Abstract
We observed HD 19467 B with JWST’s NIRCam in six filters spanning 2.5–4.6
μ
m with the long-wavelength bar coronagraph. The brown dwarf HD 19467 B was initially identified through a ...long-period trend in the radial velocity of the G3V star HD 19467. HD 19467 B was subsequently detected via coronagraphic imaging and spectroscopy, and characterized as a late-T type brown dwarf with an approximate temperature ∼1000 K. We observed HD 19467 B as a part of the NIRCam GTO science program, demonstrating the first use of the NIRCam Long Wavelength Bar coronagraphic mask. The object was detected in all six filters (contrast levels of 2 × 10
−4
to 2 × 10
−5
) at a separation of 1.″6 using angular differential imaging and synthetic reference differential imaging. Due to a guide star failure during the acquisition of a preselected reference star, no reference star data were available for post-processing. However, reference differential imaging was successfully applied using synthetic point-spread functions developed from contemporaneous maps of the telescope’s optical configuration. Additional radial velocity data (from Keck/HIRES) are used to constrain the orbit of HD 19467 B. Photometric data from TESS are used to constrain the properties of the host star, particularly its age. NIRCam photometry, spectra, and photometry from the literature, and improved stellar parameters are used in conjunction with recent spectral and evolutionary substellar models to derive the physical properties of HD 19467 B. Using an age of 9.4 ± 0.9 Gyr inferred from spectroscopy, Gaia astrometry, and TESS asteroseismology, we obtain a model-derived mass of 62 ± 1
M
J
, which is consistent within 2
σ
with the dynamically derived mass of
81
−
12
+
14
M
J
.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the main carbon reservoirs in the terrestrial ecosystem. It is important to study SOC dynamics and effects of organic carbon amendments in paddy fields because of ...their vest expansion in south China. A study was carried out to evaluate the relationship between the SOC content and organic carbon input under various organic amendments at a long-term fertilization experiment that was established on a red soil under a double rice cropping system in 1981. The treatments included non-fertilization (CK), nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilization in early rice only (NPK), green manure (Astragalus sinicus L.) in early rice only (OM1), high rate of green manure in early rice only (OM2), combined green manure in early rice and farmyard manure in late rice (OM3), combined green manure in early rice, farmyard manure in late rice and rice straw mulching in winter (OM4), combined green manure in early rice and rice straw mulching in winter (OMS). Our data showed that the SOC content was the highest under OM3 and OM4, followed by OM1, OM2 and OM5, then NPK fertilization, and the lowest under non-fertilization. However, our analyses in SOC stock indicated a significant difference between OM3 (33.9 t ha^-1) and OM4 (31.8 t ha^-1), but no difference between NPK fertilization (27 t ha^-1) and nonfertilization (28.1 t ha^-1). There was a significant linear increase in SOC over time for all treatments, and the slop of linear equation was greater in organic manure treatments (0.276-0.344 g kg-1 yr^-1) than in chemical fertilizer (0.216 g kg^-1 yr^-1) and no fertilizer (0.127 g kg^-1 yr^-1).
