The star catalogues of Ptolemaios and Ulugh Beg: Machine-readable versions and comparison with the modern Hipparcos Catalogue

In late antiquity and throughout the middle ages, the positions of stars on the celestial sphere were obtained from the star catalogue of Ptolemaios. A catalogue based on new measurements appeared in 1437, with positions by Ulugh Beg, and magnitudes from the 10th-century astronomer al-Sufi. We provide machine-readable versions of these two star catalogues, based on the editions by Toomer (1998) and Knobel (1917), and determine their accuracies by comparison with the modern Hipparcos Catalogue. The magnitudes in the catalogues correlate well with modern visual magnitudes; the indication `faint' by Ptolemaios is found to correspond to his magnitudes 5 and 6. Gaussian fits to the error distributions in longitude / latitude give widths sigma ~ 27 arcmin / 23 arcmin in the range |Delta lambda, Delta beta|<50 arcmin for Ptolemaios and sigma ~ 22 arcmin /18 arcmin in Ulugh Beg. Fits to the range |Delta lambda, Delta beta|<100 arcmin gives 10-15 per cent larger widths, showing that the error distributions are broader than gaussians. The fraction of stars with positions wrong by more than 150 arcmin is about 2 per cent for Ptolemaios and 0.1 per cent in Ulugh Beg; the numbers of unidentified stars are 1 in Ptolemaios and 3 in Ulugh Beg. These numbers testify to the excellent quality of both star catalogues (as edited by Toomer and Knobel).Comment: to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysics; 34 pages with 57 Figures. Note changed address and email address of first autho

The ATLAS 5.5 GHz survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: Catalogue, Source Counts and Spectral Indices

Star forming galaxies are thought to dominate the sub-mJy radio population, but recent work has shown that low luminosity AGN can still make a significant contribution to the faint radio source population. Spectral indices are an important tool for understanding the emission mechanism of the faint radio sources. We have observed the extended Chandra Deep Field South at 5.5 GHz using a mosaic of 42 pointings with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Our image reaches an almost uniform sensitivity of ~12 microJy rms over 0.25 deg^2 with a restoring beam of 4.9 x 2.0 arcsec, making it one of the deepest 6cm surveys to date. We present the 5.5 GHz catalogue and source counts from this field. We take advantage of the large amounts of ancillary data in this field to study the 1.4 to 5.5 GHz spectral indices of the sub-mJy population. For the full 5.5 GHz selected sample we find a flat median spectral index, alpha_med = -0.40, which is consistent with previous results. However, the spectral index appears to steepen at the faintest flux density levels (S_{5.5 GHz} < 0.1 mJy), where alpha_med = -0.68. We performed stacking analysis of the faint 1.4 GHz selected sample (40 < S_{1.4 GHz} < 200 microJy) and also find a steep average spectral index, alpha = -0.8, consistent with synchrotron emission. We find a weak trend of steepening spectral index with redshift. Several young AGN candidates are identified using spectral indices, suggesting Gigahertz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) sources are as common in the mJy population as they are at Jy levels.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

4-dimensional functional profiling in the convulsant-treated larval zebrafish brain

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.Functional neuroimaging, using genetically-encoded Ca(2+) sensors in larval zebrafish, offers a powerful combination of high spatiotemporal resolution and higher vertebrate relevance for quantitative neuropharmacological profiling. Here we use zebrafish larvae with pan-neuronal expression of GCaMP6s, combined with light sheet microscopy and a novel image processing pipeline, for the 4D profiling of chemoconvulsant action in multiple brain regions. In untreated larvae, regions associated with autonomic functionality, sensory processing and stress-responsiveness, consistently exhibited elevated spontaneous activity. The application of drugs targeting different convulsant mechanisms (4-Aminopyridine, Pentylenetetrazole, Pilocarpine and Strychnine) resulted in distinct spatiotemporal patterns of activity. These activity patterns showed some interesting parallels with what is known of the distribution of their respective molecular targets, but crucially also revealed system-wide neural circuit responses to stimulation or suppression. Drug concentration-response curves of neural activity were identified in a number of anatomically-defined zebrafish brain regions, and in vivo larval electrophysiology, also conducted in 4dpf larvae, provided additional measures of neural activity. Our quantification of network-wide chemoconvulsant drug activity in the whole zebrafish brain illustrates the power of this approach for neuropharmacological profiling in applications ranging from accelerating studies of drug safety and efficacy, to identifying pharmacologically-altered networks in zebrafish models of human neurological disorders.This work was funded by the Biological and Biotechnology Research Council (CASE studentship BB/L502510/1, with AstraZeneca Safety Health and Environment), and by the University of Exeter and AstraZeneca

