We present results for the first three years of OzDES, a six year programme to obtain redshifts for objects in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) supernova fields using the 2dF fibre positioner and AAOmega ...spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. OzDES is a multi-object spectroscopic survey targeting multiple types of targets at multiple epochs over a multiyear baseline and is one of the first multi-object spectroscopic surveys to dynamically include transients into the target list soon after their discovery. At the end of three years, OzDES has spectroscopically confirmed almost 100 supernovae, and has measured redshifts for 17 000 objects, including the redshifts of 2566 supernova hosts. We examine how our ability to measure redshifts for targets of various types depends on signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), magnitude and exposure time, finding that our redshift success rate increases significantly at a S/N of 2-3 per 1-Å bin. We also find that the change in S/N with exposure time closely matches the Poisson limit for stacked exposures as long as 10 h. We use these results to predict the redshift yield of the full OzDES survey, as well as the potential yields of future surveys on other facilities such as (i.e. the 4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope, the Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph and the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer). This work marks the first OzDES data release, comprising 14 693 redshifts. OzDES is on target to obtain over 30 000 redshifts over the 6-yr duration of the survey, including a yield of approximately 5700 supernova host-galaxy redshifts.
We present a measurement of the Hubble constant \(H_0\) using the gravitational wave (GW) event GW190814, which resulted from the coalescence of a 23 \(M_\odot\) black hole with a 2.6 \(M_\odot\) ...compact object, as a standard siren. No compelling electromagnetic counterpart has been identified for this event, thus our analysis accounts for thousands of potential host galaxies within a statistical framework. The redshift information is obtained from the photometric redshift (photo-\(z\)) catalog from the Dark Energy Survey. The luminosity distance is provided by the LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave sky map. Since this GW event has the second-smallest localization volume after GW170817, GW190814 is likely to provide the best constraint on cosmology from a single standard siren without identifying an electromagnetic counterpart. Our analysis uses photo-\(z\) probability distribution functions and corrects for photo-\(z\) biases. We also reanalyze the binary-black hole GW170814 within this updated framework. We explore how our findings impact the \(H_0\) constraints from GW170817, the only GW merger associated with a unique host galaxy. From a combination of GW190814, GW170814 and GW170817, our analysis yields \(H_0 = 72.0^{+ 12}_{- 8.2 }~{\rm km~s^{-1}~Mpc^{-1}}\) (68\% Highest Density Interval, HDI) for a prior in \(H_0\) uniform between \(20,140~{\rm km~s^{-1}~Mpc^{-1}}\). The addition of GW190814 and GW170814 to GW170817 improves the 68\% HDI from GW170817 alone by \(\sim 18\%\), showing how well-localized mergers without counterparts can provide a significant contribution to standard siren measurements, provided that a complete galaxy catalog is available at the location of the event.
We present the results from a search for the electromagnetic counterpart of the LIGO/Virgo event S190510g using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam). S190510g is a binary neutron star (BNS) merger ...candidate of moderate significance detected at a distance of 227\(\pm\)92 Mpc and localized within an area of 31 (1166) square degrees at 50\% (90\%) confidence. While this event was later classified as likely non-astrophysical in nature within 30 hours of the event, our short latency search and discovery pipeline identified 11 counterpart candidates, all of which appear consistent with supernovae following offline analysis and spectroscopy by other instruments. Later reprocessing of the images enabled the recovery of 6 more candidates. Additionally, we implement our candidate selection procedure on simulated kilonovae and supernovae under DECam observing conditions (e.g., seeing, exposure time) with the intent of quantifying our search efficiency and making informed decisions on observing strategy for future similar events. This is the first BNS counterpart search to employ a comprehensive simulation-based efficiency study. We find that using the current follow-up strategy, there would need to be 19 events similar to S190510g for us to have a 99\% chance of detecting an optical counterpart, assuming a GW170817-like kilonova. We further conclude that optimization of observing plans, which should include preference for deeper images over multiple color information, could result in up to a factor of 1.5 reduction in the total number of followups needed for discovery.
We explore the relation between diffuse intracluster light (central galaxy included) and the galaxy cluster (baryonic and dark) matter distribution using a sample of 528 clusters at \(0.2\leq z \leq ...0.35\) found in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 1 data. The surface brightness of the diffuse light shows an increasing dependence on cluster total mass at larger radius, and appears to be self-similar with a universal radial dependence after scaling by cluster radius. We also compare the diffuse light radial profiles to the cluster (baryonic and dark) matter distribution measured through weak lensing and find them to be comparable. The IllustrisTNG galaxy formation simulation, TNG300, offers further insight into the connection between diffuse stellar mass and cluster matter distributions -- the simulation radial profile of the diffuse stellar component does not have a similar slope with the total cluster matter content, although that of the cluster satellite galaxies does. Regardless of the radial trends, the amount of diffuse stellar mass has a low-scatter scaling relation with cluster's total mass in the simulation, out-performing the total stellar mass of cluster satellite galaxies. We conclude that there is no consistent evidence yet on whether or not diffuse light is a faithful radial tracer of the cluster matter distribution. Nevertheless, both observational and simulation results reveal that diffuse light is an excellent indicator of the cluster's total mass.
