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Abstract Earth's most imperiled and iconic wildlife are facing tough decisions under increasing human pressure and limited resources. Swimming across rivers and water bodies filled with high densities of predators may be one such example. In African lions Panthera leo, previous water crossings (recorded in the peer‐reviewed and gray literature, on film, and found using Google Search, and YouTube) have recorded distances ranging from 1 km across Uganda's Kazinga channel located in the Queen Elizabeth National Park six times, and recorded this behavior on film on February 1st 2024. We speculate that three factors could be driving these lions to take long‐distance swims with a high density of crocodiles and hippos Hippopotamus amphibius, namely (1) the lack of lionesses in this ecosystem, (2) intraspecific fights over territory with other male coalitions, and (3) the only other land connection giving lions access to the peninsula is a small road bridge with a strong human presence.

Abstract We construct the holographic duals to a large N, strongly coupled N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 super Yang-Mills conformal field theory defined on a four-dimensional de Sitter-Schwarzschild background. There are two distinct five-dimensional bulk solutions. One, named the black tunnel, is static and possesses two disconnected horizons. The other, the black hammock, contains only one horizon in the bulk. The hammock horizon is not a Killing horizon, and hence possesses interesting properties, such as non-vanishing expansion and shear, as well as allowing classical flow along it. The DeTurck method was used in order to attain the black tunnel solutions, whilst the black hammocks were found in Bondi-Sachs gauge.

Abstract Background Quantification of gene expression from RNA-seq data is a prerequisite for transcriptome analysis such as differential gene expression analysis and gene co-expression network construction. Individual RNA-seq experiments are larger and combining multiple experiments from sequence repositories can result in datasets with thousands of samples. Processing hundreds to thousands of RNA-seq data can result in challenges related to data management, access to sufficient computational resources, navigation of high-performance computing (HPC) systems, installation of required software dependencies, and reproducibility. Processing of larger and deeper RNA-seq experiments will become more common as sequencing technology matures. Results GEMmaker, is a nf-core compliant, Nextflow workflow, that quantifies gene expression from small to massive RNA-seq datasets. GEMmaker ensures results are highly reproducible through the use of versioned containerized software that can be executed on a single workstation, institutional compute cluster, Kubernetes platform or the cloud. GEMmaker supports popular alignment and quantification tools providing results in raw and normalized formats. GEMmaker is unique in that it can scale to process thousands of local or remote stored samples without exceeding available data storage. Conclusions Workflows that quantify gene expression are not new, and many already address issues of portability, reusability, and scale in terms of access to CPUs. GEMmaker provides these benefits and adds the ability to scale despite low data storage infrastructure. This allows users to process hundreds to thousands of RNA-seq samples even when data storage resources are limited. GEMmaker is freely available and fully documented with step-by-step setup and execution instructions.

Specifically designed gene expression studies can be used to prioritize candidate genes and identify novel biomarkers affecting resilience against mastitis and other diseases in dairy cattle. The primary goal of this study was to assess whether specific peripheral leukocyte genes expressed differentially in a previous study of dairy cattle with postpartum disease, also would be expressed differentially in peripheral leukocytes from a diverse set of different dairy cattle with moderate to severe clinical mastitis. Four genes were selected for this study due to their differential expression in a previous transcriptomic analysis of circulating leukocytes from dairy cows with and without evidence of early postpartum disease. An additional 15 genes were included based on their cellular, immunologic, and inflammatory functions associated with resistance and tolerance to mastitis. This fixed cohort study was conducted on a conventional dairy in Washington state. Cows >50 days in milk (DIM) with mastitis (n = 12) were enrolled along with healthy cows (n = 8) selected to match the DIM and lactation numbers of mastitic cows. Blood was collected for a complete blood count (CBC), serum biochemistry, leukocyte isolation, and RNA extraction on the day of enrollment and twice more at 6 to 8-days intervals. Latent class analysis was performed to discriminate healthy vs. mastitic cows and to describe disease resolution. RNA samples were processed by the Primate Diagnostic Services Laboratory (University of Washington, Seattle, WA). Gene expression analysis was performed using the Nanostring System (Nanostring Technologies, Seattle, Washington, USA). Of the four genes (C5AR1, CATHL6, LCN2, and PGLYRP1) with evidence of upregulation in cows with mastitis, three of those genes (CATHL6, LCN2, and PGLYRP1) were investigated due to their previously identified association with postpartum disease. These genes are responsible for immunomodulatory molecules that selectively enhance or alter host innate immune defense mechanisms and modulate pathogen-induced inflammatory responses. Although further research is warranted to explain their functional mechanisms and bioactivity in cattle, our findings suggest that these conserved elements of innate immunity have the potential to bridge disease states and target tissues in diverse dairy populations.

