823 research outputs found
Looking ahead to the sky with the Square Kilometre Array: simulating flux densities & resolved radio morphologies of star-forming galaxies
SKA-MID surveys will be the first in the radio domain to achieve clearly
sub-arcsecond resolution at high sensitivity over large areas, opening new
science applications for galaxy evolution. To investigate the potential of
these surveys, we create simulated SKA-MID images of a 0.04 deg
region of GOODS-North, constructed using multi-band HST imaging of 1723 real
galaxies containing significant substructure at . We create images at
the proposed depths of the band 2 wide, deep and ultradeep reference surveys
(RMS = 1.0 Jy, 0.2 Jy and 0.05 Jy over 1000 deg, 10-30
deg and 1 deg respectively), using the telescope response of
SKA-MID at 0.6" resolution. We quantify the star-formation rate - stellar mass
space the surveys will probe, and asses to which stellar masses they will be
complete. We measure galaxy flux density, half-light radius (),
concentration, Gini (distribution of flux), second-order moment of the
brightest pixels () and asymmetry before and after simulation with the
SKA response, to perform input-output tests as a function of depth, separating
the effects of convolution and noise. We find that the recovery of Gini and
asymmetry is more dependent on survey depth than for , concentration
and . We also assess the relative ranking of parameters before and
after observation with SKA-MID. best retains its ranking, whilst
asymmetries are poorly recovered. We confirm that the wide tier will be suited
to the study of highly star-forming galaxies across different environments,
whilst the ultradeep tier will enable detailed morphological analysis to lower
SFRs.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Irreversible effects of memory
The steady state of a Langevin equation with short ranged memory and coloured
noise is analyzed. When the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of second kind is
not satisfied, the dynamics is irreversible, i.e. detailed balance is violated.
We show that the entropy production rate for this system should include the
power injected by ``memory forces''. With this additional contribution, the
Fluctuation Relation is fairly verified in simulations. Both dynamics with
inertia and overdamped dynamics yield the same expression for this additional
power. The role of ``memory forces'' within the fluctuation-dissipation
relation of first kind is also discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, publishe
ARGONAUTE2 cooperates with SWI/SNF complex to determine nucleosome occupancy at human Transcription Start Sites.
Argonaute (AGO) proteins have a well-established role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression as key component of the RNA silencing pathways. Recent evidence involves AGO proteins in mammalian nuclear processes such as transcription and splicing, though the mechanistic aspects of AGO nuclear functions remain largely elusive. Here, by SILAC-based interaction proteomics, we identify the chromatin-remodelling complex SWI/SNF as a novel AGO2 interactor in human cells. Moreover, we show that nuclear AGO2 is loaded with a novel class of Dicer-dependent short RNAs (sRNAs), that we called swiRNAs, which map nearby the Transcription Start Sites (TSSs) bound by SWI/SNF. The knock-down of AGO2 decreases nucleosome occupancy at the first nucleosome located downstream of TSSs in a swiRNA-dependent manner. Our findings indicate that in human cells AGO2 binds SWI/SNF and a novel class of sRNAs to establish nucleosome occupancy on target TSSs
Model Independent Foreground Power Spectrum Estimation using WMAP 5-year Data
In this paper, we propose & implement on WMAP 5-year data, a model
independent approach of foreground power spectrum estimation for multifrequency
observations of CMB experiments. Recently a model independent approach of CMB
power spectrum estimation was proposed by Saha et al. 2006. This methodology
demonstrates that CMB power spectrum can be reliably estimated solely from WMAP
data without assuming any template models for the foreground components. In the
current paper, we extend this work to estimate the galactic foreground power
spectrum using the WMAP 5 year maps following a self contained analysis. We
apply the model independent method in harmonic basis to estimate the foreground
power spectrum and frequency dependence of combined foregrounds. We also study
the behaviour of synchrotron spectral index variation over different regions of
the sky. We compare our results with those obtained from MEM foreground maps
which are formed in pixel space. We find that relative to our model independent
estimates MEM maps overestimates the foreground power close to galactic plane
and underestimates it at high latitudes.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Anomalous Microwave Emission from the HII region RCW175
We present evidence for anomalous microwave emission in the RCW175 \hii
region. Motivated by 33 GHz 13\arcmin resolution data from the Very Small
Array (VSA), we observed RCW175 at 31 GHz with the Cosmic Background Imager
(CBI) at a resolution of 4\arcmin. The region consists of two distinct
components, G29.0-0.6 and G29.1-0.7, which are detected at high signal-to-noise
ratio. The integrated flux density is Jy at 31 GHz, in good
agreement with the VSA. The 31 GHz flux density is Jy
() above the expected value from optically thin free-free emission
based on lower frequency radio data and thermal dust constrained by IRAS and
WMAP data. Conventional emission mechanisms such as optically thick emission
from ultracompact \hii regions cannot easily account for this excess. We
interpret the excess as evidence for electric dipole emission from small
spinning dust grains, which does provide an adequate fit to the data.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, submmited to ApJ Letter
Chromatin proteomics reveals novel combinatorial histone modification signatures that mark distinct subpopulations of macrophage enhancers
