Differential Density Statistics of Galaxy Distribution and the Luminosity Function

This paper uses data obtained from the galaxy luminosity function (LF) to calculate two types of radial number densities statistics of the galaxy distribution as discussed in Ribeiro (2005), namely the differential density $\gamma$ and the integral differential density $\gamma^\ast$. By applying the theory advanced by Ribeiro and Stoeger (2003), which connects the relativistic cosmology number counts with the astronomically derived LF, the differential number counts $dN/dz$ are extracted from the LF and used to calculate both $\gamma$ and $\gamma^\ast$ with various cosmological distance definitions, namely the area distance, luminosity distance, galaxy area distance and redshift distance. LF data are taken from the CNOC2 galaxy redshift survey and $\gamma$ and $\gamma^\ast$ are calculated for two cosmological models: Einstein-de Sitter and an $\Omega_{m_0}=0.3$, $\Omega_{\Lambda_0}=0.7$ standard cosmology. The results confirm the strong dependency of both statistics on the distance definition, as predicted in Ribeiro (2005), as well as showing that plots of $\gamma$ and $\gamma^\ast$ against the luminosity and redshift distances indicate that the CNOC2 galaxy distribution follows a power law pattern for redshifts higher than 0.1. These findings bring support to Ribeiro's (2005) theoretical proposition that using different cosmological distance measures in statistical analyses of galaxy surveys can lead to significant ambiguity in drawing conclusions about the behavior of the observed large scale distribution of galaxies.Comment: LaTeX, 37 pages, 6 tables, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in "The Astrophysical Journal

Prevalence and characteristics of game transfer phenomena: a descriptive survey study

Previous qualitative studies suggest that gamers experience Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP), a variety of non-volitional phenomena related to playing videogames including thoughts, urges, images, sounds when not playing. To investigate (i) which types of GTP were more common and (ii) their general characteristics, the present study surveyed a total of 2,362 gamers via an online survey. The majority of the participants were male, students, aged between 18 and 27 years, and 'hard-core' gamers. Most participants reported having experienced at least one type of GTP at some point (96.6%), the majority having experienced GTP more than once with many reporting 6 to 10 different types of GTP. Results demonstrated that videogame players experienced (i) altered visual perceptions (ii) altered auditory perceptions (iii) altered body perceptions (iv) automated mental processes, and (v) behaviors. In most cases, GTP could not be explained by being under the influence of a psychoactive substance. The GTP experiences were usually shortlived, tended to occur after videogame playing rather than during play, occurred recurrently, and usually occurred while doing day-to-day activities. One in five gamers had experienced some type of distress or dysfunction due to GTP. Many experienced GTP as pleasant and some wanted GTP to happen again

Effective radiative forcing in the aerosol–climate model CAM5.3-MARC-ARG

We quantify the effective radiative forcing (ERF) of anthropogenic aerosols modelled by the aerosol–climate model CAM5.3-MARC-ARG. CAM5.3-MARC-ARG is a new configuration of the Community Atmosphere Model version 5.3 (CAM5.3) in which the default aerosol module has been replaced by the two-Moment, Multi-Modal, Mixing-state-resolving Aerosol model for Research of Climate (MARC). CAM5.3-MARC-ARG uses the ARG aerosol-activation scheme, consistent with the default configuration of CAM5.3. We compute differences between simulations using year-1850 aerosol emissions and simulations using year-2000 aerosol emissions in order to assess the radiative effects of anthropogenic aerosols. We compare the aerosol lifetimes, aerosol column burdens, cloud properties, and radiative effects produced by CAM5.3-MARC-ARG with those produced by the default configuration of CAM5.3, which uses the modal aerosol module with three log-normal modes (MAM3), and a configuration using the modal aerosol module with seven log-normal modes (MAM7). Compared with MAM3 and MAM7, we find that MARC produces stronger cooling via the direct radiative effect, the shortwave cloud radiative effect, and the surface albedo radiative effect; similarly, MARC produces stronger warming via the longwave cloud radiative effect. Overall, MARC produces a global mean net ERF of −1.79±0.03&thinsp;W&thinsp;m−2, which is stronger than the global mean net ERF of −1.57±0.04&thinsp;W&thinsp;m−2 produced by MAM3 and −1.53±0.04&thinsp;W&thinsp;m−2 produced by MAM7. The regional distribution of ERF also differs between MARC and MAM3, largely due to differences in the regional distribution of the shortwave cloud radiative effect. We conclude that the specific representation of aerosols in global climate models, including aerosol mixing state, has important implications for climate modelling.</p

Flow Index: a novel, non-invasive, continuous, quantitative method to evaluate patient inspiratory effort during pressure support ventilation

