with z = 11.4, and
show that another galaxy with suggested z ~ 16 instead has z = 4.9, with strong
emission lines that mimic the expected colors of more distant objects. These
results reinforce the evidence for the rapid production of luminous galaxies in
the very young Universe, while also highlighting the necessity of spectroscopic
verification for remarkable candidates.Comment: Submitted to Natur
AGN STORM 2. IV. Swift X-ray and ultraviolet/optical monitoring of Mrk 817
The AGN STORM 2 campaign is a large, multiwavelength reverberation mapping
project designed to trace out the structure of Mrk 817 from the inner accretion
disk to the broad emission line region and out to the dusty torus. As part of
this campaign, Swift performed daily monitoring of Mrk 817 for approximately 15
months, obtaining observations in X-rays and six UV/optical filters. The X-ray
monitoring shows that Mrk 817 was in a significantly fainter state than in
previous observations, with only a brief flare where it reached prior flux
levels. The X-ray spectrum is heavily obscured. The UV/optical light curves
show significant variability throughout the campaign and are well correlated
with one another, but uncorrelated with the X-rays. Combining the Swift
UV/optical light curves with Hubble UV continuum light curves, we measure
interband continuum lags, , that increase with increasing
wavelength roughly following , the
dependence expected for a geometrically thin, optically thick, centrally
illuminated disk. Modeling of the light curves reveals a period at the
beginning of the campaign where the response of the continuum is suppressed
compared to later in the light curve - the light curves are not simple shifted
and scaled versions of each other. The interval of suppressed response
corresponds to a period of high UV line and X-ray absorption, and reduced
emission line variability amplitudes. We suggest that this indicates a
significant contribution to the continuum from the broad line region gas that
sees an absorbed ionizing continuum.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Neuroimaging standards for research into small vessel disease and its contribution to ageing and neurodegeneration: A united approach
Item does not contain fulltextCerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a common accompaniment of ageing. Features seen on neuroimaging include recent small subcortical infarcts, lacunes, white matter hyperintensities, perivascular spaces, microbleeds, and brain atrophy. SVD can present as a stroke or cognitive decline, or can have few or no symptoms. SVD frequently coexists with neurodegenerative disease, and can exacerbate cognitive deficits, physical disabilities, and other symptoms of neurodegeneration. Terminology and definitions for imaging the features of SVD vary widely, which is also true for protocols for image acquisition and image analysis. This lack of consistency hampers progress in identifying the contribution of SVD to the pathophysiology and clinical features of common neurodegenerative diseases. We are an international working group from the Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration. We completed a structured process to develop definitions and imaging standards for markers and consequences of SVD. We aimed to achieve the following: first, to provide a common advisory about terms and definitions for features visible on MRI; second, to suggest minimum standards for image acquisition and analysis; third, to agree on standards for scientific reporting of changes related to SVD on neuroimaging; and fourth, to review emerging imaging methods for detection and quantification of preclinical manifestations of SVD. Our findings and recommendations apply to research studies, and can be used in the clinical setting to standardise image interpretation, acquisition, and reporting. This Position Paper summarises the main outcomes of this international effort to provide the STandards for ReportIng Vascular changes on nEuroimaging (STRIVE)
AGN STORM 2. IV. Swift X-Ray and Ultraviolet/Optical Monitoring of Mrk 817
The AGN STORM 2 campaign is a large, multiwavelength reverberation mapping project designed to trace out the structure of Mrk 817 from the inner accretion disk to the broad emission line region and out to the dusty torus. As part of this campaign, Swift performed daily monitoring of Mrk 817 for approximately 15 months, obtaining observations in X-rays and six UV/optical filters. The X-ray monitoring shows that Mrk 817 was in a significantly fainter state than in previous observations, with only a brief flare where it reached prior flux levels. The X-ray spectrum is heavily obscured. The UV/optical light curves show significant variability throughout the campaign and are well correlated with one another, but uncorrelated with the X-rays. Combining the Swift UV/optical light curves with Hubble Space Telescope UV continuum light curves, we measure interband continuum lags, τ(λ), that increase with increasing wavelength roughly following τ(λ) ∝ λ 4/3, the dependence expected for a geometrically thin, optically thick, centrally illuminated disk. Modeling of the light curves reveals a period at the beginning of the campaign where the response of the continuum is suppressed compared to later in the light curve—the light curves are not simple shifted and scaled versions of each other. The interval of suppressed response corresponds to a period of high UV line and X-ray absorption, and reduced emission line variability amplitudes. We suggest that this indicates a significant contribution to the continuum from the broad-line region gas that sees an absorbed ionizing continuum
Impact of clinical trial findings on Bell's palsy management in general practice in the UK 2001–2012:interrupted time series regression analysis
OBJECTIVES: To measure the incidence of Bell's palsy and determine the impact of clinical trial findings on Bell's palsy management in the UK. DESIGN: Interrupted time series regression analysis and incidence measures. SETTING: General practices in the UK contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). PARTICIPANTS: Patients ≥16 years with a diagnosis of Bell's palsy between 2001 and 2012. INTERVENTIONS: (1) Publication of the 2004 Cochrane reviews of clinical trials on corticosteroids and antivirals for Bell's palsy, which made no clear recommendation on their use and (2) publication of the 2007 Scottish Bell's Palsy Study (SBPS), which made a clear recommendation that treatment with prednisolone alone improves chances for complete recovery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of Bell's palsy per 100 000 person-years. Changes in the management of Bell's palsy with either prednisolone therapy, antiviral therapy, combination therapy (prednisolone with antiviral therapy) or untreated cases. RESULTS: During the 12-year period, 14 460 cases of Bell's palsy were identified with an overall incidence of 37.7/100 000 person-years. The 2004 Cochrane reviews were associated with immediate falls in prednisolone therapy (−6.3% (−11.0 to −1.6)), rising trends in combination therapy (1.1% per quarter (0.5 to 1.7)) and falling trends for untreated cases (−0.8% per quarter (−1.4 to −0.3)). SBPS was associated with immediate increases in prednisolone therapy (5.1% (0.9 to 9.3)) and rising trends in prednisolone therapy (0.7% per quarter (0.4 to 1.2)); falling trends in combination therapy (−1.7% per quarter (−2.2 to −1.3)); and rising trends for untreated cases (1.2% per quarter (0.8 to 1.6)). Despite improvements, 44% still remain untreated. CONCLUSIONS: SBPS was clearly associated with change in management, but a significant proportion of patients failed to receive effective treatment, which cannot be fully explained. Clarity and uncertainty in clinical trial recommendations may change clinical practice. However, better ways are needed to understand and circumvent barriers in implementing clinical trial findings