LoCuSS: The Near-Infrared Luminosity and Weak-Lensing Mass Scaling Relation of Galaxy Clusters

We present the first scaling relation between weak-lensing galaxy cluster mass, $M_{WL}$, and near-infrared luminosity, $L_K$. Our results are based on 17 clusters observed with wide-field instruments on Subaru, the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, the Mayall Telescope, and the MMT. We concentrate on the relation between projected 2D weak-lensing mass and spectroscopically confirmed luminosity within 1Mpc, modelled as $M_{WL} \propto L_{K}^b$, obtaining a power law slope of $b=0.83^{+0.27}_{-0.24}$ and an intrinsic scatter of $\sigma_{lnM_{WL}|L_{K}}=10^{+8}_{-5}\%$. Intrinsic scatter of ~10% is a consistent feature of our results regardless of how we modify our approach to measuring the relationship between mass and light. For example, deprojecting the mass and measuring both quantities within $r_{500}$, that is itself obtained from the lensing analysis, yields $\sigma_{lnM_{WL}|L_{K}}=10^{+7}_{-5}\%$ and $b=0.97^{+0.17}_{-0.17}$. We also find that selecting members based on their (J-K) colours instead of spectroscopic redshifts neither increases the scatter nor modifies the slope. Overall our results indicate that near-infrared luminosity measured on scales comparable with $r_{500}$ (typically 1Mpc for our sample) is a low scatter and relatively inexpensive proxy for weak-lensing mass. Near-infrared luminosity may therefore be a useful mass proxy for cluster cosmology experiments.Comment: 9 Pages, 5 Figures, 3 Tables. Submitted to MNRA

Evaluación mediante teledetección del efecto de canalizaciones sobre el humedal del Saladillo, Argentina

Los humedales son ecosistemas naturales cuya dinámica está determinada principalmente por la presencia de agua. Generalmente se los identifica como áreas que se inundan temporariamente donde el agua subterránea aflora en la superficie, o con áreas con suelos de baja permeabilidad que permanecen cubiertos por agua poco profunda. El agua, por lo tanto, juega un rol fundamental en la determinación de su estructura y funciones ecológicas. Los datos provistos por imágenes satelitales son una herramienta apropiada para analizar humedales y los cambios ocurridos en ellos a lo largo del tiempo. Los Bañados del Saladillo son un complejo de humedales en el centro de Argentina, de gran importancia para la preservación de aves acuáticas. Estos bañados han sufrido profundos cambios por el avance de la agricultura y las canalizaciones realizadas para mitigar el efecto de inundaciones en el sudeste de la provincia de Córdoba de este país. El objetivo del trabajo fue conocer la condición histórica y presente de los Bañados del Saladillo, y analizar los efectos de las canalizaciones sobre los mismos. Se estudiaron 6 imágenes satelitales que se clasificaron con ENVI 4.8 (ITT, 2010), representando la estación seca y húmeda en tres períodos: previo a las canalizaciones (1996); posterior a las canalizaciones (2004-2006); período reciente (2010-2011). Éstas fueron seleccionadas de acuerdo a las precipitaciones acumuladas en 6 meses previos para que fueran comparables. El área de lagunas se redujo entre un 70% (estación húmeda) y un 33% (estación seca). Los mayores cambios observados en la estación húmeda se reflejaron también en la reducción del número de lagunas (40%), la variabilidad de su tamaño (66%), el perímetro de las mismas (28%) y el incremento de la distancia entre ellas. Más allá de la mitigación de las inundaciones, las canalizaciones favorecieron el avance de la agricultura sobre áreas históricamente inundadas en la estación lluviosa, poniendo en riesgo la persistencia de este importante humedal del sudeste de Córdoba en el centro de Argentina. Los resultados obtenidos representan una herramienta útil al momento de tomar decisiones para el manejo y conservación de estos relictos de hábitat natural y su biodiversidad.Wetlands are natural ecosystems whose dynamics is mainly determined by the presence of water. They are generally identified as temporarily flooded areas where groundwater emerges at the surface, or areas with low permeability soils that remain covered by shallow water. The water, therefore, plays a key role in determining the structure and ecological functions of wetlands. Data provided by satellite images are an appropriate tool for analyzing wetlands and their changes over time. The Saladillo Wetlands are a complex of marshlands in the centre of Argentina, of great importance to the preservation of birds. These marshes have suffered profound changes caused by the advancement of agriculture and channels made to mitigate the effects of flooding in the southeast of the province of Cordoba in this country. The objective of our work was to know the historical and present condition of the Saladillo Wetlands, and to analyze the effects of the channelization on them. We studied six satellite images classified with ENVI 4.8. These images represented the dry and the wet season into three periods: prior to the channelization (1996), after the channelization (2004-2006); and recent period (2010- 2011). They were selected according to the accumulated rainfall during the previous 6 months to make them comparable. The pond area was reduced by 70% (wet season) and 33% (dry season). The major changes observed in the wet season also reflected in the reduction in the number of ponds (40%), the variability of their size (66%), the perimeter of flooded areas (28%) and an increasing the distance between ponds. Beyond the flood mitigation, the channelization favoured the advancement of agriculture on areas historically flooded in the rainy season, threatening the persistence of this important wetland of the southeast of Cordoba in central Argentina. Our results represent a useful tool for the management and conservation of these remnants of natural habitat and biodiversity.Fil: Lopez, C.. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Brandolin, Pablo Germán. Asociación Civil Amigos para la Conservación de las Aves, Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Campanella, O. R.. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geologia; ArgentinaFil: Martino, A. L.. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: de Angelo, Carlos Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Instituto de Biologia Subtropical - Sede Puerto Iguazu; Argentin

