This study reports 3-y outcomes of a split-mouth randomized clinical trial. Resin infiltration’s capacity to arrest caries lesion progression in noncavitated proximal lesions is affirmed. Forty-two ...consented young adults, blinded to tooth surface allocation, were treated with resin infiltration on 1 randomly selected surface and concurrently experienced a mock infiltration procedure on another. Both treatments were provided as an adjunct to the currently accepted standard-of-care regimen (periodic prophylaxis and serial fluoride varnish applications) appropriate for the management of high caries risk. Challenging periods of low oral hygiene compliance were expected. The primary outcome measure was 3-y radiographic lesion progression. Blinded investigators evaluated each study surface for lesion progression with a series of images obtained at intervals over the 3-y course of study. Proportions of progressing lesions were compared with McNemar’s test. Twenty-nine noncavitated lesion pairs in permanent posterior teeth demonstrating caries penetrating into inner enamel or outer dentin were included in the analyses. No adverse events were reported. Radiographic progression was recorded in 4 of 29 infiltrated lesions (14%) and 14 of 29 control lesions (48%, P < .003). Adjunct resin infiltration demonstrated a high 3-y efficacy of 71% (relative risk reduction). The prevented fraction was 86% for infiltration versus 52% for controls. Resin infiltration was 100% successful in arresting caries progression in inner enamel lesions (E2) and 64% in outer dentin lesions (D1). Supplementary microinvasive resin infiltration is significantly more efficacious in reducing proximal lesion progression than management by standard noninvasive therapy alone. Long-term results may shed light on whether this represents the arrest or delay of the caries disease process (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01584024).
The Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey has obtained spectra of over 230 000 targets using the Anglo-Australian Telescope. To homogenize the redshift measurements and improve the reliability, a ...fully automatic redshift code was developed (autoz). The measurements were made using a cross-correlation method for both the absorption- and the emission-line spectra. Large deviations in the high-pass-filtered spectra are partially clipped in order to be robust against uncorrected artefacts and to reduce the weight given to single-line matches. A single figure of merit (FOM) was developed that puts all template matches on to a similar confidence scale. The redshift confidence as a function of the FOM was fitted with a tanh function using a maximum likelihood method applied to repeat observations of targets. The method could be adapted to provide robust automatic redshifts for other large galaxy redshift surveys. For the GAMA survey, there was a substantial improvement in the reliability of assigned redshifts and in the lowering of redshift uncertainties with a median velocity uncertainty of 33 km s−1.
Hydrocarbons are key precursors to two priority air pollutants, ozone and particulate matter. Those with two to seven carbons have historically been straightforward to observe and have been ...successfully reduced in many developed cities through air quality policy interventions. Longer chain hydrocarbons released from diesel vehicles are not considered explicitly as part of air quality strategies and there are few direct measurements of their gaseous abundance in the atmosphere. This study describes the chemically comprehensive and continuous measurements of organic compounds in a developed megacity (London), which demonstrate that on a seasonal median basis, diesel-related hydrocarbons represent only 20-30 % of the total hydrocarbon mixing ratio but comprise more than 50 % of the atmospheric hydrocarbon mass and are a dominant local source of secondary organic aerosols. This study shows for the first time that 60 % of the winter primary hydrocarbon hydroxyl radical reactivity is from diesel-related hydrocarbons and using the maximum incremental reactivity scale, we predict that they contribute up to 50 % of the ozone production potential in London. Comparing real-world urban composition with regulatory emissions inventories in the UK and US highlights a previously unaccounted for, but very significant, under-reporting of diesel-related hydrocarbons; an underestimation of a factor ~4 for C9 species rising to a factor of over 70 for C12 during winter. These observations show that hydrocarbons from diesel vehicles can dominate gas phase reactive carbon in cities with high diesel fleet fractions. Future control of urban particulate matter and ozone in such locations requires a shift in policy focus onto gas phase hydrocarbons released from diesels as this vehicle type continues to displace gasoline world-wide.
