1,209 research outputs found
No temperature fluctuations in the giant HII region H 1013
While collisionally excited lines in HII regions allow one to easily probe
the chemical composition of the interstellar medium in galaxies, the possible
presence of important temperature fluctuations casts some doubt on the derived
abundances. To provide new insights into this question, we have carried out a
detailed study of a giant HII region, H 1013, located in the galaxy M101, for
which many observational data exist and which has been claimed to harbour
temperature fluctuations at a level of t^2 = 0.03-0.06. We have first
complemented the already available optical observational datasets with a
mid-infrared spectrum obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Combined with
optical data, this spectrum provides unprecedented information on the
temperature structure of this giant HII region. A preliminary analysis based on
empirical temperature diagnostics suggests that temperature fluctuations should
be quite weak. We have then performed a detailed modelling using the pyCloudy
package based on the photoionization code Cloudy. We have been able to produce
photoionization models constrained by the observed Hb surface brightness
distribution and by the known properties of the ionizing stellar population
than can account for most of the line ratios within their uncertainties. Since
the observational constraints are both strong and numerous, this argues against
the presence of significant temperature fluctuations in H 1013. The oxygen
abundance of our best model is 12 + log O/H = 8.57, as opposed to the values of
8.73 and 8.93 advocated by Esteban et al. (2009) and Bresolin (2007),
respectively, based on the significant temperature fluctuations they derived.
However, our model is not able to reproduce the intensities of the oxygen
recombination lines . This cannot be attributed to observational uncertainties
and requires an explanation other than temperature fluctuations.Comment: accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysic
The Dark Energy Equation of State using Alternative High-z Cosmic Tracers
We propose to use alternative cosmic tracers to measure the dark energy
equation of state and the matter content of the Universe [w(z) & Omega_m]. Our
proposed method consists of two components: (a) tracing the Hubble relation
using HII galaxies which can be detected up to very large redshifts, z~4, as an
alternative to supernovae type Ia, and (b) measuring the clustering pattern of
X-ray selected AGN at a median redshift of z~1. Each component of the method
can in itself provide interesting constraints on the cosmological parameters,
especially under our anticipation that we will reduce the corresponding random
and systematic errors significantly. However, by joining their likelihood
functions we will be able to put stringent cosmological constraints and break
the known degeneracies between the dark energy equation of state (whether it is
constant or variable) and the matter content of the universe and provide a
powerful and alternative route to measure the contribution to the global
dynamics and the equation of state of dark energy. A preliminary joint analysis
of X-ray selected AGN (based on the largest to-date XMM survey; the 2XMM) and
the currently largest SNIa sample (Hicken et al.), using as priors a flat
universe and the WMAP5 normalization of the power-spectrum, provides:
Omega_m=0.27+-0.02 and w=-0.96+-0.07. Equivalent and consistent results are
provided by the joint analysis of X-ray selected AGN clustering and the latest
Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation measures, providing: Omega_m=0.27+-0.02 and
w=-0.97+-0.04.Comment: Different versions of this paper appear in the "Dark Universe"
conference (Paris, July 2009) and in the "1st Mediterranean Conference in
Classical & Quantum Gravity" (invited
The Environment of HII Galaxies revisited
We present a study of the close (< 200 kpc) environment of 110 relatively
local (z< 0.16) HII galaxies, selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS;
DR7). We use available spectroscopic and photometric redshifts in order to
investigate the presence of a close and possibly interacting companion galaxy.
Our aim is to compare the physical properties of isolated and interacting HII
galaxies and investigate possible systematic effects in their use as
cosmological probes. We find that interacting HII galaxies tend to be more
compact, less luminous and have a lower velocity dispersion than isolated ones,
in agreement with previous studies on smaller samples. However, as we verified,
these environmental differences do not affect the cosmologically important
L_{H{\beta}}-{\sigma} correlation of the HII galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, accepted for publication in A&
The redshift evolution of oxygen and nitrogen abundances in emission-line SDSS galaxies
The oxygen and nitrogen abundance evolutions with redshift and galaxy stellar
mass in emission-line SDSS galaxies are investigated. This is the first such
study for nitrogen abundances, and it provides an additional constraint for the
study of the chemical evolution of galaxies. We have devised a criterion to
recognize and exclude from consideration AGNs and star-forming galaxies with
large errors in the line flux measurements. To select star-forming galaxies
with accurate line fluxes measurements, we require that, for each galaxy, the
nitrogen abundances derived with various calibrations based on different
emission lines agree. Using this selection criterion, subsamples of
star-forming galaxies have been extracted from catalogs of the MPA/JHU group.
