New Records for the Arctic Shrew, Sorex arcticus and the Newly Recognized Maritime Shrew, Sorex maritimensis

We report the first record for the Arctic Shrew (Sorex arcticus) in the state of Montana, USA. We also report range extensions for the closely related Maritime Shrew (Sorex maritimensis) in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada. These collections augment our limited knowledge of the ranges and habitat associations of these rarely collected shrews, and highlight the need for a careful assessment of the status of S. maritimensis in Canada

Spitzer View of Massive Star Formation in the Tidally Stripped Magellanic Bridge

The Magellanic Bridge is the nearest low-metallicity, tidally stripped environment, offering a unique high-resolution view of physical conditions in merging and forming galaxies. In this paper we present analysis of candidate massive young stellar objects (YSOs), i.e., {\it in situ, current} massive star formation (MSF) in the Bridge using {\it Spitzer} mid-IR and complementary optical and near-IR photometry. While we definitely find YSOs in the Bridge, the most massive are $\sim10 M_\odot$, $\ll45 M_\odot$ found in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The intensity of MSF in the Bridge also appears decreasing, as the most massive YSOs are less massive than those formed in the past. To investigate environmental effects on MSF, we have compared properties of massive YSOs in the Bridge to those in the LMC. First, YSOs in the Bridge are apparently less embedded than in the LMC: 81% of Bridge YSOs show optical counterparts, compared to only 56% of LMC sources with the same range of mass, circumstellar dust mass, and line-of-sight extinction. Circumstellar envelopes are evidently more porous or clumpy in the Bridge's low-metallicity environment. Second, we have used whole samples of YSOs in the LMC and the Bridge to estimate the probability of finding YSOs at a given \hi\ column density, N(HI). We found that the LMC has $\sim3\times$ higher probability than the Bridge for N(HI) $>10\times10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$, but the trend reverses at lower N(HI). Investigating whether this lower efficiency relative to HI is due to less efficient molecular cloud formation, or less efficient cloud collapse, or both, will require sensitive molecular gas observations.Comment: 41 pages, 20 figures, 6 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ; several figures are in low resolution due to the size limit here and a high resolution version can be downloaded via http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~cc5ye/ms_bridge20140215.pd

Challenges and solutions to recruitment of neonates and children having cardiac surgery into a study using a novel sampling device

OBJECTIVE: To narratively describe the challenges and solutions required in delivering a non-commercial study of children undergoing cardiac surgery using a novel subcutaneous hormone collection device. RESULTS: The challenges faced by the research team are divided into those of conducting healthcare research in children and those specific to this study. Many of the issues of conducting healthcare research in children can and have been overcome by structural and institutional culture change–normalising and embedding research as part of good clinical care. The issues specific to insertion and maintenance of the novel collection device can be overcome by education and support of the clinical teams. The increased incentives and resources of commercial research may have overcome many of these

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey: II. Truncated dust disks in HI-deficient spirals

By combining Herschel-SPIRE observations obtained as part of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey with 21 cm HI data from the literature, we investigate the role of the cluster environment on the dust content of Virgo spiral galaxies.We show for the first time that the extent of the dust disk is significantly reduced in HI-deficient galaxies, following remarkably well the observed 'truncation' of the HI disk. The ratio of the submillimetre-to- optical diameter correlates with the HI-deficiency, suggesting that the cluster environment is able to strip dust as well as gas. These results provide important insights not only into the evolution of cluster galaxies but also into the metal enrichment of the intra-cluster medium.Comment: Letter accepted for publication in A&A (Herschel special issue

Dust and Gas in the Magellanic Clouds from the HERITAGE Herschel Key Project. II. Gas-to-Dust Ratio Variations across ISM Phases

The spatial variations of the gas-to-dust ratio (GDR) provide constraints on the chemical evolution and lifecycle of dust in galaxies. We examine the relation between dust and gas at 10-50 pc resolution in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) based on Herschel far-infrared (FIR), H I 21 cm, CO, and Halpha observations. In the diffuse atomic ISM, we derive the gas-to-dust ratio as the slope of the dust-gas relation and find gas-to-dust ratios of 380+250-130 in the LMC, and 1200+1600-420 in the SMC, not including helium. The atomic-to-molecular transition is located at dust surface densities of 0.05 Mo pc-2 in the LMC and 0.03 Mo pc-2 in the SMC, corresponding to AV ~ 0.4 and 0.2, respectively. We investigate the range of CO-to-H2 conversion factor to best account for all the molecular gas in the beam of the observations, and find upper limits on XCO to be 6x1020 cm-2 K-1 km-1 s in the LMC (Z=0.5Zo) at 15 pc resolution, and 4x 1021 cm-2 K-1 km-1 s in the SMC (Z=0.2Zo) at 45 pc resolution. In the LMC, the slope of the dust-gas relation in the dense ISM is lower than in the diffuse ISM by a factor ~2, even after accounting for the effects of CO-dark H2 in the translucent envelopes of molecular clouds. Coagulation of dust grains and the subsequent dust emissivity increase in molecular clouds, and/or accretion of gas-phase metals onto dust grains, and the subsequent dust abundance (dust-to-gas ratio) increase in molecular clouds could explain the observations. In the SMC, variations in the dust-gas slope caused by coagulation or accretion are degenerate with the effects of CO-dark H2. Within the expected 5--20 times Galactic XCO range, the dust-gas slope can be either constant or decrease by a factor of several across ISM phases. Further modeling and observations are required to break the degeneracy between dust grain coagulation, accretion, and CO-dark H2

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey: VII. Dust in cluster dwarf elliptical galaxies

We use the Science Demonstration Phase data of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey to search for dust emission of early-type dwarf galaxies in the central regions of the Virgo Cluster as an alternative way of identifying the interstellar medium.We present the first possible far-infrared detection of cluster early-type dwarf galaxies: VCC781 and VCC951 are detected at the 10 sigma level in the SPIRE 250 micron image. Both detected galaxies have dust masses of the order of 10^5 Msun and average dust temperatures ~20K. The detection rate (less than 1%) is quite high compared to the 1.7% detection rate for Hi emission, considering that dwarfs in the central regions are more Hi deficient. We conclude that the removal of interstellar dust from dwarf galaxies resulting from ram pressure stripping, harassment, or tidal effects must be as efficient as the removal of interstellar gas.Comment: Letter accepted for publication in A&A (Herschel special issue

Numerical Relativity: A review

Computer simulations are enabling researchers to investigate systems which are extremely difficult to handle analytically. In the particular case of General Relativity, numerical models have proved extremely valuable for investigations of strong field scenarios and been crucial to reveal unexpected phenomena. Considerable efforts are being spent to simulate astrophysically relevant simulations, understand different aspects of the theory and even provide insights in the search for a quantum theory of gravity. In the present article I review the present status of the field of Numerical Relativity, describe the techniques most commonly used and discuss open problems and (some) future prospects.Comment: 2 References added; 1 corrected. 67 pages. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravity. (uses iopart.cls

Results From the Periodontitis and Vascular Events (PAVE) Study: A Pilot Multicentered, Randomized, Controlled Trial to Study Effects of Periodontal Therapy in a Secondary Prevention Model of Cardiovascular Disease

Background- In the Periodontitis and Vascular Events (PAVE) pilot study, periodontal therapy was provided as an intervention in a secondary cardiac event prevention model through five coordinated cardiac-dental centers. Methods- Subjects were randomized to either community care or protocol provided scaling and root planing to evaluate effects on periodontal status and systemic levels of high-sensitivity Creactive protein (hs-CRP). Results- After 6 months, there was a significant reduction in mean probing depth and extent of 4- or 5-mm pockets. However, there were no significant differences in attachment levels, bleeding upon probing, or extent of subgingival calculus comparing subjects assigned to protocol therapy (n = 151) to those assigned to community care (n = 152). Using intent-to-treat analyses, there was no significant effect on serum hs-CRP levels at 6 months. However, 48% of the subjects randomized to community care received preventive or periodontal treatments. Secondary analyses demonstrated that consideration of any preventive or periodontal care (i.e., any treatment) compared to no treatment showed a significant reduction in the percentage of people with elevated hs-CRP (values >3 mg/l)at 6 months. However, obesity nullified the periodontal treatment effects on hs-CRP reduction. The adjusted odds ratio for hs-CRP levels >3 mg/l at 6 months for any treatment versus no treatment among non-obese individuals was 0.26 (95%confidence interval: 0.09 to 0.72), adjusting for smoking, marital status, and gender. Conclusion- This pilot study demonstrated the critical role of considering obesity as well as rigorous preventive and periodontal care in trials designed to reduce cardiovascular risk. Originally published Journal of Periodontology, Vol. 80, No. 2, Feb 200

Training of Instrumentalists and Development of New Technologies on SOFIA

This white paper is submitted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Decadal Survey (Astro2010)1 Committee on the State of the Profession to emphasize the potential of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to contribute to the training of instrumentalists and observers, and to related technology developments. This potential goes beyond the primary mission of SOFIA, which is to carry out unique, high priority astronomical research. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 2.5 meter telescope. It will enable astronomical observations anywhere, any time, and at most wavelengths between 0.3 microns and 1.6 mm not accessible from ground-based observatories. These attributes, accruing from the mobility and flight altitude of SOFIA, guarantee a wealth of scientific return. Its instrument teams (nine in the first generation) and guest investigators will do suborbital astronomy in a shirt-sleeve environment. The project will invest $10M per year in science instrument development over a lifetime of 20 years. This, frequent flight opportunities, and operation that enables rapid changes of science instruments and hands-on in-flight access to the instruments, assure a unique and extensive potential - both for training young instrumentalists and for encouraging and deploying nascent technologies. Novel instruments covering optical, infrared, and submillimeter bands can be developed for and tested on SOFIA by their developers (including apprentices) for their own observations and for those of guest observers, to validate technologies and maximize observational effectiveness.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, White Paper for Astro 2010 Survey Committee on State of the Professio

Evaluating end-to-end optimization for data analytics applications in weld

Modern analytics applications use a diverse mix of libraries and functions. Unfortunately, there is no optimization across these libraries, resulting in performance penalties as high as an order of magnitude in many applications. To address this problem, we proposed Weld, a common runtime for existing data analytics libraries that performs key physical optimizations such as pipelining under existing, imperative library APIs. In this work, we further develop the Weld vision by designing an automatic adaptive optimizer for Weld applications, and evaluating its impact on realistic data science workloads. Our optimizer eliminates multiple forms of overhead that arise when composing imperative libraries like Pandas and NumPy, and uses lightweight measurements to make data-dependent decisions at run-time in ad-hoc workloads where no statistics are available, with sub-second overhead. We also evaluate which optimizations have the largest impact in practice and whether Weld can be integrated into libraries incrementally. Our results are promising: using our optimizer, Weld accelerates data science workloads by up to 23X on one thread and 80X on eight threads, and its adaptive optimizations provide up to a 3.75X speedup over rule-based optimization. Moreover, Weld provides benefits if even just 4--5 operators in a library are ported to use it. Our results show that common runtime designs like Weld may be a viable approach to accelerate analytics