We present the discovery of the optical afterglow and host galaxy of the Swift short-duration gamma-ray burst (SGRB) GRB 181123B. Observations with Gemini-North starting 9.1 hr after the burst reveal ...a faint optical afterglow with i 25.1 mag at an angular offset of 0 59 0 16 from its host galaxy. Using grizYJHK observations, we measure a photometric redshift of the host galaxy of . From a combination of Gemini and Keck spectroscopy of the host galaxy spanning 4500-18000 , we detect a single emission line at 13390 , inferred as Hβ at z = 1.754 0.001 and corroborating the photometric redshift. The host galaxy properties of GRB 181123B are typical of those of other SGRB hosts, with an inferred stellar mass of 9.1 × 109 M , a mass-weighted age of 0.9 Gyr, and an optical luminosity of 0.9L*. At z = 1.754, GRB 181123B is the most distant secure SGRB with an optical afterglow detection and one of only three at z > 1.5. Motivated by a growing number of high-z SGRBs, we explore the effects of a missing z > 1.5 SGRB population among the current Swift sample on delay time distribution (DTD) models. We find that lognormal models with mean delay times of 4-6 Gyr are consistent with the observed distribution but can be ruled out to 95% confidence, with an additional one to five Swift SGRBs recovered at z > 1.5. In contrast, power-law models with ∝t−1 are consistent with the redshift distribution and can accommodate up to 30 SGRBs at these redshifts. Under this model, we predict that 1/3 of the current Swift population of SGRBs is at z > 1. The future discovery or recovery of existing high-z SGRBs will provide significant discriminating power on their DTDs and thus their formation channels.
Small-cell lung cancer van Meerbeeck, Jan P, Prof; Fennell, Dean A, FRCP; De Ruysscher, Dirk KM, Prof
The Lancet (British edition),
11/2011, Letnik:
378, Številka:
9804
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Summary The incidence and mortality of small-cell lung cancer worldwide make this disease a notable health-care issue. Diagnosis relies on histology, with the use of immunohistochemical studies to ...confirm difficult cases. Typical patients are men older than 70 years who are current or past heavy smokers and who have pulmonary and cardiovascular comorbidities. Patients often present with rapid-onset symptoms due to local intrathoracic tumour growth, extrapulmonary distant spread, paraneoplastic syndromes, or a combination of these features. Staging aims ultimately to define disease as metastatic or non-metastatic. Combination chemotherapy, generally platinum-based plus etoposide or irinotecan, is the mainstay first-line treatment for metastatic small-cell lung cancer. For non-metastatic disease, evidence supports early concurrent thoracic radiotherapy. Prophylactic cranial irradiation should be considered for patients with or without metastases whose disease does not progress after induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Despite high initial response rates, most patients eventually relapse. Except for topotecan, few treatment options then remain. Signalling pathways have been identified that might yield new drug targets.
Objectives
To determine the effect of home‐based primary care (HBPC) on Medicare costs and mortality in frail elders.
Design
Case–control concurrent study using Medicare administrative data.
Setting
...HBPC practice in Washington, District of Columbia.
Participants
HBPC cases (n = 722) and controls (n = 2,161) matched for sex, age bands, race, Medicare buy‐in status (whether Medicaid covers Part B premiums), long‐term nursing home status, cognitive impairment, and frailty. Cases were eligible if enrolled in MedStar Washington Hospital Center's HBPC program during 2004 to 2008. Controls were selected from Washington, District of Columbia, and urban counties in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
Intervention
HBPC clinical service.
Measurements
Medicare costs, utilization events, mortality.
Results
Mean age was 83.7 for cases and 82.0 for controls (P < .001). A majority of both groups was female (77%) and African American (90%). During a mean 2‐year follow‐up, in univariate analysis, cases had lower Medicare ($44,455 vs $50,977, P = .01), hospital ($17,805 vs $22,096, P = .003), and skilled nursing facility care ($4,821 vs $6,098, P = .001) costs, and higher home health ($6,579 vs $4,169; P < .001) and hospice ($3,144 vs. $1,505; P = .005) costs. Cases had 23% fewer subspecialist visits (P = .001) and 105% more generalist visits (P < .001). In a multivariate model, cases had 17% lower Medicare costs, averaging $8,477 less per beneficiary (P = .003) over 2 years of follow‐up. There was no difference between cases and controls in mortality (40% vs 36%, hazard ratio = 1.06, P = .44) or in average time to death (16.2 vs 16.8 months, P = .30).
