91 research outputs found
The GALFA-HI Compact Cloud Catalog
We present a catalog of 1964 isolated, compact neutral hydrogen clouds from
the Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array Survey Data Release One (GALFA-HI DR1).
The clouds were identified by a custom machine-vision algorithm utilizing
Difference of Gaussian kernels to search for clouds smaller than 20'. The
clouds have velocities typically between |VLSR| = 20-400 km/s, linewidths of
2.5-35 km/s, and column densities ranging from 1 - 35 x 10^18 cm^-2. The
distances to the clouds in this catalog may cover several orders of magnitude,
so the masses may range from less than a Solar mass for clouds within the
Galactic disc, to greater than 10^4 Solar Masses for HVCs at the tip of the
Magellanic Stream. To search for trends, we separate the catalog into five
populations based on position, velocity, and linewidth: high velocity clouds
(HVCs); galaxy candidates; cold low velocity clouds (LVCs); warm, low
positive-velocity clouds in the third Galactic Quadrant; and the remaining warm
LVCs. The observed HVCs are found to be associated with previously-identified
HVC complexes. We do not observe a large population of isolated clouds at high
velocities as some models predict. We see evidence for distinct histories at
low velocities in detecting populations of clouds corotating with the Galactic
disc and a set of clouds that is not corotating.Comment: 34 Pages, 9 Figures, published in ApJ (2012, ApJ, 758, 44), this
version has the corrected fluxes and corresponding flux histogram and masse
Searches After Gravitational-waves Using ARizona Observatories (SAGUARO): System Overview and First Results from Advanced LIGO/Virgo's Third Observing Run
We present Searches After Gravitational-waves Using ARizona Observatories
(SAGUARO), a comprehensive effort dedicated to the discovery and
characterization of optical counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) events.
SAGUARO utilizes ground-based facilities ranging from 1.5m to 10m in diameter,
located primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. We provide an overview of
SAGUARO's telescopic resources, pipeline for transient detection, and database
for candidate visualization. We describe SAGUARO's discovery component, which
utilizes the ~deg field-of-view optical imager on the Mt. Lemmon 1.5m
telescope, reaching limits of ~AB mag while rapidly tiling large
areas. We also describe the follow-up component of SAGUARO, used for rapid
vetting and monitoring of optical candidates. With the onset of Advanced
LIGO/Virgo's third observing run, we present results from the first three
SAGUARO searches following the GW events S190408an, S190425z and S190426c,
which serve as a valuable proof-of-concept of SAGUARO. We triggered and
searched 15, 60 and 60 deg respectively, 17.6, 1.4 and 41.8 hrs after the
initial GW alerts. We covered 7.8, 3.0 and 5.1\% of the total probability
within the GW event localizations, reaching 3 limits of 19.8, 21.3 and
20.8 AB mag, respectively. Although no viable counterparts associated with
these events were found, we recovered 6 known transients and ruled out 5
potential candidates. We also present Large Binocular Telescope spectroscopy of
PS19eq/SN2019ebq, a promising kilonova candidate that was later determined to
be a supernova. With the ability to tile large areas and conduct detailed
follow-up, SAGUARO represents a significant addition to GW counterpart
searches.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Accepted to ApJ
Changes in the Provision of Institutionalized Mental Health Care in Post-Communist Countries
PMCID: PMC3371010This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Inhibition of Gastric Lipase as a Mechanism for Body Weight and Plasma Lipids Reduction in Zucker Rats Fed a Rosemary Extract Rich in Carnosic Acid
BACKGROUND: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extracts (REs) exhibit hepatoprotective, anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory properties and are widely used in the food industry. REs are rich in carnosic acid (CA) and carnosol which may be responsible for some of the biological activities of REs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether inhibition of lipase activity in the gut may be a mechanism by which a RE enriched in CA (40%) modulates body weight and lipids levels in a rat model of metabolic disorders and obesity. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RE was administered for 64 days to lean (fa/+) and obese (fa/fa) female Zucker rats and body weight, food intake, feces weight and blood biochemical parameters were monitored throughout the study. Lipase activity (hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylbutyrate) was measured in the gastrointestinal tract at the end of the study and the contents of CA, carnosol and methyl carnosate were also determined. Sub-chronic administration of RE moderately reduced body weight gain in both lean and obese animals but did not affect food intake. Serum triglycerides, cholesterol and insulin levels were also markedly decreased in the lean animals supplemented with RE. Importantly, lipase activity was significantly inhibited in the stomach of the RE-supplemented animals where the highest content of intact CA and carnosol was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that long-term administration of RE enriched in CA moderates weight gain and improves the plasma lipids profile, primarily in the lean animals. Our data also suggest that these effects may be caused, at least in part, by a significant inhibition of gastric lipase and subsequent reduction in fat absorption