The integrated activity of cis-regulatory elements fine-tunes transcriptional programs of mammalian cells by recruiting cell type-specific as well as ubiquitous transcription factors (TFs). Despite their key role in modulating transcription, enhancers are still poorly characterized at the molecular level, and their limited DNA sequence conservation in evolution and variable distance from target genes make their unbiased identification challenging. The coexistence of high mono-methylation and low tri-methylation levels of lysine 4 of histone H3 is considered a signature of enhancers, but a comprehensive view of histone modifications associated to enhancers is still lacking. By combining chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with mass spectrometry, we investigated cis-regulatory regions in macrophages to comprehensively identify histone marks specifically associated with enhancers, and to profile their dynamics after transcriptional activation elicited by an inflammatory stimulation. The intersection of the proteomics data with ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses revealed the existence of novel subpopulations of enhancers, marked by specific histone modification signatures: specifically, H3K4me1/K36me2 marks transcribed enhancers, while H3K4me1/K36me3 and H3K4me1/K79me2 combinations mark distinct classes of intronic enhancers. Thus, our MS analysis of functionally distinct genomic regions revealed the combinatorial code of histone modifications, highlighting the potential of proteomics in addressing fundamental questions in epigenetics
IR-correlated 31 GHz radio emission from Orion East
Lynds dark cloud LDN1622 represents one of the best examples of anomalous
dust emission, possibly originating from small spinning dust grains. We present
Cosmic Background Imager (CBI) 31 GHz data of LDN1621, a diffuse dark cloud to
the north of LDN1622 in a region known as Orion East. A broken ring with
diameter g\approx 20 arcmin of diffuse emission is detected at 31 GHz, at
\approx 20-30 mJy beam with an angular resolution of \approx 5 arcmin.
The ring-like structure is highly correlated with Far Infra-Red emission at
m with correlation coefficients of r \approx 0.7-0.8, significant
at . Multi-frequency data are used to place constraints on other
components of emission that could be contributing to the 31 GHz flux. An
analysis of the GB6 survey maps at 4.85 GHz yields a upper limit on
free-free emission of 7.2 mJy beam (\la 30 per cent of the observed
flux) at the CBI resolution. The bulk of the 31 GHz flux therefore appears to
be mostly due to dust radiation. Aperture photometry, at an angular resolution
of 13 arcmin and with an aperture of diameter 30 arcmin, allowed the use of
IRAS maps and the {\it WMAP} 5-year W-band map at 93.5 GHz. A single modified
blackbody model was fitted to the data to estimate the contribution from
thermal dust, which amounts to \sim\sim100 \mu18.1\pm4.4 \mu^{-1}$, consistent with the values found for
LDN1622.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, submitted to MNRA
Correlation between Gamma-Ray bursts and Gravitational Waves
The cosmological origin of -ray bursts (GRBs) is now commonly
accepted and, according to several models for the central engine, GRB sources
should also emit at the same time gravitational waves bursts (GWBs). We have
performed two correlation searches between the data of the resonant
gravitational wave detector AURIGA and GRB arrival times collected in the BATSE
4B catalog. No correlation was found and an upper limit \bbox{} on the averaged amplitude of gravitational waves
associated with -ray bursts has been set for the first time.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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The Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionisation with SKA
Concerted effort is currently ongoing to open up the Epoch of Reionization (z ∼15-6) for studies with IR and radio telescopes. Whereas IR detections have been made of sources (Lyman-α emitters, quasars and drop-outs) in this redshift regime in relatively small fields of view, no direct detection of neutral hydrogen, via the redshifted 21-cm line, has yet been established. Such a direct detection is expected in the coming years, with ongoing surveys, and could open up the entire universe from z ∼6-200 for astrophysical and cosmological studies, opening not only the Epoch of Reionization, but also its preceding Cosmic Dawn (z ∼30-15) and possibly even the later phases of the Dark Ages (z ∼200-30). All currently ongoing experiments attempt statistical detections of the 21-cm signal during the Epoch of Reionization, with limited signal-to-noise. Direct imaging, except maybe on the largest (degree) scales at lower redshifts, as well as higher redshifts will remain out of reach. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will revolutionize the field, allowing direct imaging of neutral hydrogen from scales of arc-minutes to degrees over most of the redshift range z ∼6-28 with SKA1-LOW, and possibly even higher redshifts with the SKA2-LOW. In this SKA will be unique, and in parallel provide enormous potential of synergy with other upcoming facilities (e.g. JWST). In this chapter we summarize the physics of 21-cm emission, the different phases the universe is thought to go through, and the observables that the SKA can probe, referring where needed to detailed chapters in this volume. This is done within the framework of the current SKA1 baseline design and a nominal CD/EoR straw-man survey, consisting of a shallow, medium-deep and deep survey, the latter probing down to ∼1 mK brightness temperature on arc-minute scales at the end of reionization. Possible minor modifications to the design of SKA1 and the upgrade to SKA2 are discussed, in addition to science that could be done already during roll-out when SKA1 still has limited capabilities and/or core collecting area
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