414 research outputs found
A Mixture of LBG Overdensities in the Fields of Three Quasars: Implications for the Robustness of Photometric Selection
The most luminous quasars at are suspected to be both highly
clustered and reside in the most massive dark matter halos in the early
Universe, making them prime targets to search for galaxy overdensities and/or
protoclusters. We search for Lyman-break dropout-selected galaxies using HST
WFC3/ACS broadband imaging in the fields of three quasars, as well
as their simultaneously observed coordinated-parallel fields, and constrain
their photometric redshifts using EAZY. One field, J0305-3150, shows a volume
density 10 higher than the blank-field UV luminosity function (UVLF) at
M, with tentative evidence of a 3 overdensity in its
parallel field located 15 cMpc away. Another field, J2054-0005, shows an
angular overdensity within 500 ckpc from the quasar but still consistent with
UVLF predictions within 3, while the last field, J2348-3054, shows no
enhancement. We discuss methods for reducing uncertainty in overdensity
measurements when using photometric selection and show that we can robustly
select LBGs consistent with being physically associated with the quasar,
corroborated by existing JWST/NIRCam WFSS data in the J0305 field. Even
accounting for incompleteness, the overdensities in J0305 and J2054 are higher
for brighter galaxies at short angular separations, suggesting preferential
enhancement of more massive galaxies in the immediate vicinity of the quasar.
Finally, we compare the LBG population with previously-identified [CII] and
mm-continuum companions; the LBG overdensities are not accompanied by an
enhanced number of dusty galaxies, suggesting that the overdense quasar fields
are not in the bursty star-forming phase sometimes seen in high-redshift
protoclusters.Comment: 22 pages (main text), 12 figures, 10 tables, 2 appendices. Final
version after addressing referee report, accepted to ApJ May 202
Searching Far and Long I: Pilot ALMA 2mm Follow-up of Bright Dusty Galaxies as a Redshift Filter
A complete census of dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) at early epochs is
necessary to constrain the obscured contribution to the cosmic star formation
rate density (CSFRD), however DSFGs beyond are both rare and hard to
identify from photometric data alone due to degeneracies in submillimeter
photometry with redshift. Here, we present a pilot study obtaining follow-up
Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) mm observations of a complete sample
of 39 -bright dusty galaxies in the SSA22 field. Empirical
modeling suggests mm imaging of existing samples of DSFGs selected at
mm can quickly and easily isolate the "needle in a
haystack" DSFGs that sit at or beyond. Combining archival submillimeter
imaging with our measured ALMA mm photometry (mJybeam rms), we characterize the galaxies' IR SEDs and use
them to constrain redshifts. With available redshift constraints fit via the
combination of six submillimeter bands, we identify 6/39 high- candidates
each with likelihood to sit at , and find a positive correlation
between redshift and mm flux density. Specifically, our models suggest the
addition of mm to a moderately constrained IR SED will improve the
accuracy of a millimeter-derived redshift from to
. Our IR SED characterizations provide evidence for
relatively high emissivity spectral indices () in the sample. We measure that especially bright (mJy) DSFGs contribute % to the cosmic-averaged CSFRD from
, confirming findings from previous work with similar samples.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Missing Giants: Predictions on Dust-Obscured Galaxy Stellar Mass Assembly Throughout Cosmic Time
Due to their extremely dust-obscured nature, much uncertainty still exists
surrounding the stellar mass growth and content in dusty, star-forming galaxies
(DSFGs) at . In this work, we present a numerical model built using
empirical data on DSFGs to estimate their stellar mass contributions across the
first 10 Gyr of cosmic time. We generate a dust-obscured stellar mass
function that extends beyond the mass limit of star-forming stellar mass
functions in the literature, and predict that massive DSFGs constitute as much
as of all star-forming galaxies with M M at
. We predict the number density of massive DSFGs and find general
agreement with observations, although more data is needed to narrow wide
observational uncertainties. We forward model mock massive DSFGs to their
quiescent descendants and find remarkable agreement with observations from the
literature demonstrating that, to first order, massive DSFGs are a sufficient
ancestral population to describe the prevalence of massive quiescent galaxies
at . We predict that massive DSFGs and their descendants contribute as
much as to the cosmic stellar mass density during the peak of cosmic
star formation, and predict an intense epoch of population growth during the
Gyr from to 3 during which the majority of the most massive
