NGC 4138 - A Case Study in Counterrotating Disk Formation

The Sa(r) galaxy NGC 4138 has been recently found to contain an extensive counterrotating disk which appears to be still forming. Up to a third of the stars in the disk system may be on retrograde orbits. A counterrotating ring of H II regions, along with extended counterrotating H I gas, suggests that the retrograde material has been recently acquired in the gas phase and is still trickling in. Using numerical simulations, we have attempted to model the process by which the counterrotating mass has been accreted by this galaxy. We investigate two possibilities: continuous retrograde infall of gas, and a retrograde merger with a gas-rich dwarf galaxy. Both processes are successful in producing a counterrotating disk of the observed mass and dimensions without heating up the primary significantly. Contrary to our experience with a fiducial cold, thin primary disk, the gas-rich merger works well for the massive, compact primary disk of NGC 4138 even though the mass of the dwarf galaxy is a significant fraction of the mass of the primary disk. Although we have restricted ourselves mainly to coplanar infall and mergers, we report on one inclined infall simulation as well. We also explore the possibility that the H-alpha ring seen in the inner half of the disk is a consequence of counterrotating gas clouds colliding with corotating gas already present in the disk and forming stars in the process.Comment: To appear in ApJ, 21 pages, LaTeX (aaspp4) format, 17 figs (gzipped tar file) also available at ftp://bessel.mps.ohio-state.edu/pub/thakar/cr2/ or at http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio-state.edu/~thakar

Running a distributed virtual observatory: US Virtual Astronomical Observatory operations

Operation of the US Virtual Astronomical Observatory shares some issues with modern physical observatories, e.g., intimidating data volumes and rapid technological change, and must also address unique concerns like the lack of direct control of the underlying and scattered data resources, and the distributed nature of the observatory itself. In this paper we discuss how the VAO has addressed these challenges to provide the astronomical community with a coherent set of science-enabling tools and services. The distributed nature of our virtual observatory-with data and personnel spanning geographic, institutional and regime boundaries-is simultaneously a major operational headache and the primary science motivation for the VAO. Most astronomy today uses data from many resources. Facilitation of matching heterogeneous datasets is a fundamental reason for the virtual observatory. Key aspects of our approach include continuous monitoring and validation of VAO and VO services and the datasets provided by the community, monitoring of user requests to optimize access, caching for large datasets, and providing distributed storage services that allow user to collect results near large data repositories. Some elements are now fully implemented, while others are planned for subsequent years. The distributed nature of the VAO requires careful attention to what can be a straightforward operation at a conventional observatory, e.g., the organization of the web site or the collection and combined analysis of logs. Many of these strategies use and extend protocols developed by the international virtual observatory community.Comment: 7 pages with 2 figures included within PD

AN EXHAUSTIVE REVIEW ON EMERGING DRUG TARGETS OF TUBERCULOSIS WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON CELL WALL SYNTHESIS

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of mortality and morbidity. Worldwide, yet, it has been over 60 years since a novel drug was introduced in market to treat the disease exclusively. Increased number of drug resistant TB cases has prompted the search for novel potent anti-TB drug. Mycobacterial cell wall has unique structure which provides integrity to the cell. The future development of new potent anti-TB drug targets is associated with the synthesis of various cell wall constituents; the structural and genetic information about mycobacterial cell wall envelope is now available. In the present review, we have focused on prospective drug targets that can be optimum triumph for successful drug candidate

Is endoanal, introital or transperineal ultrasound diagnosis of sphincter defects more strongly associated with anal incontinence?

