The AzTEC mm-wavelength camera Wilson, G. W.; Austermann, J. E.; Perera, T. A. ...
Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
20/May , Letnik:
386, Številka:
2
Journal Article
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AzTEC is a mm-wavelength bolometric camera utilizing 144 silicon nitride micromesh detectors. Here, we describe the AzTEC instrument architecture and its use as an astronomical instrument. We report ...on several performance metrics measured during a three-month observing campaign at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and conclude with our plans for AzTEC as a facility instrument on the Large Millimetre Telescope.
The vestimentiferan tubeworm Lamellibrachia luymesi lives for over 250 yr and forms aggregations of hundreds to thousands of individuals at hydrocarbon seep sites in the Gulf of Mexico. A succession ...model has been proposed where changes in the abiotic environment within tubeworm aggregations lead to shifts in the associated community structure. Here, we test this model using new data from communities associated with 13 tubeworm aggregations. We quantify the temporal scale of succession by using a population-growth model to estimate aggregation age. In older tubeworm aggregations, biomass, density, and number of species m super(-2) tube surface area decline. In addition, primary producer, primary consumer, and endemic species comprise a smaller proportion of the tubeworm-associated community in old aggregations. These changes in the associated community are attributed to lower epibenthic sulfide concentrations in older aggregations. A number of species' densities show strong correlations to sulfide concentration, and similarity between communities is best explained by a combination of aggregation age and sulfide concentration. Together, these data demonstrate the role of hydrogen sulfide in this seep habitat and the effect that the hypothesized reduction of epibenthic sulfide concentration by L. luymesi would have on the associated community.
Ionizing radiation, whether by electron beams or gamma rays, is a non-thermal processing technique used to improve the microbial safety and shelf-life of many different food products. This technology ...is highly effective against bacterial pathogens, but data on its effect against foodborne viruses is limited. A mechanism of viral inactivation has been proposed with gamma irradiation, but no published study discloses a mechanism for electron beam (e-beam). This study had three distinct goals: 1) evaluate the sensitivity of a human norovirus surrogate, Tulane virus (TV), to e-beam irradiation in foods, 2) compare the difference in sensitivity of TV and murine norovirus (MNV-1) to e-beam irradiation, and 3) determine the mechanism of inactivation of these two viruses by e-beam irradiation. TV was reduced from 7 log10 units to undetectable levels at target doses of 16kGy or higher in two food matrices (strawberries and lettuce). MNV-1 was more resistant to e-beam treatment than TV. At target doses of 4kGy, e-beam provided a 1.6 and 1.2 log reduction of MNV-1 in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), compared to a 1.5 and 1.8 log reduction of TV in PBS and Opti-MEM, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that increased e-beam doses negatively affected the structure of both viruses. Analysis of viral proteins by SDS-PAGE found that irradiation also degraded viral proteins. Using RT-PCR, irradiation was shown to degrade viral genomic RNA. This suggests that the mechanism of inactivation of e-beam was likely the same as gamma irradiation as the damage to viral constituents led to inactivation.
•E-beam irradiation reduces TV to non-detectable levels in lettuce and strawberries at 8.7kGy and 16.3kGy, respectively•MNV is more resistant to e-beam treatment than TV•Irradiation disrupts virion structure, and degrades viral proteins and genomic RNA of both MNV-1 and TV
We present the first contemporaneous 43 and 86 GHz VLBI images of the v = 1, J = 2 right arrow 1 and J = 1 right arrow 0 SiO masers in the Orion KL nebula. Both maser species exhibit the same general ...morphology of earlier J = 1 right arrow 0 maser images, which appear to trace the edges of a bipolar conical outflow. Surprisingly, the J = 2 right arrow 1 masers form farther from the central protostar than the J = 1 right arrow 0 masers, a fact not readily explained by current SiO maser pumping models. The average magnitude of offsets between corresponding regions of the two masing transitions is approximately 14% of the total radial extent of the SiO maser emission. This offset indicates that each transition must trace different physical conditions.
Background
Common approaches to valuing health technologies often fail to capture outcomes that matter to patients and families. The treatment goals of people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ...include common trial endpoints but also include other facets of disease impact. Identifying a feasible and rigorous approach to inclusion of the patient perspective is needed as trialists increasingly seek to incorporate patient-important outcomes in trial design and as varied patient-centered value assessment frameworks emerge. No standard approach is available to systemically identify and quantify patient-important outcomes, nor to include those outcomes in deliberative decision-making. We developed the Patient-Engaged Healthcare Valuation strategy, using principles of goal attainment scaling to frame survey-based goal collection directly from adults.
Objectives
To develop and test a goal-based method for collecting RA patient input for use in clinical trials and value assessment and evaluating the feasibility of this approach in people with RA.
