Eclipsing Binaries and Period Changes in the SuperWASP Archive

The aim of this research project has been to investigate eclipsing binaries using archival data from the SuperWASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) survey, and specifically to search for evidence of orbital period variations. The short cadence and long time base of SuperWASP light curves make them highly suitable for variable star research of many kinds, and the size of the database (~30 million objects) allows for the discovery and study of rare objects and stellar types. Techniques optimized for analyzing SuperWASP data were developed over the course of the research, using custom IDL codes, and proved successful in measuring orbital periods and detecting period changes in real and synthetic test data. Employing these, original results were achieved in a range of areas. A sample of 143 eclipsing binary candidates were found with periods close to the short-period limit of the period distribution for main sequence binaries, which shed light on the likely cause of the limit. Significant period increases and decreases were detected in many of these, and several individual objects were followed up with spectroscopic and multicolour photometric observations, by ourselves and others, to allow confirmation of their binary nature and modelling to determine system and component parameters. Amongst these were a probable close triple system containing a low-mass contact binary, and a doubly-eclipsing quintuple system, only the sixth known of its kind. Eleven post-common-envelope eclipsing binaries were also studied for evidence of period changes, potentially associated with circumbinary planets; our findings add to the ongoing debate on the reality and stability of planetary systems in such environments. Finally, we used our findings on period changes in ~14000 candidate SuperWASP eclipsing binaries of all types to estimate the higher-order multiplicity fraction of such systems

Exploring eclipsing binaries, triples and higher-order multiple star systems with the SuperWASP archive

The Super Wide Angle Search for Planets (SuperWASP) is a whole-sky high-cadence optical survey that has searched for exoplanetary transit signatures since 2004. Its archive contains long-term light curves for ∼30 million 8–15 V magnitude stars, making it a valuable serendipitous resource for variable star research. We have concentrated on the evidence it provides for eclipsing binaries, in particular those exhibiting orbital period variations, and have developed custom tools to measure periods precisely and detect period changes reliably. Amongst our results are: a collection of 143 candidate contact or semi-detached eclipsing binaries near the short-period limit in the main sequence binary period distribution; a probable hierarchical triple exhibiting dramatic sinusoidal period variations; a new doubly-eclipsing quintuple system; and new evidence for period change or stability in 12 post-common-envelope eclipsing binaries, which may support the existence of circumbinary planets in such systems. A large-scale search for period changes in ∼14000 SuperWASP eclipsing binary candidates also yields numerous examples of sinusoidal period change, suggestive of tertiary companions, and may allow us to constrain the frequency of triple systems amongst low-mass stars

An Astrophysical Laboratory: Understanding and Exploiting the Young Massive Cluster Westerlund 1

Westerlund 1 provides a unique opportunity to probe the physics of massive stars, from birth to death and beyond, as well as the formation and evolution of a super star cluster that appears destined to evolve into a globular cluster. We highlight the result of current studies of this cluster, its diverse stellar constituents and immediate environment, concluding with a summary of future research avenues enabled by ESO facilities

Photospheric acne at the bottom of the main-sequence: Doppler images of M4.5 - M9V stars

Starspots are an important manifestation of stellar activity and yet their distribution patterns on the lowest mass stars is not well known. Time series spectra of fully convective M dwarfs taken in the red-optical with UVES reveal numerous line profile distortions which are interpreted as starspots. New Doppler images of HU Del (GJ 791.2A; M4.5V), BL Ceti (GJ 65A; M5.5V) and UV Ceti (GJ 65B; M6V) at two epochs separated by three nights are presented. We find that contrast ratios corresponding to photosphere-spot temperature differences of only 100-400 K are sufficient to model the time series spectra of M4.5V - M9V stars. Starspots are reconstructed at a range of phases and latitudes with mean spot filling factors of only a few per cent. The distribution and low-contrast of the spots/spot-groups that we recover are likely to be responsible for the low amplitude photometric variability seen in late-M dwarfs. The stability of the spot patterns in the two sets of timeseries observations enables us to measure the latitude dependent differential rotation, which we find to be consistent with zer

Genital invasion or perigenital spread may pose a risk of marginal misses for Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) in anal cancer

