We present tensor-to-scalar ratio forecasts for GreenPol, a hypothetical ground-based B -mode experiment aiming to survey the cleanest regions of the Northern Galactic Hemisphere at five frequencies ...between 10 and 44 GHz. Its primary science goal would be to measure large-scale cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization fluctuations at multipoles ℓ ≲ 500, and thereby constrain the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio r . The observations for the suggested experiment would take place at the Summit Station (72 ° 34N, 38 ° 27W) on Greenland, at an altitude of 3216 m above sea level. For this paper we simulated various experimental setups, and derived limits on the tensor-to-scalar ratio after CMB component separation using a Bayesian component separation implementation called Commander. When combining the proposed experiment with Planck HFI observations for constraining polarized thermal dust emission, we found a projected limit of r < 0.02 at 95% confidence for the baseline configuration. This limit is very robust with respect to a range of important experimental parameters, including sky coverage, detector weighting, foreground priors, among others. Overall, GreenPol would have the possibility to provide deep CMB polarization measurements of the Northern Galactic Hemisphere at low frequencies.
BEYONDPLANCK Svalheim, T. L.; Zonca, A.; Andersen, K. J. ...
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin),
07/2023, Letnik:
675
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We discuss the treatment of bandpass and beam leakage corrections in the Bayesian B
EYOND
P
LANCK
cosmic microwave background (CMB) analysis pipeline as applied to the
Planck
LFI measurements. As a ...preparatory step, we first applied three corrections to the nominal LFI bandpass profiles, including the removal of a known systematic effect in the ground measuring equipment at 61 GHz, along with a smoothing of standing wave ripples and edge regularization. The main net impact of these modifications is an overall shift in the 70 GHz bandpass of +0.6 GHz. We argue that any analysis of LFI data products, either from
Planck
or B
EYOND
P
LANCK
, should use these new bandpasses. In addition, we fit a single free bandpass parameter for each radiometer of the form Δ
i
= Δ
0
+
δ
i
, where Δ
0
represents an absolute frequency shift per frequency band and
δ
i
is a relative shift per detector. The absolute correction is only fitted at 30 GHz, with a full
χ
2
-based likelihood, resulting in a correction of Δ
30
= 0.24 ± 0.03 GHz. The relative corrections were fitted using a spurious map approach that is fundamentally similar to the method pioneered by the WMAP team, but excluding the introduction of many additional degrees of freedom. All the bandpass parameters were sampled using a standard Metropolis sampler within the main B
EYOND
P
LANCK
Gibbs chain and the bandpass uncertainties were thus propagated to all other data products in the analysis. In summary, we find that our bandpass model significantly reduces leakage effects. For beam leakage corrections, we adopted the official
Planck
LFI beam estimates without any additional degrees of freedom and we only marginalized over the underlying sky model. We note that this is the first time that leakage from beam mismatch has been included for
Planck
LFI maps.
Maintenance of adequate drug concentration at the site of infection is an important problem in mastitis antibiotic therapy, and the efficacy of intramammary β-lactams can be optimized by maintaining ...the drug concentration at the site of infection above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) as long as possible. The most important pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameter for efficacy evaluation is time during which drug concentrations exceed the MIC (t>MIC). In this study, we assessed the pharmacokinetic profile of cefquinome (CFQ) after repeated intramammary administration in healthy cows and cows subclinically infected with Staphylococcus aureus as well as the MIC of Staph. aureus field strains. In addition, the degree of drug passage was investigated from udder to bloodstream by measuring systemic drug absorption in healthy and infected animals. Cefquinome concentrations were quantified by HPLC (UV-visible detection) in milk samples collected from quarters and from blood serum samples. The systemic drug absorption was negligible in healthy and subclinically infected animals (maximum concentration 0.09±0.02 and 0.1±0.01μg/mL in healthy and subclinically infected animals, respectively). The MIC90 value for CFQ in Staph. aureus field strains (n=20) was 0.24μg/mL. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation, determined by t>MIC, showed an equal persistence of CFQ in all quarters, indicating an equivalent activity of the drug regardless of the pathological status of the udder. Moreover, with literature data regarding CFQ MIC, the t>MIC has been calculated for other bacterial species.