Hurthle Cell Carcinoma of the Thyroid Gland : Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction Hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC) comprises about 5% of thyroid carcinoma cases. Partly because of its rarity there is much we still need to know about HCC as compared to other histological cancer subtypes. Methods We conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines and meta-analysis, from 2000 to 2020, to investigate the main characteristics of HCC and clarify information concerning tumor behavior and treatment. Results Our review included data from 9638 patients reported in 27 articles over the past 20 years. This tumor occurred more frequently in women (67.5%). The mean age was 57.6 years, and the mean size of the neoplasm at diagnosis was 30 mm. Extrathyroidal extension was common (24%) but lymph node metastasis was not (9%). Total thyroidectomy was the most common surgical approach, with neck dissection usually performed in cases with clinically apparent positive neck nodes. Radioiodine therapy was frequently applied (54%), although there is no consensus about its benefits. The mean 5- and 10-year overall survival was 91% and 76%, respectively. Conclusion This review serves to further elucidate the main characteristics of this malignancy. HCC of the thyroid is rare and most often presents with a relatively large nodule, whereas lymph node metastases are rare. Given the rarity of HCC, a consensus on their treatment is needed, as doubts remain concerning the role of specific tumor findings and their influence on management.Peer reviewe

Environmental effects on the growth of super massive black holes and AGN feedback

We investigate how environmental effects by gas stripping alter the growth of a super massive black hole (SMBH) and its host galaxy evolution, by means of 1D hydrodynamical simulations that include both mechanical and radiative AGN feedback effects. By changing the truncation radius of the gas distribution (R_t), beyond which gas stripping is assumed to be effective, we simulate possible environments for satellite and central galaxies in galaxy clusters and groups. The continuous escape of gas outside the truncation radius strongly suppresses star formation, while the growth of the SMBH is less affected by gas stripping because the SMBH accretion is primarily ruled by the density of the central region. As we allow for increasing environmental effects - the truncation radius decreasing from about 410 to 50 kpc - we find that the final SMBH mass declines from about 10^9 to 8 x 10^8 Msol, but the outflowing mass is roughly constant at about 2 x 10^10 Msol. There are larger change in the mass of stars formed, which declines from about 2 x 10^10 to 2 x 10^9 Msol, and the final thermal X-ray gas, which declines from about 10^9 to 5 x 10^8 Msol, with increasing environmental stripping. Most dramatic is the decline in the total time that the objects would be seen as quasars, which declines from 52 Myr (for R_t = 377 kpc) to 7.9 Myr (for R_t = 51 kpc). The typical case might be interpreted as a red and dead galaxy having episodic cooling flows followed by AGN feedback effects resulting in temporary transitions of the overall galaxy color from red to green or to blue, with (cluster) central galaxies spending a much larger fraction of their time in the elevated state than do satellite galaxies.(Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Management of Recurrent Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma in the Neck: A Comprehensive Review

Surgery has been historically the preferred primary treatment for patients with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and for selected locoregional recurrences. Adjuvant therapy with radioactive iodine is typically recommended for patients with an intermediate to high risk of recurrence. Despite these treatments, locally advanced disease and locoregional relapses are not infrequent. These patients have a prolonged overall survival that may result in long periods of active disease and the possibility of requiring subsequent treatments. Recently, many new options have emerged as salvage therapies. This review offers a comprehensive discussion and considerations regarding surgery, active surveillance, radioactive iodine therapy, ultrasonography-guided percutaneous ablation, external beam radiotherapy, and systemic therapy for well-differentiated thyroid cancer based on relevant publications and current reference guidelines. We feel that the surgical member of the thyroid cancer management team is empowered by being aware and facile with all management options

