BurstCube: A CubeSat for Gravitational Wave Counterparts

BurstCube will detect long GRBs, attributed to the collapse of massive stars, short GRBs (sGRBs), resulting from binary neutron star mergers, as well as other gamma-ray transients in the energy range 10-1000 keV. sGRBs are of particular interest because they are predicted to be the counterparts of gravitational wave (GW) sources soon to be detectable by LIGO/Virgo. BurstCube contains 4 CsI scintillators coupled with arrays of compact low-power Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) on a 6U Dellingr bus, a flagship modular platform that is easily modifiable for a variety of 6U CubeSat architectures. BurstCube will complement existing facilities such as Swift and Fermi in the short term, and provide a means for GRB detection, localization, and characterization in the interim time before the next generation future gamma-ray mission flies, as well as space-qualify SiPMs and test technologies for future use on larger gamma-ray missions. The ultimate configuration of BurstCube is to have a set of $\sim10$ BurstCubes to provide all-sky coverage to GRBs for substantially lower cost than a full-scale mission.Comment: In the 35th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Busan, Kore

Structural and Functional Consequences of the Weak Binding of Chlorin e6 to Bovine Rhodopsin.

The chlorophyll-derivative chlorin e6 (Ce6) identified in the retinas of deep-sea ocean fish is proposed to play a functional role in red bioluminescence detection. Fluorescence and 1 H NMR spectroscopy studies with the bovine dim-light photoreceptor, rhodopsin, indicate that Ce6 weakly binds to it with μm affinity. Absorbance spectra prove that red light sensitivity enhancement is not brought about by a shift in the absorbance maximum of rhodopsin. 19 F NMR experiments with samples where 19 F labels are either placed at the cytoplasmic binding site or incorporated as fluorinated retinal indicate that the cytoplasmic domain is highly perturbed by binding, while little to no changes are detected near the retinal. Binding of Ce6 also inhibits G-protein activation. Chemical shift changes in 1 H-15 N NMR spectroscopy of 15 N-Trp labeled bovine rhodopsin reveal that Ce6 binding perturbs the entire structure. These results provide experimental evidence that Ce6 is an allosteric modulator of rhodopsin

Self-Care for the Prevention and Management of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke: A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the American Heart Association

Self‐care is defined as a naturalistic decision‐making process addressing both the prevention and management of chronic illness, with core elements of self‐care maintenance, self‐care monitoring, and self‐care management. In this scientific statement, we describe the importance of self‐care in the American Heart Association mission and vision of building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The evidence supporting specific self‐care behaviors such as diet and exercise, barriers to self‐care, and the effectiveness of self‐care in improving outcomes is reviewed, as is the evidence supporting various individual, family‐based, and community‐based approaches to improving self‐care. Although there are many nuances to the relationships between self‐care and outcomes, there is strong evidence that self‐care is effective in achieving the goals of the treatment plan and cannot be ignored. As such, greater emphasis should be placed on self‐care in evidence‐based guidelines

Gender patterns in domestic labour among young adults in different living arrangements in Australia

Most research on gender divisions of housework focuses on couple and family households. This article extends this literature to examine gender differences in domestic labour across living arrangements, with particular focus on young adults. Using time-diary data from the nationally representative Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Time Use Survey (2006) it examines the amount and composition of domestic work performed by 20–34-year-olds (n = 889) living with parents, in a share household, alone, or in a couple, differentiating between routine and non-routine housework tasks, and between housework done for oneself only or for the household. It finds gender differences are strongest in couple households, but pertain across living arrangements, including share houses. Also, women’s domestic labour varies more by household characteristics than men’s. However, there is some evidence of non-conformity to gender stereotypes, with young men living in couple relationships contributing more time on activities for the household than young men in other households

Differences in Disease Severity but Similar Telomere Lengths in Genetic Subgroups of Patients with Telomerase and Shelterin Mutations

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Outbreak of Mycobacterium chelonae Infection Associated with Tattoo Ink

