Asymmetric Ejecta of Cool Supergiants and Hypergiants in the Massive Cluster Westerlund 1

We report new 5.5 GHz radio observations of the massive star cluster Westerlund 1, taken by the Australia Telescope Compact Array, detecting nine of the ten yellow hypergiants (YHGs) and red supergiants (RSGs) within the cluster. Eight of nine sources are spatially resolved. The nebulae associated with the YHGs Wd1-4a, -12a and -265 demonstrate a cometary morphology - the first time this phenomenon has been observed for such stars. This structure is also echoed in the ejecta of the RSGs Wd1-20 and -26; in each case the cometary tails are directed away from the cluster core. The nebular emission around the RSG Wd1-237 is less collimated than these systems but once again appears more prominent in the hemisphere facing the cluster. Considered as a whole, the nebular morphologies provide compelling evidence for sculpting via a physical agent associated with Westerlund 1, such as a cluster wind

A method for non-invasive genotyping of APCmin/+ mice using fecal samples

The APCmin/+ mouse is commonly used in cancer research and is just one of many genetically altered models that is currently being developed. With high numbers of breeding programs, it is important to have a simple method that can be used to genotype the mice non-invasively. Here we report a reproducible method for genotyping mice with DNA extracted from fecal samples. Comparison of fecal results with those obtained from intestinal tissue DNA and clinical outcome (presence/absence of tumors) showed this technique to have 100% accuracy. This non-invasive method of genotyping may be applied to other transgenic mouse models

A radio census of the massive stellar cluster Westerlund 1

CONTEXT: Massive stars and their stellar winds are important for a number of feedback processes. The mass lost in the stellar wind can help determine the end-point of the star as a neutron star (NS) or a black hole (BH). However, the impact of mass loss on the post-main sequence evolutionary stage of massive stars is not well understood. Westerlund 1 is an ideal astrophysical laboratory in which to study massive stars and their winds in great detail over a large range of different evolutionary phases. AIMS: We aim to study the radio emission from Westerlund 1, in order to measure radio fluxes from the population of massive stars, and determine mass-loss rates and spectral indices where possible. METHODS: Observations were carried out in 2015 and 2016 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) at 5.5 and 9 GHz using multiple configurations, with maximum baselines ranging from 750 m to 6 km. RESULTS: Thirty stars are detected in the radio from the fully concatenated dataset, ten of which are Wolf-Rayet stars (WRs) (predominantly late type WN stars), five yellow hypergiants (YHGs), four red supergiants (RSGs), one luminous blue variable (LBV), the sgB[e] star W9, and several OB supergiants. New source detections in the radio are found for five WR stars, and five OB supergiants. These detections lead to evidence for three new OB supergiant binary candidates, which is inferred from derived spectral index limits. CONCLUSIONS: Spectral indices and index limits were determined for massive stars in Westerlund 1. For cluster members found to have partially optically thick emission, mass-loss rates were calculated. Under the approximation of a thermally emitting stellar wind and a steady mass-loss rate, clumping ratios were then estimated for eight WRs. Diffuse radio emission was detected throughout the cluster. Detections of knots of radio emission with no known stellar counterparts indicate the highly clumped structure of this intra-cluster medium, likely shaped by a dense cluster wind

Bilateral painful tic convulsif

'Painful tic convulsif' (PTC) describes the coexistence of hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia. In this report, we describe a unique presentation of bilateral PTC in a man with bilateral hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia secondary to neurovascular conflict of all four cranial nerves. Following failed medical and radiofrequency therapy, microvascular decompression of three of the four involved nerves was performed, where the offending vessels were mobilised and Teflon used to prevent conflict recurrence. He continues to respond to Botox for right hemifacial spasm. Since surgery, he remains pain free bilaterally and spasm free on the left

Meteorological drivers and mortality associated with O3 and PM2.5 air pollution episodes in the UK in 2006

