We describe and discuss the selection procedure and statistical properties of the galaxy sample used by the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey, a public legacy survey of 600 ...galaxies using integral field spectroscopy. The CALIFA “mother sample” was selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR7 photometric catalogue to include all galaxies with an r-band isophotal major axis between 45′′ and 79.2′′ and with a redshift 0.005 < z < 0.03. The mother sample contains 939 objects, 600 of which will be observed in the course of the CALIFA survey. The selection of targets for observations is based solely on visibility and thus keeps the statistical properties of the mother sample. By comparison with a large set of SDSS galaxies, we find that the CALIFA sample is representative of galaxies over a luminosity range of −19 > Mr > −23.1 and over a stellar mass range between 109.7 and 1011.4 M⊙. In particular, within these ranges, the diameter selection does not lead to any significant bias against – or in favour of – intrinsically large or small galaxies. Only below luminosities of Mr = −19 (or stellar masses <109.7 M⊙) is there a prevalence of galaxies with larger isophotal sizes, especially of nearly edge-on late-type galaxies, but such galaxies form <10% of the full sample. We estimate volume-corrected distribution functions in luminosities and sizes and show that these are statistically fully compatible with estimates from the full SDSS when accounting for large-scale structure. For full characterization of the sample, we also present a number of value-added quantities determined for the galaxies in the CALIFA sample. These include consistent multi-band photometry based on growth curve analyses; stellar masses; distances and quantities derived from these; morphological classifications; and an overview of available multi-wavelength photometric measurements. We also explore different ways of characterizing the environments of CALIFA galaxies, finding that the sample covers environmental conditions from the field to genuine clusters. We finally consider the expected incidence of active galactic nuclei among CALIFA galaxies given the existing pre-CALIFA data, finding that the final observed CALIFA sample will contain approximately 30 Sey2 galaxies.
Objectives
To compare clinical outcomes with programmed‐death ligand‐1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) who have vs have not undergone radical ...surgery (RS) or radiation therapy (RT) prior to developing metastatic disease.
Patients and Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study collecting clinicopathological, treatment and outcomes data for patients with aUC receiving ICIs across 25 institutions. We compared outcomes (observed response rate ORR, progression‐free survival PFS, overall survival OS) between patients with vs without prior RS, and by type of prior locoregional treatment (RS vs RT vs no locoregional treatment). Patients with de novo advanced disease were excluded. Analysis was stratified by treatment line (first‐line and second‐line or greater second‐plus line). Logistic regression was used to compare ORR, while Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression were used for PFS and OS. Multivariable models were adjusted for known prognostic factors.
Results
We included 562 patients (first‐line: 342 and second‐plus line: 220). There was no difference in outcomes based on prior locoregional treatment among those treated with first‐line ICIs. In the second‐plus‐line setting, prior RS was associated with higher ORR (adjusted odds ratio 2.61, 95% confidence interval CI1.19–5.74), longer OS (adjusted hazard ratio aHR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42–0.88) and PFS (aHR 0.63, 95% CI 0.45–0.89) vs no prior RS. This association remained significant when type of prior locoregional treatment (RS and RT) was modelled separately.
