The resolved scaling relations in DustPedia: Zooming in on the local Universe

We perform a homogeneous analysis of an unprecedented set of spatially resolved scaling relations (SRs) between ISM components and other properties in the range of scales 0.3-3.4 kpc. We also study some ratios: dust-to-stellar, dust-to-gas, and dust-to-metal. We use a sample of 18 large, spiral, face-on DustPedia galaxies. All the SRs are moderate/strong correlations except the dust-HI SR that does not exist or is weak for most galaxies. The SRs do not have a universal form but each galaxy is characterized by distinct correlations, affected by local processes and galaxy peculiarities. The SRs hold starting from 0.3 kpc, and if a breaking down scale exists it is < 0.3 kpc. By evaluating all galaxies at 3.4 kpc, differences due to peculiarities of individual galaxies are cancelled out and the corresponding SRs are consistent with those of whole galaxies. By comparing subgalactic and global scales, the most striking result emerges from the SRs involving ISM components: the dust-total gas SR is a good correlation at all scales, while the dust-H2 and dust-HI SRs are good correlations at subkpc/kpc and total scales, respectively. For the other explored SRs, there is a good agreement between small and global scales and this may support the picture where the main physical processes regulating the properties and evolution of galaxies occur locally. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of self-regulation of the SF process. The analysis of subgalactic ratios shows that they are consistent with those derived for whole galaxies, from low to high z, supporting the idea that also these ratios could be set by local processes. Our results highlight the heterogeneity of galaxy properties and the importance of resolved studies on local galaxies in the context of galaxy evolution. They also provide observational constraints to theoretical models and updated references for high-z studies.Comment: 42 pages, 11 figures and 5 tables in the main text, 2 figures and 1 table in Appendix. Accepted for publication in A&

Discordance between Clinical and Ultrasound Examinations in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: An Experimental Approach

Clinical examination (CE) and musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) of ten joints (knee, ankle, wrist, elbow, II-MCP) and their extra-articular (EA) compartments (tendons and bursae) were performed on 35 consecutive patients with active juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) (active group) to test how the extension of MSUS examinations to EA changes the concordance between MSUS and CE. The overall concordance between CE and MSUS, measured with Cohen&rsquo;s Kappa (k), was moderate (k = 0.43); the addition of EA MSUS increased the concordance in all joints, with the exclusion of II-MCP (k = 0.49). In the ankle and wrist, the k increase was relevant (k from 0.13 to 0.27 and 0.11 to 0.41). In the active group patients, we observed 44 subclinical synovitis; the number of subclinical synovitis per patient was correlated with JADAS-27 (p = 0.03) and was higher in a control group composed of 15 patients with persistent disease remission (1.3 vs. 0.4 p = 0.03). Our results show that EA compartments should always be evaluated during MSUS. Furthermore, we demonstrate a moderate concordance between CE and MSUS in JIA; the finding of subclinical synovitis is common in patients with active diseases and is related to disease activity

A Bayesian chemical evolution model of the DustPedia Galaxy M74

We introduce a new, multi-zone chemical evolution model of the DustPedia galaxy M74, calibrated by means of MCMC methods. We take into account the observed stellar and gas density profiles and use Bayesian analysis to constrain two fundamental parameters characterising the gas accretion and star formation timescale, i.e. the infall timescale tau and the SF efficiency nu, respectively, as a function of galactocentric radius R. Our analysis supports an infall timescale increasing with R and a star formation efficiency decreasing with R, thus supporting an 'Inside-Out' formation for M74. For both tau and nu, we find a weaker radial dependence than in the Milky Way. We also investigate the dust content of M74, comparing the observed dust density profile with the results of our chemical evolution models. Various prescriptions have been considered for two key parameters, i.e. the typical dust accretion timescale and the mass of gas cleared out of the dust by a supernova remnant, regulating the dust growth and destruction rate, respectively. Two models with a different current balance between destruction and accretion, i.e. with equilibrium and dominion of accretion over destruction, can equally reproduce the observed dust profile of M74. This outlines the degeneracy between these parameters in shaping the interstellar dust content in galaxies. Our methods will be extended to more DustPedia galaxies to shed more light on the relative roles of dust production and destruction.Comment: MNRAS, accepted for publication, 19 pages, 14 figure

S. Aureus biofilm protein expression linked to antimicrobial resistance: A` proteomic study

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most critical challenges that humanity will face in the following years. In this context, a "One Health" approach with an integrated multidisciplinary effort involving humans, animals and their surrounding environment is needed to tackle the spread of AMR. One of the most common ways for bacteria to live is to adhere to surfaces and form biofilms. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can form biofilm on most surfaces and in a wide heterogeneity of environmental conditions. The biofilm guarantees the survival of the S. aureus in harsh environmental conditions and represents an issue for the food industry and animal production. The identification and characterization of biofilm-related proteins may provide interesting insights into biofilm formation mechanisms in S. aureus. In this regard, the aims of this study were: (i) to use proteomics to compare proteomes of S. aureus growing in planktonic and biofilm forms in order to investigate the common features of biofilm formation properties of different strains; (ii) to identify specific biofilm mechanisms that may be involved in AMR. The proteomic analysis showed 14 differentially expressed proteins among biofilm and planktonic forms of S. aureus. Moreover, three proteins, such as alcohol dehydrogenase, ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase, and fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, were only differentially expressed in strains classified as high biofilm producers. Differentially regulated catabolites metabolisms and the switch to lower oxygen-related metabolisms were related to the sessile conformation analyzed

The resolved scaling relations in DustPedia : Zooming in on the local Universe

International audienceAims. We perform a homogeneous analysis of an unprecedented set of spatially resolved scaling relations (SRs) between interstellar medium (ISM) components, that is to say dust, gas, and gas-phase metallicity, and other galaxy properties, such as stellar mass (M star), total baryonic content, and star-formation rate (SFR), in a range of physical scales between 0.3 and 3.4 kpc. We also study some ratios between galaxy components: dust-to-stellar, dust-togas , and dust-to-metal ratios.Methods. We use a sample of 18 large, spiral, face-on DustPedia galaxies. The sample consists of galaxies with spatially resolved dust maps corresponding to 15 Herschel-SPIRE 500 µm resolution elements across the optical radius, with the morphological stage spanning from T = 2 to 8, M star from 2 × 10 9 to 1 × 10 11 M , SFR from 0.2 to 13 M yr −1 , and oxygen abundance from 12 + log(O/H) = 8.3 to 8.8. Results. All the SRs are moderate or strong correlations except the dust-Hi SR that does not exist or is weak for most galaxies. The SRs do not have a universal form but each galaxy is characterized by distinct correlations, affected by local processes and galaxy peculiarities. The SRs hold, on average, starting from the scale of 0.3 kpc, and if a breaking down scale exists it is below 0.3 kpc. By evaluating all galaxies together at the common scale of 3.4 kpc, differences due to peculiarities of individual galaxies are cancelled out and the corresponding SRs are consistent with those of whole galaxies. By comparing subgalactic and global scales, the most striking result emerges from the SRs involving ISM components: the dust-total gas SR is a good correlation at all scales, while the dust-H 2 and dust-Hi SRs are good correlations at subkiloparsec/kiloparsec and total scales, respectively. For the other explored SRs, there is a good agreement between small and global scales and this may support the picture where the main physical processes regulating the properties and evolution of galaxies occur locally. In this scenario, our results are consistent with the hypothesis of self-regulation of the star-formation process. The analysis of subgalactic ratios between galaxy components shows that they are consistent with those derived for whole galaxies, from low to high redshift, supporting the idea that also these ratios could be set by local processes. Conclusions. Our results highlight the heterogeneity of galaxy properties and the importance of resolved studies on local galaxies in the context of galaxy evolution. They also provide fundamental observational constraints to theoretical models and updated references for high-redshift studies