1,500 research outputs found
Safety in Numbers: A strategy for cycling?
Jennifer Bonham, Stuart Cathcart, John Petkov and Peter Lum
UV observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 1795 with the optical monitor on XMM-Newton
We present the results of an analysis of broad band UV observations of the
central regions of Abell 1795 observed with the optical monitor on XMM-Newton.
As have been found with other UV observations of the central regions of
clusters of galaxies, we find evidence for star formation. However, we also
find evidence for absorption in the cD galaxy on a more extended scale than has
been seen with optical imaging. We also report the first UV observation of part
of the filamentary structure seen in H, X-rays and very deep U band
imaging. The part of the filament we see is very blue with UV colours
consistent with a very early (O/B) stellar population. This is the first direct
evidence of a dominant population of early type stars at the centre of Abell
1795 and implies very recent star formation at the centre of this clusterComment: 6 pages, 3 figures accepted by A&A Letter
X-ray Spectroscopy of the Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1795 with XMM-Newton
The initial results from XMM-Newton observations of the rich cluster of
galaxies Abell 1795 are presented. The spatially-resolved X-ray spectra taken
by the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) show a temperature drop at a
radius of kpc from the cluster center, indicating that the ICM is
cooling. Both the EPIC and the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) spectra
extracted from the cluster center can be described by an isothermal model with
a temperature of keV. The volume emission measure of any cool
component ( keV) is less than a few % of the hot component at the cluster
center. A strong OVIII Lyman-alpha line was detected with the RGS from the
cluster core. The O abundance and its ratio to Fe at the cluster center is
0.2--0.5 and 0.5--1.5 times the solar value, respectively.Comment: Accepted: A&A Letters, 2001, 6 page
project: III. Gas mass fraction shape in high redshift clusters
We study the gas mass fraction, behavior in
project. The typical shape of high redshift galaxy
clusters follows the global shape inferred at low redshift quite well. This
result is consistent with the gravitational instability picture leading to self
similar structures for both the dark and baryonic matter. However, the mean
XMM$ clusters, the apparent gas
fraction at the virial radius is consistent with a non-evolving universal value
in a high matter density model and not with a concordance.Comment: Accepted, A&A, in pres
The XMM-Newton Project
The abundance of high-redshift galaxy clusters depends sensitively on the
matter density \OmM and, to a lesser extent, on the cosmological constant
. Measurements of this abundance therefore constrain these fundamental
cosmological parameters, and in a manner independent and complementary to other
methods, such as observations of the cosmic microwave background and distance
measurements. Cluster abundance is best measured by the X-ray temperature
function, as opposed to luminosity, because temperature and mass are tightly
correlated, as demonstrated by numerical simulations. Taking advantage of the
sensitivity of XMM-Newton, our Guaranteed Time program aims at measuring the
temperature of the highest redshift (z>0.4) SHARC clusters, with the ultimate
goal of constraining both \OmM and .Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of the XXI Moriond Conference: Galaxy
Clusters and the High Redshift Universe Observed in X-rays, edited by D.
Neumann, F. Durret, & J. Tran Thanh Va
XMM-Newton observations of the Galactic Supernova Remnant CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0)
We present the analysis of the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton)
European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) data of the Galactic supernova remnant
(SNR) CTB 109 (G109.1-1.0). CTB 109 is associated with the anomalous X-ray
pulsar (AXP) 1E 2259+586 and has an unusual semi-circular morphology in both
the X-ray and the radio, and an extended X-ray bright interior region known as
the `Lobe'. The deep EPIC mosaic image of the remnant shows no emission towards
the west where a giant molecular cloud complex is located. No morphological
connection between the Lobe and the AXP is found. We find remarkably little
spectral variation across the remnant given the large intensity variations. All
spectra of the shell and the Lobe are well fitted by a single-temperature
non-equilibrium ionization model for a collisional plasma with solar abundances
(kT = 0.5 - 0.7 keV, tau = n_e t = 1 - 4 x 10^11 s cm^-3, N_H = 5 - 7 x 10^21
cm^-2). There is no indication of nonthermal emission in the Lobe or the shell.
