Strong and weak lensing united III: Measuring the mass distribution of the merging galaxy cluster 1E0657-56

The galaxy cluster 1E0657-56 (z = 0.296) is remarkably well-suited for addressing outstanding issues in both galaxy evolution and fundamental physics. We present a reconstruction of the mass distribution from both strong and weak gravitational lensing data. Multi-color, high-resolution HST ACS images allow detection of many more arc candidates than were previously known, especially around the subcluster. Using the known redshift of one of the multiply imaged systems, we determine the remaining source redshifts using the predictive power of the strong lens model. Combining this information with shape measurements of "weakly" lensed sources, we derive a high-resolution, absolutely-calibrated mass map, using no assumptions regarding the physical properties of the underlying cluster potential. This map provides the best available quantification of the total mass of the central part of the cluster. We also confirm the result from Clowe et al. (2004,2006a).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; Version with full-resolution figures available at http://www.slac.stanford.edu/~marusa/Work/bradac_strong_weak_III.pd

Mast Cell-Mediated Inhibition of Abdominal Neutrophil Inflammation by a PEGylated TLR7 Ligand

Although the mechanisms for sustained chemokine gradients and recurring cell infiltration in sterile peritonitis have not been elucidated, toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been implicated. To abate the deleterious recruitment of neutrophils in sterile inflammation, we repeatedly administered a TLR7 ligand that hyposensitized to TLR7 and receptors that converged on the MyD88-signaling intermediary and reduced cellular infiltration in murine autoimmune models of multiple sclerosis and arthritis. To reduce potential adverse effects, a polyethylene glycol polymer was covalently attached to the parent compound (Tolerimod1). The proinflammatory potency of Tolerimod1 was 10-fold less than the unconjugated TLR7 ligand, and Tolerimod1 reduced neutrophil recruitment in chemically induced peritonitis and colitis. The effects of Tolerimod1 were mediated by the radioresistant cells in radiation chimeric mice and by mast cells in reconstituted mast cell-deficient mice (KitW-sh). Although the Tolerimod1 had weak proinflammatory agonist activity, it effectively reduced neutrophil recruitment in sterile peritoneal inflammation

Optical Structure and Proper-Motion Age of the Oxygen-rich Supernova Remnant 1E 0102-7219 in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present new optical emission-line images of the young SNR 1E 0102-7219 (E0102) in the SMC obtained with the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). E0102 is a member of the oxygen-rich class of SNRs showing strong oxygen, neon , and other metal-line emissions in its optical and X-ray spectra, and an absence of H and He. The progenitor of E0102 may have been a Wolf-Rayet star that underwent considerable mass loss prior to exploding as a Type Ib/c or IIL/b SN. The ejecta in this SNR are fast-moving (V > 1000 km/s) and emit as they are compressed and heated in the reverse shock. In 2003, we obtained optical [O III], H-alpha, and continuum images with the ACS Wide Field Camera. The [O III] image captures the full velocity range of the ejecta, and shows considerable high-velocity emission projected in the middle of the SNR that was Doppler-shifted out of the narrow F502N bandpass of a previous Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 image from 1995. Using these two epochs separated by ~8.5 years, we measure the transverse expansion of the ejecta around the outer rim in this SNR for the first time at visible wavelengths. From proper-motion measurements of 12 ejecta filaments, we estimate a mean expansion velocity for the bright ejecta of ~2000 km/s and an inferred kinematic age for the SNR of \~2050 +/- 600 years. The age we derive from HST data is about twice that inferred by Hughes et al.(2000) from X-ray data, though our 1-sigma error bars overlap. Our proper-motion age is consistent with an independent optical kinematic age derived by Eriksen et al.(2003) using spatially resolved [O III] radial-velocity data. We derive an expansion center that lies very close to X-ray and radio hotspots, which could indicate the presence of a compact remnant (neutron star or black hole).Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures. Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, to appear in 20 April 2006 issue. Full resolution figures are posted at: http://stevenf.asu.edu/figure

N-Acylated and N-Alkylated 2-Aminobenzothiazoles Are Novel Agents That Suppress the Generation of Prostaglandin E2.

The quest for novel agents to regulate the generation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is of high importance because this eicosanoid is a key player in inflammatory diseases. We synthesized a series of N-acylated and N-alkylated 2-aminobenzothiazoles and related heterocycles (benzoxazoles and benzimidazoles) and evaluated their ability to suppress the cytokine-stimulated generation of PGE2 in rat mesangial cells. 2-Aminobenzothiazoles, either acylated by the 3-(naphthalen-2-yl)propanoyl moiety (GK510) or N-alkylated by a chain carrying a naphthalene (GK543) or a phenyl moiety (GK562) at a distance of three carbon atoms, stand out in inhibiting PGE2 generation, with EC50 values ranging from 118 nM to 177 nM. Both GK510 and GK543 exhibit in vivo anti-inflammatory activity greater than that of indomethacin. Thus, N-acylated or N-alkylated 2-aminobenzothiazoles are novel leads for the regulation of PGE2 formation

Multi‐faceted set‐up of a diverse ketoreductase library enables the synthesis of pharmaceutically‐relevant secondary alcohols

