792 research outputs found
Chandra Detection of X-ray Absorption Associated with a Damped Lyman Alpha System
We have observed three quasars, PKS 1127-145, Q 1331+171 and Q0054+144, with
the ACIS-S aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory, in order to measure soft X-ray
absorption associated with intervening 21-cm and damped Ly absorbers.
For PKS 1127-145, we detect absorption which, if associated with an intervening
z_{abs}=0.312 absorber, implies a metallicity of 23% solar. If the absorption
is not at z_{abs}=0.312, then the metallicity is still constrained to be less
than 23% solar. The advantage of the X-ray measurement is that the derived
metallicity is insensitive to ionization, inclusion of an atom in a molecule,
or depletion onto grains. The X-ray absorption is mostly due to oxygen, and is
consistent with the oxygen abundance of 30% solar derived from optical nebular
emission lines in a foreground galaxy at the redshift of the absorber.
For Q1331+171 and Q 0054+144, only upper limits were obtained, although the
exposure times were intentionally short, since for these two objects we were
interested primarily in measuring flux levels to plan for future observations.
The imaging results are presented in a companion paper.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
A Proto-Galaxy Candidate at z=2.7 Discovered by Its Young Stellar Population
A protogalaxy candidate at z=2.72 has been discovered serendipitously by the
CNOC cluster redshift survey. The candidate is an extremely luminous (V=20.5
mag, absolute mag -26) and well resolved disk-like galaxy. The redshift is
identified from a dozen strong UV absorption lines. No emission lines are found
between 1000 and 2000A (rest), including Ly alpha. The photometric data fit the
spectral energy distributions of a stellar population from 400 million years to
an arbitrarily young age, dependent on the amount of dust extinction. However,
the presence of a strong P-Cygni profile in CIV~indicates that a very
substantial component of the stellar population must be younger than ~ 10 Myr.
We interpret this object as an early-type galaxy observed within about 100
million years of the initial burst of star formation which created most of its
stellar mass. Because of the resolved, regular, and smooth nature of the
object, it is unlikely that the high luminosity is due to gravitational
lensing.Comment: 31 page, Latex file with 9 encapsulated figures, requiring aasppt.sty
and epsf.sty (included). Full uuencoded ps file available from:
http://manaslu.astro.utoronto.ca/~carlberg/cnoc/general.html Accepted by
Astronomical Journal, in press, May 199
Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I alter Hippocampal Excitatory Synaptic Transmission in Young and Old Rats
Cataloged from PDF version of article.In rats, as in humans, normal aging is characterized by a decline in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory, as well as in glutamatergic function. Both growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels have been reported to decrease with age, and treatment with either GH or IGF-I can ameliorate age-related cognitive decline. Interestingly, acute GH and IGF-I treatments enhance glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the rat hippocampus of juvenile animals. However, whether this enhancement also occurs in old rats, when cognitive impairment is ameliorated by GH and IGF-I (des-IGF-I), remains to be determined. To address this issue, we used an in vitro CA1 hippocampal slice preparation and extracellular recording techniques to study the effects of acute application of GH and IGF-I on compound field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs), as well as AMPA- and NMDA-dependent fEPSPs, in young adult (10 months) and old (28 months) rats. The results indicated that both GH and IGF-I increased compound-, AMPA-and NMDA-dependent fEPSPs to a similar extent in slices from both age groups and that this augmentation was likely mediated via a postsynaptic mechanism. Initial characterization of the signaling cascades underlying these effects revealed that the GH-induced enhancement was not mediated by the JAK2 signaling element in either young adult or old rats but that the IGF-Iinduced enhancement involved a PI3K-mediated mechanism in old, but not young adults. The present findings are consistent with a role for a GH-or IGF-I-induced enhancement of glutamatergic transmission in mitigating age-related cognitive impairment in old rats. © 2012 American Aging Association
Growth hormone modulates hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity in old rats
Cataloged from PDF version of article.Alterations in the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor (AMPA-R) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor
(NMDA-R) have been documented in aged animals and may contribute to changes in hippocampal-dependent memory. Growth hormone
(GH) regulates AMPA-R and NMDA-R-dependent excitatory transmission and decreases with age. Chronic GH treatment mitigates
age-related cognitive decline. An in vitro CA1 hippocampal slice preparation was used to compare hippocampal excitatory transmission and
plasticity in old animals treated for 6–8 months with either saline or GH. Our findings indicate that GH treatment restores NMDA-Rdependent
basal synaptic transmission in old rats to young adult levels and enhances both AMPA-R-dependent basal synaptic transmission
and long-term potentiation. These alterations in synaptic function occurred in the absence of changes in presynaptic function, as measured
by paired-pulse ratios, the total protein levels of AMPA-R and NMDA-R subunits or in plasma or hippocampal levels of insulin-like growth
factor-I. These data suggest a direct role for GH in altering age-related changes in excitatory transmission and provide a possible cellular
mechanism through which GH changes the course of cognitive decline.
© 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
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