Conclusion
Prior RS before developing advanced disease was associated with better outcomes in patients with aUC treated with ICIs in the second‐plus‐line but not in the first‐line setting. While further validation is needed, our findings could have implications for prognostic estimates in clinical discussions and benchmarking for clinical trials. Limitations include the study’s retrospective nature, lack of randomization, and possible selection and confounding biases.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a chronic liver disease without an approved therapy, is associated with lipotoxicity and insulin resistance and is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular ...carcinoma. Aramchol, a partial inhibitor of hepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1) improved steatohepatitis and fibrosis in rodents and reduced steatosis in an early clinical trial. ARREST, a 52-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial randomized 247 patients with NASH (n = 101, n = 98 and n = 48 in the Aramchol 400 mg, 600 mg and placebo arms, respectively; NCT02279524 ). The primary end point was a decrease in hepatic triglycerides by magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 52 weeks with a dose of 600 mg of Aramchol. Key secondary end points included liver histology and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Aramchol 600 mg produced a placebo-corrected decrease in liver triglycerides without meeting the prespecified significance (-3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.4 to 0.2, P = 0.066), precluding further formal statistical analysis. NASH resolution without worsening fibrosis was achieved in 16.7% (13 out of 78) of Aramchol 600 mg versus 5% (2 out of 40) of the placebo arm (odds ratio (OR) = 4.74, 95% CI = 0.99 to 22.7) and fibrosis improvement by ≥1 stage without worsening NASH in 29.5% versus 17.5% (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 0.7 to 5.0), respectively. The placebo-corrected decrease in ALT for 600 mg was -29.1 IU l
(95% CI = -41.6 to -16.5). Early termination due to adverse events (AEs) was <5%, and Aramchol 600 and 400 mg were safe, well tolerated and without imbalance in serious or severe AEs between arms. Although the primary end point of a reduction in liver fat did not meet the prespecified significance level with Aramchol 600 mg, the observed safety and changes in liver histology and enzymes provide a rationale for SCD1 modulation as a promising therapy for NASH and fibrosis and are being evaluated in an ongoing phase 3 program.
We report a study regarding the photocatalytic activity of urchin-like and needle-like ZnO nanostructures on methylene blue dye aqueous solutions under UV irradiation. Urchin-like and needle-like ZnO ...nanostructures were grown by thermal oxidation in air of commercial galvanized sheets. Oxidation temperatures were 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C; while oxidation time was fixed at 2 h. The structural and morphological features of the grown ZnO were studied by X-Ray Diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Results show that polycrystalline ZnO is obtained at 400, 500 and 600 °C, while amorphous ZnO is produced at 300 °C. Structuring of the sample surface with different morphology was obtained for the oxidation temperatures applied; urchin-like and needle-like nanostructures were obtained at 500 and 600 °C, respectively. Photocatalytic results show that both crystallinity and morphology of the as-prepared ZnO are very important for the photocatalytic activity. In view of the results hereby presented, these urchin-like and needle-like nanostructures could potentially be implemented in water cleaning at industrial level.
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•Off the shelf galvanized sheets for thermally produced catalytic nanostructures.•Tailored size and defects of the nanostructures with temperature.•Photocatalytic activity of urchin-like and needle-like ZnO nanostructures.•Degradation of methylene blue assisted by ZnO nanostructures under UV light.
Individual differences in cognitive performance are partly dependent, on genetic polymporhisms. One of the single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the CNR1 gene, which codes for cannabinoid receptor ...1 (CB1R), is the rs2180619, located in a regulatory region of this gene (6q14–q15). The alleles of the rs2180619 are A > G; the G allele has been associated with addiction and high levels of anxiety (when the G allele interacts with the SS genotype of the 5‐HTTLPR gene). However, GG genotype is observed also in healthy subjects. Considering G allele as risk for ‘psychopathological conditions’, it is possible that GG healthy subjects do not be addicted or anxious, but would have reduced performance, compared to AA subjects, in attentional control and working memory processing. One hundred and sixty‐four healthy young Mexican‐Mestizo subjects (100 women and 64, men; mean age: 22.86 years, SD=2.72) participated in this study, solving a task where attentional control and working memory were required. GG subjects, compared to AA subjects showed: (1) a general lower performance in the task (P = 0.02); (2) lower performance only when a high load of information was held in working memory (P = 0.02); and (3) a higher vulnerability to distractors (P = 0.03). Our results suggest that, although the performance of GG subjects was at normal levels, a lower efficiency of the endocannabinoid system, probably due to a lowered expression of CB1R, produced a reduction in the performance of these subjects when attentional control and working memory processing is challenged.
