PepT1 mRNA expression levels in sea bream (Sparus aurata) fed different plant protein sources

The expression and regulation of intestinal oligopeptide transporter (PepT)-1 when vegetable sources are used as a substitute for fish meal in the diet of marine fish has not yet been explored. In the present study, as part of our ongoing work on elucidating PepT1 gene expression in relation to different dietary treatments, we have now isolated and deposited in Genbank database (accession no. GU733710) a cDNA sequence representing the PepT1 in the sea bream (Sparus aurata). The \u201cde novo\u201d prediction of the three-dimensional structure of PepT1 protein is presented. We also analyzed diet-induced changes in the expression of PepT1 mRNA via real-time RTPCR using the standard curve method. Sea bream were fed for 140 days with one of the following four diet formulations (43% protein/21% lipid): a control fast growth-promoting diet (C), and three diets with the same formulation but in which 15% of the fish meal was substituted by protein concentrates either from lupine (LPC), chick pea (CPC), or green pea (PPC). Fish fed PPC had significantly (p < 0.05) lower levels of PepT1 transcripts in the proximal intestine than the controls, whereas PepT1 transcript levels in fish fed LPC or CPC were not significantly different from the controls. Although growth was similar between fish fed with different diets during the first 72 days of feeding, growth of the fish fed with PPC was reduced during the second part of the trial and was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than fish fed LPC and CPC diets by the end of the experiment. Correlation between these results and fish growth performances highlights that the intestinal PepT1 mRNA level may serve as a useful marker of the dietary protein quality and absorption efficiency

Influence of major mergers on the radio emission of elliptical galaxies

We investigate the influence of major mergers on the radio emission of elliptical galaxies. We use a complete sample of close pairs, which contains 475 merging and 1828 non-merging paired elliptical galaxies of M_r<-21.5 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In addition, a control sample of 2000 isolated field galaxies is used for comparison. We cross-identify the optical galaxies with the radio surveys of FIRST and NVSS. We find that the radio fraction of merging paired galaxies is about 6%, which is slightly higher than the 5% obtained for non-merging paired galaxies, although these values are consistent with each other owing to the large uncertainty caused by the limited sample. The radio fraction is twice as that of isolated galaxies, which is less than 3%. Radio emission of elliptical galaxies is only slightly affected by major mergers, but predominantly depends on their optical luminosities. Therefore, merging is not important in triggering the radio emission of elliptical galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in A&A, minor change

MASSIV: Mass Assembly Survey with SINFONI in VVDS. V. The major merger rate of star-forming galaxies at 0.9 < z < 1.8 from IFS-based close pairs

We aim to measure the major merger rate of star-forming galaxies at 0.9 < z <1.8, using close pairs identified from integral field spectroscopy (IFS). We use the velocity field maps obtained with SINFONI/VLT on the MASSIV sample, selected from the star-forming population in the VVDS. We identify physical pairs of galaxies from the measurement of the relative velocity and the projected separation (r_p) of the galaxies in the pair. Using the well constrained selection function of the MASSIV sample we derive the gas-rich major merger fraction (luminosity ratio mu = L_2/L_1 >= 1/4), and, using merger time scales from cosmological simulations, the gas-rich major merger rate at a mean redshift up to z = 1.54. We find a high gas-rich major merger fraction of 20.8+15.2-6.8 %, 20.1+8.0-5.1 % and 22.0+13.7-7.3 % for close pairs with r_p <= 20h^-1 kpc in redshift ranges z = [0.94, 1.06], [1.2, 1.5) and [1.5, 1.8), respectively. This translates into a gas-rich major merger rate of 0.116+0.084-0.038 Gyr^-1, 0.147+0.058-0.037 Gyr^-1 and 0.127+0.079-0.042 Gyr^-1 at z = 1.03, 1.32 and 1.54, respectively. Combining our results with previous studies at z < 1, the gas-rich major merger rate evolves as (1+z)^n, with n = 3.95 +- 0.12, up to z = 1.5. From these results we infer that ~35% of the star-forming galaxies with stellar masses M = 10^10 - 10^10.5 M_Sun have undergone a major merger since z ~ 1.5. We develop a simple model which shows that, assuming that all gas-rich major mergers lead to early-type galaxies, the combined effect of gas-rich and dry mergers is able to explain most of the evolution in the number density of massive early-type galaxies since z ~ 1.5, with our measured gas-rich merger rate accounting for about two-thirds of this evolution.Comment: Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 24 pages, 30 figures, 2 tables. Appendix with the residual images from GALFIT added. Minor changes with respect to the initial versio

