Podcast PD

Reports of police corruption are becoming more and more common in American media. In this podcast, we will discuss the distrust between the police and the community, some of the causes of the problem, and will address ways to resolve it. Throughout the duration of the podcast, we will provide the viewpoint of both sides and try to explain why they feel the way they do. To get the community’s input, our group decided to poll random students across campus to get a better understanding on their view of the police state in the US. For the police’s side, we decided to interview an officer for his input on why these controversial stories are being displayed all over the media, and asked what he thinks should be done to improve the relationship between the two parties. By including the thoughts of the opposing sides, as well as using data from some of the instances reported in the media, we hope that our listeners will gain a better understanding of the issue and proactively try to improve the relationship between the community and the police

03. Notch Signaling Plays a Key Role in Regulating Adult Stem Cell Osteogenic Differentiation

Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) are an easily accessible type of multipotent stem cell that boasts immense potential as a cell source for personalized regenerative medicine. Given their tremendous clinical potential, our research strives to better understand hASCs and their potential use in combating degenerative bone diseases such as osteoporosis and trauma related degradation. We are specifically interested in deciphering the role of the highly conserved Notch signaling pathway and how it might be manipulated to enhance bone differentiation and regeneration. The Notch signaling pathway is a cell-to-cell contact dependent pathway that is involved in cellular homeostasis, stem cell differentiation, and cell fate determination. Notch1 and Notch3 are two receptors in the Notch signaling pathway that play a critical role in osteogenesis and self-renewal. To better understand the role of these two receptors, siRNA knockdowns are performed. Small interfering RNAs lead to the degradation of a significant amount of a targeted mRNA transcript, and in turn results in a significant decrease in protein expression. The literature indicates that a decrease in Notch1 expression leads to a decrease in osteogenic differentiation. Given data in the literature for other types of cells, we expect to confirm that the decrease in Notch1 leads to a decrease in hASC osteogenesis while the decrease in Notch3 may lead to enhanced differentiation. Identifying the role of each receptor will aid in identifying potential therapeutic targets for treating bone degeneration and loss in the future

Radio Observations of the Hubble Deep Field South Region IV: Optical Properties of the Faint Radio Population

The Australia Telescope Hubble Deep Field-South (ATHDFS) survey of the Hubble Deep Field South reaches sensitivities of ~10 miceoJyJy at 1.4, 2.5, 5.2 and 8.7 GHz, making the ATHDFS one of the deepest surveys ever performed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Here we present the optical identifications of the ATHDFS radio sources using data from the literature. We find that ~66% of the radio sources have optical counterparts to I = 23.5 mag. Deep HST imaging of the area identifies a further 12% of radio sources. We present new spectroscopic observations for 98 of the radio sources, and supplement these spectroscopic redshifts with photometric ones calculated from 5-band optical imaging. The host galaxy colors and radio-to-optical ratios indicate that low luminosity (or "radio quiet") AGN make up a significant proportion of the sub-mJy radio population, a result which is in accordance with a number of other deep radio studies. The radio-to-optical ratios of the bright (S_1.4GHz > 1 mJy) sources is consistent with a bimodal distribution.Comment: accepted for publication in A

A Visible-light Lyot Coronagraph for SCExAO/VAMPIRES

We describe the design and initial results from a visible-light Lyot coronagraph for SCExAO/VAMPIRES. The coronagraph is comprised of four hard-edged, partially transmissive focal plane masks with inner working angles of 36 mas, 55 mas, 92 mas, and 129 mas, respectively. The Lyot stop is a reflective, undersized design with a geometric throughput of 65.7%. Our preliminary on-sky contrast is 1e-2 at 0.1" to 1e-4 at 0.75" for all mask sizes. The coronagraph was deployed in early 2022 and is available for open use.Comment: Proceedings of SPIE 2022 Astronomical Instrumentation and Telescopes conference (#12184-163

Associations between household and neighbourhood socioeconomic status and systolic blood pressure among urban South African adolescents.

