482 research outputs found
The first Frontier Fields cluster: 4.5{\mu}m excess in a z~8 galaxy candidate in Abell 2744
We present in this letter the first analysis of a z~8 galaxy candidate found
in the Hubble and Spitzer imaging data of Abell 2744, as part of the Hubble
Frontier Fields legacy program. We applied the most commonly-used methods to
select exceptionally high-z galaxies by combining non-detection and
color-criteria using seven HST bands. We used GALFIT on IRAC images for fitting
and subtracting contamination of bright nearby sources. The physical properties
have been inferred from SED-fitting using templates with and without nebular
emission. This letter is focussed on the brightest candidate we found
(m=26.2) over the 4.9 arcmin field of view covered by the WFC3.
It shows a non-detection in the ACS bands and at 3.6{\mu}m whereas it is
clearly detected at 4.5{\mu}m with rather similar depths. This break in the
IRAC data could be explained by strong [OIII]+H{\beta} lines at z~8 which
contribute to the 4.5{\mu}m photometry. The best photo-z is found at
z~8.0, although solutions at low-redshift (z~1.9) cannot be
completely excluded, but they are strongly disfavoured by the SED-fitting work.
The amplification factor is relatively small at {\mu}=1.490.02. The Star
Formation Rate in this object is ranging from 8 to 60 Mo/yr, the stellar mass
is in the order of M=(2.5-10) x 10Mo and the size is
r~0.350.15 kpc. This object is one of the first z~8 LBG candidates showing
a clear break between 3.6{\mu}m and 4.5{\mu}m which is consistent with the IRAC
properties of the first spectroscopically confirmed galaxy at a similar
redshift. Due to its brightness, the redshift of this object could potentially
be confirmed by near infrared spectroscopy with current 8-10m telescopes. The
nature of this candidate will be revealed in the coming months with the arrival
of new ACS and Spitzer data, increasing the depth at optical and near-IR
wavelengths.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysics Letter
SNP, or not SNP? Is this the question?
Genetic evaluations (GE) of commercial species have led to reached an efficient selection of the main economic relevant traits. Despite the great number of QTLs (quantitative trait loci) found in the last years, these have had limited application in formal breeding programs. However, the recent development of high density marker panel (SNP - single nucleotide polymorphism) has allowed the Genomic Selection (GS) application. The objective of this work is to analyze the GS impact in animal breeding and to list the considerations to take into account when genomic projects are developed. The GS allows a potential improvement of the GE mainly by increasing the breeding value accuracy and reducing the generation interval. This specially occurs in traits that are difficult or costly to record, those expressed in only one sex or late in the animalâs life. Previous to begin GS projects, is important to define: (1) Target traits, which must be economically relevant and strategic for the specie/breed/country; (2) Reference population for the association studies; (3) The multidisciplinary team; (4) The incoming frequency of new genotypes; and (5) The amount for initial investment. In this process, the phenomics plays a role as a support science for genomics, which will valorize the recording systems
Witnessing the birth of the red sequence: the physical scale and morphology of dust emission in hyper-luminous starbursts in the early Universe
We present high-spatial-resolution ( or at ) ALMA m dust continuum observations of a sample of
44 ultrared dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) selected from the H-ATLAS and
HerMES far-infrared surveys because of their red colors from 250 to 500 m:
and . With photometric
redshifts in the range -6, our sample includes the most luminous
starbursting systems in the early Universe known so far, with total obscured
star-formation rates (SFRs) of up to ,
as well as a population of lensed, less intrinsically luminous sources. The
lower limit on the number of ultrared DSFGs at 870 m (with flux densities
measured from the ALMA maps and thus not affected by source confusion) derived
in this work is in reasonable agreement with models of galaxy evolution,
whereas there have been reports of conflicts at 500 m (where flux
densities are derived from SPIRE). Ultrared DSFGs have a variety of
morphologies (from relatively extended disks with smooth radial profiles, to
compact sources, both isolated and interacting) and an average size,
, of , considerably smaller than
the values reported in previous work for less-luminous DSFGs at lower
redshifts. The size and the estimated gas-depletion times of our sources are
compatible with their being the progenitors of the most massive, compact,
red-and-dead galaxies at -3, and ultimately of local ultra-massive
elliptical galaxies or massive galaxy clusters. We are witnessing the birth of
the high-mass tail of the red sequence of galaxies.Comment: Submitted to ApJ. Comments welcom
Environment of the submillimeter-bright massive starburst HFLS3 at 6.34
We describe the search for Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) near the
sub-millimeter bright starburst galaxy HFLS3 at 6.34 and a study on the
environment of this massive galaxy during the end of reionization.We performed
two independent selections of LBGs on images obtained with the \textit{Gran
Telescopio Canarias} (GTC) and the \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} (HST) by
combining non-detections in bands blueward of the Lyman-break and color
selection. A total of 10 objects fulfilling the LBG selection criteria at
5.5 were selected over the 4.54 and 55.5 arcmin covered by our HST
and GTC images, respectively. The photometric redshift, UV luminosity, and the
star-formation rate of these sources were estimated with models of their
spectral energy distribution. These 6 candidates have physical
properties and number densities in agreement with previous results. The UV
luminosity function at 6 and a Voronoi tessellation analysis of this
field shows no strong evidence for an overdensity of relatively bright objects
(m25.9) associated with \textit{HFLS3}. However, the over-density
parameter deduced from this field and the surface density of objects can not
excluded definitively the LBG over-density hypothesis. Moreover we identified
three faint objects at less than three arcseconds from \textit{HFLS3} with
color consistent with those expected for 6 galaxies. Deeper data are
needed to confirm their redshifts and to study their association with
