Luminous and Dark Matter in the Milky Way

(Abridged) Axisymmetric models of the Milky Way exhibit strong interrelations between the Galactic constants (R_0 and T_0), the stellar columndensity (S_*) and the shape of the dark matter (DM) halo. Here we present analytical relations that can be used to investigate the effects of the uncertain gaseous velocity dispersion on the HI flaring constraints. The contribution of cosmic rays and magnetic fields to the pressure gradients is small. A significantly flattened dark matter halo is only possible if R_0 <~ 6.8 kpc. If R_0 is larger than ~7 kpc, or T_0 >~ 170 km/s, we can rule out two DM candidates that require a highly flattened DM halo: 1) decaying massive neutrinos; and 2) a disk of cold molecular hydrogen. It is only possible to construct self-consistent models of the Galaxy based on the IAU-recommended values for the Galactic constants in the unlikely case that the the stellar columndensity is smaller than ~18 M_sun/pc^2. If we assume that the halo is oblate and S_* = 35 +/- 5 M_sun/pc^2, R_0 <~ 8 kpc and T_0 <~ 200 km/s. Combining the best kinematical and star-count estimates of S_*, we conclude that: 25 <~ S_* <~ 45 M_sun/pc^2. Kuijken & Gilmore's (1991) determination of the columndensity of matter with |z|<=1.1 kpc is robust and valid over a wide range of Galactic constants. Our mass models show that the DM density in the Galactic centre is uncertain by a factor 1000. In the Solar neighbourhood we find: rho_DM ~0.42 GeV/c^2/cm^3 or (11 +/- 5) mM_sun/pc^3 -- roughly 15% of rho_tot.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Production Before, During and Post-Molt

The objectives of this study were to compare the production of laying hens when offered a Ca pre-molt treatment and low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed-withdrawal (FW) before, during, and after an induced molt. A total of 792 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age, 1.7 ± 0.2 kg), housed 3 per cage, (413 cm 2 /hen) were used. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments and 3 molt diets: FW, soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed/hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were provided free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. During the 22 wk post-molt, hens were fed a laying hen diet and lighting was increased by 1 h each week to 16 h. The fine-Ca pre-molt treatment was more effective than the coarse-Ca pre-molt treatment at decreasing egg production during molt and increasing egg production after molt regardless of which molt diet was fed (P \u3c 0.05). The FW molt diet resulted in the most complete molt with a greater decrease in egg production during molt (P \u3c 0.05). The SH molt diet compared to the WM molt diet was more effective at inducing molt with lower egg production and ovary and oviduct weights during molt (P \u3c 0.05), however, the WM molt diet resulted in the highest egg production and body weight post-molt compared to the other 2 molt diets (P \u3c 0.05). In conclusion, a fine-Ca pre-molt treatment and a low-energy molt diet containing WM or SH can be useful alternatives to a FW molt

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Behavior During and Post-Molt

The objectives of this study were to compare the behavior of the laying hen kept in a cage system when offered a pre-molt calcium treatment and low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed-withdrawal during induced molt. A total of 144 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age), weighing 1.7 ± 0.2 kg, were used. Laying hens were housed 3 per cage (30.5 cm wide × 40.6 cm deep × 44.5 cm high), providing 413 cm 2 per hen. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments and 3 molt diets: feed withdrawal (FW), soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied (FW, SH, or WM) for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed/hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were given free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. Behavior was recorded by camera once before molt, twice during molt, and twice post-molt for 2 h in the morning and 2 h at night. The acquisition of 2 postures and 5 behaviors were obtained by 2 experienced observers who viewed the recordings using 24 h mode onto the Observer software using a 1 min scan sampling technique. Postures and behaviors were not different among treatments during the baseline period. The Ca pre-molt treatment had no carryover effect during or post-molt. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet spent more time in active postures and feeding and drinking behaviors during molt compared to hens fed the other 2 molt diets. Post-molt, all hens, regardless of molt diet, spent the same amount of time in each of these behaviors. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet spent more time preening during molt compared to post-molt, whereas the hens fed the WM and SH molt diets did not differ between the 2 periods (Table 1). In conclusion, these low-energy molt diets did not adversely affect the postures and behaviors of the laying hen and are therefore acceptable dietary alternatives to FW for inducing molt

