Interacting Supernovae: Types IIn and Ibn

Supernovae (SNe) that show evidence of strong shock interaction between their ejecta and pre-existing, slower circumstellar material (CSM) constitute an interesting, diverse, and still poorly understood category of explosive transients. The chief reason that they are extremely interesting is because they tell us that in a subset of stellar deaths, the progenitor star may become wildly unstable in the years, decades, or centuries before explosion. This is something that has not been included in standard stellar evolution models, but may significantly change the end product and yield of that evolution, and complicates our attempts to map SNe to their progenitors. Another reason they are interesting is because CSM interaction is an efficient engine for making bright transients, allowing super-luminous transients to arise from normal SN explosion energies, and allowing transients of normal SN luminosities to arise from sub-energetic explosions or low radioactivity yield. CSM interaction shrouds the fast ejecta in bright shock emission, obscuring our normal view of the underlying explosion, and the radiation hydrodynamics of the interaction is challenging to model. The CSM interaction may also be highly non-spherical, perhaps linked to binary interaction in the progenitor system. In some cases, these complications make it difficult to definitively tell the difference between a core-collapse or thermonuclear explosion, or to discern between a non-terminal eruption, failed SN, or weak SN. Efforts to uncover the physical parameters of individual events and connections to possible progenitor stars make this a rapidly evolving topic that continues to challenge paradigms of stellar evolution.Comment: Final draft of a chapter in the "SN Handbook". Accepted. 25 pages, 3 fig

How well do computer-generated faces tap face expertise?

The use of computer-generated (CG) stimuli in face processing research is proliferating due to the ease with which faces can be generated, standardised and manipulated. However there has been surprisingly little research into whether CG faces are processed in the same way as photographs of real faces. The present study assessed how well CG faces tap face identity expertise by investigating whether two indicators of face expertise are reduced for CG faces when compared to face photographs. These indicators were accuracy for identification of own-race faces and the other-race effect (ORE)-the well-established finding that own-race faces are recognised more accurately than other-race faces. In Experiment 1 Caucasian and Asian participants completed a recognition memory task for own- and other-race real and CG faces. Overall accuracy for own-race faces was dramatically reduced for CG compared to real faces and the ORE was significantly and substantially attenuated for CG faces. Experiment 2 investigated perceptual discrimination for own- and other-race real and CG faces with Caucasian and Asian participants. Here again, accuracy for own-race faces was significantly reduced for CG compared to real faces. However the ORE was not affected by format. Together these results signal that CG faces of the type tested here do not fully tap face expertise. Technological advancement may, in the future, produce CG faces that are equivalent to real photographs. Until then caution is advised when interpreting results obtained using CG faces

Description et évaluation d'un réseau d'épidémiosurveillance des pathologies porcines mis en place dans un district du Nord Vietnam

Background and objective: Early menarche is increasing in prevalence worldwide, prompting clinical andpublic health interest on its links with pulmonary function. We aimed to investigate the relationship betweenearly menarche and lung function in middle age.Methods: The population-based Tasmanian LongitudinalHealth Study (born 1961; n = 8583), was initiated in 1968.The 5th Decade follow-up data (mean age: 45 years)included age at menarche and complex lung function testing. The 6th Decade follow-up (age: 53 years) repeated spirometry and gas transfer factor. Multiple linear regressionand mediation analyses were performed to determine theassociation between age at menarche and adult lung function and investigate biological pathways, including the proportion mediated by adult-attained height.Results: Girls reporting an early menarche (Conclusion:Early menarche was associated withreduced adult lung function. This is the first study toinvestigate post-BD outcomes and quantify the partialrole of adult height in this association

Observational and Physical Classification of Supernovae

This chapter describes the current classification scheme of supernovae (SNe). This scheme has evolved over many decades and now includes numerous SN Types and sub-types. Many of these are universally recognized, while there are controversies regarding the definitions, membership and even the names of some sub-classes; we will try to review here the commonly-used nomenclature, noting the main variants when possible. SN Types are defined according to observational properties; mostly visible-light spectra near maximum light, as well as according to their photometric properties. However, a long-term goal of SN classification is to associate observationally-defined classes with specific physical explosive phenomena. We show here that this aspiration is now finally coming to fruition, and we establish the SN classification scheme upon direct observational evidence connecting SN groups with specific progenitor stars. Observationally, the broad class of Type II SNe contains objects showing strong spectroscopic signatures of hydrogen, while objects lacking such signatures are of Type I, which is further divided to numerous subclasses. Recently a class of super-luminous SNe (SLSNe, typically 10 times more luminous than standard events) has been identified, and it is discussed. We end this chapter by briefly describing a proposed alternative classification scheme that is inspired by the stellar classification system. This system presents our emerging physical understanding of SN explosions, while clearly separating robust observational properties from physical inferences that can be debated. This new system is quantitative, and naturally deals with events distributed along a continuum, rather than being strictly divided into discrete classes. Thus, it may be more suitable to the coming era where SN numbers will quickly expand from a few thousands to millions of events.Comment: Extended final draft of a chapter in the "SN Handbook". Comments most welcom

Short-term increase in prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant Staphylococcus aureus following mass drug administration with azithromycin for trachoma control.

BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin is a corner-stone of trachoma control however it may drive the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. In a cluster-randomized trial (Clinical trial gov NCT00792922), we compared the reduction in the prevalence of active trachoma in communities that received three annual rounds of MDA to that in communities that received a single treatment round. We used the framework of this trial to carry out an opportunistic study to investigate if the increased rounds of treatment resulted in increased prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in two villages receiving three annual rounds of MDA (3 × treatment arm). Surveys were conducted immediately before the third round of MDA (CSS-1) and at one (CSS-2) and six (CSS-3) months after MDA. The final survey also included six villages that had received only one round of MDA 30 months previously (1 × treatment arm). RESULTS: In the 3 × treatment arm, a short-term increase in prevalence of S. aureus carriage was seen following MDA from 24.6% at CSS-1 to 38.6% at CSS-2 (p < 0.001). Prevalence fell to 8.8% at CSS-3 (p < 0.001). A transient increase was also seen in prevalence of carriage of azithromycin resistant (Azm(R)) strains from 8.9% at CSS-1 to 34.1% (p < 0.001) in CSS-2 and down to 7.3% (p = 0.417) in CSS-3. A similar trend was observed for prevalence of carriage of macrolide-inducible-clindamycin resistant (iMLSB) strains. In CSS-3, prevalence of carriage of resistant strains was higher in the 3 × treatment arm than in the 1 × treatment (Azm(R) 7.3% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.010; iMLSB 5.8% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.001). Macrolide resistance was attributed to the presence of msr and erm genes. CONCLUSIONS: Three annual rounds of MDA with azithromycin were associated with a short-term increase in both the prevalence of nasopharyngeal carriage of S. aureus and prevalence of carriage of Azm(R) and iMLSB S. aureus. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was ancillary to the Partnership for the Rapid Elimination of Trachoma, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00792922 , registration date November 17, 2008

A Comparative Exploration of Community Pharmacists' Views on the Nature and Management of Over-the-Counter (OTC) and Prescription Codeine Misuse in Three Regulatory Regimes: Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom

Misuse of codeine containing preparations is a public health concern given the potential for associated harms and dependence. This study explores the perspectives of community pharmacists in three regulatory regimes on issues of customer misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescribed codeine. A qualitative design comprising six focus groups (n = 45) was conducted in Ireland, United Kingdom, South Africa. Transcripts were analysed using the constant comparative method of content analysis. Pharmacists described popular codeine-containing products and the need for improved medicine information and warning labels. Issues around legitimate availability of codeine and regulatory status; presence of therapeutic need; difficulties in customer–pharmacist communication; business environments and retail focus were raised. Participants also discussed how they identified customers potentially misusing codeine and difficulties in relationships between pharmacists and prescribers. A number of recommendations were put forward as ways to manage the issues. The study highlights the difficulties encountered by community pharmacists operating under various regulatory regimes when supplying codeine containing preparations in negotiating patient awareness and compliance and potential ways to deal with misuse and dependence

Embedding physical activity in the heart of the NHS: the need for a whole-system approach

Solutions to the global challenge of physical inactivity have tended to focus on interventions at an individual level, when evidence shows that wider factors, including the social and physical environment, play a major part in influencing health-related behaviour. A multidisciplinary perspective is needed to rewrite the research agenda on physical activity if population-level public health benefits are to be demonstrated. This article explores the questions that this raises regarding the particular role that the UK National Health Service (NHS) plays in the system. The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine in Sheffield is put forward as a case study to discuss some of the ways in which health systems can work in collaboration with other partners to develop environments and systems that promote active lives for patients and staff

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Pharmacist services for non-hospitalised patients (Review)

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: de Barra M, Scott CL, Scott NW, Johnston M, de Bruin M, Nkansah N, Bond CM, Matheson CI, Rackow P, Williams AJ, Watson MC. Pharmacist services for non‐hospitalised patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018(9)., which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013102. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions

An Interferon-Driven Oxysterol-Based Defense against Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TEV) “educate” healthy cells to promote metastases. We found that melanoma TEV downregulated type I interferon (IFN) receptor and expression of IFN-inducible cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H). CH25H produces 25-hydroxycholesterol, which inhibited TEV uptake. Low CH25H levels in leukocytes from melanoma patients correlated with poor prognosis. Mice incapable of downregulating the IFN receptor and Ch25h were resistant to TEV uptake, TEV-induced pre-metastatic niche, and melanoma lung metastases; however, ablation of Ch25h reversed these phenotypes. An anti-hypertensive drug, reserpine, suppressed TEV uptake and disrupted TEV-induced formation of the pre-metastatic niche and melanoma lung metastases. These results suggest the importance of CH25H in defense against education of normal cells by TEV and argue for the use of reserpine in adjuvant melanoma therapy