Bioaerosols in the Amazon rain forest: temporal variations and vertical profiles of Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea

The Amazon rain forest plays a major role in global hydrological cycling, and biogenic aerosols are likely to influence the formation of clouds and precipitation. Information about the sources and altitude profiles of primary biological aerosol particles, however, is sparse. We used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), a molecular biological staining technique largely unexplored in aerosol research, to investigate the sources and spatiotemporal distribution of Amazonian bioaerosols on the domain level. We found wet season bioaerosol number concentrations in the range of 1–5 × 105 m−3 accounting for &gt; 70 % of the coarse mode aerosol. Eukaryotic and bacterial particles predominated, with fractions of ∼ 56 % and ∼ 26 % of the intact airborne cells. Archaea occurred at very low concentrations. Vertical profiles exhibit a steep decrease in bioaerosol numbers from the understory to 325 m height on the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), with a stronger decrease in Eukarya compared to Bacteria. Considering earlier investigations, our results can be regarded as representative for near-pristine Amazonian wet season conditions. The observed concentrations and profiles provide new insights into the sources and dispersion of different types of Amazonian bioaerosols as a solid basis for model studies on biosphere–atmosphere interactions such as bioprecipitation cycling.</p

On Star Formation Rates and Star Formation Histories of Galaxies out to z ~ 3

We compare multi-wavelength SFR indicators out to z~3 in GOODS-South. Our analysis uniquely combines U-to-8um photometry from FIREWORKS, MIPS 24um and PACS 70, 100, and 160um photometry from the PEP survey, and Ha spectroscopy from the SINS survey. We describe a set of conversions that lead to a continuity across SFR indicators. A luminosity-independent conversion from 24um to total infrared luminosity yields estimates of LIR that are in the median consistent with the LIR derived from PACS photometry, albeit with significant scatter. Dust correction methods perform well at low to intermediate levels of star formation. They fail to recover the total amount of star formation in systems with large SFR_IR/SFR_UV ratios, typically occuring at the highest SFRs (SFR_UV+IR \gtrsim 100 Msun/yr) and redshifts (z \gtrsim 2.5) probed. Finally, we confirm that Ha-based SFRs at 1.5<z<2.6 are consistent with SFR_SED and SFR_UV+IR provided extra attenuation towards HII regions is taken into account (Av,neb = Av,continuum / 0.44). With the cross-calibrated SFR indicators in hand, we perform a consistency check on the star formation histories inferred from SED modeling. We compare the observed SFR-M relations and mass functions at a range of redshifts to equivalents that are computed by evolving lower redshift galaxies backwards in time. We find evidence for underestimated stellar ages when no stringent constraints on formation epoch are applied. We demonstrate how resolved SED modeling, or alternatively deep UV data, may help to overcome this bias. The age bias is most severe for galaxies with young stellar populations, and reduces towards older systems. Finally, our analysis suggests that SFHs typically vary on timescales that are long (at least several 100 Myr) compared to the galaxies' dynamical time.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, 19 pages, 15 figure

ERIS: revitalising an adaptive optics instrument for the VLT

ERIS is an instrument that will both extend and enhance the fundamental diffraction limited imaging and spectroscopy capability for the VLT. It will replace two instruments that are now being maintained beyond their operational lifetimes, combine their functionality on a single focus, provide a new wavefront sensing module that makes use of the facility Adaptive Optics System, and considerably improve their performance. The instrument will be competitive with respect to JWST in several regimes, and has outstanding potential for studies of the Galactic Center, exoplanets, and high redshift galaxies. ERIS had its final design review in 2017, and is expected to be on sky in 2020. This contribution describes the instrument concept, outlines its expected performance, and highlights where it will most excel.Comment: 12 pages, Proc SPIE 10702 "Ground-Based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII

Superconductivity in Weyl Semimetal Candidate MoTe2

In recent years, layered transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted considerable attention because of their rich physics; for example, these materials exhibit superconductivity, charge density waves, and the valley Hall effect. As a result, TMDs have promising potential applications in electronics, catalysis, and spintronics. Despite the fact that the majority of related research focuses on semiconducting TMDs (e.g., MoS2), the characteristics of WTe2 are provoking strong interest in semimetallic TMDs with extremely large magnetoresistance, pressure-driven superconductivity, and the predicted Weyl semimetal (WSM) state. In this work, we investigate the sister compound of WTe2, MoTe2, which is also predicted to be a WSM and a quantum spin Hall insulator in bulk and monolayer form, respectively. We find that MoTe2 exhibits superconductivity with a resistive transition temperature Tc of 0.1 K. The application of a small pressure (such as 0.4 GPa) is shown to dramatically enhance the Tc, with a maximum value of 8.2 K being obtained at 11.7 GPa (a more than 80-fold increase in Tc). This yields a dome-shaped superconducting phase diagram. Further explorations into the nature of the superconductivity in this system may provide insights into the interplay between strong correlations and topological physics.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

