It is not clear whether Bergmann's rule, larger size within species in cooler areas, holds for any group of ectotherms. Data are presented and used to test whether amphibians show body-size patterns ...that follow Bergmann's rule. Available data with respect to latitude and elevation suggest that amphibians in general follow Bergmann's rule, with 23 of 34 species showing a larger body size at higher latitudes or elevations and an overall grand mean correlation coefficient of +0.35 for size with latitude or elevation. Salamanders show body-size patterns consistent with the overall trend, with 13 of 18 species having a larger body size at higher latitudes or elevations and a grand mean correlation coefficient of +0.42 for size with latitude or elevation. Anurans show a weaker trend towards concordance with Bergmann's rule with respect to latitude and elevation (10 of 16 species), but the grand mean correlation coefficient is significantly positive (+0.31). The relationship between body size and environmental temperature is less clear. Overall, amphibians show weak concordance with Bergmann's rule (9 of 16 species). The results of the only two studies of salamanders are consistent with Bergmann's rule; however, data for anurans show no trend (7 of 14 species in accordance). Thus, while salamanders appear to follow Bergmann's rule, any trends in anurans are tentative.
We present a new approach to explore the potential-dependent multi-colour co-reactant electrochemiluminescence (ECL) from multiple luminophores. The potentials at both the working and counter ...electrodes, the current between these electrodes, and the emission over cyclic voltammetric scans were simultaneously measured for the ECL reaction of Ir(ppy)
3
and either Ru(bpy)
3
2+
or Ir(df-ppy)
2
(ptb)
+
, with tri-
n
-propylamine as the co-reactant. The counter electrode potential was monitored by adding a differential electrometer module to the potentiostat. Plotting the data against the applied working electrode potential and against time provided complementary depictions of their relationships. Photographs of the ECL at the surface of the two electrodes were taken to confirm the source of the emissions. This provided a new understanding of these multifaceted ECL systems, including the nature of the counter electrode potential and the possibility of eliciting ECL at this electrode, a mechanism-based rationalisation of the interactions of different metal-complex luminophores, and a previously unknown ECL pathway for the Ir(ppy)
3
complex at negative potentials that was observed even in the absence of the co-reactant.
Exploration of potential-dependent, multi-colour co-reactant electrochemiluminescence from multiple luminophores at the working and counter electrodes reveals new pathways to emission.
Clinical Spectroscopy: Lost in Translation? Cameron, James M.; Rinaldi, Christopher; Rutherford, Samantha H. ...
Applied spectroscopy,
04/2022, Volume:
76, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This Focal Point Review paper discusses the developments of biomedical Raman and infrared spectroscopy, and the recent strive towards these technologies being regarded as reliable clinical tools. The ...promise of vibrational spectroscopy in the field of biomedical science, alongside the development of computational methods for spectral analysis, has driven a plethora of proof-of-concept studies which convey the potential of various spectroscopic approaches. Here we report a brief review of the literature published over the past few decades, with a focus on the current technical, clinical, and economic barriers to translation, namely the limitations of many of the early studies, and the lack of understanding of clinical pathways, health technology assessments, regulatory approval, clinical feasibility, and funding applications. The field of biomedical vibrational spectroscopy must acknowledge and overcome these hurdles in order to achieve clinical efficacy. Current prospects have been overviewed with comment on the advised future direction of spectroscopic technologies, with the aspiration that many of these innovative approaches can ultimately reach the frontier of medical diagnostics and many clinical applications.
Graphical Abstract
We derive a Bayesian criterion for assessing whether signals observed in two separate data sets originate from a common source. The Bayes factor for a common versus unrelated origin of signals ...includes an overlap integral of the posterior distributions over the common-source parameters. Focusing on multimessenger gravitational-wave astronomy, we apply the method to the spatial and temporal association of independent gravitational-wave and electromagnetic (or neutrino) observations. As an example, we consider the coincidence between the recently discovered gravitational-wave signal GW170817 from a binary neutron star merger and the gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A: we find that the common-source model is enormously favored over a model describing them as unrelated signals.
Isolated nonaxisymmetric rotating neutron stars producing continuous-gravitational-wave signals may undergo occasional spin-up events known as glitches. If unmodeled by a search, these glitches can ...result in continuous wave signals being missed or misidentified as detector artifacts. We outline a semicoherent glitch-robust search method that allows identification of continuous wave signal candidates that contain glitches and inferences about the model parameters. We demonstrate how this can be applied to the follow-up of candidates found by wide-parameter space searches. We find that a Markov chain Monte Carlo method outperforms a grid-based method in speed and accuracy.
