The History of Cosmological Star Formation: Three Independent Approaches and a Critical Test Using the Extragalactic Background Light

Taking three independent approaches, we investigate the simultaneous constraints set on the cosmic star formation history from various observations, including stellar mass density and extragalactic background light (EBL). We compare results based on: 1) direct observations of past light-cone, 2) a model using local fossil evidence constrained by SDSS observations at z~0 (the `Fossil' model), and 3) theoretical ab initio models from three calculations of cosmic star formation history: (a) new (1024)^3 Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) cosmological hydrodynamic simulation, (b) analytic expression of Hernquist & Springel based on cosmological Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations, and (c) semi-analytic model of Cole et al. We find good agreement among the three independent approaches up to the order of observational errors, except that all the models predict bolometric EBL of I_tot ~= 37-52 nW m^-2 sr^-1, which is at the lower edge of the the observational estimate by Hauser & Dwek. We emphasize that the Fossil model that consists of two components -- spheroids and disks --, when normalized to the local observations, provides a surprisingly simple but accurate description of the cosmic star formation history and other observable quantities. Our analysis suggests that the consensus global parameters at z=0 are: Omega_* = 0.0023+-0.0004, I_EBL = 43+-7 nW m^-2 sr^-1 rho_SFR=(1.06+-0.22)e-2 Msun yr^-1 Mpc^-3, j_bol = (3.1+-0.2)e8 Lsun Mpc^-3.Comment: 40 page, 10 figures. ApJ in press. Matched to the accepted versio

Post-transcriptional gene silencing triggered by sense transgenes involves uncapped antisense RNA and differs from silencing intentionally triggered by antisense transgenes

Although post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) has been studied for more than a decade, there is still a gap in our understanding of how de novo silencing is initiated against genetic elements that are not supposed to produce double-stranded (ds)RNA. Given the pervasive transcription occurring throughout eukaryote genomes, we tested the hypothesis that unintended transcription could produce antisense (as)RNA molecules that participate to the initiation of PTGS triggered by sense transgenes (S-PTGS). Our results reveal a higher level of asRNA in Arabidopsis thaliana lines that spontaneously trigger S-PTGS than in lines that do not. However, PTGS triggered by antisense transgenes (AS-PTGS) differs from S-PTGS. In particular, a hypomorphic ago1 mutation that suppresses S-PTGS prevents the degradation of asRNA but not sense RNA during AS-PTGS, suggesting a different treatment of coding and non-coding RNA by AGO1, likely because of AGO1 association to polysomes. Moreover, the intended asRNA produced during AS-PTGS is capped whereas the asRNA produced during S-PTGS derives from 3' maturation of a read-through transcript and is uncapped. Thus, we propose that uncapped asRNA corresponds to the aberrant RNA molecule that is converted to dsRNA by RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 6 in siRNA-bodies to initiate S-PTGS, whereas capped asRNA must anneal with sense RNA to produce dsRNA that initiate AS-PTGS

Measuring the Halo Mass of z=3 Damped Ly-alpha Absorbers from the Absorber-Galaxy Cross-correlation

[Abridged] We test the reliability of a method to measure the mean halo mass of Damped Ly-alpha absorbers (DLAs). The method is based on measuring the ratio of the cross-correlation between DLAs and galaxies to the auto-correlation of the galaxies themselves ($w_{\rm dg}/w_{\rm gg}$), which is (in linear theory) the ratio of their bias factor. This is shown to be true irrespective of the galaxy redshift distribution, provided that one uses the same galaxies for the two correlation functions. The method is applicable to all redshifts. Here, we focus on z=3 DLAs and we demonstrate that the method robustly constrains the mean DLA halo mass using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) cosmological simulations. If we use the bias formalism of Mo & White with the DLA and galaxy mass distributions of these simulations, we predict a bias ratio of 0.771. Direct measurement from the simulations of $w_{\rm dg}/w_{\rm gg}$ st yields a ratio of 0.73+/-0.08, in excellent agreement with that prediction. Equivalently, inverting the measured correlation ratio to infer a mean DLA halo mass yields (log. averaging, in solar units) =11.13+/-013, in excellent agreement with the true value in the simulations: 11.16. The cross- correlation method thus appears to yield a robust estimate of the average host halo mass even though the DLAs and the galaxies occupy a broad mass spectrum of halos, and massive halos contain multiple galaxies with DLAs. We show that the inferred mean DLA halo mass is independent of the galaxy sub-sample used, i.e. the cross-correlation technique is also reliable. Our results imply that the cross-correlation length between DLAs and LBGs is predicted to be, at most, 2.85 Mpc. Future observations will soon distinguish models in which DLAs are in low mass halos from those in which DLAs are in massive halos.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, to be published in ApJ 2005 July 20th (Full resolution of Fig.2 at http://www.mpe.mpg.de/~nbouche/papers/Xcorr/f2-orig.eps); minor changes to match the published tex

Low percentage of clinically relevant pistachio nut and mango co-sensitisation in cashew nut sensitised children

Background: Cashew nut, pistachio nut and mango belong to the Anacardiaceae family and are botanically related. Therefore, cashew nut sensitised children are frequently advised to eliminate cashew nuts and pistachio nuts from their diet. The ‘Improvement of Diagnostic mEthods for ALlergy assessment (IDEAL trial number NTR3572) study showed that cashew nut sensitised children were co-sensitised to pistachio nut in 98% of cases and to mango in 21% of cases. The aim of this follow-up study to IDEAL is to assess the clinical relevance of co-sensitisation to pistachio nut and mango in cashew nut sensitised children. Methods: Children were recruited from the study: ‘Improvement of Diagnostic mEthods for ALlergy assessment (IDEAL trial number NTR3572). Inclusion criterion for the IDEAL study was sensitization to cashew nut as demonstrated by either SPT or sIgE, and a clinical history of reactions to cashew nuts or no previous (known) exposure. Sensitized children who were tolerant to cashew nuts were excluded. Inclusion criterion for this IDEAL follow-up study was co-sensitization to pistachio nut, regardless the result of the DBPCFC with cashew nut. In this follow-up study a double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge with pistachio nut and an open food challenge with mango were performed. Results: Twenty-nine children (mean age of 11.6 years, 62% male) were included. Pistachio nut sensitisation was clinically relevant in only 34% of cashew-sensitised children and only 31% of cashew challenge positive children. None of the children was challenge positive to mango. Conclusion: Although co-sensitisation between cashew nut and pistachio nut was observed in 98%, pistachio nut sensitisation was only clinically relevant in 34% of the children. Therefore, a challenge test with pistachio nut is recommended in children with cashew nut and pistachio nut sensitisation.</p

Big Line Bundles over Arithmetic Varieties

We prove a Hilbert-Samuel type result of arithmetic big line bundles in Arakelov geometry, which is an analogue of a classical theorem of Siu. An application of this result gives equidistribution of small points over algebraic dynamical systems, following the work of Szpiro-Ullmo-Zhang. We also generalize Chambert-Loir's non-archimedean equidistribution

Low percentage of clinically relevant pistachio nut and mango co-sensitisation in cashew nut sensitised children

Background: Cashew nut, pistachio nut and mango belong to the Anacardiaceae family and are botanically related. Therefore, cashew nut sensitised children are frequently advised to eliminate cashew nuts and pistachio nuts from their diet. The ‘Improvement of Diagnostic mEthods for ALlergy assessment (IDEAL trial number NTR3572) study showed that cashew nut sensitised children were co-sensitised to pistachio nut in 98% of cases and to mango in 21% of cases. The aim of this follow-up study to IDEAL is to assess the clinical relevance of co-sensitisation to pistachio nut and mango in cashew nut sensitised children. Methods: Children were recruited from the study: ‘Improvement of Diagnostic mEthods for ALlergy assessment (IDEAL trial number NTR3572). Inclusion criterion for the IDEAL study was sensitization to cashew nut as demonstrated by either SPT or sIgE, and a clinical history of reactions to cashew nuts or no previous (known) exposure. Sensitized children who were tolerant to cashew nuts were excluded. Inclusion criterion for this IDEAL follow-up study was co-sensitization to pistachio nut, regardless the result of the DBPCFC with cashew nut. In this follow-up study a double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge with pistachio nut and an open food challenge with mango were performed. Results: Twenty-nine children (mean age of 11.6 years, 62% male) were included. Pistachio nut sensitisation was clinically relevant in only 34% of cashew-sensitised children and only 31% of cashew challenge positive children. None of the children was challenge positive to mango. Conclusion: Although co-sensitisation between cashew nut and pistachio nut was observed in 98%, pistachio nut sensitisation was only clinically relevant in 34% of the children. Therefore, a challenge test with pistachio nut is recommended in children with cashew nut and pistachio nut sensitisation

