Nuclear Emission Research Articles

Abstract 14953: Temporal Trends in Non-invasive Diagnostic Tests for Ischemic Heart Disease Among Us Adults Age 64 Years or Younger: Results From the Marketscan Survey, 2010-2018

Introduction: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Ischemic heart disease (IHD) accounts for two thirds of heart disease deaths. Non-invasive cardiovascular tests (NITs) are often the first step to establish an IHD diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed 2010-2018 IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Databases. NITs including exercise ECG, stress echocardiography, CT coronary artery calcification score (CT-CAC), single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT), cardiac CT angiography (CTA), nuclear positron emission tomography/myocardial perfusion imaging (PET/MPI), stress MRI, were identified using current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. IHD using ICD 9/10 codes (410-414, 429.2/I20-I25) and chest pain (786.59/R07.89) or unspecified chest pain (786.50/R07.9) were identified. The 2000 Census population was used to calculate the age standardized prevalence. Results: The data included 20,726,587 individuals (48.1% men, mean age (standard deviation) of 49.1 (13.5) years), among which 67,339 had a diagnosis of IHD or chest pain in 2018. The age standardized prevalence of the overall population that had at least one of the 7 tests is 1.60% in 2018, down from 2.47% in 2010. The responding prevalence for those with IHD or chest pain was 54.3% in 2018 and 61.6% in 2010. Exercise ECG was the most utilized test for the overall population: 0.94% in 2018 down from 1.31% in 2010; SPECT was second most often used with 0.75% in 2018 and 1.24% in 2010. However, SPECT was the most often utilized test among those with CHD or chest pain: 38.2% in 2018, down from 45.0% in 2010, and exercise ECG second most often with 32.6% in 2018 and 34.9% in 2010. An increase in use of CT-CAC, PET/MPI, and CTA tests was observed since 2010, but the prevalence of all were low in 2018. 0.02%. 0.01%, and 0.04% for the overall population and 0.20%, 0.95% and 3.20% for those with IHD or chest pain, respectively. Conclusions: Almost 2% of the general younger US adult population and over half of those with IHD or chest pain had undergone at least one of 7 NITs in 2018. While the utilization of overall NITs for both the general population and those with IHD or chest pain has declined since 2010, it has increased for CT-CAC, PET/MPI, and CTA but still less than 1% for CT-CAC and PET/MPI..

Soft gamma-ray selected giant radio galaxies: an update

ABSTRACT We present an update on the sample of soft gamma-ray selected giant radio galaxies (GRGs) extracted from INTEGRAL/IBIS and Swift/BAT surveys; it includes eight new sources and one candidate object. In the new sample, all but one source display FR II radio morphologies; the only exception is B21144+35B, which is an FR I. The objects belong to both type 1 and type 2 active galactic nucleus (AGN) optical classes and have redshifts in the range 0.06–0.35, while the radio sizes span from 0.7 to 1 Mpc. In this study, we present for the first time two objects that were never discussed as GRGs before and propose a new candidate GRG. We confirm the correlation between the X-ray luminosity and the radio core luminosity found for other soft gamma-ray selected GRGs and expected for AGNs powered by efficient accretion. We also corroborate previous results that indicate that the luminosity of the radio lobes is relatively low compared with the nuclear X-ray emission. This supports the idea that the nucleus of these GRGs is now more powerful than in the past, consistent with a restarting activity scenario.

Petrophysical properties difference of organic-rich and organic-poor shale reservoir using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance experiment in the Sangzhi block, South China

The petrophysical properties of rocks have an important influence on shale quality. To characterize the difference of petrophysical properties between organic-rich and organic-poor shale reservoirs, we used the low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique and field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis after argon-ion polishing or natural section to measure porosity and permeability from six core samples from well SY6 in the Sangzhi block, Northwest Hunan province. Some information about pore types, pore structure, residual porosity, movable porosity, and permeability based on the T2 spectrums’ difference of organic-rich and organic-poor shale samples were discussed. The shale sample test results show that the main pores size is mesopore, which provide most of shale gas reservoir space. The continuous peaks demonstrated the pores’ connectivity better than the isolated peaks, and shale gas can migrate freely between these connected pores and fractures. The permeability of all samples calculated by the classic Coates model is extremely low, which is not conducive to the migration of shale gas. We evaluated the dominating factors of NMR porosity and permeability and found that the relationships between NMR porosity and permeability and total organic carbon content, quartz minerals, and clay minerals are not clear, which may be a comprehensive influence. The research results have important guiding significance for shale reservoir quality evaluation in this area.

