342 research outputs found
Impossibility of extending the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber model to relativistic particles
Spontaneous collapse models are proposed modifications to quantum mechanics which aim to solve the measurement problem. In this article, we will consider models which attempt to extend a specific spontaneous collapse model, the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber model (GRW), to be consistent with special relativity. We will present a condition that a relativistic GRW model must meet for three cases: for a single particle, for N distinguishable particles, and for indistinguishable particles. We will then show that this relativistic condition implies that one can have a relativistic GRW model for a single particles or for distinguishable noninteracting, nonentangled particles but not otherwise
Enhanced surveillance of invasive listeriosis in the Lombardy region, Italy, in the years 2006-2010 reveals major clones and an increase in serotype 1/2a.
Background
Invasive listeriosis is a rare, life-threatening foodborne disease. Lombardy, an Italian region accounting for 16% of the total population, reported 55% of all listeriosis cases in the years 2006-2010. The aim of our study was to provide a snapshot of listeriosis epidemiology in this region after the implementation of a voluntary laboratory-based surveillance system.
Methods
We characterized by serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing and detection of epidemic clone markers, 134 isolates from 132 listeriosis cases, including 15 pregnancy-related cases, occurring in the years 2006-2010 in Lombardy. Demographic and clinical characteristics of cases have also been described.
Results
The mean age of non pregnancy-associated cases was 64.7\u2009years, with 55.9% of cases being older than 65\u2009years. Cases having no underlying medical conditions accounted for 11.6%. The all-cause fatality rate of 83 cases with a known survival outcome was 25.3%.
Serotypes 1/2a and 4b comprised 52.2% and 38.8% of isolates, respectively. Seventy-three AscI pulsotypes and 25 sequence types assigned to 23 clonal complexes were recognized. Moreover, 53 (39.5%) isolates tested positive for the epidemic clone markers. Twelve molecular subtype clusters including at least three isolates were detected, with cluster 11 (1/2a/ST38) including 31 isolates identified during the entire study period. No outbreaks were notified to public health authorities during this period.
Conclusions
The findings of our study proved that epidemiology of listeriosis in Lombardy is characterized by a high prevalence of major clones and the increasing role of serotype 1/2a. Molecular subtyping is an essential tool in the epidemiology and surveillance of listeriosis. Rapid molecular cluster detection could alert about putative outbreaks, thus increasing the chance of detecting and inactivating routes of transmission
Energy efficiency of ventilated façades with near infrared range reflective ceramic tiles
La creciente concienciación social respecto a la construcción sostenible y el ahorro energético en edificios está conduciendo a prescriptores y usuarios finales a tomar en consideración nuevas soluciones constructivas. Sin embargo, su introducción en el mercado es lenta y difícil, debido tanto a las limitaciones de las herramientas reconocidas de simulación térmica, que no permiten efectuar estimaciones integrando sistemas innovadores, como a la dificultad para validar su eficiencia en edificios reales previamente a su comercialización. En el presente trabajo se analiza la eficiencia energética de una fachada ventilada resuelta con baldosas cerámicas reflectantes al infrarrojo cercano, mediante la integración en el programa EnergyPlus de un modelo matemático que ha sido validado en el edificio experimental CIES Living Lab de Castellón.The growing social awareness with regard to sustainable construction and energy efficiency in buildings is leading
specifications writers and end users to take into account new construction solutions. However, the introduction of these
construction solutions into the market is slow and difficult owing to the limitations of the recognised thermal simulation
tools, which do not allow estimations to be made when integrating innovative systems, and to the difficulty of validating
their efficiency in actual buildings before marketing them. The present study analyses the energy efficiency of a ventilated
façade made up of near-infrared reflective ceramic tiles, by integrating a mathematical model validated in the
CIES Living Lab experimental building in Castellón into the EnergyPlus program.Este estudio ha sido cofinanciado por la plataforma Climate-
KIC en el marco del proyecto Building Technologies Accelerator
(BTA)
Peering through the holes: the far UV color of star-forming galaxies at z~3-4 and the escaping fraction of ionizing radiation
We aim to investigate the effect of the escaping ionizing radiation on the
color selection of high redshift galaxies and identify candidate Lyman
continuum (LyC) emitters. The intergalactic medium prescription of Inoue et
al.(2014) and galaxy synthesis models of Bruzual&Charlot (2003) have been used
to properly treat the ultraviolet stellar emission, the stochasticity of the
intergalactic transmission and mean free path in the ionizing regime. Color
tracks are computed by turning on/off the escape fraction of ionizing
