534 research outputs found

    Stimulation magnétique transcrânienne répétée : efficacité et tolérance dans le traitement des dépressions chez le sujet âgé

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    International audienceAu fur et à mesure des études, les données suggérant l'efficacité de la Stimulation Magnétique Transcranienne répétée dans le traitement des dépressions chez les patients âgés se complètent, en dépit de quelques résultats contradictoires. Plusieurs paramètres pourraient être associés avec une efficacité antidépressive de la stimulation haute fréquence du cortex préfrontal dorso-latéral gauche : intensité de la stimulation supérieure à 90 %, voire 110 % du seuil moteur, nombre de stimulations par session supérieur à 1 000, nombre total de jours de traitement supérieur à dix. En revanche, un âge plus élevé où l'existence de certaines lésions cérébrales semblent liées à une moindre réponse. Enfin, la tolérance de la SMTr, notamment au niveau des fonctions cognitives, paraît excellente, y compris chez des patients fragiles, notamment du fait d'une maladie cérébro-vasculaire

    Extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around A-F type stars - VII. Theta Cygni radial velocity variations: planets or stellar phenomenon?

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    (abridged) In the frame of the search for extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around early-type main-sequence stars, we present the results obtained on the early F-type star Theta Cygni. Elodie and Sophie at OHP were used to obtain the spectra. Our dedicated radial-velocity measurement method was used to monitor the star's radial velocities over five years. We also use complementary, high angular resolution and high-contrast images taken with PUEO at CFHT. We show that Theta Cygni radial velocities are quasi-periodically variable, with a ~150-day period. These variations are not due to the ~0.35-Msun stellar companion that we detected in imaging at more than 46 AU from the star. The absence of correlation between the bisector velocity span variations and the radial velocity variations for this 7 km/s vsini star, as well as other criteria indicate that the observed radial velocity variations are not due to stellar spots. The observed amplitude of the bisector velocity span variations also seems to rule out stellar pulsations. However, we observe a peak in the bisector velocity span periodogram at the same period as the one found in the radial velocity periodogram, which indicates a probable link between these radial velocity variations and the low amplitude lineshape variations which are of stellar origin. Long-period variations are not expected from this type of star to our knowledge. If a stellar origin (hence of new type) was to be confirmed for these long-period radial velocity variations, this would have several consequences on the search for planets around main-sequence stars, both in terms of observational strategy and data analysis. An alternative explanation for these variable radial velocities is the presence of at least one planet of a few Jupiter masses orbiting at less than 1 AU. (abridged)Comment: 9 pages, accepted in A

    Tumor-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Use Distinct Mechanisms to Block the Activity of Natural Killer Cell Subsets.

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    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) display pleiotropic functions, which include secretion of soluble factors with immunosuppressive activity implicated in cancer progression. We compared the immunomodulatory effects on natural killer (NK) cells of paired intratumor (T)- and adjacent non-tumor tissue (N)-derived MSCs from patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCC). We observed that T-MSCs were more strongly immunosuppressive than N-MSCs and affected both NK function and phenotype, as defined by CD56 expression. T-MSCs shifted NK cells toward the CD56 <sup>dim</sup> phenotype and differentially modulated CD56 <sup>bright/dim</sup> subset functions. Whereas MSCs affected both degranulation and activating receptor expression in the CD56 <sup>dim</sup> subset, they primarily inhibited interferon-γ production in the CD56 <sup>bright</sup> subset. Pharmacological inhibition of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis and, in some MSCs, interleukin-6 (IL-6) activity restored NK function, whereas NK cell stimulation by PGE2 alone mimicked T-MSC-mediated immunosuppression. Our observations provide insight into how stromal responses to cancer dampen NK cell activity in human lung SCC

    Exciton-assisted optomechanics with suspended carbon nanotubes

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    We propose a framework for inducing strong optomechanical effects in a suspended carbon nanotube based on deformation potential exciton-phonon coupling. The excitons are confined using an inhomogeneous axial electric field which generates optically active quantum dots with a level spacing in the milli-electronvolt range and a characteristic size in the 10-nanometer range. A transverse field induces a tunable parametric coupling between the quantum dot and the flexural modes of the nanotube mediated by electron-phonon interactions. We derive the corresponding excitonic deformation potentials and show that this interaction enables efficient optical ground-state cooling of the fundamental mode and could allow us to realise the strong and ultra-strong coupling regimes of the Jaynes-Cummings and Rabi models.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figure

    Extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around A--F type stars. VIII. A giant planet orbiting the young star HD113337

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    In the frame of the search for extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs around early-type main-sequence stars, we present the detection of a giant planet around the young F-type star HD113337. We estimated the age of the system to be 150 +100/-50 Myr. Interestingly, an IR excess attributed to a cold debris disk was previously detected on this star. The SOPHIE spectrograph on the 1.93m telescope at Observatoire de Haute-Provence was used to obtain ~300 spectra over 6 years. We used our SAFIR tool, dedicated to the spectra analysis of A and F stars, to derive the radial velocity variations. The data reveal a 324.0 +1.7/-3.3 days period that we attribute to a giant planet with a minimum mass of 2.83 +- 0.24 Mjup in an eccentric orbit with e=0.46 +- 0.04. A long-term quadratic drift, that we assign to be probably of stellar origin, is superimposed to the Keplerian solution.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

    The Eccentricity-Mass Distribution of Exoplanets: Signatures of Different Formation Mechanisms?

