We report on the detection of a transit of the super-Earth 55 Cnc e with warm Spitzer in IRAC’s 4.5 μm band. Our MCMC analysis includes an extensive modeling of the systematic effects affecting warm ...Spitzer photometry, and yields a transit depth of 410 ± 63 ppm, which translates to a planetary radius of \hbox{$2.08^{+0.16}_{-0.17}\: R_\oplus$}2.08-0.17+0.16R⊕ as measured in IRAC 4.5 μm channel. A planetary mass of \hbox{$7.81_{-0.53}^{+0.58}\: M_\oplus$}7.81-0.53+0.58M⊕ is derived from an extensive set of radial-velocity data, yielding a mean planetary density of \hbox{$4.78_{-1.20}^{+1.31}$}4.78-1.20+1.31 g cm-3. Thanks to the brightness of its host star (V = 6, K = 4), 55 Cnc e is a unique target for the thorough characterization of a super-Earth orbiting around a solar-type star.
We present here the signal-to-noise (S/N) calculator developed for the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) mission. CUTE is a 6U CubeSat operating in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) observing ...exoplanetary transits to study their upper atmospheres. CUTE was launched into a low-Earth orbit in September 2021 and it is currently gathering scientific data. As part of the S/N calculator, we also present the error propagation for computing transit depth uncertainties starting from the S/N of the original spectroscopic observations. The CUTE S/N calculator is currently extensively used for target selection and scheduling. The modular construction of the CUTE S/N calculator enables its adaptation and can be used also for other missions and instruments.
To date, approximately 600 unique pathogenic variants have been reported in
associated with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS). The objective of this study was to describe a patient with a novel ...variant in
associated with vEDS.
We describe the clinical history and thorough phenotyping of a patient with brain aneurysms and identified a novel pathogenic variant in
. This male patient reported transient focal neurologic symptoms. Physical examination showed abnormal atrophic scarring, horizontal stretch marks under the arms, and an acrogeric appearance of the skin of the hands and feet. Brain imaging revealed extensive dilation of both internal carotids and the vertebrobasilar system. Molecular analysis identified a variant in
(NM_000090.4):c.3058G>T p.(Gly1020Cys), which was classified as likely pathogenic. Currently, the patient has never had an event concerning dissection/rupture of tissues that could be affected in this condition.
This report demonstrates that exhaustive evaluation with clinical and genetic approaches should be considered in patients with vascular abnormalities. vEDS has a variable clinical presentation and often goes unrecognized, even though it is related to life-threatening complications and a shortened life expectancy. Diagnosis confirmed by genetic testing is crucial to determining appropriate surveillance, prevention, treatment, and genetic counseling.
Context. 55 Cnc e is a transiting super-Earth orbiting a solar-like star with an orbital period of ~17.7 h. In 2011, using the Microvariability and Oscillations in Stars (MOST) space telescope, a ...quasi-sinusoidal modulation in flux was detected with the same period as the planetary orbit. The amplitude of this modulation was too large to be explained as the change in light reflected or emitted by the planet. Aims. The MOST telescope continued to observe 55 Cnc e for a few weeks per year over five years (from 2011 to 2015), covering 143 individual transits. This paper presents the analysis of the observed phase modulation throughout these observations and a search for the secondary eclipse of the planet. Methods. The most important source of systematic noise in MOST data is due to stray-light reflected from the Earth, which is modulated with both the orbital period of the satellite (101.4 min) and the Earth’s rotation period. We present a new technique to deal with this source of noise, which we combined with standard detrending procedures for MOST data. We then performed Markov chain Monte Carlo analyses of the detrended light curves, modeling the planetary transit and phase modulation. Results. We find phase modulations similar to those seen in 2011 in most of the subsequent years; however, the amplitude and phase of maximum light are seen to vary, from year to year, from 113 to 28 ppm and from 0.1 to 3.8 rad. The secondary eclipse is not detected, but we constrain the geometric albedo of the planet to less than 0.47 (2σ). Conclusions. While we cannot identify a single origin of the observed optical modulation, we propose a few possible scenarios. Those include star-planet interaction, such as coronal rains and spots rotating with the motion of the planet along its orbit, or the presence of a transiting circumstellar torus of dust. However, a detailed interpretation of these observations is limited by their photometric precision. Additional observations at optical wavelengths could measure the variations at higher precision, contribute to uncovering the underlying physical processes, and measure or improve the upper limit on the albedo of the planet.
The K2-33 planetary system hosts one transiting ~5 R⊕ planet orbiting the young M-type host star. The planet’s mass is still unknown, with an estimated upper limit of 5.4 MJ. The extreme youth of the ...system (<20 Myr) gives the unprecedented opportunity to study the earliest phases of planetary evolution, at a stage when the planet is exposed to an extremely high level of high-energy radiation emitted by the host star. We perform a series of 1D hydrodynamic simulations of the planet’s upper atmosphere considering a range of possible planetary masses, from 2 to 40 M⊕, and equilibrium temperatures, from 850 to 1300 K, to account for internal heating as a result of contraction. We obtain temperature profiles mostly controlled by the planet’s mass, while the equilibrium temperature has a secondary effect. For planetary masses below 7–10 M⊕, the atmosphere is subject to extremely high escape rates, driven by the planet’s weak gravity and high thermal energy, which increase with decreasing mass and/or increasing temperature. For higher masses, the escape is instead driven by the absorption of the high-energy stellar radiation. A rough comparison of the timescales for complete atmospheric escape and age of the system indicates that the planet is more massive than 10 M⊕.
