582 research outputs found
The ALMaQUEST Survey: The Molecular Gas Main Sequence and the Origin of the Star-forming Main Sequence
The origin of the star forming main sequence ( i.e., the relation between
star formation rate and stellar mass, globally or on kpc-scales; hereafter
SFMS) remains a hotly debated topic in galaxy evolution. Using the ALMA-MaNGA
QUEnching and STar formation (ALMaQUEST) survey, we show that for star forming
spaxels in the main sequence galaxies, the three local quantities,
star-formation rate surface density (\sigsfr), stellar mass surface density
(\sigsm), and the \h2~mass surface density (\sigh2), are strongly correlated
with one another and form a 3D linear (in log) relation with dispersion. In
addition to the two well known scaling relations, the resolved SFMS (\sigsfr~
vs. \sigsm) and the Schmidt-Kennicutt relation (\sigsfr~ vs. \sigh2; SK
relation), there is a third scaling relation between \sigh2~ and \sigsm, which
we refer to as the `molecular gas main sequence' (MGMS). The latter indicates
that either the local gas mass traces the gravitational potential set by the
local stellar mass or both quantities follow the underlying total mass
distributions. The scatter of the resolved SFMS ( dex) is the
largest compared to those of the SK and MGMS relations ( 0.2 dex).
A Pearson correlation test also indicates that the SK and MGMS relations are
more strongly correlated than the resolved SFMS. Our result suggests a scenario
in which the resolved SFMS is the least physically fundamental and is the
consequence of the combination of the SK and the MGMS relations
When Anomaly Mediation is UV Sensitive
Despite its successes---such as solving the supersymmetric flavor
problem---anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking is untenable because of its
prediction of tachyonic sleptons. An appealing solution to this problem was
proposed by Pomarol and Rattazzi where a threshold controlled by a light field
deflects the anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking trajectory, thus evading
tachyonic sleptons. In this paper we examine an alternate class of deflection
models where the non-supersymmetric threshold is accompanied by a heavy,
instead of light, singlet. The low energy form of this model is the so-called
extended anomaly mediation proposed by Nelson and Weiner, but with potential
for a much higher deflection threshold. The existence of this high deflection
threshold implies that the space of anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking
deflecting models is larger than previously thought.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure (version to appear in JHEP
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ALMaQUEST. IV. The ALMA-MaNGA QUEnching and STar Formation (ALMaQUEST) Survey
The ALMaQUEST (ALMA-MaNGA QUEnching and STar formation) survey is a program
with spatially-resolved CO(1-0) measurements obtained with the Atacama
Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) for 46 galaxies selected from the Mapping Nearby
Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) DR15 optical integral-field
spectroscopic survey. The aim of the ALMaQUEST survey is to investigate the
dependence of star formation activity on the cold molecular gas content at kpc
scales in nearby galaxies. The sample consists of galaxies spanning a wide
range in specific star formation rate (sSFR), including starburst (SB),
main-sequence (MS), and green valley (GV) galaxies. In this paper, we present
the sample selection and characteristics of the ALMA observations, and showcase
some of the key results enabled by the combination of spatially-matched stellar
populations and gas measurements. Considering the global (aperture-matched)
stellar mass, molecular gas mass, and star formation rate of the sample, we
find that the sSFR depends on both the star formation efficiency (SFE) and the
molecular gas fraction (), although the correlation with the
latter is slightly weaker. Furthermore, the dependence of sSFR on the molecular
gas content (SFE or ) is stronger than that on either the atomic
gas fraction or the molecular-to-atomic gas fraction, albeit with the small HI
sample size. On kpc scales, the variations in both SFE and
within individual galaxies can be as large as 1-2 dex thereby demonstrating
that the availability of spatially-resolved observations is essential to
understand the details of both star formation and quenching processes.STFC
ER
SDSS-IV MaNGA-resolved Star Formation and Molecular Gas Properties of Green Valley Galaxies: A First Look with ALMA and MaNGA
We study the role of cold gas in quenching star formation in the green valley by analyzing ALMA 12 CO (1-0) observations of three galaxies with resolved optical spectroscopy from the MaNGA survey. We present resolution-matched maps of the star formation rate and molecular gas mass. These data are used to calculate the star formation efficiency (SFE) and gas fraction (f gas ) for these galaxies separately in the central "bulge" regions and outer disks. We find that, for the two galaxies whose global specific star formation rate (sSFR) deviates most from the star formation main sequence, the gas fraction in the bulges is significantly lower than that in their disks, supporting an "inside-out" model of galaxy quenching. For the two galaxies where SFE can be reliably determined in the central regions, the bulges and disks share similar SFEs. This suggests that a decline in f gas is the main driver of lowered sSFR in bulges compared to disks in green valley galaxies. Within the disks, there exist common correlations between the sSFR and SFE and between sSFR and f gas on kiloparsec scales - the local SFE or f gas in the disks declines with local sSFR. Our results support a picture in which the sSFR in bulges is primarily controlled by f gas , whereas both SFE and f gas play a role in lowering the sSFR in disks. A larger sample is required to confirm if the trend established in this work is representative of the green valley as a whole.The work is supported by the Ministry of Science & Technology of Taiwan under the grant MOST 103-2112-M-001-031-MY3 and 106-2112-M-001-034. R.M. and F.B. acknowledge support by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). R.M. acknowledges ERC Advanced Grant 695671 "QUENCH.
