199 research outputs found
Characterization of Alkali Metal Dispensers and Non-Evaporable Getter Pumps in Ultra-High Vacuum Systems for Cold Atomic Sensors
A glass ultrahigh vacuum chamber with rubidium alkali metal dispensers and
non-evaporable getter pumps has been developed and used to create a cold atomic
sample in a chamber that operates with only passive vacuum pumps. The ion-mass
spectrum of evaporated gases from the alkali metal dispenser has been recorded
as a function of dispenser current. The efficacy of the non-evaporable getter
pumps in promoting and maintaining vacuum has been characterized by observation
of the Rb vapor optical absorption on the D2 transition at 780 nm and vacuum
chamber pressure rate of rise tests. We have demonstrated a sample of
laser-cooled Rb atoms in this chamber when isolated and operating without
active vacuum pumps
Recommended from our members
Tracing PAH Emission in lambda-Orionis Using COBE/DIRBE Data
We use archival COBE/DIRBE data to construct a map of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission in the λ-Orionis region. The presence of the 3.3 μm PAH feature within the DIRBE 3.5 μm band and the corresponding lack of significant PAH spectral features in the adjacent DIRBE bands (1.25, 2.2, and 4.9 μm) enable estimation of the PAH contribution to the 3.5 μm data. Having the shortest wavelength of known PAH features, the 3.3 μm feature probes the smallest PAHs, which are also the leading candidates for carriers of anomalous microwave emission (AME). We use this map to investigate the association between the AME and the emission from PAH molecules. We find that the spatial correlation in λ-Orionis is higher between AME and far-infrared dust emission (as represented by the DIRBE 240 μm map) than it is between our PAH map and AME. This finding, in agreement with previous studies using PAH features at longer wavelengths, is in tension with the hypothesis that AME is due to spinning PAHs. However, the expected correlation between mid-infrared and microwave emission could potentially be degraded by different sensitivities of each emission mechanism to local environmental conditions even if PAHs are the carriers of both.
</p
Recombinant Simian Varicella Virus-Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine Induces T and B Cell Functions and Provides Partial Protection against Repeated Mucosal SIV Challenges in Rhesus Macaques
HIV vaccine mediated efficacy, using an expanded live attenuated recombinant varicella virus-vectored SIV rSVV-SIVgag/env vaccine prime with adjuvanted SIV-Env and SIV-Gag protein boosts, was evaluated in a female rhesus macaques (RM) model against repeated intravaginal SIV challenges. Vaccination induced anti-SIV IgG responses and neutralizing antibodies were found in all vaccinated RMs. Three of the eight vaccinated RM remained uninfected (vaccinated and protected, VP) after 13 repeated challenges with the pathogenic SIVmac251-CX-1. The remaining five vaccinated and infected (VI) macaques had significantly reduced plasma viral loads compared with the infected controls (IC). A significant increase in systemic central memory CD4+ T cells and mucosal CD8+ effector memory T-cell responses was detected in vaccinated RMs compared to controls. Variability in lymph node SIV-Gag and Env specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell cytokine responses were detected in the VI RMs while all three VP RMs had more durable cytokine responses following vaccination and prior to challenge. VI RMs demonstrated predominately SIV-specific monofunctional cytokine responses while the VP RMs generated polyfunctional cytokine responses. This study demonstrates that varicella virus-vectored SIV vaccination with protein boosts induces a 37.5% efficacy rate against pathogenic SIV challenge by generating mucosal memory, virus specific neutralizing antibodies, binding antibodies, and polyfunctional T-cell responses
RNAseq Analyses Identify Tumor Necrosis Factor-Mediated Inflammation as a Major Abnormality in ALS Spinal Cord