Conclusion
HBPC reduces Medicare costs for ill elders, with similar survival outcomes in cases and controls.
This study investigates changes in therapy and long-term survival for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the Netherlands.
All patients with EOC, including peritoneal and fallopian tube ...carcinoma, diagnosed in the Netherlands between 1989 and 2014 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Changes in therapy were studied and related to overall survival (OS) using multivariable Cox regression models.
A total of 32,540 patients were diagnosed with EOC of whom 22,047 (68%) had advanced stage disease. In early stage, lymph node dissection as part of surgical staging procedures increased over time from 4% in 1989–1993 to 62% in 2009–2014 (P < 0.001). In advanced stage, the number of patients receiving optimal treatment with surgery and chemotherapy increased from 55% in 1989–1993 to 67% in 2009–2014 (P < 0.001). Five-year survival rates improved in both early stage (74% versus 79%) and advanced stage (16% versus 24%) as well as in all patients combined (31% versus 34%). Ten-year survival rates, however, slightly improved in early stage (62% versus 67%) and advanced stage (10% versus 13%) but remained essentially unchanged at 24% for all patients combined.
Despite intensified treatment and staging procedures, long-term survival for women with EOC has not improved in the last 25 years. The observed improvements in 5-year OS reflect a more prolonged disease control rather than better chances for cure. Furthermore, the apparent better long-term outcome, when early and advanced stage patients are analysed separately, is largely due to improved staging procedures and the ensuing stage migration. These effects disappear in a combined analysis of all patients.
•Treatment and staging procedures were intensified for all patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.•Still long-term overall survival has not improved in the last 25 years.•Observed improvements in 5-year overall survival reflect more prolonged disease control rather than better chances for cure.
This application describes the synthesis of new 1,4-dihydropyrido2,3-bpyrazine-2,3-dione derivatives and methods of using these compounds as KRAS covalent inhibitors. This class of compounds is ...useful for treating cancer and other diseases associated with KRAS activity.
When concrete is exposed to sea water, it has been observed that the composition of the outer most millimeters of the concrete is considerably altered compared to the composition of the bulk ...concrete. The limited size of this zone complicates the investigation of the phases formed. This paper presents a new experimental set-up in which hydrated cement paste is exposed to sea water allowing a detailed investigation of the phase changes observed in that zone on a bulk material. The paste was characterized before and after sea water exposure by XRD, DTA/TG, ICP-MS and SEM-EDS. In the exposed sample, calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate had formed and calcium hydroxide was depleted. Two types of agglomerates of hydrated cement paste were observed. One type consisted of decalcified C–S–H and a combination of ettringite and Cl-AFm phases. The other type consisted mainly of M–S–H. These findings are in line with the observations on long term marine exposed samples in which the formation of a magnesium rich phase at the concrete surface is detected, followed by a sulfate and chloride enriched zone. The knowledge of these phase changes are important to obtain a better understanding of concrete deterioration in marine environment.
This meta-analysis synthesized 102 effect sizes reflecting the relation between specific moods and creativity. Effect sizes overall revealed that positive moods produce more creativity than ...mood-neutral controls (
r
= .15), but no significant differences between negative moods and mood-neutral controls (
r
= −.03) or between positive and negative moods (
r
= .04) were observed. Creativity is enhanced most by positive mood states that are activating and associated with an approach motivation and promotion focus (e.g., happiness), rather than those that are deactivating and associated with an avoidance motivation and prevention focus (e.g., relaxed). Negative, deactivating moods with an approach motivation and a promotion focus (e.g., sadness) were not associated with creativity, but negative, activating moods with an avoidance motivation and a prevention focus (fear, anxiety) were associated with lower creativity, especially when assessed as cognitive flexibility. With a few exceptions, these results generalized across experimental and correlational designs, populations (students vs. general adult population), and facet of creativity (e.g., fluency, flexibility, originality, eureka/insight). The authors discuss theoretical implications and highlight avenues for future research on specific moods, creativity, and their relationships.
