Connecting photometric and spectroscopic granulation signals with CHEOPS and ESPRESSO

Context. Stellar granulation generates fluctuations in photometric and spectroscopic data whose properties depend on the stellar type, composition, and evolutionary state. Characterizing granulation is key for understanding stellar atmospheres and detecting planets. Aims. We aim to detect the signatures of stellar granulation, link spectroscopic and photometric signatures of convection for main-sequence stars, and test predictions from 3D hydrodynamic models. Methods. For the first time, we observed two bright stars (Teff = 5833 and 6205 K) with high-precision observations taken simultaneously with CHEOPS and ESPRESSO. We analyzed the properties of the stellar granulation signal in each individual dataset. We compared them to Kepler observations and 3D hydrodynamic models. While isolating the granulation-induced changes by attenuating and filtering the p-mode oscillation signals, we studied the relationship between photometric and spectroscopic observables. Results. The signature of stellar granulation is detected and precisely characterized for the hotter F star in the CHEOPS and ESPRESSO observations. For the cooler G star, we obtain a clear detection in the CHEOPS dataset only. The TESS observations are blind to this stellar signal. Based on CHEOPS observations, we show that the inferred properties of stellar granulation are in agreement with both Kepler observations and hydrodynamic models. Comparing their periodograms, we observe a strong link between spectroscopic and photometric observables. Correlations of this stellar signal in the time domain (flux versus radial velocities, RV) and with specific spectroscopic observables (shape of the cross-correlation functions) are however difficult to isolate due to S/N dependent variations. Conclusions. In the context of the upcoming PLATO mission and the extreme precision RV surveys, a thorough understanding of the properties of the stellar granulation signal is needed. The CHEOPS and ESPRESSO observations pave the way for detailed analyses of this stellar process

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/388

Suppression of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in $|\eta|<0.8$ and $0.3 < p_T < 20$ GeV/$c$ are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The result indicates only weak medium effects ($R_{\rm AA} \approx$ 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, $R_{\rm AA}$ reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7GeV/$c$ and increases significantly at larger $p_{\rm T}$. The measured suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies, indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages, 5 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/98

Trigger and Aperture of the Surface Detector Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consists of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, for the study of extensive air showers (EAS) generated by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We describe the trigger hierarchy, from the identification of candidate showers at the level of a single detector, amongst a large background (mainly random single cosmic ray muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences. Such trigger makes the surface detector array fully efficient for the detection of EAS with energy above $3\times 10^{18}$ eV, for all zenith angles between 0$^\circ$ and 60$^\circ$, independently of the position of the impact point and of the mass of the primary particle. In these range of energies and angles, the exposure of the surface array can be determined purely on the basis of the geometrical acceptance.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure

Ultrahigh energy neutrinos at the Pierre Auger observatory

The observation of ultrahigh energy neutrinos (UHEνs) has become a priority in experimental astroparticle physics. UHEνs can be detected with a variety of techniques. In particular, neutrinos can interact in the atmosphere (downward-going ν) or in the Earth crust (Earth-skimming ν), producing air showers that can be observed with arrays of detectors at the ground. With the surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory we can detect these types of cascades. The distinguishing signature for neutrino events is the presence of very inclined showers produced close to the ground (i.e., after having traversed a large amount of atmosphere). In this work we review the procedure and criteria established to search for UHEνs in the data collected with the ground array of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This includes Earth-skimming as well as downward-going neutrinos. No neutrino candidates have been found, which allows us to place competitive limits to the diffuse flux of UHEνs in the EeV range and above.P. Abreu ... K. B. Barber ... J. A. Bellido ... R. W. Clay ... M. J. Cooper ... B. R. Dawson ... T. A. Harrison ... A. E. Herve ... V. C. Holmes ... J. Sorokin ... P. Wahrlich ... B. J. Whelan ... et al

The K2-OjOS Project*New and revisited planets and candidates in K2 campaigns 5, 16, & 18

We present the first results of K2-OjOS, a collaborative project between professional and amateur astronomers primarily aimed to detect, characterize, and validate new extrasolar planets. For this work, 10 amateur astronomers looked for planetary signals by visually inspecting the 20 427 light curves of K2 campaign 18 (C18). They found 42 planet candidates, of which 18 are new detections and 24 had been detected in the overlapping C5 by previous works. We used archival photometric and spectroscopic observations, as well as new high-spatial resolution images in order to carry out a complete analysis of the candidates found, including a homogeneous characterization of the host stars, transit modelling, search for transit timing variations and statistical validation. As a result, we report four new planets (K2-355 b, K2-356 b, K2-357 b, and K2-358 b) and 14 planet candidates. Besides, we refine the transit ephemeris of the previously published planets and candidates by modelling C5, C16 (when available) and C18 photometric data jointly, largely improving the period and mid-transit time precision. Regarding individual systems, we highlight the new planet K2-356 b and candidate EPIC 211537087.02 being near a 2:1 period commensurability, the detection of significant TTVs in the bright star K2-184 (V = 10.35), the location of K2-103 b inside the habitable zone according to optimistic models, the detection of a new single transit in the known system K2-274, and the disposition reassignment of K2-120 b, which we consider as a planet candidate as the origin of the signal cannot be ascertained

Predictive accuracy of the pneumonia severity index vs CRB-65 for time to clinical stability : results from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) International Cohort Study

Background: The Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and CRB-65 are scores used to predict mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). It is unknown how well either score predicts time to clinical stability in hospitalized patients with CAP. Thus, it is also not known which score predicts time to clinical stability better. Methods: A secondary analysis of 3087 patients from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) database was performed. Time-dependent receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves for time to clinical stability were calculated for the PSI and CRB-65 scores at day seven of hospitalization. Secondary outcomes were to assess the relationship of the PSI and CRB-65 to in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS). ROC curves for LOS and mortality were calculated. Results: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for time to clinical stability by day seven was 0.638 (95% CI 0.613, 0.660) when using the PSI, and 0.647 (95% CI 0.619, 0.670) while using the CRB-65. The difference in AUC values was not statistically significant (95% CI for difference of -0.03 to 0.01). However, the difference in the AUC values for discharge within 14 days (0.651 for PSI vs 0.63 for CRB-65, 95% CI for difference 0.001-0.049), and 28-day in-hospital mortality (0.738 for PSI vs 0.69 for CRB-65, 95% CI for difference 0.02-0.082) were both statistically significant. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a moderate ability of both the PSI and CRB-65 scores to predict time to clinical stability, and found that the predictive accuracy of the PSI was equivalent to that of the CRB-65 for this outcome

Exome sequencing identifies MAX mutations as a cause of hereditary pheochromocytoma.

Hereditary pheochromocytoma (PCC) is often caused by germline mutations in one of nine susceptibility genes described to date, but there are familial cases without mutations in these known genes. We sequenced the exomes of three unrelated individuals with hereditary PCC (cases) and identified mutations in MAX, the MYC associated factor X gene. Absence of MAX protein in the tumors and loss of heterozygosity caused by uniparental disomy supported the involvement of MAX alterations in the disease. A follow-up study of a selected series of 59 cases with PCC identified five additional MAX mutations and suggested an association with malignant outcome and preferential paternal transmission of MAX mutations. The involvement of the MYC-MAX-MXD1 network in the development and progression of neural crest cell tumors is further supported by the lack of functional MAX in rat PCC (PC12) cells and by the amplification of MYCN in neuroblastoma and suggests that loss of MAX function is correlated with metastatic potential

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80&nbsp;MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8\ub10.7(stat)\ub16.7(syst)\u2009\u2009MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1&nbsp;EeV arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24&nbsp;G, scaling quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from state-of-the-art first-principles calculations shows agreement with our measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory

Outcomes during anticoagulation in patients with symptomatic vs. incidental splanchnic vein thrombosis

Introduction: Current guidelines recommend the use of anticoagulant therapy in patients with symptomatic splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) and suggest no routine anticoagulation in those with incidental SVT. Methods: We used the RIETE (Registro Informatizado Enfermedad Trombo Emb\uf3lica) registry to assess the rate and severity of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrences and major bleeding events appearing during the course of anticoagulation in patients with symptomatic or incidental SVT. Results: In March 2017, 521 patients with SVT were recruited. Of them, 212 (41%) presented with symptomatic SVT and 309 had incidental SVT. Most (93%) patients received anticoagulant therapy (median, 147 days). During the course of anticoagulation, 20 patients developed symptomatic VTE recurrences (none died) and 26 had major bleeding (fatal bleeding, 5). On multivariable analysis, patients with incidental SVT had a non-significantly higher risk for symptomatic VTE recurrences (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.04; 95%CI: 0.71\u20135.88) and a similar risk for major bleeding (HR: 1.12; 95%CI: 0.47\u20132.63) than those with symptomatic SVT. Active cancer was associated with at increased risk for VTE recurrences (HR: 3.06; 95%CI: 1.14\u20138.17) and anaemia (HR: 4.11; 95%CI: 1.45\u201311.6) or abnormal prothrombin time (HR: 4.10; 95%CI: 1.68\u201310.1) were associated with at increased risk for major bleeding. Conclusions: The rates of recurrent SVT and major bleeding were similar between patients with incidental or symptomatic SVT. Because the severity of bleeding complications during anticoagulation may outweigh the severity of VTE recurrences in both groups, further studies should identify those SVT patients who benefit from anticoagulant therapy