New insights into the interstellar medium of the dwarf galaxy IC 10 : connection between magnetic fields, the radio--infrared correlation and star formation

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. Available at doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx1567.We present the highest sensitivity and angular resolution study at 0.32 GHz of the dwarf irregular galaxy IC\,10, observed using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, probing $\sim45$ pc spatial scales. We find the galaxy-averaged radio continuum spectrum to be relatively flat, with a spectral index $\alpha = -0.34\pm0.01$ ($S_\nu \propto \nu^\alpha$), mainly due to a high contribution from free--free emission. At 0.32 GHz, some of the H{\sc ii} regions show evidence of free--free absorption as they become optically thick below $\sim0.41$ GHz with corresponding free electron densities of $\sim11-22~\rm cm^{-3}$. After removing the free--free emission, we studied the radio--infrared relations on 55, 110 and 165 pc spatial scales. We find that on all scales the non-thermal emission at 0.32 and 6.2 GHz correlates better with far-infrared (FIR) emission at $70\,\mu$m than mid-infrared emission at $24\,\mu$m. The dispersion of the radio--FIR relation arises due to variations in both magnetic field and dust temperature, and decreases systematically with increasing spatial scale. The effect of cosmic ray transport is negligible as cosmic ray electrons were only injected $\lesssim5$ Myr ago. The average magnetic field strength ($B$) of $12~\mu$G in the disc is comparable to that of large star-forming galaxies. The local magnetic field is strongly correlated with local star formation rate ($\mathrm{SFR}$) as $B \propto \mathrm{SFR}^{0.35\pm0.03}$, indicating a star-burst driven fluctuation dynamo to be efficient ($\sim10$ per cent) in amplifying the field in IC\,10. The high spatial resolution observations presented here suggest that the high efficiency of magnetic field amplification and strong coupling with SFR likely sets up the radio--FIR correlation in cosmologically young galaxies.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A DNA damage-induced phosphorylation circuit enhances Mec1ATR Ddc2ATRIP recruitment to Replication Protein A

The cell cycle checkpoint kinase Mec

Who teaches primary physical education? Change and transformation through the eyes of subject leaders

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Sport, Education and Society on 02/07/2015, available online: DOI: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2015.1061987Primary physical education (PE) lessons tend to be taught by one, or a combination of, three different groups: generalist classroom teachers, specialist primary PE teachers and so-called ‘adults other than teachers’, who are almost exclusively sports coaches. Drawing upon data gathered from one-to-one interviews with 36 subject leaders (SLs), this study sought answers to two main questions: “Who delivers primary PE nowadays?” and “What are the consequences?” The findings revealed that the most common model for the delivery of PE involved responsibility being shared between the generalist class teacher and either a sports coach or specialist PE teacher. The SLs recognised strengths and weaknesses in all of the three main approaches used. However, while they favoured the use of specialist teachers because of their subject knowledge and expertise, the more prosaic constraints of cost and flexibility meant that the use of coaches had become increasingly popular. Whether or not, the growth of coaches is de-professionalizing the delivery of PE, it certainly appears to be exacerbating any existing tendency to turn primary PE into a pale imitation of the sport-biased curricular of secondary schools. Ironically, the apparent ‘threat’ to the status of PE in the primary curriculum (as well as the status of PE specialists) posed by the growth of coaches in curricular PE in primary schools may well be exaggerated by the Primary PE and Sport Premium which appears to have added momentum to a change of direction regarding staffing the subject – towards sports coaches and away from generalist classroom teachers and PE specialists. As the shift towards outsourcing PE to commercial sports coaches becomes increasingly commonplace it seems appropriate to talk of transformation, rather than mere change, in the delivery of primary PE

Enhancing the Air Stability of Dimolybdenum Paddlewheel Complexes : Redox Tuning through Fluorine Substituents

The optical and electrochemical properties of quadruply bonded dimolybdenum paddlewheel complexes (Mo2PWCs) make them ideal candidates for incorporation into functional materials or devices, but one of the greatest bottlenecks for this is their poor stability toward atmospheric oxygen. By tuning the potential at which the Mo2 core is oxidized, it was possible to increase the tolerance of Mo2PWCs to air. A series of homoleptic Mo2PWCs bearing fluorinated formamidinate ligands have been synthesized and their electrochemical properties studied. The oxidation potential of the complexes was tuned in a predictable fashion by controlling the positions of the fluorine substituents on the ligands, as guided by a Hammett relationship. Studies into the air stability of the resulting complexes by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy show an increased tolerance to atmospheric oxygen with increasingly electron-withdrawing ligands. The heteroleptic complex Mo2(DFArF)3(OAc) [where DFArF = 3,5-(difluorophenyl)formamidinate] shows remarkable tolerance to oxygen in the solid state and in chloroform solutions. Through the employment of easily accessible ligands, the stability of the Mo2 core toward oxygen has been enhanced, thereby making Mo2PWCs with electron-withdrawing ligands more attractive candidates for the development of functional materials

Capture-based enrichment of Theileria parva DNA enables full genome assembly of first buffalo-derived strain and reveals exceptional intra-specific genetic diversity