Variation in thromboembolic complications among patients undergoing commonly performed cancer operations

ObjectiveThere is widespread evidence that cancer confers an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). This risk is thought to vary among different cancer types. The purpose of this study is to better define the incidence of thrombotic complications among patients undergoing surgical treatment for a spectrum of prevalent cancer diagnoses in contemporary practice.MethodsAll patients undergoing one of 11 cancer surgical operations (breast resection, hysterectomy, prostatectomy, colectomy, gastrectomy, lung resection, hepatectomy, pancreatectomy, cystectomy, esophagectomy, and nephrectomy) were identified by Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2007-2009). The study endpoints were DVT, pulmonary embolism (PE), and overall postoperative venous thromboembolic events (VTE) within 1 month of the index procedure. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to calculate adjusted odds ratios for each endpoint.ResultsOver the study interval, 43,808 of the selected cancer operations were performed. The incidence of DVT, PE, and total VTE within 1 month following surgery varied widely across a spectrum of cancer diagnoses, ranging from 0.19%, 0.12%, and 0.28% for breast resection to 6.1%, 2.4%, and 7.3%, respectively, for esophagectomy. Compared with breast cancer, the incidence of VTE ranged from a 1.31-fold increase in VTE associated with gastrectomy (95% confidence interval, 0.73-2.37; P = .4) to a 2.68-fold increase associated with hysterectomy (95% confidence interval, 1.43-5.01; P = .002). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that inpatient status, steroid use, advanced age (≥60 years), morbid obesity (body mass index ≥35), blood transfusion, reintubation, cardiac arrest, postoperative infectious complications, and prolonged hospitalization were independently associated with increased risk of VTE.ConclusionsThe incidence of VTE and thromboembolic complications associated with cancer surgery varies substantially. These findings suggest that both tumor type and resection magnitude may impact VTE risk. Accordingly, such data support diagnosis and procedural-specific guidelines for perioperative VTE prophylaxis and can be used to anticipate the risk of potentially preventable morbidity

NADPH oxidase and mitochondria are relevant sources of superoxide anion in the oxinflammatory response of macrophages exposed to airborne particulate matter

Exposure to ambient air particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. In this context, alveolar macrophages exhibit proinflammatory and oxidative responses as a result of the clearance of particles, thus contributing to lung injury. However, the mechanisms linking these pathways are not completely clarified. Therefore, the oxinflammation phenomenon was studied in RAW 264.7 macrophages exposed to Residual Oil Fly Ash (ROFA), a PM surrogate rich in transition metals. While cell viability was not compromised under the experimental conditions, a proinflammatory phenotype was observed in cells incubated with ROFA 100 μg/mL, characterized by increased levels of TNF-α and NO production, together with PM uptake. This inflammatory response seems to precede alterations in redox metabolism, characterized by augmented levels of H2O2, diminished GSH/GSSG ratio, and increased SOD activity. This scenario resulted in increased oxidative damage to phospholipids. Moreover, alterations in mitochondrial respiration were observed following ROFA incubation, such as diminished coupling efficiency and spare respiratory capacity, together with augmented proton leak. These findings were accompanied by a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. Finally, NADPH oxidase (NOX) and mitochondria were identified as the main sources of superoxide anion ([Formula presented]) in our model. These results indicate that PM exposure induces direct activation of macrophages, leading to inflammation and increased reactive oxygen species production through NOX and mitochondria, which impairs antioxidant defense and may cause mitochondrial dysfunction