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The ALMaQUEST Survey. VII. Star Formation Scaling Relations of Green Valley Galaxies
We utilize the ALMA-MaNGA QUEnch and STar formation (ALMaQUEST) survey to
investigate the kpc-scale scaling relations, presented as the resolved star
forming main sequence (rSFMS: vs. ), the
resolved Schmidt-Kennicutt relation (rSK: vs. ), and the resolved molecular gas main sequence (rMGMS: vs. ), for 11478 star-forming and 1414 retired spaxels
(oversampled by a factor of ) located in 22 green valley (GV) and 12
main sequence (MS) galaxies. For a given galaxy type (MS or GV), the retired
spaxels are found to be offset from the sequences formed by the star-forming
spaxels on the rSFMS, rSK, and rMGMS planes, toward lower absolute values of
sSFR, SFE, and by 1.1, 0.6, and 0.5 dex. The scaling
relations for GV galaxies are found to be distinct from that of the MS
galaxies, even if the analyses are restricted to the star-forming spaxels only.
It is found that for star-forming spaxels, sSFR, SFE, and in GV
galaxies are reduced by 0.36, 0.14, and 0.21 dex, respectively, compared
to those in MS galaxies. Therefore, the suppressed sSFR/SFE/ in
GV galaxies are associated with not only an increased proportion of retired
regions in GV galaxies but also a depletion of these quantities in star-forming
regions. Finally, the reduction of SFE and in GV galaxies
relative to MS galaxies is seen in both bulge and disk regions (albeit with
larger uncertainties), suggesting that statistically, quenching in the GV
population may persist from the inner to the outer regions
Overcoming language barriers with foreign-language speaking patients: a survey to investigate intra-hospital variation in attitudes and practices
Background
Use of available interpreter services by hospital clincial staff is often suboptimal, despite evidence that trained interpreters contribute to quality of care and patient safety. Examination of intra-hospital variations in attitudes and practices regarding interpreter use can contribute to identifying factors that facilitate good practice.
The purpose of this study was to describe attitudes, practices and preferences regarding communication with limited French proficiency (LFP) patients, examine how these vary across professions and departments within the hospital, and identify factors associated with good practices.
Methods
A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to random samples of 700 doctors, 700 nurses and 93 social workers at the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
Results
Seventy percent of respondents encounter LFP patients at least once a month, but this varied by department.
66% of respondents said they preferred working with ad hoc interpreters (patient's family and bilingual staff), mainly because these were easier to access. During the 6 months preceding the study, ad hoc interpreters were used at least once by 71% of respondents, and professional interpreters were used at least once by 51%.
Overall, only nine percent of respondents had received any training in how and why to work with a trained interpreter. Only 23.2% of respondents said the clinical service in which they currently worked encouraged them to use professional interpreters. Respondents working in services where use of professional interpreters was encouraged were more likely to be of the opinion that the hospital should systematically provide a professional interpreter to LFP patients (40.3%) as compared with those working in a department that discouraged use of professional interpreters (15.5%) and they used professional interpreters more often during the previous 6 months.