Factors resulting in high risk for cardiovascular disease have been well studied in high income countries, but have been less well researched in low/middle income countries. This is despite robust theoretical evidence of environmental transitions in such countries which could result in biological adaptations that lead to increased hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk. Data from the South African Birth to Twenty cohort, Bone Health sub-sample (n = 358, 47% female), were used to model associations between household socioeconomic status (SES) in infancy, household/neighbourhood SES at age 16 years, and systolic blood pressure (multivariate linear regression) and risk for systolic pre-hypertension (binary logistic regression). Bivariate analyses revealed household/neighbourhood SES measures that were significantly associated with increased systolic blood pressure. These significant associations included improved household sanitation in infancy/16 years, caregiver owning the house in infancy and being in a higher tertile (higher SES) of indices measuring school problems/environment or neighbourhood services/problems/crime at 16 years of age. Multivariate analyses adjusted for sex, maternal age, birth weight, parity, smoking, term birth, height/body mass index at 16 years. In adjusted analyses, only one SES variable remained significant for females: those in the middle tertile of the crime prevention index had higher systolic blood pressure (β = 3.52, SE = 1.61) compared with the highest tertile (i.e. those with the highest crime prevention). In adjusted analyses, no SES variables were significantly associated with the systolic blood pressure of boys, or with the risk of systolic pre-hypertension in either sex. The lack of association between SES and systolic blood pressure/systolic pre-hypertension at age 16 years is consistent with other studies showing an equalization of adolescent health inequalities. Further testing of the association between SES and systolic blood pressure would be recommended in adulthood to see whether the lack of association persists

MIPS 24 Micron Observations of the Hubble Deep Field South: Probing the IR-Radio Correlation of Galaxies at z > 1

We present MIPS 24 micron observations of the Hubble Deep Field South taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The resulting image is 254 arcmin^2 in size and has a sensitivity ranging between ~12 to ~30 microJy rms, with a median sensitivity of ~20 microJy rms. A total of 495 sources have been cataloged with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5 sigma. The source catalog is presented as well as source counts which have been corrected for completeness and flux boosting. The IR sources are then combined with MUSYC optical/NIR and ATHDFS radio observations to obtain redshifts and radio flux densities of the sample. We use the IR/radio flux density ratio (q_24) to explore the IR-radio correlation for this IR sample and find q_24 = 0.71 +- 0.31 for sources detected in both IR and radio. The results are extended by stacking IR sources not detected in the radio observations and we derive an average q_24 for redshift bins between 0 1) sources have an average q_{24} ratio which is better fit by local LIRG SEDs rather than local ULIRG SEDs, indicating that high redshift ULIRGs differ in their IR/radio properties. So ULIRGs at high redshift have SEDs different from those found locally. Infrared faint radio sources are examined, and while nine radio sources do not have a MIPS detection and are therefore radio-loud AGN, only one radio source has an extreme IRAC 3.6 micron to radio flux density ratio indicating it is a radio-loud AGN at z > 1.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Ehrlichia and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae Surveillance in Amblyomma americanum in Virginia Through Use of a Novel Six-Plex Real-Time PCR Assay

The population of the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum has expanded in North America over the last several decades. It is known to be an aggressive and nondiscriminatory biter and is by far the most common human-biting tick encountered in Virginia. Few studies of human pathogen prevalence in ticks have been conducted in our state since the mid-twentieth century. We developed a six-plex real-time PCR assay to detect three Ehrlichia species (E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, and Panola Mountain Ehrlichia) and three spotted fever group Rickettsiae (SFGR; R. amblyommii, R. parkeri, and R. rickettsii) and used it to test A. americanum from around the state. Our studies revealed a presence of all three Ehrlichia species (0–24.5%) and a high prevalence (50–80%) of R. amblyommii, a presumptively nonpathogenic SFGR, in all regions surveyed. R. parkeri, previously only detected in Virginia’s Amblyomma maculatum ticks, was found in A. americanum in several surveyed areas within two regions having established A. maculatum populations. R. rickettsii was not found in any sample tested. Our study provides the first state-wide screening of A. americanum ticks in recent history and indicates that human exposure to R. amblyommii and to Ehrlichiae may be common. The high prevalence of R. amblyommii, serological cross-reactivity of all SFGR members, and the apparent rarity of R. rickettsii in human biting ticks across the eastern United States suggest that clinical cases of tick-borne disease, including ehrlichiosis, may be commonly misdiagnosed as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and that suspicion of other SFGR as well as Ehrlichia should be increased. These data may be of relevance to other regions where A. americanum is prevalent

Infant growth and body composition from birth to 24 months: Are infants developing the same?

Background: Given the importance of infancy for establishing growth trajectories, with later-life health consequences, we investigated longitudinal body composition among infants from six economically and ethnically diverse countries.Methods: We recruited mother-infant dyads using the WHO Multicenter Growth Reference Study criteria. We measured fat-free mass (FFM) in 1393 (49% female) infants from birth to 6 months of age (Australia, India, and South Africa; n = 468), 3-24 months of age (Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka; n = 925), and derived fat mass (FM), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI). Height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and weight-for-length (WHZ) Z-scores were computed. Sex differences were assessed using a t-test, and country differences using a one-way analysis of covariance. We further compared subsamples of children with average (-0.25 \u3e HAZ \u3c +0.25), below-average (≤-0.25) and above-average (≥+0.25) HAZ.Results: HAZ performed well between 0 and 6 months, but less so between 3 and 24 months. The stunting prevalence peaked at 10.3% for boys and 7.8% for girls, at 24 months. By 24 months, girls had greater FMI (10%) than boys. There were significant differences in FFM (both sexes in all countries) and FM (Brazilian boys, Pakistani and South African girls) by 24 months of age between infants with average, above-average, and below-average HAZ.Conclusion: In a multi-country sample representing more ideal maternal conditions, body composition was heterogeneous even among infants who exhibited ideal length. Having a mean HAZ close to the median of the WHO standard for length reduced FFM between-country heterogeneity but not FM, suggesting that other factors may influence adiposity

Dynamic star formation in the massive DR21 filament

The formation of massive stars is a highly complex process in which it is not clear whether the star-forming gas is in global gravitational collapse or in an equilibrium state, supported by turbulence. By studying one of the most massive and dense star-forming regions in the Galaxy at a distance of less than 3 kpc, the filament containing the well-known sources DR21 and DR21(OH), we expect to find observational signatures that allow to discriminate between the two views. We use molecular line data from our 13CO 1-0, CS 2-1, and N2H+ 1-0 survey of the Cygnus X region obtained with the FCRAO and high-angular resolution observations of CO, CS, HCO+, N2H+, and H2CO, obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. We observe a complex velocity field and velocity dispersion in the DR21 filament in which regions of highest column-density, i.e. dense cores, have a lower velocity dispersion than the surrounding gas and velocity gradients that are not (only) due to rotation. Infall signatures in optically thick line profiles of HCO+ and 12CO are observed along and across the whole DR21 filament. From modelling the observed spectra, we obtain a typical infall speed of 0.6 km/s and mass accretion rates of the order of a few 10^-3 Msun/yr for the two main clumps constituting the filament. These massive (4900 and 3300 Msun) clumps are both gravitationally contracting. All observed kinematic features in the DR21 filament can be explained if it is formed by the convergence of flows at large scales and is now in a state of global gravitational collapse. Whether this convergence of flows originated from self-gravity at larger scales or from other processes can not be settled with the present study. The observed velocity field and velocity dispersion are consistent with results from (magneto)-hydrodynamic simulations where the cores lie at the stagnation points of convergent turbulent flows.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres

Proceedings of the 3rd BEAT-PCD Conference and 4th PCD Training School

Abstract Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a chronic suppurative airways disease that is usually recessively inherited and has marked clinical phenotypic heterogeneity. Classic symptoms include neonatal respiratory distress, chronic rhinitis since early childhood, chronic otitis media, recurrent airway infections leading to bronchiectasis, chronic sinusitis, laterality defects with and without congenital heart disease including abnormal situs in approximately 50% of the cases, and male infertility. Lung function deteriorates progressively from childhood throughout life. ‘Better Experimental Approaches to Treat Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia’ (BEAT-PCD) is a network of scientists and clinicians coordinating research from basic science through to clinical care with the intention of developing treatments and diagnostics that lead to improved long-term outcomes for patients. BEAT-PCD activities are supported by EU funded COST Action (BM1407). The third BEAT-PCD conference and fourth PCD training school were held jointly in February 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. Presentations and workshops focussed on advancing the knowledge and skills relating to PCD in: basic science, epidemiology, diagnostic testing, clinical management and clinical trials. The multidisciplinary conference provided an interactive platform for exchanging ideas through a program of lectures, poster presentations, breakout sessions and workshops. Three working groups met to plan consensus statements. Progress with BEAT-PCD projects was shared and new collaborations were fostered. In this report, we summarize the meeting, highlighting developments made during the meeting