Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era—A review

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 “Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach”, is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers.publishedVersio

Dietary iodine intake in residents of northwestern regions of Ukraine contaminated by the Chernobyl accident

mdash;: Daily iodine intake in Ukrainian subjects of northwestern regions was estimated in relation to the health effects on inhabitants after the Chernobyl accident. Total diets were colleted from 106 locations for children and adult males by a duplicate portion study. Iodine was rapidly determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after chemical separation. Iodine concentration on a dry basis for Ukrainians was 0.11 [mu]g g-1 and the daily iodine intake was in the range of 2.80-372 [mu]g per person. The median, geometric mean, and standard deviation were 28.1, 32.7, and 2.51 [mu]g, respectively. The yearly trend of the intake had almost no change. Regional differences would be expected to exist among the 10 areas of the Ukraine, but no clear differences appeared in the present findings. Daily iodine intake in Ukrainians was lower than the recommended dietary intake (RDI) allowance (150 [mu]g), and its lack would be related to the high prevalence of goiter in the country