We analyse the light curve in the R band of the blazar OJ287, gathered during the 2015/2016 observing season. We did a search for quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) using several methods over a wide ...range of timescales. No statistically significant periods were found in the high-frequency domain both in the ground-based data and in Kepler observations. In the longer-period domain, the Lomb-Scargle periodogram revealed several peaks above the 99% significance level. The longest one-about 95 days-corresponds to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) period of the more massive black hole. The 43-day period could be an alias, or it can be attributed to accretion in the form of a two-armed spiral wave.
We present an analysis of the \(BVRI\) photometry of the blazar BL Lacertae on diverse timescales from mid-July to mid-September 2020. We have used 11 different optical telescopes around the world ...and have collected data over 84 observational nights. The observations cover the onset of a new activity phase of BL Lacertae started in August 2020 (termed as the August 2020 flare by us), and the analysis is focused on the intra-night variability. On short-term timescales, (i) flux varied with ~2.2\,mag in \(R\) band, (ii) the spectral index was found to be weakly dependent on the flux (i.e., the variations could be considered mildly chromatic) and (iii) no periodicity was detected. On intra-night timescales, BL Lacertae was found to show bluer-when-brighter chromatism predominantly. We also found two cases of significant inter-band time lags of the order of a few minutes. The duty cycle of the blazar during the August 2020 flare was estimated to be quite high (~90\% or higher). We decomposed the intra-night light curves into individual flares and determined their characteristics. On the basis of our analysis and assuming the turbulent jet model, we determined some characteristics of the emitting regions: Doppler factor, magnetic field strength, electron Lorentz factor, and radius. The radii determined were discussed in the framework of the Kolmogorov theory of turbulence. We also estimated the weighted mean structure function slope on intra-night timescales, related it to the slope of the power spectral density, and discussed it with regard to the origin of intra-night variability.
Anti‐double‐stranded DNA (anti‐dsDNA) B cells are regulated in non‐autoimmune mice. While some are deleted or undergo receptor editing, a population of anti‐dsDNA (VH3H9/Vλ1) B cells that emigrate ...into the periphery has also been identified. These cells have an altered phenotype relative to normal B cells in that they have a reduced lifespan, appear developmentally arrested, and localize primarily to the T/B‐cell interface in the spleen. This phenotype may be the consequence of immature B cells encountering antigen in the absence of T‐cell help. When provided with T‐cell help, the anti‐dsDNA B cells differentiate into antibody‐forming cells. In the context of the autoimmune‐prone lpr/lpr or gld/gld mutations, the VH3H9/Vλ1 anti‐dsDNA B cells populate the B‐cell follicle and by 12 weeks of age produce serum autoantibodies. The early event of anti‐dsDNA B‐cell follicular entry, in the absence of autoantibody production, is dependent upon CD4+ T cells. We hypothesize that control of autoantibody production in young autoimmune‐prone mice may be regulated by the counterbalancing effect of T‐regulatory (Treg) cells. Consistent with this model, we have demonstrated that Treg cells are able to prevent autoantibody production induced by T‐cell help. Additional studies are aimed at investigating the mechanisms of this suppression as well as probing the impact of distinct forms of T‐cell‐dependent and ‐independent activation on anti‐dsDNA B cells.
The value of nephrectomy in metastatic renal-cell cancer has long been debated. Several nonrandomized studies suggest a higher rate of response to systemic therapy and longer survival in patients who ...have undergone nephrectomy.
We randomly assigned patients with metastatic renal-cell cancer who were acceptable candidates for nephrectomy to undergo radical nephrectomy followed by therapy with interferon alfa-2b or to receive interferon alfa-2b therapy alone. The primary end point was survival, and the secondary end point was a response of the tumor to treatment.
The median survival of 120 eligible patients assigned to surgery followed by interferon was 11.1 months, and among the 121 eligible patients assigned to interferon alone it was 8.1 months (P=0.05). The difference in median survival between the two groups was independent of performance status, metastatic site, and the presence or absence of a measurable metastatic lesion.
Nephrectomy followed by interferon therapy results in longer survival among patients with metastatic renal-cell cancer than does interferon therapy alone.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) represent a unique immune cell type specialized in type I interferon (IFN) secretion in response to viral nucleic acids. The molecular control of PDC lineage ...specification has been poorly understood. We report that basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (E protein) E2-2/Tcf4 is preferentially expressed in murine and human PDCs. Constitutive or inducible deletion of murine E2-2 blocked the development of PDCs but not of other lineages and abolished IFN response to unmethylated DNA. Moreover, E2-2 haploinsufficiency in mice and in human Pitt-Hopkins syndrome patients was associated with aberrant expression profile and impaired IFN response of the PDC. E2-2 directly activated multiple PDC-enriched genes, including transcription factors involved in PDC development (SpiB, Irf8) and function (Irf7). These results identify E2-2 as a specific transcriptional regulator of the PDC lineage in mice and humans and reveal a key function of E proteins in the innate immune system.
We examined risk factors for long-term homelessness among newly homeless men and women who were admitted to New York City shelters in 2001 and 2002.
Interviews were conducted with 377 study ...participants upon entry into the shelter and at 6-month intervals for 18 months. Standardized assessments of psychiatric diagnosis, symptoms, and coping skills; social and family history; and service use were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression were used to examine the association between baseline assessments and duration of homelessness.
