83 research outputs found
Using digital social market applications to incentivise active travel: Empirical analysis of a smart city initiative
Information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mobile communication networks, and behaviour-based approaches for citizen engagement play a key role in making future cities sustainable and tackling persistent problems in high-density urban areas. In the context of Sharing Cities, an EU-funded programme aiming to deliver smart city solutions in areas such as citizen participation and infrastructure improvements of buildings and mobility, a prominent intervention has been the deployment and monitoring of a Digital Social Market (DSM) tool in Milan (Italy). The DSM allows cities to engage with residents and encourage sustainable behaviours by offering non-monetary rewards. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the DSM approach to promote active travel (cycling and walking) by analysing the data collected through the app as well as through participant surveys. Our model results show that a broader engagement with the DSM app (number of claps to posts, number of posts made, non-monetary rewards earned by participating in non-travel events) is positively correlated with the monitored level of active travel. Lifestyles, attitudes, and social influence also explain the variability in cycling and walking. This highlights the importance of investigating these factors when replicating such initiatives on a large scale
Missing Dark Matter in the Local Universe
A sample of 11 thousand galaxies with radial velocities V_ LG < 3500 km/s is
used to study the features of the local distribution of luminous (stellar) and
dark matter within a sphere of radius of around 50 Mpc around us. The average
density of matter in this volume, Omega_m,loc=0.08+-0.02, turns out to be much
lower than the global cosmic density Omega_m,glob=0.28+-0.03. We discuss three
possible explanations of this paradox: 1) galaxy groups and clusters are
surrounded by extended dark halos, the major part of the mass of which is
located outside their virial radii; 2) the considered local volume of the
Universe is not representative, being situated inside a giant void; and 3) the
bulk of matter in the Universe is not related to clusters and groups, but is
rather distributed between them in the form of massive dark clumps. Some
arguments in favor of the latter assumption are presented. Besides the two
well-known inconsistencies of modern cosmological models with the observational
data: the problem of missing satellites of normal galaxies and the problem of
missing baryons, there arises another one - the issue of missing dark matter.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 1 table (accepted
Subclinical liver fibrosis in patients with idiopathic 1 pulmonary fibrosis.
Background - Data on the presence of subclinical fibrosis across multiple organs in patients with idiopathic lung fibrosis (IPF) are lacking. Our study aimed at investigating through hepatic transient elastography (HTE) the prevalence and clinical impact of subclinical liver fibrosis in a cohort of patients with IPF.
Methods - Patients referred to the Centre for Rare Lung Disease of the University Hospital of Modena (Italy) from March 2012 to February 2013with established diagnosis of IPF and without a documented history of liver diseases were consecutively enrolled and underwent HTE. Based on hepatic stiffness status as assessed through METAVIR score patients were categorized as \u201c with liver fibrosis \u201d (corresponding to a METAVIR score of F1-F4) and \u201c without liver fibrosis\u201d (METAVIR F0). Potential predictors of liver fibrosis were investigated through logistic regression
model among clinical and serological variables. The overall survival (OS) was assessed according to liver fibrosis and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors.
Results - In 13 out of 37 patients (35%) with IPF a certain degree of liver fibrosis was documented.No correlation was found between liver stiffness and clinical-functional parameters. OS was lower in patients \u2018 with liver fibrosis\u2019 than in patients \u2018 without liver fibrosis\u2019 (median months 33[23-55] vs. 63[26-94], p=0.038). Patients \u2018 with liver fibrosis\u2019 presented a higher risk of death at seven years as compared to patients \u2018without liver fibrosis\u2019 (HR=2.6, 95%CI[1.003\u20136.7],p= 0.049). Higher level of AST to platelet ratio Index (APRI)was an independent predictor of survival (HR=4.52
95%CI[1.3\u201315.6], p=0.02).
Conclusions - In our cohort, more than one third of IPF patients had concomitant subclinical liver fibrosis that negatively affected OS. These preliminary claims further investigation aimed at clarifying the mechanisms beyond multiorgan fibrosis and its clinical implication in patients with IPF
Bayesian approach to gravitational lens model selection: constraining H_0 with a selected sample of strong lenses
Bayesian model selection methods provide a self-consistent probabilistic
framework to test the validity of competing scenarios given a set of data. We
present a case study application to strong gravitational lens parametric
models. Our goal is to select a homogeneous lens subsample suitable for
cosmological parameter inference. To this end we apply a Bayes factor analysis
to a synthetic catalog of 500 lenses with power-law potential and external
shear. For simplicity we focus on double-image lenses (the largest fraction of
lens in the simulated sample) and select a subsample for which astrometry and
time-delays provide strong evidence for a simple power-law model description.
