28 research outputs found

    The Girl You Leave Behind

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    https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4864/thumbnail.jp

    Immunological efficacy of pneumococcal vaccine strategies in HIV-infected adults: a randomized clinical trial

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    The aim of this study was to compare the immunologic response to a prime-boost immunization strategy combining the 13-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) with the 23-valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine (PPSV23) versus the PPSV23 alone in HIV-infected adults. HIV-infected adults were randomized to receive PCV13 at week 0 followed by PPSV23 at week 4 (n=31, prime-boost group) or PPSV23 alone at week 4 (n=33, PPSV23-alone group). Serotype specific IgG geometric mean concentration (GMC) and functional oposonophagocytic (OPA) geometric mean titer (GMT) were compared for 12 pneumococcal serotypes shared by both vaccines at week 8 and week 28. The prime-boost vaccine group were more likely to achieve a ≥2-fold increase in IgG GMC and a GMC \u3e1ug/ml at week 8 (odds ratio (OR) 2.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.46–2.74, p\u3c0.01) and week 28 (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.40–2.70, p\u3c0.01). Similarly, the prime-boost vaccine group were more likely to achieve a ≥4-fold increase in GMT at week 8 (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.22–2.39, p\u3c0.01) and week 28 (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.15–2.3, p\u3c0.01). This study adds to evidence supporting current pneumococcal vaccination recommendations combining the conjugate and polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccines in the United States and Europe for HIV-infected individuals

    Flotation of a Complex Sulphide Ore Containing Tetrahedrite

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    The ore investigated in this thesis is a zinc-copper-lead ore. Microscopic analysis of this complex sulphide ore showed it to contain pyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, and covellite, with quartz as the gangue constituent

    Optimisation Modelling to Assess Cost of Dietary Improvement in Remote Aboriginal Australia

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    BackgroundThe cost and dietary choices required to fulfil nutrient recommendations defined nationally, need investigation, particularly for disadvantaged populations.ObjectiveWe used optimisation modelling to examine the dietary change required to achieve nutrient requirements at minimum cost for an Aboriginal population in remote Australia, using where possible minimally-processed whole foods.DesignA twelve month cross-section of population-level purchased food, food price and nutrient content data was used as the baseline. Relative amounts from 34 food group categories were varied to achieve specific energy and nutrient density goals at minimum cost while meeting model constraints intended to minimise deviation from the purchased diet.ResultsSimultaneous achievement of all nutrient goals was not feasible. The two most successful models (A & B) met all nutrient targets except sodium (146.2% and 148.9% of the respective target) and saturated fat (12.0% and 11.7% of energy). Model A was achieved with 3.2% lower cost than the baseline diet (which cost approximately AUD$13.01/person/day) and Model B at 7.8% lower cost but with a reduction in energy of 4.4%. Both models required very large reductions in sugar sweetened beverages (−90%) and refined cereals (−90%) and an approximate four-fold increase in vegetables, fruit, dairy foods, eggs, fish and seafood, and wholegrain cereals.ConclusionThis modelling approach suggested population level dietary recommendations at minimal cost based on the baseline purchased diet. Large shifts in diet in remote Aboriginal Australian populations are needed to achieve national nutrient targets. The modeling approach used was not able to meet all nutrient targets at less than current food expenditure

    An Embedded Active Nucleus in the OH Megamaser Galaxy IRAS16399−0937

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    We present a multiwavelength study of the OH megamaser galaxy IRAS16399–0937, based on new Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Advanced Camera for Surveys F814W and Hα+[N II] images and archive data from HST, Two Micron All Sky Survey, Spitzer, Herschel and the Very Large Array. This system has a double nucleus, whose northern (IRAS16399N) and southern (IRAS16399S) components have a projected separation of ~6\u27\u27 (3.4 kpc) and have previously been identified based on optical spectra as a low ionization nuclear emission line region (LINER) and starburst nucleus, respectively. The nuclei are embedded in a tidally distorted common envelope, in which star formation is mostly heavily obscured. The infrared spectrum is dominated by strong polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, but deep silicate and molecular absorption features are also present, and are strongest in the IRAS16399N nucleus. The 0.435-500 μm spectral energy distribution was fitted with a model including stellar, interstellar medium and active galactic nucleus (AGN) torus components using our new Markov Chain Monte Carlo code, CLUMPYDREAM. The results indicate that the IRAS16399N contains an AGN (L bol ~ 1044 erg s–1) deeply embedded in a quasi-spherical distribution of optically thick clumps with a covering fraction ≈1. We suggest that these clumps are the source of the OHM emission in IRAS16399–0937. The high torus covering fraction precludes AGN photoionization as the origin of the LINER spectrum, however, the spectrum is consistent with shocks (v ~ 100-200 km s–1). We infer that the ~108 M ☉ black hole in IRAS16399N is accreting at a small fraction (~1%) of its Eddington rate. The low accretion rate and modest nuclear star formation rates suggest that while the gas-rich major merger forming the IRAS16399–0937 system has triggered widespread star formation, the massive gas inflows expected from merger simulations have not yet fully developed

    High-Velocity Bipolar Molecular Emission from an AGN Torus

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    We have detected in ALMA observations CO J = 6 → 5 emission from the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068. The low-velocity (up to ±70 km s−1 relative to systemic) CO emission resolves into a 12 × 7 pc structure, roughly aligned with the nuclear radio source. Higher-velocity emission (up to ±400 km s−1) is consistent with a bipolar outflow in a direction nearly perpendicular (≃80°) to the nuclear disk. The position–velocity diagram shows that in addition to the outflow, the velocity field may also contain rotation about the disk axis. These observations provide compelling evidence in support of the disk-wind scenario for the active galactic nucleus obscuring torus

