Efficient computation of nonlinear corrections to the matter power spectrum using the time renormalization group

We develop a new technique to compute the nonlinear matter power spectrum up to BAO scales at present time using the Time Renormalization Group. The great advantage of our method is a significant decrease in runtime. Overall, our numerical implementation yields a speedup of a factor of 50 when compared to similar implementations, leading to a runtime that is as little as six seconds. As a first application, we investigate how sensitive the constraints obtained from the Fisher matrix are to the source of nonlinear corrections. The results from these sources may agree, but because the Fisher matrix depends on derivatives it is not immediately obvious that we can expect agreement here as well. We find hints that there may be substantial differences. Unrelated to this, we perform a weak lensing Fisher matrix analysis on the anisotropic stress eta = -Phi/Psi in a completely model-independent way. We cover different cases where we, among others, allow \eta to vary with time and scale and where it takes the Horndeski parameterization. We find that, in the best case, eta can be constrained by future Euclid-like surveys together with supernovae data to within 1%, and to within 60% or better in the Horndeski case

Testing coupled dark energy with next-generation large-scale observations

Coupling dark energy to dark matter provides one of the simplest way to effectively modify gravity at large scales without strong constraints from local (i.e. solar system) observations. Models of coupled dark energy have been studied several times in the past and are already significantly constrained by cosmic microwave background experiments. In this paper we estimate the constraints that future large-scale observations will be able to put on the coupling and in general on all the parameters of the model. We combine cosmic microwave background, tomographic weak lensing, redshift distortions and power spectrum probes. We show that next-generation observations can improve the current constraint on the coupling to dark matter by two orders of magnitude; this constraint is complementary to the current solar-system bounds on a coupling to baryons.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figs, 8 table

Saving CO2 Emissions by Reusing Organic Growing Media from Hydroponic Tomato Production as a Source of Nutrients to Produce Ethiopian Kale (Brassica carinata)

Large quantities of growing media residues that are rich in nutrients are disposed of after their use in hydroponics. The objective of this study was to investigate the benefits of different organic growing media (wood fibers, hemp fibers, sphagnum moss) residues from hydroponic tomato production as a nutrient source to produce Ethiopian kale. The amount of nutrients that can be reused as fertilizer and the associated CO2 savings have been calculated. Kale was cultivated in sand-residue mixtures, either with 25 or 50 vol% of the mentioned growing media residues. Control treatments with sand with or without nutrient addition were cultivated too. The incorporation of all growing media residues to sand increased the field capacity and growth. Plants that were supplemented with hemp fiber residues showed the strongest growth and highest yields. However, the hemp fiber residues that are used are not suitable for use in the open field due to its excessive content of certain nutrients, which restrict the output quantity. Regarding the fertilization effect of growing media residues, it was calculated that 11–300 kg nutrients ha−1 (N, P, K, Mg, Ca, S), with an average primary energy demand of 90–3435 MJ and 6–317 kg CO2 eq, could potentially be saved when different crops were considered.Peer Reviewe

Semi-analytical study on the generic degeneracy for galaxy clustering measurements

From the galaxy power spectrum in redshift space, we derive semi-analytical results on the generic degeneracy of galaxy clustering measurements. Defining the observables A = Gbσ 8 and R = Gfσ 8, (being G the growth function, b the bias, f the growth rate, and σ8 the amplitude of the power spectrum), we perform a Fisher matrix formalism to forecast the expected precision of these quantities for a Euclid-like survey. Among the results we found that galaxy surveys have generically a slightly negative correlation between A and R , and they can always measure R about 3.7 to 4.7 times better than

Clonality of CD4+ Blood T Cells Predicts Longer Survival With CTLA4 or PD-1 Checkpoint Inhibition in Advanced Melanoma