Eighty-one percent of participants returned to community housing during the follow-up period; the median duration of homelessness was 190 days. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that a shorter duration of homelessness was associated with younger age, current or recent employment, earned income, good coping skills, adequate family support, absence of a substance abuse treatment history, and absence of an arrest history. Cox regression showed that older age group P<.05) and arrest history (P<.01) were the strongest predictors of a longer duration of homelessness.
Identification of risk factors for long-term homelessness can guide efforts to reduce lengths of stay in homeless shelters and to develop new preventive interventions.
OJ 287 is a BL Lacertae type quasar in which the active galactic nucleus (AGN) outshines the host galaxy by an order of magnitude. The only exception to this may be at minimum light when the AGN ...activity is so low that the host galaxy may make quite a considerable contribution to the photometric intensity of the source. Such a dip or a fade in the intensity of OJ 287 occurred in November 2017, when its brightness was about 1.75 magnitudes lower than the recent mean level. We compare the observations of this fade with similar fades in OJ 287 observed earlier in 1989, 1999, and 2010. It appears that there is a relatively strong reddening of the B\(-\)V colours of OJ 287 when its V-band brightness drops below magnitude 17. Similar changes are also seen V\(-\)R, V\(-\)I, and R\(-\)I colours during these deep fades. These data support the conclusion that the total magnitude of the host galaxy is \(V=18.0 \pm 0.3\), corresponding to \(M_{K}=-26.5 \pm 0.3\) in the K-band. This is in agreement with the results, obtained using the integrated surface brightness method, from recent surface photometry of the host. These results should encourage us to use the colour separation method also in other host galaxies with strongly variable AGN nuclei. In the case of OJ 287, both the host galaxy and its central black hole are among the biggest known, and its position in the black hole mass-galaxy mass diagram lies close to the mean correlation.
Context. The close approach of the near-Earth asteroid (99942) Apophis to Earth in 2029 will provide a unique opportunity to examine how the physical properties of the asteroid could be changed due ...to the Earth's gravitational perturbation. As a result, the Republic of Korea is planning a rendezvous mission to Apophis. Aims. Our aim was to use photometric data from the apparitions in 2020-2021 to refine the shape model and spin state of Apophis. Methods. Using thirty-six 1 to 2-m class ground-based telescopes and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, we performed a photometric observation campaign throughout the 2020-2021 apparition. The convex shape model and spin state were refined using the light-curve inversion method. Results. According to our best-fit model, Apophis is rotating in a short axis mode with rotation and precession periods of 264.178 hours and 27.38547 hours, respectively. The angular momentum vector orientation of Apophis was found as (275\(^\circ\), -85\(^\circ\)) in the ecliptic coordinate system. The ratio of the dynamic moments of inertia of this asteroid was fitted to \(I_a:I_b:I_c=0.64:0.97:1\), which corresponds to an elongated prolate ellipsoid. These findings regarding the spin state and shape model could be used to not only design the space mission scenario but also investigate the impact of the Earth's tidal force during close encounters.
AT-101 (A), a small molecule oral inhibitor of the Bcl-2 family, has activity alone and in combination with docetaxel (Taxotere) and prednisone (DP) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer ...(mCRPC). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial compared DP combined with either AT-101 (A) or placebo in chemonaive mCRPC.
Men with progressive mCRPC despite androgen deprivation were eligible and randomized 1 : 1. Patients received docetaxel (75 mg/m2 day 1) and prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily every 21 days with either AT-101 (40 mg) or placebo twice daily orally on days 1–3. The primary end point was overall survival (OS).
Two hundred and twenty-one patients were randomly assigned. Median OS for AT-101 plus docetaxel–prednisone (ADP) and placebo–DP was 18.1 versus 17.8 months hazard ratio (HR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval 0.72–1.55, P = 0.63. Secondary end points were also not statistically different. Grade 3/4 toxic effects for ADP versus placebo–DP were cardiac events (5% versus 2%), lymphopenia (23% versus 16%), neutropenia (47% versus 40%), ileus (2% versus 0%) and pulmonary embolism (6% versus 2%). In a subgroup of high-risk mCRPC (n = 34), outcomes appeared to favor ADP (median OS 19 versus 14 months).
AT-101 was tolerable but did not extend OS when combined with DP in mCRPC; a potential benefit was observed in high-risk patients.
Circulating autoantibodies against dsDNA and chromatin are a characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus in humans and many mouse models of this disease. B cells expressing these autoantibodies ...are normally regulated in nonautoimmune-prone mice but are induced to secrete Abs following T cell help. Likewise, anti-chromatin autoantibody production is T cell-dependent in Fas/Fas ligand (FasL)-deficient (lpr/lpr or gld/gld) mice. In this study, we demonstrate that Th2 cells promote anti-chromatin B cell survival and autoantibody production in vivo. FasL influences the ability of Th2 cells to help B cells, as Th2-gld/gld cells support higher titers of anti-chromatin Abs than their FasL-sufficient counterparts and promote anti-chromatin B cell participation in germinal centers. Th1 cells induce anti-chromatin B cell germinal centers regardless of FasL status; however, their ability to stimulate anti-chromatin Ab production positively correlates with their level of IFN-gamma production. This distinction is lost if FasL-deficient T cells are used: Th1-gld/gld cells promote significant titers of anti-chromatin Abs regardless of IFN-gamma production levels. Thus, FasL from effector T cells plays an important role in determining the fate of anti-chromatin B cells.
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