    \u3cem\u3eHerschel\u3c/em\u3e Observations of Extended Atomic Gas in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

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    We present Herschel observations of the core of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. Especially intriguing is the network of filaments that surround the brightest cluster galaxy, NGC 1275, previously imaged extensively in Hα and CO. In this work, we report detections of far-infrared (FIR) lines, in particular, [C II] 158, [O I] 63, [N II] 122, [O IB] 145 and [O III] 88  μm, withHerschel. All lines are spatially extended, except [O III], with the [C II] line emission extending up to 25 kpc from the core. [C II] emission is found to be co-spatial with Hα and CO. Furthermore, [C II] shows a similar velocity distribution to CO, which has been shown in previous studies to display a close association with the Hα kinematics. The spatial and kinematical correlation among [C II], Hα and CO gives us confidence to model the different components of the gas with a common heating model. With the help of FIR continuum Herschel measurements, together with a suite of coeval radio, sub-millimetre and IR data from other observatories, we performed a spectral energy distribution fitting of NGC 1275 using a model that contains contributions from dust emission as well as synchrotron active galactic nucleus emission. This has allowed us to accurately estimate the dust parameters. The data indicate a low dust emissivity index, β ≈ 1, a total dust mass close to 107 M⊙, a cold dust component with temperature 38 ± 2 K and a warm dust component with temperature 116 ± 9 K. The FIR-derived star formation rate is 24 ± 1 M⊙ yr−1, which is in agreement with the far-ultraviolet-derived star formation rate in the core, determined after applying corrections for both Galactic and internal reddening. The total IR luminosity in the range 8–1000  μm is inferred to be 1.5 × 1011 L⊙, making NGC 1275 a luminous IR galaxy. We investigated in detail the source of the Herschel FIR and Hα emissions emerging from a core region 4 kpc in radius. Based on simulations conducted using the radiative transfer code, CLOUDY, a heating model comprising old and young stellar populations is sufficient to explain these observations. The optical line ratios indicate that there may be a need for a second heating component. However, stellar photoionization seems to be the dominant mechanism. We have also detected [C II] in three well-studied regions of the filaments.Herschel, with its superior sensitivity to FIR emission, can detect far colder atomic gas than previous studies. We find an [O I]/[C II] ratio about 1 dex smaller than predicted by the otherwise functional Ferland (2009) model. That study considered optically thin emission from a small cell of gas and by design did not consider the effects of reasonable column densities. The line ratio suggests that the lines are optically thick, as is typical of galactic photodissociation regions, and implies that there is a large reservoir of cold atomic gas. This was not included in previous inventories of the filament mass and may represent a significant component

    \u3cem\u3eHerschel\u3c/em\u3e Observations of the Centaurus Oluster - the Dynamics of Cold Gas in a Cool Core

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    Brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in the cores of galaxy clusters have distinctly different properties from other low-redshift massive ellipticals. The majority of the BCGs in cool-core clusters show signs of active star formation. We present observations of NGC 4696, the BCG of the Centaurus galaxy cluster, at far-infrared (FIR) wavelengths with theHerschel space telescope. Using the PACS spectrometer, we detect the two strongest coolants of the interstellar medium, [C II] at 157.74 μm and [O I] at 63.18 μm, and in addition [N II] at 121.90 μm. The [C II] emission is extended over a region of 7 kpc with a similar spatial morphology and kinematics to the optical Hα emission. This has the profound implication that the optical hydrogen recombination line, Hα, the optical forbidden lines, [N II] λ6583 Å, the soft X-ray filaments and the FIR [C II] line all have the same energy source. We also detect dust emission using the PACS and SPIRE photometers at all six wavebands. We perform a detailed spectral energy distribution fitting using a two-component modified blackbody function and find a cold 19-K dust component with mass 1.6 × 106 M⊙ and a warm 46-K dust component with mass 4.0 × 103 M⊙. The total FIR luminosity between 8 and 1000 μm is 7.5 × 108 L⊙, which using Kennicutt relation yields a low star formation rate of 0.13 M⊙ yr−1. This value is consistent with values derived from other tracers, such as ultraviolet emission. Combining the spectroscopic and photometric results together with optical Hα, we model emitting clouds consisting of photodissociation regions adjacent to ionized regions. We show that in addition to old and young stellar populations, there is another source of energy, such as cosmic rays, shocks or reconnection diffusion, required to excite the Hα and [C II] filaments

    \u3cem\u3eHerschel\u3c/em\u3e Observations of FIR Emission Lines in Brightest Cluster Galaxies

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    The question of how much gas cools in the cores of clusters of galaxies has been the focus of many, multiwavelength studies in the past 30 years. In this letter we present the first detections of the strongest atomic cooling lines, [Cii], [Oi] and [Nii] in two strong cooling flow clusters, A1068 and A2597, using Herschel-PACS. These spectra indicate that the substantial mass of cold molecular gas (\u3e 109 M⊙) known to be present in these systems is being irradiated by intense UV radiation, most probably from young stars. The line widths of these FIR lines indicate that they share dynamics similar but not identical to other ionised and molecular gas traced by optical, near-infrared and CO lines. The relative brightness of the FIR lines compared to CO and FIR luminosity is consistent with other star-forming galaxies indicating that the properties of the molecular gas clouds in cluster cores and the stars they form are not unusual. These results provide additional evidence for a reservoir of cold gas that is fed by the cooling of gas in the cores of the most compact clusters and provide important diagnostics of the temperature and density of the dense clouds this gas resides in
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