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The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the Local Group galaxy that is most similar to the Milky Way (MW). The similarities between the two galaxies make M31 useful for studying integrated properties common to spiral galaxies. We use the data from the recent QUIJOTE-MFI Wide Survey, together with new raster observations focused on M31, to study its integrated emission. The addition of raster data improves the sensitivity of QUIJOTE-MFI maps by almost a factor 3. Our main interest is to confirm if anomalous microwave emission (AME) is present in M31, as previous studies have suggested. To do so, we built the integrated spectral energy distribution of M31 between 0.408 and 3000 GHz. We then performed a component separation analysis taking into account synchrotron, free–free, AME, and thermal dust components. AME in M31 is modelled as a log-normal distribution with maximum amplitude, A AME, equal to 1.03 ± 0.32 Jy. It peaks at |${\nu _{\rm AME}}=17.2\pm 3.2{\rm \, GHz}{}$| with a width of W AME = 0.58 ± 0.16. Both the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria find the model without AME to be less than 1 per cent as probable as the one taking AME into consideration. We find that the AME emissivity per 100  |$\mu$| m intensity in M31 is |${\epsilon _{\rm AME}^{\rm 28.4\, GHz}}=9.6\pm 3.1\,\mu$| K MJy−1 sr, similar to that of the MW. We also provide the first upper limits for the AME polarization fraction in an extragalactic object. M31 remains the only galaxy where an AME measurement has been made of its integrated spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the new QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey (11, 13, 17, and 19 GHz) to produce spectral energy distributions (SEDs), on an angular scale of 1°, of the supernova remnants (SNRs) CTB 80, Cygnus Loop, HB 21, CTA 1, Tycho, and HB 9. We provide new measurements of the polarized synchrotron radiation in the microwave range. The intensity and polarization SEDs are obtained and modelled by combining QUIJOTE-MFI maps with ancillary data. In intensity, we confirm the curved spectra of CTB 80 and HB 21 with a break frequency νb at 2.0 |$^{+1.2}_{-0.5}$| and 5.0 |$^{+1.2}_{-1.0}$|  GHz, respectively; and spectral indices above the break of |$-0.6^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$| and |$-0.86^{+0.04}_{-0.05}$|⁠. We provide constraints on the Anomalous Microwave Emission, suggesting that it is negligible towards these SNRs. From a simultaneous intensity and polarization fit, we recover synchrotron spectral indices as flat as −0.24, and the whole sample has a mean and scatter of −0.44 ± 0.12. The polarization fractions have a mean and scatter of 6.1 ± 1.9 per cent. When combining our results with the measurements from other QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife CMB experiment) studies of SNRs, we find that radio spectral indices are flatter for mature SNRs, and particularly flatter for CTB 80 (⁠|$-0.24^{+0.07}_{-0.06}$|⁠) and HB 21 (⁠|$-0.34^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$|⁠). In addition, the evolution of the spectral indices against the SNRs age is modelled with a power-law function, providing an exponent −0.07 ± 0.03 and amplitude −0.49 ± 0.02 (at 10 kyr), which are conservative with respect to previous studies of our Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium species represent an opportunistic fungal pathogen. The data in Mexico about Fusarium infections in humans are scarce. Here, we present a retrospective series of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of fusariosis in eight different hospitals in Mexico from January 2010 to December 2019. The diagnosis of proven fusariosis was made according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (EORT/MSG) criteria. A total of 49 cases were identified in our series. Most patients had burn injuries (49%), and 37% had hematological malignancies. Most patients had fire injuries (40%), followed by electric injuries (8%), febrile neutropenia (10%), and pancytopenia (6%). Patients had skin and soft tissue involvement in 49%, followed by blood culture isolation and biopsies from different sites of the body (lung, sinuses, bone tissue, and eyes). Febrile neutropenia (10%) and fungemia (8%) were the most common clinical syndromes in immunosuppressed patients. Most patients received monotherapy (67%), where voriconazole was used in 30% of the cases, followed by conventional amphotericin B (16%), and lipidic formulations of amphotericin B in 10% (either liposomal amphotericin B or amphotericin B lipid complex). Combination therapy was used in 20% of the cases, and the most common combination therapy was triazole plus any lipidic formulation of amphotericin B (10%). Mortality related to Fusarium infection occurred in 22% of patients. Fusariosis is a serious threat. Burn injuries and hematologic malignancies represent the most common causes of infection in this small series from Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomalous microwave emission (AME) is an important emission component between 10 and 60 GHz that is not yet fully understood. It seems to be ubiquitous in our Galaxy and is observed at a broad range of angular scales. Here we use the new QUIJOTE-MFI wide survey data at 11, 13, 17, and 19 GHz to constrain the AME in the Galactic plane (| b | < 10°) on degree scales. We built the spectral energy distribution between 0.408 and 3000 GHz for each of the 5309 0.9° pixels in the Galactic plane, and fitted a parametric model by considering five emission components: synchrotron, free–free, AME, thermal dust and CMB anisotropies. We show that not including QUIJOTE-MFI data points leads to the underestimation (up to 50 per cent) of the AME signal in favour of free–free emission. The parameters describing these components are then intercompared, looking for relations that help to understand AME physical processes. We find median values for the AME width, W AME, and for its peak frequency, νAME, respectively of |$0.560^{+0.059}_{-0.050}$| and |$20.7^{+2.0}_{-1.9}$|  GHz, slightly in tension with current theoretical models. We find spatial variations throughout the Galactic plane for νAME, but only with reduced statistical significance. We report correlations of AME parameters with certain ISM properties, such as that between the AME emissivity (which shows variations with the Galactic longitude) and the interstellar radiation field, and that between the AME peak frequency and dust temperature. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results on the possible molecules responsible for AME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the catalogue of Q-U-I JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) Wide Survey radio sources extracted from the maps of the Multi-Frequency Instrument compiled between 2012 and 2018. The catalogue contains 786 sources observed in intensity and polarization, and is divided into two separate sub-catalogues: one containing 47 bright sources previously studied by the Planck collaboration and an extended catalogue of 739 sources either selected from the Planck Second Catalogue of Compact Sources or found through a blind search carried out with a Mexican Hat 2 wavelet. A significant fraction of the sources in our catalogue (38.7 per cent) are within the | b | ≤ 20° region of the Galactic plane. We determine statistical properties for those sources that are likely to be extragalactic. We find that these statistical properties are compatible with currently available models, with a ∼1.8 Jy completeness limit at 11 GHz. We provide the polarimetric properties of (38, 33, 31, 23) sources with P detected above the |$99.99{{\ \rm per\, cent}}$| significance level at (11, 13, 17, 19) GHz respectively. Median polarization fractions are in the 2.8–4.7 per cent range in the 11–19 GHz frequency interval. We do not distinguish between Galactic and extragalactic sources here. The results presented here are consistent with those reported in the literature for flat- and steep-spectrum radio sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive linearly polarized astrophysical component maps in the Northern Sky from the QUIJOTE-MFI data at 11 and 13 GHz in combination with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe K and Ka bands (23 and 33 GHz) and all Planck polarized channels (30–353 GHz), using the parametric component separation method B-SeCRET. The addition of QUIJOTE-MFI data significantly improves the parameter estimation of the low-frequency foregrounds, especially the estimation of the synchrotron spectral index, βs. We present the first detailed βs map of the Northern Celestial Hemisphere at a smoothing scale of 2°. We find statistically significant spatial variability across the sky. We obtain an average value of −3.08 and a dispersion of 0.13, considering only pixels with reliable goodness of fit. The power-law model of the synchrotron emission provides a good fit to the data outside the Galactic plane but fails to track the complexity within this region. Moreover, when we assume a synchrotron model with uniform curvature, c s, we find a value of c s = −0.0797 ± 0.0012. However, there is insufficient statistical significance to determine which model is favoured, either the power law or the power law with uniform curvature. Furthermore, we estimate the thermal dust spectral parameters in polarization. Our cosmic microwave background, synchrotron, and thermal dust maps are highly correlated with the corresponding products of the PR4 Planck release, although some large-scale differences are observed in the synchrotron emission. Finally, we find that the βs estimation in the high signal-to-noise synchrotron emission areas is prior-independent, while, outside these regions, the prior governs the βs estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Substantial empirical evidence has shown that intolerance of uncertainty is a central transdiagnostic feature in psychopathology and it has been suggested to be a pain-related psychological factor contributing to the experience of chronic pain. However, research in this area is virtually nonexistent. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between pain severity, catastrophizing, and anxiety in people with chronic nononcological pain, while assuming that intolerance of uncertainty moderates these relationships. Methods A convenience sample of 188 individuals with nononcological chronic pain (157 women and 32 men) participated in the study. We investigated the moderated mediation of intolerance of uncertainty between anxiety and catastrophizing and between catastrophizing and pain intensity. Results The full moderated mediation model accounted for significant variance in pain intensity (R2 = 0.148, P <.001). Intolerance of uncertainty significantly moderated the interaction between anxiety and catastrophizing (B = 0.039, SE = 0.012, 95% CI [0.015, 0.063]) and between catastrophizing and pain intensity (B = -0.034, SE = 0.010, 95% CI [−0.054, −0.014]). Anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty did not interact in predicting catastrophizing, although an interaction effect was found between intolerance of uncertainty and catastrophizing in predicting pain intensity. Conclusion This study is the first to address the interrelationship of intolerance of uncertainty, catastrophizing, and anxiety in relation to perceived pain intensity. The current findings support intolerance of uncertainty as a relevant psychological variable that is distinct from other relevant constructs in the setting of pain research and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We evaluated clinical effectiveness of regdanvimab (CT-P59), a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing monoclonal antibody, in reducing disease progression and clinical recovery time in patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), primarily Alpha variant. Methods This was phase 3 of a phase 2/3 parallel-group, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 were randomized to single-dose regdanvimab 40 mg/kg (n = 656) or placebo (n = 659), alongside standard of care. The primary endpoint was COVID-19 disease progression up to day 28 among "high-risk" patients. Key secondary endpoints were disease progression (all randomized patients) and time to recovery (high-risk and all randomized patients). Results Of 1315 randomized patients, 880 were high risk; the majority were infected with Alpha variant. The proportion with disease progression was lower (14/446, 3.1% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.9%–5.2%] vs 48/434, 11.1% [95% CI, 8.4%–14.4%]; P  < .001) and time to recovery was shorter (median, 9.27 days [95% CI, 8.27–11.05 days] vs not reached [95% CI, 12.35–not calculable]; P  < .001) with regdanvimab than placebo. Consistent improvements were seen in all randomized and non-high-risk patients who received regdanvimab. Viral load reductions were more rapid with regdanvimab. Infusion-related reactions occurred in 11 patients (4/652 [0.6%] regdanvimab, 7/650 [1.1%] placebo). Treatment-emergent serious adverse events were reported in 5 of (4/652 [0.6%] regdanvimab and 1/650 [0.2%] placebo). Conclusions Regdanvimab was an effective treatment for patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, significantly reducing disease progression and clinical recovery time without notable safety concerns prior to the emergence of the Omicron variant. Clinical Trials Registration NCT04602000; 2020-003369-20 (EudraCT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Around 40 percent of women in Spain are unable to achieve orgasm during coital relations, although most can do so through other means. Many of these women do not seek treatment, even though this situation may affect their sexual and relational life. Female Orgasm Disorder (FOD) treatment has seen little innovation since the 1980s. The growing acceptance, technological development, and focus on diversity have contributed to the flourishing of the sex toy industry. This sector has enabled the development of therapeutic devices that have already demonstrated usefulness in addressing other female and male sexual dysfunctions, often making treatments more Accessible. However, more scientific studies are needed on this topic. Objective: Present the results of the utility and safety of using a vibrating device in the management of situational female orgasm disorder (FOD) in a group of women from Spain. Methods: A case report study of an observational, descriptive, prospective nature, involving 19 women undergoing treatment, that meet criteria for lifelong, situational FOD from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) was conducted in Murcia, Spain, from January 2022 to July 2023. Patients were 18 years or older, generally healthy as evidenced by medical history, were sexually active, in a current relationship of 3 months or longer, and participation was voluntary. Patients did not meet criteria for PTSD, psychosis or dissociative disorders, depression or bipolar disorders, were not pregnant or in menopause and did not use drugs known to interfere with sexual functioning. Main outcome measures were assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) domain for orgasm at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks, as well as the success rate of achieving orgasm during coital relations. Treatment consisted of an educational session where a vibrating device called Crescendo II® and its accompanying resource of different positions, Play Book was provided, along with instructions for using the device during coital relations. Results: Patients had a mean age of 31.19 years (range 27–53). An improvement was observed in the average scores at six and twelve weeks in FSFI orgasmic domain, (mean pre = 1.62 (SD) = 0.42, mean post six weeks = 3.47 (SD) = 1.26, mean post twelve weeks = 3.43 (SD) = 1.25). The success rate (orgasm achievement during intercourse) at the end of the study was 90.47%. Conclusions: This case series suggests that the use of a vibration device could be an effective and safe therapeutic option for female situational anorgasmia in addition to reducing the length and cost of treatment. Future research with experimental designs should confirm the clear potential of the use of these devices in treating FOD and clarify issues related to the most appropriate amplitude and frequency of vibration, as well as the possible long-term effects of using these types of vibration devices in patients. Disclosure: Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Mysteryvibe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Army-ants (particularly swarm-raiding species Eciton burchellii and Labidus praedator) are keystone predators in Neotropical forests. Hundreds of associated species from diverse taxa depend on them for survival, the most conspicuous of which are the ant-following birds. These birds forage on cryptic arthropods and vertebrates as they attempt to escape raiding army-ants. Despite capturing the attention of tropical biologists for centuries, research on ant-following birds has been largely limited to natural history observations until more recently. Here, we argue that this complex system provides unique and underappreciated opportunities for testing hypotheses in 5 main areas of interest: (1) competitive interactions among attendant birds, (2) cognitive and behavioral adaptations for locating swarms, (3) evolution of ant-following behavior, (4) biogeography of ant-following behavior, and (5) conservation of ant-following birds. For each research area, we review the current state of knowledge and make suggestions for fruitful research avenues that we believe will help address important questions in the fields of ecology, evolution, and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the search for azimuthal patterns in cosmological surveys is useful to characterize some effects depending exclusively on an angular distance within the standard model, they are considered as a key distinguishing feature of some exotic scenarios, such as bubble collisions or conformal cyclic cosmology (CCC). In particular, the CCC is a non-stardard framework that predicts circular patterns on the cosmic microwave background intensity fluctuations. Motivated by some previous works that explore the presence of radial gradients, we apply a methodology based on the radial derivatives to the latest release of Planck data. The new approach allows exhaustive studies to be performed at all-sky directions at a healpix resolution of N side = 1024. Specifically, two different analyses are performed focusing on weight functions in both small (up to a 5-deg radius) and large scales. We present a comparison between our results and those shown by An, Meissner & Nurowski (2017) and An et al. (2018). In addition, a possible polarization counterpart of these circular patterns is also analysed for the most promising case. Taking into account the limitations to characterize the significance of the results, including the possibility of suffering a look-elsewhere effect, no strong evidence of the kind of circular patterns expected from CCC is found in the Planck data for either the small or the large scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high energy blazar, Markarian 501 was observed as a part of multi-instrument and multiwavelength campaign spanning the whole electromagnetic spectrum for 4.5 months during March 15 to August 1, 2009. On May 1, Whipple 10 m telescope observed a very strong γ-ray flare in a time interval of about 0.5 h. Apart from this flare, high state and low state emissions were also observed by Whipple, VERITAS and MAGIC telescopes. Using the photohadronic model and accounting for the absorption of the extragalactic background light to these very high energy γ-rays, excellent fits are obtained for the observed spectra. We have shown that the intrinsic spectrum for low state emission is flat, however, for high and very high states this is a power-law with slowly increasing exponent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a sexual dysfunction that affects the sexual health of millions of men around the world. In recent years, the evidence indicates an increase in cases of ED among individuals under 40 years old. In most cases, the etiology is of psychogenic origin. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven effective and remains one of the most widely used treatments for ED in these cases although controlled studies are lacking. One of the most effective CBT techniques is a set of activities performed by a couple, known as systematic desensitization (SD). SD involves gradually exposing the patient to feared intimacy-related activities with their partner. However, many patients do not have a stable partner or do not want their partner to participate in the treatment. Technological advances are helping to create virtual SD programs which are able to reproduce the sights, sounds, and other sensations of the feared situation. Objective: Our goal is to determine the potential usefulness of a new virtual reality-based SD program for the treatment of psychogenic ED (pED). Methods: Six sexually active men diagnosed with pED based on criteria for Erectile Disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) completed virtual SD over 8 weeks. The program consisted of one educational session and five different virtual reality audio exercises which were completed at home using a masturbation aid device called Myhixel ED01, that is connected to a smartphone. The five-item Spanish version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire was used to assess symptoms before and after the treatment and the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) questionnaire was used for evaluating satisfaction with treatment. Results: Patients enrolled had a mean age of 34.83 years (range 27–39) and experienced an improvement in erectile function, mean IIEF-5 score pretreatment was 11(range 9–13) mean posttreatment IIEF score was 18 (range 14–21). The mean EDITS index score at the end of the treatment was 64.70 (range 59–70.25). No adverse effects were reported during the treatment. Conclusions: This case series suggests that the use of a virtual reality-based SD could be a potentially effective and safe therapeutic option for men with pED. This new treatment would facilitate greater access of men with pED to one of the most commonly used strategies of sexual therapy, as it would no longer require the participation of a partner. Studies with adequate sample sizes, control groups, randomization, and follow-up are needed to determine the effectiveness of this new treatment. Disclosure: Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: NEW WELLNESS CONCEPT SL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic pain directly or indirectly interferes with valued personal goals. Goal adjustment plays a central role in patients' adaptation. Studies on the relationship between optimism and goal regulation have shown that people with high dispositional optimism adjust their goals in a flexible way, and that flexible goal adjustment promotes quality of life.Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship among optimism, goal adjustment, and adaptation in patients with chronic pain.Methods: A sample of 258 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain completed questionnaires on optimism, reengagement, disengagement, flexibility, tenacity, rumination, purpose in life, well-being, pain intensity, daily functioning, and impairment.Results: Structural equation modeling analysis showed that optimism had a positive association with reengagement, flexibility, and tenacity, and a negative association with disengagement. Disengagement was positively associated with rumination, whereas reengagement, flexibility, and tenacity were associated with higher levels of purpose in life, which were strongly associated with adaptation in patients with chronic pain.Conclusions: This study supports the conclusions of previous research on the role of goal adjustment as a mediator variable between optimism and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new intensity and polarization observations of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) region in the frequency range 10–20 GHz with the multifrequency instrument (MFI) mounted on the first telescope of the Q-U-I-JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) experiment. From the combination of the QUIJOTE data with the WMAP 9-yr data release, the Planck second data release, the DIRBE maps, and ancillary data, we detect an anomalous microwave emission (AME) component with flux density |$S_{\rm AME, peak} = 43.0 \pm 7.9\,$|  Jy in the TMC and |$S_{\rm AME, peak} = 10.7 \pm 2.7\,$|  Jy in the dark cloud nebula L1527, which is part of the TMC. In the TMC the diffuse AME emission peaks around a frequency of 19 GHz, compared with an emission peak about a frequency of 25 GHz in L1527. In the TMC, the best constraint on the level of AME polarization is obtained at the Planck channel of 28.4 GHz, with an upper limit |$\pi _{\rm AME}\lt 4.2\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (95  |$\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| C.L.), which reduces to |$\pi _{\rm AME}\lt 3.8\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (95 |$\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| C.L.) if the intensity of all the free–free, synchrotron and thermal dust components are negligible at this frequency. The same analysis in L1527 leads to |$\pi _{\rm AME}\lt 5.3{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (95 |$\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| C.L.) or |$\pi _{\rm AME}\lt 4.5\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (95 |${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| C.L.) under the same assumption. We find that in the TMC and L1527 on average about |$80{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of the H  ii gas should be mixed with thermal dust. Our analysis shows how the QUIJOTE-MFI 10–20 GHz data provide key information to properly separate the synchrotron, free–free, and AME components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of tree rings can reveal long-term records of a tree's response to the environment. This dendroecological approach, when supplemented with finer-scale observations of the xylem anatomy, can provide novel information about a tree's year-to-year anatomical and hydraulic adjustments. Here we use this method in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) to identify xylem response to drought and insect defoliation. Surprisingly, we found that precipitation influenced vessel diameter mostly in the trees' youth, while this correlation was less pronounced at maturity. This is likely due to a reduction in stress the stand experiences as it ages, and reflects an ability to mediate drought stress as trees mature. Defoliation events caused consistent and profound changes in fiber anatomy likely leading to reduced structural support to vessels. We therefore expect that in years of defoliation trees may be vulnerable to drought-induced cavitation when leaf area recovers. This study highlights how the inclusion of cellular level measurements in tree ring studies provides additional information on how stress events may alter tree functioning through alterations in structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the extra-political consequences of contemporary U.S.