The GRAVITY fringe tracker: correlation between optical path residuals and atmospheric parameters

After the first year of observations with the GRAVITY fringe tracker, we compute correlations between the optical path residuals and atmospheric and astronomical parameters. The median residuals of the optical path residuals are 180 nm on the ATs and 270 nm on the UTs. The residuals are uncorrelated with the target magnitudes for Kmag below 5.5 on ATs (9 on UTs). The correlation with the coherence time is however extremely clear, with a drop-off in fringe tracking performance below 3 ms.Comment: submitted to SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation 201

GRAVITY: getting to the event horizon of Sgr A*

We present the second-generation VLTI instrument GRAVITY, which currently is in the preliminary design phase. GRAVITY is specifically designed to observe highly relativistic motions of matter close to the event horizon of Sgr A*, the massive black hole at center of the Milky Way. We have identified the key design features needed to achieve this goal and present the resulting instrument concept. It includes an integrated optics, 4-telescope, dual feed beam combiner operated in a cryogenic vessel; near infrared wavefront sensing adaptive optics; fringe tracking on secondary sources within the field of view of the VLTI and a novel metrology concept. Simulations show that the planned design matches the scientific needs; in particular that 10 microarcsecond astrometry is feasible for a source with a magnitude of K=15 like Sgr A*, given the availability of suitable phase reference sources.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, to appear in the conference proceedings of SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation, 23-28 June 2008, Marseille, Franc

Circulating adrenomedullin estimates survival and reversibility of organ failure in sepsis: the prospective observational multinational Adrenomedullin and Outcome in Sepsis and Septic Shock-1 (AdrenOSS-1) study

Background: Adrenomedullin (ADM) regulates vascular tone and endothelial permeability during sepsis. Levels of circulating biologically active ADM (bio-ADM) show an inverse relationship with blood pressure and a direct relationship with vasopressor requirement. In the present prospective observational multinational Adrenomedullin and Outcome in Sepsis and Septic Shock 1 (, AdrenOSS-1) study, we assessed relationships between circulating bio-ADM during the initial intensive care unit (ICU) stay and short-term outcome in order to eventually design a biomarker-guided randomized controlled trial. Methods: AdrenOSS-1 was a prospective observational multinational study. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included organ failure as defined by Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, organ support with focus on vasopressor/inotropic use, and need for renal replacement therapy. AdrenOSS-1 included 583 patients admitted to the ICU with sepsis or septic shock. Results: Circulating bio-ADM levels were measured upon admission and at day 2. Median bio-ADM concentration upon admission was 80.5 pg/ml [IQR 41.5-148.1 pg/ml]. Initial SOFA score was 7 [IQR 5-10], and 28-day mortality was 22%. We found marked associations between bio-ADM upon admission and 28-day mortality (unadjusted standardized HR 2.3 [CI 1.9-2.9]; adjusted HR 1.6 [CI 1.1-2.5]) and between bio-ADM levels and SOFA score (p < 0.0001). Need of vasopressor/inotrope, renal replacement therapy, and positive fluid balance were more prevalent in patients with a bio-ADM > 70 pg/ml upon admission than in those with bio-ADM ≤ 70 pg/ml. In patients with bio-ADM > 70 pg/ml upon admission, decrease in bio-ADM below 70 pg/ml at day 2 was associated with recovery of organ function at day 7 and better 28-day outcome (9.5% mortality). By contrast, persistently elevated bio-ADM at day 2 was associated with prolonged organ dysfunction and high 28-day mortality (38.1% mortality, HR 4.9, 95% CI 2.5-9.8). Conclusions: AdrenOSS-1 shows that early levels and rapid changes in bio-ADM estimate short-term outcome in sepsis and septic shock. These data are the backbone of the design of the biomarker-guided AdrenOSS-2 trial. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02393781. Registered on March 19, 2015

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

New Strahler numbers for rooted plane trees

In this paper, we present an extension of Strahler numbers to rooted plane trees. Several asymptotic properties are proved, others are conjectured. We als

Anatomical and ultrastructural changes in developing grape berry

International audienc

Immunocytolocation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase during grape berry development

National audienc

Open system U-series ages of corals from a subsiding reef in New Caledonia: Implications for sea level changes, and subsidence rate

International audienceOn the Amedee islet, 4 drill cores were recovered from the barrier reef of Western New Caledonia. The coral reef is slowly subsiding and is thus percolated by sea water during sea level highstands. The cores sample a similar to 10 m thick Holocene reef overlying a 24 m thick reef of marine isotope stage (MIS) 5.5, which in turn overlies older reef material from MIS 7.5 and beyond. (U-234/U-238) and (Th-230/U-238) ratios and Th-232 were determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry on aragonitic coral samples that were carefully investigated using-X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The petrographic study shows an increasing coral weathering with growing coral age that causes different degree of U-series open system behavior and 232Th accumulation. Holocene corals exhibit a small degree of early diagenesis and yield Th-230/U-238 ages according to the Holocene sea level rise from similar to 8200 years to 5000 years BP. Corals from the last Interglacial section have experienced more frequent replacement of aragonite fibers and minor dissolution, and U-series open system behavior is evident. To estimate the impact of recoil processes and alteration on the U-series system two models by Villemant and Feuillet [B. Villemant, N. Feuillet, Dating open systems by the U-238-U-234-Th-230 method: application to Quaternary reef terraces, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 210(2003) 105-118.] and Thompson et al. [W. G. Thompson, M. W. Spiegelman, S. L. Goldstein, R. C. Speed, An open-system model for U-series age determinations of fossil corals, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 210(2003) 365-381.] have been tested. These models yield identical ages within uncertainty, which are in agreement to the sea level history of the past 250,000 years, as long as physico-chemical alteration and re-crystallization is small. Consequently, we were able to estimate the subsidence rate from the subsidence observed between the end of MIS 5.5 and the early Holocene, which is similar to 0.16 +/- 0.04 m per 1000 years. In addition, by using this subsidence rate and the sea level highstand of +6 +/- 3 m during MIS 5.5 we can estimate the sea level highstand at 244,000 (MIS 7.5) to be between +2 m to -2 m, respectively. Corals from underneath the marine isotope stage 7.5 sequence show more significant dissolution, increasing re-crystallization, elevated 232Th, and excess U-234 and Th-230. Here the Villemant and Feuillet [B. Villemant, N. Feuillet, Dating open systems by the U-238-U-234-Th-230 method: application to Quaternary reef terraces, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 210(2003) 105-118.] model fails to predict ages, but the Thompson et al. [W.G. Thompson, M. W. Spiegelman, S. L. Goldstein, R. C. Speed, An open-system model for U-series age determinations of fossil corals, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 210(2003) 365-381.] model was applicable predicting ages between 355,000 to > 430,000 years, i.e. coral growth potentially during MIS 9 or 11. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved