Dynamical Measurements of Black Hole Masses in Four Brightest Cluster Galaxies at 100 Mpc

We present stellar kinematics and orbit superposition models for the central regions of four Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), based upon integral-field spectroscopy at Gemini, Keck, and McDonald Observatories. Our integral-field data span radii from < 100 pc to tens of kpc. We report black hole masses, M_BH, of 2.1 +/- 1.6 x 10^10 M_Sun for NGC 4889, 9.7 + 3.0 - 2.6 x 10^9 M_Sun for NGC 3842, and 1.3 + 0.5 - 0.4 x 10^9 M_Sun for NGC 7768. For NGC 2832 we report an upper limit of M_BH < 9 x 10^9 M_Sun. Stellar orbits near the center of each galaxy are tangentially biased, on comparable spatial scales to the galaxies' photometric cores. We find possible photometric and kinematic evidence for an eccentric torus of stars in NGC 4889, with a radius of nearly 1 kpc. We compare our measurements of M_BH to the predicted black hole masses from various fits to the relations between M_BH and stellar velocity dispersion, luminosity, or stellar mass. The black holes in NGC 4889 and NGC 3842 are significantly more massive than all dispersion-based predictions and most luminosity-based predictions. The black hole in NGC 7768 is consistent with a broader range of predictions.Comment: 24 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Marginal zone lymphoma of the dura — two case reports with long-term follow-up

Primary MALT lymphoma arising at the dura is a rare circumstance with no categorical therapeutic plan in literature. There are few reports available with different treatment courses. Here, we report two cases with a long-term follow-up after the same pattern of management and review the literature

Multicentric assessment of safety and efficacy of combinatorial adjuvant brain metastasis treatment by intraoperative radiotherapy and immunotherapy

Purpose Following surgical resection of brain metastases (BMs), intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) provides a promising alternative to adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) by enabling superior organ at risk preservation, reduction of in-hospital times and timely admission to subsequent systemic treatments, which increasingly comprise novel targeted immunotherapeutic approaches. We sought to assess safety and efficacy of IORT in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and other targeted therapies (TTs). Methods In a multicentric approach incorporating individual patient data from six international IORT centers, all patients with BMs undergoing IORT were retrospectively assessed for combinatorial treatment with ICIs/TTs and evaluated for toxicity and cumulative rates, including wound dehiscence, radiation necrosis (RN), leptomeningeal spread (LMS), local control (LC), distant brain progression (DBP) and estimated overall survival (OS). Results A total of 103 lesions with a median diameter of 34 mm receiving IORT combined with immunomodulatory systemic treatment or other TTs were included. The median follow up was 13.2 (1.2-102.4) months and the median IORT dose was 25 (18-30) Gy prescribed to the applicator surface. There was one grade 3 adverse event related to IORT recorded (2.2%). A 4.9% cumulative RN rate was observed. The 1-year LCR was 98.0% and the 1-year DBP-free rate 60.0%. Median time to DBP was 5.5 (1.0-18.5) months in the subgroup of patients experiencing DBP and the cumulative LMS rate was 4.9%. The median estimated OS was 26 (1.2-not reached) months with a 1-year survival rate of 74.0%. Early initiation of IT/TT was associated with a non-significant trend towards improved DBP rate and OS. Conclusion The combination of ICIs/TT with IORT for resected BMs does not seem to increase toxicity, while yielding encouraging local control outcomes in the difficult-to-treat subgroup of larger BMs. Time gaps between surgery and systemic treatment could be shortened or avoided. The definitive role of IORT in local control after BM resection will be defined in a prospective trial