The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a pharmacokinetic model-driven infusion of propofol in premedicated cats. In a first step, propofol (10 mg/kg) was administered intravenously over 60 ...seconds to induce anaesthesia for the elective neutering of seven healthy cats, premedicated intramuscularly with 0.3 mg/kg methadone, 0.01 mg/kg medetomidine and 2 mg/kg ketamine. Venous blood samples were collected over 240 minutes, and propofol concentrations were measured via a validated high-performance liquid chromatography assay. Selected pharmacokinetic parameters, determined by a three-compartment open linear model, were entered into a computer-controlled infusion pump (target-controlled infusion-1 (TCI-1)). In a second step, TCI-1 was used to induce and maintain general anaesthesia in nine cats undergoing neutering. Predicted and measured plasma concentrations of propofol were compared at specific time points. In a third step, the pharmacokinetic parameters were modified according to the results from the use of TCI-1 and were evaluated again in six cats. For this TCI-2 group, the median values of median performance error and median absolute performance error were −1.85 per cent and 29.67 per cent, respectively, indicating that it performed adequately. Neither hypotension nor respiratory depression was observed during TCI-1 and TCI-2. Mean anaesthesia time and time to extubation in the TCI-2 group were 73.90 (±20.29) and 8.04 (±5.46) minutes, respectively.
Tramadol is a synthetic codeine analogue used as an analgesic in human and veterinary medicine, but not approved for use in cats. Tramadol (2
mg/kg) was administered intravenously (IV) as ...preoperative analgesic in 12 cats (6 males) undergoing surgical gonadectomy. The pharmacokinetic profile of the drug and its
O-desmethyl metabolite were determined in 8 animals (4 males), while intraoperative effects and postoperative analgesia, estimated by subjective pain score (0–24), were evaluated in all. Mean intraoperative isoflurane consumption was reduced, but hypoventilation was not observed. Sex-related differences were not observed, particularly in terms of postoperative analgesia: rescue analgesic was never administered. Concentrations of the active
O-desmethyl metabolite were persistently high in all the animals. Considering the results obtained in this study, tramadol, at the dose of 2
mg/kg IV, did not produce any evident intraoperative cardiorespiratory side effects and with additional investigation may prove to be an appropriate intraoperative analgesic in cats undergoing gonadectomy.
Selection of the antimicrobial agent and maintenance of adequate drug concentrations at the site of infection are the most relevant problems in mastitis antibiotic therapy. Intramammary drug efficacy ...can be maximized by keeping drug concentrations at the site of infection above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) as long as possible; the most important pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) measure for efficacy evaluation is time during which drug concentrations exceed the MIC (t>MIC). To evaluate this measure, the PK profile of cefoperazone (CFP) after single intramammary administration in healthy and subclinical infected Staphylococcus aureus cows and the MIC of Staph. aureus field strains were assessed. In addition, the degree of drug passage from udder to bloodstream was investigated by measuring systemic drug absorption in healthy and infected animals. Cefoperazone concentrations were quantified by HPLC in quarter milk samples and blood serum samples. Systemic drug absorption was negligible in healthy animals (0.020±0.006 μg/mL serum at 4h), whereas it was higher in infected animals (0.102±0.079 μg/mL at 4h and 0.025 μg/mL at 24h), probably due to the damage of epithelial cell junctions caused by subclinical infections. The MIC90 value for CFP in Staph. aureus field strains (n=24) was 0.64 μg/mL. The PK/PD evaluation, determined by t>MIC, showed a longer persistence of CFP in infected quarters than in healthy ones (mean residence time was 8.37±1.51 vs. 11.42±5.74h in September and 2.07±0.43 vs. 3.31±0.91h in October), with a t>MIC of 45±6h for infected quarters versus 38±5h for healthy quarters different only in October. This could mean a prolonged time in which microorganisms are exposed to drug activity and thus, a greater efficacy of the drug.
Modelling peculiar extinction curves Zonca, A.; Cecchi-Pestellini, C.; Mulas, G. ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
January 2011, Letnik:
410, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We investigate the remarkable variety of IR-through-UV extinction curves by modelling extinction profiles with core-mantle grains and a collection of single and stacked polycyclic aromatic ...hydrocarbons. Such a model can closely reproduce the observed curves, by simply assuming a different ratio of the molecular component to classical dust, while leaving relatively unmodified the underlying global picture. In particular, we find that for extinction curve morphologies differing significantly from the average Galactic extinction, dust grain sizes exhibit a low-end cut-off at approximately 100 nm. An additional component of very small grains of sizes around 10 nm is required to model lines of sight whose extinctions are similar to the average Galactic curve. We conclude that to be accurately described, the so-called peculiar extinction curves do not need dust grains with exotic properties.
