175 research outputs found
Interstellar Scintillation Observations of 146 Extragalactic Radio Sources
From 1979--1996 the Green Bank Interferometer was used by the Naval Research
Laboratory to monitor the flux density from 146 compact radio sources at
frequencies near 2 and 8 GHz. We filter the ``light curves'' to separate
intrinsic variations on times of a year or more from more rapid interstellar
scintilation (ISS) on times of 5--50 d. Whereas the intrinsic variation at 2
GHz is similar to that at 8 GHz (though diminished in amplitude), the ISS
variation is much stronger at 2 than at 8 GHz. We characterize the ISS
variation by an rms amplitude and a timescale and examine the statistics of
these parameters for the 121 sources with significant ISS at 2 GHz. We model
the scintillations using the NE2001 Galactic electron model assuming the
sources are brightness-limited.
We find the observed rms amplitude to be in general agreement with the model,
provided that the compact components of the sources have about 50% of their
flux density in a component with maximum brightness temperatures
--K. Thus our results are consistent with cm-wavelength VLBI
studies of compact AGNs, in that the maximum brightness temperatures found are
consistent with the inverse synchrotron limit at K, boosted
in jet configurations by Doppler factors up to about 20. The average of the
observed 2 GHz ISS timescales is in reasonable agreement with the model at
Galactic latitudes above about 10\de. At lower latitudes the observed
timescales are too fast, suggesting that the transverse plasma velocity
increases more than expected beyond about 1 kpc.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figures. Submitted to Ap
Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening Decision Making Processes
Introduction:
Although shared decision making is recommended for cancer screening, it is not routinely completed in practice because of time constraints. We evaluated a process for improving decision making about colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using mailed decision aids (DA) with follow-up telephone support in primary care practices.
Methods:
We identified patients aged 50-75 who were not up to date with CRC screening in three primary care practices. DA were distributed via mail with telephone follow-up to eligible patients, and charts were reviewed six months later for CRC screening completion.
Results:
Among 1,064 eligible patients who received the mailed DA, 513 (48.2%) were reached by phone. During the six months after the intervention, 148/1064 (13.9%) patients were screened for CRC (4.8% underwent FIT, 9.1% underwent colonoscopy). Younger patients (aged 50-54) had higher rates of any screening (32.4%) compared with all other age groups (range 12.8%-19.6%), p=0.026, while Medicaid patients had the lowest rates of screening (4.0%), and insured patients had the highest rates (45.3%), p=0.003. Overall, 113/513 (22.0%) who were reached by phone went on to complete screening within 6 months, compared with 35/551 (6.4%) of patients who were not reached by phone (p
Conclusion:
A standard process for identifying patients unscreened for CRC and DA distribution via mail with telephone decision support modestly increased CRC screening and is consistent with the goal of providing preference-sensitive care and informed decision making. Improving care processes to include decision support outside of office visits is possible in primary care practices
A possible jet precession in the periodic quasar B0605-085
The quasar B0605-085 (OH 010) shows a hint for probable periodical
variability in the radio total flux-density light curves. We study the possible
periodicity of B0605-085 in the total flux-density, spectra and opacity changes
in order to compare it with jet kinematics on parsec scales. We have analyzed
archival total flux-density variability at ten frequencies (408 MHz, 4.8 GHz,
6.7 GHz, 8 GHz, 10.7 GHz, 14.5 GHz, 22 GHz, 37 GHz, 90 GHz, and 230 GHz)
together with the archival high-resolution very long baseline interferometry
data at 15 GHz from the MOJAVE monitoring campaign. Using the Fourier transform
and discrete autocorrelation methods we have searched for periods in the total
flux-density light curves. In addition, spectral evolution and changes of the
opacity have been analyzed. We found a period in multi-frequency total
flux-density light curves of 7.9+-0.5 yrs. Moreover, a quasi-stationary jet
component C1 follows a prominent helical path on a similar time scale of 8
years. We have also found that the average instantaneous speeds of the jet
components show a clear helical pattern along the jet with a characteristic
scale of 3 mas. Taking into account average speeds of jet components, this
scale corresponds to a time scale of about 7.7 years. Jet precession can
explain the helical path of the quasi-stationary jet component C1 and the
periodical modulation of the total flux-density light curves. We have fitted a
precession model to the trajectory of the jet component C1, with a viewing
angle phi=2.6+-2.2 degrees, aperture angle of the precession cone
Omega=23.9+-1.9 degrees and fixed precession period (in the observers frame) P
= 7.9 yrs.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in A&
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Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria screening practice from UK centres: a report from the UK PNH network
Isolation of a natural DNA virus of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>, and characterisation of host resistance and immune responses
<div><p><i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> has played a key role in our understanding of invertebrate immunity. However, both functional and evolutionary studies of host-virus interaction in <i>Drosophila</i> have been limited by a dearth of native virus isolates. In particular, despite a long history of virus research, DNA viruses of <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i> have only recently been described, and none have been available for experimental study. Here we report the isolation and comprehensive characterisation of Kallithea virus, a large double-stranded DNA virus, and the first DNA virus to have been reported from wild populations of <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i>. We find that Kallithea virus infection is costly for adult flies, reaching high titres in both sexes and disproportionately reducing survival in males, and movement and late fecundity in females. Using the <i>Drosophila</i> Genetic Reference Panel, we quantify host genetic variance for virus-induced mortality and viral titre and identify candidate host genes that may underlie this variation, including <i>Cdc42-interacting protein 4</i>. Using full transcriptome sequencing of infected males and females, we examine the transcriptional response of flies to Kallithea virus infection and describe differential regulation of virus-responsive genes. This work establishes Kallithea virus as a new tractable model to study the natural interaction between <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i> and DNA viruses, and we hope it will serve as a basis for future studies of immune responses to DNA viruses in insects.</p></div
Domestic Water Demand During Droughts in Temperate Climates: Synthesising Evidence for an Integrated Framework
In the upcoming years, as the population is growing and ageing, as lifestyle changes create the need for more water and as fewer people live in each household, the UK water sector will have to deal with challenges in the provision of adequate water services. Unless critical action is taken, every area in the UK may face a supply-demand gap by the 2080s. Extreme weather events and variations that alter drought and flood frequency add to these pressures. However, little evidence is available about householders’ response to drought and there are few if any studies incorporating this evidence into models of demand forecasting. The present work lays the groundwork for modelling domestic water demand response under drought conditions in temperate climates. After discussing the current literature on estimating and forecasting domestic water consumption under both ‘normal’ and drought conditions, this paper identifies the limited ability of current domestic demand forecasting techniques to include the many different and evolving factors affecting domestic consumption and it stresses the need for the inclusion of inter and intra household factors as well as water use practices in future demand forecasting models
Validazione di Piani di Disaster Recovery mediante Simulatore
Contribution published online at: http://www.mimos.it/nuovo/contenuto_view.asp?check=10
The impact of viral mutations on recognition by SARS-CoV-2 specific TÂ cells.
We identify amino acid variants within dominant SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes by interrogating global sequence data. Several variants within nucleocapsid and ORF3a epitopes have arisen independently in multiple lineages and result in loss of recognition by epitope-specific T cells assessed by IFN-γ and cytotoxic killing assays. Complete loss of T cell responsiveness was seen due to Q213K in the A∗01:01-restricted CD8+ ORF3a epitope FTSDYYQLY207-215; due to P13L, P13S, and P13T in the B∗27:05-restricted CD8+ nucleocapsid epitope QRNAPRITF9-17; and due to T362I and P365S in the A∗03:01/A∗11:01-restricted CD8+ nucleocapsid epitope KTFPPTEPK361-369. CD8+ T cell lines unable to recognize variant epitopes have diverse T cell receptor repertoires. These data demonstrate the potential for T cell evasion and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance for variants capable of escaping T cell as well as humoral immunity.This work is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC); Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences(CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS), China; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, and UK Researchand Innovation (UKRI)/NIHR through the UK Coro-navirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC). Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 samples and collation of data wasundertaken by the COG-UK CONSORTIUM. COG-UK is supported by funding from the Medical ResearchCouncil (MRC) part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI),the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR),and Genome Research Limited, operating as the Wellcome Sanger Institute. T.I.d.S. is supported by a Well-come Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship (110058/Z/15/Z). L.T. is supported by the Wellcome Trust(grant number 205228/Z/16/Z) and by theUniversity of Liverpool Centre for Excellence in Infectious DiseaseResearch (CEIDR). S.D. is funded by an NIHR GlobalResearch Professorship (NIHR300791). L.T. and S.C.M.are also supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Medical Countermeasures Initiative contract75F40120C00085 and the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) inEmerging and Zoonotic Infections (NIHR200907) at University of Liverpool inpartnership with Public HealthEngland (PHE), in collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford.L.T. is based at the University of Liverpool. M.D.P. is funded by the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical ResearchCentre (BRC – IS-BRC-1215-20017). ISARIC4C is supported by the MRC (grant no MC_PC_19059). J.C.K.is a Wellcome Investigator (WT204969/Z/16/Z) and supported by NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centreand CIFMS. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or MRC
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