Natriuretic peptide-guided (NP-guided) treatment of heart failure has been tested against standard clinically guided care in multiple studies, but findings have been limited by study size. We sought ...to perform an individual patient data meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of NP-guided treatment of heart failure on all-cause mortality.
Eligible randomized clinical trials were identified from searches of Medline and EMBASE databases and the Cochrane Clinical Trials Register. The primary pre-specified outcome, all-cause mortality was tested using a Cox proportional hazards regression model that included study of origin, age (<75 or ≥75 years), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, ≤45 or >45%) as covariates. Secondary endpoints included heart failure or cardiovascular hospitalization. Of 11 eligible studies, 9 provided individual patient data and 2 aggregate data. For the primary endpoint individual data from 2000 patients were included, 994 randomized to clinically guided care and 1006 to NP-guided care. All-cause mortality was significantly reduced by NP-guided treatment hazard ratio = 0.62 (0.45-0.86); P = 0.004 with no heterogeneity between studies or interaction with LVEF. The survival benefit from NP-guided therapy was seen in younger (<75 years) patients 0.62 (0.45-0.85); P = 0.004 but not older (≥75 years) patients 0.98 (0.75-1.27); P = 0.96. Hospitalization due to heart failure 0.80 (0.67-0.94); P = 0.009 or cardiovascular disease 0.82 (0.67-0.99); P = 0.048 was significantly lower in NP-guided patients with no heterogeneity between studies and no interaction with age or LVEF.
Natriuretic peptide-guided treatment of heart failure reduces all-cause mortality in patients aged <75 years and overall reduces heart failure and cardiovascular hospitalization.
Detection of lactobacilli (L. casei, L. paracasei and L. rhamnosus) in feces during the first 2 months of life associates with reduced allergy‐prevalence and lower levels of atopy‐related chemokines ...in the first year(s) of life, and higher levels of IFN‐g and lower FeNO later in childhood. These associations between lactobacilli, allergy‐protection and the systemic immune profile were apparent also within the subgroup of children with double allergic heredity. The results indicate that the presence of certain lactobacilli species in the infant gut may influence allergy‐related parameters in the peripheral immune system, and thereby contribute to allergy‐protection.
Summary
Alterations in the composition and reduced diversity of the infant microbiome are associated with allergic disease in children. Further, an altered microbiota is linked to immune dysregulation, including skewing of different T helper (Th) subsets, which is also seen in atopic individuals. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the associations between gut lactobacilli and Th‐related plasma factors in allergy development during childhood. A total of 194 children with known allergy status at 1 year of age were followed to 10 years of age. We used real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to investigate the presence of three lactobacilli species (Lactobacillus casei, L. paracasei, L. rhamnosus) in infant fecal samples (collected between 1 week and 2 months of age) from a subgroup of children. Plasma chemokines and cytokines were quantified at 6 months and at 1, 2, 5 and 10 years of age with Luminex or enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fractional exhaled nitrogen oxide (FeNO) was measured and spirometry performed at 10 years of age. The data were analysed by non‐parametric testing and a logistic regression model adjusted for parental allergy. An absence of these lactobacilli and higher levels of the chemokines BCA‐1/CXCL13, CCL17/TARC, MIP‐3α/CCL20 and MDC/CCL22 in plasma at 6 months of age preceded allergy development. The presence of lactobacilli associated with lower levels of atopy‐related chemokines during infancy, together with higher levels of interferon (IFN)‐γ and lower FeNO during later childhood. The results indicate that the presence of certain lactobacilli species in the infant gut may influence allergy‐related parameters in the peripheral immune system, and thereby contribute to allergy protection.
Cold gas-phase water has recently been detected in a cold dark cloud, Barnard 5 located in the Perseus complex, by targeting methanol peaks as signposts for ice mantle evaporation. Observed ...morphology and abundances of methanol and water are consistent with a transient non-thermal evaporation process only affecting the outermost ice mantle layers, possibly triggering a more complex chemistry. Here we present the detection of the complex organic molecules (COMs) acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) and methyl formate (CH3OCHO), as well as formic acid (HCOOH) and ketene (CH2CO), and the tentative detection of di-methyl ether (CH3OCH3) towards the “methanol hotspot” of Barnard 5 located between two dense cores using the single dish OSO 20 m, IRAM 30 m, and NRO 45 m telescopes. The high energy cis-conformer of formic acid is detected, suggesting that formic acid is mostly formed at the surface of interstellar grains and then evaporated. The detection of multiple transitions for each species allows us to constrain their abundances through LTE and non-LTE methods. All the considered COMs show similar abundances between ~ 1 and ~ 10% relative to methanol depending on the assumed excitation temperature. The non-detection of glycolaldehyde, an isomer of methyl formate, with a glycolaldehyde/methyl formate abundance ratio lower than 6%, favours gas phase formation pathways triggered by methanol evaporation. According to their excitation temperatures derived in massive hot cores, formic acid, ketene, and acetaldehyde have been designated as “lukewarm” COMs whereas methyl formate and di-methyl ether were defined as “warm” species. Comparison with previous observations of other types of sources confirms that lukewarm and warm COMs show similar abundances in low-density cold gas whereas the warm COMs tend to be more abundant than the lukewarm species in warm protostellar cores. This abundance evolution suggests either that warm COMs are indeed mostly formed in protostellar environments and/or that lukewarm COMs are efficiently depleted by increased hydrogenation efficiency around protostars.
