The main sequence of three red supergiant clusters

Massive clusters in our Galaxy are an ideal testbed to investigate the properties and evolution of high-mass stars. They provide statistically significant samples of massive stars of uniform ages. To accurately determine the intrinsic physical properties of these stars, we need to establish the distances, ages and reddening of the clusters. One avenue to achieve this is the identification and characterization of the main-sequence (MS) members of red supergiant (RSG) rich clusters. Here, we utilize publicly available data from the UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey. We show that point spread function photometry in conjunction with standard photometric decontamination techniques allows us to identify the most likely MSmembers in the 10-20 Myr old clusters RSGC 1-3. We confirm the previous detection of the MS in RSGC 2 and provide the first MS detection in RSGC 1 and RSGC 3. There are in excess of 100 stars with more than 8Mâ?? identified in each cluster. These MS members are concentrated towards the spectroscopically confirmed RSG stars. We utilize the J-K colours of the bright MS stars to determine the K-band extinction towards the clusters. The differential reddening is three times as large in the youngest cluster RSGC 1 as compared to the two older clusters RSGC 2 and RSGC 3. Spectroscopic follow-up of the cluster MS stars should lead to more precise distance and age estimates for these clusters as well as the determination of the stellar mass function in these high-mass environments. © 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society

Novel prokaryotic expression of thioredoxin-fused insulinoma associated protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (IA-2), its characterization and immunodiagnostic application

Background The insulinoma associated protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (IA-2) is one of the immunodominant autoantigens involved in the autoimmune attack to the beta-cell in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. In this work we have developed a complete and original process for the production and recovery of the properly folded intracellular domain of IA-2 fused to thioredoxin (TrxIA-2ic) in Escherichia coli GI698 and GI724 strains. We have also carried out the biochemical and immunochemical characterization of TrxIA-2icand design variants of non-radiometric immunoassays for the efficient detection of IA-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A). Results The main findings can be summarized in the following statements: i) TrxIA-2ic expression after 3 h of induction on GI724 strain yielded ≈ 10 mg of highly pure TrxIA-2ic/L of culture medium by a single step purification by affinity chromatography, ii) the molecular weight of TrxIA-2ic (55,358 Da) could be estimated by SDS-PAGE, size exclusion chromatography and mass spectrometry, iii) TrxIA-2ic was properly identified by western blot and mass spectrometric analysis of proteolytic digestions (63.25 % total coverage), iv) excellent immunochemical behavior of properly folded full TrxIA-2ic was legitimized by inhibition or displacement of [35S]IA-2 binding from IA-2A present in Argentinian Type 1 Diabetic patients, v) great stability over time was found under proper storage conditions and vi) low cost and environmentally harmless ELISA methods for IA-2A assessment were developed, with colorimetric or chemiluminescent detection. Conclusions E. coli GI724 strain emerged as a handy source of recombinant IA-2ic, achieving high levels of expression as a thioredoxin fusion protein, adequately validated and applicable to the development of innovative and cost-effective immunoassays for IA-2A detection in most laboratories.Fil: Guerra, Luciano Lucas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Faccinetti, Natalia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Trabucchi, Aldana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Rovitto, Bruno David. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Sabljic, Adriana Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Poskus, Edgardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Iacono, Ruben Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Valdez, Silvina Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; Argentin

The Spillover Effects of Innovative Ideas on Human Capital

This paper extends a two-period overlapping generations model of endogenous growth where the interactions between public infrastructure and human capital with research and development (R&D) activities and growth are studied. The paper makes two important contributions. First, it accounts for the spillover effect of the stock of ideas on learning, which in turn promotes the production of innovative technologies. In doing so, it brings to the fore a two-way interaction between human capital and innovation. The paper then applies various econometric methods which confirm the above theoretical thesis. Second, the solutions of the model emphasize the important role public spending on infrastructure, human capital and R&D can play in promoting economic growth. However, the findings also show that trade-offs in the allocation of public spending may inevitably emerge. In particular, investment in public infrastructure at the expense of spending on R&D is less likely to succeed in promoting economic growth, whereas it may be more effective to foster growth through an offsetting cut in another productive component, namely, education. In light of these potential trade-offs, governments in low-income countries need to use their limited budgets as part of holistic measures in order to achieve efficient outcomes

