Poisoning with the recreational drug paramethoxyamphetamine ("death")

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Objective: To describe the clinical features of paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA; "death") poisoning and to compare these with those of people with self-reported "ecstasy" poisoning. Design: Retrospective casenote review. Participants and setting: 22 patients who presented to the Emergency Department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), a major metropolitan teaching hospital, between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 1998 with PMA poisoning identified through urine drug screens; and 61 patients with self-reported ecstasy poisoning between 1 September 1997 and 31 December 1998 found through the hospital databases. Results: Patients with PMA poisoning presented with tachycardia (64%), hyperthermia (temperature > 37.5ºC; 36%), coma (41%), seizures (32%), arrhythmias (23%), and QRS intervals 100 ms (50%) with greater frequency and often greater severity than those with self-reported ecstasy poisoning. Two patients with PMA poisoning presented with severe hypoglycaemia (blood glucose level, 7.5 mmol/L). Conclusions: At our hospital, PMA poisonings accounted for most of the severe reactions among people who believed they had taken ecstasy. Hypoglycaemia and hyperkalaemia may be specific to PMA poisoning. PMA toxicity should be suspected with severe or atypical reactions to "ecstasy", and confirmed by chromatographic urine drug screens.Liang Han Ling, Colin Marchant, Nicholas A. Buckley, Michael Prior and Rod J. Irvin

Observational properties of massive black hole binary progenitors

The first directly detected gravitational waves (GW 150914) were emitted by two coalescing black holes (BHs) with masses of ~36Msun and ~29Msun. Several scenarios have been proposed to put this detection into an astrophysical context. The evolution of an isolated massive binary system is among commonly considered models. Various groups have performed detailed binary-evolution calculations that lead to BH merger events. However, the question remains open as to whether binary systems with the predicted properties really exist. The aim of this paper is to help observers to close this gap by providing spectral characteristics of massive binary BH progenitors during a phase where at least one of the companions is still non-degenerate. Stellar evolution models predict fundamental stellar parameters. Using these as input for our stellar atmosphere code (PoWR), we compute a set of models for selected evolutionary stages of massive merging BH progenitors at different metallicities. The synthetic spectra obtained from our atmosphere calculations reveal that progenitors of massive BH merger events start their lives as O2-3V stars that evolve to early-type blue supergiants before they undergo core-collapse during the Wolf-Rayet phase. When the primary has collapsed, the remaining system will appear as a wind-fed high-mass X-ray binary. We provide feedback parameters, broad band magnitudes, and spectral templates that should help to identify such binaries in the future. Comparisons of empirically determined mass-loss rates with those assumed by evolution calculations reveal significant differences. The consideration of the empirical mass-loss rates in evolution calculations will possibly entail a shift of the maximum in the predicted binary-BH merger rate to higher metallicities, that is, more candidates should be expected in our cosmic neighborhood than previously assumed.Comment: 64 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, v2: typos correcte

New Candidate Interstellar Particle in Stardust IS Aerogel Collector: Analysis by STXM and Ptychography

The Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination (ISPE) reported in 2014 the discovery of 7 probable contemporary interstellar (IS) particles captured in Stardust IS Collector aerogel and foils. The ISPE reports represented work done over 6 years by more than 60 scientists and >30,000 volunteers, which emphasizes the challenge identifying and analyzing Stardust IS samples was far beyond the primary Stardust cometary collection. We present a new potentially interstellar particle resulting from a continuation of analyses of the IS aerogel collection

Structure, Deformations and Gravitational Wave Emission of Magnetars

Neutron stars can have, in some phases of their life, extremely strong magnetic fields, up to 10^15-10^16 G. These objects, named magnetars, could be powerful sources of gravitational waves, since their magnetic field could determine large deformations. We discuss the structure of the magnetic field of magnetars, and the deformation induced by this field. Finally, we discuss the perspective of detection of the gravitational waves emitted by these stars.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, prepared for 19th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR19), Mexico City, Mexico, July 5-9, 201

Investigating the Chemically Homogeneous Evolution Channel and its Role in the Formation of the Enigmatic Binary Black Hole Progenitor Candidate HD 5980