We announce the discovery of K2-139 b (EPIC 218916923 b), a transiting warm-Jupiter (Teq = 547 ± 25 K) on a 29-d orbit around an active (log R'_HK = -4.46 ± 0.06) K0V star in K2 Campaign 7. We derive ...the system's parameters by combining the K2 photometry with ground-based follow-up observations. With a mass of 0.387_-0.075^+0.083 M_J and radius of 0.808_-0.033^+0.034 R_J, K2-139 b is one of the transiting warm Jupiters with the lowest mass known to date. The planetary mean density of 0.91_-0.20^+0.24 g/cm^3 can be explained with a core of ~50 M⊕. Given the brightness of the host star (V = 11.653 mag), the relatively short transit duration (~5 h), and the expected amplitude of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect (~25m/s), K2-139 is an ideal target to measure the spin-orbit angle of a planetary system hosting a warm Jupiter.
Bio‐inspired, multifunctional, high‐aspect‐ratio nanostructured surfaces are fabricated in a variety of materials with controlled geometry and stiffness. A soft‐lithography method that allows the ...one‐to‐one replication of nanostructures and renders it possible to produce arbitrary nanostructures with cross‐sectional shapes, orientations, and 2D lattices that are different from the original master is presented. The actuation of the posts is demonstrated.
We use in situ plasma observations made by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter spacecraft to show for the first time that magnetosonic waves can couple the solar wind to the upper ionosphere and deposit energy ...there. The waves are generated upstream of Venus, are advected into the shock and propagate across the draped magnetic field, through the magnetosheath and into the dayside upper ionosphere. The magnetosonic waves damp in the upper ionosphere in a region where physical collisions are rare, and electromagnetic forces must control this damping. The waves damp when the ionospheric heavy ion density is a few thousand cm−3 and wave‐particle interactions with the dominant O+ ions are postulated as the damping mechanism. Estimates of ion heating rates show that 1%–5% of the O+ ion distribution function could be heated to escape energy in 10–40 s.
Plain Language Summary
Our Sun emits a stream of charged particles radially outward into our Solar system, known as the solar wind. When the solar wind encounters obstacles such as planets and comets, a variety of forces may act to divert the flow around the obstacle, much like when flowing water in a stream encounters a rock and is diverted around it. This study uses measurements made by a spacecraft that orbited Venus, known as Pioneer Venus Orbiter, to investigate some of the side effects that can arise when the solar wind flow is diverted around Venus. We show for the first time how a particular pathway allows energy to be deposited from the flowing solar wind into the Venusian atmosphere, and that this energy can be deposited quickly enough to significantly impact the particles in the atmosphere. The characteristics observed in this study at Venus are similar to those at Mars where this process has also been observed, suggesting that the solar wind can interact with the two planets in similar ways in this respect.
Key Points
Magnetosonic waves propagate from upstream into the dayside upper ionosphere of Venus
Magnetosonic waves are damped by wave‐particle interactions with heavy ionospheric ions
Subsequent ion heating rates could heat 1%–5% of the ion distribution function to escape energy in 10–40 s
The combinatorial nature of many important mathematical problems, including nondeterministic-polynomial-time (NP)-complete problems, places a severe limitation on the problem size that can be solved ...with conventional, sequentially operating electronic computers. There have been significant efforts in conceiving parallel-computation approaches in the past, for example: DNA computation, quantum computation, and microfluidics-based computation. However, these approaches have not proven, so far, to be scalable and practical from a fabrication and operational perspective. Here, we report the foundations of an alternative parallel-computation system in which a given combinatorial problem is encoded into a graphical, modular network that is embedded in a nanofabricated planar device. Exploring the network in a parallel fashion using a large number of independent, molecular-motor-propelled agents then solves the mathematical problem. This approach uses orders of magnitude less energy than conventional computers, thus addressing issues related to power consumption and heat dissipation. We provide a proof-of-concept demonstration of such a device by solving, in a parallel fashion, the small instance {2, 5, 9} of the subset sum problem, which is a benchmark NP-complete problem. Finally, we discuss the technical advances necessary to make our system scalable with presently available technology.
Context.
Despite being a prominent subset of the exoplanet population discovered in the past three decades, the nature and provenance of sub-Neptune-sized planets is still one of the open questions ...in exoplanet science.
Aims.
