337 research outputs found
On the Expansion Rate, Age, and Distance of the Supernova Remnant G266.2-1.2 (Vela Jr.)
An analysis of Chandra ACIS data for two relatively bright and narrow
portions of the northwestern rim of G266.2-1.2 (a.k.a. RX J0852.0-4622 or Vela
Jr.) reveal evidence of a radial displacement of 2.40 +/- 0.56 arcsec between
2003 and 2008. The corresponding expansion rate (0.42 +/- 0.10 arcsec/yr or
13.6 +/- 4.2%/kyr) is about half the rate reported for an analysis of
XMM-Newton data from a similar, but not identical, portion of the rim over a
similar, but not identical, time interval (0.84 +/- 0.23 arcsec/yr, Katsuda et
al. 2008a). If the Chandra rate is representative of the remnant as a whole,
then the results of a hydrodynamic analysis suggest that G266.2-1.2 is between
2.4 and 5.1 kyr old if it is expanding into a uniform ambient medium (whether
or not it was produced by a Type Ia or Type II event). If the remnant is
expanding into the material shed by a steady stellar wind, then the age could
be as much as 50% higher. The Chandra expansion rate and a requirement that the
shock speed be greater than or equal to 1000 km/s yields a lower limit on the
distance of 0.5 kpc. An analysis of previously-published distance estimates and
constraints suggests G266.2-1.2 is no further than 1.0 kpc. This range of
distances is consistent with the distance to the nearer of two groups of
material in the Vela Molecular Ridge (0.7 +/- 0.2 kpc, Liseau et al. 1992) and
to the Vel OB1 association (0.8 kpc, Eggen 1982).Comment: 30 pages, 7 figure
The Arecibo Galaxy Environments Survey - Description and Early Results
The Arecibo Galaxy Environments Survey (AGES) is a 2000-hour neutral hydrogen
(HI) survey using the new Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) multibeam instrument
at Arecibo Observatory. It will cover 200 square degrees of sky, sampling a
range of environments from the Local Void through to the Virgo Cluster with
higher sensitivity, spatial resolution and velocity resolution than previous
neutral hydrogen surveys.Comment: IAU Symposium 235 - Galaxy Evolution across the Hubble Time. 3 pages
(only 1 st to appear in printed proceedings), 3 figures. Uses iaus.cls. Full
resolution PDF is available from
http://www2.naic.edu/alfa/ealfa/AGES-IAUS235-Minchin.pdf and a PDF of the
poster is available from http://www2.naic.edu/alfa/ealfa/AGES-IAU-Minchin.pd
The Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey III: Observations Toward the Galaxy Pair NGC 7332/7339 and the Isolated Galaxy NGC 1156
Two 5 square degree regions around the NGC 7332/9 galaxy pair and the
isolated galaxy NGC 1156 have been mapped in the 21-cm line of neutral hydrogen
(HI) with the Arecibo L-band Feed Array out to a redshift of ~0.065
km/s) as part of the Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey. One of the aims of this
survey is to investigate the environment of galaxies by identifying dwarf
companions and interaction remnants; both of these areas provide the potential
for such discoveries. The neutral hydrogen observations were complemented by
optical and radio follow-up observations with a number of telescopes. A total
of 87 galaxies were found, of which 39 (45 per cent) were previously cataloged
and 15 (17 per cent) have prior redshifts. Two dwarf galaxies have been
discovered in the NGC 7332 group and a single dwarf galaxy in the vicinity NGC
1156 . A parallel optical search of the area revealed one further possible
dwarf galaxy near NGC 7332.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, uses emulateap
Cosmic ray diffusion near the Bohm limit in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to be the primary location of the
acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays, via diffusive shock (Fermi) acceleration.
Despite considerable theoretical work the precise details are still unknown, in
part because of the difficulty in directly observing nucleons that are
accelerated to TeV energies in, and affect the structure of, the SNR shocks.
However, for the last ten years, X-ray observatories ASCA, and more recently
Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku have made it possible to image the synchrotron
emission at keV energies produced by cosmic-ray electrons accelerated in the
SNR shocks. In this article, we describe a spatially-resolved spectroscopic
analysis of Chandra observations of the Galactic SNR Cassiopeia A to map the
cutoff frequencies of electrons accelerated in the forward shock. We set upper
limits on the electron diffusion coefficient and find locations where particles
appear to be accelerated nearly as fast as theoretically possible (the Bohm
limit).Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Nature Physics (DOI
below), final version available week of August 28, 2006 at
http://www.nature.com/nphy
Challenges in control of COVID-19: short doubling time and long delay to effect of interventions
From The Royal Society via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-04-21, pub-electronic 2021-05-31, pub-print 2021-07-19Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Wellcome Trust; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004440; Grant(s): 107652/Z/15/Z, 202562/Z/16/ZFunder: Institute of Population and Public Health; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000036; Grant(s): CIHR 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) rapid reseaFunder: National Institute for Health Research; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000272Funder: Medical Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000265; Grant(s): MR/S020462/1, MR/V038613/1Funder: Public Health Research Programme; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001921Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/R009236/1Funder: Royal Society; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000288; Grant(s): INF\R2\180067Funder: Alan Turing Institute; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100012338Early assessments of the growth rate of COVID-19 were subject to significant uncertainty, as expected with limited data and difficulties in case ascertainment, but as cases were recorded in multiple countries, more robust inferences could be made. Using multiple countries, data streams and methods, we estimated that, when unconstrained, European COVID-19 confirmed cases doubled on average every 3 days (range 2.2–4.3 days) and Italian hospital and intensive care unit admissions every 2–3 days; values that are significantly lower than the 5–7 days dominating the early published literature. Furthermore, we showed that the impact of physical distancing interventions was typically not seen until at least 9 days after implementation, during which time confirmed cases could grow eightfold. We argue that such temporal patterns are more critical than precise estimates of the time-insensitive basic reproduction number R0 for initiating interventions, and that the combination of fast growth and long detection delays explains the struggle in countries' outbreak response better than large values of R0 alone. One year on from first reporting these results, reproduction numbers continue to dominate the media and public discourse, but robust estimates of unconstrained growth remain essential for planning worst-case scenarios, and detection delays are still key in informing the relaxation and re-implementation of interventions. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling that shaped the early COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK’
