Complete Genome Sequences of Paenibacillus Larvae Phages BN12, Dragolir, Kiel007, Leyra, Likha, Pagassa, PBL1c, and Tadhana

We present here the complete genomes of eight phages that infect Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbrood in honeybees. Phage PBL1c was originally isolated in 1984 from a P. larvae lysogen, while the remaining phages were isolated in 2014 from bee debris, honeycomb, and lysogens from three states in the USA

A comprehensive study of GRB 070125, a most energetic gamma ray burst

We present a comprehensive multiwavelength analysis of the bright, long duration gamma-ray burst GRB 070125, comprised of observations in $\gamma$-ray, X-ray, optical, millimeter and centimeter wavebands. Simultaneous fits to the optical and X-ray light curves favor a break on day 3.78, which we interpret as the jet break from a collimated outflow. Independent fits to optical and X-ray bands give similar results in the optical bands but shift the jet break to around day 10 in the X-ray light curve. We show that for the physical parameters derived for GRB 070125, inverse Compton scattering effects are important throughout the afterglow evolution. While inverse Compton scattering does not affect radio and optical bands, it may be a promising candidate to delay the jet break in the X-ray band. Radio light curves show rapid flux variations, which are interpreted as due to interstellar scintillation, and are used to derive an upper limit of $2.4 \times 10^{17}$ cm on the radius of the fireball in the lateral expansion phase of the jet. Radio light curves and spectra suggest a high synchrotron self absorption frequency indicative of the afterglow shock wave moving in a dense medium. Our broadband modeling favors a constant density profile for the circumburst medium over a wind-like profile ($R^{-2}$). However, keeping in mind the uncertainty of the parameters, it is difficult to unambiguously distinguish between the two density profiles. Our broadband fits suggest that \event is a burst with high radiative efficiency ($> 60$).Comment: 50 pages, 33 figures, sty file included, Appeared in 20 Aug 2008 edition of Astrophysical Journa

Caltech Core-Collapse Project (CCCP) observations of type IIn supernovae: typical properties and implications for their progenitor stars

Type IIn Supernovae (SNe IIn) are rare events, constituting only a few percent of all core-collapse SNe, and the current sample of well observed SNe IIn is small. Here, we study the four SNe IIn observed by the Caltech Core-Collapse Project (CCCP). The CCCP SN sample is unbiased to the extent that object selection was not influenced by target SN properties. Therefore, these events are representative of the observed population of SNe IIn. We find that a narrow P-Cygni profile in the hydrogen Balmer lines appears to be a ubiquitous feature of SNe IIn. Our light curves show a relatively long rise time (>20 days) followed by a slow decline stage (0.01 to 0.15 mag/day), and a typical V-band peak magnitude of M_V=-18.4 +/- 1.0 mag. We measure the progenitor star wind velocities (600 - 1400 km/s) for the SNe in our sample and derive pre-explosion mass loss rates (0.026 - 0.12 solar masses per year). We compile similar data for SNe IIn from the literature, and discuss our results in the context of this larger sample. Our results indicate that typical SNe IIn arise from progenitor stars that undergo LBV-like mass-loss shortly before they explode.Comment: ApJ, submitte

Optimal iterative methods for finding multiple roots of nonlinear equations using free parameters