For planets orbiting bright stars, precisely measuring the orbital and planet parameters of the system is the best approach to distinguish between competing theories regarding their formation and evolution.
Methods.
We obtained 69 new radial velocity observations of the mid-M dwarf G 9–40 with the CARMENES instrument to measure for the first time the mass of its transiting sub-Neptune planet, G 9–40 b, discovered in data from the K2 mission.
Results.
Combined with new observations from the TESS mission during Sectors 44, 45, and 46, we are able to measure the radius of the planet to an uncertainty of 3.4% (
R
b
= 1.900 ± 0.065
R
⊕
) and determine its mass with a precision of 16% (
M
b
= 4.00 ± 0.63
M
⊕
). The resulting bulk density of the planet is inconsistent with a terrestrial composition and suggests the presence of either a water-rich core or a significant hydrogen-rich envelope.
Conclusions.
G 9–40 b is referred to as a keystone planet due to its location in period-radius space within the radius valley. Several theories offer explanations for the origin and properties of this population and this planet is a valuable target for testing the dependence of those models on stellar host mass. By virtue of its brightness and small size of the host, it joins L 98-59 d as one of the two best warm (
T
eq
~ 400 K) sub-Neptunes for atmospheric characterization with JWST, which will probe cloud formation in sub-Neptune-sized planets and break the degeneracies of internal composition models.
Understanding water deuterium fractionation is important for constraining the mechanisms of water formation in interstellar clouds. Observations of HDO and H...O transitions were carried out towards ...the high-mass star-forming region G34.26+0.15 with the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI) instrument onboard the Herschel Space Observatory, as well as with ground-based single-dish telescopes. 10 HDO lines and three H...O lines covering a broad range of upper energy levels (22-204 K) were detected. We used a non-local thermal equilibrium 1D analysis to determine the HDO/H2O ratio as a function of radius in the envelope. Models with different water abundance distributions were considered in order to reproduce the observed line profiles. The HDO/H2O ratio is found to be lower in the hot core (~3.5 x 10...-7.5 x 10...) than in the colder envelope (~1.0 x 10...-2.2 x 10...). This is the first time that a radial variation of the HDO/H2O ratio has been found to occur in a high-mass source. The chemical evolution of this source was modelled as a function of its radius and the observations are relatively well reproduced. The comparison between the chemical model and the observations leads to an age of ~10... yr after the infrared dark cloud stage. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
Context.
The light curves of tidally locked hot Jupiters transiting fast-rotating, early-type stars are a rich source of information about both the planet and star, with full-phase coverage enabling ...a detailed atmospheric characterisation of the planet. Although it is possible to determine the true spin–orbit angle Ψ – a notoriously difficult parameter to measure – from any transit asymmetry resulting from gravity darkening induced by the stellar rotation, the correlations that exist between the transit parameters have led to large disagreements in published values of Ψ for some systems.
Aims.
We aimed to study these phenomena in the light curves of the ultra-hot Jupiter MASCARA-1 b, which is characteristically similar to well-studied contemporaries such as KELT-9 b and WASP-33 b.
Methods.
We obtained optical CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) transit and occultation light curves of MASCARA-1 b, and analysed them jointly with a
Spitzer
/IRAC 4.5 μm full-phase curve to model the asymmetric transits, occultations, and phase-dependent flux modulation. For the latter, we employed a novel physics-driven approach to jointly fit the phase modulation by generating a single 2D temperature map and integrating it over the two bandpasses as a function of phase to account for the differing planet–star flux contrasts. The reflected light component was modelled using the general ab initio solution for a semi-infinite atmosphere.
Results.
When fitting the CHEOPS and
Spitzer
transits together, the degeneracies are greatly diminished and return results consistent with previously published Doppler tomography. Placing priors informed by the tomography achieves even better precision, allowing a determination of Ψ = 72.1
−2.4
+2.5
deg. From the occultations and phase variations, we derived dayside and nightside temperatures of 3062
−68
+66
K and 1720 ± 330 K, respectively.Our retrieval suggests that the dayside emission spectrum closely follows that of a blackbody. As the CHEOPS occultation is too deep to be attributed to blackbody flux alone, we could separately derive geometric albedo A
g
= 0.171
−0.068
+0.066
and spherical albedo A
s
= 0.266
−0.100
+0.097
from the CHEOPS data, and Bond albedoA
B
= 0.057
−0.101
+0.083
from the
Spitzer
phase curve.Although small, the
A
g
and
A
s
indicate that MASCARA-1 b is more reflective than most other ultra-hot Jupiters, where H
−
absorption is expected to dominate.
Conclusions.
Where possible, priors informed by Doppler tomography should be used when fitting transits of fast-rotating stars, though multi-colour photometry may also unlock an accurate measurement of Ψ. Our approach to modelling the phase variations at different wavelengths provides a template for how to separate thermal emission from reflected light in spectrally resolved
James Webb
Space Telescope phase curve data.
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