ALS is a rapidly progressive, devastating neurodegenerative illness of adults that produces disabling weakness and spasticity arising from death of lower and upper motor neurons. No meaningful therapies exist to slow ALS progression, and molecular insights into pathogenesis and progression are sorely needed. In that context, we used high-depth, next generation RNA sequencing (RNAseq, Illumina) to define gene network abnormalities in RNA samples depleted of rRNA and isolated from cervical spinal cord sections of 7 ALS and 8 CTL samples. We aligned \u3e50 million 2X150 bp paired-end sequences/sample to the hg19 human genome and applied three different algorithms (Cuffdiff2, DEseq2, EdgeR) for identification of differentially expressed genes (DEG’s). Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) identified inflammatory processes as significantly elevated in our ALS samples, with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) found to be a major pathway regulator (IPA) and TNFα-induced protein 2 (TNFAIP2) as a major network “hub” gene (WGCNA). Using the oPOSSUM algorithm, we analyzed transcription factors (TF) controlling expression of the nine DEG/hub genes in the ALS samples and identified TF’s involved in inflammation (NFkB, REL, NFkB1) and macrophage function (NR1H2::RXRA heterodimer). Transient expression in human iPSC-derived motor neurons of TNFAIP2 (also a DEG identified by all three algorithms) reduced cell viability and induced caspase 3/7 activation. Using high-density RNAseq, multiple algorithms for DEG identification, and an unsupervised gene co-expression network approach, we identified significant elevation of inflammatory processes in ALS spinal cord with TNF as a major regulatory molecule. Overexpression of the DEG TNFAIP2 in human motor neurons, the population most vulnerable to die in ALS, increased cell death and caspase 3/7 activation. We propose that therapies targeted to reduce inflammatory TNFα signaling may be helpful in ALS patients
Validity of the Common Cold Questionnaire (CCQ) in Asthma Exacerbations
Background: The common cold questionnaire (CCQ) is used to discriminate those with and without a viral infection. Its usefulness in people with acute asthma is unknown. Our aim was to asess the ability of the CCQ to detect viral infection and to monitor recovery during a viral induced asthma exacerbation and confirmed by virological testing. Methodology/Principal Findings: We studied subjects (≥7 yrs) admitted to hospital with acute asthma and diagnosed as positive (n=63), or negative to viral infection (n=27) according to molecular and virological testing from respiratory samples. CCQ asthma history and asthma control questionaire were completed and repeated 4-6 weeks later. Sensitivity specificity, and response to change of the CCQ were assessed by receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis and effect size calculation respectively. The CCQ did not discriminate between viral and non-viral infection for subjects with asthma (sensitivity = 76.2%; specificity = 29.6%). ROC analysis could not differentiate between positive or negative virus in subjects with asthma. The CCQ had a large responce to change following recovery (effect size = 1.01). 39% of subjects recovering from viral exacerbation remained positive to virological testing at follow-up despite improvement in clinical symptoms. The CCQ reflected clinical improvement in these subjects, thus providing additional information to complement virological testing. Conclusions/Significance: The CCQ is a useful instrument for monitorong response to viral infection in people with asthma. Reliable differentiation between viral and non-viral asthma exacerbations was not achieved with the CCQ and requires specific virological testing. When combined with virological testing, the CCQ should be a useful outcome measure for evaluating therapies in viral-induced asthma
GOALS-JWST: Small neutral grains and enhanced 3.3 micron PAH emission in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 7469
We present James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Spectrograph
(NIRSpec) integral-field spectroscopy of the nearby luminous infrared galaxy,
NGC 7469. We take advantage of the high spatial/spectral resolution and
wavelength coverage of JWST /NIRSpec to study the 3.3 um neutral polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) grain emission on ~60 pc scales. We find a clear
change in the average grain properties between the star-forming ring and the
central AGN. Regions in the vicinity of the AGN, with [NeIII]/[NeII]>0.25, tend
to have larger grain sizes and lower aliphatic-to-aromatic (3.4/3.3) ratios
indicating that smaller grains are preferentially removed by photo-destruction
in the vicinity of the AGN. We find an overall suppression of the total PAH
emission relative to the ionized gas in the central 1 kpc region of the AGN in
NGC 7469 compared to what has been observed with Spitzer on 3 kpc scales.