LoCuSS: The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect and Weak Lensing Mass Scaling Relation

We present the first weak-lensing-based scaling relation between galaxy cluster mass, M_wl, and integrated Compton parameter Y_sph. Observations of 18 galaxy clusters at z~0.2 were obtained with the Subaru 8.2-m telescope and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array. The M_wl-Y_sph scaling relations, measured at Delta=500, 1000, and 2500 rho_c, are consistent in slope and normalization with previous results derived under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium (HSE). We find an intrinsic scatter in M_wl at fixed Y_sph of 20%, larger than both previous measurements of M_HSE-Y_sph scatter as well as the scatter in true mass at fixed Y_sph found in simulations. Moreover, the scatter in our lensing-based scaling relations is morphology dependent, with 30-40% larger M_wl for undisturbed compared to disturbed clusters at the same Y_sph at r_500. Further examination suggests that the segregation may be explained by the inability of our spherical lens models to faithfully describe the three-dimensional structure of the clusters, in particular, the structure along the line-of-sight. We find that the ellipticity of the brightest cluster galaxy, a proxy for halo orientation, correlates well with the offset in mass from the mean scaling relation, which supports this picture. This provides empirical evidence that line-of-sight projection effects are an important systematic uncertainty in lensing-based scaling relations.Comment: Accepted versio

The role of PKCzeta in cord blood T-cell maturation towards Th1 cytokine profile and its epigenetic regulation by fish oil

While immunodeficiency of immaturity of the neonate has been considered important as the basis for unusual susceptibility to infection, it has also been recognized that the ability to progress from an immature Th2 cytokine predominance to a Th1 profile has relevance in determining whether children will develop allergy, providing an opportunity for epigenetic regulation through environmental pressures. However, this notion remains relatively unexplored. Here, we present evidence that there are two major control points to explain the immunodeficiency in cord blood (CB) T-cells, a deficiency in interleukin (IL)-12 (IL-12) producing and IL-10 overproducing accessory cells, leading to a decreased interferon γ (IFNγ) synthesis and the other, an intrinsic defect in T-cell protein kinase C (PKC) ζ (PKCζ) expression. An important finding was that human CB T-cells rendered deficient in PKCζ, by shRNA knockdown, develop into low tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) and IFNγ but increased IL-13 producing cells. Interestingly, we found that the increase in PKCζ levels in CB T-cells caused by prenatal supplementation with fish oil correlated with modifications of histone acetylation at the PKCζ gene (PRKCZ) promoter. The data demonstrate that PKCζ expression regulates the maturation of neonatal T-cells into specific functional phenotypes and that environmental influences may work via PKCζ to regulate these phenotypes and disease susceptibility.Hani Harb, James Irvine, Manori Amarasekera, Charles S. Hii, Dörthe A. Kesper, YueFang Ma, Nina D′Vaz, Harald Renz, Daniel P. Potaczek, Susan L. Prescott and Antonio Ferrant

Mimicking damaged DNA with a small molecule inhibitor of human UNG2

Human nuclear uracil DNA glycosylase (UNG2) is a cellular DNA repair enzyme that is essential for a number of diverse biological phenomena ranging from antibody diversification to B-cell lymphomas and type-1 human immunodeficiency virus infectivity. During each of these processes, UNG2 recognizes uracilated DNA and excises the uracil base by flipping it into the enzyme active site. We have taken advantage of the extrahelical uracil recognition mechanism to build large small-molecule libraries in which uracil is tethered via flexible alkane linkers to a collection of secondary binding elements. This high-throughput synthesis and screening approach produced two novel uracil-tethered inhibitors of UNG2, the best of which was crystallized with the enzyme. Remarkably, this inhibitor mimics the crucial hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions previously observed in UNG2 complexes with damaged uracilated DNA. Thus, the environment of the binding site selects for library ligands that share these DNA features. This is a general approach to rapid discovery of inhibitors of enzymes that recognize extrahelical damaged bases