A comparison of staging systems for squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva

A review of 172 patients with squamous cell cancer of the vulva treated at the University of Michigan Medical Center from 1975-1989 was performed to compare the 1988 FIGO Staging System to the 1970 FIGO Staging System. The stage distribution according to the 1970 FIGO Staging System was stage I, 65; stage II, 44; stage III, 50; and stage IV, 13. The cumulative 5-year survival under the old system was stage I, 94%; stage II, 91%; stage III, 36%; and stage IV, 26%. The distribution changed under the 1988 FIGO system to stage I, 58; stage II, 36; stage III, 49; stage IVA, 16; and stage IVB, 13. The cumulative survival also changed to stage I, 94%; stage II, 89%; stage III, 71%; stage IVA, 19%; and stage IVB, 8%. The new FIGO stage distribution shifted for the worse due to the influence of positive lymph nodes found at the time of surgery. The survival was then analyzed for death from all causes. This was markedly decreased when compared to the cumulative corrected survival. This relates to the high number of other primary malignancies and the age of the patients. Among these 172 patients, other primary malignancies included squamous cell cancer of the cervix (11), squamous cell cancer of the vagina (2), endometrial cancer (3), squamous cell cancer of the lung (2), colon cancer (3), and others (6). An additional 5 patients died from myocardial infarction within 2 years of diagnosis. The new 1988 FIGO Staging System provides for better discrimination of survival between stages than the 1970 FIGO Staging System.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29798/1/0000144.pd

Spitzer Secondary Eclipse Observations of Five Cool Gas Giant Planets and Empirical Trends in Cool Planet Emission Spectra

In this work we present Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 micron secondary eclipse observations of five new cool (<1200 K) transiting gas giant planets: HAT-P-19b, WASP-6b, WASP-10b, WASP-39b, and WASP-67b. We compare our measured eclipse depths to the predictions of a suite of atmosphere models and to eclipse depths for planets with previously published observations in order to constrain the temperature- and mass-dependent properties of gas giant planet atmospheres. We find that the dayside emission spectra of planets less massive than Jupiter require models with efficient circulation of energy to the night side and/or increased albedos, while those with masses greater than that of Jupiter are consistently best-matched by models with inefficient circulation and low albedos. At these relatively low temperatures we expect the atmospheric methane to CO ratio to vary as a function of metallicity, and we therefore use our observations of these planets to constrain their atmospheric metallicities. We find that the most massive planets have dayside emission spectra that are best-matched by solar metallicity atmosphere models, but we are not able to place strong constraints on metallicities of the smaller planets in our sample. Interestingly, we find that the ratio of the 3.6 and 4.5 micron brightness temperatures for these cool transiting planets is independent of planet temperature, and instead exhibits a tentative correlation with planet mass. If this trend can be confirmed, it would suggest that the shape of these planets' emission spectra depends primarily on their masses, consistent with the hypothesis that lower-mass planets are more likely to have metal-rich atmospheres.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Additive genetic and environmental variation interact to shape the dynamics of seasonal migration in a wild bird population

We thank everyone who contributed to long-term field data collection, particularly Raymond Duncan, Sarah Fenn, Hannah Grist, Calum Scott, Jenny Sturgeon, Moray Souter, John Anderson, and Harry Bell; and thank NatureScot for allowing work on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve, and Isle of May Bird Observatory Trust for supporting the longterm ringing of shags. We thank Stefanie Muff for helpful discussions, and Rita Fortuna and Thomas R. Haaland for useful comments on a manuscript draft. The current study was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC; awards NE/M005186/1, NE/R000859/1, and NE/R016429/1 as part of the UK-SCaPE program delivering National Capability), Norwegian Research Council (SFF-III grant 223257, FRIPRO grant 313570), NTNU and University of Aberdeen. Analyses were performed using the IDUN cluster of NTNUPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Two Extraordinary Substellar Binaries at the T/Y Transition and the Y-Band Fluxes of the Coolest Brown Dwarfs