Hydrodynamics of high-redshift galaxy collisions: From gas-rich disks to dispersion-dominated mergers and compact spheroids

Disk galaxies at high redshift (z~2) are characterized by high fractions of cold gas, strong turbulence, and giant star-forming clumps. Major mergers of disk galaxies at high redshift should then generally involve such turbulent clumpy disks. Merger simulations, however, model the ISM as a stable, homogeneous, and thermally pressurized medium. We present the first merger simulations with high fractions of cold, turbulent, and clumpy gas. We discuss the major new features of these models compared to models where the gas is artificially stabilized and warmed. Gas turbulence, which is already strong in high-redshift disks, is further enhanced in mergers. Some phases are dispersion-dominated, with most of the gas kinetic energy in the form of velocity dispersion and very chaotic velocity fields, unlike merger models using a thermally stabilized gas. These mergers can reach very high star formation rates, and have multi-component gas spectra consistent with SubMillimeter Galaxies. Major mergers with high fractions of cold turbulent gas are also characterized by highly dissipative gas collapse to the center of mass, with the stellar component following in a global contraction. The final galaxies are early-type with relatively small radii and high Sersic indices, like high-redshift compact spheroids. The mass fraction in a disk component that survives or re-forms after a merger is severely reduced compared to models with stabilized gas, and the formation of a massive disk component would require significant accretion of external baryons afterwards. Mergers thus appear to destroy extended disks even when the gas fraction is high, and this lends further support to smooth infall as the main formation mechanism for massive disk galaxies.Comment: ApJ accepte

Galaxy Pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - III: Evidence of Induced Star Formation from Optical Colours

We have assembled a large, high quality catalogue of galaxy colours from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7, and have identified 21,347 galaxies in pairs spanning a range of projected separations (r_p < 80 h_{70}^{-1} kpc), relative velocities (\Delta v < 10,000 km/s, which includes projected pairs that are essential for quality control), and stellar mass ratios (from 1:10 to 10:1). We find that the red fraction of galaxies in pairs is higher than that of a control sample matched in stellar mass and redshift, and demonstrate that this difference is likely due to the fact that galaxy pairs reside in higher density environments than non-paired galaxies. We detect clear signs of interaction-induced star formation within the blue galaxies in pairs, as evidenced by a higher fraction of extremely blue galaxies, along with blueward offsets between the colours of paired versus control galaxies. These signs are strongest in close pairs (r_p < 30 h_{70}^{-1} kpc and \Delta v < 200 km/s), diminish for more widely separated pairs (r_p > 60 h_{70}^{-1} kpc and \Delta v < 200 km/s) and disappear for close projected pairs (r_p < 30 h_{70}^{-1} kpc and \Delta v > 3000 km/s). These effects are also stronger in central (fibre) colours than in global colours, and are found primarily in low- to medium-density environments. Conversely, no such trends are seen in red galaxies, apart from a small reddening at small separations which may result from residual errors with photometry in crowded fields. When interpreted in conjunction with a simple model of induced starbursts, these results are consistent with a scenario in which close peri-centre passages trigger induced star formation in the centres of galaxies which are sufficiently gas rich, after which time the galaxies gradually redden as they separate and their starbursts age.Comment: 17 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Gas-Phase Oxygen Gradients in Strongly Interacting Galaxies: I. Early-Stage Interactions

A consensus is emerging that interacting galaxies show depressed nuclear gas metallicities compared to isolated star-forming galaxies. Simulations suggest that this nuclear underabundance is caused by interaction-induced inflow of metal-poor gas, and that this inflow concurrently flattens the radial metallicity gradients in strongly interacting galaxies. We present metallicities of over 300 HII regions in a sample of 16 spirals that are members of strongly interacting galaxy pairs with mass ratio near unity. The deprojected radial gradients in these galaxies are about half of those in a control sample of isolated, late-type spirals. Detailed comparison of the gradients with simulations show remarkable agreement in gradient distributions, the relationship between gradients and nuclear underabundances, and the shape of profile deviations from a straight line. Taken together, this evidence conclusively demonstrates that strongly interacting galaxies at the present day undergo nuclear metal dilution due to gas inflow, as well as significant flattening of their gas-phase metallicity gradients, and that current simulations can robustly reproduce this behavior at a statistical level.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