-based nativist mobilization as well as the resilience unauthorized migrants display in the face of anti-immigrant mobilization along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bringing together social movements and immigration literatures, we examine these interrelated issues using original survey data from the first wave of the Migrant Border Crossing Study. In so doing, we examine: (1) factors influencing repatriated unauthorized migrants' awareness of nativist mobilization (i.e. Minutemen) along the Arizona-Sonora border, and (2) factors explaining why some migrants would or would not be potentially deterred from attempting future unauthorized crossings if encountering the Minutemen were a possibility. Results from a Heckman probit selection model indicate that higher levels of general, financial, and migration-specific human capital are associated with awareness of the Minutemen, while higher household income and status as an indigenous language speaker predict who would be less likely to be deterred from crossing. We also uncover an interesting paradox: migrants traveling with coyotes were less likely to have heard of Minutemen and more likely to be potentially deterred. Collectively, our results provide insight into the overlooked extra-political consequences of contemporary U.S. nativist mobilization, how resiliency in the face of such a deterrent is structured among repatriated unauthorized migrants, and how seemingly powerless migrant groups can mitigate potential threats initiated by relatively privileged groups of U.S. citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we derive a novel circular velocity relation for a test particle in a 3D gravitational potential applicable to every system of curvilinear coordinates, suitable to be reduced to orthogonal form. As an illustration of the potentiality of the determined circular velocity expression, we perform the rotation curves analysis of UGC 8490 and UGC 9753 and we estimate the total and dark matter mass of these two galaxies under the assumption that their respective dark matter haloes have spherical, prolate, and oblate spheroidal mass distributions. We employ stellar population synthesis models and the totalHI density map to obtain the stellar and HI+He+metals rotation curves of both galaxies. The subtraction of the stellar plus gas rotation curves from the observed rotation curves of UGC 8490 and UGC 9753 generates the dark matter circular velocity curves of both galaxies. We fit the dark matter rotation curves of UGC 8490 and UGC 9753 through the newly established circular velocity formula specialized to the spherical, prolate, and oblate spheroidal mass distributions, considering the Navarro, Frenk, and White, Burkert, Di Cintio, Einasto, and Stadel dark matter haloes. Our principal findings are the following: globally, cored darkmatter profiles Burkert and Einasto prevail over cuspy Navarro, Frenk, and White, and Di Cintio. Also, spherical/oblate dark matter models fit better the dark matter rotation curves of both galaxies than prolate dark matter haloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer screening rates among Latinas are generally low, reducing the likelihood of early cancer detection in this population. This article examines the effects of a community intervention (Fe en Accion/Faith in Action) led by community health workers (promotoras) on promoting breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening among churchgoing Latinas. Sixteen churches were randomly assigned to a cancer screening or a physical activity intervention. We examined cancer knowledge, barriers to screening and self-reported mammography, clinical breast exam, Pap test, fecal occult blood test and sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy at baseline and 12 months follow-up. Participants were 436 adult Latinas, with 16 promotoras conducting a cancer screening intervention at 8 out of 16 churches. The cancer screening intervention had a significant positive impact on self-reported mammography (OR = 4.64, 95% CI: 2.00-10.75) and breast exams in the last year (OR= 2.82, 95% CI: 1.41-5.57) and corresponding reductions in perceived (87.6%) barriers to breast cancer screening (P < .008). Cervical and colorectal cancer screening did not improve with the intervention. These findings suggest Fe en Acción church-based promotoras had a significant impact on promoting breast cancer screening among Latinas. Colon cancer screening promotion, however, remains a challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Q-U-I JOint TEnerife (QUIJOTE) intensity and polarisation maps at 10-20 GHz covering a region along the Galactic plane 24° ≲ l ≲ 45°, |b| ≲ 8°. These maps result from 210 h of data, have a sensitivity in polarisation of ≈40 μK beam-1 and an angular resolution of ≈1°. Our intensity data are crucial to confirm the presence of anomalous microwave emission (AME) towards the two molecular complexes W43 (22σ) and W47 (8σ). We also detect at high significance (6σ) AME associated with W44, the first clear detection of this emission towards a supernova remnant. The new QUIJOTE polarisation data, in combination with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), are essential to (i) determine the spectral index of the synchrotron emission in W44, ßsync = -0.62 ± 0.03, in good agreement with the value inferred from the intensity spectrum once a free-free component is included in the fit; (ii) trace the change in the polarisation angle associated with Faraday rotation in the direction of W44 with rotation measure -404 ± 49 rad m-2 and (iii) set upper limits on the polarisation of W43 of ΠAME < 0.39 per cent (95 per cent C.L.) from QUIJOTE 17 GHz, and <0.22 per cent from WMAP 41 GHz data, which are the most stringent constraints ever obtained on the polarisation fraction of the AME. For typical physical conditions (grain temperature and magnetic field strengths), and in the case of perfect alignment between the grains and the magnetic field, the models of electric or magnetic dipole emissions predict higher polarisation fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the rotation curves and gravitational stability of a sample of six bulgeless galaxies for which detailed images reveal no evidence for strong bars. We explore two scenarios: Newtonian dark matter models and MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). By adjusting the stellar mass-to-light ratio, dark matter models can match simultaneously both the rotation curve and bar-stability requirements in these galaxies. To be consistent with stability constraints, in two of these galaxies, the stellar mass-to-light ratio is a factor of ∼1.5–2 lower than the values suggested from galaxy colours. In contrast, MOND fits to the rotation curves are poor in three galaxies, perhaps because the gas tracer contains non-circular motions. The bar stability analysis provides a new observational test to MOND. We find that most of the galaxies under study require abnormally high levels of random stellar motions to be bar stable in MOND. In particular, for the only galaxy in the sample for which the line-of-sight stellar velocity dispersion has been measured (NGC 6503), the observed velocity dispersion is not consistent with MOND predictions because it is far below the required value to guarantee bar stability. Precise measurements of mass-weighted velocity dispersions in (unbarred and bulgeless) spiral galaxies are crucial to test the consistency of MOND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a methodology to recover cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization in which the quantity P = Q + iU is linearly combined at different frequencies using complex coefficients. This is the most general linear combination of the Q and U Stokes parameters which preserves the physical coherence of the residual contribution on the CMB estimation. The approach is applied to the internal linear combination (ILC) and the internal template fitting (ITF) methodologies. The variance of P of the resulting map is minimized to compute the coefficients of the linear combination. One of the key aspects of this procedure is that it serves to account for a global frequency-dependent shift of the polarization phase. Although in the standard case, in which no global E-B transference depending on frequency is expected in the foreground components, minimizing <|P|²> is similar to minimizing and separately (as previous methodologies proceed), multiplying Q and U by different coefficients induces arbitrary changes in the polarization angle and it does not preserve the coherence between the spinorial components. The approach is tested on simulations, obtaining a similar residual level with respect to the one obtained with other implementations of the ILC, and perceiving the polarization rotation of a toy model with the frequency dependence of the Faraday rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We report results of the entomo-virological surveillance system in Aedes aegypti local populations performed by the Ministry of Health of Guerrero. Methods: Indoor-adult Ae. aegypti collected at Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Coyuca de Benitez and Atoyac de Alvarez (dry season, 2015) were processed for dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) using RT-PCR. Results: We identified different seroptypes of DENV (2, 3 and 4), CHIKV and their co-circulation in field-caught mosquitoes across a significant geographic area. Pools of males were positive for CHIKV and DENV 3 and 4 suggesting vertical transmission. Conclusions: Entomo-virological surveillance in Guerrero has identified early circulation of CHIKV and DENV and provided a trigger for timely and focalized vector control actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To report a case of improved Erectile Dysfunction (ED) after surgery for colorectal cancer using focal Muscle Vibrations (MV). A 59-year-old male with neurogenic ED following surgery for colorectal cancer 18 months ago with an International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score <18, sexually active, fully continent before surgery; and withdrawal from previous treatment for at least three months such as erectogenic aids, antispastics, and psychoactive drugs, was encouraged to use a male vibrator called Tenuto®, three times a week for five consecutive weeks, each session lasting 30 min. The stimulation was delivered to the perineum