A NEWLY FORMING COLD FLOW PROTOGALACTIC DISK, A SIGNATURE of COLD ACCRETION from the COSMIC WEB

How galaxies form from, and are fueled by, gas from the intergalactic medium (IGM) remains one of the major unsolved problems in galaxy formation. While the classical Cold Dark Matter paradigm posits galaxies forming from cooling virialized gas, recent theory and numerical simulations have highlighted the importance of cold accretion flows - relatively cool (T ∼ few × 104 K) unshocked gas streaming along filaments into dark matter halos, including hot, massive, high-redshift halos. These flows are thought to deposit gas and angular momentum into the circumgalactic medium resulting in disk- or ring-like structures, eventually coalescing into galaxies forming at filamentary intersections. We earlier reported a bright, Lyα emitting filament near the QSO HS1549+19 at redshift z = 2.843 discovered with the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager. We now report that the bright part of this filament is an enormous (R > 100 kpc) rotating structure of hydrogen gas with a disk-like velocity profile consistent with a 4 × 1012 M o halo. The orbital time of the outer part of the what we term a "protodisk" is comparable to the virialization time and the age of the universe at this redshift. We propose that this protodisk can only have recently formed from cold gas flowing directly from the cosmic we

Global estimates of mineral dust aerosol iron and aluminum solubility that account for particle size using diffusion-controlled and surface-area-controlled approximations

Mineral aerosol deposition is recognized as the dominant source of iron to the open ocean and the solubility of iron in the dust aerosol is highly variable, with measurements ranging from 0.01–80%. Global models have difficulty capturing the observed variations in solubility, and have ignored the solubility dependence on aerosol size. We introduce two idealized physical models to estimate the size dependence of mineral aerosol solubility: a diffusion‐controlled model and a surface‐area‐controlled model. These models produce differing time‐ and space‐varying solubility maps for aerosol Fe and Al given the dust age at deposition, size‐resolved dust entrainment fields, and the aerosol acidity. The resulting soluble iron deposition fluxes are substantially different, and more realistic, than a globally uniform solubility approximation. The surface‐area‐controlled solubility varies more than the diffusion‐controlled solubility and better captures the spatial pattern of observed solubility in the Atlantic. However, neither of these two models explains the large solubility variation observed in the Pacific. We then examine the impacts of spatially variable, size‐dependent solubility on marine biogeochemistry with the Biogeochemical Elemental Cycling (BEC) ocean model by comparing the modeled surface ocean dissolved Fe and Al with observations. The diffusion‐based variable solubility does not significantly improve the simulation of dissolved Fe relative to a 5% globally uniform solubility, while the surface‐area‐based variable solubility improves the simulation in the North Atlantic but worsens it in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Imaging in Suspected Renal Colic: Systematic Review of the Literature and Multispecialty Consensus

Background Renal colic is common, and CT is frequently utilized when the diagnosis of kidney stones is suspected. CT is accurate but exposes patients to ionizing radiation and has not been shown to alter either interventional approaches or hospital admission rates. This multi-organizational transdisciplinary collaboration sought evidence-based, multispecialty consensus on optimal imaging across different clinical scenarios in patients with suspected renal colic in the acute setting. Methods In conjunction with the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) eQual network, we formed a nine-member panel with three physician representatives each from ACEP, the ACR, and the American Urology Association. A systematic literature review was used as the basis for a three-step modified Delphi process to seek consensus on optimal imaging in 29 specific clinical scenarios. Results From an initial search yielding 6,337 records, there were 232 relevant articles of acceptable evidence quality to guide the literature summary. At the completion of the Delphi process consensus, agreement was rated as perfect in 15 (52%), excellent in 8 (28%), good in 3 (10%), and moderate in 3 (10%) of the 29 scenarios. There were no scenarios where at least moderate consensus was not reached. CT was recommended in 7 scenarios (24%), with ultrasound in 9 (31%) and no further imaging needed in 12 (45%). Summary Evidence and multispecialty consensus support ultrasound or no further imaging in specific clinical scenarios, with reduced-radiation dose CT to be employed when CT is needed in patients with suspected renal colic

Prevalence of lower extremity Peripheral artery disease among adult diabetes patients in Southwestern Uganda

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a major complication of atherosclerosis. PAD can be diagnosed with low-cost diagnostic techniques and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While the major epidemiologic risk factors for PAD have been established in the western world, data from resource-poor countries are limited. We performed a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and correlates of PAD among patients with diabetes at Mbarara Referral Hospital in southwestern Uganda. Methods: We consecutively enrolled diabetes patients aged 50 years or greater presenting to the outpatient clinic. We collected blood for fasting lipid profile, HIV serology, and glycosylated hemoglobin, measured blood pressure and ankle brachial index, and administered the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire (ECQ). We also surveyed patients for other PAD risk factors. We used logistic regression to determine correlates of PAD. Results: We enrolled 229 diabetes patients. The median age of 60 years (IQR 55–66), and 146 (63.7%) were female. Fifty five patients (24%) had PAD (ABI of ≤ 0.9). Of these, 48 /55 (87.27%) had mild PAD (ABI 0.71-0.9) while 7/55 (12.73%) had moderate to severe PAD (ABI < 0.7). Amongst those with PAD, 24/55 (43.64%) reported claudication by the ECQ. Correlates of PAD included female sex (AOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.06 - 4.77, p = 0.034), current high blood pressure (AOR 2.59, 95% CI 1.25-5.33, p = 0.01), and being on a sulfonylurea–glibenclamide (AOR 3.47, 95% CI 1.55 - 7.76, p = 0.002). Conclusion: PAD was common in diabetic patients in southwestern Uganda. Given its low cost and ease of measurement, ABI deserves further assessment as a screening tool for both PAD and long term cardiovascular risk amongst diabetics in this region

The feasible generation of entangled photon states by using linear optical elements

We present a feasible scheme to produce a polarization-entangled photon states $\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|H>|V>+|V>|H>)$ in a controllable way. This scheme requires single-photon sources, linear optical elements and photon detectors. It generates the entanglement of spatially separated photons. The interaction takes place in the photon detectors. We also show that the same idea can be used to produce the entangled $N$-photon state $\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|0,N>+|N,0>)$Comment: to appear in PR

Sedation at sea of entangled North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) to enhance disentanglement

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Public Domain declaration which stipulates that, once placed in the public domain, this work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The definitive version was published in PLoS ONE 5 (2010): e9597, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009597.The objective of this study was to enhance removal of fishing gear from right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) at sea that evade disentanglement boat approaches. Titrated intra muscular injections to achieve sedation were undertaken on two free swimming right whales. Following initial trials with beached whales, a sedation protocol was developed for right whales. Mass was estimated from sighting and necropsy data from comparable right whales. Midazolam (0.01 to 0.025 mg/kg) was first given alone or with meperidine (0.17 to 0.25 mg/kg) either once or four times over two hours to whale #1102 by cantilevered pole syringe. In the last attempt on whale #1102 there appeared to be a mild effect in 20–30 minutes, with duration of less than 2 hours that included exhalation before the blowhole fully cleared the water. Boat avoidance, used as a measure of sedation depth, was not reduced. A second severely entangled animal in 2009, whale #3311, received midazolam (0.03 mg/kg) followed by butorphanol (0.03 mg/kg) an hour later, delivered ballistically. Two months later it was then given midazolam (0.07 mg/kg) and butorphanol (0.07 mg/kg) simultaneously. The next day both drugs at 0.1 mg/kg were given as a mixture in two darts 10 minutes apart. The first attempt on whale #3311 showed increased swimming speed and boat avoidance was observed after a further 20 minutes. The second attempt on whale #3311 showed respiration increasing mildly in frequency and decreasing in strength. The third attempt on whale #3311 gave a statistically significant increase in respiratory frequency an hour after injection, with increased swimming speed and marked reduction of boat evasion that enabled decisive cuts to entangling gear. We conclude that butorphanol and midazolam delivered ballistically in appropriate dosages and combinations may have merit in future refractory free swimming entangled right whale cases until other entanglement solutions are developed.This work was funded by Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Technology Innovation Program (WHOI), North Pond Foundation, Sloan and Wick Simmonds, Northeast Consortium, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Coastwise Consulting, the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network, and Aquatic Animal Health Program, University of Florida

Intergalactic Medium Emission Observations with the Cosmic Web Imager. I. The Circum-QSO Medium of QSO 1549+19, and Evidence for a Filamentary Gas Inflow

The Palomar Cosmic Web Imager (PCWI), an integral field spectrograph designed to detect and map low surface brightness emission, has obtained imaging spectroscopic maps of Lyα from the circum-QSO medium (CQM) of QSO HS1549+19 at redshift z=2.843. Extensive extended emission is detected from the CQM, consistent with fluorescent and pumped Lyα produced by the ionizing and Lyα continuum of the QSO. Many features present in PCWI spectral images match those detected in narrow-band images. Filamentary structures with narrow line profiles are detected in several cases as long as 250-400 kpc. One of these is centered at a velocity redshifted with respect to the systemic velocity, and displays a spatially collimated and kinematically cold line profile increasing in velocity width approaching the QSO. This suggests that the filament gas is infalling onto the QSO, perhaps in a cold accretion flow. Because of the strong ionizing flux, the neutral column density is low, typically N(HI) ~ 10^(12)−10^(15) cm^(−2), and the line center optical depth is also low (typically τ_0 <10), insufficient to display well-separated double peak emission characteristic of higher line optical depths. With a simple ionization and cloud model we can very roughly estimate the total gas mass (log M_(gas) = 12.5 ± 0.5) and the total (log M_(tot) = 13.3± 0.5). We can also calculate a kinematic mass from the total line profile (2×10^(13)M_☉), which agrees with the mass estimated from the gas emission. The intensity-binned spectrum of the CQM shows a progression in kinematic properties consistent with heirarchical structure formation

A Newly Forming Cold Flow Protogalactic Disk, a Signature of Cold Accretion from the Cosmic Web

How galaxies form from, and are fueled by, gas from the intergalactic medium (IGM) remains one of the major unsolved problems in galaxy formation. While the classical Cold Dark Matter paradigm posits galaxies forming from cooling virialized gas, recent theory and numerical simulations have highlighted the importance of cold accretion flows—relatively cool (T ~ few × 104 K) unshocked gas streaming along filaments into dark matter halos, including hot, massive, high-redshift halos. These flows are thought to deposit gas and angular momentum into the circumgalactic medium resulting in disk- or ring-like structures, eventually coalescing into galaxies forming at filamentary intersections. We earlier reported a bright, Lyα emitting filament near the QSO HS1549+19 at redshift z = 2.843 discovered with the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager. We now report that the bright part of this filament is an enormous (R > 100 kpc) rotating structure of hydrogen gas with a disk-like velocity profile consistent with a 4 × 10^(12) M_⊙ halo. The orbital time of the outer part of the what we term a "protodisk" is comparable to the virialization time and the age of the universe at this redshift. We propose that this protodisk can only have recently formed from cold gas flowing directly from the cosmic web

Life-Expectancy Disparities Among Adults With HIV in the United States and Canada: The Impact of a Reduction in Drug- and Alcohol-Related Deaths Using the Lives Saved Simulation Model.

Improvements in life expectancy among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) receiving antiretroviral treatment in the United States and Canada might differ among key populations. Given the difference in substance use among key populations and the current opioid epidemic, drug- and alcohol-related deaths might be contributing to the disparities in life expectancy. We sought to estimate life expectancy at age 20 years in key populations (and their comparison groups) in 3 time periods (2004-2007, 2008-2011, and 2012-2015) and the potential increase in expected life expectancy with a simulated 20% reduction in drug- and alcohol-related deaths using the novel Lives Saved Simulation model. Among 92,289 PLWH, life expectancy increased in all key populations and comparison groups from 2004-2007 to 2012-2015. Disparities in survival of approximately a decade persisted among black versus white men who have sex with men and people with (vs. without) a history of injection drug use. A 20% reduction in drug- and alcohol-related mortality would have the greatest life-expectancy benefit for black men who have sex with men, white women, and people with a history of injection drug use. Our findings suggest that preventing drug- and alcohol-related deaths among PLWH could narrow disparities in life expectancy among some key populations, but other causes of death must be addressed to further narrow the disparities

Intergalactic Medium Emission Observations with the Cosmic Web Imager. II. Discovery of Extended, Kinematically-Linked Emission around SSA22 Lyα Blob 2

The intergalactic medium (IGM) is the dominant reservoir of baryons, delineates the large scale structure of the universe at low to moderate overdensities, and provides gas from which galaxies form and evolve. Simulations of a Cold Dark Matter (CDM) dominated universe predict that the IGM is distributed in a cosmic web of filaments, and that galaxies should form along and at the intersections of these filaments (Bond, Kofman, & Pogosyan 1994; Miralda-Escude et al. 1996). While observations of QSO absorption lines and the large-scale distribution of galaxies have confirmed the CDM paradigm, the cosmic web of IGM has never been confirmed by direct imaging. Here we report our observation of the Lyα blob-2 (LAB2) in SSA22, with the Cosmic Web Imager. This is an integral field spectrograph optimized for low surface brightness, extended emission. With 22 hours of total on- and off-source exposure, CWI has revealed that LAB2 has extended Lyα emission which is organized into azimuthal zones consistent with filaments. We perform numerous tests with simulations and the data to secure the robustness of this result, which relies on data with modest signal-to-noise ratio. We have developed a smoothing algorithm that permits visualization of data cube slices along image or spectral-image planes. With both raw and smoothed data cubes we demonstrate that the filaments are kinematically associated with LAB2 and display double-peaked profiles characteristic of optically thick Lyα emission. The flux is 10-20 times brighter than expected for the average emission from the IGM but is consistent with boosted fluorescence from a buried QSO or gravitation cooling radiation. Using simple emission models we infer a baryon mass in the filaments of at least 1−4 × 10^(11)M_☉, and the dark halo mass is at least 2 × 10^(12)M_☉. The spatial-kinematic morphology is more consistent with inflow from the cosmic web than outflow from LAB2, although an outflow feature maybe present at one azimuth. LAB2 and the surrounding gas have significant and coaligned angular momentum, strengthening the case for their association