The Morphology of Galaxies in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

We study the morphology of luminous and massive galaxies at 0.3<z<0.7 targeted in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) using publicly available Hubble Space Telescope imaging from COSMOS. Our sample (240 objects) provides a unique opportunity to check the visual morphology of these galaxies which were targeted based solely on stellar population modelling. We find that the majority (74+/-6%) possess an early-type morphology (elliptical or S0), while the remainder have a late-type morphology. This is as expected from the goals of the BOSS target selection which aimed to predominantly select slowly evolving galaxies, for use as cosmological probes, while still obtaining a fair fraction of actively star forming galaxies for galaxy evolution studies. We show that a colour cut of (g-i)>2.35 selects a sub-sample of BOSS galaxies with 90% early-type morphology - more comparable to the earlier Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) samples of SDSS-I/II. The remaining 10% of galaxies above this cut have a late-type morphology and may be analogous to the "passive spirals" found at lower redshift. We find that 23+/-4% of the early-type galaxies are unresolved multiple systems in the SDSS imaging. We estimate that at least 50% of these are real associations (not projection effects) and may represent a significant "dry merger" fraction. We study the SDSS pipeline sizes of BOSS galaxies which we find to be systematically larger (by 40%) than those measured from HST images, and provide a statistical correction for the difference. These details of the BOSS galaxies will help users of the data fine-tune their selection criteria, dependent on their science applications. For example, the main goal of BOSS is to measure the cosmic distance scale and expansion rate of the Universe to percent-level precision - a point where systematic effects due to the details of target selection may become important.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures; v2 as accepted by MNRA

Galaxy Pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey - II: The Effect of Environment on Interactions

We use a sample of close galaxy pairs selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 (SDSS DR4) to investigate in what environments galaxy mergers occur and how the results of these mergers depend on differences in local galaxy density. The galaxies are quantified morphologically using two-dimensional bulge-plus-disk decompositions and compared to a control sample matched in stellar mass, redshift and local projected density. Lower density environments have fractionally more galaxy pairs with small projected separations (r_p) and relative velocities (Delta v), but even high density environments contain significant populations of pairs with parameters that should be conducive to interactions. Metrics of asymmetry and colour are used to identify merger activity and triggered star formation. The location of star formation is inferred by distinguishing bulge and disk colours and calculating bulge fractions from the SDSS images. Galaxies in the lowest density environments show the largest changes in star formation rate, asymmetry and bulge-total fractions at small separations, accompanied by bluer bulge colours. At the highest local densities, the only galaxy property to show an enhancement in the closest pairs is asymmetry. We interpret these results as evidence that whilst interactions (leading to tidal distortions) occur at all densities, triggered star formation is seen only in low-to-intermediate density environments. We suggest that this is likely due to the typically higher gas fractions of galaxies in low density environments. Finally, by cross-correlating our sample of galaxy pairs with a cluster catalogue, we investigate the dependence of interactions on clustercentric distance. It is found that for close pairs the fraction of asymmetric galaxies is highest in the cluster centres.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS, 15 page

Ozone Therapy on Cerebral Blood Flow: A Preliminary Report

Ozone therapy is currently being used in the treatment of ischemic disorders, but the underlying mechanisms that result in successful treatment are not well known. This study assesses the effect of ozone therapy on the blood flow in the middle cerebral and common carotid arteries. Seven subjects were recruited for the therapy that was performed by transfusing ozone-enriched autologous blood on 3 alternate days over 1 week. Blood flow quantification in the common carotid artery (n = 14) was performed using color Doppler. Systolic and diastolic velocities in the middle cerebral artery (n = 14) were estimated using transcranial Doppler. Ultrasound assessments were conducted at the following three time points: 1) basal (before ozone therapy), 2) after session #3 and 3) 1 week after session #3. The common carotid blood flow had increased by 75% in relation to the baseline after session #3 (P < 0.001) and by 29% 1 week later (P = 0.039). In the middle cerebral artery, the systolic velocity had increased by 22% after session #3 (P = 0.001) and by 15% 1 week later (P = 0.035), whereas the diastolic velocity had increased by 33% after session #3 (P < 0.001) and by 18% 1 week later (P = 0.023). This preliminary Doppler study supports the clinical experience of achieving improvement by using ozone therapy in peripheral ischemic syndromes. Its potential use as a complementary treatment in cerebral low perfusion syndromes merits further clinical evaluation