Abstract
We address the problem of optimally identifying all kilonovae detected via gravitational-wave emission in the upcoming LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observing run, O4, which is expected to be sensitive ...to a factor of ∼7 more binary neutron star (BNS) alerts than previously. Electromagnetic follow-up of all but the brightest of these new events will require >1 m telescopes, for which limited time is available. We present an optimized observing strategy for the DECam during O4. We base our study on simulations of gravitational-wave events expected for O4 and wide-prior kilonova simulations. We derive the detectabilities of events for realistic observing conditions. We optimize our strategy for confirming a kilonova while minimizing telescope time. For a wide range of kilonova parameters, corresponding to a fainter kilonova compared to GW170817/AT 2017gfo, we find that, with this optimal strategy, the discovery probability for electromagnetic counterparts with the DECam is ∼80% at the nominal BNS gravitational-wave detection limit for O4 (190 Mpc), which corresponds to an ∼30% improvement compared to the strategy adopted during the previous observing run. For more distant events (∼330 Mpc), we reach an ∼60% probability of detection, a factor of ∼2 increase. For a brighter kilonova model dominated by the blue component that reproduces the observations of GW170817/AT 2017gfo, we find that we can reach ∼90% probability of detection out to 330 Mpc, representing an increase of ∼20%, while also reducing the total telescope time required to follow up events by ∼20%.
Alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing enable diversification of the transcriptome. Here we demonstrate that the function of Synaptic GTPase-Activating Protein (SynGAP), a key synaptic ...protein, is determined by the combination of its amino-terminal sequence with its carboxy-terminal sequence. 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends and primer extension show that different N-terminal protein sequences arise through alternative promoter usage that are regulated by synaptic activity and postnatal age. Heterogeneity in C-terminal protein sequence arises through alternative splicing. Overexpression of SynGAP α1 versus α2 C-termini-containing proteins in hippocampal neurons has opposing effects on synaptic strength, decreasing and increasing miniature excitatory synaptic currents amplitude/frequency, respectively. The magnitude of this C-terminal-dependent effect is modulated by the N-terminal peptide sequence. This is the first demonstration that activity-dependent alternative promoter usage can change the function of a synaptic protein at excitatory synapses. Furthermore, the direction and degree of synaptic modulation exerted by different protein isoforms from a single gene locus is dependent on the combination of differential promoter usage and alternative splicing.
Summary
We analysed the results of the first phase of the Zurich Unexpected Difficult Airway course. Two hundred and twenty‐eight staff members performed a total of 2712 standardised airway rescue ...procedures with four airway devices: SensaScope™, LMA Fastrach™, Laryngeal Tube and needle cricothyrodotomy. Four consecutive attempts were performed using each device. We analysed the success rate and the time needed for successful completion for each attempt and device. The success rates and mean (SD) completion times for all participants were 96.2% and 30.2 (15.3) s for the SensaScope, 88.1% and 40.4 (17.2) s for the LMA Fastrach, 99.0% and 12.1 (10.6) s for the Laryngeal Tube and 99.0% and 12.3 (6.1) s for needle cricothyroidotomy. The learning curves resulting from the four consecutive attempts with each device showed a clear pattern of improvement. This institutional airway training course represents a promising method to improve the capability of practitioners to cope with unexpected difficult airway situations.
We present updated predictions for single top-quark production in hadronic collisions. The analysis is based on next-to-leading order QCD calculations. The input parameters are fixed to recent ...measurements. We compare different PDF sets and investigate the related uncertainties. The impact of uncalculated higher orders is estimated using an independent variation of the renormalisation and factorisation scale. The theoretical predictions are compared with recent measurements from Tevatron and LHC. Furthermore, the cross section measurements are used to estimate the top-quark mass. To perform the analysis we extended the publicly available HatHor program to single top-quark production. We thus provide a unified framework for the fast numerical evaluation of total cross sections for top-quark production, which may be used for example in Standard Model fits. For future extensions towards NNLO accuracy, we include already all scale dependent terms at NNLO. We briefly describe how to use the program and provide all required tools to repeat the aforementioned analysis.
We address the problem of optimally identifying all kilonovae detected via gravitational wave emission in the upcoming LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA Collaboration observing run, O4, which is expected to be ...sensitive to a factor of \(\sim 7\) more Binary Neutron Stars alerts than previously. Electromagnetic follow-up of all but the brightest of these new events will require \(>1\) meter telescopes, for which limited time is available. We present an optimized observing strategy for the Dark Energy Camera during O4. We base our study on simulations of gravitational wave events expected for O4 and wide-prior kilonova simulations. We derive the detectabilities of events for realistic observing conditions. We optimize our strategy for confirming a kilonova while minimizing telescope time. For a wide range of kilonova parameters, corresponding to a fainter kilonova compared to GW170817/AT2017gfo we find that, with this optimal strategy, the discovery probability for electromagnetic counterparts with the Dark Energy Camera is \(\sim 80\%\) at the nominal binary neutron star gravitational wave detection limit for the next LVK observing run (190 Mpc), which corresponds to a \(\sim 30\%\) improvement compared to the strategy adopted during the previous observing run. For more distant events (\(\sim 330\) Mpc), we reach a \(\sim 60\%\) probability of detection, a factor of \(\sim 2\) increase. For a brighter kilonova model dominated by the blue component that reproduces the observations of GW170817/AT2017gfo, we find that we can reach \(\sim 90\%\) probability of detection out to 330 Mpc, representing an increase of \(\sim 20 \%\), while also reducing the total telescope time required to follow-up events by \(\sim 20\%\).
