779 research outputs found

    The Fabry disease-associated lipid Lyso-Gb3 enhances voltage-gated calcium currents in sensory neurons and causes pain

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    Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder characterised by accumulation of glycosphingolipids, and accompanied by clinical manifestations, such as cardiac disorders, renal failure, pain and peripheral neuropathy. Globotriaosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb3), a deacylated form of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), has emerged as a marker of Fabry disease. We investigated the link between Gb3, lyso-Gb3 and pain. Plantar administration of lyso-Gb3 or Gb3 caused mechanical allodynia in healthy mice. In vitro application of 100nM lyso-Gb3 caused uptake of extracellular calcium in 10% of sensory neurons expressing nociceptor markers, rising to 40% of neurons at 1ÎŒM, a concentration that may occur in Fabry disease patients. Peak current densities of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels were substantially enhanced by application of 1ÎŒM lyso-Gb3. These studies suggest a direct role for lyso-Gb3 in the sensitisation of peripheral nociceptive neurons that may provide an opportunity for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of Fabry disease-associated pain

    Comparing PyMorph and SDSS photometry. II. The differences are more than semantics and are not dominated by intracluster light

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    The Sloan Digital Sky Survey pipeline photometry underestimates the brightnesses of the most luminous galaxies. This is mainly because (i) the SDSS overestimates the sky background and (ii) single or two-component Sersic-based models better fit the surface brightness profile of galaxies, especially at high luminosities, than does the de Vaucouleurs model used by the SDSS pipeline. We use the PyMorph photometric reductions to isolate effect (ii) and show that it is the same in the full sample as in small group environments, and for satellites in the most massive clusters as well. None of these are expected to be significantly affected by intracluster light (ICL). We only see an additional effect for centrals in the most massive halos, but we argue that even this is not dominated by ICL. Hence, for the vast majority of galaxies, the differences between PyMorph and SDSS pipeline photometry cannot be ascribed to the semantics of whether or not one includes the ICL when describing the stellar mass of massive galaxies. Rather, they likely reflect differences in star formation or assembly histories. Failure to account for the SDSS underestimate has significantly biased most previous estimates of the SDSS luminosity and stellar mass functions, and therefore Halo Model estimates of the z ~ 0.1 relation between the mass of a halo and that of the galaxy at its center. We also show that when one studies correlations, at fixed group mass, with a quantity which was not used to define the groups, then selection effects appear. We show why such effects arise, and should not be mistaken for physical effects.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. The PyMorph luminosities and stellar masses are available at https://www.physics.upenn.edu/~ameert/SDSS_PhotDec

    The high mass end of the stellar mass function: Dependence on stellar population models and agreement between fits to the light profile

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    We quantify the systematic effects on the stellar mass function which arise from assumptions about the stellar population, as well as how one fits the light profiles of the most luminous galaxies at z ~ 0.1. When comparing results from the literature, we are careful to separate out these effects. Our analysis shows that while systematics in the estimated comoving number density which arise from different treatments of the stellar population remain of order < 0.5 dex, systematics in photometry are now about 0.1 dex, despite recent claims in the literature. Compared to these more recent analyses, previous work based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) pipeline photometry leads to underestimates of rho_*(> M_*) by factors of 3-10 in the mass range 10^11 - 10^11.6 M_Sun, but up to a factor of 100 at higher stellar masses. This impacts studies which match massive galaxies to dark matter halos. Although systematics which arise from different treatments of the stellar population remain of order < 0.5 dex, our finding that systematics in photometry now amount to only about 0.1 dex in the stellar mass density is a significant improvement with respect to a decade ago. Our results highlight the importance of using the same stellar population and photometric models whenever low and high redshift samples are compared.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. The PyMorph luminosities and stellar masses are available at https://www.physics.upenn.edu/~ameert/SDSS_PhotDec

    The Ghosts of Bindings Past: Micro-Computed X-Ray Tomography for the Study of Bookbinding

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    This essay describes the results of a new application of micro-computed X-ray tomography (”CT) to conduct nondestructive investigations of the binding structures of premodern books. This application addresses a twofold challenge in the study of historic bindings and their construction. Few premodern books survive in their original bindings. Moreover, until recently, when books were rebound, the original structures were rarely documented, and the remains were usually discarded. Where original bindings do remain in situ, much of their structure is, by design, hidden. Particulars of construction may be surmised; but without destructive disbinding, little can be proven. ”CT enables an exploratory, multilinear approach to codicological investigations that makes bindings accessible in the form of tractable volumetric data

    A palaeomagnetic and palaeobiogeographical perspective on latest Neoproterozoic and early Cambrian tectonic events

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    Copyright © 2000 The Geological Society of LondonDuring the latest Neoproterozoic to Mid-Cambrian time (580-505 Ma ago), the Earth underwent significant changes in palaeogeography that included rifting of a possible supercontinent and the near simultaneous formation of a second, slightly smaller supercontinent. It is against this tectonic backdrop that the Cambrian radiation occurred. Although the general tectonic setting during this interval is fairly well constrained, models of the exact palaeogeography are controversial because of the lack of reliable palaeomagnetic data from some of the continental blocks. Palaeogeographical models based on palaeomagnetic data range from a high-latitude configuration for most continents, to a low-latitude configuration for most continents, or to rapid oscillations in continental configurations triggered by inertial changes within the planet. Palaeobiogeographical data can also be used to help constrain palaeogeographical models. To this end we use vicariance patterns in olenellid trilobites to determine their compatibility with three end-member palaeogeographical models derived from palaeomagnetic data for the Neoproterozoic and early Cambrian. The most congruent palaeogeographical model with respect to the palaeobiogeographical data described herein is the high-latitude configuration for most continents. Those palaeomagnetic models that predict inertial interchange true polar wander or multiple episodes of true polar wander differ significantly from the results from palaeobiogeography. The low-latitude palaeogeographical models also differ from the results from palaeobiogeography, but this may partly arise because of a lack of palaeomagnetic and palaeobiogeographical data from many parts of present-day South America and Africa.Journal of the Geological Society http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/geol/jgs;jsessionid=1tcapo57fbrqv.victoria
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