Increased tooth brushing frequency is associated with reduced gingival pocket bacterial diversity in patients with intracranial aneurysms

Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the association of tooth brushing frequency and bacterial communities of gingival crevicular fluid in patients subjected to preoperative dental examination prior to operative treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Methods Gingival crevicular fluid samples were taken from their deepest gingival pocket from a series of hospitalized neurosurgical patients undergoing preoperative dental screening (n = 60). The patients were asked whether they brushed their teeth two times a day, once a day, or less than every day. Total bacterial DNA was isolated and the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplificated. Sequencing was performed with Illumina’s 16S metagenomic sequencing library preparation protocol and data were analyzed with QIIME (1.9.1) and R statistical software (3.3.2). Results Bacterial diversity (Chao1 index) in the crevicular fluid reduced along with reported tooth brushing frequency (p = 0.0002; R2 = 34%; p (adjusted with age and sex) = 0.09; R2 = 11%) showing that patients who reported brushing their teeth twice a day had the lowest bacterial diversity. According to the differential abundant analysis between the tooth brushing groups, tooth brushing associated with two phyla of fusobacteria [p = 0.0001; p = 0.0007], and one bacteroidetes (p = 0.004) by reducing their amounts. Conclusions Tooth brushing may reduce the gingival bacterial diversity and the abundance of periodontal bacteria maintaining oral health and preventing periodontitis, and thus it is highly recommended for neurosurgical patients

Patterns in airborne pollen and other primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP), and their contribution to aerosol mass and number in a boreal forest

We studied variation in concentrations of airborne pollen and other particles of biological origin in a boreal forest in Finland during 2003–2004. The highest concentrations of pollen were observed in late spring and early summer, whereas the peak concentrations of other particles of biological origin (including e.g. fungal spores) occurred in August–September. Although the patterns in concentrations in 2003 and 2004 were similar, the concentration levels were significantly different between the years. The contribution of pollen and other particles of biological origin led to an increase in the measured particulate matter (PM) mass during the pollen season (mass of pollen and other particles of biological origin 5.9 and 0.4 μg m–3, respectively, in respect to PMtotal mass of 9.9 μg m–3) but the effect on total particle number was negligible. The other particles of biological origin constituted the largest fraction of measured primary biological aerosol particle (PBAP) numbers (~99%), whereas pollen showed a higher relative mass fraction (~97%) of PBAP. These results underline the important contribution of PBAP to coarse atmospheric particle mass providing up to 65% of the total mass during the peak pollen season

Time-Gated Raman Spectroscopy for Quantitative Determination of Solid-State Forms of Fluorescent Pharmaceuticals

Raman spectroscopy is widely used for quantitative pharmaceutical analysis, but a common obstacle to its use is sample fluorescence masking the Raman signal. Time-gating provides an instrument-based method for rejecting fluorescence through temporal resolution of the spectral signal and allows Raman spectra of fluorescent materials to be obtained. An additional practical advantage is that analysis is possible in ambient lighting. This study assesses the efficacy of time-gated Raman spectroscopy for the quantitative measurement of fluorescent pharmaceuticals. Time-gated Raman spectroscopy with a 128 X (2) X 4 CMOS SPAD detector was applied for quantitative analysis of ternary mixtures of solid-state forms of the model drug, piroxicam (PRX). Partial least-squares (PLS) regression allowed quantification, with Raman-active time domain selection (based on visual inspection) improving performance. Model performance was further improved by using kernel-based regularized least-squares (RLS) regression with greedy feature selection in which the data use in both the Raman shift and time dimensions was statistically optimized. Overall, time-gated Raman spectroscopy, especially with optimized data analysis in both the spectral and time dimensions, shows potential for sensitive and relatively routine quantitative analysis of photoluminescent pharmaceuticals during drug development and manufacturing

Type II supernovae from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I. I. Bolometric light curves of 74 SNe II using uBgVriYJH photometry

The present study is the first of a series of three papers where we characterise the type II supernovae (SNe~II) from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I to understand their diversity in terms of progenitor and explosion properties. In this first paper, we present bolometric light curves of 74 SNe~II. We outline our methodology to calculate the bolometric luminosity, which consists of the integration of the observed fluxes in numerous photometric bands ($uBgVriYJH$) and black-body (BB) extrapolations to account for the unobserved flux at shorter and longer wavelengths. BB fits were performed using all available broadband data except when line blanketing effects appeared. Photometric bands bluer than $r$ that are affected by line blanketing were removed from the fit, which makes near-infrared (NIR) observations highly important to estimate reliable BB extrapolations to the infrared. BB fits without NIR data produce notably different bolometric light curves, and therefore different estimates of SN~II progenitor and explosion properties when data are modelled. We present two methods to address the absence of NIR observations: (a) colour-colour relationships from which NIR magnitudes can be estimated using optical colours, and (b) new prescriptions for bolometric corrections as a function of observed SN~II colours. Using our 74 SN~II bolometric light curves, we provide a full characterisation of their properties based on several observed parameters. We measured magnitudes at different epochs, as well as durations and decline rates of different phases of the evolution. An analysis of the light-curve parameter distributions was performed, finding a wide range and a continuous sequence of observed parameters which is consistent with previous analyses using optical light curves.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Type II supernovae from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I. II. Physical parameter distributions from hydrodynamical modelling

Linking supernovae to their progenitors is a powerful method for furthering our understanding of the physical origin of their observed differences, while at the same time testing stellar evolution theory. In this second study of a series of three papers where we characterise SNe II to understand their diversity, we derive progenitor properties (initial and ejecta masses, and radius), explosion energy, $^{56}$Ni mass, and its degree of mixing within the ejecta for a large sample of SNe II. This dataset was obtained by the Carnegie Supernova Project-I and is characterised by a high cadence of their optical and NIR light curves and optical spectra that were homogeneously observed and processed. A large grid of hydrodynamical models and a fitting procedure based on MCMC methods were used to fit the bolometric light curve and the evolution of the photospheric velocity of 53 SNe II. We infer ejecta masses between 7.9 and 14.8 $M_{\odot}$, explosion energies between 0.15 and 1.40 foe, and $^{56}$Ni masses between 0.006 and 0.069 $M_{\odot}$. We define a subset of 24~SNe (the `gold sample') with well-sampled bolometric light curves and expansion velocities for which we consider the results more robust. Most SNe~II in the gold sample ($\sim$88%) are found with ejecta masses in the range of $\sim$8-10 $M_{\odot}$, coming from low zero-age main-sequence masses (9-12 $M_{\odot}$). The modelling of the initial-mass distribution of the gold sample gives an upper mass limit of 21.3$^{+3.8}_{-0.4}$ $M_{\odot}$ and a much steeper distribution than that for a Salpeter massive-star IMF. This IMF incompatibility is due to the large number of low-mass progenitors found -- when assuming standard stellar evolution. This may imply that high-mass progenitors lose more mass during their lives than predicted. However, a deeper analysis of all stellar evolution assumptions is required to test this hypothesis.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Type II supernovae from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I: I. Bolometric light curves of 74 SNe II using uBgVriYJH photometry

The present study is the first of a series of three papers where we characterise the type II supernovae (SNe II) from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I to understand their diversity in terms of progenitor and explosion properties. In this first paper, we present bolometric light curves of 74 SNe II. We outline our methodology to calculate the bolometric luminosity, which consists of the integration of the observed fluxes in numerous photometric bands (uBgVriYJH) and black-body (BB) extrapolations to account for the unobserved flux at shorter and longer wavelengths. BB fits were performed using all available broadband data except when line blanketing effects appeared. Photometric bands bluer than r that are affected by line blanketing were removed from the fit, which makes near-infrared (NIR) observations highly important to estimate reliable BB extrapolations to the infrared. BB fits without NIR data produce notably different bolometric light curves, and therefore different estimates of SN II progenitor and explosion properties when data are modelled. We present two methods to address the absence of NIR observations: (a) colour-colour relationships from which NIR magnitudes can be estimated using optical colours, and (b) new prescriptions for bolometric corrections as a function of observed SN II colours. Using our 74 SN II bolometric light curves, we provide a full characterisation of their properties based on several observed parameters. We measured magnitudes at different epochs, as well as durations and decline rates of different phases of the evolution. An analysis of the light-curve parameter distributions was performed, finding a wide range and a continuous sequence of observed parameters which is consistent with previous analyses using optical light curves.The work of the Carnegie Supernova Project was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants AST-0306969, AST-0607438, AST-1008343, AST-1613426, AST-1613472, and AST-1613455. L. M. acknowledges support from a CONICET fellowship. L. M. and M. O. acknowledge support from UNRN PI2018 40B885 grant. M. H. acknowledges support from the Hagler Institute of Advanced Study at Texas A&M University. S. G. G. acknowledges support by FCT under Project CRISP PTDC/FIS-AST-31546/2017 and Project No. UIDB/00099/2020. M. S. is supported by grants from the VILLUM FONDEN (grant number 28021) and the Independent Research Fund Denmark (IRFD; 8021-00170B). F. F. acknowledges support from the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) grants: BASAL Center of Mathematical Modelling AFB-170001, Ministry of Economy, Development, and Tourism’s Millennium Science Initiative through grant IC12009, awarded to the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, and FONDECYT Regular #1200710. L. G. acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) under the 2019 Ramón y Cajal program RYC2019-027683 and from the Spanish MICIU project PID2020-115253GA-I00. P.H. acknowledges the support by National Science Foundation (NSF) grant AST-1715133

Transitional events in the spectrophotometric regime between stripped envelope and superluminous supernovae

KM, MRM, and SJP are supported by H2020 ERC grant no. 758638. LG acknowledges financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 839090, and from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) under the 2019 Ramon y Cajal programme RYC2019-027683. TMB ´ was funded by the CONICYT PFCHA / DOCTORADOBECAS CHILE/2017-72180113. MG is supported by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101004719. SGG acknowledges support by FCT under Project CRISP PTDC/FIS-AST-31546/2017. MN is supported by a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellowship and H2020 ERC grant no. 948381. T-WC acknowledges the EU Funding under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant H2020-MSCA-IF-2018-842471. The LT is operated on the island of La Palma by Liverpool John Moores University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. Based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, as part of ePESSTO+ (the advanced Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects Survey). ePESSTO+ observations were obtained under ESO programme ID 1103.D-0328 (PI: Inserra). The WHT is operated on the island of La Palma by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrof´ısica de Canarias. SJP thanks GPL for many insightful discussions at the bar over the last few years.The division between stripped-envelope supernovae (SE-SNe) and superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) is not well-defined in either photometric or spectroscopic space. While a sharp luminosity threshold has been suggested, there remains an increasing number of transitional objects that reach this threshold without the spectroscopic signatures common to SLSNe. In this work, we present data and analysis on four SNe transitional between SE-SNe and SLSNe; the He-poor SNe 2019dwa and 2019cri, and the He-rich SNe 2019hge and 2019unb. Each object displays long-lived and variable photometric evolution with luminosities around the SLSN threshold of Mr < -19.8 mag. Spectroscopically however, these objects are similar to SE-SNe, with line velocities lower than either SE-SNe and SLSNe, and thus represent an interesting case of rare transitional events.H2020 ERC grant no. 758638European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 839090Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) under the 2019 Ramon y Cajal programme RYC2019-027683CONICYT PFCHA / DOCTORADOBECAS CHILE/2017-72180113EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101004719FCT under Project CRISP PTDC/FIS-AST-31546/2017Royal Astronomical Society Research FellowshipH2020 ERC grant no. 948381UK Science and Technology Facilities CouncilESO programme ID 1103.D-0328 (PI: Inserra

SN 2020zbf: A fast-rising hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova with strong carbon lines

SN 2020zbf is a hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova at $z = 0.1947$ that shows conspicuous C II features at early times, in contrast to the majority of H-poor SLSNe. Its peak magnitude is $M_{\rm g}$ = $-21.2$ mag and its rise time ($\lesssim 24$ days from first light) place SN 2020zbf among the fastest rising SLSNe-I. Spectra taken from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared wavelengths are used for the identification of spectral features. We pay particular attention to the C II lines as they present distinctive characteristics when compared to other events. We also analyze UV and optical photometric data, and model the light curves considering three different powering mechanisms: radioactive decay of Ni, magnetar spin-down and circumstellar material interaction (CSM). The spectra of SN 2020zbf match well with the model spectra of a C-rich low-mass magnetar model. This is consistent with our light curve modelling which supports a magnetar-powered explosion with a $M_{\rm ej}$ = 1.5 $M_\odot$. However, we cannot discard the CSM-interaction model as it also may reproduce the observed features. The interaction with H-poor, carbon-oxygen CSM near peak could explain the presence of C II emission lines. A short plateau in the light curve, around 30 - 40 days after peak, in combination with the presence of an emission line at 6580 \r{A} can also be interpreted as late interaction with an extended H-rich CSM. Both the magnetar and CSM interaction models of SN 2020zbf indicate that the progenitor mass at the time of explosion is between 2 - 5 $M_\odot$. Modelling the spectral energy distribution of the host reveals a host mass of 10$^{8.7}$ $M_\odot$, a star-formation rate of 0.24$^{+0.41}_{-0.12}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ and a metallicity of $\sim$ 0.4 $Z_\odot$.Comment: 26 pages, 22 figures, submitted to A&

Transitional events in the spectrophotometric regime between stripped envelope and superluminous supernovae

The division between stripped-envelope supernovae (SE-SNe) and superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) is not well-defined in either photometric or spectroscopic space. While a sharp luminosity threshold has been suggested, there remains an increasing number of transitional objects that reach this threshold without the spectroscopic signatures common to SLSNe. In this work, we present data and analysis on four SNe transitional between SE-SNe and SLSNe; the He-poor SNe 2019dwa and 2019cri, and the He-rich SNe 2019hge and 2019unb. Each object displays long-lived and variable photometric evolution with luminosities around the SLSN threshold of Mr < -19.8 mag. Spectroscopically however, these objects are similar to SE-SNe, with line velocities lower than either SE-SNe and SLSNe, and thus represent an interesting case of rare transitional events.KM, MRM, and SJP are supported by H2020 ERC grant no. 758638. LG acknowledges financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 839090, and from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) under the 2019 Ramón y Cajal programme RYC2019-027683. TMB was funded by the CONICYT PFCHA / DOCTORADOBECAS CHILE/2017-72180113. MG is supported by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101004719. SGG acknowledges support by FCT under Project CRISP PTDC/FIS-AST-31546/2017. MN is supported by a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellowship and H2020 ERC grant no. 948381. T-WC acknowledges the EU Funding under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant H2020-MSCA-IF-2018-842471. The LT is operated on the island of La Palma by Liverpool John Moores University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council

Comparison of the optical light curves of hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-poor type II supernovae

Type II supernovae (SNe II) show strong hydrogen features in their spectra throughout their whole evolution, while type IIb supernovae (SNe IIb) spectra evolve from dominant hydrogen lines at early times to increasingly strong helium features later on. However, it is currently unclear whether the progenitors of these SN types form a continuum in pre-SN hydrogen mass or whether they are physically distinct. SN light-curve morphology directly relates to progenitor and explosion properties such as the amount of hydrogen in the envelope, the pre-SN radius, the explosion energy, and the synthesized mass of radioactive material. In this work, we study the morphology of the optical-wavelength light curves of hydrogen-rich SNe II and hydrogen-poor SNe IIb to test whether an observational continuum exists between the two. Using a sample of 95 SNe (73 SNe II and 22 SNe IIb), we define a range of key observational parameters and present a comparative analysis between both types. We find a lack of events that bridge the observed properties of SNe II and IIb. Light-curve parameters such as rise times and post-maximum decline rates and curvatures clearly separate both SN types and we therefore conclude that there is no continuum, with the two SN types forming two observationally distinct families. In the V band a rise time of 17 d (SNe II lower and SNe IIb higher), and a magnitude difference between 30 and 40 d post-explosion of 0.4 mag (SNe II lower and SNe IIb higher) serve as approximate thresholds to differentiate both types.Fil: Pessi, Priscila Jael. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Folatelli, Gaston. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Anderson, J. P.. European Southern Observatory Chile.; ChileFil: Bersten, Melina Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Burns, C.. Observatories Of The Carnegie Institution For Science; Estados UnidosFil: Contreras, C.. Las Campanas Observatory; Chile. Space Telescope Science Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Davis, S.. Florida State University; Estados UnidosFil: Englert Urrutia, Brenda Nahir. Ministerio de Ciencia. Tecnología e Innovación Productiva. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Hamuy, M.. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Hsiao, Eric. Florida State University; Estados UnidosFil: Martinez, Laureano. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Morrell, Nidia Irene. Las Campanas Observatory; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Phillips, M. M.. Las Campanas Observatory; ChileFil: Suntzeff, N.. Texas A&M University; Estados UnidosFil: Stritzinger, M. D.. University Aarhus; Dinamarc