842 research outputs found
The Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect and Its Cosmological Significance
Comptonization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation by hot gas
in clusters of galaxies - the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (S-Z) effect - is of great
astrophysical and cosmological significance. In recent years observations of
the effect have improved tremendously; high signal-to-noise images of the
effect (at low microwave frequencies) can now be obtained by ground-based
interferometric arrays. In the near future, high frequency measurements of the
effect will be made with bolomateric arrays during long duration balloon
flights. Towards the end of the decade the PLANCK satellite will extensive S-Z
surveys over a wide frequency range. Along with the improved observational
capabilities, the theoretical description of the effect and its more precise
use as a probe have been considerably advanced. I review the current status of
theoretical and observational work on the effect, and the main results from its
use as a cosmological probe.Comment: Invited review; in proceedings of the Erice NATO/ASI `Astrophysical
Sources of High Energy Particles and Radiation'; 11 pages, 3 figure
LEVERAGING PLASMA-DERIVED EXOSOMES FOR BIOMARKER DISCOVERY IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE: PREPARATION FOR A LARGE PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Diverse clinical variability among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients opposes crises prediction, health monitor- ing and streamlined management. Thus, an unmet need for objective biomarkers prevails. Exosomes are extra-cellular nano-vesicles (50-150nm), enriched in bioactive lipids, proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs, released by cells. They transport molecular cargo to nearby/distant cells to affect-regulate biological processes. Recent studies by Khalyfa et al. assessed the plasma exosome content, their sources and transcriptomics signature as predictive marker in SCD children with acute chest syndrome. However, the small sample sizes (32 and 33 individuals, respectively) may not capture the clinical variability
Serial protein crystallography in an electron microscope
Serial X-ray crystallography at free-electron lasers allows to solve biomolecular structures from sub-micron-sized crystals. However, beam time at these facilities is scarce, and involved sample delivery techniques are required. On the other hand, rotation electron diffraction (MicroED) has shown great potential as an alternative means for protein nano-crystallography. Here, we present a method for serial electron diffraction of protein nanocrystals combining the benefits of both approaches. In a scanning transmission electron microscope, crystals randomly dispersed on a sample grid are automatically mapped, and a diffraction pattern at fixed orientation is recorded from each at a high acquisition rate. Dose fractionation ensures minimal radiation damage effects. We demonstrate the method by solving the structure of granulovirus occlusion bodies and lysozyme to resolutions of 1.55âĂ
and 1.80âĂ
, respectively. Our method promises to provide rapid structure determination for many classes of materials with minimal sample consumption, using readily available instrumentation
Planck pre-launch status: HFI beam expectations from the optical optimisation of the focal plane
Planck is a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, launched in May 2009, which will map the cosmic microwave background anisotropies in intensity and polarisation with unprecedented detail and sensitivity. It will also provide full-sky maps of astrophysical foregrounds. An accurate knowledge of the telescope beam patterns is an essential element for a correct analysis of the acquired astrophysical data. We present a detailed description of the optical design of the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) together with some of the optical performances measured during the calibration campaigns. We report on the evolution of the knowledge of the pre-launch HFI beam patterns when coupled to ideal telescope elements, and on their significance for the HFI data analysis procedure
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Impact of particles on the Planck HFI detectors: Ground-based measurements and physical interpretation
The Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI) surveyed the sky continuously from
August 2009 to January 2012. Its noise and sensitivity performance were
excellent, but the rate of cosmic ray impacts on the HFI detectors was
unexpectedly high. Furthermore, collisions of cosmic rays with the focal plane
produced transient signals in the data (glitches) with a wide range of
characteristics. A study of cosmic ray impacts on the HFI detector modules has
been undertaken to categorize and characterize the glitches, to correct the HFI
time-ordered data, and understand the residual effects on Planck maps and data
products. This paper presents an evaluation of the physical origins of glitches
observed by the HFI detectors. In order to better understand the glitches
observed by HFI in flight, several ground-based experiments were conducted with
flight-spare HFI bolometer modules. The experiments were conducted between 2010
and 2013 with HFI test bolometers in different configurations using varying
particles and impact energies. The bolometer modules were exposed to 23 MeV
protons from the Orsay IPN TANDEM accelerator, and to Am and Cm
-particle and Fe radioactive X-ray sources. The calibration data
from the HFI ground-based preflight tests were used to further characterize the
glitches and compare glitch rates with statistical expectations under
laboratory conditions. Test results provide strong evidence that the dominant
family of glitches observed in flight are due to cosmic ray absorption by the
silicon die substrate on which the HFI detectors reside. Glitch energy is
propagated to the thermistor by ballistic phonons, while there is also a
thermal diffusion contribution. The implications of these results for future
satellite missions, especially those in the far-infrared to sub-millimetre and
millimetre regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, are discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure
Switching the stereochemical outcome of 6-endo-trig cyclizations; Synthesis of 2,6-Cis-6-substituted 4-oxopipecolic acids
A base-mediated 6-endo-trig cyclization of
readily accessible enone-derived α-amino acids has been
developed for the direct synthesis of novel 2,6-cis-6-
substituted-4-oxo-L-pipecolic acids. A range of aliphatic and
aryl side chains were tolerated by this mild procedure to give
the target compounds in good overall yields. Molecular
modeling of the 6-endo-trig cyclization allowed some insight as
to how these compounds were formed, with the enolate
intermediate generated via an equilibrium process, followed by irreversible tautomerization/neutralization providing the driving force for product formation. Stereoselective reduction and deprotection of the resulting 2,6-cis-6-substituted 4-oxo-L-pipecolic acids to the corresponding 4-hydroxy-L-pipecolic acids was also performed
ACBAR: The Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver
We describe the Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver (ACBAR); a
multifrequency millimeter-wave receiver designed for observations of the Cosmic
Microwave Background (CMB) and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect in clusters of
galaxies. The ACBAR focal plane consists of a 16-pixel, background-limited, 240
mK bolometer array that can be configured to observe simultaneously at 150,
220, 280, and 350 GHz. With 4-5' FWHM Gaussian beam sizes and a 3 degree
azimuth chop, ACBAR is sensitive to a wide range of angular scales. ACBAR was
installed on the 2 m Viper telescope at the South Pole in January 2001. We
describe the design of the instrument and its performance during the 2001 and
2002 observing seasons.Comment: 59 pages, 16 figures -- updated to reflect version published in ApJ
Planck-HFI focal plane concept
The future ESA space mission Planck Surveyor mission will measure the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarisation anisotropies in a frequency domain comprised between 30GHz and 1THz. On board two instruments, LFI based on HEMT technology and HFI using bolometric detectors. We present the optical solutions adopted for this mission, in particular the focal plane design of HFI, concept which has been applied already to other instruments such as the balloon borne experiment Archeops
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