78 research outputs found
Vascular and Cardiac Impairments in Rats Inhaling Ozone and Diesel Exhaust Particles
BackgroundMechanisms of cardiovascular injuries from exposure to gas and particulate air pollutants are unknown.ObjectiveWe sought to determine whether episodic exposure of rats to ozone or diesel exhaust particles (DEP) causes differential cardiovascular impairments that are exacerbated by ozone plus DEP.Methods and resultsMale Wistar Kyoto rats (10–12 weeks of age) were exposed to air, ozone (0.4 ppm), DEP (2.1 mg/m3), or ozone (0.38 ppm) + DEP (2.2 mg/m3) for 5 hr/day, 1 day/week for 16 weeks, or to air, ozone (0.51 or 1.0 ppm), or DEP (1.9 mg/m3) for 5 hr/day for 2 days. At the end of each exposure period, we examined pulmonary and cardiovascular biomarkers of injury. In the 16-week study, we observed mild pulmonary pathology in the ozone, DEP, and ozone + DEP exposure groups, a slight decrease in circulating lymphocytes in the ozone and DEP groups, and decreased platelets in the DEP group. After 16 weeks of exposure, mRNA biomarkers of oxidative stress (hemeoxygenase-1), thrombosis (tissue factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, tissue plasminogen activator, and von Willebrand factor), vasoconstriction (endothelin-1, endothelin receptors A and B, endothelial NO synthase) and proteolysis [matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-2, MMP-3, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloprotease-2] were increased by DEP and/or ozone in the aorta, but not in the heart. Aortic LOX-1 (lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1) mRNA and protein increased after ozone exposure, and LOX-1 protein increased after exposure to ozone + DEP. RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) mRNA increased in the ozone + DEP group. Exposure to ozone or DEP depleted cardiac mitochondrial phospholipid fatty acids (DEP > ozone). The combined effect of ozone and DEP exposure was less pronounced than exposure to either pollutant alone. Exposure to ozone or DEP for 2 days (acute) caused mild changes in the aorta.ConclusionsIn animals exposed to ozone or DEP alone for 16 weeks, we observed elevated biomarkers of vascular impairments in the aorta, with the loss of phospholipid fatty acids in myocardial mitochondria. We conclude that there is a possible role of oxidized lipids and protein through LOX-1 and/or RAGE signaling
The Role of Particulate Matter-Associated Zinc in Cardiac Injury in Rats
Background: Exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity; however, causative components are unknown. Zinc is a major element detected at high levels in urban air.Objective We investigated the role of PM-associated zinc in cardiac injury. Methods: We repeatedly exposed 12- to 14-week-old male Wistar Kyoto rats intratracheally (1×/week for 8 or16 weeks) to a) saline (control); b) PM having no soluble zinc (Mount St. Helens ash, MSH); or c) whole-combustion PM suspension containing 14.5 μg/mg of water-soluble zinc at high dose (PM-HD) and d ) low dose (PM-LD), e) the aqueous fraction of this suspension (14.5 μg/mg of soluble zinc) (PM-L), or f ) zinc sulfate (rats exposed for 8 weeks received double the concentration of all PM components of rats exposed for 16 weeks). Results: Pulmonary inflammation was apparent in all exposure groups when compared with saline (8 weeks greater than 16 weeks). PM with or without zinc, or with zinc alone caused small increases in focal subepicardial inflammation, degeneration, and fibrosis. Lesions were not detected in controls at 8 weeks but were noted at 16 weeks. We analyzed mitochondrial DNA damage using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and found that all groups except MSH caused varying degrees of damage relative to control. Total cardiac aconitase activity was inhibited in rats receiving soluble zinc. Expression array analysis of heart tissue revealed modest changes in mRNA for genes involved in signaling, ion channels function, oxidative stress, mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism, and cell cycle regulation in zinc but not in MSH-exposed rats. Conclusion: These results suggest that water-soluble PM-associated zinc may be one of the causal components involved in PM cardiac effects
The HDUV survey: six Lyman continuum emitter candidates at z ∼ 2 revealed by HST UV imaging
We present six galaxies at z~2 that show evidence of Lyman continuum (LyC)
emission based on the newly acquired UV imaging of the Hubble Deep UV legacy
survey (HDUV) conducted with the WFC3/UVIS camera on the Hubble Space Telescope
(HST). At the redshift of these sources, the HDUV F275W images partially probe
