Herschel/PACS far-infrared photometry of two z>4 quasars

We present Herschel far-infrared (FIR) observations of two sub-mm bright quasars at high redshift: SDSS J1148+5251 (z=6.42) and BR 1202-0725 (z=4.69) obtained with the PACS instrument. Both objects are detected in the PACS photometric bands. The Herschel measurements provide additional data points that constrain the FIR spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of both sources, and they emphasise a broad range of dust temperatures in these objects. For lambda_rest ~< 20mu, the two SEDs are very similar to the average SEDs of quasars at low redshift. In the FIR, however, both quasars show excess emission compared to low-z QSO templates, most likely from cold dust powered by vigorous star formation in the QSO host galaxies. For SDSS J1148+5251 we detect another object at 160mu with a distance of ~10 arcseconds from the QSO. Although no physical connection between the quasar and this object can be shown with the available data, it could potentially confuse low-resolution measurements, thus resulting in an overestimate of the FIR luminosity of the z=6.42 quasar.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the A&A special issue on Hersche

The Herschel Exploitation of Local Galaxy Andromeda (HELGA). I: Global far-infrared and sub-mm morphology

We have obtained Herschel images at five wavelengths from 100 to 500 micron of a ~5.5x2.5 degree area centred on the local galaxy M31 (Andromeda), our nearest neighbour spiral galaxy, as part of the Herschel guaranteed time project "HELGA". The main goals of HELGA are to study the characteristics of the extended dust emission, focusing on larger scales than studied in previous observations of Andromeda at an increased spatial resolution, and the obscured star formation. In this paper we present data reduction and Herschel maps, and provide a description of the far-infrared morphology, comparing it with features seen at other wavelengths. We use high--resolution maps of the atomic hydrogen, fully covering our fields, to identify dust emission features that can be associated to M31 with confidence, distinguishing them from emission coming from the foreground Galactic cirrus. Thanks to the very large extension of our maps we detect, for the first time at far-infrared wavelengths, three arc-like structures extending out to ~21, ~26 and ~31 kpc respectively, in the south-western part of M31. The presence of these features, hosting ~2.2e6 Msol of dust, is safely confirmed by their detection in HI maps. Overall, we estimate a total dust mass of ~5.8e7 Msol, about 78% of which is contained in the two main ring-like structures at 10 and 15 kpc, at an average temperature of 16.5 K. We find that the gas-to-dust ratio declines exponentially as a function of the galacto-centric distance, in agreement with the known metallicity gradient, with values ranging from 66 in the nucleus to ~275 in the outermost region. [Abridged]Comment: 15 Pages, 9 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. A high resolution version of the paper can be found at http://wazn.ugent.be/jfritz/HelgaI_final.pd

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey: VI. The far-infrared view of M87

The origin of the far-infrared emission from the nearby radio galaxy M87 remains a matter of debate. Some studies find evidence of a far-infrared excess due to thermal dust emission, whereas others propose that the far-infrared emission can be explained by synchrotron emission without the need for an additional dust emission component. We present Herschel PACS and SPIRE observations of M87, taken as part of the science demonstration phase observations of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey. We compare these data with a synchrotron model based on mid-infrared, far-infrared, submm and radio data from the literature to investigate the origin of the far-infrared emission. Both the integrated SED and the Herschel surface brightness maps are adequately explained by synchrotron emission. At odds with previous claims, we find no evidence of a diffuse dust component in M87, which is not unexpected in the harsh X-ray environment of this radio galaxy sitting at the core of the Virgo Cluster.Comment: Letter accepted for publication in A&A (Herschel special issue

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey: VII. Dust in cluster dwarf elliptical galaxies

We use the Science Demonstration Phase data of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey to search for dust emission of early-type dwarf galaxies in the central regions of the Virgo Cluster as an alternative way of identifying the interstellar medium.We present the first possible far-infrared detection of cluster early-type dwarf galaxies: VCC781 and VCC951 are detected at the 10 sigma level in the SPIRE 250 micron image. Both detected galaxies have dust masses of the order of 10^5 Msun and average dust temperatures ~20K. The detection rate (less than 1%) is quite high compared to the 1.7% detection rate for Hi emission, considering that dwarfs in the central regions are more Hi deficient. We conclude that the removal of interstellar dust from dwarf galaxies resulting from ram pressure stripping, harassment, or tidal effects must be as efficient as the removal of interstellar gas.Comment: Letter accepted for publication in A&A (Herschel special issue

Functional properties of measles virus proteins derived from a subacute sclerosing panencephalitis patient who received repeated remdesivir treatments

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare but fatal late neurological complication of measles, caused by persistent measles virus (MeV) infection of the central nervous system. There are no drugs approved for the treatment of SSPE. Here, we followed the clinical progression of a 5-year-old SSPE patient after treatment with the nucleoside analog remdesivir, conducted a post-mortem evaluation of the patient’s brain, and characterized the MeV detected in the brain. The quality of life of the patient transiently improved after the first two courses of remdesivir, but a third course had no further clinical effect, and the patient eventually succumbed to his condition. Post-mortem evaluation of the brain displayed histopathological changes including loss of neurons and demyelination paired with abundant presence of MeV RNA-positive cells throughout the brain. Next-generation sequencing of RNA isolated from the brain revealed a complete MeV genome with mutations that are typically detected in SSPE, characterized by a hypermutated M gene. Additional mutations were detected in the polymerase (L) gene, which were not associated with resistance to remdesivir. Functional characterization showed that mutations in the F gene led to a hyperfusogenic phenotype predominantly mediated by N465I. Additionally, recombinant wild-type-based MeV with the SSPE-F gene or the F gene with the N465I mutation was no longer lymphotropic but instead efficiently disseminated in neural cultures. Altogether, this case encourages further investigation of remdesivir as a potential treatment of SSPE and highlights the necessity to functionally understand SSPE-causing MeV.</p

Cool and warm dust emission from M33 (HerM33es)

We study the far-infrared emission from the nearby spiral galaxy M33 in order to investigate the dust physical properties such as the temperature and the luminosity density across the galaxy. Taking advantage of the unique wavelength coverage (100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron) of the Herschel Space Observatory and complementing our dataset with Spitzer-IRAC 5.8 and 8 micron and Spitzer-MIPS 24 and 70 micron data, we construct temperature and luminosity density maps by fitting two modified blackbodies of a fixed emissivity index of 1.5. We find that the 'cool' dust grains are heated at temperatures between 11 and 28 K with the lowest temperatures found in the outskirts of the galaxy and the highest ones in the center and in the bright HII regions. The infrared/submillimeter total luminosity (5 - 1000 micron) is estimated to be 1.9x10^9 Lsun. 59% of the total luminosity of the galaxy is produced by the 'cool' dust grains (~15 K) while the rest 41% is produced by 'warm' dust grains (~55 K). The ratio of the cool-to-warm dust luminosity is close to unity (within the computed uncertainties), throughout the galaxy, with the luminosity of the cool dust being slightly enhanced in the center of the galaxy. Decomposing the emission of the dust into two components (one emitted by the diffuse disk of the galaxy and one emitted by the spiral arms) we find that the fraction of the emission in the disk in the mid-infrared (24 micron) is 21%, while it gradually rises up to 57% in the submillimeter (500 micron). We find that the bulk of the luminosity comes from the spiral arm network that produces 70% of the total luminosity of the galaxy with the rest coming from the diffuse dust disk. The 'cool' dust inside the disk is heated at a narrow range of temperatures between 18 and 15 K (going from the center to the outer parts of the galaxy).Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Herschel-ATLAS: Far-infrared properties of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars

This is pre-copyedited, author-produced pdf of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The version of record, E. Kalfountzou, et al., ‘Herschel-ATLAS: Far-infrared properties of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars’, MNRAS, Vol 42(2): 1181-1196, first published online June 11, 2014, is available online via doi: 10.1093/mnras/stu782 Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.We have constructed a sample of radio-loud and radio-quiet quasars from the Faint Images Radio Sky at Twenty-one centimetres and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, over the Herschel-ATLAS Phase 1 area (9h, 12h and 14 h . 5 ). Using a stacking analysis, we find a significant correlation between the far-infrared (FIR) luminosity and 1.4-GHz luminosity for radio-loud quasars. Partial correlation analysis confirms the intrinsic correlation after removing the redshift contribution, while for radio-quiet quasars, no partial correlation is found. Using a single-temperature grey-body model, we find a general trend of lower dust temperatures in case of radio-loud quasars compared to radio-quiet quasars. Also, radio-loud quasars are found to have almost constant mean values of dust mass along redshift and optical luminosity bins. In addition, we find that radio-loud quasars at lower optical luminosities tend to have on average higher FIR and 250-μm luminosity with respect to radio-quiet quasars with the same optical luminosites. Even if we use a two-temperature grey-body model to describe the FIR data, the FIR luminosity excess remains at lower optical luminosities. These results suggest that powerful radio jets are associated with star formation especially at lower accretion ratesPeer reviewe

A systematic analysis of host factors reveals a Med23-interferon-λ regulatory axis against herpes simplex virus type 1 replication

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus causing vesicular oral or genital skin lesions, meningitis and other diseases particularly harmful in immunocompromised individuals. To comprehensively investigate the complex interaction between HSV-1 and its host we combined two genome-scale screens for host factors (HFs) involved in virus replication. A yeast two-hybrid screen for protein interactions and a RNA interference (RNAi) screen with a druggable genome small interfering RNA (siRNA) library confirmed existing and identified novel HFs which functionally influence HSV-1 infection. Bioinformatic analyses found the 358 HFs were enriched for several pathways and multi-protein complexes. Of particular interest was the identification of Med23 as a strongly anti-viral component of the largely pro-viral Mediator complex, which links specific transcription factors to RNA polymerase II. The anti-viral effect of Med23 on HSV-1 replication was confirmed in gain-of-function gene overexpression experiments, and this inhibitory effect was specific to HSV-1, as a range of other viruses including Vaccinia virus and Semliki Forest virus were unaffected by Med23 depletion. We found Med23 significantly upregulated expression of the type III interferon family (IFN-λ) at the mRNA and protein level by directly interacting with the transcription factor IRF7. The synergistic effect of Med23 and IRF7 on IFN-λ induction suggests this is the major transcription factor for IFN-λ expression. Genotypic analysis of patients suffering recurrent orofacial HSV-1 outbreaks, previously shown to be deficient in IFN-λ secretion, found a significant correlation with a single nucleotide polymorphism in the IFN-λ3 (IL28b) promoter strongly linked to Hepatitis C disease and treatment outcome. This paper describes a link between Med23 and IFN-λ, provides evidence for the crucial role of IFN-λ in HSV-1 immune control, and highlights the power of integrative genome-scale approaches to identify HFs critical for disease progression and outcome

Calibration and performance of the ISO Long-Wavelength Spectrometer

The wavelength and flux calibration, and the in-orbit performance of the Infrared Space Observatory Long-Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) are described. The LWS calibration is mostly complete and the instrument's performance in orbit is largely as expected before launch. The effects of ionising radiation on the detectors, and the techniques used to minimise them are outlined. The overall sensitivity figures achieved in practice are summarised. The standard processing of LWS data is described

Calibration and performance of the ISO Long-Wavelength Spectrometer

The wavelength and flux calibration, and the in-orbit performance of the Infrared Space Observatory Long-Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) are described. The LWS calibration is mostly complete and the instrument's performance in orbit is largely as expected before launch. The effects of ionising radiation on the detectors, and the techniques used to minimise them are outlined. The overall sensitivity figures achieved in practice are summarised. The standard processing of LWS data is described