616 research outputs found
Search for Gamma-ray Emission from Dark Matter Annihilation in the Large Magellanic Cloud with the Fermi Large Area Telescope
At a distance of 50 kpc and with a dark matter mass of
M, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a natural target for indirect
dark matter searches. We use five years of data from the Fermi Large Area
Telescope (LAT) and updated models of the gamma-ray emission from standard
astrophysical components to search for a dark matter annihilation signal from
the LMC. We perform a rotation curve analysis to determine the dark matter
distribution, setting a robust minimum on the amount of dark matter in the LMC,
which we use to set conservative bounds on the annihilation cross section. The
LMC emission is generally very well described by the standard astrophysical
sources, with at most a excess identified near the kinematic center
of the LMC once systematic uncertainties are taken into account. We place
competitive bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross section as a function
of dark matter particle mass and annihilation channel.Comment: 33 pages, 22 figures Version 2: minor corrections and clarifications
after journal peer review proces
Search for Gamma-ray Emission from Dark Matter Annihilation in the Small Magellanic Cloud with the Fermi Large Area Telescope
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is the second-largest satellite galaxy of
the Milky Way and is only 60 kpc away. As a nearby, massive, and dense object
with relatively low astrophysical backgrounds, it is a natural target for dark
matter indirect detection searches. In this work, we use six years of Pass 8
data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope to search for gamma-ray signals of
dark matter annihilation in the SMC. Using data-driven fits to the gamma-ray
backgrounds, and a combination of N-body simulations and direct measurements of
rotation curves to estimate the SMC DM density profile, we found that the SMC
was well described by standard astrophysical sources, and no signal from dark
matter annihilation was detected. We set conservative upper limits on the dark
matter annihilation cross section. These constraints are in agreement with
stronger constraints set by searches in the Large Magellanic Cloud and approach
the canonical thermal relic cross section at dark matter masses lower than 10
GeV in the and channels.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. Accepted by PR
Verrucous carcinoma of the vulva: patterns of care and treatment outcomes.
Background: Verrucous vulvar carcinoma (VC) is an uncommon and distinct histologic subtype of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The available literature on VC is currently limited to case reports and small single institution studies. Aims: The goals of this study were to analyze data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to quantitate the incidence of VC and to investigate the effects of patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment regimens on overall survival (OS) in women with verrucous vulvar carcinoma. Methods and results: Patients diagnosed with vulvar SCC or VC between the years of 2004 and 2016 were identified in the NCDB. OS was assessed with Kaplan–Meier curves and the log-rank test. Construction of a Cox model compared survival after controlling for confounding variables. The reported incidence of SCC of the vulva has significantly increased since 2004 (p \u3c .0001). In contrast, the incidence of VC has remained stable (p = .344) since 2004. Compared to SCC, VC was significantly more likely to be diagnosed in older women (p \u3c .0001) and treated with surgery alone (p \u3c .0001). However, on propensity score weighted analysis there was a trend toward improved 5-year OS in women with VC compared to those with SCC (63.4% vs. 57.7%, p = .0794). Multivariable Cox survival analysis showed an improvement in OS in VC patients treated with both primary site and regional lymph node surgery compared to primary site surgery alone (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46–0.97, p = .0357). Conclusion: Verrucous carcinoma is more likely to present in older women. Regional lymph node surgery in addition to primary site surgery significantly improves OS in VC patients
Synthesis of Cycloheptatriene-Containing Azetidine Lactones
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in The Journal of Organic Chemistry, copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.2c00367.We prepared a collection of complex cycloheptatriene-containing azetidine lactones by applying two key photochemical reactions: “aza-Yang” cyclization and Buchner carbene insertion into aromatic rings. While photolysis of phenacyl amines leads to a rapid charge transfer and elimination, we found that a simple protonation of the amine enables the formation of azetidinols as single diastereomers. We provide evidence, through ultrafast spectroscopy, for the electron transfer from free amines in the excited state. Further, we characterize the aza-Yang reaction by establishing the dependence of the initial reaction rates on the rates of photon absorption. An unanticipated change in reactivity in morpholine analogues is explained through interactions with the tosylate anion. The Buchner reaction proceeds with a slight preference for one diastereomer over the other, and successful reaction requires electron-donating carbene-stabilizing substituents. Overall, 16 compounds were prepared over seven steps. Guided by an increase in structural complexity, efforts such as this one extend the reach of chemists into unexplored chemical space and provide useful quantities of new compounds for studies focused on their properties