[EN] In this paper, we propose a family of optimal eighth order convergent iterative methods for multiple roots with known multiplicity with the introduction of two free parameters and three univariate weight functions. Also numerical experiments have applied to a number of academical test functions and chemical problems for different special schemes from this family that satisfies the conditions given in convergence result.This research was partially supported by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad MTM2014-52016-C02-2-P and Generalitat Valenciana PROMETEO/2016/089.Zafar, F.; Cordero Barbero, A.; Quratulain, R.; Torregrosa Sánchez, JR. (2018). Optimal iterative methods for finding multiple roots of nonlinear equations using free parameters. Journal of Mathematical Chemistry. 56(7):1884-1901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10910-017-0813-1S18841901567R. Behl, A. Cordero, S.S. Motsa, J.R. Torregrosa, On developing fourth-order optimal families of methods for multiple roots and their dynamics. Appl. Math. Comput. 265(15), 520–532 (2015)R. Behl, A. Cordero, S.S. Motsa, J.R. Torregrosa, V. Kanwar, An optimal fourth-order family of methods for multiple roots and its dynamics. Numer. Algor. 71(4), 775–796 (2016)R. Behl, A. Cordero, S.S. Motsa, J.R. Torregrosa, An eighth-order family of optimal multiple root finders and its dynamics. Numer. Algor. (2017). doi: 10.1007/s11075-017-0361-6F.I. Chicharro, A. Cordero, J. R. Torregrosa, Drawing dynamical and parameters planes of iterative families and methods. Sci. World J. ID 780153 (2013)A. Constantinides, N. Mostoufi, Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineers with MATLAB Applications (Prentice Hall PTR, New Jersey, 1999)J.M. Douglas, Process Dynamics and Control, vol. 2 (Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1972)Y.H. Geum, Y.I. Kim, B. Neta, A class of two-point sixth-order multiple-zero finders of modified double-Newton type and their dynamics. Appl. Math. Comput. 270, 387–400 (2015)Y.H. Geum, Y.I. Kim, B. Neta, A sixth-order family of three-point modified Newton-like multiple-root finders and the dynamics behind their extraneous fixed points. Appl. Math. Comput. 283, 120–140 (2016)J.L. Hueso, E. Martınez, C. Teruel, Determination of multiple roots of nonlinear equations and applications. J. Math. Chem. 53, 880–892 (2015)L.O. Jay, A note on Q-order of convergence. BIT Numer. Math. 41, 422–429 (2001)S. Li, X. Liao, L. Cheng, A new fourth-order iterative method for finding multiple roots of nonlinear equations. Appl. Math. Comput. 215, 1288–1292 (2009)S.G. Li, L.Z. Cheng, B. Neta, Some fourth-order nonlinear solvers with closed formulae for multiple roots. Comput. Math. Appl. 59, 126–135 (2010)B. Liu, X. Zhou, A new family of fourth-order methods for multiple roots of nonlinear equations. Nonlinear Anal. Model. Control 18(2), 143–152 (2013)M. Shacham, Numerical solution of constrained nonlinear algebraic equations. Int. J. Numer. Method Eng. 23, 1455–1481 (1986)M. Sharifi, D.K.R. Babajee, F. Soleymani, Finding the solution of nonlinear equations by a class of optimal methods. Comput. Math. Appl. 63, 764–774 (2012)J.R. Sharma, R. Sharma, Modified Jarratt method for computing multiple roots. Appl. Math. Comput. 217, 878–881 (2010)F. Soleymani, D.K.R. Babajee, T. Lofti, On a numerical technique forfinding multiple zeros and its dynamic. J. Egypt. Math. Soc. 21, 346–353 (2013)F. Soleymani, D.K.R. Babajee, Computing multiple zeros using a class of quartically convergent methods. Alex. Eng. J. 52, 531–541 (2013)R. Thukral, A new family of fourth-order iterative methods for solving nonlinear equations with multiple roots. J. Numer. Math. Stoch. 6(1), 37–44 (2014)R. Thukral, Introduction to higher-order iterative methods for finding multiple roots of nonlinear equations. J. Math. Article ID 404635 (2013)X. Zhou, X. Chen, Y. Song, Constructing higher-order methods for obtaining the muliplte roots of nonlinear equations. J. Comput. Math. Appl. 235, 4199–4206 (2011)X. Zhou, X. Chen, Y. Song, Families of third and fourth order methods for multiple roots of nonlinear equations. Appl. Math. Comput. 219, 6030–6038 (2013

Safety and Feasibility of Minimally Invasive Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection in Patients With Melanoma (SAFE-MILND): Report of a Prospective Multi-institutional Trial.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive inguinal lymph node dissection (MILND) is a novel approach to inguinal lymphadenectomy. SAFE-MILND (NCT01500304) is a multicenter, phase I/II clinical trial evaluating the safety and feasibility of MILND for patients with melanoma in a group of surgeons newly adopting the procedure. METHODS: Twelve melanoma surgeons from 10 institutions without any previous MILND experience, enrolled patients into a prospective study after completing specialized training including didactic lectures, participating in a hands-on cadaveric laboratory, and being provided an instructional DVD of the procedure. Complications and adverse postoperative events were graded using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 4.0. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients underwent a MILND. Seventy-seven cases (88.5%) were completed via a minimally invasive approach. The median total inguinal lymph nodes pathologically examined (SLN + MILND) was 12.0 (interquartile range 8.0, 14.0). Overall, 71% of patients suffered an adverse event (AE); the majority of these were grades 1 and 2, with 26% of patients experiencing a grade 3 AE. No grade 4 or 5 AEs were observed. CONCLUSIONS: After a structured training program, high-volume melanoma surgeons adopted a novel surgical technique with a lymph node retrieval rate that met or exceeded current oncologic guidelines and published benchmarks, and a favorable morbidity profile