Recognition of cancer antigens drives the clonal expansion of cancer-reactive T cells, which is thought to contribute to restricted T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). To understand how tumors escape anti-tumor immunity, we investigated tumor-associated T-cell repertoires of patients with advanced melanoma and after blockade of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) or programmed cell death 1 (PD-1). TCR Vβ-gene spectratyping allowed us to quantify restrictions of T-cell repertoires and, further, diversities of T-cell clones. In this study, we show that the blood TCR repertoires were variably restricted in CD4+ and extensively restricted in CD8+ T cells of patients with advanced melanoma, and contained clones in both T-cell fractions prior to the start of immunotherapy. A greater diversification especially of CD4+ blood T-cell clones before immunotherapy showed statistically significant correlations with long-term survival upon CTLA4 or PD-1 inhibition. Analysis of TILs and corresponding blood available in one patient indicated that blood clonality may at least partially be related to the clonal expansion in the tumor microenvironment. In patients who developed severe immune-related adverse events (IrAEs), CD4+ and CD8+ TCR spectratypes became more restricted during anti-CTLA4 treatment, suggesting that newly expanded oligoclonal T-cell responses may contribute to IrAEs. This study reveals diverse T-cell clones in the blood of melanoma patients prior to immunotherapy, which may reflect the extent to which T cells are able to react against melanoma and potentially control melanoma progression. Therefore, the T-cell clonality in the circulation may have predictive value for antitumor responses from checkpoint inhibition

SARS-CoV-2-induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Pulmonary Mechanics and Gas-Exchange Abnormalities

In January 2020, the first cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were reported in Europe. Multiple outbreaks have since then led to a global pandemic, as well as to massive medical, economic, and social repercussions. SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia can develop into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) when mechanical ventilation (MV) is needed (3, 4). ARDS produces abnormalities in gas exchange with a variable degree of shunt (5), high dead space ventilation (dead space volume [Vd]/tidal volume [Vt] ratio) (6), diminished pulmonary compliance (7), and alterations to the pulmonary circulation (8). The cornerstone of ARDS management is to provide adequate gas exchange without further lung injury as a result of MV. To date, information regarding the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2-induced ARDS is not completely known. However, this information is crucial to better apply MV and facilitate organ support strategies. We therefore present the characteristics of gas exchange, pulmonary mechanics, and ventilatory management of 50 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, who developed ARDS and underwent invasive MV (IMV). Methods: Descriptive analysis included 50 consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who developed ARDS (9) and underwent IMV. These patients were admitted to the SARS-CoV-2-dedicated intensive care units (ICUs) at Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain, between March 7 and March 25, 2020. Upon ICU admission, epidemiological characteristics, the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, prognostic biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 infection (described in Reference 4), time from hospital to ICU admission, time from ICU admission to intubation, oxygen therapy or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) use, and microbiology were investigated. On the day that criteria for ARDS diagnosis were met (9) and IMV was needed, the following assessments were performed: impairment in oxygenation was analyzed with the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio, and abnormalities of CO2 metabolism were studied with the ventilatory ratio (VR), a surrogate parameter of Vd/Vt. In addition, adjunctive therapies and MV parameters related with ventilation-induced lung injury (VILI) described elsewhere (11-15) were investigated. Correlations of SARS-CoV-2 prognostic biomarkers (4), pulmonary mechanics, and gas-exchange data were performed. Twenty-eight-day and hospital mortality, ventilator- and ICU-free days at Day 28, hospital and ICU lengths of stay, and need for tracheostomy were also evaluated (16). Finally, a subanalysis assessing differences before and after prone positioning was performed. For additional detail on the method, see the online supplement. Results: By March 25th, 2020, 50 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and ARDS had been admitted to our hospital. Table 1 shows the demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 66 (57-74) years. Thirty-six patients (72%) were men. Upon ARDS diagnosis, 44% of patients were initially classified as having moderate ARDS, whereas 24% were classified as having mild ARDS and 32% were classified as having severe ARDS. The outcomes of these patients are shown in Table 1. ICU and hospital lengths of stay were prolonged, and tracheostomy was performed in 30 (60%) patients. Hospital mortality was 34%