82 research outputs found
Unveiling the nature of the "Green Pea" galaxies
We review recent results on the oxygen and nitrogen chemical abundances in
extremely compact, low-mass starburst galaxies at redshifts between 0.1-0.3
recently named to as "Green Pea" galaxies. These galaxies are genuine
metal-poor galaxies ( one fifth solar) with N/O ratios unusually high for
galaxies of the same metallicity. In combination with their known general
properties, i.e., size, stellar mass and star-formation rate, these findings
suggest that these objects could be experiencing a short and extreme phase in
their evolution. The possible action of both recent and massive inflow of gas,
as well as stellar feedback mechanisms are discussed here as main drivers of
the starburst activity and their oxygen and nitrogen abundances.Comment: To appear in JENAM Symposium "Dwarf Galaxies: Keys to Galaxy
Formation and Evolution", P. Papaderos, G. Hensler, S. Recchi (eds.). Lisbon,
September 2010, Springer Verlag, in pres
From z>6 to z~2: Unearthing Galaxies at the Edge of the Dark Ages
Galaxies undergoing formation and evolution can now be observed over a time
baseline of some 12 Gyr. An inherent difficulty with high-redshift observations
is that the objects are very faint and the best resolution (HST) is only ~0.5
kpc. Such studies thereby combine in a highly synergistic way with the great
detail that can be obtained for nearby galaxies. 3 new developments are
highlighted. First is the derivation of stellar masses for galaxies from SEDs
using HST and now Spitzer data, and dynamical masses from both sub-mm
observations of CO lines and near-IR observations of optical lines like Halpha.
A major step has been taken with evidence that points to the z~2-3 LBGs having
masses that are a few x 10^10 Msolar. Second is the discovery of a population
of evolved red galaxies at z~2-3 which appear to be the progenitors of the more
massive early-type galaxies of today, with dynamical masses around a few x
10^11 Msolar. Third are the remarkable advances that have occurred in
characterizing dropout galaxies to z~6 and beyond, < 1 Gyr from recombination.
The HST ACS has played a key role here, with the dropout technique being
applied to i & z images in several deep ACS fields, yielding large samples of
these objects. This has allowed a detailed determination of their properties
and meaningful comparisons against lower-z samples. The use of cloning
techniques has overcome many of the strong selection biases affecting the study
of these objects. A clear trend of size with redshift has been identified, and
its impact on the luminosity density and SFR estimated. There is a significant
though modest decrease in the SFR from z~2.5 to z~6. The latest data also allow
for the first robust determination of the LF at z~6. Finally, the latest UDF
ACS and NICMOS data has resulted in the detection of some galaxies at z~7-8.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures. To appear in Penetrating Bars through Masks of
Cosmic Dust: The Hubble Tuning Fork Strikes a New Note, eds. D. Block, K.
Freeman, R. Groess, I. Puerari, & E.K. Block (Dordrecht: Kluwer), in pres
Gas accretion as the origin of chemical abundance gradients in distant galaxies
It has recently been suggested that galaxies in the early Universe can grow
through the accretion of cold gas, and that this may have been the main driver
of star formation and stellar mass growth. Because the cold gas is essentially
primordial, it has a very low abundance of elements heavier than helium
(metallicity). As it is funneled to the centre of a galaxy, it will lead the
central gas having an overall lower metallicity than gas further from the
centre, because the gas further out has been enriched by supernovae and stellar
winds, and not diluted by the primordial gas. Here we report chemical
abundances across three rotationally-supported star-forming galaxies at z~3,
only 2 Gyr after the Big Bang. We find an 'inverse' gradient, with the central,
star forming regions having a lower metallicity than less active ones, opposite
to what is seen in local galaxies. We conclude that the central gas has been
diluted by the accretion of primordial gas, as predicted by 'cold flow' models.Comment: To Appear in Nature Oct 14, 2010; Supplementary Information included
her
The Galaxy Structure-Redshift Relationship
There exists a gradual, but persistent, evolutionary effect in the galaxy
population such that galaxy structure and morphology change with redshift. This
galaxy structure-redshift relationship is such that an increasingly large
fraction of all bright and massive galaxies at redshifts 2 < z < 3 are
morphologically peculiar at wavelengths from rest-frame ultraviolet to
rest-frame optical. There are however examples of morphologically selected
spirals and ellipticals at all redshifts up to z ~ 3. At lower redshift, the
bright galaxy population smoothly transforms into normal ellipticals and
spirals. The rate of this transformation strongly depends on redshift, with the
swiftest evolution occurring between 1 < z < 2. This review characterizes the
galaxy structure-redshift relationship, discusses its various physical causes,
and how these are revealing the mechanisms responsible for galaxy formation.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. Invited Review to appear in "Penetrating Bars
Through Masks of Cosmic Dust: The Hubble Tuning Fork Strikes A New Note", ed.