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Physiology

The objectives of this study were to compare stress measures and bone quality of laying hens when offered a Ca pre-molt treatment followed by low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed withdrawal before, during, and after an induced molt. A total of 189 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age, 1.7 ± 0.2 kg), housed 3 per cage, (413 cm 2 /hen) were used. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments (coarse and fine) and 3 molt diets: feed withdrawal (FW), soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed / hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were provided free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. During the 22 wk post-molt, hens were fed a laying hen diet and lighting was increased by 1 h each week to 16 h. None of the treatments resulted in an increased heterophil to lymphocyte ratio during or post-molt compared to baseline values, which would have suggested increased stress in the laying hen. Additionally, any changes reported during molt in bone quality returned to baseline values during the post-molt period. Therefore, these treatments are acceptable for inducing molt in the laying hen

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Behavior During and Post-Molt

The objectives of this study were to compare the behavior of the laying hen kept in a cage system when offered a pre-molt calcium treatment and low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed-withdrawal during induced molt. A total of 144 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age), weighing 1.7 ± 0.2 kg, were used. Laying hens were housed 3 per cage (30.5 cm wide × 40.6 cm deep × 44.5 cm high), providing 413 cm 2 per hen. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments and 3 molt diets: feed withdrawal (FW), soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied (FW, SH, or WM) for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed/hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were given free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. Behavior was recorded by camera once before molt, twice during molt, and twice post-molt for 2 h in the morning and 2 h at night. The acquisition of 2 postures and 5 behaviors were obtained by 2 experienced observers who viewed the recordings using 24 h mode onto the Observer software using a 1 min scan sampling technique. Postures and behaviors were not different among treatments during the baseline period. The Ca pre-molt treatment had no carryover effect during or post-molt. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet spent more time in active postures and feeding and drinking behaviors during molt compared to hens fed the other 2 molt diets. Post-molt, all hens, regardless of molt diet, spent the same amount of time in each of these behaviors. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet spent more time preening during molt compared to post-molt, whereas the hens fed the WM and SH molt diets did not differ between the 2 periods (Table 1). In conclusion, these low-energy molt diets did not adversely affect the postures and behaviors of the laying hen and are therefore acceptable dietary alternatives to FW for inducing molt.</p

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Production Before, During and Post-Molt

The objectives of this study were to compare the production of laying hens when offered a Ca pre-molt treatment and low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed-withdrawal (FW) before, during, and after an induced molt. A total of 792 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age, 1.7 ± 0.2 kg), housed 3 per cage, (413 cm 2 /hen) were used. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments and 3 molt diets: FW, soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed/hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were provided free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. During the 22 wk post-molt, hens were fed a laying hen diet and lighting was increased by 1 h each week to 16 h. The fine-Ca pre-molt treatment was more effective than the coarse-Ca pre-molt treatment at decreasing egg production during molt and increasing egg production after molt regardless of which molt diet was fed (P < 0.05). The FW molt diet resulted in the most complete molt with a greater decrease in egg production during molt (P < 0.05). The SH molt diet compared to the WM molt diet was more effective at inducing molt with lower egg production and ovary and oviduct weights during molt (P < 0.05), however, the WM molt diet resulted in the highest egg production and body weight post-molt compared to the other 2 molt diets (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a fine-Ca pre-molt treatment and a low-energy molt diet containing WM or SH can be useful alternatives to a FW molt.</p

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Physiology

The objectives of this study were to compare stress measures and bone quality of laying hens when offered a Ca pre-molt treatment followed by low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed withdrawal before, during, and after an induced molt. A total of 189 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age, 1.7 ± 0.2 kg), housed 3 per cage, (413 cm 2 /hen) were used. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments (coarse and fine) and 3 molt diets: feed withdrawal (FW), soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed / hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were provided free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. During the 22 wk post-molt, hens were fed a laying hen diet and lighting was increased by 1 h each week to 16 h. None of the treatments resulted in an increased heterophil to lymphocyte ratio during or post-molt compared to baseline values, which would have suggested increased stress in the laying hen. Additionally, any changes reported during molt in bone quality returned to baseline values during the post-molt period. Therefore, these treatments are acceptable for inducing molt in the laying hen.</p

Effects of Semantic Feature Type, Diversity, and Quantity on Semantic Feature Analysis Treatment Outcomes in Aphasia