Using Keck laser guide star adaptive optics imaging, we have found that the T9 dwarf WISE J1217+1626 and T8 dwarf WISE J1711+3500 are exceptional binaries, with unusually wide separations (~0.8 arcsec, 8-15 AU), large near-IR flux ratios (~2-3 mags), and small mass ratios (~0.5) compared to previously known field ultracool binaries. Keck/NIRSPEC H-band spectra give a spectral type of Y0 for WISE J1217+1626B, and photometric estimates suggest T9.5 for WISE J1711+3500B. The WISE J1217+1626AB system is very similar to the T9+Y0 binary CFBDSIR J1458+1013AB; these two systems are the coldest known substellar multiples, having secondary components of ~400 K and being planetary-mass binaries if their ages are <~1 Gyr. Both WISE J1217+1626B and CFBDSIR J1458+1013B have strikingly blue Y-J colors compared to previously known T dwarfs, including their T9 primaries. Combining all available data, we find that Y-J color drops precipitously between the very latest T dwarfs and the Y dwarfs. The fact that this is seen in (coeval, mono-metallicity) binaries demonstrates that the color drop arises from a change in temperature, not surface gravity or metallicity variations among the field population. Thus, the T/Y transition established by near-IR spectra coincides with a significant change in the ~1 micron fluxes of ultracool photospheres. One explanation is the depletion of potassium, whose broad absorption wings dominate the far-red optical spectra of T dwarfs. This large color change suggests that far-red data may be valuable for classifying objects of <~500 K.Comment: ApJ, in press (accepted Aug 1, 2012). Small cosmetic changes in version 2 to match final publicatio

Effect of concurrent vitamin A and iodine deficiencies on the thyroid-pituitary axis in rats

OBJECTIVE: Deficiencies of vitamin A and iodine are common in many developing countries. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) may adversely affect thyroid metabolism. The study aim was to investigate the effects of concurrent vitamin A and iodine deficiencies on the thyroid-pituitary axis in rats. DESIGN: Weanling rats (n = 56) were fed diets deficient in vitamin A (VAD group), iodine (ID group), vitamin A and iodine (VAD + ID group), or sufficient in both vitamin A and iodine (control) for 30 days in a pair-fed design. Serum retinol (SR), thyroid hormones (FT(4), TT(4), FT(3), and TT(3)), serum thyrotropin (TSH), pituitary TSHbeta mRNA expression levels, and thyroid weights were determined at the end of the depletion period. MAIN OUTCOME: Compared to the control and ID groups, SR concentrations were about 35% lower in the VAD and VAD + ID groups (p < 0.001), indicating moderate VA deficiency. Comparing the VAD and control groups, there were no significant differences in TSH, TSHbeta mRNA, thyroid weight, or thyroid hormone levels. Compared to the control group, serum TSH, TSHbeta mRNA, and thyroid weight were higher (p < 0.05), and FT4 and TT4 were lower (p < 0.001), in the VAD + ID and ID groups. Compared to the ID group, TSH, TSHbeta mRNA, and thyroid weight were higher (p < 0.01) and FT(4) and TT(4) were lower (p < 0.001) in the VAD + ID group. There were no significant differences in TT3 or FT3 concentrations among groups. CONCLUSION: Moderate VAD alone has no measurable effect on the pituitary-thyroid axis. Concurrent ID and VAD produce more severe primary hypothyroidism than ID alone

A Study of the Diverse T Dwarf Population Revealed by WISE

We report the discovery of 87 new T dwarfs uncovered with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and three brown dwarfs with extremely red near-infrared colors that exhibit characteristics of both L and T dwarfs. Two of the new T dwarfs are likely binaries with L7+/-1 primaries and mid-type T secondaries. In addition, our follow-up program has confirmed 10 previously identified T dwarfs and four photometrically-selected L and T dwarf candidates in the literature. This sample, along with the previous WISE discoveries, triples the number of known brown dwarfs with spectral types later than T5. Using the WISE All-Sky Source Catalog we present updated color-color and color-type diagrams for all the WISE-discovered T and Y dwarfs. Near-infrared spectra of the new discoveries are presented, along with spectral classifications. To accommodate later T dwarfs we have modified the integrated flux method of determining spectral indices to instead use the median flux. Furthermore, a newly defined J-narrow index differentiates the early-type Y dwarfs from late-type T dwarfs based on the J-band continuum slope. The K/J indices for this expanded sample show that 32% of late-type T dwarfs have suppressed K-band flux and are blue relative to the spectral standards, while only 11% are redder than the standards. Comparison of the Y/J and K/J index to models suggests diverse atmospheric conditions and supports the possible re-emergence of clouds after the L/T transition. We also discuss peculiar brown dwarfs and candidates that were found not to be substellar, including two Young Stellar Objects and two Active Galactic Nuclei. The coolest WISE-discovered brown dwarfs are the closest of their type and will remain the only sample of their kind for many years to come.Comment: Accepted to ApJS on 15 January 2013; 99 pages in preprint format, 30 figures, 12 table

A Large and Variable Leading Tail of Helium in a Hot Saturn Undergoing Runaway Inflation

