Context. Magnetospheric accretion has been thoroughly studied in young stellar systems with full non-evolved accretion disks, but it is poorly documented for transition disk objects with large inner ...cavities. Aims. We aim at characterizing the star-disk interaction and the accretion process onto the central star of LkCa 15, a prototypical transition disk system with an inner dust cavity that is 50 au wide. Methods. We obtained quasi-simultaneous photometric and spectropolarimetric observations of the system over several rotational periods. We analyzed the system light curve and associated color variations, as well as changes in spectral continuum and line profile to derive the properties of the accretion flow from the edge of the inner disk to the central star. We also derived magnetic field measurements at the stellar surface. Results. We find that the system exhibits magnetic, photometric, and spectroscopic variability with a period of about 5.70 days. The light curve reveals a periodic dip, which suggests the presence of an inner disk warp that is located at the corotation radius at about 0.06 au from the star. Line profile variations and veiling variability are consistent with a magnetospheric accretion model where the funnel flows reach the star at high latitudes. This leads to the development of an accretion shock close to the magnetic poles. All diagnostics point to a highly inclined inner disk that interacts with the stellar magnetosphere. Conclusions. The spectroscopic and photometric variability on a timescale of days to weeks of LkCa 15 is remarkably similar to that of AA Tau, the prototype of periodic dippers. We therefore suggest that the origin of the variability is a rotating disk warp that is located at the inner edge of a highly inclined disk close to the star. This contrasts with the moderate inclination of the outer transition disk seen on the large scale and thus provides evidence for a significant misalignment between the inner and outer disks of this planet-forming transition disk system.
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a chronic inflammatory myopathy and vasculopathy driven by genetic and environmental influences. Here, we investigated the genetic underpinnings of an analogous, ...spontaneous disease of dogs also termed dermatomyositis (DMS). As in JDM, we observed a significant association with a haplotype of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) (DLA-DRB1*002:01/-DQA1*009:01/-DQB1*001:01), particularly in homozygosity (P-val = 0.0001). However, the high incidence of the haplotype among healthy dogs indicated that additional genetic risk factors are likely involved in disease progression. We conducted genome-wide association studies in two modern breeds having common ancestry and detected strong associations with novel loci on canine chromosomes 10 (P-val = 2.3X10-12) and 31 (P-val = 3.95X10-8). Through whole genome resequencing, we identified primary candidate polymorphisms in conserved regions of PAN2 (encoding p.Arg492Cys) and MAP3K7CL (c.383_392ACTCCACAAA>GACT) on chromosomes 10 and 31, respectively. Analyses of these polymorphisms and the MHC haplotypes revealed that nine of 27 genotypic combinations confer high or moderate probability of disease and explain 93% of cases studied. The pattern of disease risk across PAN2 and MAP3K7CL genotypes provided clear evidence for a significant epistatic foundation for this disease, a risk further impacted by MHC haplotypes. We also observed a genotype-phenotype correlation wherein an earlier age of onset is correlated with an increased number of risk alleles at PAN2 and MAP3K7CL. High frequencies of multiple genetic risk factors are unique to affected breeds and likely arose coincident with artificial selection for desirable phenotypes. Described herein is the first three-locus association with a complex canine disease and two novel loci that provide targets for exploration in JDM and related immunological dysfunction.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Avian influenza viruses can pose serious risks to agricultural production, human health, and wildlife. An understanding of viruses in wild reservoir species across time and space is ...important to informing surveillance programs, risk models, and potential population impacts for vulnerable species. Although it is recognized that influenza A virus prevalence peaks in reservoir waterfowl in late summer through autumn, temporal and spatial variation across species has not been fully characterized. We combined two large influenza databases for North America and applied spatiotemporal models to explore patterns in prevalence throughout the annual cycle and across the continental United States for 30 waterfowl species. Peaks in prevalence in late summer through autumn were pronounced for dabbling ducks in the genera
Anas
and
Spatula
, but not
Mareca
. Spatially, areas of high prevalence appeared to be related to regional duck density, with highest predicted prevalence found across the upper Midwest during early fall, though further study is needed. We documented elevated prevalence in late winter and early spring, particularly in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Our results suggest that spatiotemporal variation in prevalence outside autumn staging areas may also represent a dynamic parameter to be considered in IAV ecology and associated risks.
Magnetospheric accretion has been thoroughly studied in young stellar systems with full non-evolved accretion disks, but it is poorly documented for transition disk objects with large inner cavities. ...We aim at characterizing the star-disk interaction and the accretion process onto the central star of LkCa 15, a transition disk system with an inner dust cavity. We obtained quasi-simultaneous photometric and spectropolarimetric observations of the system over several rotational periods. We analyzed the system light curve, as well as changes in spectral continuum and line profile to derive the properties of the accretion flow from the edge of the inner disk to the central star. We also derived magnetic field measurements at the stellar surface. We find that the system exhibits magnetic, photometric, and spectroscopic variability with a period of about 5.70 days. The light curve reveals a periodic dip, which suggests the presence of an inner disk warp that is located at the corotation radius at about 0.06 au from the star. Line profile variations and veiling variability are consistent with a magnetospheric accretion model where the funnel flows reach the star at high latitudes. This leads to the development of an accretion shock close to the magnetic poles. All diagnostics point to a highly inclined inner disk that interacts with the stellar magnetosphere. The spectroscopic and photometric variability of LkCa 15 is remarkably similar to that of AA Tau, the prototype of periodic dippers. We therefore suggest that the origin of the variability is a rotating disk warp that is located at the inner edge of a highly inclined disk close to the star. This contrasts with the moderate inclination of the outer transition disk seen on the large scale and thus provides evidence for a significant misalignment between the inner and outer disks of this planet-forming transition disk system.
The Southern California region Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, which serves 2.2 million patients, and the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy have designed and implemented a ...patient consultation study to determine the cost-effectiveness of three different approaches to providing pharmacist consultation to outpatients. This paper describes the development and implementation of these three models. A total of 107 pharmacies (approximately 600 pharmacists) participated in the study and were assigned to provide one of the models of patient consultation, designated the Kaiser Permanente (KP) model, the state model, and the control model. The KP model (20 pharmacies) provided targeted pharmaceutical care services to high-risk patients based on drug use. The state model (67 pharmacies) provided California-mandated patient consultation to patients with new or changed prescriptions, instructions for use, relevant warnings and precautions, storage requirements, and the importance of compliance. The control model (20 pharmacies) provided consultation when deemed necessary by the pharmacist and provided care similar to that provided before mandatory consultation in California. The KP and state models used the same pharmacist/technician/clerk resources, but the control pharmacies limited personnel resources to those existing before the mandatory consultation law was passed in California. The paper describes the KP model in detail and provides a literature-based rationale for targeting particular high-risk patients for expanded services. The paper also describes the training process, gives an example of a high-risk patient intervention, provides information on documenting pharmacist interventions in all models, and explains the method used for monitoring implementation of the models.
Low cholesterol levels have been associated with increased mortality from stroke, cancer, and other noncardiovascular diseases, but the reasons for this association remain unclear. One explanation is ...that persons with low cholesterol levels have early or occult disease that eventually leads to their deaths.
This possibility was explored in 2,091 men and 2,714 women 65-100 years old in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a multicenter observational study of risk factors for heart disease and stroke in older adults. Cholesterol levels < or = 160 mg/dL were present in 11.6% of men and 3.7% of women and increased in prevalence with age. After adjustment for age, total cholesterol levels in this range were associated with a twofold increased prevalence of treated diabetes in men and women and with a twofold increased prevalence of cancer diagnosed in the preceding 5 years in women only. Low cholesterol was also associated with lower levels of hemoglobin, albumin, and factor VII, suggesting a link with hepatic synthetic function. On multivariate analysis, factors most strongly associated with low cholesterol levels in men and women were decreased factor VII levels, decreased albumin, and diabetes.
Cross-sectional associations with low cholesterol levels differ by sex and suggest poorer health by some measures. The observed relations with treated diabetes and impaired hepatic synthetic function should be examined for risk of mortality in longitudinal data from this and other observational studies.
Optically-pumped magnetometers (OPMs) are an established alternative to superconducting sensors for magnetoencephalography (MEG), offering significant advantages including flexibility to accommodate ...any head size, uniform coverage, free movement during scanning, better data quality and lower cost. However, OPM sensor technology remains under development; there is flexibility regarding OPM design and it is not yet clear which variant will prove most effective for MEG. Most OPM-MEG implementations have either used single-axis (equivalent to conventional MEG) or dual-axis magnetic field measurements. Here we demonstrate use of a triaxial OPM formulation, able to characterise the full 3D neuromagnetic field vector. We show that this novel sensor is able to characterise magnetic fields with high accuracy and sensitivity that matches conventional (dual-axis) OPMs. We show practicality via measurement of biomagnetic fields from both the heart and the brain. Using simulations, we demonstrate how triaxial measurement offers improved cortical coverage, especially in infants. Finally, we introduce a new 3D-printed child-friendly OPM-helmet and demonstrate feasibility of triaxial measurement in a five-year-old. In sum, the data presented demonstrate that triaxial OPMs offer a significant improvement over dual-axis variants and are likely to become the sensor of choice for future MEG systems, particularly for deployment in paediatric populations.
As solar photovoltaic power generation becomes more commonplace, the inherent intermittency of the solar resource poses one of the great challenges to those who would design and implement the next ...generation smart grid. Specifically, grid-tied solar power generation is a distributed resource whose output can change extremely rapidly, resulting in many issues for the distribution system operator with a large quantity of installed photovoltaic devices. Battery energy storage systems are increasingly being used to help integrate solar power into the grid. These systems are capable of absorbing and delivering both real and reactive power with sub-second response times. With these capabilities, battery energy storage systems can mitigate such issues with solar power generation as ramp rate, frequency, and voltage issues. Beyond these applications focusing on system stability, energy storage control systems can also be integrated with energy markets to make the solar resource more economical. Providing a high-level introduction to this application area, this paper presents an overview of the challenges of integrating solar power to the electricity distribution system, a technical overview of battery energy storage systems, and illustrates a variety of modes of operation for battery energy storage systems in grid-tied solar applications. The real-time control modes discussed include ramp rate control, frequency droop response, power factor correction, solar time-shifting, and output leveling.
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