Background: While intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in anal cancer is feasible and improves high-dose conformality, the current RTOG/AGITG contouring atlas and planning guidelines lack specific instructions on how to proceed with external genitalia. Meanwhile, the RTOG-Protocol 0529 explicitly recommends genital sparing on the basis of specific genital dose constraints. Recent pattern-of-relapse studies based on conventional techniques suggest that marginal miss might be a potential consequence of genital sparing. Our goal is to outline the potential scope and increase the awareness for this clinical issue. Methods: We present and discuss four patients with perigenital spread in anal cancer in both early and advanced stages (three at time of first diagnosis and one in form of relapse). Genital/perigenital spread was observed once as direct genital infiltration and thrice in form of perigenital lymphatic spread. Results: We review the available data regarding the potential consequences of genital sparing in anal cancer. Pattern-of-relapse studies in anal cancer after conventional radiotherapy and the current use of IMRT in anal cancer are equivocal but suggest that genital sparing may occasionally result in marginal miss. An obvious hypothesis suggested by our report is that perigenital lymphovascular invasion might be associated with manifest inguinal N+ disease. Conclusions: Local failure has low salvage rates in recent anal cancer treatment series. Perigenital spread may pose a risk of marginal misses in IMRT in anal cancer. To prevent marginal misses, meticulous pattern-of-relapse analyses of controlled IMRT-series are warranted. Until their publication, genital sparing should be applied with caution, PET/CT should be used when possible and meeting genital dose constraints should not be prioritized over CTV coverage, especially (but not only) in stage T3/4 and N+ disease

Повышение доходности лесоохотничьих хозяйств на основе развития новых туристических услуг

The comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of clinically annotated human tissue has found widespread use in oncology, cell biology, immunology, and toxicology. In cancer research, microarray-based gene expression profiling has successfully been applied to subclassify disease entities, predict therapy response, and identify cellular mechanisms. Public accessibility of raw data, together with corresponding information on clinicopathological parameters, offers the opportunity to reuse previously analyzed data and to gain statistical power by combining multiple datasets. However, results and conclusions obviously depend on the reliability of the available information. Here, we propose gene expression-based methods for identifying sample misannotations in public transcriptomic datasets. Sample mix-up can be detected by a classifier that differentiates between samples from male and female patients. Correlation analysis identifies multiple measurements of material from the same sample. The analysis of 45 datasets (including 4913 patients) revealed that erroneous sample annotation, affecting 40 % of the analyzed datasets, may be a more widespread phenomenon than previously thought. Removal of erroneously labelled samples may influence the results of the statistical evaluation in some datasets. Our methods may help to identify individual datasets that contain numerous discrepancies and could be routinely included into the statistical analysis of clinical gene expression data

Ferroptosis in health and disease.

Ferroptosis is a pervasive non-apoptotic form of cell death highly relevant in various degenerative diseases and malignancies. The hallmark of ferroptosis is uncontrolled and overwhelming peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in membrane phospholipids, which eventually leads to rupture of the plasma membrane. Ferroptosis is unique in that it is essentially a spontaneous, uncatalyzed chemical process based on perturbed iron and redox homeostasis contributing to the cell death process, but that it is nonetheless modulated by many metabolic nodes that impinge on the cells susceptibility to ferroptosis. Among the various nodes affecting ferroptosis sensitivity, several have emerged as promising candidates for pharmacological intervention, rendering ferroptosis-related proteins attractive targets for the treatment of numerous currently incurable diseases. Herein, the current members of a Germany-wide research consortium focusing on ferroptosis research, as well as key external experts in ferroptosis who have made seminal contributions to this rapidly growing and exciting field of research, have gathered to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review on ferroptosis. Specific topics include: basic mechanisms, in vivo relevance, specialized methodologies, chemical and pharmacological tools, and the potential contribution of ferroptosis to disease etiopathology and progression. We hope that this article will not only provide established scientists and newcomers to the field with an overview of the multiple facets of ferroptosis, but also encourage additional efforts to characterize further molecular pathways modulating ferroptosis, with the ultimate goal to develop novel pharmacotherapies to tackle the various diseases associated with - or caused by - ferroptosis

Non-Standard Errors

In statistics, samples are drawn from a population in a data-generating process (DGP). Standard errors measure the uncertainty in estimates of population parameters. In science, evidence is generated to test hypotheses in an evidence-generating process (EGP). We claim that EGP variation across researchers adds uncertainty: Non-standard errors (NSEs). We study NSEs by letting 164 teams test the same hypotheses on the same data. NSEs turn out to be sizable, but smaller for better reproducible or higher rated research. Adding peer-review stages reduces NSEs. We further find that this type of uncertainty is underestimated by participants