Maternal fluoxetine exposure alters cortical hemodynamic and calcium response of offspring to somatosensory stimuli

Epidemiological studies have found an increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in populations prenatally exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Optical imaging provides a minimally invasive way to determine if perinatal SSRI exposure has long-term effects on cortical function. Herein we probed the functional neuroimaging effects of perinatal SSRI exposure in a fluoxetine (FLX)-exposed mouse model. While resting-state homotopic contralateral functional connectivity was unperturbed, the evoked cortical response to forepaw stimulation was altered in FLX mice. The stimulated cortex showed decreased activity for FLX versus controls, by both hemodynamic responses [oxyhemoglobin (Hb

Molecular gas temperature and density in spiral galaxies

We combine beam-matched CO-13, CO-12 J = 3 yields 2 and J = 2 yields 1 line data to infer the molecular gas excitation conditions in the central 500 to 1600 pc diameters of a small sample of infrared-bright external galaxies: NGC253, IC342, M 83, Maffei 2, and NGC6946. Additional observations of the J = 1 yields 0 lines of C-18O and CO-13 set limits on the opacity of the CO-13 J = 1 yields 0 line averaged over the central kiloparsec of these spiral galaxies

The Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud from the Eclipsing Binary HV2274

The distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is crucial for the calibration of the Cosmic Distance Scale. We derive a distance to the LMC based on an analysis of ground-based photometry and HST-based spectroscopy and spectrophotometry of the LMC eclipsing binary system HV2274. Analysis of the optical light curve and HST/GHRS radial velocity curve provides the masses and radii of the binary components. Analysis of the HST/FOS UV/optical spectrophotometry provides the temperatures of the component stars and the interstellar extinction of the system. When combined, these data yield a distance to the binary system. After correcting for the location of HV2274 with respect to the center of the LMC, we find d(LMC) = 45.7 +/- 1.6 kpc or DM(LMC) = 18.30 +/- 0.07 mag. This result, which is immune to the metallicity-induced zero point uncertainties that have plagued other techniques, lends strong support to the ``short'' LMC distance scale as derived from a number of independent methods.Comment: 6 pages, including 2 pages of figures. Newly available optical (B and V) photometry has revealed -- and allowed the elimination of -- a systematic error in the previously reported determination of E(B-V) for HV2274. The new result is E(B-V) = 0.12 mag (as compared to the value of 0.083 reported in the original submission) and produces a DECREASE in the distance modulus of HV2274 by 0.12 mag. ApJ Letters, in pres

A Method for Individual Source Brightness Estimation in Single- and Multi-band Data

We present a method of reliably extracting the flux of individual sources from sky maps in the presence of noise and a source population in which number counts are a steeply falling function of flux. The method is an extension of a standard Bayesian procedure in the millimeter/submillimeter literature. As in the standard method, the prior applied to source flux measurements is derived from an estimate of the source counts as a function of flux, dN/dS. The key feature of the new method is that it enables reliable extraction of properties of individual sources, which previous methods in the literature do not. We first present the method for extracting individual source fluxes from data in a single observing band, then we extend the method to multiple bands, including prior information about the spectral behavior of the source population(s). The multi-band estimation technique is particularly relevant for classifying individual sources into populations according to their spectral behavior. We find that proper treatment of the correlated prior information between observing bands is key to avoiding significant biases in estimations of multi-band fluxes and spectral behavior, biases which lead to significant numbers of misclassified sources. We test the single- and multi-band versions of the method using simulated observations with observing parameters similar to that of the South Pole Telescope data used in Vieira, et al. (2010).Comment: 11 emulateapj pages, 3 figures, revised to match published versio

ASCA Observation of an X-Ray-Luminous Active Nucleus in Markarian 231

We have obtained a moderately long (100 kilosecond) ASCA observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Markarian 231, the most luminous of the local ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) population. In the best-fitting model we do not see the X-ray source directly; the spectrum consists of a scattered power-law component and a reflection component, both of which have been absorbed by a column N_H \approx 3 X 10^(22)/cm^2. About 3/4 of the observed hard X-rays arise from the scattered component, reducing the equivalent width of the iron K alpha line. The implied ratio of 1-10 keV X-ray luminosity to bolometric luminosity, L_x/L_bol \sim 2%, is typical of Sy 1 galaxies and radio-quiet QSOs of comparable bolometric luminosities, and indicates that the bolometric luminosity is dominated by the AGN. Our estimate of the X-ray luminosity also moves Mrk 231 in line with the correlations found for AGN with extremely strong Fe II emission. A second source separated by about 2 arcminutes is also clearly detected, and contributes about 25% of the total flux.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures; to appear in ApJ Letter

Safety of overlapping inpatient orthopaedic surgery: A multicenter study

BackgroundAlthough overlapping surgery is used to maximize efficiency, more empirical data are needed to guide patient safety. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the safety of overlapping inpatient orthopaedic surgery, as judged by the occurrence of perioperative complications.MethodsAll inpatient orthopaedic surgical procedures performed at 5 academic institutions from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015, were included. Overlapping surgery was defined as 2 skin incisions open simultaneously for 1 surgeon. In comparing patients who underwent overlapping surgery with those who underwent non-overlapping surgery, the primary outcome was the occurrence of a perioperative complication within 30 days of the surgical procedure, and secondary outcomes included all-cause 30-day readmission, length of stay, and mortality. To determine if there was an association between overlapping surgery and a perioperative complication, we tested for non-inferiority of overlapping surgery, assuming a null hypothesis of an increased risk of 50%. We used an inverse probability of treatment weighted regression model adjusted for institution, procedure type, demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, comorbidities), admission type, admission severity of illness, and clustering by surgeon.ResultsAmong 14,135 cases, the frequency of overlapping surgery was 40%. The frequencies of perioperative complications were 1% in the overlapping surgery group and 2% in the non-overlapping surgery group. The overlapping surgery group was non-inferior to the non-overlapping surgery group (odds ratio [OR], 0.61 [90% confidence interval (CI), 0.45 to 0.83]; p < 0.001), with reduced odds of perioperative complications (OR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.43 to 0.88]; p = 0.009). For secondary outcomes, there was a significantly lower chance of all-cause 30-day readmission in the overlapping surgery group (OR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.52 to 0.87]; p = 0.003) and shorter length of stay (e, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.89 to 0.99]; p = 0.012). There was no difference in mortality.ConclusionsOur results suggest that overlapping inpatient orthopaedic surgery does not introduce additional perioperative risk for the complications that we evaluated. The suitability of this practice should be determined by individual surgeons on a case-by-case basis with appropriate informed consent.Level of evidenceTherapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence

The Bolocam 1.1 mm Lockman Hole Galaxy Survey: SHARC II 350 micron Photometry and Implications for Spectral Models, Dust Temperatures, and Redshift Estimation

We present 350 micron photometry of all 17 galaxy candidates in the Lockman Hole detected in a 1.1 mm Bolocam survey. Several of the galaxies were previously detected at 850 microns, at 1.2 mm, in the infrared by Spitzer, and in the radio. Nine of the Bolocam galaxy candidates were detected at 350 microns and two new candidates were serendipitously detected at 350 microns (bringing the total in the literature detected in this way to three). Five of the galaxies have published spectroscopic redshifts, enabling investigation of the implied temperature ranges and a comparison of photometric redshift techniques. Lambda = 350 microns lies near the spectral energy distribution peak for z = 2.5 thermally emitting galaxies. Thus, luminosities can be measured without extrapolating to the peak from detection wavelengths of lambda > 850 microns. Characteristically, the galaxy luminosities lie in the range 1.0 - 1.2 x 10^13 L_solar, with dust temperatures in the range of 40 K to 70 K, depending on the choice of spectral index and wavelength of unit optical depth. The implied dust masses are 3 - 5 x 10^8 M_solar. We find that the far-infrared to radio relation for star-forming ULIRGs systematically overpredicts the radio luminosities and overestimates redshifts on the order of Delta z ~ 1, whereas redshifts based on either on submillimeter data alone or the 1.6 micron stellar bump and PAH features are more accurate.Comment: In Press (to appear in Astrophysical Journal, ApJ 20 May 2006 v643 1) 47 pages, 10 figures, 4 table

Non-Einstein geometries in Chiral Gravity

We analyze the asymptotic solutions of Chiral Gravity (Topologically Massive Gravity at \mu l = 1 with Brown-Henneaux boundary conditions) focusing on non-Einstein metrics. A class of such solutions admits curvature singularities in the interior which are reflected as singularities or infinite bulk energy of the corresponding linear solutions. A non-linear solution is found exactly. The back-reaction induces a repulsion of geodesics and a shielding of the singularity by an event horizon but also introduces closed timelike curves.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. v2: references and comments on linear stability (Sect.2) adde