Theileria parva is an economically important, intracellular, tick-transmitted parasite of cattle. A live vaccine against the parasite is effective against challenge from cattle-transmissible T. parva but not against genotypes originating from the African Cape buffalo, a major wildlife reservoir, prompting the need to characterize genome-wide variation within and between cattle- and buffalo-associated T. parva populations. Here, we describe a capture-based target enrichment approach that enables, for the first time, de novo assembly of nearly complete T. parva genomes derived from infected host cell lines. This approach has exceptionally high specificity and sensitivity and is successful for both cattle- and buffalo-derived T. parva parasites. De novo genome assemblies generated for cattle genotypes differ from the reference by ~54K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the 8.31 Mb genome, an average of 6.5 SNPs/kb. We report the first buffalo-derived T. parva genome, which is ~20 kb larger than the genome from the reference, cattle-derived, Muguga strain, and contains 25 new potential genes. The average non-synonymous nucleotide diversity (πN) per gene, between buffalo-derived T. parva and the Muguga strain, was 1.3%. This remarkably high level of genetic divergence is supported by an average Wright’s fixation index (FST), genome-wide, of 0.44, reflecting a degree of genetic differentiation between cattle- and buffalo-derived T. parva parasites more commonly seen between, rather than within, species. These findings present clear implications for vaccine development, further demonstrated by the ability to assemble nearly all known antigens in the buffalo-derived strain, which will be critical in design of next generation vaccines. The DNA capture approach used provides a clear advantage in specificity over alternative T. parva DNA enrichment methods used previously, such as those that utilize schizont purification, is less labor intensive, and enables in-depth comparative genomics in this apicomplexan parasite

N95 Respirator Reuse, Decontamination Methods, and Microbial Burden: a Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE: to evaluate the effectiveness and ease of N95 respirator decontamination methods in a clinic setting and to identify the extent of microbial colonization on respirators associated with reuse. METHODS: In a prospective fashion, N95 respirators (n = 15) were randomized to a decontamination process (time, dry heat, or ultraviolet C light [UVC]) in outpatient clinics. Each respirator was re-used up to 5 separate clinic sessions. Swabs on each respirator for SARS-CoV-2, bacteria, and fungi were obtained before clinic, after clinic and post-treatment. Mask integrity was checked after each treatment (n = 68). Statistical analyses were performed to determine factors for positive samples. RESULTS: All three decontamination processes reduced bacteria counts similarly. On multivariate mixed model analysis, there were an additional 8.1 colonies of bacteria (95% CI 5.7 to 10.5; p \u3c 0.01) on the inside compared to the outside surface of the respirators. Treatment resulted in a decrease of bacterial load by 8.6 colonies (95% CI -11.6 to -5.5; p \u3c 0.01). Although no decontamination treatment affected the respirator filtration efficiency, heat treatments were associated with the breakdown of thermoplastic elastomer straps. Contamination with fungal and SARS-CoV-2 viral particles were minimal to non-existent. CONCLUSIONS: Time, heat and UVC all reduced bacterial load on reused N95 respirators. Fungal contamination was minimal. Heat could permanently damage some elastic straps making the respirators nonfunctional. Given its effectiveness against microbes, lack of damage to re-treated respirators and logistical ease, UVC represents an optimal decontamination method for individual N95 respirators when reuse is necessary

The 2012 Drought in Illinois

publishedpeer reviewedOpe

Calculations of binding energies and masses of heavy quarkonia using renormalon cancellation

We use various methods of Borel integration to calculate the binding ground energies and masses of b-bbar and t-tbar quarkonia. The methods take into account the leading infrared renormalon structure of the hard+soft part of the binding energies E(s), and of the corresponding quark pole masses m_q, where the contributions of these singularities in M(s) = 2 m_q + E(s) cancel. Beforehand, we carry out the separation of the binding energy into its hard+soft and ultrasoft parts. The resummation formalisms are applied to expansions of m_q and E(s) in terms of quantities which do not involve renormalon ambiguity, such as MSbar quark mass, and alpha_s. The renormalization scales are different in calculations of m_q, E(s) and E(us). The MSbar mass of b quark is extracted, and the binding energies of t-tbar and the peak (resonance) energies for (t+tbar) production are obtained.Comment: 23 pages, 8 double figures, revtex4; the version to appear in Phys.Rev.D; extended discussion between Eqs.(25) and (26); the paragraph between Eqs.(32) and (33) is new and explains the numerical dependence of the residue parameter on the factorization scale; several new references were added; acknowledgments were modified; the numerical results are unchange

Period and Cohort Changes in Americans’ Support for Marijuana Legalization: Convergence and Divergence across Social Groups

We cast fresh light on how and why Americans’ views on marijuana legalization shifted between 1973 and 2014. Results from age-period-cohort models show a strong negative effect of age and relatively high levels of support for legalization among baby boom cohorts. Despite the baby boom effect, the large increase in support for marijuana legalization is predominantly a broad, period-based change in the population. Additional analyses demonstrate that differences in support for legalization by education, region, and religion decline, that differences by political party increase, and that differences between whites and African Americans reverse direction. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings and by identifying promising directions for future research on this topic

Children's media cultures in comparative perspective

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the complexity and diversity of audience studies in the advent of digital media