We found that the galaxies of highest masses, those with masses > 10^11.2
M_sun, have not been enriched in both oxygen and nitrogen over the last 3 Gyr:
they have formed their stars in the so distant past that these have returned
their nucleosynthesis products to the interstellar medium before z=0.25. The
galaxies in the mass range from 10^11.0 M_sun to 10^11.2 M_sun do not show an
appreciable enrichment in oxygen, but do show some enrichment in nitrogen: they
also formed their stars before z=0.25 but later in comparison to the galaxies
of highest masses; these stars have not returned nitrogen to the interstellar
medium before z=0.25 because they have not had enough time to evolve. This
suggests that stars with lifetimes of 2-3 Gyr contribute to the nitrogen
production. Finally, galaxies with masses < 10^11 M_sun show enrichment in both
oxygen and nitrogen during the last 3 Gyr: they have undergone appreciable star
formation and have converted up to 20% of their mass into stars over this
period.Comment: 43 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Preconditioning and Cellular Engineering to Increase the Survival of Transplanted Neural Stem Cells for Motor Neuron Disease Therapy
Despite the extensive research effort that has been made in the field, motor neuron diseases, namely, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophies, still represent an overwhelming cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Exogenous neural stem cell-based transplantation approaches have been investigated as multifaceted strategies to both protect and repair upper and lower motor neurons from degeneration and inflammation. Transplanted neural stem cells (NSCs) exert their beneficial effects not only through the replacement of damaged cells but also via bystander immunomodulatory and neurotrophic actions. Notwithstanding these promising findings, the clinical translatability of such techniques is jeopardized by the limited engraftment success and survival of transplanted cells within the hostile disease microenvironment. To overcome this obstacle, different methods to enhance graft survival, stability, and therapeutic potential have been developed, including environmental stress preconditioning, biopolymers scaffolds, and genetic engineering. In this review, we discuss current engineering techniques aimed at the exploitation of the migratory, proliferative, and secretive capacity of NSCs and their relevance for the therapeutic arsenal against motor neuron disorders and other neurological disorders
Silence superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1): a promising therapeutic target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorder that targets upper and lower motor neurons and leads to fatal muscle paralysis. Mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene are responsible for 15% of familial ALS cases, but several studies have indicated that SOD1 dysfunction may also play a pathogenic role in sporadic ALS. SOD1 induces numerous toxic effects through the pathological misfolding and aggregation of mutant SOD1 species, hence a reduction of the levels of toxic variants appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy for SOD1-related ALS. Several methods are used to modulate gene expression in vivo; these include RNA interference, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Areas covered: This paper examines the current approaches for gene silencing and the progress made in silencing SOD1 in vivo. It progresses to shed light on the key results and pitfalls of these studies and highlights the future challenges and new perspectives for this exciting research field. Expert opinion: Gene silencing strategies targeting SOD1 may represent effective approaches for familial and sporadic ALS-related neurodegeneration; however, the risk of off-target effects must be minimized, and effective and minimally invasive delivery strategies should be fine-tuned
The ARAUCARIA project: Grid-Based Quantitative Spectroscopic Study of Massive Blue Stars in NGC55
The quantitative study of the physical properties and chemical abundances of
large samples of massive blue stars at different metallicities is a powerful
tool to understand the nature and evolution of these objects. Their analysis
beyond the Milky Way is challenging, nonetheless it is doable and the best way
to investigate their behavior in different environments. Fulfilling this task
in an objective way requires the implementation of automatic analysis
techniques that can perform the analyses systematically, minimizing at the same
time any possible bias.
As part of the ARAUCARIA project we carry out the first quantitative
spectroscopic analysis of a sample of 12 B-type supergiants in the galaxy NGC55
at 1.94 Mpc away. By applying the methodology developed in this work, we derive
their stellar parameters, chemical abundances and provide a characterization of
the present-day metallicity of their host galaxy.
