The Megamaser Cosmology Project. III. Accurate Masses of Seven Supermassive Black Holes in Active Galaxies with Circumnuclear Megamaser Disks

Observations of H$_2$O masers from circumnuclear disks in active galaxies for the Megamaser Cosmology Project allow accurate measurement of the mass of supermassive black holes (BH) in these galaxies. We present the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) images and kinematics of water maser emission in six active galaxies: NGC~1194, NGC~2273, NGC~2960 (Mrk~1419), NGC~4388, NGC~6264 and NGC~6323. We use the Keplerian rotation curves of these six megamaser galaxies, plus a seventh previously published, to determine accurate enclosed masses within the central $\sim0.3$ pc of these galaxies, smaller than the radius of the sphere of influence of the central mass in all cases. We also set lower limits to the central mass densities of between 0.12 and 60 $\times 10^{10} M_{\odot}$~pc$^{-3}$. For six of the seven disks, the high central densities rule out clusters of stars or stellar remnants as the central objects, and this result further supports our assumption that the enclosed mass can be attributed predominantly to a supermassive black hole. The seven BHs have masses ranging between 0.76 and 6.5$\times$10$^7 M_{\odot}$. The BH mass errors are $\approx11$\%, dominated by the uncertainty of the Hubble constant. We compare the megamaser BH mass determination with other BH mass measurement techniques. The BH mass based on virial estimation in four galaxies is consistent with the megamaser BH mass given the latest empirical value of $\langle f \rangle$, but the virial mass uncertainty is much greater. MCP observations continue and we expect to obtain more maser BH masses in the future.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures. This paper has been submitted to ApJ. An updated version of this paper will be posted when it gets accepte

Temperature Sensitive Nanocapsule of Complex Structural Form for Methane Storage

The processes of methane adsorption, storage and desorption by the nanocapsule are investigated with molecular-dynamic modeling method. The specific nanocapsule shape defines its functioning uniqueness: methane is adsorbed under 40 MPa and at normal temperature with further blocking of methane molecules the K@C601+ endohedral complex in the nanocapsule by external electric field, the storage is performed under normal external conditions, and methane desorption is performed at 350 K. The methane content in the nanocapsule during storage reaches 11.09 mass%. The nanocapsule consists of tree parts: storage chamber, junction and blocking chamber. The storage chamber comprises the nanotube (20,20). The blocking chamber is a short nanotube (20,20) with three holes. The junction consists of the nanotube (10,10) and nanotube (8,8); moreover, the nanotube (8,8) is connected with the storage chamber and nanotube (10,10) with the blocking chamber. The blocking chamber is opened and closed by the transfer of the K@C601+ endohedral complex under electrostatic field action

Maternal fecal microbiome predicts gestational age, birth weight and neonatal growth in rural Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth and low birth weight (LBW) affect one in ten and one in seven livebirths, respectively, primarily in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) and are major predictors of poor child health outcomes. However, both have been recalcitrant to public health intervention. The maternal intestinal microbiome may undergo substantial changes during pregnancy and may influence fetal and neonatal health in LMIC populations. METHODS: Within a subgroup of 207 mothers and infants enrolled in the SHINE trial in rural Zimbabwe, we performed shotgun metagenomics on 351 fecal specimens provided during pregnancy and at 1-month post-partum to investigate the relationship between the pregnancy gut microbiome and infant gestational age, birth weight, 1-month length-, and weight-for-age z-scores using extreme gradient boosting machines. FINDINGS: Pregnancy gut microbiome taxa and metabolic functions predicted birth weight and WAZ at 1 month more accurately than gestational age and LAZ. Blastoscystis sp, Brachyspira sp and Treponeme carriage were high compared to Western populations. Resistant starch-degraders were important predictors of birth outcomes. Microbiome capacity for environmental sensing, vitamin B metabolism, and signalling predicted increased infant birth weight and neonatal growth; while functions involved in biofilm formation in response to nutrient starvation predicted reduced birth weight and growth. INTERPRETATION: The pregnancy gut microbiome in rural Zimbabwe is characterized by resistant starch-degraders and may be an important metabolic target to improve birth weight. FUNDING: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, US National Institutes of Health, and UNICEF

Work done in the margins:A comparative study of mental health literacy in pre-service teacher education in Australia and in Scotland

Ensuring pre-service teachers have strong mental health literacy is vital for progress towards an inclusive, effective education system; yet little is known about how pre-service teachers are prepared for practice with school students who present with poor mental health. The original, internationally comparative small-scale (N = 24) qualitative study reported here compared current mental health literacy provision to pre-service teacher education students in Scotland and Australia. Semi-structured telephone interviews with teacher educators who delivered mental health content divulged highly variable, often ad-hoc mental health literacy provision; a concern, given the prevalence of poor mental health affecting children and young people in schools. Thematic data analysis revealed striking commonalities among issues raised by participants from both countries, highlighting the need for urgent improvement in the provision of mental health literacy to pre-service teachers. Results suggest the possibility of strategically developing a joint Australian-Scottish mental health component suitable for delivery in both countries

