A weak spectral signature of water vapour in the atmosphere of HD 179949 b at high spectral resolution in the L band

High-resolution spectroscopy (⁠R⩾20000⁠) is currently the only known method to constrain the orbital solution and atmospheric properties of non-transiting hot Jupiters. It does so by resolving the spectral features of the planet into a forest of spectral lines and directly observing its Doppler shift while orbiting the host star. In this study, we analyse VLT/CRIRES (⁠R=100000⁠) L-band observations of the non-transiting giant planet HD 179949 b centred around 3.5 μm⁠. We observe a weak (3.0σ, or S/N = 4.8) spectral signature of H2O in absorption contained within the radial velocity of the planet at superior-conjunction, with a mild dependence on the choice of line list used for the modelling. Combining this data with previous observations in the K band, we measure a detection significance of 8.4 σ for an atmosphere that is most consistent with a shallow lapse-rate, solar C/O ratio, and with CO and H2O being the only major sources of opacity in this wavelength range. As the two sets of data were taken 3 yr apart, this points to the absence of strong radial-velocity anomalies due, e.g. to variability in atmospheric circulation. We measure a projected orbital velocity for the planet of KP = (145.2 ± 2.0) km s−1 (1σ) and improve the error bars on this parameter by ∼70 per cent. However, we only marginally tighten constraints on orbital inclination (⁠66.2+3.7−3.1 deg) and planet mass (⁠0.963+0.036−0.031 Jupiter masses), due to the dominant uncertainties of stellar mass and semimajor axis. Follow ups of radial-velocity planets are thus crucial to fully enable their accurate characterization via high-resolution spectroscopy

The metal-poor atmosphere of a potential sub-Neptune progenitor

Young transiting exoplanets offer a unique opportunity to characterize the atmospheres of freshly formed and evolving planets. We present the transmission spectrum of V1298 Tau b, a 23-Myr-old warm Jupiter-sized (0.91 ± 0.05 RJ, where RJ is the radius of Jupiter) planet orbiting a pre-main-sequence star. We detect a mostly clear primordial atmosphere with an exceptionally large atmospheric scale height, and a water vapour absorption at a 5σ level of significance, from which we estimate a planetary mass upper limit (23 Earth masses, 0.12 g cm−3 at a 3σ level). This is one of the lowest-density planets discovered so far. We retrieve a low atmospheric metallicity (log Z = -0.7+0.8-0.7 solar), consistent with solar/sub-solar values. Our findings challenge the expected mass–metallicity relation from core-accretion theory. Our observations can instead be explained by in situ formation via pebble accretion together with ongoing evolutionary mechanisms. We do not detect methane, which hints at a hotter-than-expected interior from just the formation entropy of this planet. Our observations suggest that V1298 Tau b is likely to evolve into a sub-Neptune

NSGO-OV-UMB1/ENGOT-OV30: A phase II study of durvalumab in combination with the anti-CD73 monoclonal antibody Oleclumab in patients with relapsed ovarian cancer

Objectives In patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), the clinical efficacy of monotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) against PD-1/PD-L1 is modest. To enhance response rates to these immunotherapeutic agents and broaden the indications for their use, new approaches involving combinational therapy are needed. The immune regulator CD73 is a potential target, as it promotes tumor escape by producing immunosuppressive extracellular adenosine in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we present the results from the NSGO-OV-UMB1/ENGOT-OV-30 trial evaluating the activity of combining the anti-CD73 antibody oleclumab with the anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab in patients with recurrent EOC. Methods In this phase II open-label non-randomized study, patients with CD73-positive relapsed EOC were intravenously administered oleclumab (3000 mg, Q2W) and durvalumab (1500 mg, Q4W). The primary endpoint was disease control rate (DCR) at 16 weeks. The expression of PD-L1 and CD8 was assessed by immunohistochemistry of archival tumors. Results This trial included 25 patients with a median age of 66 years (47–77 years). Twenty-two patients were evaluable for treatment activity analysis. The DCR was 27%, the median progression-free survival was 2.7 months (95% CI: 2.2–4.2) and the median overall survival was 8.4 months (95% CI: 5.0–13.4). Infiltration of CD8+ cells and PD-L1 expression on tumor cells were observed in partially overlapping sets of 74% of the tumor samples. Neither CD8- nor PD-L1-positivity were significantly associated with better DCR. Conclusions Combined treatment with oleclumab and durvalumab was safe and demonstrated limited anti-tumor activity in patients with recurrent EOC.publishedVersio