Abstract Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death throughout the world. Despite new chemotherapeutic, immunomodulating and molecularly targeted agents, patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease still have a poor prognosis. This trial looked to combine antiangiogenic therapy with a first‐line cytotoxic chemotherapy doublet, hoping to extend median progression‐free survival (PFS) while minimizing toxicity in patients with advanced nonsquamous non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this single institution, single‐arm study, 51 patients (age >18 yo) were followed from 2007 to 2012. Patients with stage IV nonsquamous NSCLC and patients with recurrent unresectable disease (nonradiation candidates) were eligible. Treatment consisted of carboplatin AUC 5 IV 30‐60 minutes, pemetrexed 500/mg2 IV 10 minutes, bevacizumab 15 mg/kg IV (90 minutes 1st dose, 60 minutes 2nd dose, 30 minutes subsequent doses). Treatment was administered every 21 days and planned for 6 cycles, in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. Growth factor support was not permitted prophylactically but allowed for toxicities, as were dose reductions. Maintenance treatment for those with stable disease or better consisted of Bevacizumab 15 mg/kg every 3 weeks for up to 1 year. Between November 2007 and March 2012, 51 patients were followed in the phase II trial of carboplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab. Patients were enrolled over a 24‐month period. After the end of treatment visits, subjects were followed at least every 3 months for survival data. The median follow‐up period was 49 weeks (6 weeks to 178), and the median number of treatment cycles was 6 (range, 1‐6). Among the 50 patients assessable for response, median overall survival was 49 weeks (95% CI, 0‐62.7) with median PFS of 28 weeks (95% CI, 0‐132.4). A complete or partial response was seen in 28 (59.5%) patients. Grade 3‐4 treatment‐related adverse events occurred in 9 (17.6%) of 51 patients; the most common were thrombocytopenia (4 [7.8%]) and neutropenia (3 [5.9%]). Three (5.8%) of 51 patients were discontinued because of treatment‐related adverse events (grade 3 diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, dehydration, fatigue, and grade 4 respiratory distress), and 1 patient (1.9%) was found to be ineligible due to anticoagulation use. A novel 3‐drug combination for advanced nonsquamous NSCLC shows promising efficacy with modest toxicity.

Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in missions to the moon and a major challenge of such missions is to provide a continuous communication between the Earth and the Moon's far side. Orbits around the L2 Earth-Moon Lagrange point have been a topic of interest in this field due to their potential for constant communication with both the Earth and the Moon, however the Lagrange point orbits are innately unstable and so station-keeping control is required to maintain them. Station-keeping problems are highly nonlinear and a traditional approach to control design is first to linearize the nonlinear system. However, this first-order approximation introduces errors if there are large injection errors. This paper demonstrates how a simple Extended State Observer (ESO) can be used to improve the convergence time of spacecraft to the reference orbit given with large injection errors. Additionally, solar radiation pressure (SRP) a dominant disturbance in deep-space, can lead to inefficient station-keeping if it is not taken into account in the reference orbit design. New reference orbits can be designed that exploit the SRP perturbation but this assumes that it is known apriori. Here we show how an ESO could provide an in-orbit measurement of the SRP which could be used to modify the reference trajectory to a more fuel efficient one. Finally, it is shown how an ESO can be used to estimate, not only the disturbance, but simultaneously the velocity of the spacecraft meaning that only the position of the spacecraft is required.

Attosecond X-ray pulses are short enough to capture snapshots of molecules undergoing nonadiabatic electron and nuclear dynamics at conical intersections (CoIns). We show that a stimulated Raman probe induced by a combination of an attosecond and a femtosecond pulse has a unique temporal and spectral resolution for probing the nonadiabatic dynamics and detecting the ultrafast (∼4.5 fs) passage through a CoIn. This is demonstrated by a multiconfigurational self-consistent-field study of the dynamics and spectroscopy of the furan ring-opening reaction. Trajectories generated by surface hopping simulations were used to predict Attosecond Stimulated X-ray Raman Spectroscopy signals at reactant and product structures as well as representative snapshots along the conical intersection seam. The signals are highly sensitive to the changes in nonadiabatically coupled electronic structure and geometry.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and a major cause of disability globally. Individuals with physical disabilities, including thosewho have suffered a stroke are at risk of secondary complications due to the impact of their disability, which may be exacerbated by their lifestylechoices. The aim of the present study was to determine the health riskbehaviours and factors that influence these behaviours of stroke patients inthe Metropole Region of the Western Cape, South Africa. A cross – sectionalsurvey, utilizing a self-administered questionnaire on a convenient sampleof 417 stroke patients, was used to collect data. A sub-sample of 10 parti-cipants was purposively selected for in-depth, face-to-face interviews.Approximately forty percent (40.3%) of the participants did not engage in physical exercise. While 30.2% smoked only9% abused alcohol. A significant association was found between age and smoking (p

Nonlinear all-X-ray signals that involve large core-atom separation compared to the X-ray wavelengths may not be described by the dipole approximation since they contain additional phase factors. Expressions for the rotationally averaged 2D X-ray photon echo signals from randomly oriented systems that take this position-dependent phase into account for arbitrary ratio between the core separation and the resonant wavelength are presented. Application is made to the Se K-edge of a selenium dipeptide system.