Zonca, A., Ravasio, G., Gallo, M., Montesissa, C., Carli, S., Villa, R., Cagnardi, P. Pharmacokinetics of ketamine and propofol combination administered as ketofol via continuous infusion in cats. J. ...vet. Pharmacol. Therap. 35, 580–587. The pharmacokinetics of the extemporaneous combination of low doses of ketamine and propofol, known as ‘ketofol’, frequently used for emergency procedures in humans to achieve safe sedation and analgesia was studied in cats. The study was performed to assess propofol, ketamine and norketamine kinetics in six female cats that received ketamine and propofol (1:1 ratio) as a loading dose (2 mg/kg each, IV) followed by a continuous infusion (10 mg/kg/h each, IV, 25 min of length). Blood samples were collected during the infusion period and up to 24 h afterwards. Drug quantification was achieved by HPLC analysis using UV‐visible detection for ketamine and fluorimetric detection for propofol. The pharmacokinetic parameters were deduced by a two‐compartment bolus plus infusion model for propofol and ketamine and a monocompartmental model for norketamine. Additional data were derived by a noncompartmental analysis. Propofol and ketamine were quantifiable in most animals until 24 and 8 h after the end of infusion, respectively. Propofol showed a long elimination half‐life (t₁/₂λ₂ 7.55 ± 9.86 h), whereas ketamine was characterized by shorter half‐life (t₁/₂λ₂ 4 ± 3.4 h) owing to its rapid biotransformation into norketamine. The clinical significance of propofol’s long elimination half‐life and low clearance is negligible when the drug is administered as short‐term and low‐dosage infusion. The concurrent administration of ketamine and propofol in cats did not produce adverse effects although it was not possible to exclude interference in the metabolism.
AIM: To determine the pharmacokinetics of ketorolac tromethamine (0.5 mg/kg) when administered I/V to cats undergoing gonadectomy. METHODS: Ketorolac was administered to nine female and three male ...shorthair domestic cats as an I/V bolus of 0.5 mg/kg after intubation, and 20 minutes prior to ovariectomy or orchiectomy. Intra-operative cardiorespiratory variables were monitored and blood samples were collected over 24 hours. Concentrations of ketorolac in serum were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography to establish pharmacokinetic parameters. RESULTS: During surgery, mean end tidal isoflurane concentration was 1.63 (SD 0.24)% and normocapnia and spontaneous ventilation were maintained in all animals. The kinetics of ketorolac was described by a two-compartment model. The distribution and elimination half-lives were 0.09 (SD 0.06) and 4.14 (SD 1.18) hours, respectively. The body clearance was 56.8 (SD 33.1) mL/h/kg. The volume of distribution at steady-state and the mean residence time were 323.9 (SD 115.7) mL/kg and 6.47 (SD 2.86) hours, respectively. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: On the basis of the results, concentrations of ketorolac in serum in cats were above the human effective concentrations for 5–6 hours postoperatively. However, other studies including a control group are advocated to further investigate the ketorolac kinetics and the analgesic efficacy in this species.
Ketorolac (KET) is a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug approved for the use in humans that possesses a potent analgesic activity, comparable to morphine, and could represent a useful tool to ...control acute pain also in animals. The clinical efficacy and pharmacokinetic profile of intravenous (IV) ketorolac tromethamine (0.5 mg/kg) were studied in 15 dogs undergoing gonadectomy. Intra‐operative cardiorespiratory variables were monitored, and post‐operative pain was assessed using a subjective pain score (0–24) in all dogs, whereas the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug was determined in 10 animals. During surgery, mean minimal alveolar concentration of isoflurane was 1.69 ± 0.11%, and normocapnia and spontaneous ventilation were maintained in all animals. During pain assessment, no significant differences between males and females were found, and in no case rescue analgesia was necessary. No adverse effects were reported. Serum samples were purified by solid‐phase extraction and analysed by HPLC with UV‐Vis detection. A large variability was observed in serum concentrations. The kinetics of ketorolac was described by a noncompartmental analysis. The elimination half‐life (t½λz) and ClB were 10.95 ± 7.06 h and 92.66 ± 84.49 mL/h/kg, respectively, and Vdss and Vz were 1030.09 ± 620.50 mL/kg and 1512.25 ± 799.13 mL/kg, respectively. AUC(0→last) and MRT(0→last) were 6.08 ± 3.28 h × μg/mL and 5.59 ± 2.12 h, respectively. The results indicate that ketorolac possess good post‐operative analgesic effects until about 6 h after administration in dogs undergoing moderately painful surgery.
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