Formation of dense partonic matter in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC: Experimental evaluation by the PHENIX collaboration

Extensive experimental data from high-energy nucleus-nucleus collisions were recorded using the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The comprehensive set of measurements from the first three years of RHIC operation includes charged particle multiplicities, transverse energy, yield ratios and spectra of identified hadrons in a wide range of transverse momenta (p_T), elliptic flow, two-particle correlations, non-statistical fluctuations, and suppression of particle production at high p_T. The results are examined with an emphasis on implications for the formation of a new state of dense matter. We find that the state of matter created at RHIC cannot be described in terms of ordinary color neutral hadrons.Comment: 510 authors, 127 pages text, 56 figures, 1 tables, LaTeX. Submitted to Nuclear Physics A as a regular article; v3 has minor changes in response to referee comments. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F-ROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that F-ROH is significantly associated (p <0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: F-ROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44-66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of F-ROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in F-ROH is independent of all environmental confounding.Peer reviewe

The Need for Laboratory Measurements and Ab Initio Studies to Aid Understanding of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

Laboratory astrophysics and astrochemistr

The intake and digestion of a range of temperate forages by sheep and fibre-producing goats

The voluntary intake, digestibility and mean retention time of six temperate forages differing in their chemical composition by 12 adult castrated male Scottish blackface sheep, aged 15 months, and fibre-producing castrated male goats, aged 27 months, and of similar live weight, 40 kg, were described. The creation of a range of chemical compositions was effected through the use of barley straw, and a low- and high-digestibility hay, and the use of ammonia treatment of these forages. A wide range of voluntary intakes (42-78 g DM/kg W⁰·⁷⁵/day), digestibility of dry matter (0.46-0.60) and mean retention times of undigested residues (36-72 h) was achieved through feeding the six forages. Across all the forages fibre-producing goats had higher voluntary intakes, expressed on a metabolic live weight basis, and lower digestibility values than sheep, whereas the mean retention time of the undigested residues was similar for the two species. Within forages goats selected a diet of potentially higher nutritive value, as predicted from chemical composition, with a smaller particle size than sheep. It was concluded that the differences in intake and digestion of temperate forages between sheep and fibre-producing goats are broadly similar to those observed in other experiments between sheep and goats ingesting tropical forages

Comparative preference by sheep and goats for Graminaeae forages varying in chemical composition

The preferences for six Graminaeae forages, differing in chemical composition, by adult castrated male Scottish Blackface sheep and fibre-producing castrated male goats were assessed in paired choice trials. Using barley straw, low and high digestibility grass hay (Lolium perenne) and the use of ammonia treatment of the low quality forages, created the range in chemical composition of the forages. A wide range of voluntary intakes (33.7-82.3 g DM/kg W-0.75/day) was achieved through feeding the paired forages. Sheep and goats had similar preference rankings for the forages with both preferring the high digestibility hay to other forages. Ammonia treatment of the forages had little effect on their preference. For both species the forages' preference rankings were positively correlated with the voluntary intake (P < 0.01) and the in vitro OM digestibility (P < 0.05) of the individual forages, whereas they were negatively related (P < 0.01) to the fibre characteristics (NDF, ADF, AIL) of the feeds. It was concluded that goats and sheep used in this study had similar preferences, for the forages tested, despite differences between species in their intake and digestion of the individual forages

Intake, digestion and selection of roughage with different staple lengths by sheep and goats

