The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE : survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

Funding for the WEAVE facility has been provided by UKRI STFC, the University of Oxford, NOVA, NWO, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Isaac Newton Group partners (STFC, NWO, and Spain, led by the IAC), INAF, CNRS-INSU, the Observatoire de Paris, Région Île-de-France, CONCYT through INAOE, Konkoly Observatory (CSFK), Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (MPIA Heidelberg), Lund University, the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), the Swedish Research Council, the European Commission, and the University of Pennsylvania.WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366-959 nm at R ∼ 5000, or two shorter ranges at R ∼ 20,000. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for ∼ 3 million stars and detailed abundances for ∼ 1.5 million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey ∼ 0.4 million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey  ∼ 400 neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in z 1 million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at z > 2. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.PostprintPeer reviewe

The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE: Survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366$-$959\,nm at $R\sim5000$, or two shorter ranges at $R\sim20\,000$. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for $\sim$3 million stars and detailed abundances for $\sim1.5$ million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey $\sim0.4$ million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey $\sim400$ neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in $z<0.5$ cluster galaxies; (vi) survey stellar populations and kinematics in $\sim25\,000$ field galaxies at $0.3\lesssim z \lesssim 0.7$; (vii) study the cosmic evolution of accretion and star formation using $>1$ million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at $z>2$. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator.Comment: 41 pages, 27 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Construction progress of WEAVE: the next generation wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope

We present an update on the overall construction progress of the WEAVE next-generation spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), now that all the major fabrication contracts are in place. We also present a summary of the current planning behind the 5-year initial phase of survey operations, and some detailed end-to-end science simulations that have been effected to evaluate the final on-sky performance after data processing. WEAVE will provide optical ground-based follow up of ground-based (LOFAR) and space-based (Gaia) surveys. WEAVE is a multi-object and multi-IFU facility utilizing a new 2-degree prime focus field of view at the WHT, with a buffered pick-and-place positioner system hosting 1000 multi-object (MOS) fibres, 20 integral field units, or a single large IFU for each observation. The fibres are fed to a single (dual-beam) spectrograph, with total of 16k spectral pixels, located within the WHT GHRIL enclosure on the telescope Nasmyth platform, supporting observations at R 5000 over the full 370-1000nm wavelength range in a single exposure, or a high resolution mode with limited coverage in each arm at R 20000. The project has experienced some delays in procurement and now has first light expected for the middle of 2019

The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE: Survey design, overview, and simulated implementation

WEAVE, the new wide-field, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey facility for the William Herschel Telescope, will see first light in late 2022. WEAVE comprises a new 2-degree field-of-view prime-focus corrector system, a nearly 1000-multiplex fibre positioner, 20 individually deployable 'mini' integral field units (IFUs), and a single large IFU. These fibre systems feed a dual-beam spectrograph covering the wavelength range 366−959\,nm at R∼5000, or two shorter ranges at R∼20000. After summarising the design and implementation of WEAVE and its data systems, we present the organisation, science drivers and design of a five- to seven-year programme of eight individual surveys to: (i) study our Galaxy's origins by completing Gaia's phase-space information, providing metallicities to its limiting magnitude for ∼3 million stars and detailed abundances for ∼1.5 million brighter field and open-cluster stars; (ii) survey ∼0.4 million Galactic-plane OBA stars, young stellar objects and nearby gas to understand the evolution of young stars and their environments; (iii) perform an extensive spectral survey of white dwarfs; (iv) survey ∼400 neutral-hydrogen-selected galaxies with the IFUs; (v) study properties and kinematics of stellar populations and ionised gas in z1 million spectra of LOFAR-selected radio sources; (viii) trace structures using intergalactic/circumgalactic gas at z>2. Finally, we describe the WEAVE Operational Rehearsals using the WEAVE Simulator

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK ‘Alert Level 4’ phase of the B-MaP-C study

Abstract: Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions. Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated ‘standard’ or ‘COVID-altered’, in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting. Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had ‘COVID-altered’ management. ‘Bridging’ endocrine therapy was used (n = 951) where theatre capacity was reduced. There was increasing access to COVID-19 low-risk theatres during the study period (59%). In line with national guidance, immediate breast reconstruction was avoided (n = 299). Where adjuvant chemotherapy was omitted (n = 81), the median benefit was only 3% (IQR 2–9%) using ‘NHS Predict’. There was the rapid adoption of new evidence-based hypofractionated radiotherapy (n = 781, from 46 units). Only 14 patients (1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their treatment journey. Conclusions: The majority of ‘COVID-altered’ management decisions were largely in line with pre-COVID evidence-based guidelines, implying that breast cancer survival outcomes are unlikely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, in this study, the potential impact of delays to BC presentation or diagnosis remains unknown

Preparation and characterization of full-spectrum cannabis extract loaded poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles: In vitro evaluation of their antitumoral efficacy

Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and other natural compounds produced by Cannabis sativa exhibit a wide array of therapeutic effects on the human body. As a result, extracts containing controlled amounts of different cannabinoids, called full spectrum extracts, have generated great interest and are currently being assayed for the management of many diseases including cancer. However, cannabinoids exhibit limited bioavailability due to their low solubility in water and moderate stability. Therefore, developing novel methods of cannabinoid administration or encapsulation that could help to improve the efficacy of treatments based on the use of these compounds is an issue of great interest. The purpose of this study was to develop biobased poly (thioether-ester)-PTEe nanoparticles containing full-spectrum Cannabis extract-CN and assay their potential efficacy in vitro cancer models. To do this we used two different approaches: 1) in-situ thiol-ene miniemulsion polymerization (Me-PTEe) and 2) thiol-ene miniemulsification/solvent evaporation method using PTEe synthesized previously by thiol-ene bulk polymerization (Se-PTEe). In both cases an α,ω-diene-diester monomer assembled from derivatives of castor oil was used. We found that CN-PTEe nanoparticles presented a high encapsulation efficiency with an average diameter of between 91 and 229 nm. Likewise, CN-PTEe nanoparticles reduced the viability to a similar extent as free CN of the cancer cell lines (B16F10, T98, and U87) but not of the non-tumoral NIH3T3 cells. Furthermore, treatment with CN-PTEe nanoparticles mimicked the working mechanism of non-encapsulated cannabinoids (inhibited the AKT signaling pathway and induced autophagy) in BF16F10 melanoma cells. These observations support the idea that the PTEe nanoparticles are effective CN nanocarriers and that they could be assayed in future studies to investigate their potential anticancer activity

Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles with Curcumin or Açai in the Tissue Repair of Palatal Wounds

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of treatment with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) reduced with Curcumin (Curcuma longa L.) or Açai (Euterpe oleracea) to a standard commercial treatment of the pharmacological type (Omcilon®) and an electrophysical agent (photobiomodulation) in the palatal wounds of rats. As for the in vitro assay, a cell viability test was performed to assess the toxicity of the synthesized nanoparticles. In vivo assay: 60 Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n = 12): I. Palatal Wound (PW); II. PW + Photobiomodulation (PBM); III. PW + Omcilon®; IV. PW + GNPs-Cur (0.025 mg/mL); V. PW + GNPs-Açai (0.025 mg/mL). Animals were first anesthetized, and circular lesions in the palatine mucosa were induced using a 4 mm-diameter punch. The first treatment session started 24 h after the injury and occurred daily for 5 days. The animals were euthanized, and the palatal mucosa tissue was removed for histological, biochemical, and molecular analysis. GNPs-Açai were able to significantly reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and increase anti-inflammatory ones, reduce oxidant markers, and reduce inflammatory infiltrate while increasing the collagen area and contraction rate of the wound, along with an improved visual qualification. The present study demonstrated that the proposed therapies of GNPs synthesized greenly, thus associating their effects with those of plants, favor the tissue repair process in palatal wounds

Resumos em andamento - Neurociências

Resumos em andamento - Neurociência

Resumos em andamento - Neurociências

Resumos em andamento - Neurociência

Resumos concluídos - Bioquímica

Resumos concluídos - Bioquímic