The GRAVITY+ Project: Towards All-sky, Faint-Science, High-Contrast Near-Infrared Interferometry at the VLTI

The GRAVITY instrument has been revolutionary for near-infrared interferometry by pushing sensitivity and precision to previously unknown limits. With the upgrade of GRAVITY and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in GRAVITY+, these limits will be pushed even further, with vastly improved sky coverage, as well as faint-science and high-contrast capabilities. This upgrade includes the implementation of wide-field off-axis fringe-tracking, new adaptive optics systems on all Unit Telescopes, and laser guide stars in an upgraded facility. GRAVITY+ will open up the sky to the measurement of black hole masses across cosmic time in hundreds of active galactic nuclei, use the faint stars in the Galactic centre to probe General Relativity, and enable the characterisation of dozens of young exoplanets to study their formation, bearing the promise of another scientific revolution to come at the VLTI.Comment: Published in the ESO Messenge

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

The second "Safety in the transportation of dangerous goods" research programme

Im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen (BMVBW) hat die Projektgruppe "Gefahrguttransport" Forschungsbedarf zur Sicherheit in der Gefahrgutbeförderung ermittelt. Experten der drei Landverkehrsträger Bahn, Binnenschiffahrt und Straße sowie von Sicherheitsinstitutionen waren Mitglieder in der Projektgruppe. Durch eine enge Zusammenarbeit mit Sicherheitsbehörden, Sachverständigenorganisationen, den ständigen Arbeitsausschüssen des Gefahrgut-Verkehrs-Beirats des BMVBW, ASV und ATT und Fachverbänden der chemischen Industrie, der Mineralölwirtschaft und des Transportgewerbes konnte der Forschungsbedarf für den Landverkehr sehr umfassend erhoben werden. Leitideen bei der Auswahl des Forschungsbedarfs waren die Umsetzung der Forderungen nach Vernetzung der Verkehrsträger, der Harmonisierung der Beförderungsbedingungen und -vorschriften im liberalisierten europäischen Verkehrsmarkt und Aspekte des globalisierten Wirtschaftens. Die vorliegenden Forschungsergebnisse zur Risikoanalyse des Gefahrguttransports sollen um weitere Forschungsvorhaben zum Aufbau eines Risiko-Analyse-Systems ergänzt werden. Ausgehend von den Ergebnissen eines Forschungs- und Entwicklungs (F&E)-Vorhabens zur Entwicklung einer Strategie für ein integriertes Forschungskonzept zum Einfluss menschlicher Faktoren auf die Sicherheit des Gefahrguttransports werden Projektvorschläge entwickelt, in denen zu untersuchen sein wird, inwieweit verkehrspädagogische Konzepte und Interventionen Beiträge zur Unfallvorsorge leisten können und wie Anreizsysteme und technische Systeme der Vermeidung von Unfällen förderlich sind. In der zukünftigen Forschungsarbeit zum Regelwerk soll Fragen zur Harmonisierung der Regelwerke, der Anwenderfreundlichkeit der Vorschriften einschließlich vermittelnder Institutionen wie der des Gefahrgutbeauftragten nachgegangen werden. Ein verkehrsträgerübergreifendes Sicherheitskonzept mit Bezug auf Europäisierung und Liberalisierung in der Gefahrgutklassifizierung wird mit zahlreichen Vorschlägen zu Stoff- und Umschließungsvorhaben angestrebt. Einen anderen Schwerpunkt bilden Projektvorschläge, mit denen risikoanalytische Grundlagen zur Tankkonstruktion und -zulassung erarbeitet werden sollen. In einem Kapitel zur Verkehrs- und Fahrzeugtechnik werden für die Sicherheit auf Binnenwasserstraßen Forschungsvorhaben empfohlen, die dem Schutz der Schiffsbesatzungen und der Umwelt dienen. Die Sicherheit im Eisenbahnverkehr soll mit Forschungsvorhaben zur aktiven und passiven Sicherheit, insbesondere durch eine informationstechnologisch gestützte Zugüberwachung verbessert werden. Für den Bereich Straße wurden Themen konzipiert, die zum Ziel haben, Unfallvorsorge durch Kfz-Technik zu verbessern. Mit Forschungsvorhaben zur Ladungssicherung und zur Schnittstellenproblematik soll vorhandenes Wissen systematisiert und Grundlagenwissen erarbeitet werden. Unter dem Stichwort "Sicherheit durch vernetzte Informationen" werden Konzepte vorgeschlagen, die verkehrsträgerübergreifend und international anwendbar sein sollen. Einzelprobleme rettungsdienstlicher Ausrüstung zur Bergung von Gefahrgut sowie systematische Schwachstellenanalysen ausgewählter Teilsysteme stehen im Mittelpunkt der Auswahl von Forschungsvorhaben für das Rettungswesen. In einem abschließenden Kapitel werden Empfehlungen zum Forschungsmanagement vorgelegt und eine zeitliche Dringlichkeitsreihung