Chemically homogeneous evolution (CHE) is a promising channel for forming massive binary black holes. The enigmatic, massive Wolf-Rayet (WR) binary HD 5980 A&B has been proposed to have formed through this channel. We investigate this claim by comparing its observed parameters with CHE models. Using MESA, we simulate grids of close massive binaries then use a Bayesian approach to compare them with the stars' observed orbital period, masses, luminosities, and hydrogen surface abundances. The most probable models, given the observational data, have initial periods ~3 days, widening to the present-day ~20 day orbit as a result of mass loss -- correspondingly, they have very high initial stellar masses ($\gtrsim$150 M$_\odot$). We explore variations in stellar wind-mass loss and internal mixing efficiency, and find that models assuming enhanced mass-loss are greatly favored to explain HD 5980, while enhanced mixing is only slightly favoured over our fiducial assumptions. Our most probable models slightly underpredict the hydrogen surface abundances. Regardless of its prior history, this system is a likely binary black hole progenitor. We model its further evolution under our fiducial and enhanced wind assumptions, finding that both stars produce black holes with masses ~19-37 M$_\odot$. The projected final orbit is too wide to merge within a Hubble time through gravitational waves alone. However, the system is thought to be part of a 2+2 hierarchical multiple. We speculate that secular effects with the (possible) third and fourth companions may drive the system to promptly become a gravitational-wave source.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, 2 appendices. Accepted for publication in Ap

Long range transport of ultra cold atoms in a far-detuned 1D optical lattice

We present a novel method to transport ultra cold atoms in a focused optical lattice over macroscopic distances of many Rayleigh ranges. With this method ultra cold atoms were transported over 5 cm in 250 ms without significant atom loss or heating. By translating the interference pattern together with the beam geometry the trap parameters are maintained over the full transport range. Thus, the presented method is well suited for tightly focused optical lattices that have sufficient trap depth only close to the focus. Tight focusing is usually required for far-detuned optical traps or traps that require high laser intensity for other reasons. The transport time is short and thus compatible with the operation of an optical lattice clock in which atoms are probed in a well designed environment spatially separated from the preparation and detection region.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

What if I Get Busted? Deception, Choice, and Decision-Making in Social Interaction

Deception is an essentially social act, yet little is known about how social consequences affect the decision to deceive. In this study, participants played a computerized game of deception without constraints on whether or when to attempt to deceive their opponent. Participants were questioned by an opponent outside the scanner about their knowledge of the content of a display. Importantly, questions were posed so that, in some conditions, it was possible to be deceptive, while in other conditions it was not. To simulate a realistic interaction, participants could be confronted about their claims by the opponent. This design, therefore, creates a context in which a deceptive participant runs the risk of being punished if their deception is detected. Our results show that participants were slower to give honest than to give deceptive responses when they knew more about the display and could use this knowledge for their own benefit. The condition in which confrontation was not possible was associated with increased activity in subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. The processing of a question which allows a deceptive response was associated with activation in right caudate and inferior frontal gyrus. Our findings suggest the decision to deceive is affected by the potential risk of social confrontation rather than the claim itself

Emissions Calculated from Particulate Matter and Gaseous Ammonia Measurements from Commercial Dairy in California, USA

Emission rates and factors for particulate matter (PM) and gaseous ammonia (NH3) were estimated from measurements taken at a dairy in June 2008. Concentration measurements were made using both point and remote sensors. Filter-based PM samplers and optical particle counters (OPCs) characterized aerodynamic and optical properties, while a scanning elastic lidar measured particles around the facility. The lidar was calibrated to PM concentration using the point measurements. NH3 concentrations were measured using 23 passive samplers and 2 open-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometers (FTS). Emission rates and factors were estimated through both an inverse modeling technique using AERMOD coupled with measurements and a mass-balance approach applied to lidar PM data. Mean PM emission factors ± 95% confidence interval were 3.8 ± 3.2, 24.8 ± 14.5, and 75.9 ± 33.2 g/d/AU for PM2.5, PM10, and TSP, respectively, from inverse modeling and 1.3 ± 0.2, 15.1 ± 2.2, and 46.4 ± 7.0 g/d/AU for PM2.5, PM10, and TSP, respectively, from lidar data. Average daily NH3 emissions from the pens, liquid manure ponds, and the whole facility were 143.4 ± 162.0, 29.0 ± 74.7, and 172.4 ± 121.4 g/d/AU, respectively, based on the passive sampler data and 190.6 ± 55.8, 16.4 ± 8.4, and 207.1 ± 54.7 g/d/AU, respectively, based on FTS measurements. Liquid manure pond emissions averaged 5.4 ± 13.9 and 3.1 ± 1.6 g/m2/d based on passive sampler and FTS measurements, respectively. The calculated PM10 and NH3 emissions were of similar magnitude as those found in literature. Diurnal emission patterns were observed