In this study we examine the meteorological drivers resulting in concurrent high levels of ozone (O3) and particulate matter smaller than 2.5 andmu;m in diameter (PM2.5) during two five-day air pollution episodes in 2006 (1st - 5th July and 18th andndash; 22nd July) using an air quality model (AQUM) at 12 km horizontal resolution to simulate air pollutant concentrations. The resultant UK health burden associated with short-term exposure to simulated maximum daily 8-h O3andnbsp;(MDA8 O3) and daily mean PM2.5andnbsp;is estimated at the national and regional level. Both episodes were found to be driven by anticyclonic conditions with light easterly and south easterly winds and high temperatures that aided pollution build up in the UK. The estimated total mortality burden associated with short-term exposure to MDA8 O3andnbsp;is similar during the chosen episodes with about 70 daily deaths brought forward (summed across the UK) during the first and second episode, respectively. The estimated health burden associated with short-term exposure to daily mean PM2.5andnbsp;concentrations differs between the first and second episode resulting in about 43 and 36 daily deaths brought forward, respectively. The corresponding percentage of all-cause mortality due to short-term exposure to MDA8 O3andnbsp;and daily mean PM2.5during these two episodes and across the UK regions, ranges from 3.4% to 5.2% and from 1.6% to 3.9%, respectively. The attributable percentage of all-cause mortality differs between the regions depending on the pollution levels in each episode, but the overall estimated health burdens are highest in regions with higher population totals. We estimate that during these episodes the short-term exposure to MDA8 O3and daily mean PM2.5andnbsp;is between 36-38% and 39andndash;56% higher, respectively, than if the pollution levels represented typical seasonal-mean concentrations. This highlights the potential of air pollution episodes to have substantial short-term impacts on public health.</p

Clinical outcomes of pre-loaded ultra-thin DSAEK and pre-loaded DMEK

Objective: To compare clinical outcomes and complications between pre-loaded ultra-thin Descemet stripping automated endothelialkeratoplasty (pl-UT-DSAEK) and pre-loaded Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (pl-DMEK). Methods and analysis: Comparative study in patients with endothelial dysfunction associated with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy who underwent pl-UT-DSAEK or pl-DMEK transplants. For both groups, the tissues were pre-loaded at the Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto (Venice, Italy) and shipped to The Royal Liverpool University Hospital (Liverpool, UK). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and re-bubbling rates were the main outcome measures. Results: 56 eyes of 56 patients were included. 31 received pl-UT-DSAEK and 25 received pl-DMEK. At 12 months, BCVA (LogMAR) was significantly better for pl-DMEK (0.17±0.20 LogMAR) compared with pl-UT-DSAEK (0.37±0.37 LogMAR, p<0.01). The percentage of people that achieved ≥20/30 was significantly higher in the pl-DMEK group. The rate of re-bubbling, however, was significantly higher for pl-DMEK (44.0%) than for Pl-UT-DSAEK (12.9%), p<0.01. Conclusion: Pl-DMEK offers better BCVA than pl-UT-DSAEK. The higher re-bubbling rate associated with pre-loaded DMEK is of concern

Future air pollution related health burdens associated with RCP emission changes in the UK

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are used to simulate future ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the United Kingdom (UK) for the 2050s relative to the 2000s with an air quality model (AQUM) at a 12 km horizontal resolution. The present-day and future attributable fractions (AF) of mortality associated with long-term exposure to annual mean O3, NO2 and PM2.5 have accordingly been estimated for the first time for regions across England, Scotland and Wales. Across the three RCPs (RCP2.6, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5), simulated annual mean of the daily maximum 8-hr mean (MDA8) O3 concentrations increase compared to present-day, likely due to decreases in NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions, leading to less titration of O3 by NO. Annual mean NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations decrease under all RCPs for the 2050s, mostly driven by decreases in NOx and sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions, respectively. The AF of mortality associated with long-term exposure to annual mean MDA8 O3 is estimated to increase in the future across all the regions and for all RCPs. Reductions in NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations lead to reductions in the AF estimated for future periods under all RCPs, for both pollutants. Total mortality burdens are also highly sensitive to future population projections. Accounting for population projections exacerbates differences in total UK-wide MDA8 O3-health burdens between present-day and future by up to a factor of ~3 but diminishes differences in NO2-health burdens. For PM2.5, accounting for future population projections results in additional UK-wide deaths brought forward compared to present-day under RCP2.6 and RCP6.0, even though the simulated PM2.5 concentrations for the 2050s are estimated to decrease. Thus, these results highlight the sensitivity of future health burdens in the UK to future trends in atmospheric emissions over the UK as well as future population projections