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Our aim was to explore the association between anal incontinence (AI) and persistent anal sphincter defects diagnosed with 3D endoanal (EAUS), introital (IUS) and transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) in women after obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) and study the association between sphincter defects and anal pressure. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 250 women with OASI recruited during the period 2013-2015. They were examined 6-12 weeks postpartum or in a subsequent pregnancy with 3D EAUS, IUS and TPUS and measurement of anal pressure. Prevalence of urgency/solid/liquid AI or flatal AI and anal pressure were compared in women with a defect and those with an intact sphincter (diagnosed off-line) using Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: At a mean of 23.6 (SD 30.1) months after OASI, more women with defect than those with intact sphincters on EAUS had AI; urgency/solid/liquid AI vs external defect: 36% vs 13% and flatal AI vs internal defect: 27% vs 13%, p < 0.05. On TPUS, more women with defect sphincters had flatal AI: 32% vs 13%, p = 0.03. No difference was found on IUS. Difference between defect and intact sphincters on EAUS, IUS and TPUS respectively was found for mean [SD] maximum anal resting pressure (48 [13] vs 55 [14] mmHg; 48 [12] vs 56 [13] mmHg; 50 [13] vs 54 [14] mmHg) and squeeze incremental pressure (33 [17] vs 49 [28] mmHg; 37 [23] vs 50 [28] mmHg; 36 [18] vs 50 [30] mmHg; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Endoanal ultrasound had the strongest association with AI symptoms 2 years after OASI. Sphincter defects detected using all ultrasound methods were associated with lower anal pressure

Dose-adapted post-transplant cyclophosphamide for HLA-haploidentical transplantation in Fanconi anemia.

We developed a haploidentical transplantation protocol with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (CY) for in vivo T-cell depletion (TCD) using a novel adapted-dosing schedule (25 mg/kg on days +3 and +4) for Fanconi anemia (FA). With median follow-up of 3 years (range, 37 days to 6.2 years), all six patients engrafted. Two patients with multiple pre-transplant comorbidities died, one from sepsis and one from sepsis with associated chronic GVHD. Four patients without preexisting comorbidities and early transplant referrals are alive with 100% donor chimerism and excellent performance status. We conclude that adjusted-dosing post-transplant CY is effective in in vivo TCD to promote full donor engraftment in patients with FA

SPH Simulations of Counterrotating Disk Formation in Spiral Galaxies

We present the results of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of the formation of a massive counterrotating disk in a spiral galaxy. The current study revisits and extends (with SPH) previous work carried out with sticky particle gas dynamics, in which adiabatic gas infall and a retrograde gas-rich dwarf merger were tested as the two most likely processes for producing such a counterrotating disk. We report on experiments with a cold primary similar to our Galaxy, as well as a hot, compact primary modeled after NGC 4138. We have also conducted numerical experiments with varying amounts of prograde gas in the primary disk, and an alternative infall model (a spherical shell with retrograde angular momentum). The structure of the resulting counterrotating disks is dramatically different with SPH. The disks we produce are considerably thinner than the primary disks and those produced with sticky particles. The time-scales for counterrotating disk formation are shorter with SPH because the gas loses kinetic energy and angular momentum more rapidly. Spiral structure is evident in most of the disks, but an exponential radial profile is not a natural byproduct of these processes. The infalling gas shells that we tested produce counterrotating bulges and rings rather than disks. The presence of a considerable amount of preexisting prograde gas in the primary causes, at least in the absence of star formation, a rapid inflow of gas to the center and a subsequent hole in the counterrotating disk. In general, our SPH experiments yield stronger evidence to suggest that the accretion of massive counterrotating disks drives the evolution of the host galaxies towards earlier (S0/Sa) Hubble types.Comment: To appear in ApJ. 20 pages LaTex 2-column with 3 tables, 23 figures (GIF) available at this site. Complete gzipped postscript preprint with embedded figures available from http://tarkus.pha.jhu.edu/~thakar/cr3.html (3 Mb

Does 4D transperineal ultrasound have additional value over 2D transperineal ultrasound for diagnosing posterior pelvic floor disorders in women with obstructed defecation syndrome?