Non-Equilibrium Quantum Fields in the Large N Expansion

An effective action technique for the time evolution of a closed system consisting of one or more mean fields interacting with their quantum fluctuations is presented. By marrying large $N$ expansion methods to the Schwinger-Keldysh closed time path (CTP) formulation of the quantum effective action, causality of the resulting equations of motion is ensured and a systematic, energy conserving and gauge invariant expansion about the quasi-classical mean field(s) in powers of $1/N$ developed. The general method is exposed in two specific examples, $O(N)$ symmetric scalar \l\F^4 theory and Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) with $N$ fermion fields. The \l\F^4 case is well suited to the numerical study of the real time dynamics of phase transitions characterized by a scalar order parameter. In QED the technique may be used to study the quantum non-equilibrium effects of pair creation in strong electric fields and the scattering and transport processes in a relativistic $e^+e^-$ plasma. A simple renormalization scheme that makes practical the numerical solution of the equations of motion of these and other field theories is described.Comment: 43 pages, LA-UR-94-783 (PRD, in press), uuencoded PostScrip

An in vivo culture system for human embryos using an encapsulation technology: a pilot study

BACKGROUND Animal studies have demonstrated better embryo development in vivo than in vitro. This pilot study tested the feasibility of using a novel in utero culture system (IUCS) to obtain normal human fertilization and embryo development. METHODS The IUCS device comprised a perforated silicone hollow tube. The study included 13 patients (<36 years) undergoing a first intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment and 167 metaphase II oocytes in three groups. In Group 1, 1-2 h after ICSI, sibling oocytes were assigned to IUCS or conventional in vitro culture. The device was retrieved on Day 1, and all zygotes were cultured in vitro till Day 5. In Group 2, fertilized oocytes were assigned on Day 1, embryos retrieved on Day 3 and all embryos cultured till Day 5. In Group 3, after Day 0 assignment, embryos were retrieved on Day 3 for blastomere biopsy and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and cultured until Day 5. The highest quality blastocysts were transferred on Day 5. RESULTS Fertilization and embryo development were comparable in the in vitro and IUCS arms, with a tendency towards better embryo quality in the IUCS. FISH analysis in Group 3 revealed more normal embryos using the IUCS (P = 0.049). Three clinical pregnancies and live births were obtained: two from the IUCS arm and one from the in vitro arm. CONCLUSIONS Our pilot study shows that this new IUCS appears to be feasible and safe, supporting normal fertilization, embryo development and normal chromosomal segregation. Furthermore, live births are possible after the transient presence of a silicone device in the uterus.Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT0048010

Subgroup analysis of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with regorafenib (REG) in the CORRECT trial who had progression-free survival (PFS) longer than 4 months

No abstract availabl

The MUSE Hubble Ultra Deep Field Survey:II. Spectroscopic redshifts and comparisons to color selections of high-redshift galaxies

We have conducted a two-layered spectroscopic survey (1'x1' ultra deep and 3'x3' deep regions) in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). The combination of a large field of view, high sensitivity, and wide wavelength coverage provides an order of magnitude improvement in spectroscopically confirmed redshifts in the HUDF; i.e., 1206 secure spectroscopic redshifts for HST continuum selected objects, which corresponds to 15% of the total (7904). The redshift distribution extends well beyond z&gt;3 and to HST/F775W magnitudes as faint as ~30 mag (AB, 1-sigma). In addition, 132 secure redshifts were obtained for sources with no HST counterparts that were discovered in the MUSE data cubes by a blind search for emission-line features. In total, we present 1338 high quality redshifts, which is a factor of eight increase compared with the previously known spectroscopic redshifts in the same field. We assessed redshifts mainly with the spectral features [OII] at z~20% up to 28-29 mag and ~27 mag, respectively. We used the determined redshifts to test continuum color selection (dropout) diagrams of high-z galaxies. The selection condition for F336W dropouts successfully captures ~80% of the targeted z~2.7 galaxies. However, for higher redshift selections (F435W, F606W, and F775W dropouts), the success rates decrease to ~20-40%. We empirically redefine the selection boundaries to make an attempt to improve them to ~60%. The revised boundaries allow bluer colors that capture Lya emitters with high Lya equivalent widths falling in the broadbands used for the color-color selection. Along with this paper, we release the redshift and line flux catalog