You Are What You Eat: The Circumgalactic Medium Around BreakBRD Galaxies has Low Mass and Angular Momentum

Observed breakBRD ("break bulges in red disks") galaxies are a nearby sample of face-on disk galaxies with particularly centrally-concentrated star formation: they have red disks but recent star formation in their centers as measured by the D$_n$4000 spectral index. In Kopenhafer et al. (2020), a comparable population of breakBRD analogues was identified in the TNG simulation, in which the central concentration of star formation was found to reflect a central concentration of dense, starforming gas caused by a lack of dense gas in the galaxy outskirts. In this paper we examine the circumgalactic medium of the central breakBRD analogues to determine if the extended halo gas also shows differences from that around comparison galaxies with comparable stellar mass. We examine the circumgalactic medium gas mass, specific angular momentum, and metallicity in these galaxy populations. We find less gas in the circumgalactic medium of breakBRD galaxies, and that the breakBRD circumgalactic medium is slightly more concentrated than that of comparable stellar mass galaxies. In addition, we find that the angular momentum in the circumgalactic medium of breakBRD galaxies tends to be low for their stellar mass, and show more misalignment to the angular momentum vector of the stellar disk. Finally, we find that the circumgalactic medium metallicity of breakBRD galaxies tends to be high for their stellar mass. Together with their low SFR, we argue that these CGM properties indicate a small amount of disk feeding concentrated in the central regions, and a lack of low-metallicity gas accretion from the intergalactic medium.Comment: Published in The Astrophysical Journal, July 202

Attention Function Structure of Older and Younger Adult Drivers

Groups of younger (n=49, M age = 21.7 years) and older (n=52, M age = 73.0 years) adults performed computer-based cognitive tests and simulated driving. Results from the cognitive tests were submitted to Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and 6 components were extracted that explained more than 77% of the variance. The components were labeled speed, divided, sustained, executive, selective/inhibition, and visual search in descending order of amount of variance explained. The component scores were used to predict simulated driving performance. Hierarchical step-wise regressions were computed with driving performance as the criterion, and age group (forced) and the component scores (step-wise) as predictors. Results showed that the speed and divided components were more likely to explain additional driving performance variance beyond age group than the other components

Attention Factors Compared to Other Predictors of Simulated Driving Performance Across Age Groups

Groups of young, middle-aged, and older adults performed a battery of computer-based attention tasks, the UFOV® and neuropsychological tests, and simulated low-speed driving in a suburban scenario. Results from the attention tasks were submitted to Maximum Likelihood factor analysis and 6 factors were extracted that explained more than 57% of the task variance. The factors were labeled speed, switching, visual search, executive, sustained, and divided attention in descending order of amount of task variance explained. The factor scores were used to predict simulated driving performance. Step-wise regressions were computed with driving performance as the criterion, and age, sex and the factor scores, the UFOV® scores, or the neuropsychological test scores as predictors. Results showed that the perceptual-motor speed and divided attention measures from the UFOV® and attention battery were more likely to explain driving performance variance than the neuropsychological tests

An Examination of the Relationship Between Attention Profiles and Simulated Driving Performance

This study examined whether attention profiles from a computerized test battery relate to simulated driving performance. Five attention abilities were examined in the study: sustained, divided, selective, switching, and scanning. Participants completed eight tasks in a computer-based test battery and four driving scenarios designed to tap the same attention abilities. Physiological measures were collected during the test battery and the driving scenarios. Principal components analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation extracted seven components from the test battery, including the five proposed abilities along with speed and orienting components. Component scores were used as predictors of simulated driving performance in stepwise regressions and explained a significant proportion of variance (ranging from 7% - 26%) for most measures of driving performance. The speed, visual search, and divided attention components appeared as significant predictors more often than did the sustained, switching, orienting, and selective components. When physiological measures were added to the regressions, they explained additional variance beyond that explained by the component scores, but there was no consistent relation between simulated driving performance and any particular physiological measure

Management Guidelines for Patients with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: The American Thyroid Association Guidelines Taskforce

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63263/1/thy.2006.16.109.pd

T cell receptor recognition of CD1b presenting a mycobacterial glycolipid

CD1 proteins present microbial lipids to T cells. Germline-encoded mycolyl lipid-reactive (GEM) T cells with conserved αβ T cell receptors (TCRs) recognize CD1b presenting mycobacterial mycolates. As the molecular basis underpinning TCR recognition of CD1b remains unknown, here we determine the structure of a GEM TCR bound to CD1b presenting glucose-6-O-monomycolate (GMM). The GEM TCR docks centrally above CD1b, whereby the conserved TCR α-chain extensively contacts CD1b and GMM. Through mutagenesis and study of T cells from tuberculosis patients, we identify a consensus CD1b footprint of TCRs present among GEM T cells. Using both the TCR α- and β-chains as tweezers to surround and grip the glucose moiety of GMM, GEM TCRs create a highly specific mechanism for recognizing this mycobacterial glycolipid

The Astropy Problem

The Astropy Project (http://astropy.org) is, in its own words, "a community effort to develop a single core package for Astronomy in Python and foster interoperability between Python astronomy packages." For five years this project has been managed, written, and operated as a grassroots, self-organized, almost entirely volunteer effort while the software is used by the majority of the astronomical community. Despite this, the project has always been and remains to this day effectively unfunded. Further, contributors receive little or no formal recognition for creating and supporting what is now critical software. This paper explores the problem in detail, outlines possible solutions to correct this, and presents a few suggestions on how to address the sustainability of general purpose astronomical software

The anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody, bamlanivimab, minimally impacts the endogenous immune response to COVID-19 vaccination

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic evolves and vaccine rollout progresses, the availability and demand for monoclonal antibodies for the prevention and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are also accelerating. This longitudinal serological study evaluated the magnitude and potency of the endogenous antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination in participants who first received a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody in a prevention study. Over the course of six months, serum samples were collected from a population of nursing home residents and staff enrolled in a clinical trial who were randomized to either bamlanivimab treatment or placebo. In an unplanned component of this trial, a subset of these participants was subsequently fully vaccinated with two doses of either SpikeVax (Moderna) or Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. This post-hoc analysis assessed the immune response to vaccination for 135 participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Antibody titers and potency were assessed using three assays against SARS-CoV-2 proteins that bamlanivimab does not efficiently bind to, thereby reflecting the endogenous antibody response. All bamlanivimab and placebo recipients mounted a robust immune response to full COVID-19 vaccination, irrespective of age, risk-category, and vaccine type with any observed differences of uncertain clinical importance. These findings are pertinent for informing public health policy with results that suggest that the benefit of receiving COVID-19 vaccination at the earliest opportunity outweighs the minimal effect on the endogenous immune response due to prior prophylactic COVID-19 monoclonal antibody infusion