Through a likelihood analysis we recover the input value of the Hubble constant
to within 3\sigma statistical uncertainty. We apply this methodology to a
sample of double image lensed quasars. In the case of B1600+434, SBS 1520+530
and SDSS J1650+4251 the Bayes' factor analysis favors a simple power-law model
description with high statistical significance. Assuming a flat \LambdaCDM
cosmology, the combined likelihood data analysis of such systems gives the
Hubble constant H_0=76+15-5 km/s/Mpc having marginalized over the lens model
parameters, the cosmic matter density and consistently propagated the
observational errors on the angular position of the images. The next generation
of cosmic structure surveys will provide larger lens datasets and the method
described here can be particularly useful to select homogeneous lens subsamples
adapted to perform unbiased cosmological parameter inferenceComment: 13 pages; 13 figures; includes Bayesian analysis of a synthetic lens
catalog generated with GRAVLENS, several additional results; matches MNRAS
accepted versio
Cosmological distance indicators
We review three distance measurement techniques beyond the local universe:
(1) gravitational lens time delays, (2) baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and
(3) HI intensity mapping. We describe the principles and theory behind each
method, the ingredients needed for measuring such distances, the current
observational results, and future prospects. Time delays from strongly lensed
quasars currently provide constraints on with < 4% uncertainty, and with
1% within reach from ongoing surveys and efforts. Recent exciting discoveries
of strongly lensed supernovae hold great promise for time-delay cosmography.
BAO features have been detected in redshift surveys up to z <~ 0.8 with
galaxies and z ~ 2 with Ly- forest, providing precise distance
measurements and with < 2% uncertainty in flat CDM. Future BAO
surveys will probe the distance scale with percent-level precision. HI
intensity mapping has great potential to map BAO distances at z ~ 0.8 and
beyond with precisions of a few percent. The next years ahead will be exciting
as various cosmological probes reach 1% uncertainty in determining , to
assess the current tension in measurements that could indicate new
physics.Comment: Review article accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews
(Springer), 45 pages, 10 figures. Chapter of a special collection resulting
from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in
the Space Ag
The Herschel-ATLAS: magnifications and physical sizes of 500-μm-selected strongly lensed galaxies
We perform lens modelling and source reconstruction of Sub-millimetre Array (SMA) data for a sample of 12 strongly lensed galaxies selected at 500μm in the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey (H-ATLAS). A previous analysis of the same data set used a single Sérsic profile to model the light distribution of each background galaxy. Here we model the source brightness distribution with an adaptive pixel scale scheme, extended to work in the Fourier visibility space of interferometry. We also present new SMA observations for seven other candidate lensed galaxies from the H-ATLAS sample. Our derived lens model parameters are in general consistent with previous findings. However, our estimated magnification factors, ranging from 3 to 10, are lower. The discrepancies are observed in particular where the reconstructed source hints at the presence of multiple knots of emission. We define an effective radius of the reconstructed sources based on the area in the source plane where emission is detected above 5σ. We also fit the reconstructed source surface brightness with an elliptical Gaussian model. We derive a median value reff ∼ 1.77 kpc and a median Gaussian full width at half-maximum ∼1.47 kpc. After correction for magnification, our sources have intrinsic star formation rates (SFR) ∼ 900–3500 M⊙ yr−1, resulting in a median SFR surface density ΣSFR ∼ 132 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 (or ∼218 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 for the Gaussian fit). This is consistent with that observed for other star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts, and is significantly below the Eddington limit for a radiation pressure regulated starburst
Toward an internally consistent astronomical distance scale
Accurate astronomical distance determination is crucial for all fields in
astrophysics, from Galactic to cosmological scales. Despite, or perhaps because
of, significant efforts to determine accurate distances, using a wide range of
methods, tracers, and techniques, an internally consistent astronomical
distance framework has not yet been established. We review current efforts to
homogenize the Local Group's distance framework, with particular emphasis on
the potential of RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators, and attempt to extend
this in an internally consistent manner to cosmological distances. Calibration
based on Type Ia supernovae and distance determinations based on gravitational
lensing represent particularly promising approaches. We provide a positive
outlook to improvements to the status quo expected from future surveys,
missions, and facilities. Astronomical distance determination has clearly
reached maturity and near-consistency.Comment: Review article, 59 pages (4 figures); Space Science Reviews, in press
