scholarly journals The slingshot effect as a probe of transverse motions of galaxies

2019 ◽  
Vol 628 ◽  
pp. A30 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Hagala ◽  
C. Llinares ◽  
D. F. Mota

Context. There are currently no reliable methods to measure the transverse velocities of galaxies. This is an important piece of information that is lacking in galaxy catalogues, and it could allow us to probe the physics of structure formation and to test the underlying theory of gravity. The slingshot effect (a special case of the integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect) is expected to create dipole signals in the temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. This effect creates a hot spot behind and a cold spot in front of moving massive objects. The dipole signal created by the slingshot effect can be used to measure transverse velocities, but because the signal is expected to be weak, the effect has not been measured yet. Aims. Our aim is to show that the slingshot effect can be measured by stacking the signals of galaxies falling into a collapsing cluster. Furthermore, we evaluate whether the effect can probe modified gravity. Methods. We used data from a simulated galaxy catalogue (MultiDark Planck 2) to mimic observations. We identified a 1015 M⊙ cluster, and made maps of the slingshot effect for photons passing near 8438 infalling galaxies. To emulate instrument noise, we added uncorrelated Gaussian noise to each map. We assumed that the average velocity is directed towards the centre of the cluster. The maps were rotated according to the expected direction of motion. This assures that the dipole signal adds up constructively when stacking the maps. We compared the stacked maps to a dipole stencil to determine the quality of the signal. We also evaluated the probability of fitting the stencil in the absence of the slingshot signal. Results. Each galaxy gives a signal of around ΔT/T ≈ 10−9, while the current precision of CMB experiments is ΔT/T ≈ 4 × 10−6. By stacking around 10 000 galaxies and performing a stencil fit, the slingshot signal can be over the detectable threshold with today’s experiments. However, due to the difficulty of distinguishing an actual signal from false positives, future CMB experiments must be used to be certain of the strength of the observed signal.

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Alejandra Pou ◽  
Camila Niclis ◽  
Natalia Tumas ◽  
Laura Rosana Aballay ◽  
Maria del Pilar Diaz

Abstract Background Health outcomes are often related to the conditions in which people live. Previous studies indicated that cancer mortality is non-randomly distributed between social groups and regions in Argentina. We aimed to analyze geographical pattern of mortality due to the most prevalent cancers in Argentina (2013-2015), from a quality of life approach. Methods Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) for specific cancer types (breast, lung, prostate, colon, cervix, stomach) was estimated by direct method (2013-2015 period). Mortality maps at a departmental scale (n = 511) were constructed by using a Getis-Ord Hot Spot spatial analysis. A Quality of Life Index (QLI, continuous score) for Argentina 2010 was used. Poisson mixed models with a random intercept were performed to estimate IRRs (relative risk) as measures of association. Results Breast, lung, and colon cancers show the most clear ASMR geographical patterns, which locate an extensive cold spot (lower and correlated rates) in the northwestern region of Argentina and a hot spot (higher and correlated rates) in the Pampeana (center-east) region . Particularly, breast and cervix cancers showed confronting mortality geographic patterns and opposite relationships with the departmental QLI (IRR 1.23 and 0.78, respectively). A direct association was found for lung (IRR 1.46/1.15 for women/men) and colon cancer (IRR 1.57/1.49 for women/men). Conclusions Results evidence geographic disparities in cancer mortality burden linked to the quality of life of populations at departmental scale in Argentina. Key messages Geographic disparities in cancer mortality are linked to the quality of life in Argentina. Mortality-QLI relationship varies according the cancer type.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-222
Author(s):  
Miglena Smerikarova ◽  
Stanislav Bozhanov ◽  
Vania Maslarska

Background: Sartans are mostly used as a part of combination with additional medicines in the therapy of essencial hypertension. Preferred combinations are ARB and thiazide diuretics (Hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and Chlorthalidone (CHL)) or ARB and calcium antagonists. The number of sartans mostly prescribed by specialists is only seven - Candesartan (CDS), Eprosartan (EPS), Irbesartan (IBS), Losartan (LOS), Olmesartan (OMS), Telmisartan (TMS) and Valsartan (VLS). Methods: The widespread use of sartans in the treatment of hypertension requires reliable methods of analysis. Bulk drugs and pharmaceutical preparations should be analyzed to ensure the quality of the medicinal products reaching patients. On the other hand, the analysis of drugs in biological fluids aims to trace and improve patient care by adjusting the therapeutic doses of drugs. According to our knowledge, a review devoted to the analysis of sartans was published in 2014. Results: Spectral methods are widely used in the analysis of bulk drugs and pharmaceutical dosage forms due to their relatively simple procedures, low reagent and sample consumption, speed, precision and accuracy combined with accessibility and comparatively low cost of common apparatus. Many papers for determination of sartans in bulk drugs and pharmaceutical preparations based on liquid chromatographic techniques were published in the available literature. Among these methods, HPLC takes the leading place but UPLC and HPTLC are also present. Conclusion: The widespread use of sartans in the treatment of hypertension requires reliable methods of analysis. Bulk drugs and pharmaceutical preparations should be analyzed to ensure the quality of the medicinal products reaching patients. On the other hand, the analysis of drugs in biological fluids aims to trace and improve patient care by adjusting the therapeutic doses of drugs. Since 2014, many articles have been published on the sartans analysis and this provoked our interest to summarize the latest applications in the analysis of sartans in pharmaceutical formulations and biological media. Articles published from 2014 to 2018 are covered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Oana-Mihaela Plotogea ◽  
Madalina Ilie ◽  
Simona Bungau ◽  
Alexandru Laurentiu Chiotoroiu ◽  
Ana Maria Alexandra Stanescu ◽  
...  