Background: The evaluation of patient effort is pivotal during pressure support ventilation, but a non-invasive, continuous, quantitative method to assess patient inspiratory effort is still lacking. We hypothesized that the concavity of the inspiratory flow-time waveform could be useful to estimate patient’s inspiratory effort. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the shape of the inspiratory flow, as quantified by a numeric indicator, could be associated with inspiratory effort during pressure support ventilation. Methods: Twenty-four patients in pressure support ventilation were enrolled. A mathematical relationship describing the decay pattern of the inspiratory flow profile was developed. The parameter hypothesized to estimate effort was named Flow Index. Esophageal pressure, airway pressure, airflow, and volume waveforms were recorded at three support levels (maximum, minimum and baseline). The association between Flow Index and reference measures of patient effort (pressure time product and pressure generated by respiratory muscles) was evaluated using linear mixed effects models adjusted for tidal volume, respiratory rate and respiratory rate/tidal volume. Results: Flow Index was different at the three pressure support levels and all group comparisons were statistically significant. In all tested models, Flow Index was independently associated with patient effort (p < 0.001). Flow Index prediction of inspiratory effort agreed with esophageal pressure-based methods. Conclusions: Flow Index is associated with patient inspiratory effort during pressure support ventilation, and may provide potentially useful information for setting inspiratory support and monitoring patient-ventilator interactions

Molecular mechanisms of autophagic memory in pathogenic T cells in human arthritis

T-cell resilience is critical to the immune pathogenesis of human autoimmune arthritis. Autophagy is essential for memory T cell generation and associated with pathogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim here was to delineate the role and molecular mechanism of autophagy in resilience and persistence of pathogenic T cells from autoimmune arthritis. We demonstrated \u201cAutophagic memory\u201d as elevated autophagy levels in CD4+ memory T cells compared to CD4+ naive T cells and in Jurkat Human T cell line trained with starvation stress. We then showed increased levels of autophagy in pathogenic CD4+ T cells subsets from autoimmune arthritis patients. Using RNA-sequencing, transcription factor gene regulatory network and methylation analyses we identified MYC as a key regulator of autophagic memory. We validated MYC levels using qPCR and further demonstrated that inhibiting MYC increased autophagy. The present study proposes the novel concept of autophagic memory and suggests that autophagic memory confers metabolic advantage to pathogenic T cells from arthritis and supports its resilience and long term survival. Particularly, suppression of MYC imparted the heightened autophagy levels in pathogenic T cells. These studies have a direct translational valency as they identify autophagy and its metabolic controllers as a novel therapeutic target

Probing the Cosmic Distance Duality Relation with the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect, X-rays Observations and Supernovae Ia

The angular diameter distances toward galaxy clusters can be determined with measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect and X-ray surface brightness combined with the validity of the distance-duality relation, $D_L(z) (1 + z)^{2}/D_{A}(z) = 1$, where $D_L(z)$ and $D_A(z)$ are, respectively, the luminosity and angular diameter distances. This combination enables us to probe galaxy cluster physics or even to test the validity of the distance-duality relation itself. We explore these possibilities based on two different, but complementary approaches. Firstly, in order to constrain the possible galaxy cluster morphologies, the validity of the distance-duality relation (DD relation) is assumed in the $\Lambda$CDM framework (WMAP7). Secondly, by adopting a cosmological-model-independent test, we directly confront the angular diameters from galaxy clusters with two supernovae Ia (SNe Ia) subsamples (carefully chosen to coincide with the cluster positions). The influence of the different SNe Ia light-curve fitters in the previous analysis are also discussed. We assumed that $\eta$ is a function of the redshift parametrized by two different relations: $\eta(z) = 1 + \eta_{0}z$, and $\eta(z)=1 + \eta_{0}z/(1+z)$, where $\eta_0$ is a constant parameter quantifying the possible departure from the strict validity of the DD relation. The statistical analysis presented here provides new evidence that the true geometry of clusters is elliptical. We find that the two-light curve fitters (SALT2 and MLCS2K2) present a statistically significant conflict, and a joint analysis involving the different approaches suggests that clusters are endowed with an elliptical geometry as previously assumed.Comment: 33 pages, 15 figures, some typos corrected, accepted for publication in the Astronomy \& Astrophysic

The PMIP4 contribution to CMIP6 – Part 1: overview and over-arching analysis plan

