Where are the missing cosmic metals ?

The majority of the heavy elements produced by stars 2 billion years after the Big Bang (redshift z~3) are presently undetected at those epochs. We propose a solution to this cosmic `missing metals' problem in which such elements are stored in gaseous halos produced by supernova explosions around star-forming galaxies. By using data from the ESO/VLT Large Program, we find that:(i) only 5%-9% of the produced metals reside in the cold phase, the rest being found in the hot (log T=5.8-6.4) phase; (ii) 1%-6% (3%-30%) of the observed CIV (OVI) is in the hot phase. We conclude that at z~3 more than 90% of the metals produced during the star forming history can be placed in a hot phase of the IGM, without violating any observational constraint. The observed galaxy mass-metallicity relation, and the intergalactic medium and intracluster medium metallicity evolution are also naturally explained by this hypothesis.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, ApJ Letters, in pres

Measurement of the multi-TeV neutrino cross section with IceCube using Earth absorption

Neutrinos interact only very weakly, so they are extremely penetrating. However, the theoretical neutrino-nucleon interaction cross section rises with energy such that, at energies above 40 TeV, neutrinos are expected to be absorbed as they pass through the Earth. Experimentally, the cross section has been measured only at the relatively low energies (below 400 GeV) available at neutrino beams from accelerators \cite{Agashe:2014kda, Formaggio:2013kya}. Here we report the first measurement of neutrino absorption in the Earth, using a sample of 10,784 energetic upward-going neutrino-induced muons observed with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The flux of high-energy neutrinos transiting long paths through the Earth is attenuated compared to a reference sample that follows shorter trajectories through the Earth. Using a fit to the two-dimensional distribution of muon energy and zenith angle, we determine the cross section for neutrino energies between 6.3 TeV and 980 TeV, more than an order of magnitude higher in energy than previous measurements. The measured cross section is $1.30^{+0.21}_{-0.19}$ (stat.) $^{+0.39}_{-0.43}$ (syst.) times the prediction of the Standard Model \cite{CooperSarkar:2011pa}, consistent with the expectation for charged and neutral current interactions. We do not observe a dramatic increase in the cross section, expected in some speculative models, including those invoking new compact dimensions \cite{AlvarezMuniz:2002ga} or the production of leptoquarks \cite{Romero:2009vu}.Comment: Preprint version of Nature paper 10.1038/nature2445

Genome-wide Association And High-resolution Phenotyping Link Oryza Sativa Panicle Traits To Numerous Trait-specific Qtl Clusters

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Rice panicle architecture is a key target of selection when breeding for yield and grain quality. However, panicle phenotypes are difficult to measure and susceptible to confounding during genetic mapping due to correlation with flowering and subpopulation structure. Here we quantify 49 panicle phenotypes in 242 tropical rice accessions with the imaging platform PANorama. Using flowering as a covariate, we conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS), detect numerous subpopulation-specific associations, and dissect multi-trait peaks using panicle phenotype covariates. Ten candidate genes in pathways known to regulate plant architecture fall under GWAS peaks, half of which overlap with quantitative trait loci identified in an experimental population. This is the first study to assess inflorescence phenotypes of field-grown material using a high-resolution phenotyping platform. Herein, we establish a panicle morphocline for domesticated rice, propose a genetic model underlying complex panicle traits, and demonstrate subtle links between panicle size and yield performance.7Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationFAPESP [2011/03110-6]NSF Plant Genome Research Program [1026555]NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Screening for falls risk in the older person with haemophilia – a pilot study

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Exploring the significance of falls in the everyday lives of the older person with haemophilia

Sin financiación3.569 JCR (2016) Q2, 22/70 HematologyUE

International standards for early fetal size and pregnancy dating based on ultrasound measurement of crown-rump length in the first trimester of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: There are no international standards for relating fetal crown-rump length (CRL) to gestational age (GA), and most existing charts have considerable methodological limitations. The INTERGROWTH-21(st) Project aimed to produce the first international standards for early fetal size and ultrasound dating of pregnancy based on CRL measurement. METHODS: Urban areas in eight geographically diverse countries that met strict eligibility criteria were selected for the prospective, population-based recruitment, between 9 + 0 and 13 + 6 weeks' gestation, of healthy well-nourished women with singleton pregnancies at low risk of fetal growth impairment. GA was calculated on the basis of a certain last menstrual period, regular menstrual cycle and lack of hormonal medication or breastfeeding in the preceding 2 months. CRL was measured using strict protocols and quality-control measures. All women were followed up throughout pregnancy until delivery and hospital discharge. Cases of neonatal and fetal death, severe pregnancy complications and congenital abnormalities were excluded from the study. RESULTS: A total of 4607 women were enrolled in the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study, one of the three main components of the INTERGROWTH-21(st) Project, of whom 4321 had a live singleton birth in the absence of severe maternal conditions or congenital abnormalities detected by ultrasound or at birth. The CRL was measured in 56 women at < 9 + 0 weeks' gestation; these were excluded, resulting in 4265 women who contributed data to the final analysis. The mean CRL and SD increased with GA almost linearly, and their relationship to GA is given by the following two equations (in which GA is in days and CRL in mm): mean CRL = -50.6562 + (0.815118 × GA) + (0.00535302 × GA(2) ); and SD of CRL = -2.21626 + (0.0984894 × GA). GA estimation is carried out according to the two equations: GA = 40.9041 + (3.21585 × CRL(0.5) ) + (0.348956 × CRL); and SD of GA = 2.39102 + (0.0193474 × CRL). CONCLUSIONS: We have produced international prescriptive standards for early fetal linear size and ultrasound dating of pregnancy in the first trimester that can be used throughout the world

Negative and Nonlinear Response in an Exactly Solved Dynamical Model of Particle Transport

We consider a simple model of particle transport on the line defined by a dynamical map F satisfying F(x+1) = 1 + F(x) for all x in R and F(x) = ax + b for |x| < 0.5. Its two parameters a (`slope') and b (`bias') are respectively symmetric and antisymmetric under reflection x -> R(x) = -x. Restricting ourselves to the chaotic regime |a| > 1 and therein mainly to the part a>1 we study not only the `diffusion coefficient' D(a,b), but also the `current' J(a,b). An important tool for such a study are the exact expressions for J and D as obtained recently by one of the authors. These expressions allow for a quite efficient numerical implementation, which is important, because the functions encountered typically have a fractal character. The main results are presented in several plots of these functions J(a,b) and D(a,b) and in an over-all `chart' displaying, in the parameter plane, all possibly relevant information on the system including, e.g., the dynamical phase diagram as well as invariants such as the values of topological invariants (kneading numbers) which, according to the formulas, determine the singularity structure of J and D. Our most significant findings are: 1) `Nonlinear Response': The parameter dependence of these transport properties is, throughout the `ergodic' part of the parameter plane (i.e. outside the infinitely many Arnol'd tongues) fractally nonlinear. 2) `Negative Response': Inside certain regions with an apparently fractal boundary the current J and the bias b have opposite signs.Comment: corrected typos and minor reformulations; 28 pages (revtex) with 7 figures (postscript); accepted for publication in JS