S2584 A Rare Case of Primary Hepatic Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

INTRODUCTION: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is a common highly malignant type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that develops in the lymph nodes. Primary hepatic diffuse large B cell lymphoma (PHDLBCL), which accounts for 0.016% of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, is a rare clinical condition that is confined to the liver only without the involvement of any other organ. In this case, we describe a young female who presented with abdominal pain and was diagnosed with PHDLBCL after extensive workup. CASE DESCRIPTION/METHODS: A 31 year-old African American female with history of smoking and human immunodeficiency virus presented with three weeks of nausea, vomiting, and persistent right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain. She denied any other systemic symptoms, sick contacts, or recent travel. On exam, the RUQ of her abdomen was tender to palpation. Labs were remarkable for hemoglobin of 6.9 g/dL, transaminases of AST 51 U/L, ALT 13 U/L, and alkaline phosphatase of 247. LDH was 1405 U/L and haptoglobin 272 mg/dL. CMV, EBV, HSV1, and HSV2 IgG serologies were all positive. Abdominal ultrasound demonstrated hepatomegaly with numerous “target shaped lesions” with the largest measuring 7.7 cm in the right hepatic lobe. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen with contrast showed multiple thick-walled liver lesions. Nuclear medicine positron emission tomography scan performed showed numerous intensely FDG avid hepatic lesions with some demonstrating central necrosis, osseous lesions in axial and appendicular skeleton, and mildly enlarged thoracoabdominal lymph nodes. Liver biopsy revealed sheets of high-grade malignant lymphocytes, consistent with high grade B cell lymphoma, germinal center subtype. These cells stained positive for CD 20, pax 5, CD 10, Ki-67 and BCL-6. P53 staining was also diffusely strong and positive. She was initiated on etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin with concomitant administration of antiretroviral therapy. Rituximab was held given her low CD4 count. DISCUSSION: PHDLBCL is an extremely rare malignancy found in clinical practice and particularly occur in patients with underlying immunosuppression. It is very important to consider this disease and other infiltrative processes in the differential diagnosis of RUQ abdominal pain and abnormal liver function tests with unclear etiology. In these cases, early liver biopsy should be pursued. The overall prognosis of primary hepatic lymphomas remains poor and early recognition of this disease may improve the prognosis.Figure 1.: MR Abdomen with IV contrast demonstrating multiple intra-hepatic thick-walled liver lesions.Figure 2.: NM PET CT revealing intensely FDG avid numerous hepatic lesions with some demonstrating central necrosis.Figure 3.: Liver biopsy demonstrating the normal liver parenchyma being completely replaced by sheets of malignant lymphocytes.

National survey to set diagnostic reference levels in nuclear medicine single photon emission imaging in Croatia.

In order to introduce the concept of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in the national nuclear medicine practice a survey was proposed and completed through all nuclear medicine departments in Croatia. An additional aim was to increase the awareness of importance and full implementation of a comprehensive quality program that includes devices used in the nuclear medicine chain. Data were collected for more than 30 nuclear medicine single photon emission procedures. National DRLs (NDRLs) as administered activity and also as administered activity per unit mass were calculated in accordance to International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations. Additionally, effective doses were estimated using conversion factors published by the ICRP. NDRLs for nuclear medicine single photon emission procedures were proposed. For procedures performed in only one department typical values were presented as reference. Effective doses related to applied radiopharmaceuticals were calculated to estimate radiation risk related to respective nuclear medicine procedure in more detail. This work presents results of the first national survey on DRLs of nuclear medicine single photon emission procedures and proposes reliable NDRLs that represent an actual status of nuclear medicine practice in Croatia. Results have motivated departments to introduce and set their own typical values to be used, as one of the tools, for further optimization process. One of the drawbacks of the DRL concept in nuclear medicine is the lack of the image quality parameters involved. For this reason, a quantity that considers both radiation protection and image quality should be introduced.