A full appreciation of the role played by gas metallicity (Z), star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M
*) is fundamental to understanding how galaxies form and evolve. The connections between ...these three parameters at different redshifts significantly affect galaxy evolution, and thus provide important constraints for galaxy evolution models. Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-Data Release 7 (SDSS-DR7) and the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) surveys, we study the relationships and dependences between SFR, Z and M
*, as well as the Fundamental Plane for star-forming galaxies. We combine both surveys using volume-limited samples up to a redshift of z 0.36. The GAMA and SDSS surveys complement each other when analysing the relationships between SFR, M
* and Z. We present evidence for SFR and metallicity evolution to z ∼ 0.2. We study the dependences between SFR, M
*, Z and specific SFR (SSFR) on the M
*-Z, M
*-SFR, M
*-SSFR, Z-SFR and Z-SSFR relations, finding strong correlations between all. Based on those dependences, we propose a simple model that allows us to explain the different behaviour observed between low- and high-mass galaxies. Finally, our analysis allows us to confirm the existence of a Fundamental Plane, for which M
* = f(Z, SFR) in star-forming galaxies.
We have analysed the growth of Brightest Group Galaxies and Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BGGs/BCGs) over the last 3 billion years using a large sample of 883 galaxies from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly ...survey. By comparing the stellar mass of BGGs and BCGs in groups and clusters of similar dynamical masses, we find no significant growth between redshift z = 0.27 and 0.09. We also examine the number of BGGs/BCGs that have line emission, finding that approximately 65 per cent of BGGs/BCGs show Hα in emission. From the galaxies where the necessary spectroscopic lines were accurately recovered (54 per cent of the sample), we find that half of this (i.e. 27 per cent of the sample) harbour ongoing star formation with rates up to 10 M yr−1, and the other half (i.e. 27 per cent of the sample) have an active nucleus (AGN) at the centre. BGGs are more likely to have ongoing star formation, while BCGs show a higher fraction of AGN activity. By examining the position of the BGGs/BCGs with respect to their host dark matter halo, we find that around 13 per cent of them do not lie at the centre of the dark matter halo. This could be an indicator of recent cluster-cluster mergers. We conclude that BGGs and BCGs acquired their stellar mass rapidly at higher redshifts as predicted by semi-analytic models, mildly slowing down at low redshifts.
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Background: Many patients prefer to delay endocrine therapy for biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (BRCPC) due to associated adverse effects, underscoring the importance of safer and ...effective alternatives. Muscadine grape skin extract (MPX) inhibits cancer cell growth, promotes apoptosis, and reduces cell migration without impacting normal cells in preclinical studies. Superoxide dismutase2 (SOD2), exhibits a distinctive single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs4880), resulting in either an alanine (Ala) or valine (Val) allele. Results from our prior Phase II trial indicated a significant increase in PSA doubling time (PSADT) post-MPX treatment in patients with SOD2 Ala/Ala genotype, suggesting a therapeutic response specific to this subgroup. Methods: Encouraged by these results, we conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase III trial to assess the efficacy of MPX treatment in men with BCRPC who have the SOD2 Ala/Ala genotype and wish to defer androgen deprivation therapy. Participants were allocated 1:1 to a daily regimen of 4000 mg MPX or a placebo, with stratification based on pretreatment PSADT and grade groups. The primary endpoint was on-study PSA slope compared between treatment arms and adjusted for baseline PSA slope. Secondary endpoints included PSADT, PSA objective response, and time to PSA progression. Concurrently, we analyzed fecal samples to examine the impact of MPX treatment on gastrointestinal microbiota composition. Results: A total of 59 patients were randomized, with 29 assigned to receive MPX and 30 to receive a placebo. The on-study PSA slopes, analyzed from PSA values recorded at baseline, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks, demonstrated no significant difference between the placebo and MPX arms (p=0.49). There were no significant changes in paired on-study and pre-study slopes in either treatment or placebo arms. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in PSADT between the placebo and MPX arms (p=0.69), and no objective PSA response, defined as a decrease of over 50%, were observed in either arm. The median PSA PFS was 13.77 months in the placebo arm, while not reached in the MPX arm. Due to an insufficient response evidenced in the interim analysis, accrual to the trial was suspended by the DSMB for futility. Importantly, there were no drug-related CTCAE grade 3–4 adverse events. Conclusions: We have determined that MPX treatment had no significant effect on PSA slope in men with BCRPC exhibiting the SOD2 Ala/Ala genotype. Furthermore, qPCR analyses of DNA extracts from fecal samples revealed no substantial alterations in microbiome composition following 12 weeks of MPX treatment, when comparing pre- and post-treatment specimens. Consequently, we do not recommend grape skin extract supplementation as a strategy to delay the initiation of ADT in patients with BCRPC. Clinical trial information: NCT03535675 .
