Band Merging of Spitzer Detections in the SWIRE Fields

The Spitzer Wide-area Infra-Red Extragalactic (SWIRE) Survey has imaged 49 deg^2 of high-Galactic-latitude sky in seven infrared bands spanning wavelengths from 3.6 μm to 160 μm, with beam sizes ranging from about 2″ to 40″. Lists of extracted sources from the individual bands are merged using the Spitzer band merging software. Positions and their uncertainties are used to identify possible band-to-band matches, then decision theory is applied to choose a best match. We present our assessment of band merging reliability based on analysis of the random match rate, and we discuss our application of constraints of multi-band detections and proximity to produce reliable catalogs. We examine the crucial role played by positional uncertainties for extractions made with SExtractor and with Spitzer's Astronomical Point-source EXtraction (APEX) software

Glucosyltransferase-dependent and independent effects of Clostridioides difficile toxins during infection

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis in the USA. In addition to these symptoms, patients with CDI can develop severe inflammation and tissue damage, resulting in life-threatening toxic megacolon. CDI is mediated by two large homologous protein toxins, TcdA and TcdB, that bind and hijack receptors to enter host cells where they use glucosyltransferase (GT) enzymes to inactivate Rho family GTPases. GT-dependent intoxication elicits cytopathic changes, cytokine production, and apoptosis. At higher concentrations TcdB induces GT-independent necrosis in cells and tissue by stimulating production of reactive oxygen species via recruitment of the NADPH oxidase complex. Although GT-independent necrosis has been observed in vitro, the relevance of this mechanism during CDI has remained an outstanding question in the field. In this study we generated novel C. difficile toxin mutants in the hypervirulent BI/NAP1/PCR-ribotype 027 R20291 strain to test the hypothesis that GT-independent epithelial damage occurs during CDI. Using the mouse model of CDI, we observed that epithelial damage occurs through a GT-independent process that does not involve immune cell influx. The GT-activity of either toxin was sufficient to cause severe edema and inflammation, yet GT activity of both toxins was necessary to produce severe watery diarrhea. These results demonstrate that both TcdA and TcdB contribute to disease pathogenesis when present. Further, while inactivating GT activity of C. difficile toxins may suppress diarrhea and deleterious GT-dependent immune responses, the potential of severe GT-independent epithelial damage merits consideration when developing toxin-based therapeutics against CDI

Enhancement of the Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) distortion correction for parallax measurements

The Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array (IRAC) offers a rare opportunity to measure distances and determine physical properties of the faintest and coldest brown dwarfs. The current distortion correction is a 3rd order polynomial represented by TAN-SIP parameters within the headers. The current correction, good to 100 mas, was derived from deep imaging, using marginally resolved galaxies in some cases, and has remained stable throughout both the cryogenic and warm mission. Using recent Spitzer calibration observations mapped to HST/ACS calibration observations of 47 Tuc with an absolute accuracy good to 1 mas, we are working towards a possible 5th order polynomial correction that theoretically could allow measurements to within 20 mas. Extensive testing, using observations of 47 Tuc, NGC 6791 and NGC 2264, are underway, after which the new parameters will be used to update all the 3.6 and 4.5um data taken within warm and cryogenic missions. We anticipate if achievable, this new accuracy could be combined with other ongoing enhancements (Ingalls et al, 9143-52) that will permit measurements of parallaxes out to about 50 pc, increasing the volume surveyed by a factor of 100, and enabling new capabilities such as luminosity measurements of the population of young brown dwarfs in the beta Pictoris moving group

The Astropy Problem

The Astropy Project (http://astropy.org) is, in its own words, "a community effort to develop a single core package for Astronomy in Python and foster interoperability between Python astronomy packages." For five years this project has been managed, written, and operated as a grassroots, self-organized, almost entirely volunteer effort while the software is used by the majority of the astronomical community. Despite this, the project has always been and remains to this day effectively unfunded. Further, contributors receive little or no formal recognition for creating and supporting what is now critical software. This paper explores the problem in detail, outlines possible solutions to correct this, and presents a few suggestions on how to address the sustainability of general purpose astronomical software

Atmospheric observations made at Oliktok Point, Alaska, as part of the Profiling at Oliktok Point to Enhance YOPP Experiments (POPEYE) campaign

Between 1 July and 30 September 2018, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), tethered balloon systems (TBSs), and additional radiosondes were deployed at Oliktok Point, Alaska, to measure the atmosphere in support of the second special observing period for the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP). These measurements, collected as part of the Profiling at Oliktok Point to Enhance YOPP Experiments (POPEYE) campaign, targeted quantities related to enhancing our understanding of boundary layer structure, cloud and aerosol properties and surface&ndash;atmosphere exchange and providing extra information for model evaluation and improvement work. Over the 3-month campaign, a total of 59 DataHawk2 sUAS flights, 52 TBS flights, and 238 radiosonde launches were completed as part of POPEYE. The data from these coordinated activities provide a comprehensive three-dimensional data set of the atmospheric state (air temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind), surface skin temperature, aerosol properties, and cloud microphysical information over Oliktok Point. These data sets have been checked for quality and submitted to the US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program data archive (http://www.archive.arm.gov/discovery/, last access: July 2019) and are accessible at no cost by all registered users. The primary dataset DOIs are https://doi.org/10.5439/1418259 (DataHawk2 measurements; Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, 2016), https://doi.org/10.5439/1426242 (TBS measurements; Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, 2017) and https://doi.org/10.5439/1021460 (radiosonde measurements; Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, 2013a).</p