der vorgeschlagenen Forschungsvorhaben aufgestellt.The "Dangerous Goods Transportation" project group, under commission to the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing (BMVBW), ascertained the requirements for research into safety in dangerous goods transportation. The project group was made up of specialists in the three modes of transport: rail, inland waterway and road; and experts from safety institutions. lt was possible to attain highly detailed data regarding the requirements for research into the modes of transport on account of dose collaboration with safety authorities, specialist organisations, the standing working committees of the BMVBW's Dangerous Goods Transport Advisory Board and specialist associations from the chemical, mineral oil and transport industries. The central ideas guiding the selection of the research requirements were the implementation of the demands for networking the different modes of transport, the harmonisation of transport conditions and regulations in the liberalised European transport market and aspects relating to global economic activity. lt is intended that the present research results on risk analysis of dangerous goods transportation should be supplemented by further research projects aimed at constructing a risk-analysis system. Proposals for research projects will be developed based on the results of a research and development project aimed at developing a strategy for integrated research into the influence of human factors on the safety of dangerous goods transportation; the objective of these proposed projects will be to investigate the extent to which it is possible for traffic education-related concepts and interventions to contribute to accident prevention and how incentive systems and technical systems are conducive to the avoidance of accidents. lt is intended that future research into standards and regulations will look at questions relating to harmonisation of regulations and to their userfriendliness, including intermediary institutions such as that of the officer for the prevention of risk. Numerous proposals for projects dealing with substances and containers are given in an attempt to elaborate an inter-modal safety concept which takes into consideration European harmonisation and liberalisation in the classification of dangerous goods. Proposals for projects aimed at drawing up risk analytical principles for tank construction and tank homologation form another focal point. Research projects for safety on inland waterways are recommended in a chapter on traffic and automobile engineering; these projects would serve to protect boat crews and the environment. lt is aimed to improve rail safety through research projects on active and passive safety and in particular through an IT-assisted train monitoring system. Projects were developed for the road which aim to improve accident prevention through vehicle technology. Research projects on cargo safety and on Interface problems aim to systemise existent knowledge and elaborate fundamental principles. Concepts are proposed under the heading "Safety through Networked Information"; the objective of these is to be inter-modal and internationally applicable. The research projects relating to the rescue services focus on individual problems regarding rescue service equipment used for recovering dangerous goods and on analyses of weak areas of selected sub-systems. The final chapter contains recommendations for research management and a list of the suggested proposals in order of priority

CCR7 Coordinates the Primary Immune Response by Establishing Functional Microenvironments in Secondary Lymphoid Organs.

The proper function of immune surveillance requires well-coordinated mechanisms in order to guide the patrolling immune cells through peripheral tissues and into secondary lymphoid organs. Analyzing gene-targeted mice, we identified the chemokine receptor CCR7 as an important organizer of the primary immune response. CCR7-deficient mice show severely delayed kinetics regarding the antibody response and lack contact sensitivity and delayed type hypersensitivity reactions. Due to the impaired migration of lymphocytes, these animals reveal profound morphological alterations in all secondary lymphoid organs. Upon activation, mature skin dendritic cells fail to migrate into the draining lymph nodes. Thus, in order to bring together lymphocytes and dendritic cells to form the characteristic microarchitecture of secondary lymphoid organs, CCR7 is required to rapidly initiate an adoptive immune response