Methods
Patient goals and domains were identified from (1) a literature review (2010-2020) of patient outcomes, goals, and preferences in RA, and (2) discussions with patients and clinicians during two meetings with a steering committee (SC) consisting of clinicians, outcomes researchers, patients/advocates, and health economists. These goals informed the development of a draft survey. Adults with RA were recruited from online patient networks to rate goal importance and suggest additional goals. SC members reviewed the survey findings and assessed feasibility of scaling up goal collection for HTA.
Results
Of 135 articles identified, 17 were retained. An inductive and iterative approach was used to identify and thematically group the final set of 36 goals into 4 domains. The draft survey was cognitively debriefed with 4 adults with RA. The first survey was administered to 20 participants; results informed item revisions and additions for the second round of data collection (n=27).
The 47 respondents were mostly White (87%), college-educated (72%) women (93%) living with RA for an average of 15 years; 75% rated their RA as moderate to severe. Free-text goals added in round 1 include: 1) finding specialists who listen to patient input on symptoms; 2) addressing loneliness or isolation; and 3) finding support from or helping others with RA. All Symptom and Life Impact goals were rated as
Important
or
Very Important
by ≥85% of participants; endorsement for Management and Treatment goals was somewhat more variable, with ≥85% endorsing these as
Somewhat
to
Very Important
. Results suggested that domains match key goals. Steering committee ratings supported the feasibility of this method.
Conclusion
Goals relevant for RA treatment evaluation can be efficiently identified and rated for importance by patients. Patient-important goals can be incorporated into deliberative healthcare valuation using this method to permit “crowd-sourced” input from people living with RA and to capture heterogeneous patient perspectives in healthcare valuation.
Table 1.
Top Goals based on rating as “Very Important” by >70% of subjects, from set of 36. “My goals for living with RA are to…”
Goals
Not Important
Somewhat Important
Important
Very Important
Symptom Management
improve the quality of my life with RA
0% (0)
0% (0)
23% (11)
77% (36)
manage my RA pain
0% (0)
2% (1)
11% (5)
87% (41)
reduce how my RA pain interferes with my life
0% (0)
9% (4)
17% (8)
74% (35)
Life Impact
reduce the ways in which RA interferes with my life
0% (0)
2% (1)
21% (10)
77% (36)
be independent in my daily functioning
0% (0)
4% (1)
15% (4)
81% (22)
Managing my RA
feel like I can manage my RA
0% (0)
2% (1)
26% (12)
72% (34)
Treatment Features
understand my RA treatment options
0% (0)
4% (2)
21% (10)
74% (35)
have the information I need to make treatment decisions
0% (0)
0% (0)
19% (9)
81% (38)
know what to expect with my RA treatment
0% (0)
2% (1)
23% (11)
74% (35)
find treatments that are effective
0% (0)
0% (0)
6% (3)
94% (44)
Acknowledgements
I have no acknowledgements to declare.
Disclosure of Interests
None declared
A 15 element focal plane array for 100 GHz Erickson, N.R.; Goldsmith, P.F.; Novak, G. ...
IEEE transactions on microwave theory and techniques,
1992-Jan., 1992-01-00, 19920101, Letnik:
40, Številka:
1
Journal Article
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A focal plane imaging array receiver is described which covers the 86-115 GHz frequency range for radio astronomical observations. The 3*5 element array uses cryogenic Schottky diode mixers with ...integrated HEMT IF amplifiers. A cold quasi-optical filter selects the desired sideband, and terminates the image at 20 K. Polarization interleaving is used to minimize the array size on the sky. LO power is provided by a frequency tripled YIG tuned oscillator. The average receiver noise temperature of the array pixels varies from 250-350 K SSB depending on the frequency. Only three mechanical tuners are used in the system and all functions are under computer control.< >
Recent improvements in data analysis and receiver techniques have allowed us to produce maps of the 100 GHz emission from the compact cores of active galactic nuclei with the unsurpassed resolution ...of 50-mu-as (microarcseconds). We present here hybrid maps of a set of compact radio sources observed at two epochs with a global VLBI array. The high resolution enables us to show details of active galactic nuclei on size scales of 10(16)-10(17) cm. Jets are shown to be more curved in these inner parts than further out in the areas mapped with VLBI at lower frequencies. Our maps of the quasar 3C345 show that the curvature seen with lower resolution instruments continues very close to the core. New components are seen separating from the cores of 3C84 and BL Lac. We observe a component in 3C84 separating from the core with an apparent speed approximately 21000 km sec-1. The radio source OJ287 is still unresolved with our array, having a core size of less-than-or-similar-to 10(17) cm. There is no indication of any compact component in 3C279 which would be associated with the outburst in integrated flux density which happened some months before our observation. The flux density of the most compact component we observe in 3C279 agrees well with that of the quiet core as extrapolated from its radio spectrum at lower frequencies. The inner part of the radio jet of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 also shows a continuation of the structure on a larger size scale, with a structure we interpret as parts of a helical pattern. No fringes were found for 4C39.25 or Sgr A.
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