D. Block et a
Perisylvian white matter connectivity in the human right hemisphere
Background By using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) and subsequent tractography, a perisylvian language network in the human left hemisphere recently has been identified connecting Brocas's and Wernicke's areas directly (arcuate fasciculus) and indirectly by a pathway through the inferior parietal cortex. Results Applying DTI tractography in the present study, we found a similar three-way pathway in the right hemisphere of 12 healthy individuals: a direct connection between the superior temporal and lateral frontal cortex running in parallel with an indirect connection. The latter composed of a posterior segment connecting the superior temporal with the inferior parietal cortex and an anterior segment running from the inferior parietal to the lateral frontal cortex. Conclusion The present DTI findings suggest that the perisylvian inferior parietal, superior temporal, and lateral frontal corticies are tightly connected not only in the human left but also in the human right hemisphere
P2 receptors in atherosclerosis and postangioplasty restenosis
Atherosclerosis is an immunoinflammatory process that involves complex interactions between the vessel wall and blood components and is thought to be initiated by endothelial dysfunction [Ross (Nature 362:801â09, 1993); Fuster et al. (N Engl J Med 326:242â50, 1992); Davies and Woolf (Br Heart J 69:S3âS11, 1993)]. Extracellular nucleotides that are released from a variety of arterial and blood cells [Di Virgilio and Solini (Br J Pharmacol 135:831â42, 2002)] can bind to P2 receptors and modulate proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells (SMC), which are known to be involved in intimal hyperplasia that accompanies atherosclerosis and postangioplasty restenosis [Lafont et al. (Circ Res 76:996â002, 1995)]. In addition, P2 receptors mediate many other functions including platelet aggregation, leukocyte adherence, and arterial vasomotricity. A direct pathological role of P2 receptors is reinforced by recent evidence showing that upregulation and activation of P2Y2 receptors in rabbit arteries mediates intimal hyperplasia [Seye et al. (Circulation 106:2720â726, 2002)]. In addition, upregulation of functional P2Y receptors also has been demonstrated in the basilar artery of the rat double-hemorrhage model [Carpenter et al. (Stroke 32:516â22, 2001)] and in coronary artery of diabetic dyslipidemic pigs [Hill et al. (J Vasc Res 38:432â43, 2001)]. It has been proposed that upregulation of P2Y receptors may be a potential diagnostic indicator for the early stages of atherosclerosis [Elmaleh et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95:691â95, 1998)]. Therefore, particular effort must be made to understand the consequences of nucleotide release from cells in the cardiovascular system and the subsequent effects of P2 nucleotide receptor activation in blood vessels, which may reveal novel therapeutic strategies for atherosclerosis and restenosis after angioplasty
Observations of Ly Emitters at High Redshift
In this series of lectures, I review our observational understanding of
high- Ly emitters (LAEs) and relevant scientific topics. Since the
discovery of LAEs in the late 1990s, more than ten (one) thousand(s) of LAEs
have been identified photometrically (spectroscopically) at to . These large samples of LAEs are useful to address two major astrophysical
issues, galaxy formation and cosmic reionization. Statistical studies have
revealed the general picture of LAEs' physical properties: young stellar
populations, remarkable luminosity function evolutions, compact morphologies,
highly ionized inter-stellar media (ISM) with low metal/dust contents, low
masses of dark-matter halos. Typical LAEs represent low-mass high- galaxies,
high- analogs of dwarf galaxies, some of which are thought to be candidates
of population III galaxies. These observational studies have also pinpointed
rare bright Ly sources extended over kpc, dubbed
Ly blobs, whose physical origins are under debate. LAEs are used as
probes of cosmic reionization history through the Ly damping wing
absorption given by the neutral hydrogen of the inter-galactic medium (IGM),
which complement the cosmic microwave background radiation and 21cm
observations. The low-mass and highly-ionized population of LAEs can be major
sources of cosmic reionization. The budget of ionizing photons for cosmic
reionization has been constrained, although there remain large observational
uncertainties in the parameters. Beyond galaxy formation and cosmic
reionization, several new usages of LAEs for science frontiers have been
suggested such as the distribution of {\sc Hi} gas in the circum-galactic
medium and filaments of large-scale structures. On-going programs and future
telescope projects, such as JWST, ELTs, and SKA, will push the horizons of the