The impact of sleep disorders (SDs) on patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) is tremendous. SDs are frequently encountered among these patients and interfere with their quality of life. This review aims to present the data available so far about the prevalence, phenotypes, and proposed pathophysiological mechanisms of SDs in CLD. Moreover, we proposed to search the literature regarding the most reliable methods to assess SDs and the possible therapeutic options in patients with CLD. The main results of this review show that when it comes to prevalence, the percentages reported vary widely between studies performed among populations from the USA or Europe and those coming from Asian countries. Furthermore, it has been proven that SDs may also be present in the absence of neurocognitive disorders attributable to hepatic encephalopathy (HE), which contradicts traditional suppositions where SDs were considered part of the clinical scenario of HE. Currently, there are no specific recommendations or protocols to assess SDs in CLD patients and data about the therapeutic management are limited. Taking into consideration their impact, a protocol for diagnosing and managing SDs should be developed and included in the daily practice of hepatologists.


2015 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arinah Rozhan ◽  
Yunos, M. Y. M. ◽  
Md Azree Othuman Mydin ◽  
Nor Kalsum Mohd Isa ◽  
Noor Fazamimah Mohd Ariffin ◽  
...  

The upsetting number of crime occurring in the cities evokes the fear of crime among the civilians. In order to provide a good quality of living environment, a safe city planning must be implemented. To achieve this, several safe city concepts are reviewed. This paper aim to study several safe city concepts done by other researchers. In order to search for the best safe city concepts, a qualitative method research which involves content analysis is the most suitable approach to be employed in this study. This research will develop a new safe city conceptual framework based on the synergy of the previous studies. It is noted that the main concept of safe city planning are the activities and proposition of land use planning, identification of hot spot crime areas, improvement of physical environment and public transport system and appropriate surveillance. 


Author(s):  
Dan Kibuuka ◽  
Charles Mpofu ◽  
Penny Neave ◽  
Samuel Manda

Background: South Africa, with an estimated annual tuberculosis (TB) incidence of 360,000 cases in 2019, remains one of the countries with the largest burden of TB in the world. The identification of highly burdened TB areas could support public health policy planners to optimally target resources and TB control and prevention interventions. Objective: To investigate the spatial epidemiology and distribution of TB mortality in South Africa in 2010 and its association with area-level poverty and HIV burden. Methods: The study analysed a total of 776,176 TB deaths for the period 2005–2015. Local and global and spatial clustering of TB death rates were investigated by Global and Local Moran’s Indices methods (Moran’s I). The spatial regression analysis was employed to assess the effect of poverty and HIV on TB mortality rates. Results: There was a significant decrease in TB mortality rate, from 179 per 100,000 population in 2005 to 60 per 100,000 population in 2015. The annual TB mortality rate was higher among males (161.5 per 100,000 male population; (95% confidence interval (CI) 132.9, 190.0) than among females (123.2 per 100,000 female population; (95% CI 95.6, 150.8)). The 35–44 age group experienced higher TB mortality rates, regardless of gender and time. Hot spot clusters of TB mortality were found in the South-Eastern parts of the country, whereas cold spot clusters were largely in the north-eastern parts. Tuberculosis death rates were positively associated with poverty, as measured by the South African Multidimension Poverty Index (SAMPI) as well TB death rates in the neighbouring districts. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed a statistically significant decrease in TB deaths and a disproportionate distribution of TB deaths among certain areas and population groups in South Africa. The existence of the identified inequalities in the burden of TB deaths calls for targeted public health interventions, policies, and resources to be directed towards the most vulnerable populations in South Africa.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Heyne ◽  
Jason Shirian ◽  
Itay Cohen ◽  
Yoav Peleg ◽  
Evette S. Radisky ◽  
...  

