46 research outputs found
The Intra-Group Baryons in the LEO I Pair From the VST Early-Type GAlaxy Survey
In this paper we present the deep, wide-field and multi-band imaging of the LEO I pair NGC 3379-NGC 3384, from the VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey (VEGAS). The main goal of this study is to map the intra-group baryons in the pair, in the form of diffuse light and globular clusters (GCs). Taking advantage from the large covered area, which extends for ⌠3.9 square degrees around the pair, and the long integration time, we can map the light distribution out to ⌠63 kpc and down to ⌠30 mag/arcsec2 in the g band and ⌠29 mag/arcsec2 in the r band, deeper than previous data available for this target. The map of the intra-group light (IGL) presents two very faint (Όg ⌠28-29 mag/arcsec2) streams protruding from the brightest group member NGC 3379 and elongated toward North-West and South. We estimate that the fraction of the stellar halo around NGC 3379 plus the intra-group light is (Formula presented.) in both g and r bands, with an average color g-r = 0.75 ± 0.04 mag. The color distribution of the GCs appears multi-modal, with two dominant peaks at (u-r) = 1.8 mag and (u-r) = 2.1 mag, respectively. The GC population stretches from North-East to South-West and from North-West to South of the pair, in the last case overlapping with the streams of IGL, as well as the PNe distribution found by Hartke et al. (Hartke et al., A&A, 2020, 642, A46) and Hartke et al. (Hartke et al., 2022). Since these structures are elongated in the direction of the two nearby galaxies M96 and NGC 3338, they could be the remnant of a past gravitational interactions with the pair.</p
Does the virial mass drive the intra-cluster light? The relationship between the ICL and M from VEGAS
In this Letter we revisit the relationship between the fraction of the
intra-cluster light (ICL) and both the virial mass and the fraction of Early
Type Galaxies in the host halo. This is based on a statistically significant
and homogeneous sample of 22 groups and clusters of galaxies in the local
Universe (), obtained with the VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey
(VEGAS). Taking advantage of the long integration time and large area of the
VEGAS images, we are able to map the galaxy outskirts and ICL down to
29-30 mag/arcsec and out to hundreds of kpc. With this data-set, we
have expanded the sample of ICL measurements, doubling the previous measures
available from the literature for z 0.05. The main result of this work
is the lack of any significant trend between the fraction of ICL and the virial
mass of the host environment, covering a wide range of virial masses (
), in agreement with some
theoretical studies. Since the new data points are all derived with the same
methodology and from the same observational setup, and all have comparable
depth, the large observed scatter indicates an intrinsic variation in the ICL
fraction.On the other hand, there is a weak relation between the fraction of
ICL and the fraction of Early Type Galaxies in the host halo, where a larger
fraction of ICL is found in groups and clusters of galaxies dominated by
earlier morphological types, indicating a connection between the ICL and the
dynamical state of the host system.Comment: Letter to the editor, accepted for publication in A&A. 8 pages, 3
figure
The VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey: Exploring the Outskirts and Intra-cluster Regions of Galaxies in the Low-surface-brightness Regime
The VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey (VEGAS) is a deep, multi-band (u, g, r, i)
imaging survey, carried out with the 2.6-metre VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at
ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile. VEGAS combines the wide (1-square-degree)
OmegaCAM imager and long integration times, together with a specially designed
observing strategy. It has proven to be a gold mine for studies of features at
very low surface brightness, down to levels of mu_g~27-30 magnitudes
arcsec^(-2), over 5-8 magnitudes fainter than the dark sky at Paranal. In this
article we highlight the main science results obtained with VEGAS observations
of galaxies across different environments, from dense clusters of galaxies to
unexplored poor groups and in the field.Comment: Published in The Messenger, vol. 183, p. 25-2
Endometrial microbiota profile in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) patients by culturomics-based analysis
IntroductionIt is well recognized that the human uterus and adjoining tissues of the female reproductive tract exist in a non-sterile state where dysbiosis can impact reproductive outcomes. The endometrial microbiota is a part of this greater milieu. To date, it has largely been studied using 16S rRNA or metagenomics-based methodologies. Despite the known advantages of sequencing analysis, several difficulties have been noted including sample contamination and standardization of DNA extraction or sequencing. The aim of this study was to use a culturomics-based method to analyze the endometrial microbiota and correlate the results with ongoing pregnancy rates.MethodsA prospective cohort study was performed at the University of Naples from June 2022 to December 2022. Ninety-three patients undergoing an IVF cycle with single embryo transfer (ET) (fresh or frozen) were enrolled in the study. Following ET, the catheter tip was inserted into brain heart infusion (BHI) medium under sterile conditions for culture. After 24h and 48h of incubation the microorganisms in the colonies were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).ResultsOverall, 68 (73,92%) patients resulted positive for one or more microbes and 25 patients (26,08%) had no microbial growth. Across all participants, the four most important phyla were Firmicutes (87,76%), Proteobacteria (27,94%), Actinobacteria (10,29%) and Ascomycota (8,82%). Lactobacillus species, in particular, was significantly correlated with ongoing pregnancy rate (p=0,05). On the other hand, Staphylococcus subspecies (spp.) (p<0,05) and Enterobacteriaceae (p<0,001) were found to have a negative impact on the implantation rate.DiscussionDetection of bacteria by culturomics from catheter tips used for embryo transfer has been shown to be a reliable method to detect pathogen growth. Endometrial microbiota testing in clinical practice could certainly offer a means to further improve diagnosis and treatment strategies in IVF patients
Galaxy populations in the Hydra i cluster from the VEGAS survey:I. Optical properties of a large sample of dwarf galaxies
At ~50 Mpc, the Hydra I cluster of galaxies is among the closest cluster in
the z=0 Universe, and an ideal environment to study dwarf galaxy properties in
a cluster environment. We exploit deep imaging data of the Hydra I cluster to
construct a new photometric catalog of dwarf galaxies in the cluster core,
which is then used to derive properties of the Hydra I cluster dwarf galaxies
population as well as to compare with other clusters. Moreover, we investigate
the dependency of dwarf galaxy properties on their surrounding environment. The
new Hydra I dwarf catalog contains 317 galaxies with luminosity between
-18.5<<-11.5 mag, a semi-major axis larger than ~200 pc (a=0.84 arcsec),
of which 202 are new detections, previously unknown dwarf galaxies in the Hydra
I central region. We estimate that our detection efficiency reaches 50% at the
limiting magnitude =-11.5 mag, and at the mean effective surface
brightness =26.5 mag/. We present the standard
scaling relations for dwarf galaxies and compare them with other nearby
clusters. We find that there are no observational differences for dwarfs
scaling relations in clusters of different sizes. We study the spatial
distribution of galaxies, finding evidence for the presence of substructures
within half the virial radius. We also find that mid- and high-luminosity
dwarfs (<-14.5 mag) become on average redder toward the cluster center,
and that they have a mild increase in with increasing clustercentric
distance, similar to what is observed for the Fornax cluster. No clear
clustercentric trends are reported with surface brightness and S\'ersic index.
Considering galaxies in the same magnitude-bins, we find that for high and
mid-luminosity dwarfs (<-13.5 mag) the g-r color is redder for the
brighter surface brightness and higher S\'ersic n index objects.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 25 pages, 21 figure
Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey
Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance