Far-infrared-to-centimeter-wave spectroscopicobservations of <em>Planck</em>-selected starburst galaxies

Star-formation processes in the early Universe have had a dramatic influence on the further development of galaxies. The peak era for stellar production occurred in early cosmic times, and most of the stars that could have formed in the Universe had already taken place during these times. The physical properties of the cold molecular gas are still poorly investigated, yet this gas serves as a primary fuel to sustain such on-going star-formation. This thesis presents detailed analyses of the turbulent molecular gas and dust in some of the most rare and extreme star-forming galaxies in the early Universe. These systems will likely become massive galaxies with more than 100 billion solar masses, and may reside in centers of local galaxy cluster environments. The Milky Way galaxy has been evolving for more than 10 billion years, with a current star-formation rate of about two solar masses per year. Dusty star-forming galaxies have extreme star formation rates, forming 100 to 1000 times the amount of stars, and existed primarily between two to four billion years after the initial conditions of the Universe. Studying such galaxies during these early cosmic times is an important way to better understand the star formation history of the Universe. It is well known that such star-forming galaxies have molecular gas mass to stellar mass fractions up to 50-80% or more. This is 5 - 10 times the amount of molecular gas available to form stars for most local star-forming galaxies. The largely unknown nature of the gas excitation conditions are due to observational limitations and the distant nature of these objects, yet radio/(sub)mm technology has been rapidly advancing the past twenty years. Some of these observational limitations were avoided in this thesis work by exploiting the natural magnification which occurs due to strong gravitational lensing. The galaxies examined in this thesis are along the line of sight with an intervening foreground galaxy, which results in this lensing effect. This effect amplifies the apparent flux density of the background, lensed galaxy, reducing telescope integration times. This thesis focuses on 24 lensed, dusty star-forming galaxies identified by the Planck satellite telescope, each with an inferred star formation rate of about 1000 times the Milky Way value. Radio-to-millimeter spectroscopic observations and analyses of carbon and carbon monoxide (CO) emission lines were used to address the nature of the gas supply. The core of this thesis work includes the modelling of the gas excitation conditions using 162 CO, and 37 atomic carbon, emission lines in this sample of 24 galaxies. This is the largest CO and carbon line study of any sample of distant, star-forming galaxies, and contributes to roughly 15-20% of all such line detections published to-date. The modelling procedure follows a novel approach to simultaneously model all emission lines and the dust continuum radiation field. Overall, these Planck-selected galaxies are some of the most gas-rich, infrared luminous galaxies ever observed. The high values for the surface density of molecular gas mass and IR luminosity suggest that both mechanical feedback from stars, combined with the accretion of intergalactic gas, are involved in the total gas excitation. Our results are consistent with theoretical models of turbulent motions regulating the molecular gas conditions within star-forming galaxies. This thesis work therefore helps to better understand the average gas conditions for the most massive star-forming galaxies in the early Universe as they were rapidly forming

Deciphering the Atmospheric Composition of WASP-12b: A Comprehensive Analysis of its Dayside Emission

WASP-12b was the first planet reported to have a carbon-to-oxygen ratio (C/O) greater than one in its dayside atmosphere. However, recent work to further characterize its atmosphere and confirm its composition has led to incompatible measurements and divergent conclusions. Additionally, the recent discovery of stellar binary companions ~1" from WASP-12 further complicates the analyses and subsequent interpretations. We present a uniform analysis of all available Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescope secondary-eclipse data, including previously-unpublished Spitzer measurements at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. The primary controversy in the literature has centered on the value and interpretation of the eclipse depth at 4.5 microns. Our new measurements and analyses confirm the shallow eclipse depth in this channel, as first reported by Campo and collaborators and used by Madhusudhan and collaborators to infer a carbon-rich composition. To explain WASP-12b's observed dayside emission spectrum, we implemented several recent retrieval approaches. We find that when we exclude absorption due to C2H2 and HCN, which are not universally considered in the literature, our models require implausibly large atmospheric CO2 abundances, regardless of the C/O. By including C2H2 and HCN in our models, we find that a physically-plausible carbon-rich solution achieves the best fit to the available photometric and spectroscopic data. In comparison, the best-fit oxygen-rich models have abundances that are inconsistent with the chemical equilibrium expectations for hydrogen-dominated atmospheres and are 670 times less probable. Our best-fit solution is also 7.3*10^{6} times more probable than an isothermal blackbody model.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

From the Bench to Bedside: Biological and Methodology Considerations for the Future of Companion Diagnostics in Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer

Companion diagnostics are an emerging and exciting field in the care of oncology patients. These tests accompany standard diagnostic investigations in cancer patients and function as an aid in treatment decision making. A great number of new compounds are under clinical and laboratory testing in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As the variety of therapeutic options expands in the various settings of the disease, it becomes apparent that specific and sensitive molecular tests are necessary to define the subsets of patients who are going to derive clinical benefit. Testing for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) somatic mutations for the appropriate administration of tyrosine kinase inhibitors is just the beginning. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion protein detection and molecular histology classification are promising candidate predictors for clinical benefit from crizotinib and pemetrexed, respectively. This paper summarizes such diagnostics and discusses unanswered questions concerning underlying biology and standardization issues

Improving I.S. student Engagement and Perceived Course Value

This study investigated the relationships among course organization, active learning assignments, perceived course value, and student engagement. The study relied on constructs from previous studies to measure value, engagement, and course organization. A new construct of active learning assignments was specially designed for this study. Statistically significant findings were observed between course organization, active learning assignments, perceived course value, and student engagement. The use of active learning assignments has a strong positive relationship with students’ perception of course value and course engagement. Likewise, there is a positive correlation between course organization and students’ perception of course value and course engagement

Evidence-Based Treatment Options in Recurrent and/or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

The major development of the past decade in the first-line treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) was the introduction of cetuximab in combination with platinum plus 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy (CT), followed by maintenance cetuximab (the EXTREME regimen). This regimen is supported by a phase 3 randomized trial and subsequent observational studies, and it confers well-documented survival benefits, with median survival ranging between approximately 10 and 14 months, overall response rates between 36 and 44%, and disease control rates of over 80%. Furthermore, as indicated by patient-reported outcome measures, the addition of cetuximab to platinum-based CT leads to a significant reduction in pain and problems with social eating and speech. Conversely, until very recently, there has been a lack of evidence-based second-line treatment options, and the therapies that have been available have shown low response rates and poor survival outcomes. Presently, a promising new treatment option in R/M SCCHN has emerged: immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which have demonstrated favorable results in second-line clinical trials. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab are the first two ICIs that were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. We note that the trials that showed benefit with ICIs included not only patients who previously received ≥1 platinum-based regimens for R/M SCCHN but also patients who experienced recurrence within 6 months after combined modality therapy with a platinum agent for locally advanced disease. In this review, we outline the available clinical and observational evidence for the EXTREME regimen and the initial results from clinical trials for ICIs in patients with R/M SCCHN. We propose that these treatment options can be integrated into a new continuum of care paradigm, with first-line EXTREME regimen followed by second-line ICIs. A number of ongoing clinical trials are comparing regimens with ICIs, alone and in combination with other ICIs or CT, with the EXTREME regimen for first-line treatment of R/M SCCHN. As we eagerly await the results of these trials, the EXTREME regimen remains the standard of care for the first-line treatment of R/M SCCHN