galaxies at high- grow and then quench. Future studies seeking to understand
massive galaxy growth and evolution in the early Universe should strategize
synergies with data from the latest observatories (e.g. JWST and ALMA) to
better include the heavily dust-obscured galaxy population.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Ap
Broad emission lines in optical spectra of hot dust-obscured galaxies can contribute significantly to JWST/NIRCam photometry
Selecting the first galaxies at z>7-10 from JWST surveys is complicated by
z<6 contaminants with degenerate photometry. For example, strong optical
nebular emission lines at z7-10 Lyman
Break Galaxies (LBGs). Dust-obscured 3<z<6 galaxies in particular are
potentially important contaminants, and their faint rest-optical spectra have
been historically difficult to observe. A lack of optical emission line and
continuum measures for 3<z<6 dusty galaxies now makes it difficult to test
their expected JWST/NIRCam photometry for degenerate solutions with NIRCam
dropouts. Towards this end, we quantify the contribution by strong emission
lines to NIRCam photometry in a physically motivated manner by stacking 21 Keck
II/NIRES spectra of hot, dust-obscured, massive
() and infrared (IR) luminous galaxies at
z~1-4. We derive an average spectrum and measure strong narrow (broad)
[OIII]5007 and H features with equivalent widths of A
( A) and A ( A) respectively. These features can
increase broadband NIRCam fluxes by factors of 1.2-1.7 (0.2-0.6 mag). Due to
significant dust-attenuation (), we find H+[NII] to be
significantly brighter than [OIII]+H, and therefore find that
emission-line dominated contaminants of high-z galaxy searches can only
reproduce moderately blue perceived UV continua of
with and z>4. While there are some
redshifts (z~3.75) where our stack is more degenerate with the photometry of
z>10 LBGs between m, redder filter coverage
beyond m and far-IR/sub-mm follow-up may be useful for
breaking the degeneracy and making a crucial separation between two fairly
unconstrained populations, dust-obscured galaxies at z~3-6 and LBGs at z>10.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, submitted to ApJ
Poor CD4+ T Cell Immunogenicity Limits Humoral Immunity to P. falciparum Transmission-Blocking Candidate Pfs25 in Humans.
Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) targeting the Pfs25 antigen have shown promise in mice but the same efficacy has never been achieved in humans. We have previously published pre-clinical data related to a TBV candidate Pfs25-IMX313 encoded in viral vectors which was very promising and hence progressed to human clinical trials. The results from the clinical trial of this vaccine were very modest. Here we unravel why, contrary to mice, this vaccine has failed to induce robust antibody (Ab) titres in humans to elicit transmission-blocking activity. We examined Pfs25-specific B cell and T follicular helper (Tfh) cell responses in mice and humans after vaccination with Pfs25-IMX313 encoded by replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 63 (ChAd63) and the attenuated orthopoxvirus modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) delivered in the heterologous prime-boost regimen via intramuscular route. We found that after vaccination, the Pfs25-IMX313 was immunologically suboptimal in humans compared to mice in terms of serum Ab production and antigen-specific B, CD4+ and Tfh cell responses. We identified that the key determinant for the poor anti-Pfs25 Ab formation in humans was the lack of CD4+ T cell recognition of Pfs25-IMX313 derived peptide epitopes. This is supported by correlations established between the ratio of proliferated antigen-specific CD4+/Tfh-like T cells, CXCL13 sera levels, and the corresponding numbers of circulating Pfs25-specific memory B cells, that consequently reflected on antigen-specific IgG sera levels. These correlations can inform the design of next-generation Pfs25-based vaccines for robust and durable blocking of malaria transmission
Combination of RTS,S and Pfs25-IMX313 Induces a Functional Antibody Response Against Malaria Infection and Transmission in Mice
The last two decades saw a dramatic reduction in malaria incidence rates, but this decrease has been stalling recently, indicating control measures are starting to fail. An effective vaccine, particularly one with a marked effect on disease transmission, would undoubtedly be an invaluable tool for efforts to control and eliminate malaria. RTS,S/AS01, the most advanced malaria vaccine to date, targets the parasite before it invades the liver and has the potential to prevent malaria disease as well as transmission by preventing blood stage infection and therefore gametocytogenesis. Unfortunately efficacy in a phase III clinical trial was limited and it is widely believed that a malaria vaccine needed to contain multiple antigens from different life-cycle stages to have a realistic chance of success. A recent study in mice has shown that partially efficacious interventions