\textit{HFLS3} and the galaxy merger that may be responsible for the massive
starburst.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Herramientas moleculares para la mejora genética en ovinos
Es indudable el afianzamiento de las evaluaciones genĂ©ticas (EG) poblacionales de ovinos en el Uruguay. En la Ășltima dĂ©cada se ha observado un crecimiento exponencial de las mismas, evaluĂĄndose en la actualidad mĂĄs de 85 cabañas y 25.000 animales al año pertenecientes a 12 razas, publicĂĄndose Diferencias Esperada en la Progenie (DEP
Chromosome landmarks and autosome-sex chromosome translocations in Rumex hastatulus, a plant with XX/XY1Y2 sex chromosome system
Rumex hastatulus is the North American endemic dioecious plant with heteromorphic sex chromosomes. It is differentiated into two chromosomal races: Texas (T) race characterised by a simple XX/XY sex chromosome system and North Carolina (NC) race with a polymorphic XX/XY1Y2 sex chromosome system. The gross karyotype morphology in NC race resembles the derived type, but chromosomal changes that occurred during its evolution are poorly understood. Our C-banding/DAPI and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments demonstrated that Y chromosomes of both races are enriched in DAPI-positive sequences and that the emergence of polymorphic sex chromosome system was accompanied by the break of ancestral Y chromosome and switch in the localization of 5S rDNA, from autosomes to sex chromosomes (X and Y2). Two contrasting domains were detected within North Carolina Y chromosomes: the older, highly heterochromatinised, inherited from the original Y chromosome and the younger, euchromatic, representing translocated autosomal material. The flow-cytometric DNA estimation showed âŒ3.5 % genome downsizing in the North Carolina race. Our results are in contradiction to earlier reports on the lack of heterochromatin within Y chromosomes of this species and enable unambiguous identification of autosomes involved in the autosome-heterosome translocation, providing useful chromosome landmarks for further studies on the karyotype and sex chromosome differentiation in this species
THE COST STRUCTURE OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
Microfinance institutions are important, particularly in developing countries, because they expand the frontier of financial intermediation by providing loans to those traditionally excluded from formal financial markets. This paper presents the first systematic statistical examination of the performance of MFIs operating in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A cost function is estimated for MFIs in the region from 1999-2004. First, the presence of subsidies is found to be associated with higher MFI costs. When output is measured as the number of loans made, we find that MFIs become more efficient over time and that MFIs involved in the provision of group loans and loans to women have lower costs. However, when output is measured as volume of loans rather than their number, this last finding is reversed. This may be due to the fact that such loans are smaller in size; thus for a given volume more loans must be made.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40195/3/wp809.pd
The rapid assembly of an elliptical galaxy of 400 billion solar masses at a redshift of 2.3
Stellar archeology shows that massive elliptical galaxies today formed
rapidly about ten billion years ago with star formation rates above several
hundreds solar masses per year (M_sun/yr). Their progenitors are likely the
sub-millimeter-bright galaxies (SMGs) at redshifts (z) greater than 2. While
SMGs' mean molecular gas mass of 5x10^10 M_sun can explain the formation of
typical elliptical galaxies, it is inadequate to form ellipticals that already
have stellar masses above 2x10^11 M_sun at z ~ 2. Here we report
multi-wavelength high-resolution observations of a rare merger of two massive
SMGs at z = 2.3. The system is currently forming stars at a tremendous rate of
2,000 M_sun/yr. With a star formation efficiency an order-of-magnitude greater
than that of normal galaxies, it will quench the star formation by exhausting
the gas reservoir in only ~200 million years. At a projected separation of 19
kiloparsecs, the two massive starbursts are about to merge and form a passive
elliptical galaxy with a stellar mass of ~4x10^11 M_sun. Our observations show
that gas-rich major galaxy mergers, concurrent with intense star formation, can
form the most massive elliptical galaxies by z ~ 1.5.Comment: Appearing in Nature online on May 22 and in print on May 30.
Submitted here is the accepted version (including the Supplementary
Information), see nature.com for the final versio
Intracellular interferons in fish : a unique means to combat viral infection
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Guidance on the environmental risk assessment of plant pests
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) requested the Panel on Plant Health to develop a methodology for assessing the environmental risks posed by harmful organisms that may enter, establish and spread in the European Union. To do so, the Panel first reviewed the methods for assessing the environmental risks of plant pests that have previously been used in pest risk assessment. The limitations identified by the review led the Panel to define the new methodology for environmental risk assessment which is described in this guidance document. The guidance is primarily addressed to the EFSA PLH Panel and has been conceived as an enhancement of the relevant parts of the âGuidance on a harmonised framework for pest risk assessment and the identification and evaluation of pest risk management options by EFSAâ. Emphasizing the importance of assessing the consequences on both the structural (biodiversity) and the functional (ecosystem services) aspects of the environment, this new approach includes methods for assessing both aspects for the first time in a pest risk assessment scheme. A list of questions has been developed for the assessor to evaluate the consequences for structural biodiversity and for ecosystem services in the current area of invasion and in the risk assessment area. To ensure the consistency and transparency of the assessment, a rating system has also been developed based on a probabilistic approach with an evaluation of the degree of uncertainty. Finally, an overview of the available risk reduction options for pests in natural environments is presented, minimum data requirements are described, and a glossary to support the common understanding of the principles of this opinion is provided
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