Objective To establish the diagnostic test accuracy of two‐dimensional (2D) and four‐dimensional (4D) transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) for diagnosis of posterior pelvic floor disorders in women with obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS), in order to assess if 4D ultrasound imaging provides additional value. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of 121 consecutive women with ODS. Symptoms of ODS and pelvic organ prolapse on clinical examination were assessed using validated methods. All women underwent both 2D‐ and 4D‐TPUS. Imaging analysis was performed by two blinded observers. Posterior pelvic floor disorders were dichotomized into presence or absence, according to predefined cut‐off values. In the absence of a reference standard, a composite reference standard was created from a combination of results of evacuation proctography, magnetic resonance imaging and endovaginal ultrasound. Primary outcome measures were diagnostic test characteristics of 2D‐ and 4D‐TPUS for rectocele, enterocele, intussusception and anismus. Secondary outcome measures were interobserver agreement, agreement between the two imaging techniques, and association of severity of ODS symptoms and degree of posterior vaginal wall prolapse with conditions observed on imaging. Results For diagnosis of all four posterior pelvic floor disorders, there was no difference in sensitivity or specificity between 2D‐ and 4D‐TPUS (P = 0.131–1.000). Good agreement between 2D‐ and 4D‐TPUS was found for diagnosis of rectocele (κ = 0.675) and moderate agreement for diagnoses of enterocele, intussusception and anismus (κ = 0.465–0.545). There was no difference in rectocele depth measurements between the techniques (19.9 mm for 2D vs 19.0 mm for 4D, P = 0.802). Interobserver agreement was comparable for both techniques, although 2D‐TPUS had excellent interobserver agreement for diagnosis of enterocele and rectocele depth measurements, while this was only moderate and good, respectively, for 4D‐TPUS. Diagnoses of rectocele and enterocele on both 2D‐ and 4D‐TPUS were significantly associated with degree of posterior vaginal wall prolapse on clinical examination (odds ratio (OR) = 1.89–2.72). The conditions observed using either imaging technique were not associated with severity of ODS symptoms (OR = 0.82–1.13). Conclusions There is no evidence of superiority of 4D ultrasound acquisition to dynamic 2D ultrasound acquisition for the diagnosis of posterior pelvic floor disorders. 2D‐ and 4D‐TPUS could be used interchangeably to screen women with symptoms of ODS

PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYTO-CHEMICAL EVALUATION OF PIPPALYADI YOGA: A POLYHERBAL FORMULATION

Pippalyadi Yoga is Churna Kalpana described by Acharya Chakrapani in Vandhyatva (infertility). Ovulatory dysfunction is the prime cause of Infertility among the world, Pippalyadi Yoga is useful in patients especially having Anovulation which is known as Abeejatva in Ayurveda. So a new pharmaceutical preparation Pippalyadi Yoga in the form of Churna (powder) was tried to standardize which is economical in terms of time and machinery usage. Pharmacognostical and phyto-chemical observations revealed the specific characters of all active constituents used in the preparation. The present work was carried out to standardize the finished product of Pippalyadi Yoga to confirm its identity, quality and purity. The presence of stone cells, oil globules, olio resin cells, parenchymatous cells, oval &amp; beaker shaped starch grains, pollen grains were the characteristic features observed in the microscopy of the prepared drug. Phyto-chemical analysis showed Loss on drying 10.07 % w/w, ash value 6.55 %w/w, water soluble extract 14 % w/w, methanol soluble 13.40 % w/w, particle consistency above 60 mesh 4.10 % w/w, between 60-85 mesh 9.20 % w/w, between 85-120 mesh 13.30 % w/w &amp; below 120 mesh 73.37 % w/w &amp; pH 5.0. HPTLC of Pippalyadi Yoga is the preliminary quantitative analysis which shows 8 prominent spots at Rf. 0.09, 0.61, 0.67, 0.74, 0.80, 0.86, 0.91, 1.00 in UV 254 nm and 7 prominent spots at Rf. 0.06, 0.17, 0.63, 0.67, 0.75, 0.82, 0.88 in UV 366 nm. Pippalyadi Yoga, a polyherbal formulation of 4 ingredients was prepared and HPTLC finger print profile was developed and it can be considered pharmacopial standard of Pippalyadi Yoga