Optical Spectra of Type Ia Supernovae at z=0.46 and z=1.2

We present optical spectra, obtained with the Keck 10-m telescope, of two high-redshift type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the High-z Supernova Search Team: SN 1999ff at z=0.455 and SN 1999fv at z~1.2, the highest-redshift published SN Ia spectrum. Both SNe were at maximum light when the spectra were taken. We compare our high-z spectra with low-z normal and peculiar SNe Ia as well as with SNe Ic, Ib, and II. There are no significant differences between SN 1999ff and normal SNe Ia at low redshift. SN 1999fv appears to be a SN Ia and does not resemble the most peculiar nearby SNe Ia.Comment: 6 pages including 2 figures; to appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Entry, Descent and Landing Systems Analysis Study: Phase 1 Report

NASA senior management commissioned the Entry, Descent and Landing Systems Analysis (EDL-SA) Study in 2008 to identify and roadmap the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) technology investments that the agency needed to make in order to successfully land large payloads at Mars for both robotic and human-scale missions. This paper summarizes the motivation, approach and top-level results from Year 1 of the study, which focused on landing 10-50 mt on Mars, but also included a trade study of the best advanced parachute design for increasing the landed payloads within the EDL architecture of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) missio

International meta-analysis of PTSD genome-wide association studies identifies sex- and ancestry-specific genetic risk loci.

The risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma is heritable, but robust common variants have yet to be identified. In a multi-ethnic cohort including over 30,000 PTSD cases and 170,000 controls we conduct a genome-wide association study of PTSD. We demonstrate SNP-based heritability estimates of 5-20%, varying by sex. Three genome-wide significant loci are identified, 2 in European and 1 in African-ancestry analyses. Analyses stratified by sex implicate 3 additional loci in men. Along with other novel genes and non-coding RNAs, a Parkinson's disease gene involved in dopamine regulation, PARK2, is associated with PTSD. Finally, we demonstrate that polygenic risk for PTSD is significantly predictive of re-experiencing symptoms in the Million Veteran Program dataset, although specific loci did not replicate. These results demonstrate the role of genetic variation in the biology of risk for PTSD and highlight the necessity of conducting sex-stratified analyses and expanding GWAS beyond European ancestry populations

BRCA2 polymorphic stop codon K3326X and the risk of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers

Background: The K3326X variant in BRCA2 (BRCA2*c.9976A>T; p.Lys3326*; rs11571833) has been found to be associated with small increased risks of breast cancer. However, it is not clear to what extent linkage disequilibrium with fully pathogenic mutations might account for this association. There is scant information about the effect of K3326X in other hormone-related cancers. Methods: Using weighted logistic regression, we analyzed data from the large iCOGS study including 76 637 cancer case patients and 83 796 control patients to estimate odds ratios (ORw) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for K3326X variant carriers in relation to breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer risks, with weights defined as probability of not having a pathogenic BRCA2 variant. Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, we also examined the associations of K3326X with breast and ovarian cancer risks among 7183 BRCA1 variant carriers. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: The K3326X variant was associated with breast (ORw = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.17 to 1.40, P = 5.9x10- 6) and invasive ovarian cancer (ORw = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.43, P = 3.8x10-3). These associations were stronger for serous ovarian cancer and for estrogen receptor–negative breast cancer (ORw = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.2 to 1.70, P = 3.4x10-5 and ORw = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.28 to 1.76, P = 4.1x10-5, respectively). For BRCA1 mutation carriers, there was a statistically significant inverse association of the K3326X variant with risk of ovarian cancer (HR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.84, P = .013) but no association with breast cancer. No association with prostate cancer was observed. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that the K3326X variant is associated with risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers independent of other pathogenic variants in BRCA2. Further studies are needed to determine the biological mechanism of action responsible for these associations

Cluster of Sylvatic Epidemic Typhus Cases Associated with Flying Squirrels, 2004–2006

Infected persons had slept in an infested cabin