radiation. At variance with recent studies, a careful treatment of IGM
transmission leads to no significant effects on the high-redshift broad-band
color selection. The decreasing mean free path of ionizing photons with
increasing redshift further diminishes the contribution of the LyC to
broad-band colors. We also demonstrate that prominent LyC sources can be
selected under suitable conditions by calculating the probability of a null
escaping ionizing radiation. The method is applied to a sample of galaxies
extracted from the GOODS-S field. A known LyC source at z=3.795 is successfully
recovered as a LyC emitter candidate and another convincing candidate at
z=3.212 is reported. A detailed analysis of the two sources (including their
variability and morphology) suggests a possible mixture of stellar and
non-stellar (AGN) contribution in the ultraviolet. Conclusions: Classical
broad-band color selection of 2.5<z<4.5 galaxies does not prevent the inclusion
of LyC emitters in the selected samples. Large fesc in relatively bright
galaxies (L>0.1L*) could be favored by the presence of a faint AGN not easily
detected at any wavelength. A hybrid stellar and non-stellar (AGN) ionizing
emission could coexist in these systems and explain the tensions found among
the UV excess and the stellar population synthesis models reported in
literature.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 13 pages, 7
figure
Average Metallicity and Star Formation Rate of Lya Emitters Probed by a Triple Narrow-Band Survey
We present the average metallicity and star-formation rate of Lya emitters
(LAEs) measured from our large-area survey with three narrow-band (NB) filters
covering the Lya, [OII]3727, and Ha+[NII] lines of LAEs at z=2.2. We select 919
z=2.2 LAEs from Subaru/Suprime-Cam NB data in conjunction with Magellan/IMACS
spectroscopy. Of these LAEs, 561 and 105 are observed with KPNO/NEWFIRM
near-infrared NB filters whose central wavelengths are matched to redshifted
[OII] and Ha nebular lines, respectively. By stacking the near-infrared images
of the LAEs, we successfully obtain average nebular-line fluxes of LAEs, the
majority of which are too faint to be identified individually by narrow-band
imaging or deep spectroscopy. The stacked object has an Ha luminosity of
1.7x10^{42} erg s^{-1} corresponding to a star formation rate (SFR) of 14
M_{sun} yr^{-1}. We place, for the first time, a firm lower limit to the
average metallicity of LAEs of Z>~0.09 Z_{sun} (2sigma) based on the
[OII]/(Ha+[NII]) index together with photo-ionization models and empirical
relations. This lower limit of metallicity rules out the hypothesis that LAEs,
so far observed at z~2, are extremely metal poor (Z<2x10^{-2} Z_{sun}) young
galaxies at the 4sigma level. This limit is higher than a simple extrapolation
of the observed mass-metallicity relation of z~2 UV-selected galaxies toward
lower masses (5x10^{8} M_{sun}), but roughly consistent with a recently
proposed fundamental mass-metallicity relation when the LAEs' relatively low
SFR is taken into account. The Ha and Lya luminosities of our NB-selected LAEs
indicate that the escape fraction of Lya photons is ~12-30 %, much higher than
the values derived for other galaxy populations at z~2.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, 8 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Constraining Lyman-alpha spatial offsets at from VANDELS slit spectroscopy
We constrain the distribution of spatially offset Lyman-alpha emission
(Ly) relative to rest-frame ultraviolet emission in high
redshift () Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) exhibiting Ly emission
from VANDELS, a VLT/VIMOS slit-spectroscopic survey of the CANDELS Ultra Deep
Survey and Chandra Deep Field South fields (
total). Because slit spectroscopy compresses two-dimensional spatial
information into one spatial dimension, we use Bayesian inference to recover
the underlying Ly spatial offset distribution. We model the
distribution using a 2D circular Gaussian, defined by a single parameter
, the standard deviation expressed in polar
coordinates. Over the entire redshift range of our sample (), we find
kpc ( conf.),
corresponding to arcsec at . We also find that
decreases significantly with redshift. Because
Ly spatial offsets can cause slit-losses, the decrease in
with redshift can partially explain the increase
in the fraction of Ly emitters observed in the literature over this
same interval, although uncertainties are still too large to reach a strong
conclusion. If continues to decrease into the
reionization epoch, then the decrease in Ly transmission from galaxies
observed during this epoch might require an even higher neutral hydrogen
fraction than what is currently inferred. Conversely, if spatial offsets
increase with the increasing opacity of the IGM, slit losses may explain some
of the drop in Ly transmission observed at . Spatially resolved
observations of Ly and UV continuum at are needed to settle the
issue.Comment: Submitted to MNRA
Eficiencia energética de fachadas ventiladas con baldosas cerámicas reflectantes al infrarrojo cercano