Identifying postpartum intervention approaches to prevent type 2 diabetes in women with a history of gestational diabetes
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Despite this "window of opportunity," few intervention studies have targeted postpartum women with a history of GDM. We sought perspectives of women with a history of GDM to identify a) barriers and facilitators to healthy lifestyle changes postpartum, and b) specific intervention approaches that would facilitate participation in a postpartum lifestyle intervention program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used mixed methods to gather data from women with a prior history of GDM, including focus groups and informant interviews. Analysis of focus groups relied on grounded theory and used open-coding to categorize data by themes, while frequency distributions were used for the informant interviews.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 38 women eligible to participate in focus groups, only ten women were able to accommodate their schedules to attend a focus group and 15 completed informant interviews by phone. We analyzed data from 25 women (mean age 35, mean pre-pregnancy BMI 28, 52% Caucasian, 20% African American, 12% Asian, 8% American Indian, 8% refused to specify). Themes from the focus groups included concern about developing type 2 diabetes, barriers to changing diet, and barriers to increasing physical activity. In one focus group, women expressed frustration about feeling judged by their physicians during their GDM pregnancy. Cited barriers to lifestyle change were identified from both methods, and included time and financial constraints, childcare duties, lack of motivation, fatigue, and obstacles at work. Informants suggested facilitators for lifestyle change, including nutrition education, accountability, exercise partners/groups, access to gyms with childcare, and home exercise equipment. All focus group and informant interview participants reported access to the internet, and the majority expressed interest in an intervention program delivered primarily via the internet that would include the opportunity to work with a lifestyle coach.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Time constraints were a major barrier. Our findings suggest that an internet-based lifestyle intervention program should be tested as a novel approach to prevent type 2 diabetes in postpartum women with a history of GDM.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01102530">NCT01102530</a></p
Extraordinary exposed in early motherhood - a qualitative study exploring experiences of mothers with type 1 diabetes
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Women with type 1 diabetes face several challenges during pregnancy, childbirth and in relation to breastfeeding. It is therefore of utmost importance to consider their need for specific support, early postpartum as well as in daily life after discharge from maternity care. Few studies have investigated these aspects of healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore experiences after childbirth regarding breastfeeding, glycemic control, support and well-being in women with type 1 diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A hermeneutic reflective life world research approach was used in this qualitative study. Data was gathered through audio-recorded focus group discussions and individual interviews with 23 women with type 1 diabetes, 6-24 months after childbirth. After verbatim transcription, the text was analyzed in order to identify themes of meaning and a conclusive interpretation of the explored phenomenon.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Experiences of extraordinary exposure challenged the women with type 1 diabetes in their transition to early motherhood. The exposure included a struggle with breastfeeding, although with a driving force to succeed. Everyday life was filled with uncertainty and unpredictability related to one's own unstable glycemic control and the women down-prioritized their own needs in favor of the child. A feeling of being disconnected from professional care further contributed to the experiences of extraordinary exposure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In early motherhood women with type 1 diabetes have a great need for support in managing daily life postpartum, which requires contemporary approaches to overlap insufficient linkage between health care professionals in maternity and child health care, and diabetes care.</p
Species-specific, pan-European diameter increment models based on data of 2.3 million trees
ResearchBackground: Over the last decades, many forest simulators have been developed for the forests of individual
European countries. The underlying growth models are usually based on national datasets of varying size, obtained
from National Forest Inventories or from long-term research plots. Many of these models include country- and
location-specific predictors, such as site quality indices that may aggregate climate, soil properties and topography
effects. Consequently, it is not sensible to compare such models among countries, and it is often impossible to
apply models outside the region or country they were developed for. However, there is a clear need for more
generically applicable but still locally accurate and climate sensitive simulators at the European scale, which requires
the development of models that are applicable across the European continent. The purpose of this study is to
develop tree diameter increment models that are applicable at the European scale, but still locally accurate. We
compiled and used a dataset of diameter increment observations of over 2.3 million trees from 10 National Forest
Inventories in Europe and a set of 99 potential explanatory variables covering forest structure, weather, climate, soil
and nutrient deposition.
Results: Diameter increment models are presented for 20 species/species groups. Selection of explanatory variables
was done using a combination of forward and backward selection methods. The explained variance ranged from
10% to 53% depending on the species. Variables related to forest structure (basal area of the stand and relative size
of the tree) contributed most to the explained variance, but environmental variables were important to account for
spatial patterns. The type of environmental variables included differed greatly among species.
Conclusions: The presented diameter increment models are the first of their kind that are applicable at the
European scale. This is an important step towards the development of a new generation of forest development
simulators that can be applied at the European scale, but that are sensitive to variations in growing conditions and
applicable to a wider range of management systems than before. This allows European scale but detailed analyses
concerning topics like CO2 sequestration, wood mobilisation, long term impact of management, etcinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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