However, the fractional 3.3 um to total PAH power is enhanced in the starburst
ring, possibly due to a variety of physical effects on sub-kpc scales,
including recurrent fluorescence of small grains or multiple photon absorption
by large grains. Finally, the IFU data show that while the 3.3 um PAH-derived
star formation rate (SFR) in the ring is 8% higher than that inferred from the
[NeII] and [NeIII] emission lines, the integrated SFR derived from the 3.3 um
feature would be underestimated by a factor of two due to the deficit of PAHs
around the AGN, as might occur if a composite system like NGC 7469 were to be
observed at high-redshift.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, Submitted to ApJ
COMAP Early Science: V. Constraints and Forecasts at
We present the current state of models for the carbon monoxide (CO)
line-intensity signal targeted by the CO Mapping Array Project (COMAP)
Pathfinder in the context of its early science results. Our fiducial model,
relating dark matter halo properties to CO luminosities, informs parameter
priors with empirical models of the galaxy-halo connection and previous CO(1-0)
observations. The Pathfinder early science data spanning wavenumbers
-Mpc represent the first direct 3D constraint on the
clustering component of the CO(1-0) power spectrum. Our 95% upper limit on the
redshift-space clustering amplitude K greatly
improves on the indirect upper limit of K reported from the CO
Power Spectrum Survey (COPSS) measurement at Mpc. The COMAP
limit excludes a subset of models from previous literature, and constrains
interpretation of the COPSS results, demonstrating the complementary nature of
COMAP and interferometric CO surveys. Using line bias expectations from our
priors, we also constrain the squared mean line intensity-bias product,
K, and the cosmic molecular gas
density, Mpc (95% upper
limits). Based on early instrument performance and our current CO signal
estimates, we forecast that the five-year Pathfinder campaign will detect the
CO power spectrum with overall signal-to-noise of 9-17. Between then and now,
we also expect to detect the CO-galaxy cross-spectrum using overlapping galaxy
survey data, enabling enhanced inferences of cosmic star-formation and
galaxy-evolution history.Comment: Paper 5 of 7 in series. 17 pages + appendix and bibliography (30
pages total); 15 figures, 6 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ; v3
reflects the accepted version with minor changes and additions to tex
COMAP Early Science: VI. A First Look at the COMAP Galactic Plane Survey
We present early results from the COMAP Galactic Plane Survey conducted
between June 2019 and April 2021, spanning in Galactic
longitude and |b|<1.\!\!^{\circ}5 in Galactic latitude with an angular
resolution of . The full survey will span -
and will be the first large-scale radio continuum survey at
GHz with sub-degree resolution. We present initial results from the first part
of the survey, including diffuse emission and spectral energy distributions
(SEDs) of HII regions and supernova remnants. Using low and high frequency
surveys to constrain free-free and thermal dust emission contributions, we find
evidence of excess flux density at GHz in six regions that we interpret
as anomalous microwave emission. Furthermore we model UCHII contributions using
data from the GHz CORNISH catalogue and reject this as the cause of the
GHz excess. Six known supernova remnants (SNR) are detected at GHz,
and we measure spectral indices consistent with the literature or show evidence
of steepening. The flux density of the SNR W44 at GHz is consistent with
a power-law extrapolation from lower frequencies with no indication of spectral
steepening in contrast with recent results from the Sardinia Radio Telescope.
We also extract five hydrogen radio recombination lines to map the warm ionized
gas, which can be used to estimate electron temperatures or to constrain
continuum free-free emission. The full COMAP Galactic plane survey, to be
released in 2023/2024, will be an invaluable resource for Galactic
astrophysics.Comment: Paper 6 of 7 in series. 28 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Ap
COMAP Early Science: I. Overview
The CO Mapping Array Project (COMAP) aims to use line intensity mapping of
carbon monoxide (CO) to trace the distribution and global properties of
galaxies over cosmic time, back to the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). To validate
the technologies and techniques needed for this goal, a Pathfinder instrument
has been constructed and fielded. Sensitive to CO(1-0) emission from
- and a fainter contribution from CO(2-1) at -8, the
Pathfinder is surveying deg in a 5-year observing campaign to detect
the CO signal from . Using data from the first 13 months of observing,
we estimate on scales - the first direct
3D constraint on the clustering component of the CO(1-0) power spectrum. Based
on these observations alone, we obtain a constraint on the amplitude of the
clustering component (the squared mean CO line temperature-bias product) of
K - nearly an order-of-magnitude improvement
on the previous best measurement. These constraints allow us to rule out two
models from the literature. We forecast a detection of the power spectrum after
5 years with signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) 9-17. Cross-correlation with an
overlapping galaxy survey will yield a detection of the CO-galaxy power
spectrum with S/N of 19. We are also conducting a 30 GHz survey of the Galactic
plane and present a preliminary map. Looking to the future of COMAP, we examine
the prospects for future phases of the experiment to detect and characterize
the CO signal from the EoR.Comment: Paper 1 of 7 in series. 18 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Ap
- …