Evidence for a Photospheric Component in the Prompt Emission of the Short GRB120323A and its Effects on the GRB Hardness-Luminosity Relation

The short GRB 120323A had the highest flux ever detected with the Fermi/GBM. Here we study its remarkable spectral properties and their evolution using two spectral models: (i) a single emission component scenario, where the spectrum is modeled by the empirical Band function, and (ii) a two component scenario, where thermal (Planck-like) emission is observed simultaneously with a non-thermal component (a Band function). We find that the latter model fits the integrated burst spectrum significantly better than the former, and that their respective spectral parameters are dramatically different: when fit with a Band function only, the Epeak of the event is unusually soft for a short GRB, while adding a thermal component leads to more typical short GRB values. Our time-resolved spectral analysis produces similar results. We argue here that the two-component model is the preferred interpretation for GRB 120323A, based on: (i) the values and evolution of the Band function parameters of the two component scenario, which are more typical for a short GRB, and (ii) the appearance in the data of a significant hardness-intensity correlation, commonly found in GRBs, when we employee two-component model fits; the correlation is non-existent in the Band-only fits. GRB 110721A, a long burst with an intense photospheric emission, exhibits the exact same behavior. We conclude that GRB 120323A has a strong photospheric emission contribution, first time observed in a short GRB. Magnetic dissipation models are difficult to reconcile with these results, which instead favor photospheric thermal emission and fast cooling synchrotron radiation from internal shocks. Finally, we derive a possibly universal hardness-luminosity relation in the source frame using a larger set of GRBs L,i=(1.59+/-0.84).10^50 (Epeak,i)^(1.33+/-0.07) erg/s), which could be used as a possible redshift estimator for cosmology.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, Accepted by ApJ (April, 7th 2013

Domain walls in light of Cosmic Microwave Background and Pulsar Timing Array data

In this paper, we study the compatibility of biased domain wall scenarios with current gravitational wave data. We show that the Cosmic Microwave Background bounds on the fractional density of gravitational waves at the time of decoupling may only slightly improve on the constraints that result from requiring that domain walls never dominate the cosmic energy budget. We show that, despite this, the range of energy scales of the domain-wall forming phase transitions are already quite constricted, even if the networks decay early in cosmological history. We also show that, if domain walls are to provide an explanation to the stochastic gravitational wave background that was recently detected by pulsar timing arrays, they not only have to decay early in the radiation dominated era but also their energy density would have to be close to dominating the energy density of the universe, which would require some fine tuning of the parameters of the models

Determination of nutrient salts by automatic methods both in seawater and brackish water: the phosphate blank

9 páginas, 2 tablas, 2 figurasThe main inconvenience in determining nutrients in seawater by automatic methods is simply solved: the preparation of a suitable blank which corrects the effect of the refractive index change on the recorded signal. Two procedures are proposed, one physical (a simple equation to estimate the effect) and the other chemical (removal of the dissolved phosphorus with ferric hydroxide).Support for this work came from CICYT (MAR88-0245 project) and Conselleria de Pesca de la Xunta de GaliciaPeer reviewe

Inborn errors of immunity: Manifestation, treatment, and outcome—an ESID registry 1994–2024 report on 30,628 patients

The European Society for Immunodeficiencies patient registry (ESID-R), established in 1994, is one of the world’s largest databases on inborn errors of immunity (IEI). IEI are genetic disorders predisposing patients to infections, autoimmunity, inflammation, allergies, and malignancies. Treatments include antimicrobial therapy, immunoglobulin replacement, immune modulation, stem cell transplantation, and gene therapy. Data from 194 centers in 33 countries capture clinical manifestations and treatments from birth onward, with annually expected updates. This report reviews the ESID-R’s structure, data content, and impact. The registry includes 30,628 patient datasets (aged 0–97.9 years; median follow-up: 7.2 years; total 825,568.2 patient-years), with 13,550 cases in 15 sub-studies. It has produced 84 peer-reviewed publications (mean citation rate: 95). Findings include real-world observations of IEI diagnoses, genetic causes, clinical manifestations, treatments, and survival trends. The ESID-R fosters global collaboration, advancing IEI research and patient care. This report highlights the key role of the multinational ESID-R, led by an independent medical society, in evidence-based discovery

Domain walls in light of Cosmic Microwave Background and Pulsar Timing Array data

International audienceIn this paper, we study the compatibility of biased domain wall scenarios with current gravitational wave data. We show that the Cosmic Microwave Background bounds on the fractional density of gravitational waves at the time of decoupling may only slightly improve on the constraints that result from requiring that domain walls never dominate the cosmic energy budget. We show that, despite this, the range of energy scales of the domain-wall forming phase transitions are already quite constricted, even if the networks decay early in cosmological history. We also show that, if domain walls are to provide an explanation to the stochastic gravitational wave background that was recently detected by pulsar timing arrays, they not only have to decay early in the radiation dominated era but also their energy density would have to be close to dominating the energy density of the universe, which would require some fine tuning of the parameters of the models

Stochastic gravitational wave background generated by domain wall networks

In this work we study the power spectrum of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background produced by standard and biased domain wall networks, using the Velocity-dependent One-Scale model to compute the cosmological evolution of their characteristic scale and root-mean-squared velocity. We consider a standard radiation + $\Lambda \rm CDM$ background and assume that a constant fraction of the energy of collapsing domain walls is emitted in the form of gravitational waves. We show that, in an expanding background, the total energy density in gravitational radiation decreases with cosmic time (after a short initial period of quick growth). We also propose a two parameter model for the scale-dependence of the frequency distribution of the gravitational waves emitted by collapsing domain walls. We determine the corresponding power spectrum of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background generated by domain walls, showing that it is a monotonic decreasing function of the frequency for frequencies larger than that of the peak generated by the walls that have decayed most recently. We also develop an analytical approximation to this spectrum, assuming perfect linear scaling during both the radiation and matter eras, in order to characterize the dependence of the amplitude, peak frequency and slope of the power spectrum on the model parameters

Early atopic disease and early childhood immunization - is there a link?

Background: There are frequent concerns about early immunizations among the parents of children at heightened risk for atopy. The study assessed the effect of vaccine immunization before the first birthday on eczema severity and allergic sensitization in the second year of life