Reduction in performance for GG compared to AA subjects for rs218069 of CNR1, only in the high load working memory condition (P = 0.02).
One of the most debated volcanic areas along the eastern coast of Mexico is Los Tuxtlas Volcanic Complex located in the south of the Veracruz state. This volcanic province stands out as an isolated ...massif between the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt to the NW and the Chiapanecan Volcanic Belt to the SE. Los Tuxtlas complex is surrounded by two large alluvial plains formed by the Papaloapan and Coatzacoalcos rivers, and include the active volcano San Martín Tuxtla, the last eruption of which occurred in 1793. The ages, distribution, morphology and geochemistry of the volcanic vents and lavas, particularly the co-existence of the alkaline and subalkaline suites, offer an excellent opportunity to understand, in space and time, the tectono-magmatic history of Los Tuxtlas in comparison with other similar volcanic complexes in the eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Most of the volcanic centers of Los Tuxtlas show NW-SE alignments. This vent arrangement is associated with a left-lateral fault system known as the Veracruz fault, the northwestern expression of which are the submarine volcanoes that form the Anegada High. This fault might be a reactivation of the ancient Tamaulipas-Oaxaca fault related to the opening of the Gulf of Mexico. Based on geomorphological, geochemical, petrographical, and 40Ar/39Ar data, we propose three different stages of volcanic activity for Los Tuxtlas: The older Montepío-El Vigía (7–1.4 Ma), the intermediate Santa Marta (1–0.5 Ma), and the younger San Martín Tuxtla (50 ka to present). The main focus region of this paper is the stratovolcanoes of the Sierra de Santa Marta, formed by at least four major NW-SE aligned volcanic edifices, which from NW to SE are Encanto (950 m.a.s.l; identified and named in this work for the first time), Yohualtajapan (1450 m.a.s.l), Santa Marta (1685 m.a.s.l), and San Martín Pajapan (1250 m.a.s.l). The geological map, the 40Ar/39Ar dates, and the geochemistry data indicate a NW-SE migration of the volcanic activity of the four stratovolcanoes that have created the sierra de Santa Marta. Petrography and chemistry of rocks suggest that the subalkaline rocks of the three magmatic stages were fed by subduction activity of the Cocos Plate. The alkaline suite is likely associated with asthenosphere upwelling and slab edge melting, facilitated by a slab tear of the south Cocos plate evolved since the Early Miocene.
•This paper provides new data in the evolution of a controversial volcanic complex in southern Mexico. The ages, distribution, morphology and geochemistry of the volcanic vents and lavas, particularly the co-existence of the alkaline and subalkaline suites, offer an excellent opportunity to understand, the tectono-magmatic history of the Los Tuxtlas Volcanic Complex in comparison with other similar volcanic complexes in the eastern Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt.
To date, there are no disease-specific instruments in Spanish to assess quality of life of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. A multicentre study was previously carried out in Spain between 2016 ...and 2017 to develop the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life-24 (HSQoL-24), a disease-specific questionnaire to assess quality of life in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. The objectives of this study are to revalidate the HSQoL-24 in Spanish with a larger sample of patients, and to present the English version. In this multi centre study in Spain, patients with hidradenitis suppurativa completed the HSQoL-24, the Dermatology Life Quality Index and the Skindex-29. The Hurley staging system was used to assess the severity of the disease. Validation of the questionnaire was carried out in 130 patients, of whom 75 (57.7%) were women. This study demonstrates adequate values of reliability and validity of the HSQoL-24, confirming the previous test re-test validation and making this questionnaire one of wide clinical validity in terms of results perceived by patients.