The diet selection, ingestive and digestive responses of goats and sheep offered a single forage, which was prepared with three staple lengths: long (L), medium (M) and short (S) (mean particle size (mm): 13.29, 7.26 and 0.69, respectively) were studied in three experiments. The sheep (Scottish Blackface wethers) increased their dry matter intake (sheep DMI: 60.1, 61.1 and 66.2 g DM/(kg W-0.75) per day for L, M and S) and reduced mean retention time (MRT) of the undigested residues (sheep MRT: 54.6, 52.9 and 45.9 h for L, M and S) and digestive efficiency (sheep DM digestibility: 0.524, 0.522 and 0.493 for L, M and S) with the reduction in forage particle size. The respective responses of goats (feral crosses) were not modified with forage staple length (goat DMI: 68.1, 65.9 and 67.3 g DM/(kg W-0.75) per day for L, M and S); (goat MRT: 3 8.7, 39.3 and 41.1 h for L, M and S); (goat DM digestibility: 0.495, 0.475 and 0.480 for L, M and S). However, both species had similar intakes of digestible dry matter (DDMI) on all staple lengths (mean DDMI: 32.0 and 32.6 g DDM/(kg W-0.75) per day for sheep and goats). On the longer staple lengths (L and M) goats masticated the fibre into smaller particles than did sheep and had (P < 0.01) a greater proportion of small particles in their boli (mean: 0.45 and 0.30 for goats and sheep). The selection of components within the forage offered was different for the two species. Goats consumed forage of lower nitrogen (N) (P < 0.01) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD) (P < 0.05) and higher neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (P < 0.01) contents than sheep. This was associated with the residues from sheep having a coarser texture than those of goats. When the forages of different staple lengths were offered in pairs to the animals, there was no evidence for selection of forage types by either species. It would appear that the greater ability of goats to chew efficiently provides a reason for the different responses to staple length in intake, digestibility and MRT by the two species

Ozone intensities in the rotational bands

This note provides a citable reference to a database reconciliation effort for ozone pure rotational intensities. The permanent dipole moment and theoretical adjustments for centrifugal distortion are utilized in a predictive calculation that is compared to experimental measurements. This prediction has been available in the JPL spectral line catalog since 2005, but has been at odds with the HITRAN database, which was originally based on an atlas provided by Flaud (HITRAN 1992) and subsequently scaled by 4% (HITRAN 2004). Using a modified partition function and isotopic abundance factor, the JPL 2005 prediction has now been utilized to create a self-consistent entry as an interim update to the HITRAN2016 database. Ramifications of the intensity change for users of HITRAN versions 2004-2012 are discussed. New pure rotational intensity measurements were carried out supporting the validity of the JPL 2005 database

Status of the HITRAN and HITEMP databases

<p>HITRAN2012¹ is the current official release of the database. In HITRAN2012, the line-by-line lists for almost all of the 42 HITRAN molecules were updated with respect to the previous compilation (HITRAN2008²). The scope of the updates ranges from corrections to the representations of quantum assignments to complete replacements of the lists and introduction of new isotopologues. Five new molecules and their isotopologues were added to the database, namely: HC₃N, C₄H₂, H₂, CS and SO₃. Some of the most important updates, relevant to the studies of the terrestrial atmosphere such as for water vapor, CO₂, molecular oxygen, etc, will be presented in more detail. Examples of definite improvements of the quality and extent of the spectral parameters will be demonstrated with respect to applications. Some remaining problems will also be shown. In addition, new as well as improved sets of cross-section data have been added. Finally, collision-induced absorption (CIA) parameters were introduced into the database for the first time, and this initiative already has received very positive feedback from the community.</p> <p>The immediate plans for updates to the existing spectral parameters will be presented. The status and future plans for the HITEMP database³ will also be discussed. The project for adapting a relational structure of the database with a dynamic and user-friendly web interface will be described. The new structure will enable introduction of a generalized line-shape formalism and parameters as well as many other advantages.</p> <p>The HITRAN database is supported by the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) under the grant NNX11AF91G, and by the NASA Planetary Atmospheres program under grant NNX13AI59G.</p

Hyperfine structure of the a1g - X 3Σg − transitions of 16O17O, 17O18O and 17O2 by CRDS at 80 K

International audienceThe high sensitivity absorption spectrum of the a1g-X 3Σg − band of 16O17O, 17O18O and 17O2 has been recorded by CW-Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy near 1.27 μm. The spectra were obtained between 7640 and 7917 cm-1 with a 17O-enriched sample at room temperature and at 80 K. Due to the I= 5/2 nuclear spin of the 17O atom, the nuclear hyperfine structure of the transitions could be partly resolved at low temperature. The parameter coupling of the nuclear spin to the electronic angular momentum in the a1g state has been derived for the three studied isotopologues of oxygen