science frontiers.Comment: Lecture notes for `Lyman-alpha as an Astrophysical and Cosmological
Tool', Saas-Fee Advanced Course 46. Verhamme, A., North, P., Cantalupo, S., &
Atek, H. (eds.) --- 147 pages, 103 figures. Abstract abridged. Link to the
lecture program including the video recording and ppt files :
https://obswww.unige.ch/Courses/saas-fee-2016/program.cg
Integration of P2Y receptor-activated signal transduction pathways in G protein-dependent signalling networks
The role of nucleotides in intracellular energy provision and nucleic acid synthesis has been known for a long time. In the past decade, evidence has been presented that, in addition to these functions, nucleotides are also autocrine and paracrine messenger molecules that initiate and regulate a large number of biological processes. The actions of extracellular nucleotides are mediated by ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y receptors, while hydrolysis by ecto-enzymes modulates the initial signal. An increasing number of studies have been performed to obtain information on the signal transduction pathways activated by nucleotide receptors. The development of specific and stable purinergic receptor agonists and antagonists with therapeutical potential largely contributed to the identification of receptors responsible for nucleotide-activated pathways. This article reviews the signal transduction pathways activated by P2Y receptors, the involved second messenger systems, GTPases and protein kinases, as well as recent findings concerning P2Y receptor signalling in C6 glioma cells. Besides vertical signal transduction, lateral cross-talks with pathways activated by other G protein-coupled receptors and growth factor receptors are discussed
Worldwide comparison of survival from childhood leukaemia for 1995â2009, by subtype, age, and sex (CONCORD-2): a population-based study of individual data for 89â828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries
Background Global inequalities in access to health care are reflected in differences in cancer survival. The CONCORD programme was designed to assess worldwide differences and trends in population-based cancer survival. In this population-based study, we aimed to estimate survival inequalities globally for several subtypes of childhood leukaemia.
Methods Cancer registries participating in CONCORD were asked to submit tumour registrations for all children aged 0-14 years who were diagnosed with leukaemia between Jan 1, 1995, and Dec 31, 2009, and followed up until Dec 31, 2009. Haematological malignancies were defined by morphology codes in the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, third revision. We excluded data from registries from which the data were judged to be less reliable, or included only lymphomas, and data from countries in which data for fewer than ten children were available for analysis. We also excluded records because of a missing date of birth, diagnosis, or last known vital status. We estimated 5-year net survival (ie, the probability of surviving at least 5 years after diagnosis, after controlling for deaths from other causes [background mortality]) for children by calendar period of diagnosis (1995-99, 2000-04, and 2005-09), sex, and age at diagnosis (< 1, 1-4, 5-9, and 10-14 years, inclusive) using appropriate life tables. We estimated age-standardised net survival for international comparison of survival trends for precursor-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Findings We analysed data from 89 828 children from 198 registries in 53 countries. During 1995-99, 5-year agestandardised net survival for all lymphoid leukaemias combined ranged from 10.6% (95% CI 3.1-18.2) in the Chinese registries to 86.8% (81.6-92.0) in Austria. International differences in 5-year survival for childhood leukaemia were still large as recently as 2005-09, when age-standardised survival for lymphoid leukaemias ranged from 52.4% (95% CI 42.8-61.9) in Cali, Colombia, to 91.6% (89.5-93.6) in the German registries, and for AML ranged from 33.3% (18.9-47.7) in Bulgaria to 78.2% (72.0-84.3) in German registries. Survival from precursor-cell ALL was very close to that of all lymphoid leukaemias combined, with similar variation. In most countries, survival from AML improved more than survival from ALL between 2000-04 and 2005-09. Survival for each type of leukaemia varied markedly with age: survival was highest for children aged 1-4 and 5-9 years, and lowest for infants (younger than 1 year). There was no systematic difference in survival between boys and girls.
Interpretation Global inequalities in survival from childhood leukaemia have narrowed with time but remain very wide for both ALL and AML. These results provide useful information for health policy makers on the effectiveness of health-care systems and for cancer policy makers to reduce inequalities in childhood survival
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