Bacterial meningitis is an infectious pathology that remains a public health challenge. The most frequent etiological agent is Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is also associated with higher rates of ...mortality and sequels. However, less is known about the clinical presentation of atypical non-pneumoniae streptococcal meningitis. Here, we studied a 23-year-old man with no medical background who presented with projectile vomiting, states of consciousness alteration, unilateral cranial nerve palsy, and meningeal signs. Neuroimaging showed tonsillar herniation, regions of empyema, right transverse and sigmoid sinuses thrombosis, and multiple arterial subcortical infarcts. Cerebrospinal fluid suggested bacterial infection; blood and abscess cultures were positive for Streptococcus constellatus. The patient received antibiotics with no clinical improvement. He deteriorated over the following days, the abolishment of brainstem reflexes was observed, and brain death was declared. Streptococcal meningitis produced by atypical species is a potential cause of lethal cerebrovascular complications, even in immunocompetent patients.
Mexico is among the most important blackberry producers in the world. In this crop, thrips damage is associated with poor fruit set. The objectives of this study were to identify the main thrips ...species associated with the flowers of cultivated blackberries, and to determine the resistance level of 13 field-collected populations of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), to the insecticides malathion, bifenthrin, and spinosad in the states of Michoacán and Jalisco, Mexico. Verification of F. occidentalis was conducted by morphology and PCR amplification of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) partial gene using LCO and HCO primers The susceptibility of adult thrips to insecticides was determined using residual contact exposure on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.; Fabaceae) leaf sections dipped into aqueous solutions of 8 different concentrations of malathion, bifenthrin, and spinosad. The morphological identification of thrips from 8 different sampling zones confirmed that the main thrips species associated with blackberry flowers was F. occidentalis. However, Retanathrips funestus (Hood), Frankliniella insularis (Franklin), Frankliniella tolucensis Watson, Taenothrips frici (Uzel), and Isoneurothrips australis Bagnall (all Thysanoptera: Thripidae) also were found. Most of the evaluated populations of F. occidentalis showed significant differences from the susceptible population in terms of the level of resistance to bifenthrin, malathion, and spinosad. The resistance ratios (RR50) for malathion varied from 36 to 2,458, followed by 4 to 974, and 2 to 248 in bifenthrin and spinosad, respectively. These results suggest the need to establish insecticide resistance management programs, particularly in zones that resulted in the highest levels of insecticide resistance.
The ability of the isolate VG008 of S. frugiperda granulovirus (SpfrGV) to enhance the infectivity of the isolate SfCOL of S. frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpfrMNPV) was evaluated on
...larvae. Bioassays were performed with mixtures by using different proportions 90%:10% (M1), 95%:5% (M2) and 97.5%:2.5% (M3) of SfCOL:VG008, respectively. All mixtures showed higher insecticidal activity that SfCOL. The mixture M3 showed the highest enhancement of SfCOL reducing 11.40 times the Mean Lethal Concentration and 96 h in the Mean Time to Death. The enhancer activity of proteins derived from VG008 (GVPs) were also evaluated in mixture with SfCOL. The GVPs increased 27% larval mortality caused by SfCOL and damaged the peritrophic membrane of
larvae, suggesting that the key point in this enhancing activity is the initial step of the larva colonization, the midgut infection. M3 was formulated and evaluated under greenhouse conditions in maize plants using different doses. The highest efficacy was obtained with the highest dose of M3 (8 × 10
OBs/ha), which was similar to that found when formulated SfCOL was applied using an approximately twofold higher dose. The viral mixture M3 was selected as the active ingredient for developing a new biopesticide for a more efficient management of the pest in the field.
We analyzed the combined near-infrared spectrum of a star-planet system with thermal emission atmospheric models, based on the composition and physical parameters of the system. The main objective of ...this work is to obtain the inclination of the orbit, the mass of the exoplanet, and the planet-to-star flux ratio. We present the results of our routines on the planetary system HD 217107, which was observed with the high-resolution spectrograph Phoenix at 2.14 μm. We revisited and tuned a correlation method to directly search for the high-resolution signature of a known non-transiting extrasolar planet. We could not detect the planet with our current data, but we present sensitivity estimates of our method and the respective constraints on the planetary parameters. With a confidence level of 3-σ we constrain the HD 217107 b planet-to-star flux ratio to be less than 5 × 10-3. We also carried out simulations on other planet candidates to assess the detectability limit of atmospheric water on realistically simulated data sets for this instrument, and we outline an optimized observational and selection strategy to increase future probabilities of success by considering the optimal observing conditions and the most suitable candidates.
The necrotic streak of the fique (Furcraea spp.) or “Macana” disease is considered the most limiting disease for this crop in Colombia, whose causal agent is the Furcraea Necrotic Streak Virus - FNSV ...(RNA+). Currently, there are no strategies to control the disease, being necessary to develop methods for detection of this pathogen in the planting material before being taken to the field. In this study, polyclonal antibodies produced in egg yolk (IgY) were produced and assesses for detection FNSV. Two immunoenzymatic methodologies were standardized: dot blot immunobinding assay (DBIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), determining their specificity and sensitivity. The detection limit by DBIA corresponded to 8 μg/mL of purified virus suspension using 10 μg/mL of primary antibody. In the ELISA test, the primary antibody concentration of 3 μg/mL (1:800 dilution) detected the antigen at concentrations between 10 and 70 μg/mL. The polyclonal antibody anti-FNSV IgY allowed the detection of FNSV in samples of purified virus and extracts of roots and leaves of fique plants with symptoms of “Macana” disease and did not produce any signal with the control samples. Results showed the potential of using egg yolk IgY in immunological tests for the detection of FNSV in fique plants.
•Fique plants are source of natural fiber help to reduce the use of synthetic fibers.•FNSV causes the most detrimental disease named Macana, affecting fiber production.•Anti-FNSV produced in egg yolk was developed to detect the infection.•Detection of infected material could prevent the spread of macana disease.
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