Optical observations of the supernova remnant G 69.4+1.2

We performed deep optical observations of the area of the new supernova remnant G 69.4+1.2 in the emission lines of [O III], Halpha+[N II] and [S II]. The low ionization images reveal diffuse and filamentary emission in the central and south, south-west areas of our field. Estimates of the [S II]/Halpha ratio suggest that the detected emission in these areas originates from shock heated gas, while the strong extended source in the north must be an HII region. The medium ionization image of [O III] shows a single filament close to the field center. Emission from [O III] is not detected elsewhere in the field but only in the north from LBN 069.96+01.35. Deep long-slit spectra taken at the position of the [O III] filament suggest shock velocities ~120 km/s, while in other areas velocities around 50 km/s are expected. The sulfur lines ratio indicates electron densities less than 120 cm^{-3}. The absolute Halpha flux is ~5 x 10^{-17} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2} arcsec^{-2}. The optical emission is very well correlated with the radio emission, especially in the south west. The soft X-ray emission detected in the ROSAT All-Sky survey shows a satisfactory degree of correlation with the optical data in the south-west suggesting their association.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&

The Long-term Radiative Evolution of Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 2259+586 after its 2002 Outburst

We present an analysis of five X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM) observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 1E 2259+586 taken in 2004 and 2005 during its relaxation following its 2002 outburst. We compare these data with those of five previous XMM observations taken in 2002 and 2003, and find the observed flux decay is well described by a power-law of index -0.69+/-0.03. As of mid-2005, the source may still have been brighter than preoutburst, and was certainly hotter. We find a strong correlation between hardness and flux, as seen in other AXP outbursts. We discuss the implications of these results for the magnetar model.Comment: 23 Pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, published on Ap

Activity from Magnetar Candidate 4U 0142+61: Bursts and Emission Lines

After 6 years of quiescence, Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) 4U 0142+61 entered an active phase in 2006 March that lasted several months. During the active phase, several bursts were detected, and many aspects of the X-ray emission changed. We report on the discovery of six X-ray bursts, the first ever seen from this AXP in ~10 years of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) monitoring. All the bursts occurred in the interval between 2006 April 6 and 2007 February 7. The bursts had the canonical fast rise slow decay profiles characteristic of SGR/AXP bursts. The burst durations ranged from 8-3x10^3 s as characterized by T90,these are very long durations even when compared to the broad T90 distributions of other bursts from SGRs and AXPs. The first five burst spectra are well modeled by simple blackbodies, with temperature kT ~2-6 keV. However, the sixth burst had a complicated spectrum consisting of at least three emission lines with possible additional emission and absorption lines. The most significant feature was at ~14 keV. Similar 14-keV spectral features were seen in bursts from AXPs 1E 1048.1-5937 and XTE J1810-197. If this feature is interpreted as a proton cyclotron line, then it supports the existence of a magnetar-strength field for these AXPs. Several of the bursts were accompanied by a short-term pulsed flux enhancement. We discuss these events in the context of the magnetar model.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the "40 Years of Pulsars: Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More" conference, held 12-17 August 2007, in Montreal QC (AIP, in press, eds: C. Bassa, Z. Wang, A. Cumming, V. Kaspi

Right procedure, wrong organ, an unusual case report of aortic trauma in a multiple injured patient

Blunt traumatic injury and acute dissection of thoracic aorta is increasing in incidence in seriously multi-trauma patients, remaining highly lethal. Early identification and repair is the key to a successful outcome. We report an unusual case of a 62-year-old man involved in a motor vehicle accident after subarachnoid hemorrhage due to an intracranial artery aneurysm rupture. The post-traumatic aorta dissection was overlooked during the initial evaluation and was found incidentally later during an attempt for endovascular treatment of the intracranial aneurysm. The pitfalls in the diagnostic approach of this patient are discussed and the paramount importance of the correct interpretation of all the available clinical and investigational findings in multiple injured patients are highlighted

A Phase II Study of Docetaxel and Epirubicin in Advanced Adult Soft Tissue Sarcomas (STS)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of docetaxel plus epirubicin combination as first-line chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced and/or metastatic adult STS

Classical Dynamics of the Time-Dependent Elliptical Billiard

In this work we study the nonlinear dynamics of the static and the driven ellipse. In the static case, we find numerically an asymptotical algebraic decay for the escape of an ensemble of non-interacting particles through a small hole due to the integrable structure of the phase space of the system. Furthermore, for a certain hole position a saturation value in the decay that can be tuned arbitrarily by varying the eccentricity of the ellipse is observed and explained. When applying harmonic boundary oscillations this saturation value caused by librator type orbits is gradually destroyed via two fundamental processes which are discussed in detail. As a result, an amplitude dependent emission rate is obtained in the long time behavior of the decay, suggesting that the driven elliptical billiard can be used as a controllable source of particles

Mediterranean Diet Score and Its Association with Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The European Eye Study

To examine associations between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in countries ranging from Southern to Northern Europe. Cross-sectional, population-based epidemiologic study. Of 5060 randomly sampled people aged 65 years or older from 7 study centers across Europe (Norway, Estonia, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, and Spain), full dietary data were available in 4753. The mean age of participants was 73.2 years (standard deviation, 5.6), and 55% were women. Participants underwent an eye examination and digital retinal color photography. The images were graded at a single center. Dietary intake during the previous 12 months was assessed by using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). A previously published Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) was used to classify participants according to their responses on the FFQ. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the association of the MDS score and AMD, taking account of potential confounders and the multicenter study design. Images were graded according to the International Classification System for age-related maculopathy and stratified using the Rotterdam staging system into 5 exclusive stages (AMD 0-4) and a separate category of large drusen (≥125 μm). Age-related macular degeneration 4 included neovascular AMD (nvAMD) and geographic atrophy (GA). Increasing MDS was associated with reduced odds of nvAMD in unadjusted and confounder-adjusted analysis. Compared with the lowest MDS adherence (≤4 score), those in the highest category MDS adherence (>6 score) showed lower odds of nvAMD (odds ratio, 0.53; 0.27-1.04; P trend = 0.01). The association with MDS did not differ by Y204H risk allele (P = 0.89). For all early AMD (grade 1-3), there was no relationship with MDS (P trend = 0.9). There was a weak trend (P = 0.1) between MDS and large drusen; those in the highest category of MDS had 20% reduced odds compared with those in the lowest (P = 0.05). This study adds to the limited evidence of the protective effect of adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern in those with late AMD, although it does not support previous reports of a relationship with genetic susceptibility. Interventions to encourage the adoption of the Mediterranean diet should be developed, and methods by which such behavior change can be achieved and maintained investigated