and suprapubic areas at a frequency of 130 Hz. Changes in the validated erectile function domain of the IIEF were used to estimate the effectiveness of MV in improving ED. It has been suggested that an increase in of 6 points in this domain indicates a clinical improvement. At the end of five weeks, the patient showed improvement over baseline of 8 points for the erectile function domain scores from 7 to 15 with using the device. Although patients experiencing neurogenic ED are a multifaceted group, in this case we believe that MV improves ED through improved spasticity. Previous research shows that muscle MV may improve muscle synergies by counterbalancing the spasticity. Future studies using large sample sizes with longer follow-up and group control could provide more evidence in order to confirm this hypothesis. i have no conflict of interest to declare [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To report a case of improved Erectile Dysfunction (ED) after surgery for colorectal cancer using focal Muscle Vibrations (MV). A 59-year-old male with neurogenic ED following surgery for colorectal cancer 18 months ago with an International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score <18, sexually active, fully continent before surgery; and withdrawal from previous treatment for at least three months such as erectogenic aids, antispastics, and psychoactive drugs, was encouraged to use a male vibrator called Tenuto®, three times a week for five consecutive weeks, each session lasting 30 min. The stimulation was delivered to the perineum and suprapubic areas at a frequency of 130 Hz. Changes in the validated erectile function domain of the IIEF were used to estimate the effectiveness of MV in improving ED. It has been suggested that an increase in of 6 points in this domain indicates a clinical improvement. At the end of five weeks, the patient showed improvement over baseline of 8 points for the erectile function domain scores from 7 to 15 with using the device. Although patients experiencing neurogenic ED are a multifaceted group, in this case we believe that MV improves ED through improved spasticity. Previous research shows that muscle MV may improve muscle synergies by counterbalancing the spasticity. Future studies using large sample sizes with longer follow-up and group control could provide more evidence in order to confirm this hypothesis. i have no conflict of interest to declare [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present Q-U-I JOint Tenerife Experiment (QUIJOTE) 10–20 GHz observations (194 h in total over ≈250 deg²) in intensity and polarisation of G159.6-18.5, one of the most widely studied regions harbouring anomalous microwave emission (AME). By combining with other publicly available intensity data, we achieve the most precise spectrum of the AME measured to date in an individual region, with 13 independent data points between 10 and 50 GHz being dominated by this emission. The four QUIJOTE data points provide the first independent confirmation of the downturn of the AME spectrum at low frequencies, initially unveiled by the COSMOlogical Structures On Medium Angular Scales experiment in this region. Our polarisation maps, which have an angular resolution of ≈1° and a sensitivity of ≈ 25 μK beam−1, are consistent with zero polarisation. We obtain upper limits on the polarisation fraction of Π < 6.3 and <2.8 percent (95 percent C.L.), respectively, at 12 and 18 GHz (ΠAME < 10.1 and <3.4 percent with respect to the residual AME intensity), a frequency range where no AME polarisation observations have been reported to date. The combination of these constraints with those from other experiments confirm that all the magnetic dust models based on single-domain grains, and most of those considering randomly oriented magnetic inclusions, predict higher polarisation levels than is observed towards regions with AME. Also, neither of the two considered models of electric dipole emission seems to be compatible with all the observations together. More stringent constraints of the AME polarisation at 10–40 GHz are necessary to disentangle between different models, to which future QUIJOTE data will contribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION: Does fibronectin (Fn) stimulate the sperm capacitation process in humans? SUMMARY ANSWER: Fibronectin stimulates human sperm capacitation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Capacitation is a process that occurs in the oviduct. It has been suggested that some molecules present in the oviductal fluid and cells as well as proteins present in the cumulus oophorus could be involved in the modulation of sperm function and their acquisition of fertilizing capacity. Fibronectin is a glycoprotein that is present in the fluid and the oviduct epithelium, and its receptor (alpha 5 beta 1 integrin) is present in human sperm. When alpha 5 beta 1 (a5b1) integrin binds to fibronectin, intracellular signals similar to the process of sperm capacitation are activated. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Human sperm were selected via a percoll gradient and were then incubated in non-capacitated medium (NCM) or reconstituted capacitated medium (RCM), in the presence or absence of fibronectin for different time periods. A total of 39 donors were used during the study, which lasted 3 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Freshly ejaculated sperm from healthy volunteers were obtained by masturbation. All semen samples were normal according to the World Health Organization parameters. Six approaches were used to determine the effects of fibronectin on sperm capacitation: chlortetracycline (CTC)assay, heterologous co-culture of human sperm with bovine oviductal epithelial cells (BOEC), measurement of cyclic (c) AMP levels, activity of protein kinase A (PKA), phosphorylation of proteins in tyrosine (Tyr) residues, and induction of acrosome reaction with progesterone. main results and the role of chance: When sperm were incubated in RCM in the presence of Fn, we observed differences with respect to sperm incubated in RCM without Fn (control): (i) a 10% increase in the percentage of sperm with the B pattern (capacitated sperm) of CTC fluorescence from the beginning of capacitation (P<0.001); (ii) an effect on both the concentration of cAMP (P<0.05) and PKA activity (P<0.05) during early capacitation; (iii) an increase in the degree of phosphorylation of proteins on tyrosine residues after 60 min of capacitation (P<0.01); (iv) an increase in the percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm in response to progesterone (P<0.05); and (v) a decrease in the percentage of sperm attached to BOEC (P<0.05). Moreover, we noted that the effect of Fn was specific and mediated by alpha 5 beta 1 integrin (P<0.001). Fn by itself had no effect on sperm capacitation. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: This study was carried out with sperm from young adult men. Men with abnormal semen samples were excluded. The results cannot be directly extrapolated to other mammalian species. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Currently, male subfertility has become a huge public health problem, which makes it imperative to develop new treatments. This is a novel discovery that extends our current knowledge concerning normal and pathological sperm physiology as well as events that regulate the process of fertilization. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was supported by grants from FONDECYT (1130341, E.S.D. and 1120056, P.M.) and FONCYT (PIP 2011-0496, S.P.-M). The authors have no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterize the cosmic infrared background (CIB)-lensing bispectrum which is one of the contributions to the three-point functions of cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps in harmonic space. We show that the CIB-lensing bispectrum has a considerable strength and that it can be detected with high significance in the Planck high-frequency maps. We also present forecasts of the contamination on different shapes of the primordial non-Gaussianity fnl parameter produced by the CIB-lensing bispectrum and by the extragalactic point sources bispectrum in the Planck high-resolution CMB anisotropy maps. The local, equilateral and orthogonal shapes are considered for 'raw' single-frequency (i.e. without applying any component separation technique) and foreground-reduced Planck temperature maps. The CIB-lensing correlation seems to mainly affect orthogonal shapes of the bispectrum - with Δfnl(ort) = -21 and -88 for the 143 and 217 GHz bands, respectively - while point sources mostly impact equilateral shapes, with Δfnl(eq) = 160,54 and 60 at 100, 143 and 217 GHz. However, the results indicate that these contaminants do not induce any relevant bias on Planck fnl estimates when foreground-reduced maps are considered: using SEVEM for the component separation, we obtain Δfnl(ort) = 10.5 due to the CIB-lensing and Δfnl(eq) = 30.4 due to point sources, corresponding to 0.3σ and 0.45σ in terms of the Planck 2013 fnl uncertainty. The component separation technique is, in fact, able to partially clean the extragalactic source contamination and the bias is reduced for all the shapes. We have further developed single- and multiple-frequency estimators based on the Komatsu, Spergel & Wandelt formalism that can be implemented to efficiently detect this signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several statistical