Phylogenetic grouping, antibiotic resistance profile, fluoroquinolone susceptibility and ST131 status of canine extra intestinal Escherichia Coli isolated from submissions to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory 2005-08

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are a recommended treatment for Escherichia coli infections in companion animals, particularly in cases of resistance to other drug classes. In a retrospective study, 162 canine clinical E. coli isolates, obtained from veterinary diagnostic submissions (January 2005 - June 2008), were analyzed for phylogenetic group and antibiogram phenotype, using nine antimicrobials and enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin and pradofloxacin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), either in the absence or presence of an efflux pump inhibitor. The isolate susceptibility distribution was bimodal; a high proportion (141/162;87%) showed a sensitivity equivalent to wildtype E. coli (enrofloxacin MIC 0.004 - 0.06 μg/mL), while a minority (4/162;2%) showed reduced susceptibility (enrofloxacin MICs of 0.125 - 0.5 μg/mL), and the remainder (17/162;10%) yielding enrofloxacin MICs in the highlevel resistance range of ≥16 μg/mL. All FQ-resistant isolates were also multidrug-resistant. The majority of FQsensitive isolates belonged to phylogenetic group B2 (101/162;62%), and the majority of resistant isolates to group D (8/17;47%). A single resistant B2 isolate and three FQ-sensitive isolates were identified as ST131. Efflux pump activity contributed significantly to MICs for all FQs, except for ciprofloxacin, which may be attributable to its higher polarity compared to the other FQs. These findings confirm a low prevalence of FQ resistance in Australian canine E. coli isolates. Detection of a high moxifloxacin: low ciprofloxacin MIC efflux-associated phenotype (102/162;63%) amongst canine strains may indicate previous exposure to moxifloxacin selective pressure, providing more evidence of exchange of E. coli strains between humans and dogs. The presence of sensitive ST131 strains in the isolate collection does suggest, however, that resistant ST131 strains could potentially emerge under both human and veterinary antimicrobial selection pressure, a risk that could be mitigated by using the most active fluoroquinolone (i.e. pradofloxacin in dogs) against wild-type E. coli at mutant prevention concentrations.Joanne L, Platell, Darren J. Trott, Heinz-Georg Wetzstein, Micheal Leitner and Rowland N. Cobbol

Simulating magnetic fields in the Antennae galaxies

We present self-consistent high-resolution simulations of NGC4038/4039 (the "Antennae galaxies") including star formation, supernova feedback and magnetic fields performed with the N-body/SPH code Gadget, in which magnetohydrodynamics are followed with the SPH method. We vary the initial magnetic field in the progenitor disks from 1 nG to 100 muG. At the time of the best match with the central region of the Antennae system the magnetic field has been amplified by compression and shear flows to an equilibrium field of approximately 10 muG, independent of the initial seed field. These simulations are a proof of the principle that galaxy mergers are efficient drivers for the cosmic evolution of magnetic fields. We present a detailed analysis of the magnetic field structure in the central overlap region. Simulated radio and polarization maps are in good morphological and quantitative agreement with the observations. In particular, the two cores with the highest synchrotron intensity and ridges of regular magnetic fields between the cores and at the root of the southern tidal arm develop naturally in our simulations. This indicates that the simulations are capable of realistically following the evolution of the magnetic fields in a highly non-linear environment. We also discuss the relevance of the amplification effect for present day magnetic fields in the context of hierarchical structure formation.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, accepte

Construction and Calibration of Optically Efficient LCD-based Multi-Layer Light Field Displays

Near-term commercial multi-view displays currently employ ray-based 3D or 4D light field techniques. Conventional approaches to ray-based display typically include lens arrays or heuristic barrier patterns combined with integral interlaced views on a display screen such as an LCD panel. Recent work has placed an emphasis on the co-design of optics and image formation algorithms to achieve increased frame rates, brighter images, and wider fields-of-view using optimization-in-the-loop and novel arrangements of commodity LCD panels. In this paper we examine the construction and calibration methods of computational, multi-layer LCD light field displays. We present several experimental configurations that are simple to build and can be tuned to sufficient precision to achieve a research quality light field display. We also present an analysis of moiré interference in these displays, and guidelines for diffuser placement and display alignment to reduce the effects of moiré. We describe a technique using the moiré magnifier to fine-tune the alignment of the LCD layers

Herschel PEP: The star-formation rates of 1.5<z<2.5 massive galaxies

The star formation rate (SFR) is a key parameter in the study of galaxy evolution. The accuracy of SFR measurements at z~2 has been questioned following a disagreement between observations and theoretical models. The latter predict SFRs at this redshift that are typically a factor 4 or more lower than the measurements. We present star-formation rates based on calorimetric measurements of the far-infrared (FIR) luminosities for massive 1.5<z<2.5, normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs), which do not depend on extinction corrections and/or extrapolations of spectral energy distributions. The measurements are based on observations in GOODS-N with the Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer (PACS) onboard Herschel, as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) project, that resolve for the first time individual SFGs at these redshifts at FIR wavelengths. We compare FIR-based SFRs to the more commonly used 24 micron and UV SFRs. We find that SFRs from 24 micron alone are higher by a factor of ~4-7.5 than the true SFRs. This overestimation depends on luminosity: gradually increasing for log L(24um)>12.2 L_sun. The SFGs and AGNs tend to exhibit the same 24 micron excess. The UV SFRs are in closer agreement with the FIR-based SFRs. Using a Calzetti UV extinction correction results in a mean excess of up to 0.3 dex and a scatter of 0.35 dex from the FIR SFRs. The previous UV SFRs are thus confirmed and the mean excess, while narrowing the gap, is insufficient to explain the discrepancy between the observed SFRs and simulation predictions.Comment: Accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel first results special issue. v2 Correction to the meta data onl

State of the Art on Diffusion Models for Visual Computing

The field of visual computing is rapidly advancing due to the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI), which unlocks unprecedented capabilities for the generation, editing, and reconstruction of images, videos, and 3D scenes. In these domains, diffusion models are the generative AI architecture of choice. Within the last year alone, the literature on diffusion-based tools and applications has seen exponential growth and relevant papers are published across the computer graphics, computer vision, and AI communities with new works appearing daily on arXiv. This rapid growth of the field makes it difficult to keep up with all recent developments. The goal of this state-of-the-art report (STAR) is to introduce the basic mathematical concepts of diffusion models, implementation details and design choices of the popular Stable Diffusion model, as well as overview important aspects of these generative AI tools, including personalization, conditioning, inversion, among others. Moreover, we give a comprehensive overview of the rapidly growing literature on diffusion-based generation and editing, categorized by the type of generated medium, including 2D images, videos, 3D objects, locomotion, and 4D scenes. Finally, we discuss available datasets, metrics, open challenges, and social implications. This STAR provides an intuitive starting point to explore this exciting topic for researchers, artists, and practitioners alike

A New Automatic Method to Identify Galaxy Mergers I. Description and Application to the STAGES Survey

We present an automatic method to identify galaxy mergers using the morphological information contained in the residual images of galaxies after the subtraction of a Sersic model. The removal of the bulk signal from the host galaxy light is done with the aim of detecting the fainter minor mergers. The specific morphological parameters that are used in the merger diagnostic suggested here are the Residual Flux Fraction and the asymmetry of the residuals. The new diagnostic has been calibrated and optimized so that the resulting merger sample is very complete. However, the contamination by non-mergers is also high. If the same optimization method is adopted for combinations of other structural parameters such as the CAS system, the merger indicator we introduce yields merger samples of equal or higher statistical quality than the samples obtained through the use of other structural parameters. We explore the ability of the method presented here to select minor mergers by identifying a sample of visually classified mergers that would not have been picked up by the use of the CAS system, when using its usual limits. Given the low prevalence of mergers among the general population of galaxies and the optimization used here, we find that the merger diagnostic introduced in this work is best used as a negative merger test, i.e., it is very effective at selecting non-merging galaxies. As with all the currently available automatic methods, the sample of merger candidates selected is contaminated by non-mergers, and further steps are needed to produce a clean sample. This merger diagnostic has been developed using the HST/ACS F606W images of the A901/02 cluster (z=0.165) obtained by the STAGES team. In particular, we have focused on a mass and magnitude limited sample (log M/M_{O}>9.0, R_{Vega}<23.5mag)) which includes 905 cluster galaxies and 655 field galaxies of all morphological types.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables. To appear in MNRA

Adaptive optics imaging and optical spectroscopy of a multiple merger in a luminous infrared galaxy

(abridged) We present near-infrared (NIR) adaptive optics imaging obtained with VLT/NACO and optical spectroscopy from the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) of a luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) IRAS 19115-2124. These data are combined with archival HST imaging and Spitzer imaging and spectroscopy, allowing us to study this disturbed interacting/merging galaxy, dubbed the Bird, in extraordinary detail. In particular, the data reveal a triple system where the LIRG phenomenon is dominated by the smallest of the components. One nucleus is a regular barred spiral with significant rotation, while another is highly disturbed with a surface brightness distribution intermediate to that of disk and bulge systems, and hints of remaining arm/bar structure. We derive dynamical masses in the range 3-7x10^10 M_solar for both. The third component appears to be a 1-2x10^10 M_solar mass irregular galaxy. The total system exhibits HII galaxy-like optical line ratios and strengths, and no evidence for AGN activity is found from optical or mid-infrared data. The star formation rate is estimated to be 190 M_solar/yr. We search for SNe, super star clusters, and detect 100-300 km/s outflowing gas from the Bird. Overall, the Bird shows kinematic, dynamical, and emission line properties typical for cool ultra luminous IR galaxies. However, the interesting features setting it apart for future studies are its triple merger nature, and the location of its star formation peak - the strongest star formation does not come from the two major K-band nuclei, but from the third irregular component. Aided by simulations, we discuss scenarios where the irregular component is on its first high-speed encounter with the more massive components.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures. Accepted MNRAS version, minor corrections only, references added. Higher resolution version (1.3MB) is available from http://www.saao.ac.za/~petri/bird/ulirg_bird_highres_vaisanen_v2.pd

The effect of environment on star forming galaxies at redshift 1 - First insight from PACS

We use deep 70, 100 and 160 um observations taken with PACS, the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer on board of Herschel, as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) guaranteed time, to study the relation between star formation rate and environment at redshift ~ 1 in the GOODS-S and GOODS-N fields. We use the SDSS spectroscopic catalog to build the local analog and study the evolution of the star formation activity dependence on the environment. At z ~ 1 we observe a reversal of the relation between star formation rate and local density, confirming the results based on Spitzer 24 um data. However, due to the high accuracy provided by PACS in measuring the star formation rate also for AGN hosts, we identify in this class of objects the cause for the reversal of the density-SFR relation. Indeed, AGN hosts favor high stellar masses, dense regions and high star formation rates. Without the AGN contribution the relation flattens consistently with respect to the local analog in the same range of star formation rates. As in the local universe, the specific star formation rate anti-correlates with the density. This is due to mass segregation both at high and low redshift. The contribution of AGN hosts does not affect this anti-correlation, since AGN hosts exhibit the same specific star formation rate as star forming galaxies at the same mass. The same global trends and AGN contribution is observed once the relations are studied per morphological type. We study the specific star formation rate vs stellar mass relation in three density regimes. Our data provides an indication that at M/M_{\odot} > 10^{11} the mean specific star formation rate tends to be higher at higher density, while the opposite trend is observed in the local SDSS star forming sample.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication on A&

PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) - A Herschel Key Program

Deep far-infrared photometric surveys studying galaxy evolution and the nature of the cosmic infrared background are a key strength of the Herschel mission. We describe the scientific motivation for the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) guaranteed time key program and its role in the complement of Herschel surveys, and the field selection which includes popular multiwavelength fields such as GOODS, COSMOS, Lockman Hole, ECDFS, EGS. We provide an account of the observing strategies and data reduction methods used. An overview of first science results illustrates the potential of PEP in providing calorimetric star formation rates for high redshift galaxy populations, thus testing and superseeding previous extrapolations from other wavelengths, and enabling a wide range of galaxy evolution studies.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&