Purpose Semantic feature analysis (SFA) is a naming treatment found to improve naming performance for both treated and semantically related untreated words in aphasia. A crucial treatment component is the requirement that patients generate semantic features of treated items. This article examined the role feature generation plays in treatment response to SFA in several ways: It attempted to replicate preliminary findings from Gravier et al. (2018), which found feature generation predicted treatment-related gains for both trained and untrained words. It examined whether feature diversity or the number of features generated in specific categories differentially affected SFA treatment outcomes. Method SFA was administered to 44 participants with chronic aphasia daily for 4 weeks. Treatment was administered to multiple lists sequentially in a multiple-baseline design. Participant-generated features were captured during treatment and coded in terms of feature category, total average number of features generated per trial, and total number of unique features generated per item. Item-level naming accuracy was analyzed using logistic mixed-effects regression models. Results Producing more participant-generated features was found to improve treatment response for trained but not untrained items in SFA, in contrast to Gravier et al. (2018). There was no effect of participant-generated feature diversity or any differential effect of feature category on SFA treatment outcomes. Conclusions Patient-generated features remain a key predictor of direct training effects and overall treatment response in SFA. Aphasia severity was also a significant predictor of treatment outcomes. Future work should focus on identifying potential nonresponders to therapy and explore treatment modifications to improve treatment outcomes for these individuals. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12462596 </jats:sec

466 Use of a 27-gene immuno-oncology (IO) assay to associate response to single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in advanced-stage NSCLC patients from a large Canadian cohort

BackgroundLung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The advent of ICIs specifically targeting programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), or its ligand (PD-L1) represents a major therapeutic advance that is now included in standard of care regimens for non-small-cell-lung cancer (NSCLC). PD-L1 expression measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining is the current gold standard predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in NSCLC, however many factors beyond PD-L1 expression alone affect the outcome of ICI therapy. Evaluation of other factors to better inform clinical practice will reduce both the potential for adverse immune-related toxicities and expenditure on ineffective costly therapies while potentially identifying patients otherwise missed by PD-L1 staining. The 27-gene IO assay is a RT-qPCR based gene expression panel1 that was developed to classify the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). It has been shown to be associated with response to ICI therapy in multiple tumor types including triple negative breast cancer, metastatic urothelial carcinoma, and NSCLC where the association was independent of PD-L1 status in patients treated either with monotherapy or combination therapy.2 Currently, BC Cancer measures PD-L1 status by IHC using the PD-L1 22C3 PharmDx assay and reports the tumor proportional score (TPS) to inform clinical decision. Patients with a TPS ≥ 50% may be eligible for first-line treatment with ICI monotherapy and those with &lt; 50% TPS are eligible for second line or later ICI monotherapy. We established this retrospective study of ICI monotherapy treated NSCLC patients to assess the 27-gene IO assay as an informative biomarker for NSCLC ICI treatment decisions.MethodsThis retrospective study is utilizing the BC Cancer Study Database to select approximately 150 patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC treated with single-agent ICI therapy across four BC Cancer centers from 2017 forward (figure 1). Patients are selected based on availability of adequate biopsy specimens (FFPE with at least 20% tumor content), availability of PD-L1 IHC results or sufficient tissue to conduct staining, and for whom outcome data is available via chart review. RNA from patient samples is isolated from FFPE biopsies (either primary or metastatic sites) and those that yield ≥50ng RNA will be analyzed by the 27-gene IO assay 1 to derive IO scores (IO positive or IO negative) based on previously defined thresholds.3 The association between patient outcomes on ICI monotherapy and IO scores and PD-L1 IHC will be reported and compared.Abstract 466 Figure 1Schematic representation of patient workflow forReferencesSaltman, A, et al. Prostate cancer biomarkers and multiparametric MRI: is there a role for both in prostate cancer management? Ther Adv Urol 2021;13: 1756287221997186.Ranganath HJA, Smith JR, et al. One-year progression-free survival in lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors is significantly associated with a novel immunomodulatory signature but not PD-L1 staining. in SITC. Journal Immunotherapy Cancer. 2019.Nielsen, TJ, et al. A novel immuno-oncology algorithm measuring tumor microenvironment to predict response to immunotherapies. Heliyon 2021;7(3):e06438.Ethics ApprovalThe University of British Columba BC Cancer Research Ethics Board Chair, Vice-Chair or second Vice-Chair, has reviewed the above described research project, including associated documentation, and finds the research project acceptable on ethical grounds for research involving human subjects. All participants have provided informed consent before taking part in the study. REB Number H20-02635.</jats:sec