This is the peer reviewed version which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202001871. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Enzymes are valuable tools to introduce chirality into small molecules. Especially, ketoreductase (KRED)‐catalyzed transformations of ketones to yield chiral secondary alcohols have become an established biocatalytic process step in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry. Development time, however, remains a critical factor in chemical process development and thus, the competitiveness of a biocatalytic reaction step is often governed by the availability of off‐the‐shelf enzyme libraries. To expand the biocatalytic toolbox with additional ketoreductases, we established a multi‐faceted screening procedure to capture KRED diversity from different sources, such as literature, available genome data, and uncharacterized microbial strains. Overall, we built a library consisting of 51 KRED enzymes, 29 of which have never been described in literature before. Notably, 18 of the newly described enzymes exhibited anti‐Prelog preference complementing the majority of ketoreductases which generally follow Prelog’s rule. Analysis of the library’s catalytic activity toward a chemically diverse ketone substrate set of pharmaceutical interest further highlighted the broad substrate scope and the complementing enantio‐preference of the individual KREDs. Using the generated sequence‐function data of the included short chain dehydrogenases in a bioinformatic analysis led to the identification of possible sequence determinants of the stereospecificity exhibited by these enzymes

Growth and structural transformation

Structural transformation refers to the reallocation of economic activity across the broad sectors agriculture, manufacturing, and services. This review article synthesizes and evaluates recent advances in the research on structural transformation. We begin by presenting the stylized facts of structural transformation across time and space. We then develop a multi-sector extension of the one-sector growth model that encompasses the main existing theories of structural transformation. We argue that this multi-sector model serves as a natural benchmark to study structural transformation and that it is able to account for many salient features of structural transformation. We also argue that this multi-sector model delivers new and sharper insights for understanding economic development, regional income convergence, aggregate productivity trends, hours worked, business cycles, wage inequality, and greenhouse gas emissions. We conclude by suggesting several directions for future research on structural transformation.For financial support, Herrendorf thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education (Grants ECO2009-11165 and ECO2012-31358); Rogerson thanks both the NSF and the Korea Science Foundation (WCU-R33-10005); and Valentinyi thanks the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA) (Project K-105660-ny

Current Performance and On-Going Improvements of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope

An overview of the current status of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope constructed and operated at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is presented. The basic design concept and the verified performance of the telescope system are described. Also given are the status of the instrument package offered to the astronomical community, the status of operation, and some of the future plans. The status of the telescope reported in a number of SPIE papers as of the summer of 2002 are incorporated with some updates included as of 2004 February. However, readers are encouraged to check the most updated status of the telescope through the home page, http://subarutelescope.org/index.html, and/or the direct contact with the observatory staff.Comment: 18 pages (17 pages in published version), 29 figures (GIF format), This is the version before the galley proo

Deformed oscillator algebras for two dimensional quantum superintegrable systems

Quantum superintegrable systems in two dimensions are obtained from their classical counterparts, the quantum integrals of motion being obtained from the corresponding classical integrals by a symmetrization procedure. For each quantum superintegrable systema deformed oscillator algebra, characterized by a structure function specific for each system, is constructed, the generators of the algebra being functions of the quantum integrals of motion. The energy eigenvalues corresponding to a state with finite dimensional degeneracy can then be obtained in an economical way from solving a system of two equations satisfied by the structure function, the results being in agreement to the ones obtained from the solution of the relevant Schrodinger equation. The method shows how quantum algebraic techniques can simplify the study of quantum superintegrable systems, especially in two dimensions.Comment: 22 pages, THES-TP 10/93, hep-the/yymmnn

A Detailed Study of Spitzer-IRAC Emission in Herbig-Haro Objects (II): Interaction Between Ejecta and Ambient Gas

We present a new analysis of the physical conditions in three Herbig-Haro complexes (HH 54, HH 212, and the L 1157 protostellar jet) using archival data from the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on the Spitzer Space Telescope. As described in detail in Paper I, the emission observed using the 4.5-micron filter is enhanced in molecular shocks (T=1000-4000 K) at relatively high temperature or densities compared with that observed with the 8.0-micron filter. Using these data sets, we investigate different distributions of gas between high and low temperatures/densities. Our analysis reveals the presence of a number of warm/dense knots, most of which appear to be associated with working surfaces such as the head of bow shocks and cometary features, and reverse shocks in the ejecta. These are distributed not only along the jet axis, as expected, but also across it. While some knotty or fragmenting structures can be explained by instabilities in shocked flows, others can be more simply explained by the scenario that the mass ejection source acts as a "shot gun", periodically ejecting bullets of material along similar but not identical trajectories. Such an explanation challenges to some degree the present paradigm for jet flows associated with low-mass protostars. It also give clues to reconciling our understanding of the mass ejection mechanism in high and low mass protostars and evolved stars.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables, accepted by Astrophysical Journa

The unexpected resurgence of Weyl geometry in late 20-th century physics

Weyl's original scale geometry of 1918 ("purely infinitesimal geometry") was withdrawn by its author from physical theorizing in the early 1920s. It had a comeback in the last third of the 20th century in different contexts: scalar tensor theories of gravity, foundations of gravity, foundations of quantum mechanics, elementary particle physics, and cosmology. It seems that Weyl geometry continues to offer an open research potential for the foundations of physics even after the turn to the new millennium.Comment: Completely rewritten conference paper 'Beyond Einstein', Mainz Sep 2008. Preprint ELHC (Epistemology of the LHC) 2017-02, 92 pages, 1 figur