The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: CO(J = 3 - 2) mapping and lens modeling of an ACT-selected dusty star-forming galaxy

We report Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) CO($J = 3 - 2$) observations of the dusty star-forming galaxy ACT-S\,J020941+001557 at $z = 2.5528$, which was detected as an unresolved source in the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) equatorial survey. Our spatially resolved spectral line data support the derivation of a gravitational lens model from 37 independent velocity channel maps using a pixel-based algorithm, from which we infer a velocity-dependent magnification factor $\mu \approx 7-22$ with a luminosity-weighted mean \left\approx 13. The resulting source-plane reconstruction is consistent with a rotating disk, although other scenarios cannot be ruled out by our data. After correction for lensing, we derive a line luminosity $L^{\prime}_{\rm CO(3-2)}= (5.53\pm 0.69) \times 10^{10}\,{\rm \,K\,km\,s^{-1}\,pc^{2}}$, a cold gas mass $M_{{\rm gas}}= (3.86 \pm 0.33) \times 10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$, a dynamical mass $M_{\rm dyn}\,{\rm sin}^2\,i = 3.9^{+1.8}_{-1.5} \times 10^{10}\,M_{\odot}$, and a gas mass fraction $f_{\rm gas}\,{\rm csc}^2\,i = 1.0^{+0.8}_{-0.4}$. The line brightness temperature ratio of $r_{3,1}\approx 1.6$ relative to a Green Bank Telescope CO($J=1-0$) detection may be elevated by a combination of external heating of molecular clouds, differential lensing, and/or pointing errors.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted to Ap

Phage-Mediated Acquisition of a Type III Secreted Effector Protein Boosts Growth of Salmonella by Nitrate Respiration

Information on how emerging pathogens can invade and persist and spread within host populations remains sparse. In the 1980s, a multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium clone lysogenized by a bacteriophage carrying the sopE virulence gene caused an epidemic among cattle and humans in Europe. Here we show that phage-mediated horizontal transfer of the sopE gene enhances the production of host-derived nitrate, an energetically highly valuable electron acceptor, in a mouse colitis model. In turn, nitrate fuels a bloom of S. Typhimurium in the gut lumen through anaerobic nitrate respiration while suppressing genes for the utilization of energetically inferior electron acceptors such as tetrathionate. Through this mechanism, horizontal transfer of sopE can enhance the fitness of S. Typhimurium, resulting in its significantly increased abundance in the feces

Physical Characterization of 2015 JD(1) : A Possibly Inhomogeneous Near-Earth Asteroid

The surfaces of airless bodies such as asteroids are exposed to many phenomena that can alter their physical properties. Bennu, the target of the OSIRIS-REx mission, has demonstrated how complex the surface of a small body can be. In 2019 November, the potentially hazardous asteroid 2015 JD(1) experienced a close approach of 0.033 1 au from the Earth. We present results of the physical characterization of 2015 JD(1) based on ground-based radar, spectroscopy, and photometric observations acquired during 2019 November. Radar polarimetry measurements from the Arecibo Observatory indicate a morphologically complex surface. The delay-Doppler images reveal a contact binary asteroid with an estimated visible extent of similar to 150 m. Our observations suggest that 2015 JD(1) is an E-type asteroid with a surface composition similar to aubrites, a class of differentiated enstatite meteorites. The dynamical properties of 2015 JD(1) suggest that it came from the nu (6) resonance with Jupiter, and spectral comparison with major E-type bodies suggests that it may have been derived from a parental body similar to the progenitor of the E-type (64) Angelina. Significantly, we find rotational spectral variation across the surface of 2015 JD(1) from the red to blue spectral slope. Our compositional analysis suggests that the spectral slope variation could be due to the lack of iron and sulfides in one area of the surface of 2015 JD(1) and/or differences in grain sizes.Peer reviewe

Physical Characterization of 2015 JD(1) : A Possibly Inhomogeneous Near-Earth Asteroid

The surfaces of airless bodies such as asteroids are exposed to many phenomena that can alter their physical properties. Bennu, the target of the OSIRIS-REx mission, has demonstrated how complex the surface of a small body can be. In 2019 November, the potentially hazardous asteroid 2015 JD(1) experienced a close approach of 0.033 1 au from the Earth. We present results of the physical characterization of 2015 JD(1) based on ground-based radar, spectroscopy, and photometric observations acquired during 2019 November. Radar polarimetry measurements from the Arecibo Observatory indicate a morphologically complex surface. The delay-Doppler images reveal a contact binary asteroid with an estimated visible extent of similar to 150 m. Our observations suggest that 2015 JD(1) is an E-type asteroid with a surface composition similar to aubrites, a class of differentiated enstatite meteorites. The dynamical properties of 2015 JD(1) suggest that it came from the nu (6) resonance with Jupiter, and spectral comparison with major E-type bodies suggests that it may have been derived from a parental body similar to the progenitor of the E-type (64) Angelina. Significantly, we find rotational spectral variation across the surface of 2015 JD(1) from the red to blue spectral slope. Our compositional analysis suggests that the spectral slope variation could be due to the lack of iron and sulfides in one area of the surface of 2015 JD(1) and/or differences in grain sizes.Peer reviewe

Feminist Pedagogy in the STEM Research Laboratory: an Intersectional Approach

The research laboratory is a crucial and indispensable classroom for STEM education. It is where we practice science as a craft and test the ideas that awaken our curiosity, allowing us to create knowledge. It is also a space where challenges await and struggles are imminent. Thus, supporting mentees through their traineeship in a research lab requires an intersectional approach and lens to provide equitable mentorship and guidance. The concept of intersectionality, initially devised by Black feminist professor Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, can be employed to generate practices and frameworks that democratize laboratory culture and provide trainees with a space in which they shape the laboratory culture while helping them recognize their positionality. This critical commentary provides insights and experiences when incorporating feminist frameworks to sustain equitable working environments in the research lab setting, specifically in leading a research group composed predominantly of Puerto Rican women

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela, 4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range. The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200