217 research outputs found
CHANG-ES VI: Probing Supernova Energy Deposition in Spiral Galaxies Through Multi-Wavelength Relationships
How a galaxy regulates its SNe energy into different
interstellar/circumgalactic medium components strongly affects galaxy
evolution. Based on the JVLA D-configuration C- (6 GHz) and L-band (1.6 GHz)
continuum observations, we perform statistical analysis comparing
multi-wavelength properties of the CHANG-ES galaxies. The high-quality JVLA
data and edge-on orientation enable us for the first time to include the halo
into the energy budget for a complete radio-flux-limited sample. We find tight
correlations of with the mid-IR-based SFR. The normalization of
our relation is 2-3 times of
those obtained for face-on galaxies, probably a result of enhanced IR
extinction at high inclination. We also find tight correlations between and the SNe energy injection rate , indicating
the energy loss via synchrotron radio continuum accounts for of
, comparable to the energy contained in CR electrons. The
integrated C-to-L-band spectral index is for non-AGN
galaxies, indicating a dominance by the diffuse synchrotron component. The
low-scatter /
relationships have super-linear logarithmic slopes at in L-band
(/) while consistent with linear in C-band
(/). The super-linearity could be naturally
reproduced with non-calorimeter models for galaxy disks. Using Chandra halo
X-ray measurements, we find sub-linear relations.
These results indicate that the observed radio halo of a starburst galaxy is
close to electron calorimeter, and a galaxy with higher SFR tends to distribute
an increased fraction of SNe energy into radio emission (than X-ray).Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, MNRAS in pres
An improved automated immunoassay for C-reactive protein on the Dimension® clinical chemistry system
Recent clinical data indicate that the measurement of the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) requires a higher sensitivity and wider dynamic range than most of the current methods can offer. Our goal was to develop a totally automated and highly sensitive CRP assay with an extended range on the Dimension® clinical chemistry system based on particle-enhanced turbidimetric-immunoassay (PETIA) technology. The improved method was optimized and compared to the Binding Site's radial immunodiffusion assay using disease state specimens to minimize interference. Assay performance was assessed on the Dimension® system in a 12-instrument inter-laboratory comparison study. A split-sample comparison (n = 622) was performed between the improved CRP method on the Dimension® system and the N Latex CRP mono method on the Behring Nephelometer, using a number of reagent and calibrator lots on multiple instruments. The method was also referenced to the standard material, CRM470, provided by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC). The improved CRP method was linear to 265.1mg/l with a detection limit between 0.2 and 0.5mg/l. The method detects antigen excess from the upper assay limit to 2000mg/l, thereby allowing users to retest the sample with dilution. Calibration was stable for 60 days. The within-run reproducibility (CV) was less than 5.1% and total reproducibility ranged from 1.1 to 6.7% between 3.3 and 265.4mg/l CRP. Linear regression analysis of the results on the improved Dimension® method (DM) versus the Behring Nephelometer (BN) yielded the following equation: DM = 0.99 × BN − 0.37; r = 0.992. Minimal interference was observed from sera of patients with elevated IgM, IgG and IgA. The recovery of the IFCC standard was within 100 ± 7 % across multiple lots of reagent and calibrator. The improved CRP method provided a sensitive, accurate and rapid approach to quantify CRP in serum and plasma on the Dimension® clinical chemistry system. The ability to detect antigen excess eliminated reporting falsely low results caused by the ‘prozone effect’
CHANG-ES IV: Radio continuum emission of 35 edge-on galaxies observed with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in D-configuration, Data Release 1
We present the first part of the observations made for the Continuum Halos in
Nearby Galaxies, an EVLA Survey (CHANG-ES) project. The aim of the CHANG-ES
project is to study and characterize the nature of radio halos, their
prevalence as well as their magnetic fields, and the cosmic rays illuminating
these fields. This paper reports observations with the compact D configuration
of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) for the sample of 35 nearby
edge-on galaxies of CHANG-ES. With the new wide bandwidth capabilities of the
VLA, an unprecedented sensitivity was achieved for all polarization products.