Background In January 2012, on the basis of an initial report from a dermatologist, we began to investigate an outbreak of tattoo-associated Mycobacterium chelonae skin and softtissue infections in Rochester, New York. The main goals were to identify the extent, cause, and form of transmission of the outbreak and to prevent further cases of infection. Methods We analyzed data from structured interviews with the patients, histopathological testing of skin-biopsy specimens, acid-fast bacilli smears, and microbial cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We also performed DNA sequencing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), cultures of the ink and ingredients used in the preparation and packaging of the ink, assessment of source water and faucets at tattoo parlors, and investigation of the ink manufacturer. Results Between October and December 2011, a persistent, raised, erythematous rash in the tattoo area developed in 19 persons (13 men and 6 women) within 3 weeks after they received a tattoo from a single artist who used premixed gray ink; the highest occurrence of tattooing and rash onset was in November (accounting for 15 and 12 patients, respectively). The average age of the patients was 35 years (range, 18 to 48). Skin-biopsy specimens, obtained from 17 patients, showed abnormalities in all 17, with M. chelonae isolated from 14 and confirmed by means of DNA sequencing. PFGE analysis showed indistinguishable patterns in 11 clinical isolates and one of three unopened bottles of premixed ink. Eighteen of the 19 patients were treated with appropriate antibiotics, and their condition improved. Conclusions The premixed ink was the common source of infection in this outbreak. These findings led to a recall by the manufacturer

Glucose-enhanced oxidative stress resistance-A protective anticipatory response that enhances the fitness of Candida albicans during systemic infection

Acknowledgments We thank Carol Munro for her generosity in providing the plasmids for barcoding C. albicans, and Victoria Brown, Gerry Fink, Bill Fonzi, Guanghua Huang, Joachim Morschauser, Suzanne Noble, Jesus Pla, Patrick Van Dijck, Reinhard Würzner and Oscar Zaragoza for providing strains. We thank our colleagues in the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and the Aberdeen Fungal Group for insightful discussions. We are grateful to the following Research Facilities for their advice and support: the Centre for Genome Enabled Biology at the University of Aberdeen, and the Sequencing Facility at the University of Exeter for help with the barcode sequencing. Funding: This work was funded by a programme grant to AJPB, NARG, LEP and MGN from the UK Medical Research Council [www.mrc.ac.uk: MR/M026663/1, MR/M026663/2] and by PhD studentships to DEL from the Universities of Aberdeen and Exeter. The work was also supported by the Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MR/N006364/1, MR/N006364/2). NARG acknowledges Wellcome support of Senior Investigator (101873/Z/13/Z, 224323/Z/21/Z) and Collaborative (200208/A/15/Z, 215599/Z/19/Z) Awards. MGN was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant (833247) and a Spinoza Grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. The barcode sequencing performed by the Exeter Sequencing Facility utilised equipment funded by Wellcome (218247/Z/19/Z). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

BurstCube: A CubeSat for gravitational wave counterparts

BurstCube aims to expand sky coverage in order to detect, localize, and rapidly disseminate information about gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). BurstCube is a\u276U\u27 CubeSat with an instrument comprised of 4 Cesium Iodide (CsI) scintillators coupled to arrays of Silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) and will be sensitive to gamma-rays between 50 keV and 1 MeV. BurstCube will assist current observatories, such as Swift and Fermi, in the detection of GRBs as well as provide astronomical context to gravitational wave (GW) events detected by LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. BurstCube is currently in its development phase with a launch readiness date in early 2022

Nature of b-1,3-Glucan-Exposing Features on Candida albicans Cell Wall and Their Modulation

Funding Information: This work was supported by a programme grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M026663/1; MR/M026663/2) and by the Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MR/N006364/1; MR/N006364/2). NARG acknowledges Wellcome support for a Senior Investigator (101873/Z/13/Z), Collaborative (200208/A/15/Z; 215599/Z/19/Z) and Strategic Awards (097377/Z11/Z). MGN was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant (833247) and a Spinoza Grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.Peer reviewedPublisher PD