The Dark World:A Tale of WASP-43b in Reflected Light with HST WFC3/UVIS

Optical, reflected light eclipse observations provide a direct probe of the exoplanet scattering properties, such as from aerosols. We present here the photometric, reflected light observations of WASP-43b using the HST WFC3/UVIS instrument with the F350LP filter (346-822nm) encompassing the entire optical band. This is the first reflected light, photometric eclipse using UVIS in scanning mode; as such we further detail our scanning extraction and analysis pipeline Arctor. Our HST WFC3/UVIS eclipse light curve for WASP-43 b derived a 3-{\sigma} upper limit of 67 ppm on the eclipse depth, which implies that WASP-43b has a very dark dayside atmosphere. With our atmospheric modeling campaign, we compared our reflected light constraints with predictions from global circulation and cloud models, benchmarked with HST and Spitzer observations of WASP-43b. We infer that we do not detect clouds on the dayside within the pressure levels probed by HST WFC3/UVIS with the F350LP filter (P > 1 bar). This is consistent with the GCM predictions based on previous WASP-43b observations. Dayside emission spectroscopy results from WASP-43b with HST and Spitzer observations are likely to not be significantly affected by contributions from cloud particles.Comment: 29 pages, 22 figures, accepted to AAS/Ap

Exceptional skull of huayqueriana (mammalia, litopterna, macraucheniidae) from the late miocene of Argentina: Anatomy, systematics, and peleobiological implications

The Huayquerías Formation (Late Miocene, Huayquerian SALMA) is broadly exposed in westcentral Argentina (Mendoza). The target of several major paleontological expeditions in the first half of the 20th century, the Mendozan Huayquerías (badlands) have recently yielded a significant number of new fossil finds. In this contribution we describe a complete skull (IANIGLA-PV 29) and place it systematically as Huayqueriana cf. H. cristata (Rovereto, 1914) (Litopterna, Macraucheniidae). The specimen shares some nonexclusive features with H. cristata (similar size, rostral border of the orbit almost level with distal border of M3, convergence of maxillary bones at the level of the P3/P4 embrasure, flat snout, very protruding orbits, round outline of premaxillary area in palatal view, and small diastemata between I3/C and C/P1). Other differences (e.g., lack of sagittal crest) may or may not represent intraspecific variation. In addition to other features described here, endocast reconstruction utilizing computer tomography (CT) revealed the presence of a derived position of the orbitotemporal canal running below the rhinal fissure along the lateroventral aspect of the piriform lobe. CT scanning also established that the maxillary nerve (CN V2) leaves the skull through the sphenoorbital fissure, as in all other litopterns, a point previously contested for macraucheniids. The angle between the lateral semicircular canal and the plane of the base of the skull is about 26°, indicating that in life the head was oriented much as in modern horses. Depending on the variables used, estimates of the body mass of IANIGLA-PV 29 produced somewhat conflicting results. Our preferred body mass estimate is 250 kg, based on the centroid size of 36 3D cranial landmarks and accompanying low prediction error. The advanced degree of tooth wear in IANIGLA-PV 29 implies that the individual died well into old age. However, a count of cementum lines on the sectioned left M2 is consistent with an age at death of 10 or 11 years, younger than expected given its body mass. This suggests that the animal had a very abrasive diet. Phylogenetic analysis failed to resolve the position of IANIGLA-PV 29 satisfactorily, a result possibly influenced by intraspecific variation. There is no decisive evidence for the proposition that Huayqueriana, or any other litoptern, were foregut fermenters.Fil: Forasiepi, Analia Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: MacPhee, Ross D. E.. American Museum Of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: Hernández del Pino, Santiago Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Schmidt, Gabriela Ines. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Amson, Eli. Universitat Zurich; SuizaFil: Grohé, Camille. American Museum Of Natural History; Estados Unido