We conclude that the Lobe originated from an interaction of the SNR shock wave
with an interstellar cloud. Applying the Sedov solution for the undisturbed
eastern part of the SNR, and assuming full equilibration between the electrons
and ions behind the shock front, the SNR shock velocity is derived as v_s = 720
+/- 60 km s^-1, the remnant age as t = (8.8 +/- 0.9) x 10^3 d_3 yr, the initial
energy as E_0 = (7.4 +/- 2.9) x 10^50 d_3^2.5 ergs, and the pre-shock density
of the nuclei in the ambient medium as n_0 = (0.16 +/- 0.02) d_3^-0.5 cm^-3, at
an assumed distance of D = 3.0 d_3 kpc. Assuming CTB 109 and 1E 2259+586 are
associated, these values constrain the age and the environment of the
progenitor of the SNR and the pulsar.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 9 figures. Figs. 1 + 2 are in color
(fig1.jpg, fig2.jpg
The LOFT Ground Segment
LOFT, the Large Observatory For X-ray Timing, was one of the ESA M3 mission
candidates that completed their assessment phase at the end of 2013. LOFT is
equipped with two instruments, the Large Area Detector (LAD) and the Wide Field
Monitor (WFM). The LAD performs pointed observations of several targets per
orbit (~90 minutes), providing roughly ~80 GB of proprietary data per day (the
proprietary period will be 12 months). The WFM continuously monitors about 1/3
of the sky at a time and provides data for about ~100 sources a day, resulting
in a total of ~20 GB of additional telemetry. The LOFT Burst alert System
additionally identifies on-board bright impulsive events (e.g., Gamma-ray
Bursts, GRBs) and broadcasts the corresponding position and trigger time to the
ground using a dedicated system of ~15 VHF receivers. All WFM data are planned
to be made public immediately. In this contribution we summarize the planned
organization of the LOFT ground segment (GS), as established in the mission
Yellow Book 1 . We describe the expected GS contributions from ESA and the LOFT
consortium. A review is provided of the planned LOFT data products and the
details of the data flow, archiving and distribution. Despite LOFT was not
selected for launch within the M3 call, its long assessment phase (> 2 years)
led to a very solid mission design and an efficient planning of its ground
operations.Comment: Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014:
Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91446
Dendritic cells provide a therapeutic target for synthetic small molecule analogues of the parasitic worm product, ES-62
ES-62, a glycoprotein secreted by the parasitic filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae, subverts host immune responses towards anti-inflammatory phenotypes by virtue of covalently attached phosphorylcholine (PC). The PC dictates that ES-62 exhibits protection in murine models of inflammatory disease and hence a library of drug-like PC-based small molecule analogues (SMAs) was synthesised. Four sulfone-containing SMAs termed 11a, 11e, 11i and 12b were found to reduce mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cell (DC) pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production, inhibit NF-ÎșB p65 activation, and suppress LPS-induced up-regulation of CD40 and CD86. Active SMAs also resulted in a DC phenotype that exhibited reduced capacity to prime antigen (Ag)-specific IFN-Îł production during co-culture with naĂŻve transgenic TCR DO.11.10 T cells in vitro and reduced their ability, following adoptive transfer, to prime the expansion of Ag-specific T lymphocytes, specifically TH17 cells, in vivo. Consistent with this, mice receiving DCs treated with SMAs exhibited significantly reduced severity of collagen-induced arthritis and this was accompanied by a significant reduction in IL-17+ cells in the draining lymph nodes. Collectively, these studies indicate that drug-like compounds that target DCs can be designed from parasitic worm products and demonstrate the potential for ES-62 SMA-based DC therapy in inflammatory disease
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