AbstractEach protein-protein interaction (PPI) has evolved to possess binding affinity that is compatible with its cellular function. As such, cognate enzyme/inhibitor interactions frequently exhibit very high binding affinities, while structurally similar non-cognate PPIs possess substantially weaker binding affinities. To understand how slight differences in sequence and structure could lead to drastic changes in PPI binding free energy (ΔΔGbind), we study three homologous PPIs that span nine orders of magnitude in binding affinity and involve a serine protease interacting with an inhibitor BPTI. Using state-of-the-art methodology that combines protein randomization and affinity sorting coupled to next-generation sequencing and data normalization, we report quantitative binding landscapes consisting of ΔΔGbind values for the three PPIs, gleaned from tens of thousands of single and double mutations in the BPTI binding interface. We demonstrate that the three homologous PPIs possess drastically different binding landscapes and lie at different points in respect to the landscape maximum. Furthermore, the three PPIs demonstrate distinct patterns of coupling energies between two simultaneous mutations that depend not only on positions involved but also on the nature of the mutation. Interestingly, we find that in all three PPIs positive epistasis is frequently observed at hot-spot positions where mutations lead to loss of high affinity, while conversely negative epistasis is observed at cold-spot positions, where mutations lead to affinity enhancement. The new insights on PPI evolution revealed in this study will be invaluable in understanding evolution of other biological complexes and can greatly facilitate design of novel high-affinity protein inhibitors.SignificanceProtein-protein interactions (PPIs) have evolved to display binding affinities that can support their function. As such, cognate and non-cognate PPIs could be highly similar structurally but exhibit huge differences in binding affinities. To understand this phenomenon, we studied the effect of tens of thousands of single and double mutations on binding affinity of three homologous protease-inhibitor complexes. We show that binding landscapes of the three complexes are strikingly different and depend on the PPI evolutionary optimality. We observe different patterns of couplings between mutations for the three PPIs with negative and positive epistasis appearing most frequently at hot-spot and cold-spot positions, respectively. The evolutionary trends observed here are likely to be universal to all biological complexes in the cell.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Warnholz ◽  
Timo Schmid

The demand for reliable regional estimates from sample surveys has been substantially grown over the last decades. Small area estimation provides statistical methods to produce reliable predictions when the sample sizes in regions are too small to apply direct estimators. Model- and design-based simulations are used to gain insights into the quality of the introduced methods. In this article we present a framework which may help to guarantee the reproducibility of simulation studies in articles and during research. The introduced R-package saeSim is adjusted to provide a simulation environment for the special case of small area estimation. The package may allow the prospective researcher during the research process to produce simulation studies with a minimal eort of coding.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1036
Author(s):  
Wenwen Xu ◽  
Chunrui Song ◽  
Dongqi Sun ◽  
Baochu Yu

This study analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution and driving factors of the floating school-age population in Liaoning Province, China from 2008 to 2020 using county-level statistical education data combined with spatial autocorrelation and the multiscale geographically weighted regression model. The major findings are as follows. From 2008 to 2020, the distribution of the school-age migrant population exhibited obvious spatial imbalance characteristics both in terms of the number and proportion of school-age migrants. Specifically, the school-age migrant population was concentrated in the municipal districts of large and medium-sized cities and continued to increase over time in the suburbs of large and medium-sized cities. Over the past 12 years, the distribution of the school-age migrant population in Liaoning Province exhibited significant spatial autocorrelation. From the number of school-age migrants, the cold and hot spot area expanded. Conversely, from the proportion of school-age migrants, the cold and hot spot area decreased gradually, whereas the cold spot area became more diffuse. Regarding the driving factors, the quantity and quality of teaching staff, the quality of teaching equipment and conditions, and the quality of the education environment played a role in promoting or restraining the differentiation of the school-age migrant population in Liaoning Province. Moreover, the degree of influence of the driving factors exhibited substantial spatial differences.


Author(s):  
Neeta Baporikar

Educational leadership refers to the process of soliciting and managing the capacities and vitalities of teachers, pupils and parents toward achieving common educational aims. Educational leadership also refers to an individual or group of people who are in charge and lead schools, institutions, programmes and students. The development of leadership as a separate entity goes some way in arguing that an effective educational leader will share much of the same characteristics as a successful business leader. If one sees leadership as a distinct vocation, then one can see that many of the skills and traits are transferable. However, education is a special case, because teaching students has to be the central purpose that educational leadership must reflect. Hence, even if it is drawn from various existent theories of leadership, yet the success is dependent on how much it would enhance the quality of teacher education. The overall mission of this valuable study is to aid researchers in recognizing and understanding the need of educational leadership for enhancing the quality of teacher education.


Author(s):  
Kent Marett ◽  
Tim Barnett

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North America do not always adequately address security. Based on responses from 232 SME owners and managers, the authors found that the adoption of security recommendations made by experts appear to be significantly influenced by the decisions of other local SMEs. A hot-spot analysis of information security practices suggested that local trends lead to prioritizing certain security practices and not adopting others. Follow-up interviews with business owners and Chamber of Commerce directors provided insights on how security hotspots developed or not. The study identified both hot spot and cold spot communities, and sought to assess how local business networking conduits like chambers of commerce help promote best security practices


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