Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2–4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimised to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high-circulating laser power, quantum squeezing, and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above 1 kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year and potentially allow for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) represent a significant antibiotic resistance threat, in part because carbapenemase genes can spread on mobile genetic elements. Here, we describe the molecular epidemiology and outcomes of patients with CRE bacteriuria from the same city in a nonoutbreak setting. Methods: The Georgia Emerging Infections Program performs active, population-based CRE surveillance in Atlanta. We studied a cohort of patients with CRE (resistant to all tested third-generation cephalosporins and ≥1 carbapenem, excluding ertapenem) first identified in urine, and not in a prior or simultaneous sterile site, between 2012 and 2015. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on a convenience sample. We obtained epidemiologic and outcome data through chart review and Georgia Vital Statistics records (90-day mortality). Using WGS, we created a core-genome alignment-based phylogenetic tree of the Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and calculated the SNP difference between each sample. Using SAS version 9.4 software, we performed the Fisher exact test and univariable odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI to compare patient isolates with and without a carbapenemase gene. Results: Among 81 patients included, the median age was 68 (IQR, 57–74) years, and most were female (58%), black (60%), and resided in a long-term care facility 4 days prior to culture isolation (53%). Organisms isolated were K. pneumoniae (84%), Escherichia coli (7%), Enterobacter cloacae (7%), and Klebsiella oxytoca (1%). WGS identified at least 1 β-lactamase gene in 91% of the isolates; 85% contained a carbapenemase gene, the most frequent of which was blaKPC-3 (94%). Patients with CRE containing a carbapenemase gene were more likely to be black (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.0–13.8) and to have K. pneumoniae (OR, 8.9; 95% CI, 2.2–35.0). Using a core-genome alignment of 3,708 genes (~63% of the complete genome), we identified a median of 67 (IQR, 23–3,881) SNP differences between each K. pneumoniae isolate. A phylogenetic tree identified clustering around carbapenemase gene and multilocus sequence type (84% were ST 258) but not based on referring laboratory or county of residence (Fig. 1). Although 7% of patients developed an invasive CRE infection within 1 year and 21% died within 90 days, having a carbapenemase gene was not associated with these outcomes. Conclusions: Molecular sequencing of a convenience sample of CRE bacteriuria support K. pneumoniae ST258 harboring blaKPC-3 being distributed throughout the Atlanta area, across the healthcare continuum. Overall mortality was high in this population, but the presence of carbapenemase genes was not associated with worse outcomes.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Disclosures: None

Funding: None

Many studies demonstrate that marriage protects against risky alcohol use and moderates genetic influences on alcohol outcomes; however, previous work has not considered these effects from a developmental perspective or in high-risk individuals. These represent important gaps, as it cannot be assumed that marriage has uniform effects across development or in high-risk samples. We took a longitudinal developmental approach to examine whether marital status was associated with heavy episodic drinking (HED), and whether marital status moderated polygenic influences on HED. Our sample included 937 individuals (53.25% female) from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism who reported their HED and marital status biennially between the ages of 21 and 25. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) were derived from a genome-wide association study of alcohol consumption. Marital status was not associated with HED; however, we observed pathogenic gene-by-environment effects that changed across young adulthood. Among those who married young (age 21), individuals with higher PRS reported more HED; however, these effects decayed over time. The same pattern was found in supplementary analyses using parental history of alcohol use disorder as the index of genetic liability. Our findings indicate that early marriage may exacerbate risk for those with higher polygenic load.

Breakthrough Listen is a 10-yr initiative to search for signatures of technologies created by extraterrestrial civilisations at radio and optical wavelengths. Here, we detail the digital data recording system deployed for Breakthrough Listen observations at the 64-m aperture CSIRO Parkes Telescope in New South Wales, Australia. The recording system currently implements two modes: a dual-polarisation, 1.125-GHz bandwidth mode for single-beam observations, and a 26-input, 308-MHz bandwidth mode for the 21-cm multibeam receiver. The system is also designed to support a 3-GHz single-beam mode for the forthcoming Parkes ultra-wideband feed. In this paper, we present details of the system architecture, provide an overview of hardware and software, and present initial performance results.

We present a snapshot of our ongoing investigation of molecular clouds in Clump 2 located in the Galactic Bar region at a projected distance of ~400pc from the Galactic Center. We show that the analysis of the Clump 2 molecular clouds is complicated because of many fore- and background clouds in the line of sight. Of all clouds, IGGC 22 is the most interesting one, showing very high dust column densities, significant high-J CO emission, and, potentially harbors star formations as eluded to by the detection of [OIII] emission.

Insulating silicon dioxide (SiO2) films can be produced by hydrolysis of metal alkoxide tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in the presence of an acid catalyst in supercritical fluid CO2 (sc-CO2). In this study, SiO2 films are formed on different substrates using TEOS as a source of silicon, and acetic acid (HAc) as a catalyst. Water required for the hydrolysis reaction is from in situ generation of esterification and condensation reactions involving HAc and the alcohol produced. The acid catalyzed deposition reaction actually starts at room temperature but produces decent films in sc-CO2 at moderately high temperatures (e.g. 50 °C). Supercritical fluid CO2 is known to have near zero surface tension and provides an ideal medium for fabrication of SiO2 films. Formation of SiO2 films via hydrolysis reaction in sc-CO2 is more rapid compared to the traditional hydrolysis reaction at room temperature. In general, metal alkoxide hydrolysis reactions carried out in a closed sc-CO2 system is not affected by moisture in air compared with traditional open-air hydrolysis systems. Using sc-CO2 as a reaction medium can eliminate undesirable organic solvents utilized in traditional alkoxide hydrolysis reactions.

X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron diffraction (ED) measurements demonstrated that the SiO2 films produced are amorphous. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy show elemental compositions of the films formed on the substrate surfaces to be SiO2. Film thickness formation by controlling the amount of the catalyst is discussed.

Gaia's Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) has been operating in routine phase for over one year since initial commissioning. RVS continues to work well but the higher than expected levels of straylight reduce the limiting magnitude. The end-of-mission radial-velocity (RV) performance requirement for G2V stars was 15 km s−1 at V = 16.5 mag. Instead, 15 km s−1 precision is achieved at 15 < V < 16 mag, consistent with simulations that predict a loss of 1.4 mag. Simulations also suggest that changes to Gaia's onboard software could recover ~0.14 mag of this loss. Consequently Gaia's onboard software was upgraded in April 2015. The status of this new commissioning period is presented, as well as the latest scientific performance of the on-ground processing of RVS spectra. We illustrate the implications of the RVS limiting magnitude on Gaia's view of the Milky Way's halo in 6D using the Gaia Universe Model Snapshot (GUMS).