The Influence of Pravastatin and Atorvastatin on Markers of Oxidative Stress in Hypercholesterolemic Humans Bonnie Ky, Anne Burke, Sotirios Tsimikas, Megan L. Wolfe, Mahlet G. Tadesse, Philippe O. ...Szapary, Joseph L. Witztum, Garret A. FitzGerald, Daniel J. Rader Hypercholesterolemic subjects were randomized in double-blind, parallel design to pravastatin 40 mg/day, atorvastatin 10 mg/day, atorvastatin 80 mg/day, or placebo. At baseline and 16 weeks after statin therapy, a major urinary isoprostane (8, 12- iso -iPF2α -VI), Lp-PLA2, Mercodia oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with antibody 4E6, and oxidized phospholipids/apolipoprotein B-100 particle with antibody E06 were measured. Statin therapy led to variable effects on these markers. Our results suggest that these biomarkers provide divergent information. Future outcome studies should assess all well-accepted oxidative markers in the same dataset to provide a complete picture of therapeutic effect.
Background The selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen is now widely used for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. Tamoxifen use has been associated with a variety of gynecologic ...problems. Despite the frequency with which hormonal therapy is used for the treatment of breast cancer, limited population-level data are available to describe the occurrence of gynecologic conditions and the use of surveillance testing in women receiving tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. Objective We performed a population-based analysis among women with breast cancer receiving hormonal therapy with tamoxifen, a drug commonly used in premenopausal and sometimes postmenopausal women, to determine the frequency of gynecologic abnormalities and use of diagnostic and surveillance testing. We compared these findings to women treated with aromatase inhibitors, agents commonly used in postmenopausal women. Study Design The MarketScan database was used to identify women diagnosed with breast cancer from 2009 through 2013 who underwent mastectomy or lumpectomy. Women receiving tamoxifen (age <50 vs ≥50 years) were compared to women ≥50 years of age treated with aromatase inhibitors. We examined the occurrence of gynecologic symptoms and diseases (vaginal bleeding, endometrial polyps, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial cancer) and gynecologic procedures and interventions (transvaginal ultrasound, endometrial biopsy, hysteroscopy/dilation and curettage, and hysterectomy). Time-dependent analyses were performed to examine symptoms and testing. Results A total of 75,170 women, including 15,735 (20.9%) age <50 years treated with tamoxifen, 13,827 (18.4%) age ≥50 years treated with tamoxifen, and 45,608 (60.7%) age ≥50 years treated with aromatase inhibitors were identified. The cumulative incidence of any gynecologic symptom or pathologic diagnosis during the study period was 20.2%, 12.3%, and 3.5%, respectively ( P < .001), while the cumulative incidence of any gynecologic procedure or intervention during the study period was 34.2%, 20.9%, and 9.0%, respectively ( P < .0001). Among women without symptoms or pathology, interventions were performed in 20.0%, 11.0%, and 6.8%, respectively ( P < .0001). Conclusion Compared to women taking aromatase inhibitors, gynecologic symptoms, procedures, and pathology are higher for both premenopausal and postmenopausal women with breast cancer on tamoxifen. Increased efforts to curb use of gynecologic interventions in asymptomatic women are needed.
Multiple studies have demonstrated an age-related attenuation in risk associations of lipoproteins and lipoprotein ratios with cardiovascular disease events. We recently reported a similar ...age-related attenuation in risk associations of lipoproteins and lipoprotein ratios with coronary artery calcium. We assessed risk associations of lipoproteins and lipoprotein ratios with carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT), which has not been reported previously. We performed multivariable linear regression using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). MESA participants were community-dwelling adults 45 to 84 years of age without clinically apparent cardiovascular disease at baseline, and 4,961 met inclusion criteria for these analyses. In fully adjusted models, differences in CIMT were similar across the MESA age spectrum, with differences in internal CIMT per SD increase in low-density lipoprotein of 0.037 mm (95% confidence interval 0.018 to 0.055) for those 45 to 54 years old and 0.087 mm (95% confidence interval 0.027 to 0.146) for those 75 to 84 years old (p for interaction = 0.2). Similarly, the difference in internal CIMT per SD increase in the total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio was 0.029 mm (95% confidence interval 0.009 to 0.049) for those 45 to 54 years old and 0.101 mm (95% confidence interval 0.033, 0.169) for those 75 to 84 years old (p for interaction = 0.03). In general, risk associations of lipoproteins and lipoprotein ratios were associated with similar differences in CIMT across all age categories. In conclusion, abnormal lipoproteins and lipoprotein ratios in middle-aged and older patients are powerful risk factors for early atherosclerosis as manifested by an increased CIMT.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections appear to be central to the development of cervical cancer. Researchers address the issue of whether testing women who have low-grade squamous intraepithelial ...lesions of the uterine cervix for HPV DNA is useful as a triage strategy.
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