We examine the properties of galaxies in the Galaxies and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey located in voids with radii >10 h
−1 Mpc. Utilizing the GAMA equatorial survey, 592 void galaxies are identified ...out to z ≈ 0.1 brighter than M
r
= −18.4, our magnitude completeness limit. Using the W
Hα versus N ii/Hα (WHAN) line strength diagnostic diagram, we classify their spectra as star forming, AGN, or dominated by old stellar populations. For objects more massive than 5 × 109 M⊙, we identify a sample of 26 void galaxies with old stellar populations classed as passive and retired galaxies in the WHAN diagnostic diagram, else they lack any emission lines in their spectra. When matched to Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-IR photometry, these passive and retired galaxies exhibit a range of mid-IR colour, with a number of void galaxies exhibiting 4.6 − 12 colours inconsistent with completely quenched stellar populations, with a similar spread in colour seen for a randomly drawn non-void comparison sample. We hypothesize that a number of these galaxies host obscured star formation, else they are star forming outside of their central regions targeted for single-fibre spectroscopy. When matched to a randomly drawn sample of non-void galaxies, the void and non-void galaxies exhibit similar properties in terms of optical and mid-IR colour, morphology, and star formation activity, suggesting comparable mass assembly and quenching histories. A trend in mid-IR 4.6 − 12 colour is seen, such that both void and non-void galaxies with quenched/passive colours <1.5 typically have masses higher than 1010 M⊙, where internally driven processes play an increasingly important role in galaxy evolution.
We use a highly complete subset of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly II (GAMA-II) redshift sample to fully describe the stellar mass dependence of close pairs and mergers between 108 and 1012 M⊙. Using ...the analytic form of this fit we investigate the total stellar mass accreting on to more massive galaxies across all mass ratios. Depending on how conservatively we select our robust merging systems, the fraction of mass merging on to more massive companions is 2.0–5.6 per cent. Using the GAMA-II data we see no significant evidence for a change in the close pair fraction between redshift z = 0.05 and 0.2. However, we find a systematically higher fraction of galaxies in similar mass close pairs compared to published results over a similar redshift baseline. Using a compendium of data and the function γ
M
= A(1 + z)
m
to predict the major close pair fraction, we find fitting parameters of A = 0.021 ± 0.001 and m = 1.53 ± 0.08, which represents a higher low-redshift normalization and shallower power-law slope than recent literature values. We find that the relative importance of in situ star formation versus galaxy merging is inversely correlated, with star formation dominating the addition of stellar material below
$\mathcal {M}^*$
and merger accretion events dominating beyond
$\mathcal {M}^*$
. We find mergers have a measurable impact on the whole extent of the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF), manifest as a deepening of the ‘dip’ in the GSMF over the next ∼Gyr and an increase in
$\mathcal {M}^*$
by as much as 0.01–0.05 dex.
Genetic parameters were estimated for a range of meat quality traits recorded on Australian lamb meat. Data were collected from Merino and crossbred progeny of Merino, terminal and maternal meat ...breed sires of the Information Nucleus programme. Lambs born between 2007 and 2010 (n=8968) were slaughtered, these being the progeny of 372 sires and 5309 dams. Meat quality traits were found generally to be of moderate heritability (estimates between 0.15 and 0.30 for measures of meat tenderness, meat colour, polyunsaturated fat content, mineral content and muscle oxidative capacity), with notable exceptions of intramuscular fat (0.48), ultimate pH (0.08) and fresh meat colour a* (0.08) and b* (0.10) values. Genetic correlations between hot carcass weight and the meat quality traits were low. The genetic correlation between intramuscular fat and shear force was high (−0.62). Several measures of meat quality (fresh meat redness, retail meat redness, retail oxy/met value and iron content) appear to have potential for inclusion in meat sheep breeding objectives.
•Genetic parameters were estimated among a range of meat quality traits in lamb meat.•Moderate heritability of many traits showed that they can be altered via selection.•Selection to improve IMF or tenderness associated with reduced meat colour stability•Meat redness and iron content could possibly be included in sheep breeding programmes.
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