124 research outputs found
Evaluation of the bibliometric scenario of the Delphi method with Brazilian affiliations
The Delphi method is a technique used to reach consensus among specialists in an area who will be able to predict demands or analyze conjunctures about strategic themes. Within this context, the present work consisted of a bibliometric evaluation performed in the Scopus database with the aid of VOSviewer software, prioritizing journals with an affiliation of Brazilian institutions and that made use of the Delphi method for the development of their research. Data collection went through validation stages, and the results obtained showed that this tool was used in several areas of knowledge, with great emphasis on health, more specifically in Medicine, Nursing, and Public health. Together, these three areas accounted for more than 60% of publications made available
RELICS: Strong Lens Models for Five Galaxy Clusters From the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey
Strong gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters magnifies background
galaxies, enhancing our ability to discover statistically significant samples
of galaxies at z>6, in order to constrain the high-redshift galaxy luminosity
functions. Here, we present the first five lens models out of the Reionization
Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS) Hubble Treasury Program, based on new HST
WFC3/IR and ACS imaging of the clusters RXC J0142.9+4438, Abell 2537, Abell
2163, RXC J2211.7-0349, and ACT-CLJ0102-49151. The derived lensing
magnification is essential for estimating the intrinsic properties of
high-redshift galaxy candidates, and properly accounting for the survey volume.
We report on new spectroscopic redshifts of multiply imaged lensed galaxies
behind these clusters, which are used as constraints, and detail our strategy
to reduce systematic uncertainties due to lack of spectroscopic information. In
addition, we quantify the uncertainty on the lensing magnification due to
statistical and systematic errors related to the lens modeling process, and
find that in all but one cluster, the magnification is constrained to better
than 20% in at least 80% of the field of view, including statistical and
systematic uncertainties. The five clusters presented in this paper span the
range of masses and redshifts of the clusters in the RELICS program. We find
that they exhibit similar strong lensing efficiencies to the clusters targeted
by the Hubble Frontier Fields within the WFC3/IR field of view. Outputs of the
lens models are made available to the community through the Mikulski Archive
for Space TelescopesComment: Accepted to Ap
RELICS: High-Resolution Constraints on the Inner Mass Distribution of the z=0.83 Merging Cluster RXJ0152.7-1357 from strong lensing
Strong gravitational lensing (SL) is a powerful means to map the distribution
of dark matter. In this work, we perform a SL analysis of the prominent X-ray
cluster RXJ0152.7-1357 (z=0.83, also known as CL 0152.7-1357) in \textit{Hubble
Space Telescope} images, taken in the framework of the Reionization Lensing
Cluster Survey (RELICS). On top of a previously known galaxy multiply
imaged by RXJ0152.7-1357, for which we identify an additional multiple image,
guided by a light-traces-mass approach we identify seven new sets of multiply
imaged background sources lensed by this cluster, spanning the redshift range
[1.79-3.93]. A total of 25 multiple images are seen over a small area of ~0.4
, allowing us to put relatively high-resolution constraints on the
inner matter distribution. Although modestly massive, the high degree of
substructure together with its very elongated shape make RXJ0152.7-1357 a very
efficient lens for its size. This cluster also comprises the third-largest
sample of z~6-7 candidates in the RELICS survey. Finally, we present a
comparison of our resulting mass distribution and magnification estimates with
those from a Lenstool model. These models are made publicly available through
the MAST archive.Comment: 15 Pages, 7 Figures, 4 Tables Accepted for publication in Ap
Exosomes secreted by cardiomyocytes subjected to ischaemia promote cardiac angiogenesis
Funding Information: This work was supported by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors (COMPETE) [HealthyAging2020 CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012-N2323, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016385, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440 to CNC.IBILI, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274 to i3S/INEB and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012 to T.L.L.]; national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [PTDC/SAU-ORG/119296/2010, PTDC/ NEU-OSD/0312/2012, PESTC/ SAU/UI3282/2013-2014, MITP-TB/ECE/0013/ 2013, FCT-UID/NEU/04539/2013], PD/BD/52294/2013 to T.M.R.R., SFRH/ BD/85556/2012 (co-financed by QREN) to V.C.S]; Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (LISBOA 2020) and Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement; and by INFARMED Autoridade Nacional do Medicamento e Produtos de Saúde, I.P. [FIS-FIS-2015-01_CCV_20150630-157]. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Author.Aims Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and results from an obstruction in the blood supply to a region of the heart. In an attempt to replenish oxygen and nutrients to the deprived area, affected cells release signals to promote the development of new vessels and confer protection against MI. However, the mechanisms underlying the growth of new vessels in an ischaemic scenario remain poorly understood. Here, we show that cardiomyocytes subjected to ischaemia release exosomes that elicit an angiogenic response of endothelial cells (ECs). Methods and results Exosomes secreted by H9c2 myocardial cells and primary cardiomyocytes, cultured either in control or ischaemic conditions were isolated and added to ECs. We show that ischaemic exosomes, in comparison with control exosomes, confer protection against oxidative-induced lesion, promote proliferation, and sprouting of ECs, stimulate the formation of capillary-like structures and strengthen adhesion complexes and barrier properties. Moreover, ischaemic exosomes display higher levels of metalloproteases (MMP) and promote the secretion of MMP by ECs. We demonstrate that miR-222 and miR-143, the relatively most abundant miRs in ischaemic exosomes, partially recapitulate the angiogenic effect of exosomes. Additionally, we show that ischaemic exosomes stimulate the formation of new functional vessels in vivo using in ovo and Matrigel plug assays. Finally, we demonstrate that intramyocardial delivery of ischaemic exosomes improves neovascularization following MI. Conclusions This study establishes that exosomes secreted by cardiomyocytes under ischaemic conditions promote heart angiogenesis, which may pave the way towards the development of add-on therapies to enhance myocardial blood supply.publishersversionpublishe
RELICS: Properties of z>5.5 Galaxies Inferred from Spitzer and Hubble Imaging Including A Candidate z~6.8 Strong [OIII] Emitter
We present constraints on the physical properties (including stellar mass,
age, and star formation rate) of 207 galaxy candidates
from the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS) and companion
Spitzer-RELICS surveys. We measure photometry using T-PHOT and perform spectral
energy distribution fitting using EAY and BAGPIPES. Of the 207 candidates
for which we could successfully measure Spitzer fluxes, 23 were demoted to
likely low redshift (). Among the remaining high redshift candidates, we
find intrinsic stellar masses between and
, and rest-frame UV absolute magnitudes between
and mag. While our sample is mostly comprised of
galaxies, there are a number of brighter objects in the
sample, extending to . The galaxies in our sample span
approximately four orders of magnitude in stellar mass and star-formation
rates, and exhibit ages ranging from maximally young to maximally old. We
highlight 11 galaxies which have detections in Spitzer/IRAC imaging and
redshift estimates , several of which show evidence for some
combination of evolved stellar populations, large contributions of nebular
emission lines, and/or dust. Among these is PLCKG287+32-2013, one of the
brightest candidates known (AB mag 24.9) with a Spitzer 3.6m flux
excess suggesting strong [OIII] + H- emission (1000\AA\ rest-frame
equivalent width). We discuss the possible uses and limits of our sample and
present a public catalog of Hubble 0.4--1.6m + Spitzer 3.6m and
4.5m photometry along with physical property estimates for all 207 objects
in the sample. Because of their apparent brightnesses, high redshifts, and
variety of stellar populations, these objects are excellent targets for
follow-up with James Webb Space Telescope.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure
Power efficiency of outer hair cell somatic electromotility
© 2009 Rabbitt et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PLoS Computational Biology 5 (2009): e1000444, doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000444.Cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) are fast biological motors that serve to enhance the vibration of the organ of Corti and increase the sensitivity of the inner ear to sound. Exactly how OHCs produce useful mechanical power at auditory frequencies, given their intrinsic biophysical properties, has been a subject of considerable debate. To address this we formulated a mathematical model of the OHC based on first principles and analyzed the power conversion efficiency in the frequency domain. The model includes a mixture-composite constitutive model of the active lateral wall and spatially distributed electro-mechanical fields. The analysis predicts that: 1) the peak power efficiency is likely to be tuned to a specific frequency, dependent upon OHC length, and this tuning may contribute to the place principle and frequency selectivity in the cochlea; 2) the OHC power output can be detuned and attenuated by increasing the basal conductance of the cell, a parameter likely controlled by the brain via the efferent system; and 3) power output efficiency is limited by mechanical properties of the load, thus suggesting that impedance of the organ of Corti may be matched regionally to the OHC. The high power efficiency, tuning, and efferent control of outer hair cells are the direct result of biophysical properties of the cells, thus providing the physical basis for the remarkable sensitivity and selectivity of hearing.This work was supported by NIDCD R01 DC04928 (Rabbitt), NIDCD R01 DC00384 (Brownell) and NASA Ames GSRA56000135 (Breneman)