(chapter 8 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ
workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age
Incidence of reversible amenorrhea in women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy with or without docetaxel
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the incidence of reversible amenorrhea in women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy with or without docetaxel.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied the incidence and duration of amenorrhea induced by two chemotherapy regimens: (i) 6 cycles of 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m<sup>2</sup>, epirubicin 100 mg/m<sup>2 </sup>and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m<sup>2 </sup>on day 1 every 3 weeks (6FEC) and (ii) 3 cycles of FEC 100 followed by 3 cycles of docetaxel 100 mg/m<sup>2 </sup>on day 1 every 3 weeks (3FEC/3D). Reversible amenorrhea was defined as recovery of regular menses and, where available (101 patients), premenopausal hormone values (luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol) in the year following the end of chemotherapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One hundred and fifty-four premenopausal patients were included: 84 treated with 6FEC and 70 with 3FEC/3D. The median age was 43.5 years (range: 28–58) in the 6FEC arm and 44 years (range: 29–53) in the 3FEC/3D arm. Seventy-eight percent of patients were treated in the context of the PACS 01 trial. The incidence of chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea at the end of chemotherapy was similar in the two groups: 93 % in the 6FEC arm and 92.8 % in the 3FEC/3D arm. However, in the year following the end of chemotherapy, more patients recovered menses in the 3FEC/3D arm than in the 6FEC arm: 35.5 % versus 23.7 % (p = 0.019). Among the 101 patients for whom hormone values were available, 43 % in the 3FEC/3D arm and 29 % in the 6FEC arm showed premenopausal levels one year after the end of chemotherapy (p < 0.01). In the 3FEC/3D group, there was a statistically significant advantage in disease-free survival (DFS) for patients who were still amenorrheic after one year, compared to patients who had recovered regular menses (p = 0.0017).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study suggests that 3FEC/3D treatment induces more reversible amenorrhea than 6FEC. The clinical relevance of these findings needs to be investigated further.</p
Snowmass2021 theory frontier white paper: Astrophysical and cosmological probes of dark matter
While astrophysical and cosmological probes provide a remarkably precise and consistent picture of the quantity and general properties of dark matter, its fundamental nature remains one of the most significant open questions in physics. Obtaining a more comprehensive understanding of dark matter within the next decade will require overcoming a number of theoretical challenges: the groundwork for these strides is being laid now, yet much remains to be done. Chief among the upcoming challenges is establishing the theoretical foundation needed to harness the full potential of new observables in the astrophysical and cosmological domains, spanning the early Universe to the inner portions of galaxies and the stars therein. Identifying the nature of dark matter will also entail repurposing and implementing a wide range of theoretical techniques from outside the typical toolkit of astrophysics, ranging from effective field theory to the dramatically evolving world of machine learning and artificial-intelligence-based statistical inference. Through this work, the theory frontier will be at the heart of dark matter discoveries in the upcoming decade
SHARP - III. First use of adaptive-optics imaging to constrain cosmology with gravitational lens time delays
Accurate and precise measurements of the Hubble constant are critical for testing our current standard cosmological model and revealing possibly new physics. With Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, each strong gravitational lens system with measured time delays can allow one to determine the Hubble constant with an uncertainty of ˜7 per cent. Since HST will not last forever, we explore adaptive-optics (AO) imaging as an alternative that can provide higher angular resolution than HST imaging but has a less stable point spread function (PSF) due to atmospheric distortion. To make AO imaging useful for time-delay-lens cosmography, we develop a method to extract the unknown PSF directly from the imaging of strongly lensed quasars. In a blind test with two mock data sets created with different PSFs, we are able to recover the important cosmological parameters (time-delay distance, external shear, lens-mass profile slope, and total Einstein radius). Our analysis of the Keck AO image of the strong lens system RXJ 1131-1231 shows that the important parameters for cosmography agree with those based on HST imaging and modelling within 1σ uncertainties. Most importantly, the constraint on the model time-delay distance by using AO imaging with 0.09 arcsec resolution is tighter by ˜50 per cent than the constraint of time-delay distance by using HST imaging with 0.09 arcsec when a power-law mass distribution for the lens system is adopted. Our PSF reconstruction technique is generic and applicable to data sets that have multiple nearby point sources, enabling scientific studies that require high-precision models of the PSF
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