Discovery of new companions to high proper motion stars from the VVV Survey

Accepted for publication in A&A; 14 pages, 3 figures, 6 tablesWe acknowledge support by the FONDAP Center for Astrophysics 15010003; BASAL CATA Center for Astrophysics and Associated Technologies PFB-06; the Ministry for the Economy, Development, and Tourism’s Programa Iniciativa Científica Milenio through grant P07-021- F, awarded to The Milky Way Millennium Nucleus; FONDECYT grants No. 1090213 and 1110326 from CONICYT, and the European Southern Observatory. J.C.B. acknowledge support from a Ph.D. Fellowship from CONICYT. M.G. is financed by the GEMINI-CONICYT Fund, allocated to the project 32110014. R.K. acknowledges partial support from FONDECYT through grant 1130140. E.L.M. acknowledges support from grant AyA2011- 30147-C03-03; J.B. acknowledge support from FONDECYT No. 1120601; A.N.C. acknowledges support from GEMINI-CONICYT No. 32110005 and from Comitee Mixto ESO-GOBIERNO DE CHILE. J.A.G. acknowledges support from Proyecto Fondecyt Postdoctoral 3130552, Fondecyt Regular 1110326, and Anillos ACT-86

Daily-Life Fatigue in Mild to Moderate Hearing Impairment: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Objectives: Previous research has indicated an association between hearing impairment (HI) and daily-life fatigue. However, the temporal and contextual correlates of such fatigue are largely unexplored. The present study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine (1) whether people with HI are more fatigued than people with normal hearing, (2) whether individuals with HI and normal hearing (NH) show similar diurnal patterns of fatigue, (3) whether people with HI spend less time in challenging listening situations compared with NH controls, and (4) whether more challenging listening situations are associated with more fatigue and whether hearing ability influences any observed association.Design: After excluding 22 participants with self-reported fatiguing health conditions from analyses, the participant sample consisted of 24 adults with HI and 20 adults with NH, aged 44 to 77 years (M = 65.4, SD = 7.5). Data were collected using smartphones and a commercially available EMA app, which ran the specified EMA protocol for this study. Participants responded to six smartphone surveys per day for two weeks. “In-the-moment” questions asked participants to report on their listening situation and to rate their current level of fatigue (“momentary fatigue”) at quasi-random time points throughout the day. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling.Results: Hearing group (HI versus NH) was unrelated to trait, daily, and momentary fatigue; both participants with HI and NH became increasingly fatigued throughout the day and at a similar rate. Challenging listening situations occurred infrequently both for HI and NH groups. Participants with NH were more likely to report that there were people speaking in the background whom they were trying to ignore, but participants with HI were more likely to report a greater number of background speakers. No associations were found between within-person listening situations and momentary fatigue, but person-mean listening activity and conversational status were related to momentary fatigue. Notably, having tinnitus was positively related to momentary fatigue, after controlling for other covariates. Finally, having a fatiguing health condition was a strong predictor of both trait and momentary fatigue.Conclusions: This is the first study to explore and compare fatigue across HI and NH groups using EMA. Contrary to expectations, the groups showed similar levels and diurnal patterns of fatigue, and fatigue was mostly unrelated to aspects of the listening environment. Between-person differences, although statistically significant, produced small effect sizes and therefore must be accepted cautiously. Issues with group matching, the measurement of fatigue, and perceived hearing-related difficulties among participants with NH are notable limitations. However, this study makes a novel contribution to both EMA and hearing research and demonstrates the importance of screening for fatiguing health conditions. Further research is warranted, particularly with individuals with more severe HI

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362