2,647 research outputs found
New Constraints on Macroscopic Compact Objects as a Dark Matter Candidate from Gravitational Lensing of Type Ia Supernovae
We use the distribution, and particularly the skewness, of high redshift type
Ia supernovae brightnesses relative to the low redshift sample to constrain the
density of macroscopic compact objects (MCOs) in the universe. The data favors
dark matter made of microscopic particles (such as the LSP) at 89% confidence.
Future data will greatly improve this limit. This constraint is valid for a
range in MCO mass from 10^-2 Msun to 10^10 Msun. Combined with other
constraints, MCOs larger than one tenth the mass of Earth (~ 10^-7 Msun) can be
eliminated as the sole constituent of dark matter.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
NICMOS Imaging of the Nuclei of Arp 220
We report high resolution imaging of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy Arp
220 at 1.1, 1.6, and 2.22 microns with NICMOS on the HST. The
diffraction-limited images at 0.1--0.2 arcsecond resolution clearly resolve
both nuclei of the merging galaxy system and reveal for the first time a number
of luminous star clusters in the circumnuclear envelope. The morphologies of
both nuclei are strongly affected by dust obscuration, even at 2.2 microns :
the primary nucleus (west) presents a crescent shape, concave to the south and
the secondary (eastern) nucleus is bifurcated by a dust lane with the southern
component being very reddened. In the western nucleus, the morphology of the
2.2 micron emission is most likely the result of obscuration by an opaque disk
embedded within the nuclear star cluster. The morphology of the central
starburst-cluster in the western nucleus is consistent with either a
circumnuclear ring of star formation or a spherical cluster with the bottom
half obscured by the embedded dust disk. Comparison of cm-wave radio continuum
maps with the near-infrared images suggests that the radio nuclei lie in the
dust disk on the west and near the highly reddened southern component of the
eastern complex. The radio nuclei are separated by 0.98 arcseconds
(corresponding to 364 pc at 77 Mpc) and the half-widths of the infrared nuclei
are approximately 0.2-0.5 arcseconds. At least 8, unresolved infrared sources
-- probably globular clusters -- are also seen in the circumnuclear envelope at
radii 2-7 arcseconds . Their near-infrared colors do not significantly
constrain their ages.Comment: LaTex, 15 pages with 1 gif figure and 5 postscript figures. ApJL
accepte
Three-Dimensional Model for the Human Cl−/HCO3− Exchanger, AE1, by Homology to the E. coli ClC Protein
AbstractAE1 mediates electroneutral 1:1 exchange of bicarbonate for chloride across the plasma membrane of erythrocytes and type A cells of the renal collecting duct. No high-resolution structure is available for the AE1 membrane domain, which alone is required for its transport activity. A recent electron microscopy structure of the AE1 membrane domain was proposed to have a similar protein fold to ClC chloride channels. We developed a three-dimensional homology model of the AE1 membrane domain, using the Escherichia coli ClC channel structure as a template. This model agrees well with a long list of biochemically established spatial constraints for AE1. To investigate the AE1 transport mechanism, we created point mutations in regions corresponding to E. coli ClC transport mechanism residues. When expressed in HEK293 cells, several mutants had Cl−/HCO3− exchange rates significantly different from that of wild-type AE1. When further assessed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, there were significant changes in the transport activity of several AE1 point mutants as assessed by changes in pH. None of the mutants, however, added an electrogenic component to AE1 transport activity. This indicates that the AE1 point mutants altered the transport activity of AE1, without changing its electrogenicity and stoichiometry. The homology model successfully identified residues in AE1 that are critical to AE1 transport activity. Thus, we conclude that AE1 has a similar protein fold to ClC chloride channels
Functional assessment of SLC4A11, an integral membrane protein mutated in corneal dystrophies
SLC4A11, a member of the SLC4 family of bicarbonate transporters, is a widely expressed integral membrane protein, abundant in kidney and cornea. Mutations of SLC4A11 cause some cases of the blinding corneal dystrophies, congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy, and Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy. These diseases are marked by fluid accumulation in the corneal stroma, secondary to defective fluid reabsorption by the corneal endothelium. The role of SLC4A11 in these corneal dystrophies is not firmly established, as SLC4A11 function remains unclear. To clarify the normal function(s) of SLC4A11, we characterized the protein following expression in the simple, low-background expression system Xenopus laevis oocytes. Since plant and fungal SLC4A11 orthologs transport borate, we measured cell swelling associated with accumulation of solute borate. The plant water/borate transporter NIP5;1 manifested borate transport, whereas human SLC4A11 did not. SLC4A11 supported osmotically driven water accumulation that was electroneutral and Na⁺ independent. Studies in oocytes and HEK293 cells could not detect Na⁺⁻ coupled HCO3⁻ transport or Cl⁻/HCO3⁻ exchange by SLC4A11. SLC4A11 mediated electroneutral NH3 transport in oocytes. Voltagedependent OH⁻ or H⁺ movement was not measurable in SLC4A11- expressing oocytes, but SLC4A11-expressing HEK293 cells manifested low-level cytosolic acidification at baseline. In mammalian cells, but not oocytes, OH⁻/H⁺ conductance may arise when SLC4A11 activates another protein or itself is activated by another protein. These data argue against a role of human SLC4A11 in bicarbonate or borate transport. This work provides additional support for water and ammonia transport by SLC4A11. When expressed in oocytes, SLC4A11 transported NH3, not NH3/H⁺.Facultad de Ciencias MédicasCentro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculare
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Lens Search. I. Candidate Selection Algorithm
We present an algorithm for selecting an uniform sample of gravitationally
lensed quasar candidates from low-redshift (0.6<z<2.2) quasars brighter than
i=19.1 that have been spectroscopically identified in the SDSS. Our algorithm
uses morphological and color selections that are intended to identify small-
and large-separation lenses, respectively. Our selection algorithm only relies
on parameters that the SDSS standard image processing pipeline generates,
allowing easy and fast selection of lens candidates. The algorithm has been
tested against simulated SDSS images, which adopt distributions of field and
quasar parameters taken from the real SDSS data as input. Furthermore, we take
differential reddening into account. We find that our selection algorithm is
almost complete down to separations of 1'' and flux ratios of 10^-0.5. The
algorithm selects both double and quadruple lenses. At a separation of 2'',
doubles and quads are selected with similar completeness, and above (below) 2''
the selection of quads is better (worse) than for doubles. Our morphological
selection identifies a non-negligible fraction of single quasars: To remove
these we fit images of candidates with a model of two point sources and reject
those with unusually small image separations and/or large magnitude differences
between the two point sources. We estimate the efficiency of our selection
algorithm to be at least 8% at image separations smaller than 2'', comparable
to that of radio surveys. The efficiency declines as the image separation
increases, because of larger contamination from stars. We also present the
magnification factor of lensed images as a function of the image separation,
which is needed for accurate computation of magnification bias.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A
Discovery of Four Gravitationally Lensed Quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We present the discovery of four gravitationally lensed quasars selected from
the spectroscopic quasar catalog of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We describe
imaging and spectroscopic follow-up observations that support the lensing
interpretation of the following four quasars: SDSS J0832+0404 (image separation
\theta=1.98", source redshift z_s=1.115, lens redshift z_l=0.659); SDSS
J1216+3529 (\theta=1.49", z_s=2.012); SDSS J1322+1052 (\theta=2.00",
z_s=1.716); and SDSS J1524+4409 (\theta=1.67", z_s=1.210, z_l=0.320). Each
system has two lensed images. We find that the fainter image component of SDSS
J0832+0404 is significantly redder than the brighter component, perhaps because
of differential reddening by the lensing galaxy. The lens potential of SDSS
J1216+3529 might be complicated by the presence of a secondary galaxy near the
main lensing galaxy.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in A
Discovery of a Fifth Image of the Large Separation Gravitationally Lensed Quasar SDSS J1004+4112
We report the discovery of a fifth image in the large separation lensed
quasar system SDSS J1004+4112. A faint point source located 0.2'' from the
center of the brightest galaxy in the lensing cluster is detected in images
taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the Near Infrared Camera
and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. The flux
ratio between the point source and the brightest lensed component in the ACS
image is similar to that in the NICMOS image. The location and brightness of
the point source are consistent with lens model predictions for a lensed image.
We therefore conclude that the point source is likely to be a fifth image of
the source quasar. In addition, the NICMOS image reveals the lensed host galaxy
of the source quasar, which can strongly constrain the structure of the lensing
critical curves and thereby the mass distribution of the lensing cluster.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Constraining the Physical Properties of Stellar Coronal Mass Ejections with Coronal Dimming: Application to Far Ultraviolet Data of Eridani
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are a prominent contributor to solar system
space weather and might have impacted the Sun's early angular momentum
evolution. A signal diagnostic of CMEs on the Sun is coronal dimming: a drop in
coronal emission, tied to the mass of the CME, that is the direct result of
removing emitting plasma from the corona. We present the results of a coronal
dimming analysis of Fe XII 1349 A and Fe XXI 1354 A emission from
Eridani ( Eri), a young K2 dwarf, with archival far-ultraviolet
observations by the Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph.
Following a flare in February 2015, Eri's Fe XXI emission declined
by %. Although enticing, a scant 3.8 min of preflare observations
allows for the possibility that the Fe XXI decline was the decay of an earlier,
unseen flare. Dimming nondetections following each of three prominent flares
constrain the possible mass of ejected Fe XII-emitting (1 MK) plasma to less
than a few g. This implies that CMEs ejecting this much or more
1 MK plasma occur less than a few times per day on Eri. On the Sun,
g CMEs occur once every few days. For Eri, the mass loss
rate due to CME-ejected 1 MK plasma could be , well below
the star's estimated 30 mass loss rate (wind + CMEs). The
order-of-magnitude formalism we developed for these mass estimates can be
broadly applied to coronal dimming observations of any star.Comment: 27 pages, 22 figures, accepted to Ap
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