We present updated predictions for single top-quark production in hadronic collisions. The analysis is based on next-to-leading order QCD calculations. The input parameters are fixed to recent ...measurements. We compare different PDF sets and investigate the related uncertainties. The impact of uncalculated higher orders is estimated using an independent variation of the renormalisation and factorisation scale. The theoretical predictions are compared with recent measurements from Tevatron and LHC. Furthermore, the cross section measurements are used to estimate the top-quark mass. To perform the analysis we extended the publicly available HatHor program to single top-quark production. We thus provide a unified framework for the fast numerical evaluation of total cross sections for top-quark production, which may be used for example in Standard Model fits. For future extensions towards NNLO accuracy, we include already all scale dependent terms at NNLO. We briefly describe how to use the program and provide all required tools to repeat the aforementioned analysis.
The antioxidant capacities of nine standard compounds (ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, (+)-catechin, cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, (-)-epicatechin, protocatechuic acid, Trolox and uric ...acid) towards the three reactive oxygen species (ROS) peroxyl radicals, hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite were tested with the total oxidant scavenging capacity (TOSC) assay. The time course of ethylene formation from the reaction of the ROS with α-keto-γ-methiolbutyric acid (KMBA) was monitored by automated headspace GC. By this automation and by optimisation of the preparation and storage of the assay solutions, the time- and labour-consumption of the method could be minimised. Based on the experimental data, the relation between concentration and inhibition rate was pointed out by calculating concentrations that corresponded to TOSC values of 20%, 50% and 80%, respectively. Furthermore, the compounds were classified by their reaction mode as fast-acting antioxidants, retardants or pro-oxidants.PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
We present a validation of the Dark Energy Survey Year 3 (DES Y3) 3×2-point analysis choices by testing them on Buzzard2.0, a new suite of cosmological simulations that is tailored for the testing ...and validation of combined galaxy clustering and weak-lensing analyses. We show that the buzzard2.0 simulations accurately reproduce many important aspects of the DES Y3 data, including photometric redshift and magnitude distributions, and the relevant set of two-point clustering and weak-lensing statistics. We then show that our model for the 3×2-point data vector is accurate enough to recover the true cosmology in simulated surveys assuming the true redshift distributions for our source and lens samples, demonstrating robustness to uncertainties in the modeling of the nonlinear matter power spectrum, nonlinear galaxy bias, and higher-order lensing corrections. Additionally, we demonstrate for the first time that our photometric redshift calibration methodology, including information from photometry, spectroscopy, clustering cross-correlations, and galaxy–galaxy lensing ratios, is accurate enough to recover the true cosmology in simulated surveys in the presence of realistic photometric redshift uncertainties.
We search Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 3 imaging for galaxy-galaxy strong gravitational lenses using convolutional neural networks, extending previous work with new training sets and covering a ...wider range of redshifts and colors. We train two neural networks using images of simulated lenses, then use them to score postage-stamp images of 7.9 million sources from DES chosen to have plausible lens colors based on simulations. We examine 1175 of the highest-scored candidates and identify 152 probable or definite lenses. Examining an additional 20,000 images with lower scores, we identify a further 247 probable or definite candidates. After including 86 candidates discovered in earlier searches using neural networks and 26 candidates discovered through visual inspection of blue-near-red objects in the DES catalog, we present a catalog of 511 lens candidates.
ABSTRACT We search for excess γ-ray emission coincident with the positions of confirmed and candidate Milky Way satellite galaxies using six years of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). ...Our sample of 45 stellar systems includes 28 kinematically confirmed dark-matter-dominated dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) and 17 recently discovered systems that have photometric characteristics consistent with the population of known dSphs. For each of these targets, the relative predicted γ-ray flux due to dark matter annihilation is taken from kinematic analysis if available, and estimated from a distance-based scaling relation otherwise, assuming that the stellar systems are DM-dominated dSphs. LAT data coincident with four of the newly discovered targets show a slight preference (each 2 local) for γ-ray emission in excess of the background. However, the ensemble of derived γ-ray flux upper limits for individual targets is consistent with the expectation from analyzing random blank-sky regions, and a combined analysis of the population of stellar systems yields no globally significant excess (global significance ). Our analysis has increased sensitivity compared to the analysis of 15 confirmed dSphs by Ackermann et al. The observed constraints on the DM annihilation cross section are statistically consistent with the background expectation, improving by a factor of ∼2 for large DM masses ( and ) and weakening by a factor of ∼1.5 at lower masses relative to previously observed limits.
PDF
