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We present the results of commissioning observations for a new digital beamforming back end for the Focal plane L-band Array for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (FLAG), a cryogenically cooled Phased Array Feed (PAF) with the lowest measured T_sys/eta of any PAF outfitted on a radio telescope to date. We describe the custom software used to apply beamforming weights to the raw element covariances to create research quality spectral line images for the new fine-channel mode, study the stability of the beam weights over time, characterize FLAG's sensitivity over a frequency range of 150 MHz, and compare the measured noise properties and observed distribution of neutral hydrogen emission from several extragalactic and Galactic sources with data obtained with the current single-pixel L-band receiver. These commissioning runs establish FLAG as the preeminent PAF receiver currently available for spectral line observations on the world's major radio telescopes.

A new 1.4 GHz 19-element, dual-polarization, cryogenic phased array feed (PAF) radio astronomy receiver has been developed for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) as part of FLAG (Focal L-band Array for the GBT) project. Commissioning observations of calibrator radio sources show that this receiver has the lowest reported beamformed system temperature (\\(T_{\\rm sys}\\)) normalized by aperture efficiency (\\(\\eta\\)) of any phased array receiver to date. The measured \\(T_{\\rm sys}/\\eta\\) is \\(25.4 \\pm 2.5\\) K near 1350 MHz for the boresight beam, which is comparable to the performance of the current 1.4 GHz cryogenic single feed receiver on the GBT. The degradation in \\(T_{\\rm sys}/\\eta\\) at \\(\\sim\\) 4 arcmin (required for Nyquist sampling) and \\(\\sim\\) 8 arcmin offsets from the boresight is, respectively, \\(\\sim\\) 1\\% and \\(\\sim\\) 20\\% of the boresight value. The survey speed of the PAF with seven formed beams is larger by a factor between 2.1 and 7 compared to a single beam system depending on the observing application. The measured performance, both in frequency and offset from boresight, qualitatively agree with predictions from a rigorous electromagnetic model of the PAF. The astronomical utility of the receiver is demonstrated by observations of the pulsar B0329+54 and an extended HII region, the Rosette Nebula. The enhanced survey speed with the new PAF receiver will enable the GBT to carry out exciting new science, such as more efficient observations of diffuse, extended neutral hydrogen emission from galactic in-flows and searches for Fast Radio Bursts.

We describe system verification tests and early science results from the pulsar processor (PTUSE) developed for the newly-commissioned 64-dish SARAO MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. MeerKAT is a high-gain (~2.8 K/Jy) low-system temperature (~18 K at 20cm) radio array that currently operates from 580-1670 MHz and can produce tied-array beams suitable for pulsar observations. This paper presents results from the MeerTime Large Survey Project and commissioning tests with PTUSE. Highlights include observations of the double pulsar J0737-3039A, pulse profiles from 34 millisecond pulsars from a single 2.5h observation of the Globular cluster Terzan 5, the rotation measure of Ter5O, a 420-sigma giant pulse from the Large Magellanic Cloud pulsar PSR J0540-6919, and nulling identified in the slow pulsar PSR J0633-2015. One of the key design specifications for MeerKAT was absolute timing errors of less than 5 ns using their novel precise time system. Our timing of two bright millisecond pulsars confirm that MeerKAT delivers exceptional timing. PSR J2241-5236 exhibits a jitter limit of <4 ns per hour whilst timing of PSR J1909-3744 over almost 11 months yields an rms residual of 66 ns with only 4 min integrations. Our results confirm that the MeerKAT is an exceptional pulsar telescope. The array can be split into four separate sub-arrays to time over 1000 pulsars per day and the future deployment of S-band (1750-3500 MHz) receivers will further enhance its capabilities.

New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.

In this paper, we describe the development of a new L-band (1.4 GHz) Cryogenic Phased Array Feed (PAF) system, referred to as the GBT2 array. Results from initial measurements made with the GBT2 array are also presented. The PAF was developed for the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) as part of the Focal L-band Array for the GBT (FLAG) project. During the first stage of the development work (Phase I), a prototype cryogenic 19 element dual-polarized array with \"Kite\" dipole elements was developed and tested on the GBT. The measured system temperature over efficiency (\\(T_{sys}/\\eta\\)) ratio for the bore sight beam of the Kite array was 45.5 K at 1.55 GHz. The off-boresight \\(T_{sys}/\\eta\\) shows an increase by 13 K at an offset equal to the half power beam width (7\\(^{'}\\).2 at 1.7 GHz). Our measurements indicate that the off-boresight degradation and field-of-view (FoV) limitation of the Kite array is simply due to the fixed array size. To increase the FoV, a new 19-element GBT2 array with larger array spacing was developed during FLAG Phase II. The frequency response of the array was optimized from 1.2 to 1.6 GHz. A system with larger cryostat, new low noise amplifiers (LNAs), down-conversion and digitization close to the front end, unformatted digital transmission over fiber, ROACH II based polyphase filter banks (PFBs) with bandwidth 150 MHz and a data acquisition system that records voltage samples from one of the PFB channels were all developed. The data presented here is processed off-line. The receiver temperature measured with the new system is 17 K at 1.4 GHz, an improvement \\(>\\) 8 K over the previous Kite array. Measurements with the GBT2 array on the telescope are in progress. A real time 150 MHz beamformer is also being developed as part of an NSF-funded collaboration between NRAO/GBO/BYU \\& West Virginia University (Beamformer Project) to support science observations.