Atmospheric escape shapes the fate of exoplanets, with statistical evidence for transformative mass loss imprinted across the mass-radius-insolation distribution. Here we present transit spectroscopy of the highly irradiated, low-gravity, inflated hot Saturn HAT-P-67 b. The Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectra show a detection of up to 10% absorption depth of the 10833 Angstrom Helium triplet. The 13.8 hours of on-sky integration time over 39 nights sample the entire planet orbit, uncovering excess Helium absorption preceding the transit by up to 130 planetary radii in a large leading tail. This configuration can be understood as the escaping material overflowing its small Roche lobe and advecting most of the gas into the stellar -- and not planetary -- rest frame, consistent with the Doppler velocity structure seen in the Helium line profiles. The prominent leading tail serves as direct evidence for dayside mass loss with a strong day-/night- side asymmetry. We see some transit-to-transit variability in the line profile, consistent with the interplay of stellar and planetary winds. We employ 1D Parker wind models to estimate the mass loss rate, finding values on the order of $2\times10^{13}$ g/s, with large uncertainties owing to the unknown XUV flux of the F host star. The large mass loss in HAT-P-67 b represents a valuable example of an inflated hot Saturn, a class of planets recently identified to be rare as their atmospheres are predicted to evaporate quickly. We contrast two physical mechanisms for runaway evaporation: Ohmic dissipation and XUV irradiation, slightly favoring the latter.Comment: Submitted to The Astronomical Journa

Transiting Exoplanet Studies and Community Targets for JWST's Early Release Science Program

The James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize transiting exoplanet atmospheric science due to its capability for continuous, long-duration observations and its larger collecting area, spectral coverage, and spectral resolution compared to existing space-based facilities. However, it is unclear precisely how well JWST will perform and which of its myriad instruments and observing modes will be best suited for transiting exoplanet studies. In this article, we describe a prefatory JWST Early Release Science (ERS) program that focuses on testing specific observing modes to quickly give the community the data and experience it needs to plan more efficient and successful future transiting exoplanet characterization programs. We propose a multi-pronged approach wherein one aspect of the program focuses on observing transits of a single target with all of the recommended observing modes to identify and understand potential systematics, compare transmission spectra at overlapping and neighboring wavelength regions, confirm throughputs, and determine overall performances. In our search for transiting exoplanets that are well suited to achieving these goals, we identify 12 objects (dubbed "community targets") that meet our defined criteria. Currently, the most favorable target is WASP-62b because of its large predicted signal size, relatively bright host star, and location in JWST's continuous viewing zone. Since most of the community targets do not have well-characterized atmospheres, we recommend initiating preparatory observing programs to determine the presence of obscuring clouds/hazes within their atmospheres. Measurable spectroscopic features are needed to establish the optimal resolution and wavelength regions for exoplanet characterization. Other initiatives from our proposed ERS program include testing the instrument brightness limits and performing phase-curve observations.(Abridged)Comment: This is a white paper that originated from an open discussion at the Enabling Transiting Exoplanet Science with JWST workshop held November 16 - 18, 2015 at STScI (http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science/exoplanets). Accepted for publication in PAS

The McDonald Accelerating Stars Survey (MASS):Discovery of a Long-Period Substellar Companion Orbiting the Old Solar Analog HD 47127

Brown dwarfs with well-determined ages, luminosities, and masses provide rare but valuable tests of low-temperature atmospheric and evolutionary models. We present the discovery and dynamical mass measurement of a substellar companion to HD 47127, an old ($\approx$7-10 Gyr) G5 main sequence star with a mass similar to the Sun. Radial velocities of the host star with the Harlan J. Smith Telescope uncovered a low-amplitude acceleration of 1.93 $\pm$ 0.08 m s$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$ based on 20 years of monitoring. We subsequently recovered a faint ($\Delta H$=13.14 $\pm$ 0.15 mag) co-moving companion at 1.95$''$ (52 AU) with follow-up Keck/NIRC2 adaptive optics imaging. The radial acceleration of HD 47127 together with its tangential acceleration from Hipparcos and Gaia EDR3 astrometry provide a direct measurement of the three-dimensional acceleration vector of the host star, enabling a dynamical mass constraint for HD 47127 B (67.5-177 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ at 95% confidence) despite the small fractional orbital coverage of the observations. The absolute $H$-band magnitude of HD 47127 B is fainter than the benchmark T dwarfs HD 19467 B and Gl 229 B but brighter than Gl 758 B and HD 4113 C, suggesting a late-T spectral type. Altogether the mass limits for HD 47127 B from its dynamical mass and the substellar boundary imply a range of 67-78 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ assuming it is single, although a preference for high masses of $\approx$100 $M_\mathrm{Jup}$ from dynamical constraints hints at the possibility that HD 47127 B could itself be a binary pair of brown dwarfs or that another massive companion resides closer in. Regardless, HD 47127 B will be an excellent target for more refined orbital and atmospheric characterization in the future.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letter