PET and SPECT Imaging of Brain Tumors

Neuroimaging plays a vital role in the diagnosis and post-treatment assessment of brain tumors, aiding in treatment optimization, prognostication, and patient management. New clinical treatments have resulted in increased complexity of imaging interpretation, thus integrating complementary information from multiple imaging modalities (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine) contributes to a thorough and more accurate evaluation. In review, we discuss current strategies of brain tumor imaging, specifically detailing the role of nuclear medicine single-photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography with utilization of both common and uncommon radiotracers in tumor grading, diagnosis, and treatment response.

ALMA resolves the remarkable molecular jet and rotating wind in the extremely radio-quiet galaxy NGC 1377

Submillimetre and millimetre line and continuum observations are important in probing the morphology, column density, and dynamics of the molecular gas and dust around obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and their mechanical feedback. With very high-resolution (0.​​″02 × 0.​​″03 (2 × 3 pc)) ALMA 345 GHz observations of CO 3–2, HCO+ 4–3, vibrationally excited HCN 4–3 ν2 = 1f, and continuum we have studied the remarkable, extremely radio-quiet, molecular jet and wind of the lenticular galaxy NGC 1377. The outflow structure is resolved, revealing a 150 pc long, clumpy, high-velocity (∼600 km s−1), collimated molecular jet where the molecular emission is emerging from the spine of the jet with an average diameter of 3–7 pc. The jet widens to 10–15 pc about 25 pc from the centre, which is possibly due to jet-wind interactions. A narrow-angle (50°–70°), misaligned and rotating molecular wind surrounds the jet, and both are enveloped by a larger-scale CO-emitting structure at near-systemic velocity. The jet and narrow wind have steep radial gas excitation gradients and appear turbulent with high gas dispersion (σ > 40 km s−1). The jet shows velocity reversals that we propose are caused by precession, or more episodic directional changes. We discuss the mechanisms powering the outflow, and we find that an important process for the molecular jet and narrow wind is likely magneto-centrifugal driving. In contrast, the large-scale CO-envelope may be a slow wind, or cocoon that stems from jet-wind interactions. An asymmetric, nuclear r ∼ 2 pc dust structure with a high inferred molecular column density N(H2) ≃1.8 × 1024 cm−2 is detected in continuum and also shows compact emission from vibrationally excited HCN. The nuclear dust emission is hot (Td > 180 K) and its luminosity is likely powered by a buried AGN. The lopsided structure appears to be a warped disk, which is responsible for a significant part of the nuclear obscuration and possibly formed as a result of uneven gas inflows. The dynamical mass inside r = 1.4 pc is estimated to 9−3+2 × 106 M⊙, implying that the supermassive black hole (SMBH) has a high mass with respect to the stellar velocity dispersion of NGC 1377. We suggest that the SMBH of NGC 1377 is currently in a state of moderate growth, at the end of a more intense phase of accretion and also evolving from a state of more extreme nuclear obscuration. The nuclear growth may be fuelled by low-angular momentum gas inflowing from the gas ejected in the molecular jet and wind. Such a feedback-loop of cyclic outflows and central accretion could explain why there is still a significant reservoir of molecular gas in this ageing, lenticular galaxy. A feedback-loop would be an effective process in growing the nuclear SMBH and thus would constitute an important phase in the evolution of NGC 1377. This also invites new questions as to SMBH growth processes in obscured, dusty galaxies.

The Effect of Bars on the Ionized ISM: Optical Emission Lines from Milky Way Analogs

Abstract Gas interior to the bar of the Milky Way has recently been shown to be the closest example of a low-ionization (nuclear) emission region (LI(N)ER) in the universe. To better understand the nature of this gas, a sample of face-on galaxies with integral field spectroscopy is used to study the ionized gas conditions of 240 barred and 250 nonbarred galaxies, focusing on those that are most similar to the Milky Way. Strong optical line emission of [N ii] λ6584, Hα, [O iii] λ5007, and Hβ are used to diagnose the dominant ionization mechanisms of gas across galaxies and the Galaxy via Baldwin–Phillips–Terlevich diagrams. Barred galaxies show a strong suppression of star formation and an increase in composite and LI(N)ER-like spectra in their inner regions when compared with similar nonbarred counterparts. This effect is lessened in galaxies of very low ( ) or very high ( ) total stellar mass. Bar masks from Galaxy Zoo:3D show the bar’s nonaxisymmetric effect on the ionized gas and help predict the face-on distribution of ionized gas conditions near the bar of the Milky Way.