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    We examine the distributions of eccentricity and host star metallicity of exoplanets as a function of their mass. Planets with M sin i >~ 4 M_J have an eccentricity distribution consistent with that of binary stars, while planets with M sin i <~ 4 M_J are less eccentric than binary stars and more massive planets. In addition, host star metallicities decrease with planet mass. The statistical significance of both of these trends is only marginal with the present sample of exoplanets. To account for these trends, we hypothesize that there are two populations of gaseous planets: the low-mass population forms by gas accretion onto a rock-ice core in a circumstellar disk and is more abundant at high metalliticities, and the high-mass population forms directly by fragmentation of a pre-stellar cloud. Planets of the first population form in initially circular orbits and grow their eccentricities later, and may have a mass upper limit from the total mass of the disk that can be accreted by the core. The second population may have a mass lower limit resulting from opacity-limited fragmentation. This would roughly divide the two populations in mass, although they would likely overlap over some mass range. If most objects in the second population form before the pre-stellar cloud becomes highly opaque, they would have to be initially located in orbits larger than ~30 AU, and would need to migrate to the much smaller orbits in which they are observed. The higher mean orbital eccentricity of the second population might be caused by the larger required intervals of radial migration, and the brown dwarf desert might be due to the inability of high-mass brown dwarfs to migrate inwards sufficiently in radius.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Version with expanded discussion section. Accepted for publication in A&

    Precise radial velocities of giant stars. IV. A correlation between surface gravity and radial velocity variation and a statistical investigation of companion properties

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    Since 1999, we have been conducting a radial velocity survey of 179 K giants using the CAT at UCO/Lick observatory. At present ~20-100 measurements have been collected per star with a precision of 5 to 8 m/s. Of the stars monitored, 145 (80%) show radial velocity (RV) variations at a level >20 m/s, of which 43 exhibit significant periodicities. Our aim is to investigate possible mechanism(s) that cause these observed RV variations. We intend to test whether these variations are intrinsic in nature, or possibly induced by companions, or both. In addition, we aim to characterise the parameters of these companions. A relation between log g and the amplitude of the RV variations is investigated for all stars in the sample. Furthermore, the hypothesis that all periodic RV variations are caused by companions is investigated by comparing their inferred orbital statistics with the statistics of companions around main sequence stars. A strong relation is found between the amplitude of the RV variations and log g in K giant stars, as suggested earlier by Hatzes & Cochran (1998). However, most of the stars exhibiting periodic variations are located above this relation. These RV variations can be split in a periodic component which is not correlated with log g and a random residual part which does correlate with log g. Compared to main-sequence stars, K giants frequently exhibit periodic RV variations. Interpreting these RV variations as being caused by companions, the orbital param eters are different from the companions orbiting dwarfs. Intrinsic mechanisms play an important role in producing RV variations in K giants stars, as suggested by their dependence on log g. However, it appears that periodic RV variations are additional to these intrinsic variations, consistent with them being caused by companions.Comment: 10 pages, accepted by A&

    Continuous-wave frequency upconversion with a molecular optomechanical nanocavity

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    [EN] Coherent upconversion of terahertz and mid-infrared signals into visible light opens new horizons for spectroscopy, imaging, and sensing but represents a challenge for conventional nonlinear optics. Here, we used a plasmonic nanocavity hosting a few hundred molecules to demonstrate optomechanical transduction of submicrowatt continuous-wave signals from the mid-infrared (32 terahertz) onto the visible domain at ambient conditions. The incoming field resonantly drives a collective molecular vibration, which imprints a coherent modulation on a visible pump laser and results in upconverted Raman sidebands with subnatural linewidth. Our dual-band nanocavity offers an estimated 13 orders of magnitude enhancement in upconversion efficiency per molecule. Our results demonstrate that molecular cavity optomechanics is a flexible paradigm for frequency conversion leveraging tailorable molecular and plasmonic properties.This work received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement nos. 829067 (FET Open THOR), 820196 (ERC CoG QTONE), and 732894 (HOT). C.G. acknowledges support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (project nos. 170684 and 198898). This work is part of the research program of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). A.I.B. acknowledges financial support by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.Chen, W.; Roelli, P.; Hu, H.; Verlekar, S.; Amirtharaj, SP.; Barreda, ÁI.; Kippenberg, TJ.... (2021). Continuous-wave frequency upconversion with a molecular optomechanical nanocavity. Science. 374:1264-1267. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abk31061264126737

    Refined parameters and spectroscopic transit of the super-massive planet HD147506b

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    In this paper, we report a refined determination of the orbital parameters and the detection of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of the recently discovered transiting exoplanet HD147506b (HAT-P-2b). The large orbital eccentricity at the short orbital period of this exoplanet is unexpected and is distinguishing from other known transiting exoplanets. We performed high-precision radial velocity spectroscopic observations of HD147506 (HAT-P-2) with the new spectrograph SOPHIE, mounted on the 1.93 m telescope at the Haute-Provence observatory (OHP). We obtained 63 new measurements, including 35 on May 14 and 20 on June 11, when the planet was transiting its parent star. The radial velocity (RV) anomaly observed illustrates that HAT-P-2b orbital motion is set in the same direction as its parent star spin. The sky-projected angle between the normal of the orbital plane and the stellar spin axis, \lambda = 0.2 +12.2 -12.5 deg, is consistent with zero. The planetary and stellar radii were re-determined, yielding R_p = 0.951 +0.039 -0.053 R_Jup, R_s = 1.416 +0.040 -0.062 R_Sun. The mass M_p = 8.62 +0.39 -0.55 M_Jup and radius of HAT-P-2b indicate a density of 12.5 +2.6 -3.6 g cm^{-3}, suggesting an object in between the known close-in planets with typical density of the order of 1 g cm^{-3}, and the very low-mass stars, with density greater than 50 g cm^{-3}.Comment: Submitted to A&A; V2: Replaced by accepted versio
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