The growing social awareness with regard to sustainable construction and energy efficiency in buildings is leading specifications writers and end users to take into account new construction solutions. However, the introduction of these construction solutions into the market is slow and difficult owing to the limitations of the recognised thermal simulation tools, which do not allow estimations to be made when integrating innovative systems, and to the difficulty of validating their efficiency in actual buildings before marketing them. The present study analyses the energy efficiency of a ventilated façade made up of near-infrared reflective ceramic tiles, by integrating a mathematical model validated in the CIES Living Lab experimental building in Castellón into the EnergyPlus program.La creciente concienciación social respecto a la construcción sostenible y el ahorro energético en edificios está conduciendo a prescriptores y usuarios finales a tomar en consideración nuevas soluciones constructivas. Sin embargo, su introducción en el mercado es lenta y difícil, debido tanto a las limitaciones de las herramientas reconocidas de simulación térmica, que no permiten efectuar estimaciones integrando sistemas innovadores, como a la dificultad para validar su eficiencia en edificios reales previamente a su comercialización. En el presente trabajo se analiza la eficiencia energética de una fachada ventilada resuelta con baldosas cerámicas reflectantes al infrarrojo cercano, mediante la integración en el programa EnergyPlus de un modelo matemático que ha sido validado en el edificio experimental CIES Living Lab de Castellón
First Spectroscopic Evidence for High Ionization State and Low Oxygen Abundance in Lya Emitters
We present results from Keck/NIRSPEC and Magellan/MMIRS follow-up
spectroscopy of Lya emitters (LAEs) at z=2.2 identified in our Subaru
narrowband survey. We successfully detect Ha emission from seven LAEs, and
perform a detailed analysis of six LAEs free from AGN activity, two out of
which, CDFS-3865 and COSMOS-30679, have [OII] and [OIII] line detections. They
are the first [OII]-detected LAEs at high-z, and their [OIII]/[OII] ratios and
R23-indices provide the first simultaneous determinations of ionization
parameter and oxygen abundance for LAEs. CDFS-3865 has a very high ionization
parameter (q_{ion}=2.5^{+1.7}_{-0.8}x10^8 cm s^{-1}) and a low oxygen abundance
(12+log(O/H)=7.84^{+0.24}_{-0.25}) in contrast with moderate values of other
high-z galaxies such as Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). COSMOS-30679 also
possesses a relatively high ionization parameter (q_{ion}=8^{+10}_{-4}x10^7 cm
s^{-1}) and a low oxygen abundance (12+log(O/H)=8.18^{+0.28}_{-0.28}). Both
LAEs appear to fall below the mass-metallicity relation of z~2 LBGs. Similarly,
a low metallicity of 12+log(O/H)<8.4 is independently indicated for typical
LAEs from a composite spectrum and the [NII]/Ha index. Such high ionization
parameters and low oxygen abundances can be found in local star-forming
galaxies, but this extreme local population occupies only ~0.06% of the SDSS
spectroscopic galaxy sample with a number density ~100 times smaller than that
of LAEs. With their high ionization parameters and low oxygen abundances, LAEs
would represent an early stage of galaxy formation dominated by massive stars
in compact star-forming regions. High-q_{ion} galaxies like LAEs would produce
ionizing photons efficiently with a high escape fraction achieved by
density-bounded HII regions, which would significantly contribute to cosmic
reionization at z>6.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Limits on the LyC signal from z~3 sources with secure redshift and HST coverage in the E-CDFS field
Aim: We aim to measure the LyC signal from a sample of sources in the Chandra
deep field south. We collect star-forming galaxies (SFGs) and active galactic
nuclei (AGN) with accurate spectroscopic redshifts, for which Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) coverage and multi-wavelength photometry are available. Method:
We selected a sample of about 200 sources at z~3. Taking advantage of HST
resolution, we applied a careful cleaning procedure and rejected sources
showing nearby clumps with different colours, which could be lower-z
interlopers. Our clean sample consisted of 86 SFGs (including 19 narrow-band
selected Lya emitters) and 8 AGN (including 6 detected in X-rays). We measured
the LyC flux from aperture photometry in four narrow-band filters covering
wavelengths below a 912 A rest frame (3.11<z<3.53). We estimated the ratio
between ionizing (LyC flux) and 1400 A non-ionizing emissions for AGN and
galaxies. Results: By running population synthesis models, we assume an average
intrinsic L(1400 A)/L(900 A) ratio of 5 as the representative value for our
sample. With this value and an average treatment of the lines of sight of the
inter-galactic medium, we estimate the LyC escape fraction relative to the
intrinsic value (fesc_rel(LyC)). We do not directly detect ionizing radiation
from any individual SFG, but we are able to set a 1(2)sigma upper limit of
fesc_rel(LyC)<12(24)%. This result is consistent with other non-detections
published in the literature. No meaningful limits can be calculated for the
sub-sample of Lya emitters. We obtain one significant direct detection for an
AGN at z=3.46, with fesc_rel(LyC) = (72+/-18)%. Conclusions: Our upper limit on
fescrel(LyC) implies that the SFGs studied here do not present either the
physical properties or the geometric conditions suitable for efficient
LyC-photon escape.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A on Jan 5th, 201
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