Conclusion
Attitudes and practices regarding communication with LFP patients vary across professions and hospital departments. In order to foster an institution-wide culture conducive to ensuring adequate communication with LFP patients will require both the development of a hospital-wide policy and service-level activities aimed at reinforcing this policy and putting it into practice
Fine Mapping the Spatial Distribution and Concentration of Unlabeled Drugs within Tissue Micro-Compartments Using Imaging Mass Spectrometry
Readouts that define the physiological distributions of drugs in tissues are an unmet challenge and at best imprecise, but are needed in order to understand both the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties associated with efficacy. Here we demonstrate that it is feasible to follow the in vivo transport of unlabeled drugs within specific organ and tissue compartments on a platform that applies MALDI imaging mass spectrometry to tissue sections characterized with high definition histology. We have tracked and quantified the distribution of an inhaled reference compound, tiotropium, within the lungs of dosed rats, using systematic point by point MS and MS/MS sampling at 200 µm intervals. By comparing drug ion distribution patterns in adjacent tissue sections, we observed that within 15 min following exposure, tiotropium parent MS ions (mass-to-charge; m/z 392.1) and fragmented daughter MS/MS ions (m/z 170.1 and 152.1) were dispersed in a concentration gradient (80 fmol-5 pmol) away from the central airways into the lung parenchyma and pleura. These drug levels agreed well with amounts detected in lung compartments by chemical extraction. Moreover, the simultaneous global definition of molecular ion signatures localized within 2-D tissue space provides accurate assignment of ion identities within histological landmarks, providing context to dynamic biological processes occurring at sites of drug presence. Our results highlight an important emerging technology allowing specific high resolution identification of unlabeled drugs at sites of in vivo uptake and retention
PAT4 levels control amino-acid sensitivity of rapamycin-resistant mTORC1 from the Golgi and affect clinical outcome in colorectal cancer
Tumour cells can use strategies that make them resistant to nutrient deprivation to outcompete their neighbours. A key integrator of the cell’s responses to starvation and other stresses is amino-acid-dependent mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Activation of mTORC1 on late endosomes and lysosomes is facilitated by amino-acid transporters within the solute-linked carrier 36 (SLC36) and SLC38 families. Here, we analyse the functions of SLC36 family member, SLC36A4, otherwise known as proton-assisted amino-acid transporter 4 (PAT4), in colorectal cancer. We show that independent of other major pathological factors, high PAT4 expression is associated with reduced relapse-free survival after colorectal cancer surgery. Consistent with this, PAT4 promotes HCT116 human colorectal cancer cell proliferation in culture and tumour growth in xenograft models. Inducible knockdown in HCT116 cells reveals that PAT4 regulates a form of mTORC1 with two distinct properties: first, it preferentially targets eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), and second, it is resistant to rapamycin treatment. Furthermore, in HCT116 cells two non-essential amino acids, glutamine and serine, which are often rapidly metabolised by tumour cells, regulate rapamycin-resistant mTORC1 in a PAT4-dependent manner. Overexpressed PAT4 is also able to promote rapamycin resistance in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. PAT4 is predominantly associated with the Golgi apparatus in a range of cell types, and in situ proximity ligation analysis shows that PAT4 interacts with both mTORC1 and its regulator Rab1A on the Golgi. These findings, together with other studies, suggest that differentially localised intracellular amino-acid transporters contribute to the activation of alternate forms of mTORC1. Furthermore, our data predict that colorectal cancer cells with high PAT4 expression will be more resistant to depletion of serine and glutamine, allowing them to survive and outgrow neighbouring normal and tumorigenic cells, and potentially providing a new route for pharmacological intervention
Predictability and epidemic pathways in global outbreaks of infectious diseases: the SARS case study
Background: The global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
epidemic has clearly shown the importance of considering the long-range
transportation networks in the understanding of emerging diseases outbreaks.
The introduction of extensive transportation data sets is therefore an
important step in order to develop epidemic models endowed with realism.
Methods: We develop a general stochastic meta-population model that
incorporates actual travel and census data among 3 100 urban areas in 220
countries. The model allows probabilistic predictions on the likelihood of
country outbreaks and their magnitude. The level of predictability offered by
the model can be quantitatively analyzed and related to the appearance of
robust epidemic pathways that represent the most probable routes for the spread
of the disease. Results: In order to assess the predictive power of the model,
the case study of the global spread of SARS is considered. The disease
parameter values and initial conditions used in the model are evaluated from
empirical data for Hong Kong. The outbreak likelihood for specific countries is
evaluated along with the emerging epidemic pathways. Simulation results are in
agreement with the empirical data of the SARS worldwide epidemic. Conclusions:
The presented computational approach shows that the integration of long-range
mobility and demographic data provides epidemic models with a predictive power
that can be consistently tested and theoretically motivated. This computational
strategy can be therefore considered as a general tool in the analysis and
forecast of the global spreading of emerging diseases and in the definition of
containment policies aimed at reducing the effects of potentially catastrophic
outbreaks.Comment: 21 pages, 2 tables, 7 figure
Limits on WWZ and WW\gamma couplings from p\bar{p}\to e\nu jj X events at \sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV
We present limits on anomalous WWZ and WW-gamma couplings from a search for
WW and WZ production in p-bar p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV. We use p-bar p
-> e-nu jjX events recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron
Collider during the 1992-1995 run. The data sample corresponds to an integrated
luminosity of 96.0+-5.1 pb^(-1). Assuming identical WWZ and WW-gamma coupling
parameters, the 95% CL limits on the CP-conserving couplings are
-0.33<lambda<0.36 (Delta-kappa=0) and -0.43<Delta-kappa<0.59 (lambda=0), for a
form factor scale Lambda = 2.0 TeV. Limits based on other assumptions are also
presented.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 2 table
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