New full-sky temperature and polarization maps based on seven years of data from WMAP are presented. The new results are consistent with previous results, but have improved due to reduced noise from ...the additional integration time, improved knowledge of the instrument performance, and improved data analysis procedures. The improvements are described in detail. The seven-year data set is well fit by a minimal six-parameter flat Delta *LCDM model. The parameters for this model, using the WMAP data in conjunction with baryon acoustic oscillation data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and priors on H 0 from Hubble Space Telescope observations, are Delta *W b h 2 = 0.02260 ? 0.00053, Delta *W c h 2 = 0.1123 ? 0.0035, Delta *W Delta *L = 0.728+0.015 --0.016, ns = 0.963 ? 0.012, Delta *t = 0.087 ? 0.014, and Delta *s8 = 0.809 ? 0.024 (68% CL uncertainties). The temperature power spectrum signal-to-noise ratio per multipole is greater that unity for multipoles l 919, allowing a robust measurement of the third acoustic peak. This measurement results in improved constraints on the matter density, Delta *W m h 2 = 0.1334+0.0056 --0.0055, and the epoch of matter-radiation equality, z eq = 3196+134 --133, using WMAP data alone. The new WMAP data, when combined with smaller angular scale microwave background anisotropy data, result in a 3 Delta *s detection of the abundance of primordial helium, Y He = 0.326 ? 0.075. When combined with additional external data sets, the WMAP data also yield better determinations of the total mass of neutrinos, Delta *Sm Delta *n <= 0.58 eV(95%CL), and the effective number of neutrino species, N eff = 4.34+0.86 --0.88. The power-law index of the primordial power spectrum is now determined to be ns = 0.963 ? 0.012, excluding the Harrison-Zel'dovich-Peebles spectrum by >3 Delta *s. These new WMAP measurements provide important tests of big bang cosmology.
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 5-year data provide stringent limits on deviations from the minimal, six-parameter Lambda cold dark matter model. We report these limits and use them ...to constrain the physics of cosmic inflation via Gaussianity, adiabaticity, the power spectrum of primordial fluctuations, gravitational waves, and spatial curvature. We also constrain models of dark energy via its equation of state, parity-violating interaction, and neutrino properties, such as mass and the number of species. We detect no convincing deviations from the minimal model. The six parameters and the corresponding 68% uncertainties, derived from the WMAP data combined with the distance measurements from the Type Ia supernovae (SN) and the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the distribution of galaxies, are: Omega b h 2 = 0.02267+0.00058 -0.00059, Omega c h 2 = 0.1131 ± 0.0034, Omega Lambda = 0.726 ± 0.015, ns = 0.960 ± 0.013, tau = 0.084 ± 0.016, and at k = 0.002 Mpc-1. From these, we derive sigma 8 = 0.812 ± 0.026, H 0 = 70.5 ± 1.3 km s-1 Mpc-1, Omega b = 0.0456 ± 0.0015, Omega c = 0.228 ± 0.013, Omega m h 2 = 0.1358+0.0037 -0.0036, z reion = 10.9 ± 1.4, and t 0 = 13.72 ± 0.12 Gyr. With the WMAP data combined with BAO and SN, we find the limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio of r < 0.22(95%CL), and that ns > 1 is disfavored even when gravitational waves are included, which constrains the models of inflation that can produce significant gravitational waves, such as chaotic or power-law inflation models, or a blue spectrum, such as hybrid inflation models. We obtain tight, simultaneous limits on the (constant) equation of state of dark energy and the spatial curvature of the universe: -0.14 < 1 + w < 0.12(95%CL) and -0.0179 < Omega k < 0.0081(95%CL). We provide a set of 'WMAP distance priors,' to test a variety of dark energy models with spatial curvature. We test a time-dependent w with a present value constrained as -0.33 < 1 + w 0 < 0.21 (95% CL). Temperature and dark matter fluctuations are found to obey the adiabatic relation to within 8.9% and 2.1% for the axion-type and curvaton-type dark matter, respectively. The power spectra of TB and EB correlations constrain a parity-violating interaction, which rotates the polarization angle and converts E to B. The polarization angle could not be rotated more than -59 < Delta alpha < 24 (95% CL) between the decoupling and the present epoch. We find the limit on the total mass of massive neutrinos of capital sigma m Delta < 0.67 eV(95%CL), which is free from the uncertainty in the normalization of the large-scale structure data. The number of relativistic degrees of freedom (dof), expressed in units of the effective number of neutrino species, is constrained as N eff = 4.4 ± 1.5 (68%), consistent with the standard value of 3.04. Finally, quantitative limits on physically-motivated primordial non-Gaussianity parameters are -9 < f local NL < 111 (95% CL) and -151 < f equil NL < 253 (95% CL) for the local and equilateral models, respectively.