A big-data approach to understanding metabolic rate and response to obesity in laboratory mice [preprint]

Maintaining a healthy body weight requires an exquisite balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. In humans and in laboratory mice these factors are experimentally measured by powerful and sensitive indirect calorimetry devices. To understand the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the regulation of body weight, an important first step is to establish the normal range of metabolic values and primary sources contributing to variability in results. Here we examine indirect calorimetry results from two experimental mouse projects, the Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Centers and International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium to develop insights into large-scale trends in mammalian metabolism. Analysis of nearly 10,000 wildtype mice revealed that the largest experimental variances are consequences of institutional site. This institutional effect on variation eclipsed those of housing temperature, body mass, locomotor activity, sex, or season. We do not find support for the claim that female mice have greater metabolic variation than male mice. An analysis of these factors shows a normal distribution for energy expenditure in the phenotypic analysis of 2,246 knockout strains and establishes a reference for the magnitude of metabolic changes. Using this framework, we examine knockout strains with known metabolic phenotypes. We compare these effects with common environmental challenges including age, and exercise. We further examine the distribution of metabolic phenotypes exhibited by knockout strains of genes corresponding to GWAS obesity susceptibility loci. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for how best to design and conduct energy balance experiments in rodents, as well as how to analyze and report data from these studies. These recommendations will move us closer to the goal of a centralized physiological repository to foster transparency, rigor and reproducibility in metabolic physiology experimentation

Spectral index properties of milliJansky radio sources

At the faintest radio flux densities (S_1.4 < 10 mJy), conflicting results have arisen regarding whether there is a flattening of the average spectral index between a low radio frequency (325 or 610 MHz), and e.g. 1.4 GHz. We present a new catalogue of 843 MHz radio sources in the ELAIS-S1 field that contains the sources, their ATLAS counterparts, and the spectral index distributions of the sources as a function of flux density. We do not find any statistically significant evidence for a trend towards flatter spectral indices with decreasing flux density. We then investigate the spectral index distribution with redshift for those sources with reliable redshifts and explore the infrared properties. An initial sample of faint Compact Steep Spectrum sources in ATLAS is also presented, with a brief overview of their properties.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 18 pages, 19 figures, 6 tables. The full version of Table 1 will be available in the online version of the articl

Best practice guidelines for cetacean tagging

Animal-borne electronic instruments (tags) are valuable tools for collecting information on cetacean physiology, behaviour and ecology, and for enhancing conservation and management policies for cetacean populations. Tags allow researchers to track the movement patterns, habitat use andother aspects of the behaviour of animals that are otherwise difficult to observe. They can even be used to monitor the physiology of a tagged animal within its changing environment. Such tags are ideal for identifying and predicting responses to anthropogenic threats, thus facilitating the development of robust mitigation measures. With the increasing need for data best provided by tagging and the increasing availability of tags, such research is becoming more common. Tagging can, however, pose risks to the health and welfare of cetaceans and to personnel involved in tagging operations. Here we provide ‘best practice’ recommendations for cetacean tag design, deployment and follow-up assessment of tagged individuals, compiled by biologists and veterinarians with significant experience in cetacean tagging. This paper is intended to serve as a resource to assist tag users, veterinarians, ethics committees and regulatory agency staff in the implementation of high standards of practice, and to promote the training of specialists in this area. Standardised terminology for describing tag design and illustrations of tag types and attachment sites are provided, along with protocols for tag testing and deployment (both remote and through capture-release), including training of operators. The recommendations emphasise the importance of ensuring that tagging is ethically and scientifically justified for a particular project and that tagging only be used to address bona fide research or conservation questions that are best addressed with tagging, as supported by an exploration of alternative methods. Recommendations are provided for minimising effects on individual animals (e.g. through careful selection of the individual, tag design and implant sterilisation) and for improving knowledge of tagging effects on cetaceans through increased post-tagging monitoring.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe