Is the Sun Embedded in a Typical Interstellar Cloud?

The physical properties and kinematics of the partially ionized interstellar material near the Sun are typical of warm diffuse clouds in the solar vicinity. The interstellar magnetic field at the heliosphere and the kinematics of nearby clouds are naturally explained in terms of the S1 superbubble shell. The interstellar radiation field at the Sun appears to be harder than the field ionizing ambient diffuse gas, which may be a consequence of the low opacity of the tiny cloud surrounding the heliosphere. The spatial context of the Local Bubble is consistent with our location in the Orion spur.Comment: "From the Outer Heliosphere to the Local Bubble", held at International Space Sciences Institute, October 200

Revising the Local Bubble Model due to Solar Wind Charge Exchange X-ray Emission

The hot Local Bubble surrounding the solar neighborhood has been primarily studied through observations of its soft X-ray emission. The measurements were obtained by attributing all of the observed local soft X-rays to the bubble. However, mounting evidence shows that the heliosphere also produces diffuse X-rays. The source is solar wind ions that have received an electron from another atom. The presence of this alternate explanation for locally produced diffuse X-rays calls into question the existence and character of the Local Bubble. This article addresses these questions. It reviews the literature on solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) X-ray production, finding that SWCX accounts for roughly half of the observed local 1/4 keV X-rays found at low latitudes. This article also makes predictions for the heliospheric O VI column density and intensity, finding them to be smaller than the observational error bars. Evidence for the continued belief that the Local Bubble contains hot gas includes the remaining local 1/4 keV intensity, the observed local O VI column density, and the need to fill the local region with some sort of plasma. If the true Local Bubble is half as bright as previously thought, then its electron density and thermal pressure are 1/square-root(2) as great as previously thought, and its energy requirements and emission measure are 1/2 as great as previously thought. These adjustments can be accommodated easily, and, in fact, bring the Local Bubble's pressure more in line with that of the adjacent material. Suggestions for future work are made.Comment: 9 pages, refereed, accepted for publication in the proceedings of the "From the Outer Heliosphere to the Local Bubble: Comparisons of New Observations with Theory" conference and in Space Science Review

What Physical Processes Drive the Interstellar Medium in the Local Bubble?

Recent 3D high-resolution simulations of the interstellar medium in a star form- ing galaxy like the Milky Way show that supernova explosions are the main driver of the structure and evolution of the gas. Its physical state is largely controlled by turbulence due to the high Reynolds numbers of the average flows. For a constant supernova rate a dynam- ical equilibrium is established within 200 Myr of simulation as a consequence of the setup of a galactic fountain. The resulting interstellar medium reveals a typical density/pressure pattern, i.e. distribution of so-called gas phases, on scales of 500–700 pc, with interstellar bubbles being a common phenomenon just like the Local Bubble and the Loop I superbub- ble, which are assumed to be interacting. However, modeling the Local Bubble is special, because it is driven by a moving group, passing through its volume, as it is inferred from the analysis of Hipparcos data. A detailed analysis reveals that between 14 and 19 super- novae have exploded during the last 15 Myr. The age of the Local Bubble is derived from comparison with HI and UV absorption line data to be 14.5±0.7 Myr. We further predict the 0.4merging of the two bubbles in about 3 Myr from now, when the interaction shell starts to fragment. The Local Cloud and its companion HI clouds are the consequence of a dynamical instability in the interaction shell between the Local and the Loop I bubble

XAF1 as a modifier of p53 function and cancer susceptibility

Cancer risk is highly variable in carriers of the common TP53-R337H founder allele, possibly due to the influence of modifier genes. Whole-genome sequencing identified a variant in the tumor suppressor XAF1 (E134*/Glu134Ter/rs146752602) in a subset of R337H carriers. Haplotype-defining variants were verified in 203 patients with cancer, 582 relatives, and 42,438 newborns. The compound mutant haplotype was enriched in patients with cancer, conferring risk for sarcoma (P = 0.003) and subsequent malignancies (P = 0.006). Functional analyses demonstrated that wild-type XAF1 enhances transactivation of wild-type and hypomorphic TP53 variants, whereas XAF1-E134* is markedly attenuated in this activity. We propose that cosegregation of XAF1-E134* and TP53-R337H mutations leads to a more aggressive cancer phenotype than TP53-R337H alone, with implications for genetic counseling and clinical management of hypomorphic TP53 mutant carriers.Fil: Pinto, Emilia M.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Figueiredo, Bonald C.. Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Principe; BrasilFil: Chen, Wenan. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Galvao, Henrique C.R.. Hospital de Câncer de Barretos; BrasilFil: Formiga, Maria Nirvana. A.c.camargo Cancer Center; BrasilFil: Fragoso, Maria Candida B.V.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Ashton Prolla, Patricia. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Ribeiro, Enilze M.S.F.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Felix, Gabriela. Universidade Federal da Bahia; BrasilFil: Costa, Tatiana E.B.. Hospital Infantil Joana de Gusmao; BrasilFil: Savage, Sharon A.. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Yeager, Meredith. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Palmero, Edenir I.. Hospital de Câncer de Barretos; BrasilFil: Volc, Sahlua. Hospital de Câncer de Barretos; BrasilFil: Salvador, Hector. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; EspañaFil: Fuster Soler, Jose Luis. Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca; EspañaFil: Lavarino, Cinzia. Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona; EspañaFil: Chantada, Guillermo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Vaur, Dominique. Comprehensive Cancer Center François Baclesse; FranciaFil: Odone Filho, Vicente. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Brugières, Laurence. Institut de Cancerologie Gustave Roussy; FranciaFil: Else, Tobias. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Stoffel, Elena M.. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Maxwell, Kara N.. University of Pennsylvania; Estados UnidosFil: Achatz, Maria Isabel. Hospital Sirio-libanês; BrasilFil: Kowalski, Luis. A.c.camargo Cancer Center; BrasilFil: De Andrade, Kelvin C.. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Pappo, Alberto. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Letouze, Eric. Centre de Recherche Des Cordeliers; FranciaFil: Latronico, Ana Claudia. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Mendonca, Berenice B.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Almeida, Madson Q.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Brondani, Vania B.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Bittar, Camila M.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Soares, Emerson W.S.. Hospital Do Câncer de Cascavel; BrasilFil: Mathias, Carolina. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Ramos, Cintia R.N.. Hospital de Câncer de Barretos; BrasilFil: Machado, Moara. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Zhou, Weiyin. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Jones, Kristine. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Vogt, Aurelie. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Klincha, Payal P.. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Santiago, Karina M.. A.c.camargo Cancer Center; BrasilFil: Komechen, Heloisa. Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Principe; BrasilFil: Paraizo, Mariana M.. Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Principe; BrasilFil: Parise, Ivy Z.S.. Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Principe; BrasilFil: Hamilton, Kayla V.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Wang, Jinling. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Rampersaud, Evadnie. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Clay, Michael R.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Murphy, Andrew J.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Lalli, Enzo. Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire; FranciaFil: Nichols, Kim E.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Ribeiro, Raul C.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Rodriguez-Galindo, Carlos. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Korbonits, Marta. Queen Mary University of London; Reino UnidoFil: Zhang, Jinghui. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Thomas, Mark G.. Colegio Universitario de Londres; Reino UnidoFil: Connelly, Jon P.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Pruett-Miller, Shondra. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Diekmann, Yoan. Colegio Universitario de Londres; Reino UnidoFil: Neale, Geoffrey. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Wu, Gang. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados UnidosFil: Zambetti, Gerard P.. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Estados Unido

Baryons: What, When and Where?

We review the current state of empirical knowledge of the total budget of baryonic matter in the Universe as observed since the epoch of reionization. Our summary examines on three milestone redshifts since the reionization of H in the IGM, z = 3, 1, and 0, with emphasis on the endpoints. We review the observational techniques used to discover and characterize the phases of baryons. In the spirit of the meeting, the level is aimed at a diverse and non-expert audience and additional attention is given to describe how space missions expected to launch within the next decade will impact this scientific field.Comment: Proceedings Review for "Astrophysics in the Next Decade: JWST and Concurrent Facilities", ed. X. Tielens, 38 pages, 10 color figures. Revised to address comments from the communit

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.publishedVersio

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector during 2011 data taking

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during the 2011 data taking period is described. During 2011 the LHC provided proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and heavy ion collisions with a 2.76 TeV per nucleon–nucleon collision energy. The ATLAS trigger is a three level system designed to reduce the rate of events from the 40 MHz nominal maximum bunch crossing rate to the approximate 400 Hz which can be written to offline storage. The ATLAS jet trigger is the primary means for the online selection of events containing jets. Events are accepted by the trigger if they contain one or more jets above some transverse energy threshold. During 2011 data taking the jet trigger was fully efficient for jets with transverse energy above 25 GeV for triggers seeded randomly at Level 1. For triggers which require a jet to be identified at each of the three trigger levels, full efficiency is reached for offline jets with transverse energy above 60 GeV. Jets reconstructed in the final trigger level and corresponding to offline jets with transverse energy greater than 60 GeV, are reconstructed with a resolution in transverse energy with respect to offline jets, of better than 4 % in the central region and better than 2.5 % in the forward direction

Measurement of the View the tt production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper describes a measurement of the inclusive top quark pair production cross-section (σtt¯) with a data sample of 3.2 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV, collected in 2015 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This measurement uses events with an opposite-charge electron–muon pair in the final state. Jets containing b-quarks are tagged using an algorithm based on track impact parameters and reconstructed secondary vertices. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two b-tagged jets are counted and used to determine simultaneously σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and b-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section is measured to be: σtt¯ = 818 ± 8 (stat) ± 27 (syst) ± 19 (lumi) ± 12 (beam) pb, where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the integrated luminosity and the LHC beam energy, giving a total relative uncertainty of 4.4%. The result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. A fiducial measurement corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons is also presented

Search for strong gravity in multijet final states produced in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

A search is conducted for new physics in multijet final states using 3.6 inverse femtobarns of data from proton-proton collisions at √s = 13TeV taken at the CERN Large Hadron Collider with the ATLAS detector. Events are selected containing at least three jets with scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT) greater than 1TeV. No excess is seen at large HT and limits are presented on new physics: models which produce final states containing at least three jets and having cross sections larger than 1.6 fb with HT > 5.8 TeV are excluded. Limits are also given in terms of new physics models of strong gravity that hypothesize additional space-time dimensions