Dark Matter Sub-Halo Counts via Star Stream Crossings
Dark matter sub-halos create gaps in the stellar streams orbiting in the
halos of galaxies. We evaluate the sub-halo stream crossing integral with the
guidance of simulations to find that the linear rate of gap creation, R_gap, in
a typical Cold Dark Matter (CDM) galactic halo at 100 kpc is R_gap = 0.0066
M_8^-0.35 kpc^-1 Gyr^-1$, where M_8 = M/10^8 M_sun, is the minimum mass halo
that creates a visible gap. The relation can be recast entirely in terms of
observables, as R_gap= 0.059 w^-0.85 kpc^-1 Gyr^-1, for w in kpc, normalized at
100 kpc. Using published data, the density of gaps is estimated for M31's NW
stream and the Milky Way Pal 5 stream, Orphan stream, and Eastern Banded
Structure. The estimated rates of gap creation all have errors of 50% or more
due to uncertain dynamical ages and the relatively noisy stream density
measurements. The gap rate-width data are in good agreement with the CDM
predicted relation. The high density of gaps in the narrow streams require a
total halo population of 10^5 sub-halos above a minimum mass of 10^5 M_sun.Comment: ApJ accepted and copy-edite
Emotional engagements predict and enhance social cognition in young chimpanzees
Social cognition in infancy is evident in coordinated triadic engagements, that is, infants attending jointly with social partners and objects. Current evolutionary theories of primate social cognition tend to highlight species differences in cognition based on human-unique cooperative motives. We consider a developmental model in which engagement experiences produce differential outcomes. We conducted a 10-year-long study in which two groups of laboratory-raised chimpanzee infants were given quantifiably different engagement experiences. Joint attention, cooperativeness, affect, and different levels of cognition were measured in 5- to 12-month-old chimpanzees, and compared to outcomes derived from a normative human database. We found that joint attention skills significantly improved across development for all infants, but by 12 months, the humans significantly surpassed the chimpanzees. We found that cooperativeness was stable in the humans, but by 12 months, the chimpanzee group given enriched engagement experiences significantly surpassed the humans. Past engagement experiences and concurrent affect were significant unique predictors of both joint attention and cooperativeness in 5- to 12-month-old chimpanzees. When engagement experiences and concurrent affect were statistically controlled, joint attention and cooperation were not associated. We explain differential social cognition outcomes in terms of the significant influences of previous engagement experiences and affect, in addition to cognition. Our study highlights developmental processes that underpin the emergence of social cognition in support of evolutionary continuity
Unidentified EGRET Sources and the Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background
The large majority of EGRET point sources remain to this day without an
identified low-energy counterpart. Whatever the nature of the EGRET
unidentified sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a
contribution to the diffuse gamma-ray background: if most unidentified objects
are extragalactic, faint unresolved sources of the same class contribute to the
background, as a distinct extragalactic population; on the other hand, if most
unidentified sources are Galactic, their counterparts in external galaxies will
contribute to the unresolved emission from these systems. Understanding this
component of the gamma-ray background, along with other guaranteed
contributions from known sources, is essential in any attempt to use gamma-ray
observations to constrain exotic high-energy physics. Here, we follow an
empirical approach to estimate whether a potential contribution of unidentified
sources to the extragalactic gamma-ray background is likely to be important,
and we find that it is. Additionally, we comment on how the anticipated GLAST
measurement of the diffuse gamma-ray background will change, depending on the
nature of the majority of these sources.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in proceedings of "The Multi-Messenger
Approach to High Energy Gamma-Ray Sources", Barcelona, 4-7 July 2006;
comments welcom
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