Detection of Anomalous Microwave Emission in the Pleiades Reflection Nebula with WMAP and the COSMOSOMAS Experiment

We present evidence for anomalous microwave emission (AME) in the Pleiades reflection nebula, using data from the seven-year release of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and from the COSMOSOMAS experiment. The flux integrated in a 1-degree radius around R.A.=56.24^{\circ}, Dec.=23.78^{\circ} (J2000) is 2.15 +/- 0.12 Jy at 22.8 GHz, where AME is dominant. COSMOSOMAS data show no significant emission, but allow to set upper limits of 0.94 and 1.58 Jy (99.7% C.L.) respectively at 10.9 and 14.7 GHz, which are crucial to pin down the AME spectrum at these frequencies, and to discard any other emission mechanisms which could have an important contribution to the signal detected at 22.8 GHz. We estimate the expected level of free-free emission from an extinction-corrected H-alpha template, while the thermal dust emission is characterized from infrared DIRBE data and extrapolated to microwave frequencies. When we deduct the contribution from these two components at 22.8 GHz the residual flux, associated with AME, is 2.12 +/- 0.12 Jy (17.7-sigma). The spectral energy distribution from 10 to 60 GHz can be accurately fitted with a model of electric dipole emission from small spinning dust grains distributed in two separated phases of molecular and atomic gas, respectively. The dust emissivity, calculated by correlating the 22.8 GHz data with 100-micron data, is found to be 4.36+/-0.17 muK/MJy/sr, a value that is rather low compared with typical values in dust clouds. The physical properties of the Pleiades nebula indicate that this is indeed a much less opaque object than others were AME has usually been detected. This fact, together with the broad knowledge of the stellar content of this region, provides an excellent testbed for AME characterization in physical conditions different from those generally explored up to now.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 12 pages, 8 figure

String and string-inspired phenomenology

In these lectures I review the progress made over the last few years in the subject of string and string-inspired phenomenology. I take a practical approach, thereby concentrating more on explicit examples rather than on formal developments. Topics covered include: introduction to string theory, the free-fermionic formulation and its general features, generic conformal field theory properties, $SU(5)\times U(1)$ GUT and string model-building, supersymmetry breaking, the bottom-up approach to string-inspired models, radiative electroweak symmetry breaking, the determination of the allowed parameter space of supergravity models and the experimental constraints on this class of models, and prospects for direct and indirect tests of string-inspired models. (Lectures delivered at the XXII ITEP International Winter School of Physics, Moscow, Russia, February 22 -- March 2, 1994)Comment: CTP-TAMU-17/94, 39 pages (latex), 27 figures (not included). Figures are available via anonymous ftp from hplaa02.cern.ch (/pub/lopez) as one uuencoded file (MoscowFigs.uu, 1.31MB

Measurable residual disease (MRD) dynamics in multiple myeloma and the influence of clonal diversity analyzed by artificial intelligence.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment is a known surrogate marker for survival in multiple myeloma (MM). Here, we present a single institutions experience assessing MRD by NGS of Ig genes and the long-term impact of depth of response as well as clonal diversity on the clinical outcome of a large population of MM patients; 482 MM patients at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) diagnosed from 2008 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. MRD assessment was performed by NGS. PFS curves were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method. In the newly diagnosed group, 119 of 304, achieved MRD negativity at the level of 10-6 at least once. These patients had a prolonged PFS versus patients who were persistently MRD positive at different levels (p > 0.0001). In the relapsed disease group, 64 of 178 achieved MRD negativity at 10-6, and PFS was prolonged versus patients who remained MRD positive (p = 0.03). Three categories of MRD dynamics were defined by artificial intelligence: (A) patients with ≥3 consistently MRD negative samples, (B) patients with continuously declining but detectable clones, and (C) patients with either increasing or a stable number of clones. Groups A and B had a more prolonged PFS than group C (p < 10-7). Patients who were MRD positive and had not yet relapsed had a higher clonal diversity than those patients who were MRD positive and had relapsed. MRD dynamics can accurately predict disease evolution and drive clinical decision-making. Clonal Diversity could complement MRD assessment in the prediction of outcomes in MM

Universality of low-energy scattering in (2+1) dimensions

We prove that, in (2+1) dimensions, the S-wave phase shift, $\delta_0(k)$, k being the c.m. momentum, vanishes as either $\delta_0 \to {c\over \ln (k/m)} or \delta_0 \to O(k^2)$ as $k\to 0$. The constant $c$ is universal and $c=\pi/2$. This result is established first in the framework of the Schr\"odinger equation for a large class of potentials, second for a massive field theory from proved analyticity and unitarity, and, finally, we look at perturbation theory in $\phi_3^4$ and study its relation to our non-perturbative result. The remarkable fact here is that in n-th order the perturbative amplitude diverges like $(\ln k)^n$ as $k\to 0$, while the full amplitude vanishes as $(\ln k)^{-1}$. We show how these two facts can be reconciled.Comment: 23 pages, Late