ABSTRACT We present new, more precise measurements of the mass and distance of our Galaxy's central supermassive black hole, Sgr A*. These results stem from a new analysis that more than doubles the ...time baseline for astrometry of faint stars orbiting Sgr A*, combining 2 decades of speckle imaging and adaptive optics data. Specifically, we improve our analysis of the speckle images by using information about a star's orbit from the deep adaptive optics data (2005-2013) to inform the search for the star in the speckle years (1995-2005). When this new analysis technique is combined with the first complete re-reduction of Keck Galactic Center speckle images using speckle holography, we are able to track the short-period star S0-38 (K-band magnitude = 17, orbital period = 19 yr) through the speckle years. We use the kinematic measurements from speckle holography and adaptive optics to estimate the orbits of S0-38 and S0-2 and thereby improve our constraints of the mass (Mbh) and distance (Ro) of Sgr A*: Mbh = (4.02 0.16 0.04) × 106 M and 7.86 0.14 0.04 kpc. The uncertainties in Mbh and Ro as determined by the combined orbital fit of S0-2 and S0-38 are improved by a factor of 2 and 2.5, respectively, compared to an orbital fit of S0-2 alone and a factor of ∼2.5 compared to previous results from stellar orbits. This analysis also limits the extended dark mass within 0.01 pc to less than 0.13 × 106 M at 99.7% confidence, a factor of 3 lower compared to prior work.
Myrcludex B acts as a hepatitis B and D virus entry inhibitor blocking the sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (SLC10A1). We investigated the effects of myrcludex B on plasma bile acid ...disposition, tenofovir pharmacokinetics, and perpetrator characteristics on cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A. Twelve healthy volunteers received 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate orally and 10 mg subcutaneous myrcludex B. Myrcludex B increased total plasma bile acid exposure 19.2‐fold without signs of cholestasis. The rise in conjugated bile acids was up to 124‐fold (taurocholic acid). Coadministration of tenofovir with myrcludex B revealed no relevant changes in tenofovir pharmacokinetics. CYP3A activity slightly but significantly decreased by 29% during combination therapy. Myrcludex B caused an asymptomatic but distinct rise in plasma bile acid concentrations and had no relevant impact on tenofovir pharmacokinetics. Changes in CYP3A activity might be due to alterations in bile acid signaling. Long‐term effects of elevated bile acids will require critical evaluation.
Obesity increases the risk of coronary artery disease through insulin resistance, diabetes, arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia. The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide and is ...particularly high among middle‐aged women and men. After menopause, women are at an increased risk to develop visceral obesity due to the loss of endogenous ovarian hormone production. Effects of oestrogens are classically mediated by the two nuclear oestrogen receptors (ERs) α and β. In addition, more recent research has shown that the intracellular transmembrane G‐protein‐coupled oestrogen receptor (GPER) originally designated as GPR30 also mediates some of the actions attributed to oestrogens. Oestrogen and its receptors are important regulators of body weight and insulin sensitivity not only in women but also in men as demonstrated by ER mutations in rodents and humans. This article reviews the role of sex hormones and ERs in the context of obesity, insulin sensitivity and diabetes as well as the related clinical issues in women and men.
This paper focuses on cosmological constraints derived from analysis of WMAP data alone. A simple Lambda CDM cosmological model fits the five-year WMAP temperature and polarization data. The basic ...parameters of the model are consistent with the three-year data and now better constrained: Omega b h 2 = 0.02273 ± 0.00062, Omega c h 2 = 0.1099 ± 0.0062, Omega Lambda = 0.742 ± 0.030, ns = 0.963+0.014 -0.015, tau = 0.087 ± 0.017, and sigma 8 = 0.796 ± 0.036, with h = 0.719+0.026 -0.027. With five years of polarization data, we have measured the optical depth to reionization, tau >0, at 5 sigma significance. The redshift of an instantaneous reionization is constrained to be z reion = 11.0 ± 1.4 with 68% confidence. The 2 sigma lower limit is z reion > 8.2, and the 3 sigma limit is z reion > 6.7. This excludes a sudden reionization of the universe at z = 6 at more than 3.5 sigma significance, suggesting that reionization was an extended process. Using two methods for polarized foreground cleaning we get consistent estimates for the optical depth, indicating an error due to the foreground treatment of tau ~ 0.01. This cosmological model also fits small-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, and a range of astronomical data measuring the expansion rate and clustering of matter in the universe. We find evidence for the first time in the CMB power spectrum for a nonzero cosmic neutrino background, or a background of relativistic species, with the standard three light neutrino species preferred over the best-fit Lambda CDM model with N eff = 0 at >99.5% confidence, and N eff > 2.3(95%confidence limit (CL)) when varied. The five-year WMAP data improve the upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r < 0.43(95%CL), for power-law models, and halve the limit on r for models with a running index, r < 0.58(95%CL). With longer integration we find no evidence for a running spectral index, with dns /dln k = -0.037 ± 0.028, and find improved limits on isocurvature fluctuations. The current WMAP-only limit on the sum of the neutrino masses is capital sigma m Delta < 1.3 eV(95%CL), which is robust, to within 10%, to a varying tensor amplitude, running spectral index, or dark energy equation of state.