anomalies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies seem to defy the assumption of a homogeneous and isotropic universe. In particular, a dipole modulation has been detected both in WMAP and Planck data. We adapt the methodology proposed by Eriksen et al. on CMB data to galaxy surveys, tracing the large-scale structure. We analyse the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and Very Large Array (VLA) Sky Survey data at a resolution of ∼2° for three different flux thresholds: 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 mJy, respectively. No evidence of a dipole modulation is found. This result suggests that the origin of the dipole asymmetry found in the CMB cannot be assigned to secondary anisotropies produced at redshifts around z = 1. However, it could still have been generated at redshifts higher or lower, such as the integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect produced by the local structures. Other all-sky surveys, like the infrared WISE catalogue, could help to explore with a high sensitivity a redshift interval closer than the one probed with NVSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakdown of leaf proteins, particularly chloroplast proteins, is a massive process in senescing leaves. In spite of its importance in internal N recycling, the mechanism(s) and the enzymes involved are largely unknown. Senescence-associated vacuoles (SAVs) are small, acidic vacuoles with high cysteine peptidase activity. Chloroplast-targeted proteins re-localize to SAVs during senescence, suggesting that SAVs might be involved in chloroplast protein degradation. SAVs were undetectable in mature, non-senescent tobacco leaves. Their abundance, visualized either with the acidotropic marker Lysotracker Red or by green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence in a line expressing the senescence-associated cysteine protease SAG12 fused to GFP, increased during senescence induction in darkness, and peaked after 2–4 d, when chloroplast dismantling was most intense. Increased abundance of SAVs correlated with higher levels of SAG12 mRNA. Activity labelling with a biotinylated derivative of the cysteine protease inhibitor E-64 was used to detect active cysteine proteases. The two apparently most abundant cysteine proteases of senescing leaves, of 40kDa and 33kDa were detected in isolated SAVs. Rubisco degradation in isolated SAVs was completely blocked by E-64. Treatment of leaf disks with E-64 in vivo substantially reduced degradation of Rubisco and leaf proteins. Overall, these results indicate that SAVs contain most of the cysteine protease activity of senescing cells, and that SAV cysteine proteases are at least partly responsible for the degradation of stromal proteins of the chloroplast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present forecasts of the contamination on different shapes of the primordial non-Gaussianity fnl parameter – detectable on future cosmic microwave background (CMB) high-resolution anisotropy maps – produced by unresolved extragalactic point sources at frequencies of cosmological interest (45–375 GHz). We consider two scenarios: an ideal (noiseless) mission and a possible future space-borne satellite, with instrumental characteristics similar to the ones proposed for the Cosmic Origins Explorer (COrE). The local, equilateral, orthogonal and flat shapes are considered in both temperature (intensity) and polarized emission data. The angular power spectrum and bispectrum of extragalactic point sources are estimated by state-of-the-art models of source number counts. The impact of all the most relevant (far-infrared and radio selected) source populations on these shapes at COrE frequencies is studied. The results of this analysis show that unresolved extragalactic point sources should not induce a very relevant non-Gaussian signal in the frequency range 100–200 GHz, thus not preventing a correct estimate of the CMB primordial fnl parameter. Polarization information allows one to significantly reduce the error-bars in the fnl parameter and the bias induced by unresolved sources and, hence, to widen the range of frequencies for fnl studies. On the contrary, at ν < 100 GHz or ν > 225 GHz, important non-Gaussian deviations in CMB anisotropy maps are expected due to unresolved extragalactic sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the extent to which cosmic size magnification may be used to complement cosmic shear in weak gravitational lensing surveys, with a view to obtaining high-precision estimates of cosmological parameters. Using simulated galaxy images, we find that unbiased estimation of the convergence field is possible using galaxies with angular sizes larger than the point spread function (PSF) and signal-to-noise ratio in excess of 10. The statistical power is similar to, but not quite as good as, cosmic shear, and it is subject to different systematic effects. Application to ground-based data will be challenging, with relatively large empirical corrections required to account for the fact that many galaxies are smaller than the PSF, but for space-based data with 0.1-0.2 arcsec resolution, the size distribution of galaxies brighter than i ≃ 24 is almost ideal for accurate estimation of cosmic size magnification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a map of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies induced by the late integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect. The map is constructed by combining the information of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 7-yr CMB data and the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) through a linear filter. This combination improves the quality of the map that would be obtained using information only from the large-scale structure data. In order to apply the filter, a given cosmological model needs to be assumed. In particular, we consider the standard Λ cold dark matter model. As a test of consistency, we show that the reconstructed map is in agreement with the assumed model, which is also favoured against a scenario where no correlation between the CMB and NVSS catalogue is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To explore rhizospheric microbial communities from Arctic native plant species evaluating their bacterial hydrocarbon-degrading capacities. Methods and Results Eriophorum scheuchzeri, Potentilla cf. rubricaulis, Oxyria digyna, Salix arctica and Puccinellia angustata plant species were collected at Eureka ( Canadian high Arctic) along with their rhizospheric soil samples. Their bacterial community fingerprints (16 S rRNA gene, DGGE) were distinctive encompassing members from the phyla: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Isolated diesel-degrading bacteria belonged to the phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Strains of Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Intrasporangiaceae, Leifsoni and Arthrobacter possessed alkB and Pseudomonas possessed both ndoB and xylE gene sequences. Two Rhodococcus strains mineralized [1-14C] hexadecane at 5 and −5°C. From the rhizosphere of P. angustata, larger numbers of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were isolated than from other plant rhizosphere samples and all three genes alkB (from Actinobacteria), ndoB and xylE (from Pseudomonas) were detected by PCR. Conclusions (i) Arctic plants have unique rhizospheric bacterial communities. (ii) P. angustata has potential for phytoremediation research at high Arctic soils. (iii) Isolated bacteria mineralized hydrocarbons at ambient low temperatures. Significance and Impact of the Study To the best of our knowledge, this is the first rhizospheric exploration examining the phytoremediation potential of five Arctic plants and evaluating their microbial hydrocarbon-degrading capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We use a quadratic maximum likelihood (QML) method to estimate the angular power spectrum of the cross-correlation between cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure maps as well as their individual auto-spectra. We describe our implementation of this method and demonstrate its accuracy on simulated maps. We apply this optimal estimator to Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) 7-yr and National Radio Astronomical Observatory (NRAO) Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS) data and explore the robustness of the angular power spectrum estimates obtained by the QML method. With the correction of the declination systematics in NVSS, we can safely use most of the information contained in this survey. We then make use of the angular power spectrum estimates obtained by the QML method to derive constraints on the dark energy critical density in a flat Λ cold dark matter model by different likelihood prescriptions. When using just the cross-correlation between WMAP 7-yr and NVSS maps with 1°.8 resolution, the best-fitting model has a cosmological constant of approximately 70 per cent of the total energy density, disfavouring an Einstein-de sitter universe at more than 2σ confidence level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae have been previously reported as scale insect endosymbionts. The purpose of this work was twofold: first, to screen different scale insect families for the presence of these endosymbionts by PCR analyses and second, to elucidate the history of cophylogeny between these bacteria and the insects by analysing a portion of 16 S r RNA and 18 S r RNA gene sequences by