IntroductionPatients with hematological malignancies are at high risk of infections due to both the disease and the associated treatments. The use of immunoglobulin (Ig) to prevent infections is increasing in this population, but its cost effectiveness is unknown. This trial-based economic evaluation aimed to compare the cost effectiveness of prophylactic Ig with prophylactic antibiotics in patients with hematological malignancies.MethodsThe economic evaluation used individual patient data from the RATIONAL feasibility trial, which randomly assigned 63 adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, or lymphoma to prophylactic Ig or prophylactic antibiotics. The following two analyses were conducted to estimate the cost effectiveness of the two treatments over the 12-month trial period from the perspective of the Australian health system:(i) a cost-utility analysis (CUA) to assess the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained using data collected with the EuroQol 5D-5L questionnaire; and(ii) a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) to assess the incremental cost per serious infection prevented (grade ≥3) and per infection prevented (any grade).ResultsThe total cost per patient was significantly higher in the Ig arm than in the antibiotic arm (difference AUD29,140 [USD19,000]). There were non-significant differences in health outcomes between the treatment arms: patients treated with Ig had fewer QALYs (difference −0.072) and serious infections (difference −0.26) than those given antibiotics, but more overall infections (difference 0.76). The incremental cost-effectiveness from the CUA indicated that Ig was more costly than antibiotics and associated with fewer QALYs. In the CEA, Ig costed an additional AUD111,262 (USD73,000) per serious infection prevented, but it was more costly than antibiotics and associated with more infections when all infections were included.ConclusionsThese results indicate that, on average, Ig prophylactic treatment may not be cost effective compared with prophylactic antibiotics for the group of patients with hematological malignancies recruited to the RATIONAL feasibility trial. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in a larger population and over the longer term.

Applications of three-dimensional printing (3DP) to sand casting have been well-established in the last two decades. The preferred raw material is silica (quartz) sand, as it is the most readily available and cost effective sand. However, silica sand as a refractory material has some technical limitations, including high thermal linear expansion, low refractoriness, and thermal conductivity. Therefore, it is not suitable for all castings. Other refractory sand types are available, including chromite sand, which is abundantly available in South Africa. Analysis of the physical and chemical properties of in-laboratory coating of a locally available chromite sand was conducted through known metal foundry tests that provide an understanding of the quality and suitability of the use of chromite sand as a potential substitute for silica material for rapid sand-casting applications. The results of this study will inform the industry about the optimisation of parameters for the manufacturing of a resin-coated chromite sand and its use in additive manufacturing using a Voxeljet VX 1000 printer.

A bstract Charged lepton flavor violation is forbidden in the Standard Model but possible in several new physics scenarios. In many of these models, the radiative decays τ ± → ℓ ± γ ( ℓ = e, μ ) are predicted to have a sizeable probability, making them particularly interesting channels to search at various experiments. An updated search via τ ± → ℓ ± γ using full data of the Belle experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 988 fb − 1 , is reported for charged lepton flavor violation. No significant excess over background predictions from the Standard Model is observed, and the upper limits on the branching fractions, B ( τ ± → μ ± γ ) ≤ 4 . 2 × 10 − 8 and B ( τ ± → e ± γ ) ≤ 5 . 6 × 10 − 8 , are set at 90% confidence level.

Pneumococcal disease outbreaks of vaccine preventable serotype 4 sequence type (ST)801 in shipyards have been reported in several countries. We aimed to use genomics to establish any international links between them. Sequence data from ST801-related outbreak isolates from Norway (n = 17), Finland (n = 11) and Northern Ireland (n = 2) were combined with invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance from the respective countries, and ST801-related genomes from an international collection (n = 41 of > 40,000), totalling 106 genomes. Raw data were mapped and recombination excluded before phylogenetic dating. Outbreak isolates were relatively diverse, with up to 100 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and a common ancestor estimated around the year 2000. However, 19 Norwegian and Finnish isolates were nearly indistinguishable (0–2 SNPs) with the common ancestor dated around 2017. The total diversity of ST801 within the outbreaks could not be explained by recent transmission alone, suggesting that harsh environmental and associated living conditions reported in the shipyards may facilitate invasion of colonising pneumococci. However, near identical strains in the Norwegian and Finnish outbreaks does suggest that transmission between international shipyards also contributed to those outbreaks. This indicates the need for improved preventative measures in this working population including pneumococcal vaccination.

The organochlorine pesticide, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), is still used to combat the spread of malaria in several developing countries despite its accumulation and known hepatotoxic effects that have been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is a recognized hepatoprotective agent that has been reported to reduce hepatotoxicity initiated by many different compounds. The aim of this study was to determine whether NAC could counter in vitro hepatocyte injury induced by DDT or its two major metabolites, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane. HepG2 cell cultures were used to assess the following parameters of toxicity: cellular viability, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential and initiation of apoptosis. None of the three test compounds induced ROS generation, yet exposure to any of the three compounds produced mitochondrial hyperpolarization, which was countered by NAC pretreatment. All three test compounds also induced apoptotic cell death, which was inhibited by NAC. Despite NAC counteracting some adverse intracellular changes due to organochlorine exposure, it appeared to aggravate the cytotoxic effects of the organochlorine compounds at low test concentrations. As the same outcome may also occur in vivo, results from the present study raise concern about the use of NAC as treatment for DDT-induced hepatotoxicity.