Based on the characteristics of the stellar atmosphere/line formation code
FASTWIND, we designed and created a grid of models for the analysis of massive
blue supergiant stars. Along with this new grid, we implemented a spectral
analysis algorithm. Both tools were specially developed to perform fully
consistent quantitative spectroscopic analyses of low spectral resolution of
B-type supergiants in a fast and objective way.
We present the main characteristics of our FASTWIND model grid and perform a
number of tests to investigate the reliability of our methodology. The
automatic tool is applied afterward to a sample of 12 B-type supergiant stars
in NGC55, deriving the stellar parameters and abundances. The results indicate
that our stars are part of a young population evolving towards a red supergiant
phase. The derived chemical composition hints to an average metallicity similar
to the one of the Large Magellanic Cloud, with no indication of a spatial trend
across the galaxy.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures and 9 tables. Accpeted for publication in A&
Metallicity gradients in local field star-forming galaxies: Insights on inflows, outflows, and the coevolution of gas, stars and metals
We present metallicity gradients in 49 local field star-forming galaxies. We
derive gas-phase oxygen abundances using two widely adopted metallicity
calibrations based on the [OIII]/Hbeta, [NII]/Halpha and [NII]/[OII] line
ratios. The two derived metallicity gradients are usually in good agreement
within +/-0.14 dex/R25 (R25 is the B-band iso-photoal radius), but the
metallicity gradients can differ significantly when the ionisation parameters
change systematically with radius. We investigate the metallicity gradients as
a function of stellar mass (8<log(M*/Msun)<11) and absolute B-band luminosity
(-16 > MB > -22). When the metallicity gradients are expressed in dex/kpc, we
show that galaxies with lower mass and luminosity, on average, have steeper
metallicity gradients. When the metallicity gradients are expressed in dex/R25,
we find no correlation between the metallicity gradients, and stellar mass and
luminosity. We provide a local benchmark metallicity gradient of field
star-forming galaxies useful for comparison with studies at high redshifts. We
investigate the origin of the local benchmark gradient using simple chemical
evolution models and observed gas and stellar surface density profiles in
nearby field spiral galaxies. Our models suggest that the local benchmark
gradient is a direct result of the coevolution of gas and stellar disk under
virtually closed-box chemical evolution when the stellar-to-gas mass ratio
becomes high (>>0.3). These models imply low current mass accretion rates
(<0.3xSFR), and low mass outflow rates (<3xSFR) in local field star-forming
galaxies.Comment: 25 pages, 21 figures, accepted to MNRA
Chemical abundances and winds of massive stars in M31: a B-type supergiant and a WC star in OB10
We present high quality spectroscopic data for two massive stars in the OB10
association of M31, OB10-64 (B0Ia) and OB10-WR1 (WC6). Medium resolution
spectra of both stars were obtained using the ISIS spectrograph on the William
Hershel Telescope. This is supplemented with HST-STIS UV spectroscopy and KeckI
HIRES data for OB10-64. A non-LTE model atmosphere and abundance analysis for
OB10-64 is presented indicating that this star has similar photospheric CNO, Mg
and Si abundances as solar neighbourhood massive stars. A wind analysis of this
early B-type supergiant reveals a mass-loss rate of M_dot=1.6x10^-6
M_solar/yr,and v_infty=1650 km/s. The corresponding wind momentum is in good
agreement with the wind momentum -- luminosity relationship found for Galactic
early B supergiants. Observations of OB10W-R1 are analysed using a non-LTE,
line-blanketed code, to reveal approximate stellar parameters of log L/L_solar
\~ 5.7, T~75 kK, v_infty ~ 3000 km/s, M_dot ~ 10^-4.3 M_solar/yr, adopting a
clumped wind with a filling factor of 10%. Quantitative comparisons are made
with the Galactic WC6 star HD92809 (WR23) revealing that OB10-WR1 is 0.4 dex
more luminous, though it has a much lower C/He ratio (~0.1 versus 0.3 for
HD92809). Our study represents the first detailed, chemical model atmosphere
analysis for either a B-type supergiant or a WR star in Andromeda, and shows
the potential of how such studies can provide new information on the chemical
evolution of galaxies and the evolution of massive stars in the local Universe.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, MNRAS accepted version, some minor revision
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