Deciphering the large-scale environment of radio galaxies in the local Universe: where do they born, grow and die?

The role played by the large-scale environment on the nuclear activity of radio galaxies (RGs), is still not completely understood. Accretion mode, jet power and galaxy evolution are connected with their large-scale environment from tens to hundreds of kpc. Here we present a detailed, statistical, analysis of the large-scale environment for two samples of RGs up to redshifts $z_\mathrm{src}$=0.15. The main advantages of our study, with respect to those already present in the literature, are due to the extremely homogeneous selection criteria of catalogs adopted to perform our investigation. This is also coupled with the use of several clustering algorithms. We performed a direct search of galaxy-rich environments around RGs using them as beacon. To perform this study we also developed a new method that does not appear to suffer by a strong $z_\mathrm{src}$ dependence as other algorithms. We conclude that, despite their radio morphological (FR\,I $vs$ FR\,II) and/or their optical (HERG $vs$ LERG) classification, RGs in the local Universe tend to live in galaxy-rich large-scale environments having similar characteristics and richness. We highlight that the fraction of FR\,Is-LERG, inhabiting galaxy rich environments, appears larger than that of FR\,IIs-LERG. We also found that 5 out of 7 FR\,II-HERGs, with $z_\mathrm{src}\leq$0.11, lie in groups/clusters of galaxies. However, we recognize that, despite the high level of completeness of our catalogs, when restricting to the local Universe, the low number of HERGs ($\sim$10\% of the total FR\,IIs investigated) prevent us to make a strong statistical conclusion about this source class.Comment: 21 pages, 25 figures, accepted for publication on the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series - pre-proof versio

Optical archival spectra of blazar candidates of uncertain type in the 3rd^{rd} Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog

Despite the fact that blazars constitute the rarest class among active galactic nuclei (AGNs) they are the largest known population of associated $\gamma$-ray sources. Many of the $\gamma$-ray objects listed in the Fermi-Large Area Telescope Third Source catalog (3FGL) are classified as blazar candidates of uncertain type (BCUs), either because they show multifrequency behaviour similar to blazars but lacking optical spectra in the literature, or because the quality of such spectra is too low to confirm their nature. Here we select, out of 585 BCUs in the 3FGL, 42 BCUs which we identify as probable blazars by their WISE infrared colors and which also have optical spectra that are available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and/or Six-Degree Field Galaxy Survey Database (6dFGS). We confirm the blazar nature of all of the sources. We furthermore conclude that 28 of them are BL Lacs, 8 are radio-loud quasars with flat radio spectrum and 6 are BL Lac whose emission is dominated by their host galaxy

The Gamma-ray Blazar Quest: new optical spectra, state of art and future perspectives

We recently developed a procedure to recognize gamma-ray blazar candidates within the positional uncertainty regions of the unidentified/unassociated gamma-ray sources (UGSs). Such procedure was based on the discovery that Fermi blazars show peculiar infrared colors. However, to confirm the real nature of the selected candidates, optical spectroscopic data are necessary. Thus, we performed an extensive archival search for spectra available in the literature in parallel with an optical spectroscopic campaign aimed to reveal and confirm the nature of the selected gamma-ray blazar candidates. Here, we first search for optical spectra of a selected sample of gamma-ray blazar candidates that can be potential counterparts of UGSs using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS DR12). This search enables us to update the archival search carried out to date. We also describe the state-of-art and the future perspectives of our campaign to discover previously unknown gamma-ray blazars.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 5 tables, pre-proof version, accepted for publication of Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Constraints on redshifts of blazars from extragalactic background light attenuation using Fermi-LAT data

The extragalactic high-energy $\gamma$-ray sky is dominated by blazars, which are active galactic nuclei with their jets pointing towards us. Distance measurements are of fundamental importance yet for some of these sources are challenging because any spectral signature from the host galaxy may be outshone by the non-thermal emission from the jet. In this paper, we present a method to constrain redshifts for these sources that relies only on data from the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. This method takes advantage of the signatures that the pair-production interaction between photons with energies larger than approximately 10 GeV and the extragalactic background light leaves on $\gamma$-ray spectra. We find upper limits for the distances of 303 $\gamma$-ray blazars, classified as 157 BL Lacertae objects, 145 of uncertain class, and 1 flat-spectrum-radio quasar, whose redshifts are otherwise unknown. These derivations can be useful for planning observations with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes and also for testing theories of supermassive black hole evolution. Our results are applied to estimate the detectability of these blazars with the future Cherenkov Telescope Array, finding that at least 21 of them could be studied in a reasonable exposure of 20 h.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, 1 table; Accepted by MNRA

Observations of the planetary nebula SMP LMC 058 with the JWST MIRI medium resolution spectrometer

During the commissioning of JWST, the medium-resolution spectrometer (MRS) on the mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) observed the planetary nebula SMP LMC 058 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The MRS was designed to provide medium resolution (R = λ/Δλ) 3D spectroscopy in the whole MIRI range. SMP LMC 058 is the only source observed in JWST commissioning that is both spatially and spectrally unresolved by the MRS and is a good test of JWST's capabilities. The new MRS spectra reveal a wealth of emission lines not previously detected in this planetary nebula. From these lines, the spectral resolving power (λ/Δλ) of the MRS is confirmed to be in the range R = 4000-1500, depending on the MRS spectral sub-band. In addition, the spectra confirm that the carbon-rich dust emission is from complex hydrocarbons and SiC grains and that there is little to no time evolution of the SiC dust and emission line strengths over a 17-yr epoch. These commissioning data reveal the great potential of the MIRI MRS for the study of circumstellar and interstellar material.</p