Torrential rainfall in northeast of the Iberian Peninsula: synoptic patterns and WeMO influence

International audienceThis study presents a catalogue of synoptic patterns of torrential rainfall in northeast of the Iberian Peninsula (IP). These circulation patterns were obtained by applying a T-mode Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to a daily data grid (NCEP/NCAR reanalysis) at sea level pressure (SLP). The analysis made use of 304 days which recorded >100 mm in one or more stations in provinces of Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona (coastland area of Catalonia) throughout the 1950?2005 period. The catalogue comprises 7 circulation patterns showing a great variety of atmospheric conditions and seasonal or monthly distribution. Likewise, we computed the mean index value of the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index (WeMOi) for the synoptic patterns obtained by averaging all days grouped in each pattern. The results showed a clear association between the negative values of this teleconnection index and torrential rainfall in northeast of the IP. We therefore put forward the WeMO as an essential tool for forecasting heavy rainfall in northeast of Spain

Subcellular spatial resolution achieved for deep-brain imaging in vivo using a minimally invasive multimode fiber

Achieving intravital optical imaging with diffraction-limited spatial resolution of deep-brain structures represents an important step toward the goal of understanding the mammalian central nervous system1,2,3,4. Advances in wavefront-shaping methods and computational power have recently allowed for a novel approach to high-resolution imaging, utilizing deterministic light propagation through optically complex media and, of particular importance for this work, multimode optical fibers (MMFs)5,6,7. We report a compact and highly optimized approach for minimally invasive in vivo brain imaging applications. The volume of tissue lesion was reduced by more than 100-fold, while preserving diffraction-limited imaging performance utilizing wavefront control of light propagation through a single 50-μm-core MMF. Here, we demonstrated high-resolution fluorescence imaging of subcellular neuronal structures, dendrites and synaptic specializations, in deep-brain regions of living mice, as well as monitored stimulus-driven functional Ca2+ responses. These results represent a major breakthrough in the compromise between high-resolution imaging and tissue damage, heralding new possibilities for deep-brain imaging in vivo

Small x behavior of the slope dlnF_2/dln(1/x) in the framework of perturbative QCD

Using an analytical parameterization for the behavior of the x slope of the structure function F_2 at small x in perturbative QCD, at the leading twist approximation of the Wilson operator product expansion, and applying a flat initial condition in the DGLAP evolution equations, we found very good agreement with new precise deep inelastic scattering experimental data from HERA.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, late

The first steps of iodine gas-to-particle conversion as seen in the lab: constraints on the role of iodine oxides and oxyacids