two reconciliation tools, Co Re- PA and Jane. From a survey of 27 scale insects within seven families, we identified Flavobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae as coexisting in ten species that belong to the Ortheziidae, Monophlebidae, Diaspididae and Coccidae families, and we frequently found two closely related enterobacteria harboured in the same individual. Analyses performed with Co Re- PA and Jane suggest that Flavobacteria from the scale insects analysed have a unique origin, except for Candidatus Brownia rhizoecola ( Flavobacteria of Pseudococcidae, Phenacoccinae), which seems to come from a nonscale insect. Nevertheless, cospeciation between Flavobacteria and scale insects is suggested only within the families Monophlebidae, Ortheziidae and Diaspididae, and host switches seem to have occurred from the ancestors of Monophlebidae and Ortheziidae to insects from families Coccidae, Lecanodiaspididae, Eriococcidae and Pseudococcidae. Our analyses suggest that Enterobacteriaceae underwent more evolutionary events (losses, duplications and host switches), and their phylogenies showed a lower proportion of congruent nodes between host and bacteria, indicating a more relaxed relationship with scale insects compared with Flavobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this work, we present constraints on different shapes of primordial non-Gaussianity using the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) seven-year data and the spherical Mexican hat wavelet fnl estimator including the linear term correction. In particular, we focus on the local, equilateral and orthogonal shapes. We first analyse the main statistical properties of the wavelet estimator and show the conditions to reach optimality. We include the linear term correction in our estimators and compare the estimates with the values already published using only the cubic term. The estimators are tested with realistic WMAP simulations with anisotropic noise and the WMAP KQ 75 sky cut. The inclusion of the linear term correction shows a negligible improvement (≤1 per cent) in the error bar for any of the shapes considered. The results of this analysis show that, in the particular case of the wavelet estimator, the optimality for WMAP anisotropy levels is basically achieved with the mean subtraction, and in practical terms there is no need of including a linear term once the mean has been subtracted. Our best estimates are now [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interspecific eavesdropping on alarm calling has been considered evidence that species participating in mixed-species groups benefit from reduced risk of predation. Few studies, however, have examined interspecific variation in dependence on and ability to evaluate alarm signals in mixed-species groups. We conducted a playback experiment to evaluate how species in different foraging guilds varied in their response to alarm calls of birds that lead Amazonian mixed-species flocks in both upland and inundated forests. We predicted that species that search nearby substrates myopically would react more strongly to alarm calls (i.e., take longer to resume foraging) than flycatching species that search for insects at a greater distance from a perch. We used likelihood functions to model the latency response to resume foraging for both upland and inundated forests samples, and we were able to detect significant differences among different foraging guilds. Our results indicate that flycatching birds respond weakest in both forest types, but contrary to our predictions, live-leaf gleaners showed a stronger response to alarms than dead-leaf–gleaning insectivores in inundated forest and no difference in upland forest. These results suggest that foraging guild may underlie different levels of dependence on public versus private information and, thus, the dependence of different species on heterospecific informants. These different levels of dependence on alarm calls provide a potential mechanistic basis for understanding assembly rules of flocks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT The cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation data obtained by different experiments contain, besides the desired signal, a superposition of microwave sky contributions. Using a wavelet decomposition on the sphere, we present a fast and robust method to recover the CMB signal from microwave maps. We present an application to the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) polarization data, which shows its good performance, particularly in very polluted regions of the sky. The applied wavelet has the advantages that it requires little computational time in its calculations, it is adapted to the healpix pixelization scheme and it offers the possibility of multiresolution analysis. The decomposition is implemented as part of a fully internal template fitting method, minimizing the variance of the resulting map at each scale. Using a χ2 characterization of the noise, we find that the residuals of the cleaned maps are compatible with those expected from the instrumental noise. The maps are also comparable to those obtained from the WMAP team, but in our case we do not make use of external data sets. In addition, at low resolution, our cleaned maps present a lower level of noise. The E-mode power spectrum is computed at high and low resolutions, and a cross-power spectrum is also calculated from the foreground reduced maps of temperature given by WMAP and our cleaned maps of polarization at high resolution. These spectra are consistent with the power spectra supplied by the WMAP team. We detect the E-mode acoustic peak at ℓ∼ 400, as predicted by the standard ΛCDM model. The B-mode power spectrum is compatible with zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present constraints on the non-linear coupling parameter with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) data. We use the method based on the spherical Mexican hat wavelet to measure the parameter for three of the most interesting shapes of primordial non-Gaussianity: local, equilateral and orthogonal. Our results indicate that this parameter is compatible with a Gaussian distribution within the 2σ confidence level (CL) for the three shapes and the results are consistent with the values presented by the WMAP team. We have included in our analysis the impact on due to contamination by unresolved point sources. The point sources add a positive contribution of , and . As mentioned by the WMAP team, the contribution of the point sources to the orthogonal and equilateral forms is expected to be larger than the local one and thus it cannot be neglected in future constraints on these parameters. Taking into account this contamination, our best estimates for are , and at 95 per cent CL. The three shapes are compatible with zero at 95 per cent CL (2σ). Our conclusion is that the WMAP 7-year data are consistent with Gaussian primordial fluctuations within 2σ CL. We stress however the importance of taking into account the unresolved point sources in the measurement of in future works, especially when using more precise data sets such as the forthcoming Planck data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the passing of time, knowledge like other resources can become obsolete. Thus, people in a healthcare system need to update their knowledge in order to keep pace with the ongoing changes in their operational environment. Information technology continually provides a great amount of new knowledge which can lead to healthcare professionals becoming overloaded with knowledge. This overloading can be alleviated by a process of unlearning which enables the professional to retain just the relevant and critical knowledge required to improve the quality of service provided by them.Objective: This paper shows some of the tools and methods that Hospital-in-the-Home Units (HHUs) have used to update the physician-patient knowledge and the technology knowledge of the HHUs' personnel.Design: A survey study was carried out in the HHU in Spanish health system in 2010.Setting: Fifty-five doctors and 62 nurses belonging to 44 HHUs.Interventions: None.Results: Three hypotheses are presented and supported, which suggest that technology and physician-patient knowledge is related to the unlearning context and the unlearning context impacts positively on the quality of health services provided.Conclusion: The key benefits of the unlearning context for the quality of service provided in HHUs are clear: it enables them to identify and replace poor practices and also avoids the reinvention of the wheel (e.g.: by minimizing unnecessary work caused by the use of poor methods) and it reduces costs through better productivity and efficiency (improving services to patients). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We present a multiclass neural network (NN) classifier as a method to measure non-Gaussianity, characterized by the local non-linear coupling parameter fNL, in maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. The classifier is trained on simulated non-Gaussian CMB maps with a range of known fNL values by providing it with wavelet coefficients of the maps; we consider both the HEALP ix wavelet (HW) and the spherical Mexican hat wavelet (SMHW). When applied to simulated test maps, the NN classifier produces results in very good agreement with those obtained using standard χ2 minimization. The standard deviations of the fNL estimates for Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe1 like simulations were σ= 22 and 33 for the SMHW and the HW, respectively, which are extremely close to those obtained using classical statistical methods in Curto et al. and Casaponsa et al. Moreover, the NN classifier does not require the inversion of a large covariance matrix, thus avoiding any need to regularize the matrix when it is not directly invertible, and is considerably faster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previous work estimated the cosmic microwave background (CMB) variance from the 3-yr Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) data, finding a lower value than expected from Gaussian simulations using the WMAP best-fitting cosmological model. We repeat the analysis on the 5-yr WMAP data using a new estimator with lower bias and variance. Our results confirm this anomaly at higher significance, namely with a p-value of 0.31 per cent. We perform the analysis using different exclusion masks, showing that a particular region of the sky near the Galactic plane shows a higher variance than 95.58 per cent of the simulations, whereas the rest of the sky has a lower variance than 99.96 per cent of the simulations. The relative difference in variance between both regions is bigger than in 99.64 per cent of the simulations. This anisotropic distribution of power seems to be causing the anomaly since the model assumes isotropy. Furthermore, this region has a clear frequency dependence between 41 and 61 GHz or 94 GHz suggesting that Galactic foreground residuals could be responsible for the anomaly. Moreover, removing the quadrupole and the octopole from data and simulations the anomaly disappears. The variance anomaly and the previously reported quadrupole and octopole alignment seem therefore to be related and could have a common origin. We discuss different possible causes and Galactic foreground residuals seem to be the most likely one. These residuals would affect the estimation of the angular power spectrum from the WMAP data, which is used to generate Gaussian simulations, giving rise to an inconsistency between the estimated and expected CMB variance. If the presence of residuals is confirmed, the estimation of the cosmological parameters could be affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the spherical Mexican hat wavelet as a detector of primordial non-Gaussianity of the local type on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. For this purpose, we define third-order statistics based on the wavelet coefficient maps and the original map. We find the dependence of these statistics in terms of the non-linear coupling parameter f and the bispectrum of this type of non-Gaussianity. We compare the analytical values for these statistics with the results obtained with non-Gaussian simulations for an ideal full-sky CMB experiment without noise. We study the power of this method to detect f, that is, the variance of this parameter , and compare it with the variance obtained from the primary bispectrum for the same experiment. Finally, we apply our wavelet-based estimator on Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe like maps with incomplete sky and inhomogeneous noise, and compare with the optimal bispectrum estimator. The results show that the wavelet cubic statistics are as efficient as the bispectrum as optimal detectors of this type of primordial non-Gaussianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method to constrain the local non-linear coupling parameter based on a fast wavelet decomposition is presented. Using a multiresolution wavelet adapted to the ix pixelization, we have developed a method that is times faster than previous estimators based on isotropic wavelets and faster than the KSW bispectrum estimator, at the resolution of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) data. The method has been applied to the WMAP 7-yr V+W combined map, imposing constraints on of at the 95 per cent CL. This result has been obtained after correcting for the contribution of the residual point sources which has been estimated to be . In addition, a Gaussianity analysis of the data has been carried out using the third-order moments of the wavelet coefficients, finding consistency with Gaussianity. Although the constraints imposed on are less stringent than those found with optimal estimators, we believe that a very fast method, as the one proposed in this work, can be very useful, especially bearing in mind the large amount of data that will be provided by future experiments, such as the Planck satellite. Moreover, the localization of wavelets allows one to carry out analyses on different regions of the sky. As an application, we have separately analysed the two hemispheres defined by the dipolar modulation proposed by Hoftuft et al. We do not find any significant asymmetry regarding the estimated value of in those hemispheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most interesting explanations for the non-Gaussian cold spot detected in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) data by Vielva et al. is that it arises from the interaction of the cosmic microwave background radiation with a cosmic texture. In this case, a lack of polarization is expected in the region of the spot, as compared to the typical values associated to large fluctuations of a Gaussian and isotropic random field. In addition, other physical processes related to a non-linear evolution of the gravitational field could lead to a similar scenario. However, some of these alternative scenarios (e.g. a large void in the large-scale structure) have been shown to be very unlikely. In this work we characterize the polarization properties of the cold spot under both hypotheses: a large Gaussian fluctuation and an anomalous feature generated, for instance, by a cosmic texture. We also propose a methodology to distinguish between them, and we discuss its discrimination power as a function of the instrumental noise level. In particular, we address the cases of current experiments, like WMAP and Planck, and others in development as the Q, U and I Joint Tenerife Experiment (QUIJOTE). We find that for an ideal experiment with a high-polarization sensitivity, the Gaussian hypothesis could be rejected at a significance level better than 0.8 per cent. While WMAP is far from providing useful information in this respect, we find that Planck will be able to reach a significance level of around 7 per cent; in addition, we show that the ground-based experiment QUIJOTE could provide a significance level of around 1 per cent, close to the ideal case. If these results are combined with the significance level found for the cold spot in temperature, the capability of QUIJOTE and Planck to reject the alternative hypothesis becomes 0.025 and 0.124 per cent, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleistocene climatic oscillations are known to influence the patterns of genetic diversity and the distribution of traits that are the target of selection. Here, we combine phylogeographical and ecological niche modelling (ENM) approaches to explore the influence of historical factors (Pleistocene climatic shifts) and natural selection on the evolution of distyly (two floral morphs) from tristyly (three floral morphs) of Oxalis alpina in the Sky Islands of the Sonoran Desert. Molecular data and ENM indicate that historical factors have had a strong influence on the genetic structure and the geographical distribution of reproductive systems of O. alpina. Moreover, genetic results suggest the possibility that distylous populations do not represent a monophyletic group. We propose that the combined effects of natural selection and genetic drift have influenced the tristyly-distyly transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variants in the calcium/vitamin D metabolic pathway may be related to risk for colorectal cancer. While several investigations of vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and colorectal cancer have been conducted, no studies to date have evaluated the association of genetic variation in the heterodimer partner for VDR, the retinoid X receptor (RXR). Another important gene in this pathway is the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR). Employing a discordant-sibship case–control design, we examined the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in RXRA and CASR and risk for colorectal cancer overall and by colorectal subsite and microsatellite instability (MSI) status using data from the Colon Cancer Family Registry. No gene-level relationships between RXRA or CASR and colorectal cancer overall were observed. However, for RXRA SNP rs7861779, a high-interest SNP selected for study a priori, there was a statistically significantly increased risk for proximal colorectal cancer among those with at least one A allele [odds ratio (OR) = 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–1.97]. Another selected RXRA SNP, rs12004589, was significantly associated with risk of MSI-high cancers (OR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.13–4.56). Additionally, CASR SNP rs1801726 was significantly associated with a reduced risk for rectal cancer (OR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.29–0.96). These results provide support that RXRA SNPs rs7861779 and rs12004589 and CASR SNP rs1801726 may be important markers for colorectal neoplasia. Further work is needed to elucidate their role in the carcinogenic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]