the ionizing continuum. By exploiting the HST multi-wavelength data available
in the HDUV/GOODS fields, models of the UV spectral energy distributions, and
detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the intergalactic medium absorption, we
estimate the absolute ionizing photon escape fractions of these galaxies to be
very high -- typically >60% (>13% for all sources at 90% likelihood). Our
findings are in broad agreement with previous studies that found only a small
fraction of galaxies to show high escape fraction. These six galaxies comprise
the largest sample yet of LyC leaking candidates at z~2 whose inferred LyC flux
has been cleanly observed at HST resolution. While three of our six candidates
show evidence of hosting an active galactic nucleus (AGN), two of these are
heavily obscured and their LyC emission appears to originate from star-forming
regions rather than the central nucleus. This suggests an AGN-aided pathway for
LyC escape from these sources. Extensive multi-wavelength data in the GOODS
fields, especially the near-IR grism spectra from the 3D-HST survey, enable us
to study the candidates in detail and tentatively test some recently proposed
indirect methods to probe LyC leakage -- namely, the [OIII]/[OII] line ratio
and the HUV slope diagram. High-resolution spectroscopic followup of
our candidates will help constrain such indirect methods which are our only
hope of studying at z~5-9 in the fast-approaching era of the James
Webb Space Telescope.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Ap
Erosion characteristics and floc strenght of Athabasca river cohesive sediments: towards managing sediment-related issues
Purpose: Most of Canada’s tar sands exploitations are located in the Athabasca river basin. Deposited cohesive sediments in Athabasca river and tributaries are a potential source of PAHs in the basin. Erosional behavior of cohesive sediments depends not only of fluid turbulence but on sediments structure and particularly the influence of organic content. This research tries to describe this behavior in Athabasca river sediments. Methods: An experimental study of cohesive sediments dynamics in one of the tributaries, the Muskeg river, was developed in a rotating annular flume. Variation of the shear stress allowed the determination of erosional strength for beds with different consolidation periods. Particle size measurements were made with a laser diffraction device operated in a continuous flow through mode. Optical analyses of flocs (ESEM and TEM) were performed with samples taken at the end of the experiments. Results: An inverse relationship between suspended sediment concentration (SS) and the consolidation period was found. The differences are related in this research to the increasing organic content of the sediments with consolidation period. The particle size measurements during the experiments showed differences on floc strength that are also related to changing organic content during different consolidation periods. ESEM and TEM observations confirm the structural differences for beds with different consolidation periods. The effects of SFGL on floc structure and in biostabilization of the bed are discussed. Conclusions: It is recommended in this paper that consolidation period should be taken into account for the modeling of erosion of cohesive sediments in the Athabasca river. Relating to transport models of pollutants (PAHs) it is highly recommended to consider flocs organic content, particularly algae, in the resuspension module.Environment Canada, CONACY
CEERS Key Paper VII: Emission Line Ratios from NIRSpec and NIRCam Wide-Field Slitless Spectroscopy at z>2
We use James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera Wide Field Slitless
Spectroscopy (NIRCam WFSS) and Near-Infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) in the
Cosmic Evolution Early Release survey (CEERS) to measure rest-frame optical
emission-line of 155 galaxies at z>2. The blind NIRCam grism observations
include a sample of galaxies with bright emission lines that were not observed
on the NIRSpec masks. We study the changes of the Ha, [OIII]/Hb, and
[NeIII]/[OII] emission lines in terms of redshift by comparing to lower
redshift SDSS and CLEAR samples. We find a significant (>3) correlation
between [OIII]/Hb with redshift, while [NeIII]/[OII] has a marginal (2)
correlation with redshift. We compare [OIII]/Hb and [NeIII]/[OII] to stellar
mass and Hb SFR. We find that both emission-line ratios have a correlation with
Hb SFR and an anti-correlation with stellar mass across the redshifts 0<z<9.