Atp2c2 Is Transcribed From a Unique Transcriptional Start Site in Mouse Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Proper regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ is critical for pancreatic acinar cell function. Disruptions in normal Ca2+ concentrations affect numerous cellular functions and are associated with pancreatitis. Membrane pumps and channels regulate cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis by promoting rapid Ca2+ movement. Determining how expression of Ca2+ modulators is regulated and the cellular alterations that occur upon changes in expression can provide insight into initiating events of pancreatitis. The goal of this study was to delineate the gene structure and regulation of a novel pancreas-specific isoform for Secretory Pathway Ca2+ ATPase 2 (termed SPCA2C), which is encoded from the Atp2c2 gene. Using Next Generation Sequencing of RNA (RNA-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation for epigenetic modifications and promoter-reporter assays, a novel transcriptional start site was identified that promotes expression of a transcript containing the last four exons of the Atp2c2 gene (Atp2c2c). This region was enriched for epigenetic marks and pancreatic transcription factors that promote gene activation. Promoter activity for regions upstream of the ATG codon in Atp2c2’s 24th exon was observed in vitro but not in in vivo. Translation from this ATG encodes a protein aligned with the carboxy terminal of SPCA2. Functional analysis in HEK 293A cells indicates a unique role for SPCA2C in increasing cytosolic Ca2+. RNA analysis indicates that the decreased Atp2c2c expression observed early in experimental pancreatitis reflects a global molecular response of acinar cells to reduce cytosolic Ca2+ levels. Combined, these results suggest SPCA2C affects Ca2+ homeostasis in pancreatic acinar cells in a unique fashion relative to other Ca2+ ATPases. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2768–2778, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Multiple air pollutants and their health impacts for both present-day and future scenarios