Low nadir CD4+ T-cell counts predict gut dysbiosis in HIV-1 infection

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection causes severe gut and systemic immune damage, but its effects on the gut microbiome remain unclear. Previous shotgun metagenomic studies in HIV-negative subjects linked low-microbial gene counts (LGC) to gut dysbiosis in diseases featuring intestinal inflammation. Using a similar approach in 156 subjects with different HIV-1 phenotypes, we found a strong, independent, dose-effect association between nadir CD4+ T-cell counts and LGC. As in other diseases involving intestinal inflammation, the gut microbiomes of subjects with LGC were enriched in gram-negative Bacteroides, acetogenic bacteria and Proteobacteria, which are able to metabolize reactive oxygen and nitrogen species; and were depleted in oxygen-sensitive methanogenic archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Interestingly, subjects with LGC also showed increased butyrate levels in direct fecal measurements, consistent with enrichment in Roseburia intestinalis despite reductions in other butyrate producers. The microbiomes of subjects with LGC were also enriched in bacterial virulence factors, as well as in genes associated with beta-lactam, lincosamide, tetracycline, and macrolide resistance. Thus, low nadir CD4+ T-cell counts, rather than HIV-1 serostatus per se, predict the presence of gut dysbiosis in HIV-1 infected subjects. Such dysbiosis does not display obvious HIV-specific features; instead, it shares many similarities with other diseases featuring gut inflammation

Impacto bio-económico de cambios estratégicos en el manejo de búfalos de río Murrah

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of a strategy of changes to manage the bio-economic efficiency of a Murrah Buffalo production system in the province of Camagüey, Cuba, located 210 north and 770 west, 217 meters above sea level. The climate is tropical humid (Aw) plain. The mean annual precipitations average 1&nbsp;180 mm (71&nbsp;% between May and October), and temperature is between 24 and 29°&nbsp;C. The local soil is carbonated brown, brown without carbonates, and reddish-brown fersiallitic. The system comprises 5&nbsp;100&nbsp;ha and has 536 workers/year. A strategy to introduce management changes in agro-technology, food, reproduction, replacement, health, salary policies, and training was implemented as part of an innovation package with a systemic and participatory approach. The evaluation lasted eight years, and it was critical to increase dairy production in more than 200&nbsp;000&nbsp;kg/year in 2012, in comparison to 2004, with improvements in natality and reduction of operational expenses of the system. It was concluded that the strategy had a determining effect on the system's indicators.El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar los efectos de una estrategia de cambios en el manejo en la eficiencia bio-económica de un sistema cooperativo de producción de Búfalos Murrah de Camagüey en Cuba, localizado en los 210 Norte y los 770 Oeste a 217 msnm. El clima es tropical húmedo (Aw) de llanura. La media anual de las precipitaciones fue de 1&nbsp;180 mm (71&nbsp;% de mayo a octubre) y temperaturas entre 24 y 29°&nbsp;C. El suelo es pardo carbonatado, pardos sin carbonatos y fersialíticos pardo rojizos. El sistema ocupa un área de 5&nbsp;100&nbsp;ha y emplea 536 trabajadores/año. Una estrategia de cambios en el manejo agro-técnico, alimentario, reproductivo, de reemplazos, en salud, política de salarios y determinadas acciones de capacitación fue puesta en práctica como una especie de paquete innovador con enfoque sistémico y participativo. La evaluación se desarrolló durante ocho años y fue determinante en el incremento de la producción de leche en más de 200&nbsp;000 kg/año en el 2012 respecto al 2004, con una mejora en la natalidad y reducción en los gastos operacionales del sistema. Se concluye que la estrategia tuvo un efecto determinante en el comportamiento favorable de los indicadores del sistema

Influence of the Temperature and the Genotype of the HSP90AA1 Gene over Sperm Chromatin Stability in Manchega Rams

The present study addresses the effect of heat stress on males' reproduction ability. For that, we have evaluated the sperm DNA fragmentation (DFI) by SCSA of ejaculates incubated at 37°C during 0, 24 and 48 hours after its collection, as a way to mimic the temperature circumstances to which spermatozoa will be subject to in the ewe uterus. The effects of temperature and temperature-humidity index (THI) from day 60 prior collection to the date of semen collection on DFI were examined. To better understand the causes determining the sensitivity of spermatozoa to heat, this study was conducted in 60 males with alternative genotypes for the SNP G/C−660 of the HSP90AA1 promoter, which encode for the Hsp90α protein. The Hsp90α protein predominates in the brain and testis, and its role in spermatogenesis has been described in several species. Ridge regression analyses showed that days 29 to 35 and 7 to 14 before sperm collection (bsc) were the most critical regarding the effect of heat stress over DFI values. Mixed model analyses revealed that DFI increases over a threshold of 30°C for maximum temperature and 22 for THI at days 29 to 35 and 7 to 14 bsc only in animals carrying the GG−660 genotype. The period 29–35 bsc coincide with the meiosis I process for which the effect of the Hsp90α has been described in mice. The period 7–14 bsc may correspond with later stages of the meiosis II and early stages of epididymal maturation in which the replacement of histones by protamines occurs. Because of GG−660 genotype has been associated to lower levels of HSP90AA1 expression, suboptimal amounts of HSP90AA1 mRNA in GG−660 animals under heat stress conditions make spermatozoa DNA more susceptible to be fragmented. Thus, selecting against the GG−660 genotype could decrease the DNA fragmentation and spermatozoa thermal susceptibility in the heat season, and its putative subsequent fertility gainsPublishe