Discovery of diffuse optical emission lines from the inner Galaxy: Evidence for LI(N)ER-like gas.

Optical emission lines are used to categorize galaxies into three groups according to their dominant central radiation source: active galactic nuclei, star formation, or low-ionization (nuclear) emission regions [LI(N)ERs] that may trace ionizing radiation from older stellar populations. Using the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper, we detect optical line emission in low-extinction windows within eight degrees of Galactic Center. The emission is associated with the 1.5-kiloparsec-radius "Tilted Disk" of neutral gas. We modify a model of this disk and find that the hydrogen gas observed is at least 48% ionized. The ratio [NII] λ6584 angstroms/Hα λ6563 angstroms increases from 0.3 to 2.5 with Galactocentric radius; [OIII] λ5007 angstroms and Hβ λ4861 angstroms are also sometimes detected. The line ratios for most Tilted Disk sightlines are characteristic of LI(N)ER galaxies.

Circumnuclear regions of different BPT types in star-forming MaNGA galaxies: AGN detectability

We consider the circumnuclear regions of star-forming MaNGA galaxies. The spaxels spectra are classified as active-galactic-nucleus-like (AGN-like), H II-region-like (or SF-like), and intermediate (INT) spectra according to their positions on the Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich (BPT) diagram. There are the following four configurations of the radiation distributions in the circumnuclear regions in (massive) galaxies: (1) AGN+INT, the innermost region of the AGN-like radiation is surrounded by a ring of radiation of the intermediate type; (2) INT, the central area of radiation of the intermediate type; (3) SF+INT, the inner region of the H II-region-like radiation is surrounded by a ring of radiation of the intermediate type; and (4) SF, the central area of the H II-region-like radiation only. The low ionization nuclear emission line regions (LINERs) of configurations 1 and 2 are examined. The spaxel spectra of the LINERs form a sequences on the BPT diagram, that is, they lie along the known AGN-SF mixing line trajectories. The diagnostic line ratios of the spaxels spectra change smoothly with radius, from AGN-like (or INT) line ratios at the galactic center to H II-region-like at larger galactocentric distances. This is in agreement with the paradigm that the LINERs are excited by AGN activity. We found that the AGN and INT radiation in the circumnuclear region is accompanied by an enhanced gas velocity dispersionσgas. The radius of the area of the AGN and INT radiation is similar to the radius of the area with enhancedσgas, and the centralσgas, ccorrelates with the luminosity of the AGN+INT area. We assume that the gas velocity dispersion can serve as an indicator of the AGN activity. An appreciable enhancement ofσgas, cwas also measured in the SF-type centers of massive galaxies. The values ofσgas, cfor the SF-type centers partly overlap with those of the AGN-type centers. This suggests that the manifestation of the circumnuclear region as AGN or as SF on the BPT diagram depends not only on the value ofσgas, c(the level of the AGN activity) but it is also governed by an additional parameter(s). We find that there is a demarcation line between the positions of the AGN-type and SF-type objects on the central gas velocity dispersion – central Hαsurface brightness diagram, in the sense that an object with a given value ofσgas, cis an AGN-type only if the central Hαsurface brightness is lower than some value.

Characteristics of high-rank coal structure parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane via NMR and X-ray CT

Pores and fractures and their connectivity play a significant role in coalbed methane production. To investigate the growth characteristics and connectivity of pores and fractures in coal parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane, the pores and fractures of high-rank coal samples collected from the southern Qinshui Basin were measured by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray-computed tomography and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Then, the determinants of their connectivity were further discussed. The results show that the high-rank coal samples have similar pore size distributions both parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane. They primarily contain mesopores (2–50 nm in width), followed by macrospores (> 50 nm in width). The research indicated that the high-rank coal connectivity parallel to the bedding plane is significantly better than that perpendicular to the bedding plane. The connectivity of high-rank coal is mainly determined by throats, and the orientation of the pores and fractures. The two connectivity modes in high-rank coal are “pore connectivity,” in which the throats are mainly pores with a low coordination number, and “microfissure connectivity”, in which the throats are mainly microfissures with a high coordination number.