Cultivating a more dynamic relationship between science and policy is essential for responding to complex social challenges such as sustainability. One approach to doing so is to “span the ...boundaries” between science and decision making and create a more comprehensive and inclusive knowledge exchange process. The exact definition and role of boundary spanning, however, can be nebulous. Indeed, boundary spanning often gets conflated and confused with other approaches to connecting science and policy, such as science communication, applied science, and advocacy, which can hinder progress in the field of boundary spanning. To help overcome this, in this perspective, we present the outcomes from a recent workshop of boundary-spanning practitioners gathered to (1) articulate a definition of what it means to work at this interface (“boundary spanning”) and the types of activities it encompasses; (2) present a value proposition of these efforts to build better relationships between science and policy; and (3) identify opportunities to more effectively mainstream boundary-spanning activities. Drawing on our collective experiences, we suggest that boundary spanning has the potential to increase the efficiency by which useful research is produced, foster the capacity to absorb new evidence and perspectives into sustainability decision-making, enhance research relevance for societal challenges, and open new policy windows. We provide examples from our work that illustrate this potential. By offering these propositions for the value of boundary spanning, we hope to encourage a more robust discussion of how to achieve evidence-informed decision-making for sustainability.
Background
Achieving the critical view of safety (CVS) before transection of the cystic artery and duct is important to reduce biliary duct injury in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. To gain more ...insight into complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, we investigated whether the criteria for CVS were met during surgery by analyzing videos of operations performed at our institution.
Methods
All consecutive patients who underwent a completed laparoscopic cholecystectomy between 2009 and 2011 were included. The videos of the operations of patients with complications were independently reviewed and rated by two investigators with a third consulted in the event of a disagreement. The reviewers answered consecutive questions about whether the CVS criteria were met. Patients who underwent an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and had no complications were used as a control group for comparison.
Results
Of the 1108 consecutive patients who had undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the study period, 8.8 % developed complications (average age 51 years) and 1.7 % had bile duct injuries six patients (0.6 %) had a major bile duct injury, type B, D, or E injury. In the 65 surgical videos available for analysis, CVS was reached in 80 % of cases according to the operative notes. However, the reviewers found that CVS was reached in only 10.8 % of the cases. Only in 18.7 % of the cases the operative notes and video agreed about CVS being reached. CVS was not reached in any of the patients who had biliary injuries. In the control group, CVS was reached significantly more often in 72 %.
Conclusions
In our institutional series of laparoscopic cholecystectomies with postoperative complications, CVS was reached in only a few cases. Evaluating surgical videos of laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases are important and we recommend its use to improve surgical technique and decrease the number of biliary injuries.
Context. The SAO 206462 (HD 135344B) disk is one of the few known transitional disks showing asymmetric features in scattered light and thermal emission. Near-infrared scattered-light images revealed ...two bright outer spiral arms and an inner cavity depleted in dust. Giant protoplanets have been proposed to account for the disk morphology. Aims. We aim to search for giant planets responsible for the disk features and, in the case of non-detection, to constrain recent planet predictions using the data detection limits. Methods. We obtained new high-contrast and high-resolution total intensity images of the target spanning the Y to the K bands (0.95–2.3 μm) using the VLT/SPHERE near-infrared camera and integral field spectrometer. Results. The spiral arms and the outer cavity edge are revealed at high resolutions and sensitivities without the need for aggressive image post-processing techniques, which introduce photometric biases. We do not detect any close-in companions. For the derivation of the detection limits on putative giant planets embedded in the disk, we show that the knowledge of the disk aspect ratio and viscosity is critical for the estimation of the attenuation of a planet signal by the protoplanetary dust because of the gaps that these putative planets may open. Given assumptions on these parameters, the mass limits can vary from ~2–5 to ~4–7 Jupiter masses at separations beyond the disk spiral arms. The SPHERE detection limits are more stringent than those derived from archival NaCo/L′ data and provide new constraints on a few recent predictions of massive planets (4–15 MJ) based on the spiral density wave theory. The SPHERE and ALMA data do not favor the hypotheses on massive giant planets in the outer disk (beyond 0.6′′). There could still be low-mass planets in the outer disk and/or planets inside the cavity.
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