The frequency of snowline-region planets from four-years of OGLE-MOA-Wise second-generation microlensing.

We present a statistical analysis of the first four seasons from a "second-generation" microlensing survey for extrasolar planets, consisting of near-continuous time coverage of 8 deg2 of the Galactic bulge by the OGLE, MOA, and Wise microlensing surveys. During this period, 224 microlensing events were observed by all three groups. Over 12% of the events showed a deviation from single-lens microlensing, and for ~1/3 of those the anomaly is likely caused by a planetary companion. For each of the 224 events we have performed numerical ray-tracing simulations to calculate the detection efficiency of possible companions as a function of companion-to-host mass ratio and separation. Accounting for the detection efficiency, we find that 55 - 22 + 34 % of microlensed stars host a snowline planet. Moreover, we find that Neptunes-mass planets are ~ 10 times more common than Jupiter-mass planets. The companion-to-host mass ratio distribution shows a deficit at q ~ 10-2, separating the distribution into two companion populations, analogous to the stellar-companion and planet populations, seen in radial-velocity surveys around solar-like stars. Our survey, however, which probes mainly lower-mass stars, suggests a minimum in the distribution in the super-Jupiter mass range, and a relatively high occurrence of brown-dwarf companions.

Active galaxies. A fast and long-lived outflow from the supermassive black hole in NGC 5548.

Supermassive black holes in the nuclei of active galaxies expel large amounts of matter through powerful winds of ionized gas. The archetypal active galaxy NGC 5548 has been studied for decades, and high-resolution x-ray and ultraviolet (UV) observations have previously shown a persistent ionized outflow. An observing campaign in 2013 with six space observatories shows the nucleus to be obscured by a long-lasting, clumpy stream of ionized gas not seen before. It blocks 90% of the soft x-ray emission and causes simultaneous deep, broad UV absorption troughs. The outflow velocities of this gas are up to five times faster than those in the persistent outflow, and, at a distance of only a few light days from the nucleus, it may likely originate from the accretion disk.

Discovery of a Jupiter/Saturn analog with gravitational microlensing.

Searches for extrasolar planets have uncovered an astonishing diversity of planetary systems, yet the frequency of solar system analogs remains unknown. The gravitational microlensing planet search method is potentially sensitive to multiple-planet systems containing analogs of all the solar system planets except Mercury. We report the detection of a multiple-planet system with microlensing. We identify two planets with masses of approximately 0.71 and approximately 0.27 times the mass of Jupiter and orbital separations of approximately 2.3 and approximately 4.6 astronomical units orbiting a primary star of mass approximately 0.50 solar mass at a distance of approximately 1.5 kiloparsecs. This system resembles a scaled version of our solar system in that the mass ratio, separation ratio, and equilibrium temperatures of the planets are similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn. These planets could not have been detected with other techniques; their discovery from only six confirmed microlensing planet detections suggests that solar system analogs may be common.

Discovery of Narrow X-Ray Absorption Lines from NGC 3783 with the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer.

We present the first grating-resolution X-ray spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783, obtained with the High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. These spectra reveal many narrow absorption lines from the H-like and He-like ions of O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Ar as well as Fe xvii-Fe xxi L-shell lines. We have also identified several weak emission lines, mainly from O and Ne. The absorption lines are blueshifted by a mean velocity of approximately 440+/-200 km s-1 and are not resolved, indicating a velocity dispersion within the absorbing gas of a few hundred kilometers per second or less. We measure the lines' equivalent widths and compare them with the predictions of photoionization models. The best-fitting model has a microturbulence velocity of 150 km s-1 and a hydrogen column density of 1.3x1022 cm-2. The measured blueshifts and inferred velocity dispersions of the X-ray absorption lines are consistent with those of the strongest UV absorption lines observed in this object. However, simple models that propose to strictly unify the X-ray and UV absorbers have difficulty explaining simultaneously the X-ray and UV absorption-line strengths.

Prevalence and correlates of anger attacks: a two site study.

Although anger attacks have been described in depressed outpatients, they have not been well studied in other disorders. In Study 1, we examined the prevalence of anger attacks in 50 outpatients with panic disorder. In Study 2, we replicated the initial findings at an independent site and examined the specificity of anger attacks by comparing their occurrence in patients with panic disorder, patients with other non-panic anxiety disorders and patients with a depressive disorder. At both sites, we also explored the relationship between anger attacks and demographic and clinical characteristics, such as gender, presence and severity of depression, and social anxiety measures. In both sites, the prevalence of anger attacks in patients with panic disorder was approximately one-third. However, anger attacks were not unique to panic disorder, with similar rates emerging for patients with other anxiety disorders. Furthermore, patients with depressive diagnoses had twice the prevalence of anger attacks than did anxiety patients. At both sites, those with anger attacks were significantly more depressed and were likely to have either current or past history of major depression. Anger attacks were not associated with social anxiety measures, but were related to cluster B, cluster C and self-defeating personality disorder traits. Our findings support the notion that anger attacks are best conceptualized as an associated feature of depression.

Cognitive behavior therapy for treatment-refractory panic disorder.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy for the treatment of patients with panic disorder who experience an incomplete response to a trial of pharmacotherapy. METHOD: Fifteen consecutive patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of panic disorder referred for further treatment because of an incomplete response to pharmacotherapy were treated with 12-weeks of group cognitive behavior therapy. Patients were evaluated at baseline, endpoint, and at a mean of 2-months' follow-up to assess changes in panic attack frequency and global outcome. Eight of the 15 patients were deemed to have received an inadequate prior trial of medication at baseline, mainly because of a desire to control their symptoms without medication or fear of withdrawal and/or addiction. Seven of the patients were symptomatic at baseline despite an adequate prior trial of medication. RESULTS: Overall, patients experienced a significant improvement in global function at the end of the cognitive behavior therapy intervention, as well as a decrease in panic attack frequency. Improvement was maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study is consistent with a growing body of evidence that many patients with panic disorder remain symptomatic over time and are receiving inadequate pharmacotherapeutic treatment. Further, we observed that patients with panic disorder who are incompletely responsive or resistant to pharmacotherapeutic management may benefit from the addition of cognitive behavior therapy.

Selective processing of threat cues in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Vietnam combat veterans with (n = 15) and without (n = 15) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) performed a modified Stroop task in which they named the colors of neutral words (e.g., INPUT), positive words (e.g., LOVE), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) words (e.g., GERMS), and PTSD words (e.g., BODYBAGS). In contrast to normal controls, PTSD patients took significantly longer to color-name PTSD words than to color-name neutral, OCD, and positive words. Because Stroop interference reflects involuntary semantic activation, it may provide a quantitative measure of intrusive cognitive activity--the hallmark symptom of PTSD.