Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy

We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude, with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Biomarkers of Multiple Sclerosis

The search for an ideal multiple sclerosis biomarker with good diagnostic value, prognostic reference and an impact on clinical outcome has yet to be realized and is still ongoing. The aim of this review is to establish an overview of the frequent biomarkers for multiple sclerosis that exist to date. The review summarizes the results obtained from electronic databases, as well as thorough manual searches. In this review the sources and methods of biomarkers extraction are described; in addition to the description of each biomarker, determination of the prognostic, diagnostic, disease monitoring and treatment response values besides clinical impact they might possess. We divided the biomarkers into three categories according to the achievement method: laboratory markers, genetic-immunogenetic markers and imaging markers. We have found two biomarkers at the time being considered the gold standard for MS diagnostics. Unfortunately, there does not exist a single solitary marker being able to present reliable diagnostic value, prognostic value, high sensitivity and specificity as well as clinical impact. We need more studies to find the best biomarker for MS.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Volume I. Introduction to DUNE

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. This TDR is intended to justify the technical choices for the far detector that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. Volume I contains an executive summary that introduces the DUNE science program, the far detector and the strategy for its modular designs, and the organization and management of the Project. The remainder of Volume I provides more detail on the science program that drives the choice of detector technologies and on the technologies themselves. It also introduces the designs for the DUNE near detector and the DUNE computing model, for which DUNE is planning design reports. Volume II of this TDR describes DUNE\u27s physics program in detail. Volume III describes the technical coordination required for the far detector design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure. Volume IV describes the single-phase far detector technology. A planned Volume V will describe the dual-phase technology

A MODEST review

We present an account of the state of the art in the fields explored by the research community invested in 'Modeling and Observing DEnse STellar systems'. For this purpose, we take as a basis the activities of the MODEST-17 conference, which was held at Charles University, Prague, in September 2017. Reviewed topics include recent advances in fundamental stellar dynamics, numerical methods for the solution of the gravitational N-body problem, formation and evolution of young and old star clusters and galactic nuclei, their elusive stellar populations, planetary systems, and exotic compact objects, with timely attention to black holes of different classes of mass and their role as sources of gravitational waves. Such a breadth of topics reflects the growing role played by collisional stellar dynamics in numerous areas of modern astrophysics. Indeed, in the next decade, many revolutionary instruments will enable the derivation of positions and velocities of individual stars in the Milky Way and its satellites and will detect signals from a range of astrophysical sources in different portions of the electromagnetic and gravitational spectrum, with an unprecedented sensitivity. On the one hand, this wealth of data will allow us to address a number of long-standing open questions in star cluster studies; on the other hand, many unexpected properties of these systems will come to light, stimulating further progress of our understanding of their formation and evolution.Comment: 42 pages; accepted for publication in 'Computational Astrophysics and Cosmology'. We are much grateful to the organisers of the MODEST-17 conference (Charles University, Prague, September 2017). We acknowledge the input provided by all MODEST-17 participants, and, more generally, by the members of the MODEST communit

Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU

The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), far detector technical design report, volume III: DUNE far detector technical coordination

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. Volume III of this TDR describes how the activities required to design, construct, fabricate, install, and commission the DUNE far detector modules are organized and managed. This volume details the organizational structures that will carry out and/or oversee the planned far detector activities safely, successfully, on time, and on budget. It presents overviews of the facilities, supporting infrastructure, and detectors for context, and it outlines the project-related functions and methodologies used by the DUNE technical coordination organization, focusing on the areas of integration engineering, technical reviews, quality assurance and control, and safety oversight. Because of its more advanced stage of development, functional examples presented in this volume focus primarily on the single-phase (SP) detector module

Chronic Telogen Effluvium And Female Pattern Hair Loss Are Separate And Distinct Forms Of Alopecia: A Histomorphometric And Immunohistochemical Analysis

Background Chronic telogen effluvium (CTE), a poorly understood condition, can be confused with or may be a prodrome to female pattern hair loss (FPHL). The pathogenesis of both is related to follicle cycle shortening and possibly to blood supply changes. Aim To analyze a number of histomorphometric and immunohistochemical findings through vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Ki-67, and CD31 immunostaining in scalp biopsies of 20 patients with CTE, 17 patients with mild FPHL and 9 controls. Methods Ki-67 index and VEGF optical density were analyzed at the follicular outer sheath using ImageJ software. CD31 microvessel density was assessed by a Chalkley grid. Results Significant follicle miniaturization and higher density of nonanagen follicles were found in FPHL, compared with patients with CTE and controls. Ki-67+ index correlated positively with FPHL histological features. The FPHL group showed the highest VEGF optical density, followed by the CTE and control groups. No differences were found in CD31 microvessel density between the three groups. Conclusions Histomorphometric results establish CTE as a distinct disorder, separate from FPHL from its outset. Its pathogenic mechanisms are also distinct. These findings support the proposed mechanism of 'immediate telogen release' for CTE, leading to cycle synchronization. For FPHL, accelerated anagen follicular mitotic rates and, thus, higher Ki-67 and VEGF values, would leave less time for differentiation, resulting in hair miniaturization.398868873Whiting, D.A., Chronic telogen effluvium: Increased scalp hair shedding in middle-aged women (1996) J Am Acad Dermatol, 35, pp. 899-906Whiting, D.A., Chronic telogen effluvium (1996) Dermatol Clin, 14, pp. 723-731Gilmore, S., Sinclair, R., Chronic telogen effluvium is due to a reduction in the variance of anagen duration (2010) Australas J Dermatol, 51, pp. 163-167Rand, S., Chronic telogen effluvium: Potential complication for clinical trials in female andronegetic alopecia? (1997) J Am Acad Dermatol, 37, p. 1021Goldman, C.K., Tsai, J.C., Soroceanu, L., Gillespie, Y., Loss of vascular endothelial growth factor in human alopecia hair follicles (1995) J Invest Dermatol, 104, pp. 18-20SMecklenburg, L., Tobin, D.J., Muller-Rover, S., Active hair growth (anagen) is associated with angiogenesis (2000) J Invest Dermatol, 114, pp. 909-916Elston, D.M., Ferringer, T., Dalton, S., A comparison of vertical versus transverse sections in the evaluation of alopecia biopsy specimens (2005) J Am Acad Dermatol, 53, pp. 267-272Sinclair, R., Jolley, D., Mallari, R., Magee, J., The reliability of horizontally sectioned scalp biopsies in the diagnosis of chronic diffuse telogen hair loss in women (2004) J Am Acad Dermatol, 51, pp. 189-199Sanchez-Elsner, T., Botella, L.M., Velasco, B., Endoglin expression is regulated by transcrptional cooperation between the hypoxia and transformin growth factor- beta pathways (2002) J Biol Chem, 277, pp. 43799-43808Vermeulen, P.B., Gasparini, G., Fox, S.B., Quantification of angiogenesis in solid human tumours: An international consensus on the methodology and criteria of evaluation (1996) Eur J Cancer, 32 A, pp. 2474-2484Rosner, B.A., (1995) Fundamentals of Biostatistics, p. 426. , 4th edn. Belmont: Duxbury PressBirch, M.P., Lalla, S.C., Messenger, A.G., Female pattern hair loss (2002) Clin Exp Dermatol, 27, pp. 383-388Sinclair, R.D., Dawber, R.P., Androgenetic alopecia in men and women (2001) Clin Dermatol, 19, pp. 167-178Trueb, R.M., Diffuse hair loss (2008) Hair Growth and Disorders, pp. 264-265. , (Blume-Peytavi U. Tosti A. Whiting D.A. Trueb R.M. eds). Berlin: Springer-VerlagHeadington, J.T., Telogen effluvium. New concepts and review (1993) Arch Dermatol, 12, pp. 356-363Piérard-Franchimont, C., Piérard, G.E., Teloptosis, a turning point in hair shedding biorhythms (2001) Dermatology, 203, pp. 115-117Olsen, E.A., Female pattern hair loss and its relationship to permanent/cicatricial alopecia: A new perspective (2005) J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc, 10, pp. 217-221Messenger, A.G., Sinclair, R., Follicular miniaturization in female pattern hair loss: Clinicopathological correlations (2006) Br J Dermatol, 155, pp. 926-930Rebora, A., Guarrera, M., Teloptosis and kenogen: Two new concepts in human trichology (2004) Arch Dermatol, 140, pp. 619-620Stenn, K.S., Fernandez, L.A., Tirrell, S.L., The angiogenic properties of the rat vibrissa hair follicle associate with the bulb (1988) J Invest Dermatol, 90, p. 40