The aim of this study was to quantitate the relative impact of nutritional, intellectual, brain development, cardiovascular risk, socio-economic, demographic and educational variables on the results ...of the 2009 Quality Education Measurement System (SIMCE) tests of language and mathematics for scholastic achievement (SA) applying a multifactorial approach, in school-age children of the 2010 5th elementary school grade (5ESG) and of the 1st grade of high school (1HSG). The purposes were: i) to test the hypothesis that intellectual ability, the level of SA of the educational establishments in the 2009 SIMCE tests, sex, parental schooling levels, and head circumference-for-age Z-score are the most relevant parameters associated with 2009 SIMCE outcomes; ii) to determine the predictive ability of the 2009 SIMCE results in determining the 2013 SIMCE outcomes for the 2010 5ESG cohort (when they graduated from elementary school, 8th grade) and for determining the 2013 University Selection Test (PSU) outcomes for the 2010 1HSG group (for university admission, when they graduated from high school, 4th grade); iii) to determine the association between the 2009 SIMCE results with the 2017 PSU outcomes for the 2010 5ESG group (for university admission, when they graduated from high school, 4th grade). A representative, proportional and stratified sample of 33 schools of the Metropolitan Region of Chile was randomly chosen. In these schools, 1,353 school-age children of both sexes, of the 2010 5ESG (n = 682; mean age = 10.8 years, SD = 0.6) and of the 2010 1HSG (n = 671; mean age = 14.8 years, SD = 0.6) participated. In both grades and tests, the findings confirm the hypotheses formulated. 2009 SIMCE outcomes were positively and significantly associated with 2013 SIMCE and with 2017 PSU and, with 2013 PSU outcomes in school-age children from 2010 5ESG and 1HSG, respectively. These findings may be useful for educational and health planning in Chile and countries in a comparable stage of development.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a crippling psychiatric disorder characterized by intense fear or anxiety in social situations and their avoidance. However, the underlying biology of SAD is unclear ...and better treatments are needed. Recently, the gut microbiota has emerged as a key regulator of both brain and behaviour, especially those related to social function. Moreover, increasing data supports a role for immune function and oxytocin signalling in social responses. To investigate whether the gut microbiota plays a causal role in modulating behaviours relevant to SAD, we transplanted the microbiota from SAD patients, which was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing to be of a differential composition compared to healthy controls, to mice. Although the mice that received the SAD microbiota had normal behaviours across a battery of tests designed to assess depression and general anxiety-like behaviours, they had a specific heightened sensitivity to social fear, a model of SAD. This distinct heightened social fear response was coupled with changes in central and peripheral immune function and oxytocin expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. This work demonstrates an interkingdom basis for social fear responses and posits the microbiome as a potential therapeutic target for SAD.
The TOTEM experiment at the LHC has performed the first measurement at
s
=
13
TeV
of the
ρ
parameter, the real to imaginary ratio of the nuclear elastic scattering amplitude at
t
=
0
, obtaining the ...following results:
ρ
=
0.09
±
0.01
and
ρ
=
0.10
±
0.01
, depending on different physics assumptions and mathematical modelling. The unprecedented precision of the
ρ
measurement, combined with the TOTEM total cross-section measurements in an energy range larger than
10
TeV
(from 2.76 to
13
TeV
), has implied the exclusion of all the models classified and published by COMPETE. The
ρ
results obtained by TOTEM are compatible with the predictions, from other theoretical models both in the Regge-like framework and in the QCD framework, of a crossing-odd colourless 3-gluon compound state exchange in the
t
-channel of the proton–proton elastic scattering. On the contrary, if shown that the crossing-odd 3-gluon compound state
t
-channel exchange is not of importance for the description of elastic scattering, the
ρ
value determined by TOTEM would represent a first evidence of a slowing down of the total cross-section growth at higher energies. The very low-|
t
| reach allowed also to determine the absolute normalisation using the Coulomb amplitude for the first time at the LHC and obtain a new total proton–proton cross-section measurement
σ
tot
=
(
110.3
±
3.5
)
mb
, completely independent from the previous TOTEM determination. Combining the two TOTEM results yields
σ
tot
=
(
110.5
±
2.4
)
mb
.
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