targeting the pre-erythrocytic and the sexual lifecycle stage synergise in eliminating malaria from a population over multiple generations. Hence, the combination of RTS,S/AS01 with a transmission blocking vaccine (TBV) is highly appealing as a pragmatic and powerful way to increase vaccine efficacy. Here we demonstrate that combining Pfs25-IMX313, one of the TBV candidates currently in clinical development, with RTS,S/AS01 readily induces a functional immune response against both antigens in outbred CD1 mice. Formulation of Pfs25-IMX313 in AS01 significantly increased antibody titres when compared to formulation in Alhydrogel, resulting in improved transmission reducing activity in standard membrane feeding assays (SMFA). Upon co-formulation of Pfs25-IMX313 with RTS,S/AS01, the immunogenicity of both vaccines was maintained, and functional assessment of the induced antibody response by SMFA and inhibition of sporozoite invasion assay (ISI) showed no reduction in biological activity against parasites of both lifecycle stages. Should this findings be translatable to human vaccination this could greatly aid efforts to eliminate and eventually eradicate malaria
Emergence of an Ultra-Red Ultra-Massive Galaxy Cluster Core at z=4
Recent simulations and observations of massive galaxy cluster evolution predict that the majority of stellar mass buildup happens within cluster members by z = 2, before cluster virialization. Protoclusters rich with dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) at z > 3 are the favored candidate progenitors for these massive galaxy clusters at z ~ 0. We present here the first study analyzing stellar emission along with cold dust and gas continuum emission in a spectroscopically confirmed z = 4.002 protocluster core rich with DSFGs, the Distant Red Core (DRC). We combine new Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer data with existing Gemini, Herschel, and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations to derive individual galaxy-level properties and compare them to coeval field and other protocluster galaxies. All of the protocluster members are massive (>1010 M ⊙), but not significantly more so than their coeval field counterparts. Within uncertainty, all are nearly indistinguishable from galaxies on the star-forming versus stellar mass main-sequence relationship and the star formation efficiency plane. Assuming no future major influx of fresh gas, we estimate that these gaseous DSFGs will deplete their gas reservoirs in ~300 Myr, becoming the massive quiescent ellipticals dominating cluster cores by z ~ 3. Using various methodologies, we derive a total z = 4 halo mass of ~1014 M ⊙ and estimate that the DRC will evolve to become an ultramassive cluster core of mass 1015 M ⊙ by z = 0
Human Rights and the War on Terror: Complete 2005 - 2007 Topical Research Digest
“9/11 changed everything.” Not really. In fact, there has been far more continuity than change over the past six years in both international and domestic politics. Nonetheless, human rights often have been harmed—although not by terrorism but by “the war on terror.
Safety and Immunogenicity of ChAd63/MVA Pfs25-IMX313 in a Phase I First-in-Human Trial.
BACKGROUND: Transmission blocking vaccines targeting the sexual-stages of the malaria parasite could play a major role to achieve elimination and eradication of malaria. The Plasmodium falciparum Pfs25 protein (Pfs25) is the most clinically advanced candidate sexual-stage antigen. IMX313, a complement inhibitor C4b-binding protein that forms heptamers with the antigen fused to it, improve antibody responses. This is the first time that viral vectors have been used to induce antibodies in humans against an antigen that is expressed only in the mosquito vector. METHODS: Clinical trial looking at safety and immunogenicity of two recombinant viral vectored vaccines encoding Pfs25-IMX313 in healthy malaria-naive adults. Replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 63 (ChAd63) and the attenuated orthopoxvirus modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), encoding Pfs25-IMX313, were delivered by the intramuscular route in a heterologous prime-boost regimen using an 8-week interval. Safety data and samples for immunogenicity assays were taken at various time-points. RESULTS: The reactogenicity of the vaccines was similar to that seen in previous trials using the same viral vectors encoding other antigens. The vaccines were immunogenic and induced both antibody and T cell responses against Pfs25, but significant transmission reducing activity (TRA) was not observed in most volunteers by standard membrane feeding assay. CONCLUSION: Both vaccines were well tolerated and demonstrated a favorable safety profile in malaria-naive adults. However, the transmission reducing activity of the antibodies generated were weak, suggesting the need for an alternative vaccine formulation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02532049
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