Development of a rapid field test is needed capable of determining if field supplies of water are safe to drink by the warfighter during a military operation. The present study sought to assess the effectiveness of handheld assays (HHAs) in detecting ricin and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) in water. Performance of HHAs was evaluated in formulated tap water with and without chlorine, reverse osmosis water (RO) with chlorine, and RO with bromine. Each matrix was prepared, spiked with ricin or SEB at multiple concentrations, and then loaded onto HHAs. HHAs were allowed to develop and then read visually. Limits of detection (LOD) were determined for all HHAs in each water type. Both ricin and SEB were detected by HHAs in formulated tap water at or below the suggested health effect levels of 455 ng/mL and 4.55 ng/mL, respectively. However, in brominated or chlorinated waters, LODs for SEB increased to approximately 2,500 ng/mL. LODs for ricin increased in chlorinated water, but still remained below the suggested health effect level. In brominated water, the LOD for ricin increased to approximately 2,500 ng/mL. In conclusion, the HHAs tested were less effective at detecting ricin and SEB in disinfected water, as currently configured.

We present deep, high-resolution (0.″03, 200 pc) ALMA Band 7 observations covering the dust continuum and [C ii] λ157.7 μm emission in four z ∼ 4.4–4.8 sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) selected from the ALESS and AS2UDS surveys. The data show that the rest-frame 160 μm (observed 345 GHz) dust emission is consistent with smooth morphologies on kpc scales for three of the sources. One source, UDS 47.0, displays apparent substructure, but this is also consistent with a smooth morphology—as indicated by simulations showing that smooth exponential disks can appear clumpy when observed at the high angular resolution (0.″03) and depth of these observations ( μJy beam−1). The four SMGs are bright [C ii] emitters. We extract [C ii] spectra from the high-resolution data, and recover ∼20%–100% of the [C ii] flux and ∼40%–80% of the dust continuum emission, compared to the previous lower-resolution observations. When tapered to 0.″2 resolution, our maps recover ∼80%–100% of the continuum emission, indicating that ∼60% of the emission is resolved out on ∼200 pc scales. We find that the [C ii] emission in high-redshift galaxies is more spatially extended than the rest-frame 160 μm dust continuum by a factor of 1.6 ± 0.4. By considering the / ratio as a function of the star formation rate surface density (), we revisit the [C ii] deficit and suggest that the decline in the / ratio as a function of is consistent with local processes. We also explore the physical drivers that may be responsible for these trends and can give rise to the properties found in the densest regions of SMGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present ultrahigh spatial resolution (∼20 mas or 150 pc) ALMA observations of the dust continuum at 920 μm and 1.2 mm in two submillimeter sources at z = 3.442, ALMACAL–1 (A–1: ) and ALMACAL–2 (A–2: ). About half of the star formation in each of these sources is dominated by a single compact clump (FWHM size of ∼350 pc). In A–1, two additional fainter clumps are found. The star formation rate (SFR) surface densities of all these clumps are extremely high, to , the highest rates found in high-redshift galaxies. Given their geometry and identical redshifts, there is a possibility that A–1 and A–2 are the lensed images of a single background source that are gravitationally amplified by the blazar host. If this were the case, the effective radius of the dusty galaxy in the source plane would be and the demagnified SFR surface density would be ∼ 10,000 , comparable with the eastern nucleus of Arp 220. Although we cannot rule out an AGN contribution, our results suggest that a significant percentage of the enormous far-IR luminosity in some dusty starbursts is extremely compact. The high in these sources could only be measured thanks to the ultrahigh-resolution ALMA observations used in this work, demonstrating that long-baseline observations are essential to study and interpret the properties of dusty starbursts in the early Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present ≃0.″4 resolution extinction-independent distributions of star formation and dust in 11 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at z = 1.3–3.0. These galaxies are selected from sensitive blank-field surveys of the 2′ × 2′ Hubble Ultra-Deep Field at λ = 5 cm and 1.3 mm using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. They have star formation rates (SFRs), stellar masses, and dust properties representative of massive main-sequence SFGs at z ∼ 2. Morphological classification performed on spatially resolved stellar mass maps indicates a mixture of disk and morphologically disturbed systems; half of the sample harbor X-ray active galactic nuclei (AGNs), thereby representing a diversity of z ∼ 2 SFGs undergoing vigorous mass assembly. We find that their intense star formation most frequently occurs at the location of stellar-mass concentration and extends over an area comparable to their stellar-mass distribution, with a median diameter of 4.2 ± 1.8 kpc. This provides direct evidence of galaxy-wide star formation in distant blank-field-selected main-sequence SFGs. The typical galactic-average SFR surface density is 2.5 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2, sufficiently high to drive outflows. In X-ray-selected AGN where radio emission is enhanced over the level associated with star formation, the radio excess pinpoints the AGNs, which are found to be cospatial with star formation. The median extinction-independent size of main-sequence SFGs is two times larger than those of bright submillimeter galaxies, whose SFRs are 3–8 times larger, providing a constraint on the characteristic SFR (∼300 M⊙ yr−1) above which a significant population of more compact SFGs appears to emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present high-resolution (0.