Context . Complex organic molecules (COMs) are ubiquitously detected in the gas phase and thought to be mostly formed on icy grains. Nevertheless, there have not been any unambiguous detections of ...COMs larger than CH 3 OH in ices reported thus far. Exploring this matter in greater detail has now become possible with the unprecedented possibilities offered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) within the infrared (IR) spectral range with its very high sensitivity and spectral resolution in the critical 5–10 µm range, the fingerprint region of oxygen-bearing COMs. Aims . In the JWST Observations of Young protoStars (JOYS+) program, more than 30 protostars are undergoing observation with the Medium Resolution Spectrograph (MRS) of the Mid-IR Instrument (MIRI). The goal of this study is to comprehensively explore the COMs ice signatures in one low- and one high-mass protostar: NGC 1333 IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385+6053, respectively. Methods . We performed global continuum and silicate subtractions of the MIRI-MRS spectra, followed by a local continuum subtraction in optical depth scale in the range around 6.8 and 8.6 µm, the ice COM fingerprint region. We explored different choices for the local continuum and silicate subtraction. Next, we fit the observational data with a large sample of available IR laboratory ice spectra. We used the ENIIGMA fitting tool, a genetic algorithm-based code that not only finds the best fit between the lab data and the observations, but also performs a statistical analysis of the solutions, such as deriving the confidence intervals and quantifying fit degeneracy. Results . We report the best fits for the spectral ranges between 6.8 and 8.6 µm in NGC 1333 IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385+6053, originating from simple molecules and COMs, as well as negative ions. Overall, we find that ten chemical species are needed to reproduce the astronomical data. The strongest feature in this range (7.7 µm) is dominated by CH 4 , with contributions from SO 2 and OCN − . Our results indicate that the 7.2 and 7.4 µm bands are mostly dominated by HCOO − . We also find statistically robust detections of COMs based on multiple bands, most notably, CH 3 CHO, CH 3 CH 2 OH, and CH 3 OCHO. We also report a likely detection of CH 3 COOH. Based on the ice column density ratios between CH 3 CH 2 OH and CH 3 CHO of NGC 1333 IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385+6053, we find compelling evidence that these COMs are formed on icy grains. Finally, the derived ice abundances for NGC 1333 IRAS 2A correlate well with those in comet 67P/GC within a factor of 5. Conclusions . Based on the high-quality JWST (MIRI-MRS) spectra, we conclude that COMs are present in interstellar ices, thus providing additional proof for the solid-state origin of these species in star-forming regions. In addition, the good correlation between the ice abundances in comet 67P and NGC 1333 IRAS 2A is fully in line with the idea that cometary COMs may be inherited from the early protostellar phases to a significant extent.
Comet 49P/Arend–Rigaux is a well known low-activity Jupiter Family comet. Despite the low activity, we have witnessed outgassing activity in 1992, 2004, and 2012. In 2012 a broad tail-like feature ...(PA ∼ 270°, ∼2.3×105 km) and a narrow jet-like feature (PA ∼ 180°, ∼9.3×104 km) were seen simultaneously. Using Finson–Probstein (FP) dust dynamical models we determine: the grain sizes released in each event; the duration of activity; when the activity peaked; and the velocity of the dust particles, allowing us to make comparisons between the events. We find that the tail feature in 2012 is similar to the tail in 1992 with large grains (40–4000 μm) peaking in activity around perihelion with a long duration of outgassing greater than 150 days. The jet feature from 2012, however, is more similar to the 2004 event which we model with small grains (1–8 μm) with a short duration of activity on the order of one month. The main difference between these two features is that the 2004 event occurs prior to perihelion, while the 2012 event is post-perihelion. We use the grain sizes from the FP models to constrain ice sublimation models. Between 1985 and 2018 we cover six apparitions with 26 nights of our own observations, data from the literature, and data from the Minor Planet Center, which together, allow us to model the heliocentric light curve. We find that the models are consistent with H2O ice sublimation as the volatile responsible for driving activity over most of the active phases and a combination of H2O and CO2 ices are responsible for driving activity near perihelion. We measure the fractional active area over time for H2O and discover that the activity decreases from an average active area of ∼3% to ∼0.2%. This clear secular decrease in activity implies that the comet is becoming depleted of volatiles and is in the process of transitioning to either a dormant or dead state.
The present study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis-related factors of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with bone metastases at the time of diagnosis. A total of ...46 NSCLC patients with skeletal metastases at the time of diagnosis from Anhui Provincial Hospital and Anhui Provincial Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University (Hefei, China) between February 2010 and February 2012 were investigated retrospectively. The median age was 58 years, with a range of 40-80 years, the ratio of males and females was 2:1, and adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 71.7 and 28.3% of cases, respectively. Furthermore, 84.8% of patients exhibited multiple skeletal metastases at more than two sites and 54.3% of patients experienced skeletal-related events at the time of diagnosis. The median overall survival (OS) time of the patients was 237 days, and Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with adenocarcinoma (P=0.002), single bone metastases (P=0.023), an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1 (P<0.001) or positive expression of estrogen receptor (ER)-β (P=0.039) exhibited significantly longer survival times. Furthermore, multivariate analysis identified the following independent predictors of OS: Tumor subtype (P=0.022), the number of bone metastases (P=0.016) and an ER-β-positive tumor (P=0.035). In the cohort of NSCLC patients with bone metastases at the time of diagnosis, adenocarcinoma and multiple skeletal metastases were most common.