Comparison with MAPPINGS~V models indicates that these trends are consistent
with lower metallicity and higher ionization in low-mass and high-SFR galaxies.
We additionally compare to IllustriousTNG predictions and find that they
effectively describe the highest [OIII]/Hb ratios observed in our sample,
without the need to invoke MAPPINGS models with significant shock ionizionation
components.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figure
Calibrating the James Webb Space telescope filters as star formation rate indicators
We have calibrated the 6.5m James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mid-infrared (MIR) filters as star formation rate
(SFR) indicators, using JWST photometry synthesized from Spitzer spectra of 49 low-redshift galaxies, which cover a
wider luminosity range than most previous studies. We use Balmer-decrement-corrected Hα luminosity and
synthesized MIR photometry to empirically calibrate the Spitzer, WISE, and JWST filters as SFR indicators. Our
Spitzer and WISE calibrations are in good agreement with recent calibrations from the literature. While MIR
luminosity may be directly proportional to SFR for high-luminosity galaxies, we find a power-law relationship
between MIR luminosity and SFR for low-luminosity galaxies. We find that for galaxies with
an Hα luminosity of 1040 erg s-1 (corresponding to an SFR of~0.055 M yr-1), the corresponding JWST MIR ν Lν
luminosity is between 1040.50 and 1041.00 erg s-1. Power-law fits of JWST luminosity as a function of Hα luminosity
have indices between 1.17 and 1.32. We find that the scatter in the JWST filter calibrations decreases with increasing
wavelength from 0.39 to 0.20 dex, although F1000W is an exception where the scatter is just 0.24 dex
Observations of Ly Emitters at High Redshift
In this series of lectures, I review our observational understanding of
high- Ly emitters (LAEs) and relevant scientific topics. Since the
discovery of LAEs in the late 1990s, more than ten (one) thousand(s) of LAEs
have been identified photometrically (spectroscopically) at to . These large samples of LAEs are useful to address two major astrophysical
issues, galaxy formation and cosmic reionization. Statistical studies have
revealed the general picture of LAEs' physical properties: young stellar
populations, remarkable luminosity function evolutions, compact morphologies,
highly ionized inter-stellar media (ISM) with low metal/dust contents, low
masses of dark-matter halos. Typical LAEs represent low-mass high- galaxies,
high- analogs of dwarf galaxies, some of which are thought to be candidates
of population III galaxies. These observational studies have also pinpointed
rare bright Ly sources extended over kpc, dubbed
Ly blobs, whose physical origins are under debate. LAEs are used as
probes of cosmic reionization history through the Ly damping wing
absorption given by the neutral hydrogen of the inter-galactic medium (IGM),
which complement the cosmic microwave background radiation and 21cm
observations. The low-mass and highly-ionized population of LAEs can be major
sources of cosmic reionization. The budget of ionizing photons for cosmic
reionization has been constrained, although there remain large observational
uncertainties in the parameters. Beyond galaxy formation and cosmic
reionization, several new usages of LAEs for science frontiers have been
suggested such as the distribution of {\sc Hi} gas in the circum-galactic
medium and filaments of large-scale structures. On-going programs and future
telescope projects, such as JWST, ELTs, and SKA, will push the horizons of the
science frontiers.Comment: Lecture notes for `Lyman-alpha as an Astrophysical and Cosmological
Tool', Saas-Fee Advanced Course 46. Verhamme, A., North, P., Cantalupo, S., &
Atek, H. (eds.) --- 147 pages, 103 figures. Abstract abridged. Link to the
lecture program including the video recording and ppt files :
https://obswww.unige.ch/Courses/saas-fee-2016/program.cg
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