Investigating the Effects of Finite Resolution on Observed Transverse Jet Profiles

Both the emission properties and evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) radio jets are dependent on the magnetic fields that thread them. Faraday Rotation gradients are a very important way of investigating these magnetic fields, and can provide information on the orientation and structure of the magnetic field in the immediate vicinity of the jet; for example, a toroidal or helical field component should give rise to a systematic gradient in the observed Faraday rotation across the jet, as well as characteristic intensity and polarization profiles. However, real observed radio images have finite resolution, usually expressed via convolution with a Gaussian beam whose size corresponds to the central lobe of the point source response function. This will tend to blur transverse structure in the jet profile, raising the question of how well resolved a jet must be in the transverse direction in order to reliably detect transverse structure associated with a helical jet magnetic field. We present results of simulated intensity, polarization and Faraday rotation images designed to directly and empirically investigate the effect of finite resolution on observed transverse jet structures

Observational Properties of Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei

Parsec scale jet properties are shortly presented and discussed. Observational data are used to derive constraints on the jet velocity and orientation, the presence of velocity structures, and the connection between the pc and kpc scale. Two peculiar sources with limb-brightened jets: 1144+35 and Mkn 501 are discussed in detail.Comment: 13 pages with 7 figures. To appear in "Virtual Astrophysical Jets" APSS, Kluwer Academic Publisher - Massaglia, Bodo, Rossi eds - in pres

A magnetically collimated jet from an evolved star

Planetary nebulae often have asymmetric shapes, which could arise due to collimated jets from evolved stars before evolution to the planetary nebula phase. The source of jet collimation in these stars is unknown. Magnetic fields are thought to collimate outflows that are observed in many other astrophysical sources, such as active galactic nuclei and proto-stars, although hitherto there are no direct observations of both the magnetic field direction and strength in any collimated jet. Theoretical models have shown that magnetic fields could also be the dominant source of collimation of jet in evolved stars. Here we report measurements of the polarization of water vapour masers that trace the precessing jet emanating from the asymptotic giant branch star W43A at 2.6 kpc from the Sun, which is undergoing rapid evolution into a planetary nebula. The masers occur in two clusters at opposing tips of the jets, ~1,000 AU from the star. We find direct evidence that the magnetic field is collimating the jet.Comment: Published in Nature 440 (March 2nd 2006). High-res figures can be found at http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~wouter/papers/w43a/w43a.htm

Soluble CD4 and CD4-Mimetic Compounds Inhibit HIV-1 Infection by Induction of a Short-Lived Activated State

Binding to the CD4 receptor induces conformational changes in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein. These changes allow gp120 to bind the coreceptor, either CCR5 or CXCR4, and prime the gp41 transmembrane envelope glycoprotein to mediate virus–cell membrane fusion and virus entry. Soluble forms of CD4 (sCD4) and small-molecule CD4 mimics (here exemplified by JRC-II-191) also induce these conformational changes in the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins, but typically inhibit HIV-1 entry into CD4-expressing cells. To investigate the mechanism of inhibition, we monitored at high temporal resolution inhibitor-induced changes in the conformation and functional competence of the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins that immediately follow engagement of the soluble CD4 mimics. Both sCD4 and JRC-II-191 efficiently activated the envelope glycoproteins to mediate infection of cells lacking CD4, in a manner dependent on coreceptor affinity and density. This activated state, however, was transient and was followed by spontaneous and apparently irreversible changes of conformation and by loss of functional competence. The longevity of the activated intermediate depended on temperature and the particular HIV-1 strain, but was indistinguishable for sCD4 and JRC-II-191; by contrast, the activated intermediate induced by cell-surface CD4 was relatively long-lived. The inactivating effects of these activation-based inhibitors predominantly affected cell-free virus, whereas virus that was prebound to the target cell surface was mainly activated, infecting the cells even at high concentrations of the CD4 analogue. These results demonstrate the ability of soluble CD4 mimics to inactivate HIV-1 by prematurely triggering active but transient intermediate states of the envelope glycoproteins. This novel strategy for inhibition may be generally applicable to high–potential-energy viral entry machines that are normally activated by receptor binding

HIV-1 gp41 and TCRα Trans-Membrane Domains Share a Motif Exploited by the HIV Virus to Modulate T-Cell Proliferation

Viruses have evolved several strategies to modify cellular processes and evade the immune response in order to successfully infect, replicate, and persist in the host. By utilizing in-silico testing of a transmembrane sequence library derived from virus protein sequences, we have pin-pointed a nine amino-acid motif shared by a group of different viruses; this motif resembles the transmembrane domain of the α-subunit of the T-cell receptor (TCRα). The most striking similarity was found within the immunodeficiency virus (SIV and HIV) glycoprotein 41 TMD (gp41 TMD). Previous studies have shown that stable interactions between TCRα and CD3 are localized to this nine amino acid motif within TCRα, and a peptide derived from it (TCRα TMD, GLRILLLKV) interfered and intervened in the TCR function when added exogenously. We now report that the gp41 TMD peptide co-localizes with CD3 within the TCR complex and inhibits T cell proliferation in vitro. However, the inhibitory mechanism of gp41 TMD differs from that of the TCRα TMD and also from the other two known immunosuppressive regions within gp41

Microbial Translocation Is Associated with Increased Monocyte Activation and Dementia in AIDS Patients

Elevated plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an indicator of microbial translocation from the gut, is a likely cause of systemic immune activation in chronic HIV infection. LPS induces monocyte activation and trafficking into brain, which are key mechanisms in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated dementia (HAD). To determine whether high LPS levels are associated with increased monocyte activation and HAD, we obtained peripheral blood samples from AIDS patients and examined plasma LPS by Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay, peripheral blood monocytes by FACS, and soluble markers of monocyte activation by ELISA. Purified monocytes were isolated by FACS sorting, and HIV DNA and RNA levels were quantified by real time PCR. Circulating monocytes expressed high levels of the activation markers CD69 and HLA-DR, and harbored low levels of HIV compared to CD4+ T-cells. High plasma LPS levels were associated with increased plasma sCD14 and LPS-binding protein (LBP) levels, and low endotoxin core antibody levels. LPS levels were higher in HAD patients compared to control groups, and were associated with HAD independently of plasma viral load and CD4 counts. LPS levels were higher in AIDS patients using intravenous heroin and/or ethanol, or with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection, compared to control groups. These results suggest a role for elevated LPS levels in driving monocyte activation in AIDS, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of HAD, and provide evidence that cofactors linked to substance abuse and HCV co-infection influence these processes

Evidence for helical B-fields in the jets of BL Lac objects

The parsec-scale radio jets of BL Lacertae objects imaged with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) show a number of distinctive features. The most striking of these is the dominance of transverse magnetic fields on the wide range of scales probed by VLBI observations at frequencies from 43 to 5 GHz. Some compact VLBI components with transverse fields axe undoubtedly relativistic shocks, in which the transverse field has been enhanced by compression. However, there is considerable evidence that we axe also detecting the toroidal component of an underlying helical magnetic field associated with the VLBI jet

Evidence for interaction with a surrounding medium in several BL lacertae objects.

In February 1997, we obtained multi-frequency polarization VLBA observations of 23 sources from a complete sample of northern BL Lac objects. Total intensity and linear polarization images of two sources (0745+241 and 0820+225) showing evidence for the presence of sheaths of longitudinal magnetic field surrounding their jets are presented. These results suggest that appreciable amounts of thermal plasma are often present on parsec scales, and that the jet magnetic field can be influenced by interaction with this surrounding medium