We present data from mid-infrared Keck Telescope imaging of 18 radio-selected ultracompact H II region candidates at diffraction-limited resolution. The goal of these observations is to determine the ...sizes, luminosities, and morphologies of the mid-infrared-emitting dust surrounding the stellar sources. All 18 sources were imaged at 11.7 and 17.65 mm, and 10 of them were also imaged at 24.5 mm. All the sources were resolved. We have generated dust temperature and optical depth maps and combined them with radial velocity measurements and radio data (1.4 and 5 GHz) to constrain the properties of these star-forming regions. Half of our objects are excited by B-type stars, and all our objects have derived types that are later than an O6 star. We find a significant correlation between infrared and radio flux densities and a weaker one between infrared diameters and the central source ionizing photon rates. This latter correlation suggests that the more compact sources result from later spectral types rather than young age. Our new data may suggest a revision to the infrared color selection criteria of ultracompact H II regions at resolutions 1''. These 18 sources are part of a sample of 687 sources dominated by ultracompact H II regions selected by matching radio and infrared maps of the first Galactic quadrant by Giveon and coworkers. The new mid-infrared images constitute a significant improvement in resolving substructure at these wavelengths. If applied to all of this sample, our analysis will improve our understanding of embedded star formation in the Galaxy.
Background:
Prenatal deficit of androgens or androgen action results in atypical genitalia in individuals with XY disorders of sex development (XY,DSD). XY,DSD include mainly disorders of gonadal ...development and testosterone synthesis and action. Previously, most XY,DSD individuals were assigned to the female sex. Constructive genital surgery allowing heterosexual intercourse, gonadectomy, and hormone therapy for feminization were often performed. However, outcome studies are scarce.
Objective:
Our objective was evaluation of satisfaction with genital surgery and sexual life in adults with XY,DSD.
Design and Methods:
We evaluated 57 individuals with XY,DSD from the German multicenter clinical evaluation study with a condition-specific questionnaire. The individuals were divided into subgroups reflecting the absence/presence of partial androgen effect or genital constructive surgery.
Results:
Dissatisfaction with function of the surgical result (47.1%) and clitoral arousal (47.4%) was high in XY,DSD partially androgenized females after feminization surgery. Dissatisfaction with overall sex life (37.5%) and sexual anxieties (44.2%) were substantial in all XY,DSD individuals. Problems with desire (70.6%), arousal (52.9%), and dyspareunia (56.3%) were significant in XY,DSD complete females. 46,XY partially androgenized females reported significantly more often partners of female (9.1%) or both sexes (18.2%) and dyspareunia (56.5%) compared with controls. Individuals with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome stated significant problems with desire (81.8%), arousal (63.6%), and dyspareunia (70%).
Conclusions:
Care should be improved in XY,DSD patients. Constructive genital surgery should be minimized and performed mainly in adolescence or adulthood with the patients' consent. Individuals with DSD and their families should be informed with sensibility about the condition. Multidisciplinary care with psychological and nonprofessional support (parents, peers, and patients' support groups) is mandatory from child to adulthood.
The company PNSensor and the MPI Semiconductor Laboratory are developing and have produced first prototypes of pnCCDs with an avalanche readout which aim at single photon sensitivity in the visible ...wavelength range. This resolution is provided by an avalanche diode integrated in the readout chain of every CCD column. The diode features a new topology and can collect signal electrons from the CCDs’ depleted buried channel. The pixel-structure has been derived from pnCCDs and was optimized for lowest leakage current and for compatibility with the avalanche structures. All advantages of the pnCCDs are maintained, including high quantum efficiency (between 80% and 100%), high frame rate (up to 1000
frames/s) and low leakage current. Possible applications are in the field of High Time Resolution Astrophysics (HTRA). There, fast imaging of faint objects in the visible, such as, e.g. close binary stars or fast rotating neutron stars, requires single photon sensitivity and high frame rates. We present results from proof-of-principle tests carried out on first laboratory prototypes of such devices.
•Wearable activity monitors to track objective patient outcome in orthopedic trauma are increasingly used.•By employing the patient's own wearable, with the bring your own device strategy, individual ...post injury recovery can be tracked in relation to pre injury activity.•Machine learning techniques can facilitate the analysis of wearable outcome data.
Delayed functional recovery after injury is associated with significant personal and socioeconomic burden. Identification of patients at risk for a prolonged recovery after a musculoskeletal injury is thus of high relevance. The aim of the current study was to show the feasibility of using a machine learning assisted model to predict functional recovery based on the pre- and immediate post injury patient activity as measured with wearable systems in trauma patients.
Patients with a pre-existing wearable (smartphone and/or body-worn sensor), data availability of at least 7 days prior to their injury, and any musculoskeletal injury of the upper or lower extremity were included in this study. Patient age, sex, injured extremity, time off work and step count as activity data were recorded continuously both pre- and post-injury. Descriptive statistics were performed and a logistic regression machine learning model was used to predict the patient's functional recovery status after 6 weeks based on their pre- and post-injury activity characteristics.