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The photooxidation of gas phase iodine-bearing molecules emitted by marine biota leads to intense particle nucleation events in the coastal and polar marine boundary layer&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;1-3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;. The ubiquity of iodine in the marine atmospheric environment&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;4-7&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; has suggested that this may be a previously unrecognized global source of new aerosol particles&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;8&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;. Atmospheric modeling is required in order to evaluate the importance of this process, but a substantial lack of understanding of the gas-to-particle conversion mechanism is hindering this effort, especially regarding the gas phase chemistry of the nucleating molecules (iodine oxides&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;9&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;,&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;10&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; and/or oxyacids&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;7&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;) and the formation kinetics of molecular clusters. To address this problem, we have conducted new flow tube laboratory experiments where pulsed laser photolysis or continuous broad-band photolysis of I&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;/O&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; mixtures&amp;amp;#160; in air are used to generate iodine radicals in the presence of atmospherically representative mixing ratios of water vapor. The molecular reactants and the resulting molecular products are detected by time-resolved VUV laser photo-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. High-level quantum chemistry and master equation calculations and gas kinetics modelling are used to analyse the experimental data. In this presentation we discuss our results and their implications for the interpretation of field meassurements and for the implementatiion of an iodine oxide particle formation mechanism in atmospheric models.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;References:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;1. Hoffmann, T., O'Dowd, C. D. &amp;amp; Seinfeld, J. H. Iodine oxide homogeneous nucleation: An explanation for coastal new particle production. Geophys. Res. Lett. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;28&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 1949-1952 (2001).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;2. McFiggans, G. et al. Direct evidence for coastal iodine particles from Laminaria macroalgae - linkage to emissions of molecular iodine. Atmos. Chem. Phys. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;4&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 701-713 (2004).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;3. O'Dowd, C. D. et al. Marine aerosol formation from biogenic iodine emissions. Nature &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;417&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 632-636 (2002).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;4. Prados-Roman, C. et al. Iodine oxide in the global marine boundary layer. Atmos. Chem. Phys. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;15&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 583-593, doi:10.5194/acp-15-583-2015 (2015).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;5. Sch&amp;amp;#246;nhardt, A. et al. Simultaneous satellite observations of IO and BrO over Antarctica. Atmos. Chem. Phys. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;12&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 6565-6580, doi:10.5194/acp-12-6565-2012 (2012).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;6. Mahajan, A. S. et al. Concurrent observations of atomic iodine, molecular iodine and ultrafine particles in a coastal environment. Atmos. Chem. Phys. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;10&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 27227-27253 (2010).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;7. Sipil&amp;amp;#228;, M. et al. Molecular-scale evidence of aerosol particle formation via sequential addition of HIO3. Nature &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;537&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 532-534, doi:10.1038/nature19314 (2016).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;8. Saiz-Lopez, A. et al. Atmospheric Chemistry of Iodine. Chem. Rev. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;112&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 1773&amp;amp;#8211;1804, doi:DOI: 10.1021/cr200029u (2012).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;9. G&amp;amp;#243;mez Mart&amp;amp;#237;n, J. C. et al. On the mechanism of iodine oxide particle formation. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;15&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 15612-15622, doi:10.1039/c3cp51217g (2013).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;10. Saunders, R. W., Mahajan, A. S., G&amp;amp;#243;mez Mart&amp;amp;#237;n, J. C., Kumar, R. &amp;amp; Plane, J. M. C. Studies of the Formation and Growth of Aerosol from Molecular Iodine Precursor. Z. Phys. Chem. &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;224&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;, 1095-1117 (2010).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; </jats:p

Medicinal Plants of Chile: Evaluation of their Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Activity

San Martin, J (San Martin, Jose). Univ Talca, Inst Biol Vegetal & Biotecnol, Talca, ChileThe extracts of several plants of Central Chile exhibited anti-Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes activity. Most active extracts were those obtained from Podanthus ovatifolius, Berberis microphylla, Kageneckia oblonga, and Drimys winteri. The active extract of Drimys winteri (IC50 51.2 mu g/mL) was purified and three drimane sesquiterpenes were obtained: polygodial, drimenol, and isodrimenin. Isodrimenin and drimenol were found to be active against the trypomastigote form of T cruzi with IC50 values of 27.9 and 25.1 mu M, respectivel

Siting Background Towers to Characterize Incoming Air for Urban Greenhouse Gas Estimation: A Case Study in the Washington, DC/Baltimore Area

There is increased interest in understanding urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To accurately estimate city emissions, the influence of extraurban fluxes must first be removed from urban greenhouse gas (GHG) observations. This is especially true for regions, such as the U.S. Northeastern Corridorâ Baltimore/Washington, DC (NECâ B/W), downwind of large fluxes. To help site background towers for the NECâ B/W, we use a coupled Bayesian Information Criteria and geostatistical regression approach to help site four background locations that best explain CO2 variability due to extraurban fluxes modeled at 12 urban towers. The synthetic experiment uses an atmospheric transport and dispersion model coupled with two different flux inventories to create modeled observations and evaluate 15 candidate towers located along the urban domain for February and July 2013. The analysis shows that the average ratios of extraurban inflow to total modeled enhancements at urban towers are 21% to 36% in February and 31% to 43% in July. In July, the incoming air dominates the total variability of synthetic enhancements at the urban towers (R2 = 0.58). Modeled observations from the selected background towers generally capture the variability in the synthetic CO2 enhancements at urban towers (R2 = 0.75, rootâ meanâ square error (RMSE) = 3.64 ppm; R2 = 0.43, RMSE = 4.96 ppm for February and July). However, errors associated with representing background air can be up to 10 ppm for any given observation even with an optimal background tower configuration. More sophisticated methods may be necessary to represent background air to accurately estimate urban GHG emissions.Key PointsFactoring in the variability of greenhouse gas enhancements in incoming air is critical for estimating emissions in an urban domainStatistical methods were used to site four towers sampling background air in the Washington, DC/Baltimore regionOptimal background tower configurations for representing incoming air can still have large errors for any given urban GHG observationPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142902/1/jgrd54353_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142902/2/jgrd54353.pd