6,765 research outputs found
Gravitationally lensed radio emission associated with SMM J16359+6612, a multiply imaged submillimeter galaxy behind A2218
We report the detection of discrete, lensed radio emission from the multiply
imaged, z=2.516 submillimetre selected galaxy, SMM J16359+6612. All three
images are detected in deep WSRT 1.4 GHz and VLA 8.2 GHz observations, and the
radio positions are coincident with previous sub-mm SCUBA observations of this
system. This is the widest separation lens system to be detected in the radio
so far, and the first time that multiply imaged lensed radio emission has been
detected from a star forming galaxy -- all previous multiply-lensed radio
systems being associated with radio-loud AGN. Taking into account the total
magnification of ~45, the WSRT 1.4 GHz observations suggest a star formation
rate of 500 Solar mass/yr. The source has a steep radio spectrum (alpha -0.7)
and an intrinsic flux density of just 3 microJy at 8.2 GHz. Three other SCUBA
sources in the field are also detected by the WSRT, including SMMJ16359+66118,
a singly imaged (and magnified) arclet at z=1.034. Higher resolution radio
observations of SMMJ16359+6612 (and other highly magnified star forming
galaxies) provide a unique opportunity to study the general properties and
radio morphology of intrinsically faint, distant and obscured star forming
galaxies. They can also help to constrain the technical specification of next
generation radio telescopes, such as the Square Kilometre Array.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in A&A letter
Antigenic screening method for genetic studies
Antigenic screening method for genetic studie
A generalized linear mixed model for longitudinal binary data with a marginal logit link function
Longitudinal studies of a binary outcome are common in the health, social,
and behavioral sciences. In general, a feature of random effects logistic
regression models for longitudinal binary data is that the marginal functional
form, when integrated over the distribution of the random effects, is no longer
of logistic form. Recently, Wang and Louis [Biometrika 90 (2003) 765--775]
proposed a random intercept model in the clustered binary data setting where
the marginal model has a logistic form. An acknowledged limitation of their
model is that it allows only a single random effect that varies from cluster to
cluster. In this paper we propose a modification of their model to handle
longitudinal data, allowing separate, but correlated, random intercepts at each
measurement occasion. The proposed model allows for a flexible correlation
structure among the random intercepts, where the correlations can be
interpreted in terms of Kendall's . For example, the marginal
correlations among the repeated binary outcomes can decline with increasing
time separation, while the model retains the property of having matching
conditional and marginal logit link functions. Finally, the proposed method is
used to analyze data from a longitudinal study designed to monitor cardiac
abnormalities in children born to HIV-infected women.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS390 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Impact of an educational video as a consent tool on knowledge about cure research among patients and caregivers at HIV clinics in South Africa
Background: Despite increasing access to antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries, only 54% of eligible individuals were receiving treatment in Africa by 2015. Recent developments in HIV cure research have been encouraging. However, the complex science and procedures of cure research render the informed consent process challenging.
Objective: This study evaluates the impact of a video tool on educating participants about HIV cure.
Methods: A questionnaire assessing the content of the video was administered to adults recruited from two clinics in South Africa. Patients and their care partners, who provided voluntary informed consent, were included in the study. The questionnaire was administered in each participant‘s home language before, immediately after and at 3 months after viewing the video, in an uncontrolled quasi-experimental ‘one group pre-test–post-test’ design. Scoring was carried out according to a predetermined scoring grid, with a maximum score of 22.
Results: A total of 88 participants, median age 32.0 years and 86% female, were enrolled and completed the pre- and post-video questionnaires. Twenty-nine (33%) completed the follow-up questionnaire 3 months later to assess retention of knowledge. Sixty-three (72%) participants had a known HIV-positive status. A significant increase (10.1 vs 15.1, P=0.001) in knowledge about HIV and HIV cure immediately after viewing the video was noted. No statistically significant difference in knowledge between HIV-positive and -negative patients was noted at baseline. After 3 months, a decrease in performance participation (14 vs 13.5, P=0.19) was noted. However, knowledge scores achieved after 3 months remained significantly higher than scores at baseline (13.5 vs 9.5, P<0.01).
Conclusions: This research showed that a video intervention improved participants’ knowledge related to HIV, HIV cure research and ethics, and the improvement was sustained over 3 months. Video intervention may be a useful tool to add to the consent process when dealing with complex medical research questions
Laser slowing of CaF molecules to near the capture velocity of a molecular MOT
Laser slowing of CaF molecules down to the capture velocity of a
magneto-optical trap (MOT) for molecules is achieved. Starting from a two-stage
buffer gas beam source, we apply frequency-broadened "white-light" slowing and
observe approximately 6x10^4 CaF molecules with velocities near 10\,m/s. CaF is
a candidate for collisional studies in the mK regime. This work represents a
significant step towards magneto-optical trapping of CaF
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