A clumpy and anisotropic galaxy halo at z=1 from gravitational-arc tomography

Every star-forming galaxy has a halo of metal-enriched gas extending out to at least 100 kpc, as revealed by the absorption lines this gas imprints on the spectra of background quasars. However, quasars are sparse and typically probe only one narrow pencil beam through the intervening galaxy. Close quasar pairs and gravitationally lensed quasars have been used to circumvent this inherently one-dimensional technique, but these objects are rare and the structure of the circum-galactic medium remains poorly constrained. As a result, our understanding of the physical processes that drive the re-cycling of baryons across the lifetime of a galaxy is limited. Here we report integral-field (tomographic) spectroscopy of an extended background source -a bright giant gravitational arc. We can thus coherently map the spatial and kinematic distribution of Mg II absorption -a standard tracer of enriched gas- in an intervening galaxy system at redshift 0.98 (i.e., ~8 Gyr ago). Our gravitational-arc tomography unveils a clumpy medium in which the absorption-strength decreases with increasing impact parameter, in good agreement with the statistics towards quasars; furthermore, we find strong evidence that the gas is not distributed isotropically. Interestingly, we detect little kinematic variation over a projected area of ~600 kpc squared, with all line-of-sight velocities confined to within a few tens of km/s of each other. These results suggest that the detected absorption originates from entrained recycled material, rather than in a galactic outflow.Comment: Published online in Nature on 31 January 201

The BOSS Emission-Line Lens Survey. III. : Strong Lensing of Lyα\alpha Emitters by Individual Galaxies

We introduce the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) Emission-Line Lens Survey (BELLS) for GALaxy-Ly$\alpha$ EmitteR sYstems (BELLS GALLERY) Survey, which is a Hubble Space Telescope program to image a sample of galaxy-scale strong gravitational lens candidate systems with high-redshift Ly$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) as the background sources. The goal of the BELLS GALLERY Survey is to illuminate dark substructures in galaxy-scale halos by exploiting the small-scale clumpiness of rest-frame far-UV emission in lensed LAEs, and to thereby constrain the slope and normalization of the substructure-mass function. In this paper, we describe in detail the spectroscopic strong-lens selection technique, which is based on methods adopted in the previous Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) Survey, BELLS, and SLACS for the Masses Survey. We present the BELLS GALLERY sample of the 21 highest-quality galaxy--LAE candidates selected from $\approx 1.4 \times 10^6$ galaxy spectra in the BOSS of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. These systems consist of massive galaxies at redshifts of approximately 0.5 strongly lensing LAEs at redshifts from 2--3. The compact nature of LAEs makes them an ideal probe of dark substructures, with a substructure-mass sensitivity that is unprecedented in other optical strong-lens samples. The magnification effect from lensing will also reveal the structure of LAEs below 100 pc scales, providing a detailed look at the sites of the most concentrated unobscured star formation in the universe. The source code used for candidate selection is available for download as a part of this release.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ (ApJ, 824, 86). Minor edits to match the ApJ published versio

Growth laws and self-similar growth regimes of coarsening two-dimensional foams: Transition from dry to wet limits

We study the topology and geometry of two dimensional coarsening foams with arbitrary liquid fraction. To interpolate between the dry limit described by von Neumann's law, and the wet limit described by Marqusee equation, the relevant bubble characteristics are the Plateau border radius and a new variable, the effective number of sides. We propose an equation for the individual bubble growth rate as the weighted sum of the growth through bubble-bubble interfaces and through bubble-Plateau borders interfaces. The resulting prediction is successfully tested, without adjustable parameter, using extensive bidimensional Potts model simulations. Simulations also show that a selfsimilar growth regime is observed at any liquid fraction and determine how the average size growth exponent, side number distribution and relative size distribution interpolate between the extreme limits. Applications include concentrated emulsions, grains in polycrystals and other domains with coarsening driven by curvature

Introducing the Journal of Melittology: An outlet for disseminating bee research and raising melittological awareness

A new journal is introduced, the focus of which is to disseminate the results of research on wild and managed bees, to raise public awareness of bees, and to promote and facilitate international communication and collaboration