Gender Differences in Russian Colour Naming

In the present study we explored Russian colour naming in a web-based psycholinguistic experiment (http://www.colournaming.com). Colour singletons representing the Munsell Color Solid (N=600 in total) were presented on a computer monitor and named using an unconstrained colour-naming method. Respondents were Russian speakers (N=713). For gender-split equal-size samples (NF=333, NM=333) we estimated and compared (i) location of centroids of 12 Russian basic colour terms (BCTs); (ii) the number of words in colour descriptors; (iii) occurrences of BCTs most frequent non-BCTs. We found a close correspondence between females’ and males’ BCT centroids. Among individual BCTs, the highest inter-gender agreement was for seryj ‘grey’ and goluboj ‘light blue’, while the lowest was for sinij ‘dark blue’ and krasnyj ‘red’. Females revealed a significantly richer repertory of distinct colour descriptors, with great variety of monolexemic non-BCTs and “fancy” colour names; in comparison, males offered relatively more BCTs or their compounds. Along with these measures, we gauged denotata of most frequent CTs, reflected by linguistic segmentation of colour space, by employing a synthetic observer trained by gender-specific responses. This psycholinguistic representation revealed females’ more refined linguistic segmentation, compared to males, with higher linguistic density predominantly along the redgreen axis of colour space

G₂-structures and quantization of non-geometric M-theory backgrounds

We describe the quantization of a four-dimensional locally non-geometric M-theory background dual to a twisted three-torus by deriving a phase space star product for deformation quantization of quasi-Poisson brackets related to the nonassociative algebra of octonions. The construction is based on a choice of $G_2$-structure which defines a nonassociative deformation of the addition law on the seven-dimensional vector space of Fourier momenta. We demonstrate explicitly that this star product reduces to that of the three-dimensional parabolic constant $R$-flux model in the contraction of M-theory to string theory, and use it to derive quantum phase space uncertainty relations as well as triproducts for the nonassociative geometry of the four-dimensional configuration space. By extending the $G_2$-structure to a $Spin(7)$-structure, we propose a 3-algebra structure on the full eight-dimensional M2-brane phase space which reduces to the quasi-Poisson algebra after imposing a particular gauge constraint, and whose deformation quantisation simultaneously encompasses both the phase space star products and the configuration space triproducts. We demonstrate how these structures naturally fit in with previous occurences of 3-algebras in M-theory.Comment: 41 pages; v2: Final version published in JHE

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

A Survey of New Temperature-Sensitive, Embryonic-Lethal Mutations in C. elegans: 24 Alleles of Thirteen Genes

To study essential maternal gene requirements in the early C. elegans embryo, we have screened for temperature-sensitive, embryonic lethal mutations in an effort to bypass essential zygotic requirements for such genes during larval and adult germline development. With conditional alleles, multiple essential requirements can be examined by shifting at different times from the permissive temperature of 15°C to the restrictive temperature of 26°C. Here we describe 24 conditional mutations that affect 13 different loci and report the identity of the gene mutations responsible for the conditional lethality in 22 of the mutants. All but four are mis-sense mutations, with two mutations affecting splice sites, another creating an in-frame deletion, and one creating a premature stop codon. Almost all of the mis-sense mutations affect residues conserved in orthologs, and thus may be useful for engineering conditional mutations in other organisms. We find that 62% of the mutants display additional phenotypes when shifted to the restrictive temperature as L1 larvae, in addition to causing embryonic lethality after L4 upshifts. Remarkably, we also found that 13 out of the 24 mutations appear to be fast-acting, making them particularly useful for careful dissection of multiple essential requirements. Our findings highlight the value of C. elegans for identifying useful temperature-sensitive mutations in essential genes, and provide new insights into the requirements for some of the affected loci

Nitric oxide releasing-dendrimers: an overview

Platforms able to storage, release or scavenge NO in a controlled and specific manner is interesting for biological applications. Among the possible matrices for these purposes, dendrimers are excellent candidates for that. These molecules have been used as drug delivery systems and exhibit interesting properties, like the possibility to perform chemical modifications on dendrimers surface, the capacity of storage high concentrations of compounds of interest in the same molecule and the ability to improve the solubility and the biocompatibility of the compounds bonded to it. This review emphasizes the recent progress in the development and in the biological applications of different NO-releasing dendrimers and the nitric oxide release pathways in these compounds

The DUNE Far Detector Interim Design Report, Volume 3: Dual-Phase Module

The DUNE IDR describes the proposed physics program and technical designs of the DUNE far detector modules in preparation for the full TDR to be published in 2019. It is intended as an intermediate milestone on the path to a full TDR, justifying the technical choices that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. These design choices will enable the DUNE experiment to make the ground-breaking discoveries that will help to answer fundamental physics questions. Volume 3 describes the dual-phase module's subsystems, the technical coordination required for its design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure