2,130 research outputs found
A pulsational distance to Omega Centauri based on Near-Infrared Period-Luminosity relations of RR Lyrae stars
We present new Near-Infrared (J,K) magnitudes for 114 RR Lyrae stars in the
globular cluster Omega Cen (NGC 5139) which we combine with data from the
literature to construct a sample of 180 RR Lyrae stars with J and K mean
magnitudes on a common photometric system. This is presently the largest such
sample in any stellar system. We also present updated predictions for J,K-band
Period-Luminosity relations for both fundamental and first-overtone RR Lyrae
stars, based on synthetic horizontal branch models with metal abundance ranging
from Z=0.0001 to Z=0.004. By adopting for the Omega Cen variables with measured
metal abundances an alpha-element enhancement of a factor of 3 (about 0.5 dex)
with respect to iron we find a true distance modulus of 13.70 (with a random
error of 0.06 and a systematic error of 0.06), corresponding to a distance
d=5.5 Kpc (with both random and systematic errors equal to 0.03 Kpc). Our
estimate is in excellent agreement with the distance inferred for the eclipsing
binary OGLEGC-17, but differ significantly from the recent distance estimates
based on cluster dynamics and on high amplitude Delta Scuti stars.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication on The Astrophysical
Journa
Predicting wrist kinematics from motor unit discharge timings for the control of active prostheses
Immunotherapy as a turning point in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disease of hematopoietic precursors at
the earliest stage of maturation, resulting in a clonalproliferation of myoblasts replacing normal
hematopoiesis. AML represents one of the most common types of leukemia, mostly affecting elderly
patients. To date, standard chemotherapy protocols are only effective in patients at low risk of relapse
and therapy-related mortality. The average 5-year overall survival (OS) is approximately 28%. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) improves prognosis but is limited by donor
availability, a relatively young age of patients, and absence of significant comorbidities. Moreover, it
is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, increasing understanding of AML
immunobiology is leading to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. Immunotherapy
is considered an attractive strategy for controlling and eliminating the disease. It can be a real
breakthrough in the treatment of leukemia, especially in patients who are not eligible forintensive
chemotherapy. In this review, we focused on the progress of immunotherapy in the field of AML by
discussing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor
T cells (CAR-T cells), and vaccine therapeutic choices
When Viruses Meet Fungi: Tackling the Enemies in Hematology
The association of invasive fungal infections (IFI) and viral infections has been described in patients with hematologic malignancies (HM), in particular in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Regrettably, the diagnosis is often challenging, making the treatment inappropriate in some circumstances. The present review takes into consideration the viral infections commonly associated with IFI. Clinical presentation of IFI and viral infections, risk factors, and impact on the outcome of HM patients are discussed throughout the paper
Hubble Space Telescope Observations of an Outer Field in Omega Centauri: A Definitive Helium Abundance
We revisit the problem of the split main sequence (MS) of the globular
cluster omega Centauri, and report the results of two-epoch Hubble Space
Telescope observations of an outer field, for which proper motions give us a
pure sample of cluster members, and an improved separation of the two branches
of the main sequence. Using a new set of stellar models covering a grid of
values of helium and metallicity, we find that the best possible estimate of
the helium abundance of the bluer branch of the MS is Y = 0.39 +/- 0.02. For
the cluster center we apply new techniques to old observations: we use indices
of photometric quality to select a high-quality sample of stars, which we also
correct for differential reddening. We then superpose the color-magnitude
diagram of the outer field on that of the cluster center, and suggest a
connection of the bluer branch of the MS with one of the more prominent among
the many sequences in the subgiant region. We also report a group of undoubted
cluster members that are well to the red of the lower MS.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figures (4 in low resolution. AJ accepted on March 21,
201
Alterações no trato urinário inferior na polineuropatia amiloidótica familiar: abordagem urodinâmica
A polineuropatia amiloidótica familiar (PAF) é uma polineuropatia de pequenas fibras com afetação do sistema nervoso autónomo. Como tal, pode manifestar-se por disfunção na fisiologia da micção e condicionar o aparecimento de sintomatologia vesico-esfincteriana, muitas vezes de início precoce. A abordagem urodinâmica revela ser um útil método de diagnóstico capaz de demonstrar alterações no trato urinário inferior e contribuir para a terapêutica urológica atempada, podendo evitar consequências graves no trato urinário superior e proporcionar a estes doentes uma vida com qualidade, adiando a sua incapacidade.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
On the distance and reddening of the starburst galaxy IC10
We present deep and accurate optical photometry of the Local Group starburst
galaxy IC10. The photometry is based on two sets of images collected with the
Advanced Camera for Surveys and with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board
the Hubble Space Telescope. We provide new estimates of the Red Giant Branch
tip (TRGB) magnitude, m_{F814W}^{TRGB}=21.90+-0.03, and of the reddening,
E(B-V)=0.78+-0.06, using field stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) as a
reference. Adopting the SMC and two globulars, Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae,
as references we estimate the distance modulus to IC10: independent
calibrations give weighted average distances of mu=24.51+-0.08 (TRGB) and
mu=24.56+-0.08 (RR Lyrae). We also provide a new theoretical calibration for
the TRGB luminosity, and using these predictions we find a very similar
distance to IC10 (mu~24.60+-0.15). These results suggest that IC10 is a likely
member of the M31 subgroup.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, ApJ Letters accepte
Bayesian detection of unmodeled bursts of gravitational waves
The data analysis problem of coherently searching for unmodeled
gravitational-wave bursts in the data generated by a global network of
gravitational-wave observatories has been at the center of research for almost
two decades. As data from these detectors is starting to be analyzed, a renewed
interest in this problem has been sparked. A Bayesian approach to the problem
of coherently searching for gravitational wave bursts with a network of
ground-based interferometers is here presented. We demonstrate how to
systematically incorporate prior information on the burst signal and its source
into the analysis. This information may range from the very minimal, such as
best-guess durations, bandwidths, or polarization content, to complete prior
knowledge of the signal waveforms and the distribution of sources through
spacetime. We show that this comprehensive Bayesian formulation contains
several previously proposed detection statistics as special limiting cases, and
demonstrate that it outperforms them.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, revisions based on referee comment
Richness of Deep Echo State Network Dynamics
Reservoir Computing (RC) is a popular methodology for the efficient design of
Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs). Recently, the advantages of the RC approach
have been extended to the context of multi-layered RNNs, with the introduction
of the Deep Echo State Network (DeepESN) model. In this paper, we study the
quality of state dynamics in progressively higher layers of DeepESNs, using
tools from the areas of information theory and numerical analysis. Our
experimental results on RC benchmark datasets reveal the fundamental role
played by the strength of inter-reservoir connections to increasingly enrich
the representations developed in higher layers. Our analysis also gives
interesting insights into the possibility of effective exploitation of training
algorithms based on stochastic gradient descent in the RC field.Comment: Preprint of the paper accepted at IWANN 201
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