We present new 0.6-10 GHz observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 covering the period up to 300 days post-merger, taken with the upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the ...Australia Telescope Compact Array, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the MeerKAT telescope. We use these data to precisely characterize the decay phase of the late-time radio light curve. We find that the temporal decay is consistent with a power-law slope of t−2.2, and that the transition between the power-law rise and decay is relatively sharp. Such a slope cannot be produced by a quasi-isotropic (cocoon-dominated) outflow, but is instead the classic signature of a relativistic jet. This provides strong observational evidence that GW170817 produced a successful jet, and directly demonstrates the link between binary neutron star mergers and short-hard gamma-ray bursts. Using simple analytical arguments, we derive constraints on the geometry and the jet opening angle of GW170817. These results are consistent with those from our companion very long baseline interferometry paper, reporting superluminal motion in GW170817.
A risk assessment report (RAR) on zinc and zinc compounds has recently been prepared in the framework of the European Union (EU) Council Regulation 793/93/EEC on Existing Chemicals. The EU Scientific ...Committee on Human and Environmental Risks (SCHER) has, however, expressed some fundamental, science-based concerns about the approach followed and the conclusions. The main objective of the present study was to assess the potential environmental risks associated with current use patterns of Zn in nine EU river basins in Germany, France and Belgium, thereby using more advanced methodologies which are largely in line with the recommendations made by SCHER. This included (i) avoiding working with measured Zn concentrations from monitoring stations that were potentially influenced by point sources and/or historical contamination, (ii) the full bioavailability normalization of all chronic ecotoxicity data to river basin specific physico-chemistry using biotic ligand models (BLM), prior to deriving predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC) with the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) approach, and (iii) the use of a probabilistic framework for risk characterization. Further, a total risk approach instead of an added risk approach was used, and the PNEC was equated to the HC5-50 without an additional assessment factor. Based on monitoring data we estimated predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) for the different EU river basins between 1.3 and 14.6 µg dissolved Zn/L. PNEC values varied between 22.1 and 46.1 µg dissolved Zn/L. This resulted in deterministic risk characterization ratios (RCR) that were below 1 in all river basins, suggesting that there is no deterministic regional risk associated with current use patterns of Zn in these river basins. With the probabilistic approach we identified rather limited risks, i.e., between <
0.4 and 18.3%. When the EU RAR approach was applied to the same monitoring datasets, deterministic risks were found in different river basins. A detailed analysis showed that this different deterministic conclusion of risk is mainly due to the fact that the EU RAR (i) uses an additional assessment factor of 2 to derive the PNEC and (ii) uses a more conservative approach for implementing bioavailability (BioF approach). We argue that the larger conservatism in the EU RAR mainly originates from decisions made to deal in a pragmatic way with (i) uncertainty related to the across-species extrapolation of BLMs and (ii) the relatively high sensitivity of some multi-species toxicity studies.
To understand when and why mood states influence creativity, the authors developed and tested a dual pathway to creativity model; creative fluency (number of ideas or insights) and originality ...(novelty) are functions of cognitive flexibility, persistence, or some combination thereof. Invoking work on arousal, psychophysiological processes, and working memory capacity, the authors argue that activating moods (e.g., angry, fearful, happy, elated) lead to more creative fluency and originality than do deactivating moods (e.g., sad, depressed, relaxed, serene). Furthermore, activating moods influence creative fluency and originality because of enhanced cognitive flexibility when tone is positive and because of enhanced persistence when tone is negative. Four studies with different mood manipulations and operationalizations of creativity (e.g., brainstorming, category inclusion tasks, gestalt completion tests) support the model.
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