5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) is currently acknowledged as a demethylation drug, and causes a certain degree of demethylation in a variety of cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer cells. ...Emodin, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is an effective monomer extracted from rhubarb and has been reported to exhibit antitumor activity in different manners in pancreatic cancer. In the present study, we examined whether emodin caused demethylation and increased the demethylation of three tumor-suppressor genes P16, RASSF1A and ppENK with a high degree of methylation in pancreatic cancer when combined with 5-Aza-CdR. Our research showed that emodin inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Dot-blot results showed that emodin combined with 5-Aza-CdR significantly suppressed the expression of genome 5mC in PANC-1 cells. In order to verify the effect of methylation, methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite genomic sequencing PCR (BSP) combined with TA were selected for the cloning and sequencing. Results of MSP and BSP confirmed that emodin caused faint demethylation, and 5-Aza-CdR had a certain degree of demethylation. When emodin was combined with 5-Aza-CdR, the demethylation was more significant. At the same time, fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blot analysis results confirmed that when emodin was combined with 5-Aza-CdR, the expression levels of P16, RASSF1A and ppENK were increased more significantly compared to either treatment alone. In contrast, the expression levels of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and DNMT3a were more significantly reduced with the combination treatment than the control or either agent alone, further proving that emodin in combination with 5-Aza-CdR enhanced the demethylation effect of 5-Aza-CdR by reducing the expression of meth-yltransferases. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that emodin in combination with 5-Aza-CdR enhanced the demethylation by 5-Aza-CdR of tumor-suppressor genes p16, RASSF1A and ppENK by reducing the expression of methyltransferases DNMT1 and DNMT3a.
Icy grain mantles are the main reservoir of the volatile elements that link chemical processes in dark, interstellar clouds with the formation of planets and composition of their atmospheres. The ...initial ice composition is set in the cold, dense parts of molecular clouds, prior to the onset of star formation. With the exquisite sensitivity of JWST, this critical stage of ice evolution is now accessible for detailed study. Here we show the first results of the Early Release Science program "Ice Age" that reveal the rich composition of these dense cloud ices. Weak ices, including, \(^{13}\)CO\(_2\), OCN\(^-\), \(^{13}\)CO, OCS, and COMs functional groups are now detected along two pre-stellar lines of sight. The \(^{12}\)CO\(_2\) ice profile indicates modest growth of the icy grains. Column densities of the major and minor ice species indicate that ices contribute between 2 and 19% of the bulk budgets of the key C, O, N, and S elements. Our results suggest that the formation of simple and complex molecules could begin early in a water-ice rich environment.
To solve the problem of immune incompatibility, nuclear transplantation has been envisaged as a means to produce cells or tissues for human autologous transplantation. Here we have derived embryonic ...stem cells by the transfer of human somatic nuclei into rabbit oocytes. The number of blastocysts that developed from the fused nuclear transfer was comparable among nuclear donors at ages of 5, 42, 52 and 60 years, and nuclear transfer (NT) embryonic stem cells (ntES cells) were subsequently derived from each of the four age groups. These results suggest that human somatic nuclei can form ntES cells independent of the age of the donor. The derived ntES cells are human based on karyotype, isogenicity, in situ hybridization, PCR and immunocytochemistry with probes that distinguish between the various species. The ntES cells maintain the capability of sustained growth in an undifferentiated state, and form embryoid bodies, which, on further induction, give rise to cell types such as neuron and muscle, as well as mixed cell populations that express markers representative of all three germ layers. Thus, ntES cells derived from human somatic cells by NT to rabbit eggs retain phenotypes similar to those of conventional human ES cells, including the ability to undergo multilineage cellular differentiation.