Panoramic optical and near-infrared SETI instrument: prototype design and testing

The Pulsed All-sky Near-infrared Optical Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (PANOSETI) is an instrument program that aims to search for fast transient signals (nano-second to seconds) of artificial or astrophysical origin. The PANOSETI instrument objective is to sample the entire observable sky during all observable time at optical and near-infrared wavelengths over 300 - 1650 nm$^1$. The PANOSETI instrument is designed with a number of modular telescope units using Fresnel lenses ($\sim$0.5m) arranged on two geodesic domes in order to maximize sky coverage$^2$. We present the prototype design and tests of these modular Fresnel telescope units. This consists of the design of mechanical components such as the lens mounting and module frame. One of the most important goals of the modules is to maintain the characteristics of the Fresnel lens under a variety of operating conditions. We discuss how we account for a range of operating temperatures, humidity, and module orientations in our design in order to minimize undesirable changes to our focal length or angular resolution.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

The relationship between adverse neighborhood socioeconomic context and HIV continuum of care outcomes in a diverse HIV clinic cohort in the Southern United States

Retention in care and viral suppression are critical to delaying HIV progression and reducing transmission. Neighborhood socioeconomic context (NSEC) may affect HIV care receipt. We therefore assessed NSEC's impact on retention and viral suppression in a diverse HIV clinical cohort. HIV-positive adults with ≥1 visit at the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic and 5-digit ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) information between 2008 and 2012 contributed. NSEC z-score indices used neighborhood-level socioeconomic indicators for poverty, education, labor-force participation, proportion of males, median age, and proportion of residents of black race by ZCTA. Retention was defined as ≥2 HIV care visits per calendar year, >90 days apart. Viral suppression was defined as an HIV-1 RNA <200 copies/mL at last measurement per calendar year. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Among 2272 and 2541 adults included for retention and viral suppression analyses, respectively, median age and CD4 count at enrollment were approximately 38 (1st and 3rd quartile: 30, 44) years and 351 (176, 540) cells/μL, respectively, while 24% were female, and 39% were black. Across 243 ZCTAs, median NSEC z-score was 0.09 (-0.66, 0.48). Overall, 79% of person-time contributed was retained and 74% was virally suppressed. In adjusted models, NSEC was not associated with retention, though being in the 4th vs. 1st NSEC quartile was associated with lack of viral suppression (RR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80-0.97). Residing in the most adverse NSEC was associated with lack of viral suppression. Future studies are needed to confirm this finding

Panoramic SETI: on-sky results from prototype telescopes and instrumental design

The Panoramic SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) experiment (PANOSETI) aims to detect and quantify optical transients from nanosecond to second precision over a large field-of-view (∼4,450 square-degrees). To meet these challenging timing and wide-field requirements, the PANOSETI experiment will use two assemblies of ∼45 telescopes to reject spurious signals by coincidence detection, each one comprising custom-made fast photon-counting hardware combined with (f/1.32) focusing optics. Preliminary on-sky results from pairs of PANOSETI prototype telescopes (100 sq.deg.) are presented in terms of instrument performance and false alarm rates. We found that a separation of >1 km between telescopes surveying the same field-of-view significantly reduces the number of false positives due to nearby sources (e.g., Cherenkov showers) in comparison to a side- by-side configuration of telescopes. Design considerations on the all-sky PANOSETI instrument and expected field-of-views are reported

Panoramic SETI: Program Update and High-Energy Astrophysics Applications

Optical SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) instruments that can explore the very fast time domain, especially with large sky coverage, offer an opportunity for new discoveries that can complement multimessenger and time domain astrophysics. The Panoramic SETI experiment (PANOSETI) aims to observe optical transients with nanosecond to second duration over a wide field-of-view ($\thicksim$2,500 sq.deg.) by using two assemblies of tens of telescopes to reject spurious signals by coincidence detection. Three PANOSETI telescopes, connected to a White Rabbit timing network used to synchronize clocks at the nanosecond level, have been deployed at Lick Observatory on two sites separated by a distance of 677 meters to distinguish nearby light sources (such as Cherenkov light from particle showers in the Earth's atmosphere) from astrophysical sources at large distances. In parallel to this deployment, we present results obtained during four nights of simultaneous observations with the four 12-meter VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes and two PANOSETI telescopes at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. We report PANOSETI's first detection of astrophysical gamma rays, comprising three events with energies in the range between $\thicksim$15 TeV and $\thicksim$50 TeV. These were emitted by the Crab Nebula, and identified as gamma rays using joint VERITAS observations.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation conference, 2022, Montr\'eal, Qu\'ebec, Canad

Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Before, During, or After Pregnancy in HIV-1-Infected Women: Maternal Virologic, Immunologic, and Clinical Response

Pregnancy has been associated with a decreased risk of HIV disease progression in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. The effect of timing of HAART initiation relative to pregnancy on maternal virologic, immunologic and clinical outcomes has not been assessed.We conducted a retrospective cohort study from 1997–2005 among 112 pregnant HIV-infected women who started HAART before (N = 12), during (N = 70) or after pregnancy (N = 30).0.01). There were no statistical differences in rates of HIV disease progression between groups.HAART initiation during pregnancy was associated with better immunologic and virologic responses than initiation after pregnancy

Acetylcholinesterase in normal and malignant human cells

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was determined in normal and malignant human cell lines by histochemical methods. In normal human fibroblasts, no AChE activity could be demonstrated by any histochemical technique or substrate. Enzymic activity was observed in HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells, RD 2 human rhabdomyosarcoma cells, and SW 311 human colon carcinoma cells. Activity was localized around the nuclear envelope, in the cytoplasm and associated with the cortical region of most cells. The specificity of the reaction was shown through the use of specific cholinesterase inhibitors. Speculation is advanced about the possible role of AChE in tumorogenesi

Coumermycin inhibition of murine retrovirus replication in cultured cells

The effect of coumermycin A1 activity on the infection and replication of murine type C retroviruses was studied in vitro. The infectivity of five prototype ecotropic retroviruses was reduced by 50 to 94%, with viral titres decreased up to seven-fold. These values were substantiated by progeny production studies. Similar results were obtained with five strains of xenotropic retroviruses. Delayed inhibition of growth kinetics in mouse SC-1 cells was observed with 7.5 and 10 mg/l of coumermycin A1. This effect was markedly reduced after three cycles of freezing and thawing of the drug. Changes in the absorption spectra of coumermycin A1 were observed after eight cycles of freezing and thawing