This paper is the first of a series of four GMD papers on the PMIP4-CMIP6 experiments. Part 2 (Otto-Bliesner et al., 2017) gives details about the two PMIP4-CMIP6 interglacial experiments, Part 3 (Jungclaus et al., 2017) about the last millennium experiment, and Part 4 (Kageyama et al., 2017) about the Last Glacial Maximum experiment. The mid-Pliocene Warm Period experiment is part of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) – Phase 2, detailed in Haywood et al. (2016). The goal of the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) is to understand the response of the climate system to different climate forcings for documented climatic states very different from the present and historical climates. Through comparison with observations of the environmental impact of these climate changes, or with climate reconstructions based on physical, chemical, or biological records, PMIP also addresses the issue of how well state-of-the-art numerical models simulate climate change. Climate models are usually developed using the present and historical climates as references, but climate projections show that future climates will lie well outside these conditions. Palaeoclimates very different from these reference states therefore provide stringent tests for state-of-the-art models and a way to assess whether their sensitivity to forcings is compatible with palaeoclimatic evidence. Simulations of five different periods have been designed to address the objectives of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6): the millennium prior to the industrial epoch (CMIP6 name: past1000); the mid-Holocene, 6000 years ago (midHolocene); the Last Glacial Maximum, 21 000 years ago (lgm); the Last Interglacial, 127 000 years ago (lig127k); and the mid-Pliocene Warm Period, 3.2 million years ago (midPliocene-eoi400). These climatic periods are well documented by palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental records, with climate and environmental changes relevant for the study and projection of future climate changes. This paper describes the motivation for the choice of these periods and the design of the numerical experiments and database requests, with a focus on their novel features compared to the experiments performed in previous phases of PMIP and CMIP. It also outlines the analysis plan that takes advantage of the comparisons of the results across periods and across CMIP6 in collaboration with other MIPs

Accuracy of right atrial pressure estimation using a multi-parameter approach derived from inferior vena cava semi-automated edge-tracking echocardiography: a pilot study in patients with cardiovascular disorders

The echocardiographic estimation of right atrial pressure (RAP) is based on the size and inspiratory collapse of the inferior vena cava (IVC). However, this method has proven to have limits of reliability. The aim of this study is to assess feasibility and accuracy of a new semi-automated approach to estimate RAP. Standard acquired echocardiographic images were processed with a semi-automated technique. Indexes related to the collapsibility of the vessel during inspiration (Caval Index, CI) and new indexes of pulsatility, obtained considering only the stimulation due to either respiration (Respiratory Caval Index, RCI) or heartbeats (Cardiac Caval Index, CCI) were derived. Binary Tree Models (BTM) were then developed to estimate either 3 or 5 RAP classes (BTM3 and BTM5) using indexes estimated by the semi-automated technique. These BTMs were compared with two standard estimation (SE) echocardiographic methods, indicated as A and B, distinguishing among 3 and 5 RAP classes, respectively. Direct RAP measurements obtained during a right heart catheterization (RHC) were used as reference. 62 consecutive \u2018all-comers\u2019 patients that had a RHC were enrolled; 13 patients were excluded for technical reasons. Therefore 49 patients were included in this study (mean age 62.2\ua0\ub1\ua015.2\ua0years, 75.5% pulmonary hypertension, 34.7% severe left ventricular dysfunction and 51% right ventricular dysfunction). The SE methods showed poor accuracy for RAP estimation (method A: misclassification error, ME\ua0=\ua051%, R2\ua0=\ua00.22; method B: ME\ua0=\ua069%, R2\ua0=\ua00.26). Instead, the new semi-automated methods BTM3 and BTM5 have higher accuracy (ME\ua0=\ua014%, R2\ua0=\ua00.47 and ME\ua0=\ua022%, R2\ua0=\ua00.61, respectively). In conclusion, a multi-parametric approach using IVC indexes extracted by the semi-automated approach is a promising tool for a more accurate estimation of RAP

Twelve thousand years of dust: The Holocene global dust cycle constrained by natural archives

Mineral dust plays an important role in the climate system by interacting with radiation, clouds, and biogeochemical cycles. In addition, natural archives show that the dust cycle experienced variability in the past in response to global and local climate change. The compilation of the DIRTMAP paleodust datasets in the last two decades provided a target for paleoclimate models that include the dust cycle, following a time slice approach. We propose an innovative framework to organize a paleodust dataset that moves on from the positive experience of DIRTMAP and takes into account new scientific challenges, by providing a concise and accessible dataset of temporally resolved records of dust mass accumulation rates and particle grain-size distributions. We consider data from ice cores, marine sediments, loess/paleosol sequences, lake sediments, and peat bogs for this compilation, with a temporal focus on the Holocene period. This global compilation allows investigation of the potential, uncertainties and confidence level of dust mass accumulation rates reconstructions, and highlights the importance of dust particle size information for accurate and quantitative reconstructions of the dust cycle. After applying criteria that help to establish that the data considered represent changes in dust deposition, 43 paleodust records have been identified, with the highest density of dust deposition data occurring in the North Atlantic region. Although the temporal evolution of dust in the North Atlantic appears consistent across several cores and suggest that minimum dust fluxes are likely observed during the Early to mid-Holocene period (6000–8000 years ago), the magnitude of dust fluxes in these observations is not fully consistent, suggesting that more work needs to be done to synthesize datasets for the Holocene. Based on the data compilation, we used the Community Earth System Model to estimate the mass balance and variability of the global dust cycle during the Holocene, with dust load ranging from 17.1 to 20.5 Tg between 2000 and 10 000 years ago, and a minimum in the Early to Mid-Holocene (6000–8000 years ago)