Resolving the Nuclear Radio Emission from M32 with the Very Large Array

Abstract The Local Group dwarf elliptical galaxy M32 hosts one of the nearest and most under-luminous supermassive black holes (SMBHs) ever known, offering a rare opportunity to study the physics of accreting SMBHs at the most quiescent state. Recent Very Large Array (VLA) observations detected a radio source at the nucleus of M32, which was suggested to be the radio counterpart of the SMBH. To further investigate the radio properties of this nuclear source, we have conducted follow-up, high-resolution VLA observations in four epochs between 2015 and 2017, each with dual frequencies. At 6 GHz, the nuclear source is resolved under an angular resolution of ∼0.″4, exhibiting a coreless, slightly lopsided morphology with a detectable extent of ∼2.″5 (∼10 pc). No significant variability can be found among the four epochs. At 15 GHz, no significant emission can be detected within the same region, pointing to a steep intrinsic radio spectrum (with a 3σ upper limit of −1.46 for the spectral index). We discuss possible scenarios for the nature of this nuclear radio source and conclude that a stellar origin, in particular, planetary nebulae, X-ray binaries, supernova remnants, or diffuse ionized gas powered by massive stars, can be ruled out. Instead, the observed radio properties can be explained by synchrotron radiation from a hypothetical wind driven by the weakly accreting SMBH.

Study on Influencing Factors of Microscopic Occurrence of Tight Oil in Nanoscale Pore Throat.

Tight oil is widely distributed around the world, and industrialized exploitation has been developed and applied in North America, greatly alleviating the contradiction between supply and demand of energy. The main storage space of tight oil reservoirs is micro-nano pores, and a reliable method for studying the occurrence of tight oil in micro-nano pores has not been studied. In this paper, the microscopic occurrence of tight oils in the Songliao Basin, Ordos Basin, and Tarim Basin in China are studied in combination with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) scanning techniques. A method for characterizing the storage space, occurrence state, and influencing factors of tight oil based on SEM and NMR was proposed. The results show that the storage space of tight oil reservoirs is nanoscale cracks and pores. Mainly, these are distributed on the scale of less than 1 μm and more than 10 μm, the volume of porecracks is less than 1 μm, which account for more than 80% of the total volume. This indicates that the tight oil mainly exists in the nanoscale pore throat. The scattered distribution of crude oil in the black shape of oil spot is mainly in the micro-nano pores, and the crude oil content in the micro-cracks is small, indicating that nanoscale cracks are the main space for the occurrence of tight oil. However, some micro-cracks can penetrate oil spots or oil stains, and can connect the oil spots with scattered distribution, which will greatly improve the mobility of crude oil. In addition, oil spot accumulation areas often develop illite and illite/smectite mixed-layer, and clay minerals have developed nanoscale pores. The crude oil and clay minerals have certain associated characteristics. This study is of great significance for understanding the law of the occurrence and migration of tight oil and the basic theoretical research and technological innovation of the development of tight oil reservoir.

Optical spectroscopy of type 2 LINERs

Context. Type 2 Low-ionization Nuclear Emission-line Regions (LINERs) have been optically classified with the Palomar data as not presenting a broad component in the Balmer emission lines that are associated with the broad-line region (BLR) of the active galactic nuclei (AGN). Aims. We aim to unveil the presence of different kinematic components of emission lines in the nuclear region of a sample of local (z ≤ 0.022) type 2 LINERs. We focus on the analysis of the true nature of LINERs by means of the detection (or nondetection) of a broad component that originated in the BLR of the AGN. Additionally, we search for the possible presence of nonrotational motions such as outflows in these LINERs. Methods. We applied a decomposition of the nuclear emission lines using an spectroscopic analysis of the optical spectra of nine type 2 LINERs of intermediate-resolution spectroscopic data retrieved from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive. The study is completed with archival spectra from the Double Spectrograph from the Palomar Observatory. Results. The emission line fitting reveals the presence of a broad component associated with the BLR in six out of the nine galaxies for the space-based data, and for two out of the eight from the ground-based spectra. The velocity dispersion for two galaxies (NGC 4486 and NGC 4594) measured in HST/STIS data suggest the presence of outflows. Conclusions. The results indicate that the spatial resolution plays a major role in the detection of the BLR, as it appears diluted in the ground-based data (even after removing stellar contribution). This is also true for the emission line diagnostics, as the contaminant light contributes to lower emission line ratios toward the star-forming area of standard BPTs. We propose to reclassify NGC 4594 as a type 1 LINER, since a BLR component is seen in both space- and ground-based spectra. We find ambiguous results for the BLR component of NGC 4486. The modest outflow detection in our sample may indicate that they are not as frequent as seen for type 1 LINERs.