The global oceans are considered a major sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Rain is known to alter the physical and chemical conditions at the sea surface, and thus influence the transfer of ...CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere. It can influence gas exchange through enhanced gas transfer velocity, the direct export of carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean, by altering the sea skin temperature, and through surface layer dilution. However, to date, very few studies quantifying these effects on global net sea-air fluxes exist. Here, we include terms for the enhanced gas transfer velocity and the direct export of carbon in calculations of the global net sea-air fluxes, using a 7-year time series of monthly global climate quality satellite remote sensing observations, model and in-situ data. The use of a non-linear relationship between the effects of rain and wind significantly reduces the estimated impact of rain-induced surface turbulence on the rate of sea-air gas transfer, when compared to a linear relationship. Nevertheless, globally, the rain enhanced gas transfer and rain induced direct export increase the estimated annual oceanic integrated net sink of CO2 by up to 6%. Regionally, the variations can be larger, with rain increasing the estimated annual net sink in the Pacific Ocean by up to 15% and altering monthly net flux by > ± 50%. Based on these analyses, the impacts of rain should be included in the uncertainty analysis of studies that estimate net sea-air fluxes of CO2 as the rain can have a considerable impact, dependent upon the region and timescale.
ABSTRACT
The Zwicky Transient Facility recently announced the detection of an optical transient AT2020blt at redshift z = 2.9, consistent with the afterglow of an on-axis gamma-ray burst. However, no ...prompt emission was observed. We analyse AT2020blt with detailed models, showing the data are best explained as the afterglow of an on-axis long gamma-ray burst, ruling out other hypotheses such as a cocoon and a low-Lorentz factor jet. We search Fermi data for prompt emission, setting deeper upper limits on the prompt emission than in the original detection paper. Together with KONUS-Wind observations, we show that the gamma-ray efficiency of AT2020blt is $\lesssim 0.3\!-\!4.5{{\ \rm per\, cent}}$. We speculate that AT2020blt and AT2021any belong to the low-efficiency tail of long gamma-ray burst distributions that are beginning to be readily observed due to the capabilities of new observatories like the Zwicky Transient Facility.
Cosmological gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are known to arise from distinct progenitor channels: short GRBs mostly from neutron star mergers and long GRBs from a rare type of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) ...called collapsars. Highly magnetized neutron stars called magnetars also generate energetic, short-duration gamma-ray transients called magnetar giant flares (MGFs). Three have been observed from the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies, and they have long been suspected to constitute a third class of extragalactic GRBs. We report the unambiguous identification of a distinct population of four local (<5 Mpc) short GRBs, adding GRB 070222 to previously discussed events. While identified solely based on alignment with nearby star-forming galaxies, their rise time and isotropic energy release are independently inconsistent with the larger short GRB population at >99.9% confidence. These properties, the host galaxies, and non-detection in gravitational waves all point to an extragalactic MGF origin. Despite the small sample, the inferred volumetric rates for events above 4 × 10(exp 44) erg of R(sub MGF) =3.8(sup +4.0)(sub -3.1) ×10(exp 5) Gpc(exp -3) yr(exp -1) make MGFs the dominant gamma-ray transient detected from extragalactic sources. As previously suggested, these rates imply that some magnetars produce multiple MGFs, providing a source of repeating GRBs. The rates and host galaxies favor common CCSN as key progenitors of magnetars.
Cromolyn is a known mast cell stabilizer and is approved for treatment of asthma and for other allergic indications. Cromolyn, in a new redesigned dry powder formulation, is being tested in a pivotal ...clinical trial in combination with low dose ibuprofen to treat early Alzheimer's Disease (AD) subjects. To better understand the mechanistic effect cromolyn has in slowing down or halting the neuroinflammatory response associated with AD progression, we tested the effect of cromolyn to dampen the inflammatory response in the human HMC3 microglia cell line. The direct effect of cromolyn on HMC3 microglia is on cytokines and chemokines production following their activation by the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α. Cromolyn and a new fluorinated analog dramatically reduced the secretion of a wide spectrum of inflammatory mediators, which included cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and IFN-γ, and chemokines such as CXCL10, CCL2, CCL3 and CCL4. These results bolster our understanding of how our cromolyn platform modulates toxic microglia behavior as a dynamic future treatment option for neurodegenerative disorders.
Abstract
Understanding common envelope (CE) evolution is an outstanding problem in binary evolution. Although the CE phase is not driven by gravitational wave (GW) emission, the inspiraling binary ...emits GWs that passively trace CE dynamics. Detecting this GW signal would provide direct insight into gas-driven physics. Even a non-detection might offer invaluable constraints. We investigate the prospects of detection of a Galactic CE by LISA. While the dynamical phase of the CE is likely sufficiently loud for detection, it is short and thus rare. We focus instead on the self-regulated phase that proceeds on a thermal timescale. Based on population-synthesis calculations and the (unknown) signal duration in the LISA band, we expect ∼0.1–100 sources in the Galaxy during the mission duration. We map the GW observable parameter space of frequency
f
GW
and its derivative
f
̇
GW
, remaining agnostic on the specifics of the inspiral and find that signals with signal-to-noise ratios > 10 are possible if the CE stalls at separations such that
f
GW
≳ 2 × 10
−3
Hz. We investigate the possibility of misidentifying the signal with other known sources. If the second derivative
f
̈
GW
can also be measured, the signal can be distinguished from other sources using a GW braking index. Alternatively, coupling LISA with electromagnetic observations of peculiar red giant stars and/or infrared and optical transients, might allow for the disentangling of a Galactic CE from other Galactic and extragalactic GW sources.
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