Overall 38 patients (7 upper extremity, 24 lower extremity, 5 pelvis, 2 combined) were included in this proof-of-concept study. The average follow-up with available wearable data was 85.4 days. Based on the activity data, a predictive model was constructed to determine the likelihood of having a recovery of at least 50 % of the pre-injury activity state by post injury week 6. Based on the individual activity by week 3 a predictive accuracy of over 80 % was achieved on an independent test set (F1=0,82; AUC=0,86; ACC=8,83).
The employed model is feasible to assess the principal risk for a slower recovery based on readily available personal wearable activity data. The model has the potential to identify patients requiring additional aftercare attention early during the treatment course, thus optimizing return to the pre-injury status through focused interventions. Additional patient data is needed to adapt the model to more specifically focus on different fracture entities and patient groups.
This paper describes Century Soil Organic Matter (SOM) Model simulations of seven long-term data sets that are the subject of this special issue. We found that Century successfully simulates SOM C ...across a variety of land use and climate types. Simulations of SOM were most successful in grass and crop systems. This exercise highlights a structural limitation of Century in simulating SOM in a forest with a developed litter layer. Simulations of tree biomass distributions, however, were generally successful. The model failed to capture extreme values of yield and N offtake, although annual averages were quite similar between observations and simulations, leading to reasonable estimates of SOM C. Average yields and SOM were generally higher in amended treatments or rotations including an N-fixing component such as alfalfa. The model successfully predicted SOM dynamics across climates, land use types, and treatments. This suggests that Century is a useful tool for ecosystem studies, particularly those focused on SOM dynamics.
For operation at a linear collider the excellent noise performance of depleted field effect transistor (DEPFET) pixels allows building very thin detectors with high spatial resolution and low power ...consumption. However, high readout speeds of 50 MHz line rate and 20 kHz for the full detector must be reached. A prototype system is presented, using a new DEPFET pixel matrix (128 /spl times/ 64 pixels), fast steering chips (Switcher II) for row wise operation and a fast current based readout chip (CURO II). The sensors with small linear DEPFET pixels (22/spl times/36 /spl mu/m/sup 2/) are optimized for fast readout and high spatial resolution. Measurements show that the complete removal of the accumulated signal charge from the internal gate (complete clear), which is fundamental for the foreseen readout mode, is feasible. The current based readout chip CUROII, containing current memory cells, pedestal subtraction and on chip zero suppression for a triggerless operation has been fabricated and tested. First results of a full prototype system are presented.
Preconception sex selection for nonmedical reasons is one of the most controversial issues in bioethics today. The most powerful objection to social sex selection is based on the assumption that it ...may severely distort the natural sex ratio and lead to a socially disruptive imbalance of the sexes. Based on representative social surveys conducted in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, this paper argues that the fear of an impending sex ratio distortion is unfounded. Given the predominant preference for a "gender balanced family," a widely available service for social sex selection is highly unlikely to upset the balance of the sexes in Western societies.
Norms are considered to influence expectations toward gender-related behavior. Deviations from these norms are often perceived negatively by the social environment. The objective of this study was to ...investigate adults diagnosed with a Gender Identity Disorder (GID), their recalled play behavior, and peer preferences in childhood and adolescence. Differences between individuals who applied for transition from female to male (FtMs) and those who applied for transition from male to female (MtFs) and between age-of-onset subgroups were explored. Data collection took place as part of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence. The sample consisted of N = 634 participants (mean age = 30.6) diagnosed with GID according to DSM-IV-TR who were recruited between 2007 and 2012. Participants answered two questions regarding recalled play behavior and three questions on peer preferences. Nonconforming gender expression was more frequently recalled in FtMs than MtFs. Within gender groups, individuals who were categorized as early-onset recalled nonconforming gender expression more frequently than individuals who were categorized as late-onset. The results of the study are in line with previous findings indicating different phenomenological pathways in individuals applying for gender-affirming treatment that warrant attention. Factors that are considered to impact on gender-related differences in nonconforming gender expression are discussed.
Riboswitches are highly structured RNA elements that control the expression of many bacterial genes by binding directly to small metabolite molecules with high specificity and affinity. In Bacillus ...subtilis, two classes of riboswitches have been described that discriminate between guanine and adenine despite an extremely high degree of homology both in their primary and secondary structure. We have identified intermolecular base triples between both purine ligands and their respective riboswitch RNAs by NMR spectroscopy. Here, specificity is mediated by the formation of a Watson-Crick base pair between the guanine ligand and a C residue or the adenine ligand and a U residue of the cognate riboswitch RNA, respectively. In addition, a second base-pairing interaction common to both riboswitch purine complexes involves a uridine residue of the RNA and the N3/N9 edge of the purine ligands. This base pairing is mediated by a previously undescribed hydrogen-bonding scheme that contributes to the affinity of the RNA-ligand interaction. The observed intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the purine ligands and the RNA rationalize the previously observed change in specificity upon a C to U mutation in the core of the purine riboswitch RNAs and the differences in the binding affinities for a number of purine analogs.
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