Unveiling the monster heart: unbeamed properties of blazar 4C 71.07

ABSTRACT 4C 71.07 is a high-redshift blazar whose optical radiation is dominated by quasar-like nuclear emission. We here present the results of a spectroscopic monitoring of the source to study its unbeamed properties. We obtained 24 optical spectra at the Nordic Optical Telescope and William Herschel Telescope and 3 near-infrared spectra at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. They show no evidence of narrow emission lines. The estimate of the systemic redshift from the Hβ and Hα broad emission lines leads to zsys = 2.2130 ± 0.0004. Notwithstanding the nearly face-on orientation of the accretion disc, the high-ionization emission lines present large broadening as well as noticeable blueshifts, which increase with the ionizing energy of the corresponding species. This is a clear indication of strong ionized outflows. Line broadening and blueshift appear correlated. We applied scaling relationships to estimate the mass of the supermassive black hole from the Balmer and C iv lines, taking into account the prescriptions to correct for outflow. They give $M_{\rm BH} \sim 2 \times 10^9 \, M_\odot$. We derived an Eddington luminosity $L_{\rm Edd} \sim 2.5 \times 10^{47} \rm \, erg \, s^{-1}$ ∼ Ldisc, and a broad-line region (BLR) luminosity of $L_{\rm BLR} \sim 1.5 \times 10^{46} \rm \, erg \, s^{-1}$. The line fluxes do not show significant variability in time. In particular, there is no line reaction to the jet flaring activity detected in 2015 October and November. This implies that the jet gives no contribution to the photoionization of the BLR in the considered period.

Gamma-ray observations of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei

ABSTRACT The majority of the activity around nearby (z ≈ 0) supermassive black holes is found in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGN), the most of them being classified as low-ionization nuclear emission regions. Although these sources are well studied from radio up to X-rays, they are poorly understood in γ-rays. In this work, we take advantage of the all sky-surveying capabilities of the Large Area Telescope on board Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to study the whole Palomar sample of LLAGN in γ-rays. Precisely, the four radio-brightest LLAGN in the sample are identified as significant γ-ray emitters, all of which are recognized as powerful Fanaroff–Riley I galaxies. These results suggest that the presence of powerful radio jets is of substantial importance for observing a significant γ-ray counterpart even if these jets are misaligned with respect to the line of sight. We also find that most of the X-ray-brightest LLAGN do not have a significant γ-ray and strong radio emission, suggesting that the X-rays come mainly from the accretion flow in these cases. A detailed analysis of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of NGC 315 and NGC 4261, both detected in γ-rays, is provided where we make a detailed comparison between the predicted hadronic γ-ray emission from a radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) and the γ-ray emission from a leptonic jet-dominated synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model. Both SEDs are better described by the SSC model, while the RIAF fails to explain the γ-ray observations.

Surprisingly Strong K-band Emission Found in Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei

Abstract We examine the near-infrared (NIR) emission from low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). Our galaxy sample includes 15 objects with detected 2–10 keV X-ray emission, dynamical black hole mass estimates from the literature, and available Gemini/NIFS integral field spectroscopy data. We find evidence for red continuum components at the center of most galaxies, consistent with the hot dust emission seen in higher-luminosity AGNs. We decompose the spectral data cubes into a stellar and continuum component, assuming the continuum component comes from thermal emission from hot dust. We detect nuclear thermal emission in 14 out of 15 objects. This emission causes weaker CO absorption lines and redder continuum (2.05–2.28 μm) in our K-band data, as expected from hot dust around an AGN. The NIR emission is clearly correlated with the 2–10 keV X-ray flux, with a Spearman coefficient of r spearman = 0.69 suggesting a >99% significance of correlation, providing further evidence of an AGN origin. Our sample has typical X-ray and NIR fluxes 3–4 orders of magnitude less luminous than previous work studying the NIR emission from AGNs. We find that the ratio of NIR to X-ray emission increases toward lower Eddington ratios. The NIR emission in our sample is often brighter than the X-ray emission, with our K-band AGN luminosities comparable to or greater than the 2–10 keV X-ray luminosities in all objects with Eddington ratios below 0.01%. The nature of this LLAGN NIR emission remains unclear, with one possibility being an increased contribution from jet emission at these low luminosities. These observations suggest the James Webb Space Telescope will be a useful tool for detecting the lowest-luminosity AGNs.

Te-REX: a sample of extragalactic TeV-emitting candidates

ABSTRACT The REX (Radio-Emitting X-ray sources) is a catalogue produced by cross-matching X-ray data from the ROSAT-PSPC archive of pointed observations and radio data from the NRAO VLA Sky Survey, aimed at the selection of blazars. From the REX catalogue, we select a well-defined and statistically complete sample of high-energy peaked BL Lac (HBL). HBL are expected to be the most numerous class of extragalactic TeV-emitting sources. Specifically, we have considered only the REX sources in the currently planned CTA extragalactic survey area satisfying specific criteria and with an optical spectroscopic confirmation. We obtain 46 HBL candidates that we called Te-REX (TeV-emitting REX). We estimate the very high-energy gamma-ray emission, in the TeV domain, using an empirical approach i.e. using specific statistical relations between gamma-rays (at GeV energies) and radio/X-rays properties observed in bright HBL from the literature. We compare the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with the sensitivities of current and upcoming Cherenkov telescopes and we predict that 14 Te-REX could be detectable with 50 h of observations of CTA and 7 of them also with current Cherenkov facilities in 50 h. By extrapolating these numbers on the total extragalactic sky, we predict that about 800 HBL could be visible in pointed CTA observations and ∼400 with current Cherenkov telescopes in 50 h. Interestingly, our predictions show that a non-negligible fraction (∼30 per cent) of the HBL that will be detectable by CTA is composed of relatively weak objects whose optical nuclear emission is swamped by the host-galaxy light and not (yet) detected by Fermi-LAT.

Traveling frames: How corporate and civil society actors try to influence public administration and courts in a case on nuclear emission data in Switzerland

This paper focuses on the framing strategies lobbyists apply to influence public policy in a case on nuclear emission data in Switzerland. Framing analysis is at the heart of communication science and has been applied in lobbying settings, but framing theory has not yet been fine‐tuned to the specificities of public affairs research. This qualitative case study gives insights into the dominant frames seven actors ranging from corporations to nongovernmental organizations to public institutions employ to defend a legal court case in the nuclear power industry. The results of the document analysis and the interviews show that frames travel among diverse actors and only some are picked up by the courts, at times stating a position opposite to the one initially intended by the frame sponsor. A public affairs‐specific integrated process model of framing is presented that views the media in the role of a moderator in the framing process and pronounces the lobbying organizations' strategic goals, the different stakeholders as target audiences, and the outcomes of the public affairs process.

Smart operator for the human liver automatic segmentation, present in medical images

The segmentation of the human body organ called liver is a highly challenging problem due to the noise, artifacts and the low contrast exhibited by the anatomical structures located around the liver and that are present in digital images, generated by any modality of medical images. The main modalities are: ultrasound, nuclear emission, magnetic resonance and the gold standard called multi-slice computed tomography. In this paper, with the objective of to address this problem, we consider multi-slice computed tomography images and we propose an automatic strategy based on two phases. In the first phase, a digital filtering bank is used for diminishing the noise effect and the artifacts impact in the quality of images. In the second phase, called liver detection, we use a smart operator based on least squares support vector machines for generating both the morphology and the volume of liver. The application of this strategy allows generating the morphology of the liver in a precise and efficient manner as it was demonstrated by the metrics used to assess its performance. These results are very important in clinical-surgical processes where both the shape and volume of liver are vital for monitoring some liver diseases that can affect the normal liver physiology.