RELICS: A Strong Lens Model for SPT-CLJ0615-5746, a z=0.972 Cluster
We present a lens model for the cluster SPT-CLJ06155746, which is the
highest redshift () system in the Reionization of Lensing Clusters
Survey (RELICS), making it the highest redshift cluster for which a full strong
lens model is published. We identify three systems of multiply-imaged lensed
galaxies, two of which we spectroscopically confirm at and ,
which we use as constraints for the model. We find a foreground structure at
, which we include as a second cluster-sized halo in one of our
models; however two different statistical tests find the best-fit model
consists of one cluster-sized halo combined with three individually optimized
galaxy-sized halos, as well as contributions from the cluster galaxies
themselves. We find the total projected mass density within (the
region where the strong lensing constraints exist) to be
~M. If we extrapolate out to
, our projected mass density is consistent with the mass inferred from
weak lensing and from the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect
(~M). This cluster is lensing a previously reported
galaxy, which, if spectroscopically confirmed, will be the
highest-redshift strongly lensed galaxy known.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures 4 tables. ApJ Accepte
RELICS: A Very Large () Cluster Lens -- RXC J0032.1+1808
Extensive surveys with the \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} (HST) over the
past decade, targeting some of the most massive clusters in the sky, have
uncovered dozens of galaxy-cluster strong lenses. The massive cluster
strong-lens scale is typically \theta_{E}\sim10\arcsec to \sim30-35\arcsec,
with only a handful of clusters known with Einstein radii
\theta_{E}\sim40\arcsec or above (for , nominally). Here we
report another very large cluster lens, RXC J0032.1+1808 (), the
second richest cluster in the redMapper cluster catalog and the 85th most
massive cluster in the Planck Sunyaev-Zel'dovich catalog. With our
Light-Traces-Mass and fully parametric (dPIEeNFW) approaches, we construct
strong lensing models based on 18 multiple images of 5 background galaxies
newly identified in the \textit{Hubble} data mainly from the
\textit{Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey} (RELICS), in addition to a known
sextuply imaged system in this cluster. Furthermore, we compare these models to
Lenstool and GLAFIC models that were produced independently as part of the
RELICS program. All models reveal a large effective Einstein radius of
\theta_{E}\simeq40\arcsec (), owing to the obvious
concentration of substructures near the cluster center. Although RXC
J0032.1+1808 has a very large critical area and high lensing strength, only
three magnified high-redshift candidates are found within the field targeted by
RELICS. Nevertheless, we expect many more high-redshift candidates will be seen
in wider and deeper observations with \textit{Hubble} or \emph{JWST}. Finally,
the comparison between several algorithms demonstrates that the total error
budget is largely dominated by systematic uncertainties.Comment: 23 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
RELICS: Strong Lensing analysis of the galaxy clusters Abell S295, Abell 697, MACS J0025.4-1222, and MACS J0159.8-0849
We present a strong-lensing analysis of four massive galaxy clusters imaged
with the Hubble Space Telescope in the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey. We
use a Light-Traces-Mass technique to uncover sets of multiply images and
constrain the mass distribution of the clusters. These mass models are the
first published for Abell S295 and MACS J0159.8-0849, and are improvements over
previous models for Abell 697 and MACS J0025.4-1222. Our analysis for MACS
J0025.4-1222 and Abell S295 shows a bimodal mass distribution supporting the
merger scenarios proposed for these clusters. The updated model for MACS
J0025.4-1222 suggests a substantially smaller critical area than previously
estimated. For MACS J0159.8-0849 and Abell 697 we find a single peak and
relatively regular morphology, revealing fairly relaxed clusters. Despite being
less prominent lenses, three of these clusters seem to have lensing strengths,
i.e. cumulative area above certain magnification, similar to the Hubble
Frontier Fields clusters (e.g., A() arcmin, A()
arcmin), which in part can be attributed to their merging
configurations. We make our lens models publicly available through the Mikulski
Archive for Space Telescopes. Finally, using Gemini-N/GMOS spectroscopic
observations we detect a single emission line from a high-redshift
galaxy candidate lensed by Abell 697. While we cannot rule
out a lower-redshift solution, we interpret the line as Ly at
, in agreement with its photometric redshift and dropout
nature. Within this scenario we measure a Ly rest-frame equivalent
width of \AA, and an observed Gaussian width of km/s.Comment: 23 pages, 16 figures; V2, accepted for publication in Ap
Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts
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