″16) 870 μm Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) imaging of 16 luminous () submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) from the ALESS survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South. This dust imaging traces the dust-obscured star formation in these galaxies on ∼1.3 kpc scales. The emission has a median effective radius of Re = 0.″24 ± 0.″02, corresponding to a typical physical size of 1.8 ± 0.2 kpc. We derive a median Sérsic index of n = 0.9 ± 0.2, implying that the dust emission is remarkably disk-like at the current resolution and sensitivity. We use different weighting schemes with the visibilities to search for clumps on 0.″12 (∼1.0 kpc) scales, but we find no significant evidence for clumping in the majority of cases. Indeed, we demonstrate using simulations that the observed morphologies are generally consistent with smooth exponential disks, suggesting that caution should be exercised when identifying candidate clumps in even moderate signal-to-noise ratio interferometric data. We compare our maps to comparable-resolution Hubble Space Telescope -band images, finding that the stellar morphologies appear significantly more extended and disturbed, and suggesting that major mergers may be responsible for driving the formation of the compact dust disks we observe. The stark contrast between the obscured and unobscured morphologies may also have implications for SED fitting routines that assume the dust is co-located with the optical/near-IR continuum emission. Finally, we discuss the potential of the current bursts of star formation to transform the observed galaxy sizes and light profiles, showing that the descendants of these SMGs are expected to have stellar masses, effective radii, and gas surface densities consistent with the most compact massive ( 1–2 × 1011 ) early-type galaxies observed locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting the sensitivity and spatial resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, we have studied the morphology and the physical scale of the interstellar medium—both gas and dust—in SGP 38326, an unlensed pair of interacting starbursts at z = 4.425. SGP 38326 is the most luminous star bursting system known at z > 4, with a total IR luminosity of LIR ∼ 2.5 × 1013L⊙ and a star formation rate of ∼ 4500 M⊙ yr−1. SGP 38326 also contains a molecular gas reservoir among the most massive yet found in the early universe, and it is the likely progenitor of a massive, red-and-dead elliptical galaxy at z ∼ 3. Probing scales of ∼0.″1 or ∼800 pc we find that the smooth distribution of the continuum emission from cool dust grains contrasts with the more irregular morphology of the gas, as traced by the [C ii] fine structure emission. The gas is also extended over larger physical scales than the dust. The velocity information provided by the resolved [C ii] emission reveals that the dynamics of the two interacting components of SGP 38326 are each compatible with disk-like, ordered rotation, but also reveals an ISM which is turbulent and unstable. Our observations support a scenario where at least a subset of the most distant extreme starbursts are highly dissipative mergers of gas-rich galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have exploited ALMA calibration observations to carry out a novel, wide, and deep submillimeter (submm) survey, almacal. These calibration data comprise a large number of observations of calibrator fields in a variety of frequency bands and array configurations. By gathering together data acquired during multiple visits to many ALMA calibrators, it is possible to reach noise levels which allow the detection of faint, dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) over a significant area. In this paper, we outline our survey strategy and report the first results. We have analyzed data for 69 calibrators, reaching depths of ∼25 μJy beam−1 at sub-arcsec resolution. Adopting a conservative approach based on ≥5σ detections, we have found 8 and 11 DSFGs in ALMA bands 6 and 7, respectively, with flux densities S1.2 mm ≥ 0.2 mJy. The faintest galaxies would have been missed by even the deepest Herschel surveys. Our cumulative number counts have been determined independently at 870 μm and 1.2 mm from a sparse sampling of the astronomical sky, and are thus relatively free of cosmic variance. The counts are lower than reported previously by a factor of at least 2×. Future analyses will yield large, secure samples of DSFGs with redshifts determined via the detection of submm spectral lines. Uniquely, our strategy then allows for morphological studies of very faint DSFGs—representative of more normal star-forming galaxies than conventional submm galaxies—in fields where self-calibration is feasible, yielding milliarcsecond spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]