The beam resolution is an average of 9.6" and 36" with noise levels reaching
approximately 6 and 30 microJy per beam for C- and L-bands, respectively
(robust weighting). We present intensity maps in these two frequency bands (C
and L), with different weightings, as well as spectral index maps, polarization
maps, and new measurements of star formation rates (SFRs). The data products
described herein are available to the public in the CHANG-ES data release
available at www.queensu.ca/changes. We also present evidence of a trend among
galaxies with larger halos having higher SFR surface density, and we show, for
the first time, a radio continuum image of the median galaxy, taking advantage
of the collective signal-to-noise ratio of 30 of our galaxies. This image shows
clearly that a typical spiral galaxy is surrounded by a halo of magnetic fields
and cosmic rays.Comment: 70 pages, of which 35 pages present the data of each galax
A New Giant Stellar Structure in the Outer Halo of M31
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has revealed an overdensity of luminous red
giant stars ~ 3 degrees (40 projected kpc) to the northeast of M31, which we
have called Andromeda NE. The line-of-sight distance to Andromeda NE is within
approximately 50 kpc of M31; Andromeda NE is not a physically unrelated
projection. Andromeda NE has a g-band absolute magnitude of ~ -11.6 and central
surface brightness of ~ 29 mag/sq.arcsec, making it nearly two orders of
magnitude more diffuse than any known Local Group dwarf galaxy at that
luminosity. Based on its distance and morphology, Andromeda NE is likely
undergoing tidal disruption. Andromeda NE's red giant branch color is unlike
that of M31's present-day outer disk or the stellar stream reported by Ibata et
al. (2001), arguing against a direct link between Andromeda NE and these
structures. However, Andromeda NE has a red giant branch color similar to that
of the G1 clump; it is possible that these structures are both material torn
off of M31's disk in the distant past, or that these are both part of one
ancient stellar stream.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures; ApJ Letters accepted versio
Revisiting inconsistency in large pharmacogenomic studies
In 2013, we published a comparative analysis of mutation and gene expression profiles and drug sensitivity measurements for 15 drugs characterized in the 471 cancer cell lines screened in the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE). While we found good concordance in gene expression profiles, there was substantial inconsistency in the drug responses reported by the GDSC and CCLE projects. We received extensive feedback on the comparisons that we performed. This feedback, along with the release of new data, prompted us to revisit our initial analysis. We present a new analysis using these expanded data, where we address the most significant suggestions for improvements on our published analysis - that targeted therapies and broad cytotoxic drugs should have been treated differently in assessing consistency, that consistency of both molecular profiles and drug sensitivity measurements should be compared across cell lines, and that the software analysis tools provided should have been easier to run, particularly as the GDSC and CCLE released additional data. Our re-analysis supports our previous finding that gene expression data are significantly more consistent than drug sensitivity measurements. Using new statistics to assess data consistency allowed identification of two broad effect drugs and three targeted drugs with moderate to good consistency in drug sensitivity data between GDSC and CCLE. For three other targeted drugs, there were not enough sensitive cell lines to assess the consistency of the pharmacological profiles. We found evidence of inconsistencies in pharmacological phenotypes for the remaining eight drugs. Overall, our findings suggest that the drug sensitivity data in GDSC and CCLE continue to present challenges for robust biomarker discovery. This re-analysis provides additional support for the argument that experimental standardization and validation of pharmacogenomic response will be necessary to advance the broad use of large pharmacogenomic screens
Anomalously low dielectric constant of confined water
The dielectric constant ε of interfacial water has been predicted to be smaller than that of bulk water (ε ≈ 80) because the rotational freedom of water dipoles is expected to decrease near surfaces, yet experimental evidence is lacking. We report local capacitance measurements for water confined between two atomically flat walls separated by various distances down to 1 nanometer. Our experiments reveal the presence of an interfacial layer with vanishingly small polarization such that its out-of-plane ε is only ~2. The electrically dead layer is found to be two to three molecules thick. These results provide much-needed feedback for theories describing water-mediated surface interactions and the behavior of interfacial water, and show a way to investigate the dielectric properties of other fluids and solids under extreme confinement
Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies -- an EVLA Survey (CHANG-ES) -- II: First Results on NGC 4631
We present the first results from the CHANG-ES survey, a new survey of 35
edge-on galaxies to search for both in-disk as well as extra-planar radio
continuum emission. The motivation and science case for the survey are
presented in a companion paper (Paper I). In this paper (Paper II), we outline
the observations and data reduction steps required for wide-band calibration
and mapping of EVLA data, including polarization, based on C-array test
observations of NGC 4631.
With modest on-source observing times (30 minutes at 1.5 GHz and 75 minutes
at 6 GHz for the test data) we have achieved best rms noise levels of 22 and
3.5 Jy beam at 1.5 GHz and 6 GHz, respectively. New disk-halo
features have been detected, among them two at 1.5 GHz that appear as loops in
projection. We present the first 1.5 GHz spectral index map of NGC 4631 to be
formed from a single wide-band observation in a single array configuration.
This map represents tangent slopes to the intensities within the band centered
at 1.5 GHz, rather than fits across widely separated frequencies as has been
done in the past and is also the highest spatial resolution spectral index map
yet presented for this galaxy. The average spectral index in the disk is
indicating that the emission is
largely non-thermal, but a small global thermal contribution is sufficient to
explain a positive curvature term in the spectral index over the band. Two
specific star forming regions have spectral indices that are consistent with
thermal emission. Polarization results (uncorrected for internal Faraday
rotation) are consistent with previous observations and also reveal some new
features. On broad scales, we find strong support for the notion that magnetic
fields constrain the X-ray emitting hot gas.Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journal, Version 2 changes: Added
acknowledgement to NRA
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