Understanding the circumgalactic medium is critical for understanding galaxy evolution
Galaxies evolve under the influence of gas flows between their interstellar
medium and their surrounding gaseous halos known as the circumgalactic medium
(CGM). The CGM is a major reservoir of galactic baryons and metals, and plays a
key role in the long cycles of accretion, feedback, and recycling of gas that
drive star formation. In order to fully understand the physical processes at
work within galaxies, it is therefore essential to have a firm understanding of
the composition, structure, kinematics, thermodynamics, and evolution of the
CGM. In this white paper we outline connections between the CGM and galactic
star formation histories, internal kinematics, chemical evolution, quenching,
satellite evolution, dark matter halo occupation, and the reionization of the
larger-scale intergalactic medium in light of the advances that will be made on
these topics in the 2020s. We argue that, in the next decade, fundamental
progress on all of these major issues depends critically on improved empirical
characterization and theoretical understanding of the CGM. In particular, we
discuss how future advances in spatially-resolved CGM observations at high
spectral resolution, broader characterization of the CGM across galaxy mass and
redshift, and expected breakthroughs in cosmological hydrodynamic simulations
will help resolve these major problems in galaxy evolution.Comment: Astro2020 Decadal Science White Pape
Decline in subarachnoid haemorrhage volumes associated with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, decreased volumes of stroke admissions and mechanical thrombectomy were reported. The study\u27s objective was to examine whether subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) hospitalisations and ruptured aneurysm coiling interventions demonstrated similar declines.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective, observational study across 6 continents, 37 countries and 140 comprehensive stroke centres. Patients with the diagnosis of SAH, aneurysmal SAH, ruptured aneurysm coiling interventions and COVID-19 were identified by prospective aneurysm databases or by International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, codes. The 3-month cumulative volume, monthly volumes for SAH hospitalisations and ruptured aneurysm coiling procedures were compared for the period before (1 year and immediately before) and during the pandemic, defined as 1 March-31 May 2020. The prior 1-year control period (1 March-31 May 2019) was obtained to account for seasonal variation.
FINDINGS: There was a significant decline in SAH hospitalisations, with 2044 admissions in the 3 months immediately before and 1585 admissions during the pandemic, representing a relative decline of 22.5% (95% CI -24.3% to -20.7%, p\u3c0.0001). Embolisation of ruptured aneurysms declined with 1170-1035 procedures, respectively, representing an 11.5% (95%CI -13.5% to -9.8%, p=0.002) relative drop. Subgroup analysis was noted for aneurysmal SAH hospitalisation decline from 834 to 626 hospitalisations, a 24.9% relative decline (95% CI -28.0% to -22.1%, p\u3c0.0001). A relative increase in ruptured aneurysm coiling was noted in low coiling volume hospitals of 41.1% (95% CI 32.3% to 50.6%, p=0.008) despite a decrease in SAH admissions in this tertile.
INTERPRETATION: There was a relative decrease in the volume of SAH hospitalisations, aneurysmal SAH hospitalisations and ruptured aneurysm embolisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings in SAH are consistent with a decrease in other emergencies, such as stroke and myocardial infarction
The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies,
expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling
for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least .
With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000
people realized that vision as the James Webb Space Telescope. A
generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of
the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the
scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000
team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image
quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief
history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing
program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite
detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space
Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure
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