Geographically touring the eastern bloc: British geography, travel cultures and the Cold War

This paper considers the role of travel in the generation of geographical knowledge of the eastern bloc by British geographers. Based on oral history and surveys of published work, the paper examines the roles of three kinds of travel experience: individual private travels, tours via state tourist agencies, and tours by academic delegations. Examples are drawn from across the eastern bloc, including the USSR, Poland, Romania, East Germany and Albania. The relationship between travel and publication is addressed, notably within textbooks, and in the Geographical Magazine. The study argues for the extension of accounts of cultures of geographical travel, and seeks to supplement the existing historiography of Cold War geography

The hearing of fitness to practice cases by the General Medical Council: Current trends and future research agendas

Over the last three decades a risk-based model of medical regulation has emerged in the United Kingdom. To promote a risk-averse operational culture of transparency and professional accountability the regulatory state has intervened in medical governance and introduced best-evidenced practice frameworks, audit and performance appraisal, Against this background the paper analyses descriptive statistical data pertaining to the General Medical Council’s management of the process by which fitness to practice complaints against doctors are dealt with from initial receipt through to subsequent investigative and adjudication stages. Statistical trends are outlined regarding complaint data in relation to a doctor’s gender and race and ethnicity. The data shows that there has been an increase in rehabilitative and/or punitive action against doctors. In light of its findings the paper considers what the long-term consequences may be, for both patients and doctors, of the increasing use of risk-averse administrative systems to reform medical regulation and ensure professional accountability

Theorising variation in engagement in professional and curriculum development: performativity, capital, systems and purpose

Increasingly, policymakers seek to improve the quality of teaching through curriculum innovations and continuing professional development (CPD) programmes. However, engagement by schools and teachers varies due to mediating influences of neoliberal policies. In this article, we contribute to understanding how these tendencies affect participation. Problematising the notion of context, we examine ways in which systemic influences interacted with participation in a government-funded mathematics professional and curriculum development programme and also with participants’ purposes. A 3-level clustered Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) and an implementation and process evaluation were augmented by in-depth case studies, cross-case analysis and the application of theoretical constructs to interpret findings. Theories of capital, figured worlds and systemic coupling are utilised to theorise context. Different levels of engagement are partly explainable by: the interaction of schools' relative systemic advantage and disadvantage; their orientation and coupling to performativity regimes; and the alignment or dissonance between continuing professional development or change programmes and the pedagogical and CPD cultures and purposes of the ‘actors’ (schools, departments and teachers). Performativity concerns restricted what were considered legitimate outcomes in some case study schools. This depended on teachers and schools' positioning in terms of relative degrees of systemic privilege or disadvantage - understood as economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital - and also in terms of figured worlds and system coupling. The case studies provide insights into how collaborative professional learning can be fostered more productively. Methodologically, we demonstrate the power of combining methodologies and applying explanatory social theory to augment quasi-experimental paradigms

Genome-wide fitness analyses of the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni in in vitro and in vivo models.

Campylobacter is the most common cause of foodborne bacterial illness worldwide. Faecal contamination of meat, especially chicken, during processing represents a key route of transmission to humans. There is a lack of insight into the mechanisms driving C. jejuni growth and survival within hosts and the environment. Here, we report a detailed analysis of C. jejuni fitness across models reflecting stages in its life cycle. Transposon (Tn) gene-inactivation libraries were generated in three C. jejuni strains and the impact on fitness during chicken colonisation, survival in houseflies and under nutrient-rich and -poor conditions at 4 °C and infection of human gut epithelial cells was assessed by Tn-insertion site sequencing (Tn-seq). A total of 331 homologous gene clusters were essential for fitness during in vitro growth in three C. jejuni strains, revealing that a large part of its genome is dedicated to growth. We report novel C. jejuni factors essential throughout its life cycle. Importantly, we identified genes that fulfil important roles across multiple conditions. Our comprehensive screens showed which flagella elements are essential for growth and which are vital to the interaction with host organisms. Future efforts should focus on how to exploit this knowledge to effectively control infections caused by C. jejuni.This work was funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk) grant BB/K004514/1. D.P.W. was funded by a Wellcome Trust (https://wellcome.ac.uk) Infection and Immunity PhD rotation studentship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Collective dynamics of active cytoskeletal networks

Self organization mechanisms are essential for the cytoskeleton to adapt to the requirements of living cells. They rely on the intricate interplay of cytoskeletal filaments, crosslinking proteins and molecular motors. Here we present an in vitro minimal model system consisting of actin filaments, fascin and myosin-II filaments exhibiting pulsative collective long range dynamics. The reorganizations in the highly dynamic steady state of the active gel are characterized by alternating periods of runs and stalls resulting in a superdiffusive dynamics of the network's constituents. They are dominated by the complex competition of crosslinking molecules and motor filaments in the network: Collective dynamics are only observed if the relative strength of the binding of myosin-II filaments to the actin network allows exerting high enough forces to unbind actin/fascin crosslinks. The feedback between structure formation and dynamics can be resolved by combining these experiments with phenomenological simulations based on simple interaction rules