A Population of Dust-rich Quasars at z ~ 1.5

We report Herschel SPIRE (250, 350, and 500 μm) detections of 32 quasars with redshifts 0.5 ≤z < 3.6 from the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES). These sources are from a MIPS 24 μm flux-limited sample of 326 quasars in the Lockman Hole Field. The extensive multi-wavelength data available in the field permit construction of the rest-frame spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from ultraviolet to the mid-infrared for all sources, and to the far-infrared (FIR) for the 32 objects. Most quasars with Herschel FIR detections show dust temperatures in the range of 25-60 K, with a mean of 34 K. The FIR luminosities range from 10^(11.3) to 10^(13.5) L_☉, qualifying most of their hosts as ultra- or hyper-luminous infrared galaxies. These FIR-detected quasars may represent a dust-rich population, but with lower redshifts and fainter luminosities than quasars observed at ~1 mm. However, their FIR properties cannot be predicted from shorter wavelengths (0.3-20 μm, rest frame), and the bolometric luminosities derived using the 5100 Å index may be underestimated for these FIR-detected quasars. Regardless of redshift, we observed a decline in the relative strength of FIR luminosities for quasars with higher near-infrared luminosities

Tratamiento quirúrgico de la escoliosis en el síndrome de Rett: sistema de instrumentación TRANSPINE

El Síndrome de Rett es una afectación neurológica que en los estadios últimos presenta deformidades evolutivas que suelen precisar cirugía. Se han revisado en este estudio 11 pacientes con Síndrome de Rett y deformidad en columna que precisaron cirugía. Se analizaron las magnitudes de las curvas con ángulo de Cobb, alteraciones del plano sagital (cifosis y lordosis), oblicuidad pélvica pre y postoperatoria, niveles de fusión y complicaciones postoperatorias. La corrección media fue del 65%. Se realizó una fusión posterior en todos los pacientes sin incluir sacro pelvis. Los montajes se realizaron principalmente con sistema híbrido de tornillos, ganchos, pinzas y cables laminares TRANSPINE®. Las escoliosis neuromusculares, como el síndrome de Rett, que precisan corrección, pueden controlarse de forma segura y efectiva mediante artrodesis posterior con instrumentación híbrida.Rett Syndrome is a neurological impairment with a typically long C scoliosis curve that often require surgery. In this study it has been reviewed 11 patients with Rett syndrome and spine deformity. We analyzed the magnitudes of the curves with Cobb angle, sagittal plane (kyphosis and lordosis), preoperative and postoperative pelvic obliquity, fusion levels and postoperative complications. The average correction was 65%. Posterior fusion was performed in all patients excluding sacrum pelvis. The assemblies are made mainly with the hybrid system of screws, hooks, clips and cables TRANSPINE®. Neuromuscular scoliosis, such as Rett syndrome, which needs correction, can be controlled safely and effectively by posterior fusion with hybrid constructs

Afrontar la vida sin miedo, afrontar la vida desde la confianza

La clave para el desarrollo de ciertas habilidades emocionales, así como para acompañar los procesos madurativos y educativos de las mismas en los demás, está en encontrarnos primero con nuestras propias heridas emocionales, en analizar las estrategias y gestión que hemos hecho de ellas hasta el momento y, en buscar el camino de la reconciliación entre ambas cuestiones. De ese modo podremos ofrecer a los demás una conexión emocional pura, libre de nuestras propias cargas, y que favorece en el otro un desarrollo genuino conectado con su propio ser y que le permitirá afrontar la vida sin miedo, afrontar la vida desde la confianza

Species-Specific Activity of HIV-1 Vpu and Positive Selection of Tetherin Transmembrane Domain Variants

Tetherin/BST-2/CD317 is a recently identified antiviral protein that blocks the release of nascent retrovirus, and other virus, particles from infected cells. An HIV-1 accessory protein, Vpu, acts as an antagonist of tetherin. Here, we show that positive selection is evident in primate tetherin sequences and that HIV-1 Vpu appears to have specifically adapted to antagonize variants of tetherin found in humans and chimpanzees. Tetherin variants found in rhesus macaques (rh), African green monkeys (agm) and mice were able to inhibit HIV-1 particle release, but were resistant to antagonism by HIV-1 Vpu. Notably, reciprocal exchange of transmembrane domains between human and monkey tetherins conferred sensitivity and resistance to Vpu, identifying this protein domain as a critical determinant of Vpu function. Indeed, differences between hu-tetherin and rh-tetherin at several positions in the transmembrane domain affected sensitivity to antagonism by Vpu. Two alterations in the hu-tetherin transmembrane domain, that correspond to differences found in rh- and agm-tetherin proteins, were sufficient to render hu-tetherin completely resistant to HIV-1 Vpu. Interestingly, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain sequences in primate tetherins exhibit variation at numerous codons that is likely the result of positive selection, and some of these changes coincide with determinants of HIV-1 Vpu sensitivity. Overall, these data indicate that tetherin could impose a barrier to viral zoonosis as a consequence of positive selection that has been driven by ancient viral antagonists, and that the HIV-1 Vpu protein has specialized to target the transmembrane domains found in human/chimpanzee tetherin proteins