The adverse health impacts of air pollution, both short-term and long-term, have been widely studied in recent years; however there are a number of uncertainties to consider when carrying out health impact assessments. Health effects attributable to exposure to air pollutants are typically estimated using measured or modelled pollutant concentrations which vary both temporally and spatially. The goal of this thesis is to perform health impact assessments using modelled pollutant concentrations for present-day and future. The specific aims are: (i) to study the influence of model horizontal resolution on simulated concentrations of ozone (O3) and particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) for Europe and the implications for health impact assessments associated with long-term exposure (ii) to model air pollutant concentrations during two air pollution episodes in July 2006 together with the corresponding short-term health impact in the UK (iii) to estimate potential future health burdens associated with long-term pollutant exposure under future UK emission changes for 2050 in the UK. First, the impact of model horizontal resolution on simulated concentrations of O3 and PM2.5, and on the associated long-term health impacts over Europe is examined, using the HadGEM3–UKCA (UK Chemistry and Aerosol) chemistry– climate model to simulate pollutant concentrations at a coarse (~140 km) and a finer (~50 km) horizontal resolution. The attributable fraction (AF) of total mortality due to long-term exposure to warm season daily maximum 8-hr running mean (MDA8) O3 and annual-mean PM2.5 concentrations is then estimated for each European country using pollutant concentrations simulated at each resolution. Results highlight seasonal variations in simulated O3 and PM2.5 differences between the two model resolutions in Europe. Simulated O3 concentrations averaged for Europe at the coarse resolution are higher in winter and spring (~10 and ~6 %, respectively) but lower in summer and autumn (~-1 and ~-4 %, respectively) compared to the finer resolution results. These differences may be partly explained by differences in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations simulated at the two resolutions. Compared to O3, the opposite seasonality in simulated PM2.5 differences between the two resolutions is found. In winter and spring, simulated PM2.5 concentrations are lower at the coarse compared to the finer resolution (~-8 and ~-6 % averaged for Europe, respectively) but higher in summer and autumn (~29 and ~8 %, respectively). Differences in simulated PM2.5 levels are largely related to differences in convective rainfall and boundary layer height between the two resolutions for all seasons. These differences between the two resolutions exhibit clear spatial patterns for both pollutants that vary by season, and exert a strong influence on country to country variations in the estimated AF of mortality for the two resolutions. Results demonstrate that health impact assessments calculated using modelled pollutant concentrations, are sensitive to a change in model resolution with differences in AF of mortality between the countries ranging between ~-5% and ~+3%. Under climate change, the risk of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, is likely to increase. Thus the UK health burden associated with short-term exposure to MDA8 O3 and daily mean PM2.5 is examined during two five-day air pollution episodes during a well-known heatwave period in July 2006 (1st - 5th July and 18th – 22nd July) using the UK Met Office air quality model (AQUM) at 12 km horizontal resolution. Both episodes are found to be driven by anticyclonic conditions (mean sea-level pressures ~1020hPa over the UK) with light easterly and south easterly winds and high temperatures that aided pollution build up in the UK. The estimated total mortality burden associated with short-term exposure to O3 is similar during the each episode with about 70 daily deaths brought forward summed across the UK. The estimated health burden associated with short-term exposure to daily mean PM2.5 concentrations differs between the first and second episode resulting in about 43 and 36 daily deaths brought forward, respectively. The attributable fraction of all-cause (excluding external) mortality for both pollutants differs between UK regions and ranges between 1.6% to 5.2% depending on the pollution levels in each episode; the overall total estimated health burdens are highest in regions with higher population totals. Results show that during these episodes, short-term exposure to MDA8 O3 and daily mean PM2.5 is between 36- 38% and 39-56% higher, respectively, than if the pollution levels represented typical seasonal-mean concentrations. Finally, emission scenarios for the UK following three Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs); RCP2.6, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 are used to simulate future concentrations of O3, NO2 and PM2.5 for 2050 relative to 2000 using the AQUM air quality model at 12km resolution. The present-day and future AF of mortality associated with long-term exposure to annual mean MDA8 O3, NO2 and PM2.5 and the corresponding mortality burdens are estimated for each region in the UK. For all three RCPs, simulated annual mean MDA8 O3 concentrations in 2050 are estimated to increase compared to 2000, due to decreases in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions reducing titration of O3 by NO, and to increases in methane (CH4) levels across all of the UK. In contrast, annual mean NO2 concentrations decrease everywhere. This highlights that the whole of the UK is simulated to be in a NOx-saturated chemical environment. PM2.5 concentrations decrease under all RCPs for the 2050s mostly driven by decreases in NOx and sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions affecting secondary inorganic aerosols concentrations. For all pollutants the largest changes are estimated under RCP8.5 while the smallest changes are estimated for RCP6.0 in 2050 as compared to present-day. Consequently, these two RCPs represent the high and low end of the AF and mortality burden difference range relative to present-day for all three pollutants. For all UK regions and all three RCPs, the AF of mortality associated with long-term exposure to O3 is estimated to increase in 2050 while the AF associated with long-term exposure to NO2 and PM2.5 is estimated to decrease as a result of higher and lower projected pollutant concentrations, respectively. Differences in the UK-wide mortality burden attributable to long-term exposure to annual mean MDA8 O3 across the RCPs range from +2,529 to +5,396 additional attributable deaths in 2050 compared to 2000. Long-term exposure to annual mean NO2 and PM2.5 differences in health burdens are between - 9,418 and -15,782 and from - 4,524 to -9,481 avoided attributable deaths in 2050 relative to present-day, respectively. These mortality burdens are also sensitive to future population projections. These results demonstrate that long-term health impact assessments estimated using modelled pollutant concentrations, are sensitive to a change in model resolution across Europe, especially in southern and eastern Europe. In addition, air pollution episodes are shown to have the potential to cause substantial short-term impacts on public health in the UK. Finally the sensitivity of future MDA8 O3-, NO2- and PM2.5-attributable health burdens in the UK to future emission scenarios as well as population projections is highlighted with implications for informing future emissions control strategies for the UK