Influence of the active nucleus on the multiphase interstellar medium in NGC 1068

The luminous spiral NGC 1068 has now been imaged from x-ray to radio wavelengths at comparably high resolution (approximately less than 5 in. FWHM). The bolometric luminosity of this well-known Seyfert is shared almost equally between the active nucleus and an extended 'starburst' disk. In an ongoing study, we are investigating the relative importance of the nucleus and the disk in powering the wide range of energetic activity observed throughout the galaxy. Our detailed analysis brings together a wealth of data: ROSAT HRI observations, VLA lambda lambda 6-20 cu cm and OVRO interferometry, lambda lambda 0.4-10.8 micron imaging, and Fabry-Perot spectrophotometry

Assessing Shipping Induced Emissions Impact on Air Quality with Various Techniques : Initial Results of the SCIPPER project

This paper presents the methods deployed by the Horizon 2O2O SCIPPER project to characterize emission performance of vebels, mainly under the perspective of checking compliance to new emissions regulations. Various on-board and remote measurement techniques have been demonstrated within five experimental campaigns conducted at Europe's main sea areas and ports. Almost a thousand of ship plumes has been measured and crobed checked with various instrumentation, revealing the emission profile of ships during actual operation Accuracy of each measurement technique was also tested. Emission measurements are further exploited to abess the impact of shipping on air quality of coastal areas, by identifying the transformations of pollutants performed in the atmosphere as plume evolves and quantifying onshore pollutants concentrations attributed to shipping activity.Peer reviewe

Ageing response of an Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy processed by laser metal deposition in thin-wall structures

The use of aluminium alloys containing Sc and Zr in additive manufacturing (AM) provides new solutions for lightweight design. Representative thin-wall structured parts were additively fabricated with a commercially available Al-4.55Mg-0.51Mn-0.65Sc-0.30Zr alloy in Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) process. A bi-directional and a uni-directional scan strategy were applied and laser power from 500 W to 600 W was used. Nanohardness tests were conducted on specimens aged at 300 °C for up to 19 h to observe the ageing responses. Fine-grained microstructures with few micro-sized precipitates containing Sc- and Zr were found in the last track of every specimen. The area formed by the track-overlapping was the opposite, but an apparent hardening was observed only after the ageing. AM-processes with local remelting are facing the challenge to exert the potential strengthening effect of aluminium alloys containing Sc. The mushy state must be suppressed to prevent the waste of the expensive rare elements

Thrive Magazine, Semester One

Thrive Magazine aims to amplify student voices at Bryant University through student written pieces, interviews, and photographs. Thrive Magazine was created under the guidance of editor in chief, Joey Leszczynski, and first published in January 2021. Thrive Magazine plans to publish a physical and digital copy twice a semester

A high-salt diet compromises antibacterial neutrophil responses through hormonal perturbation

The Western diet is rich in salt, which poses various health risks. A high-salt diet (HSD) can stimulate immunity through the nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (Nfat5)-signaling pathway, especially in the skin, where sodium is stored. The kidney medulla also accumulates sodium to build an osmotic gradient for water conservation. Here, we studied the effect of an HSD on the immune defense against uropathogenic E. coli-induced pyelonephritis, the most common kidney infection. Unexpectedly, pyelonephritis was aggravated in mice on an HSD by two mechanisms. First, on an HSD, sodium must be excreted; therefore, the kidney used urea instead to build the osmotic gradient. However, in contrast to sodium, urea suppressed the antibacterial functionality of neutrophils, the principal immune effectors against pyelonephritis. Second, the body excretes sodium by lowering mineralocorticoid production via suppressing aldosterone synthase. This caused an accumulation of aldosterone precursors with glucocorticoid functionality, which abolished the diurnal adrenocorticotropic hormone-driven glucocorticoid rhythm and compromised neutrophil development and antibacterial functionality systemically. Consistently, under an HSD, systemic Listeria monocytogenes infection was also aggravated in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner. Glucocorticoids directly induced Nfat5 expression, but pharmacological normalization of renal Nfat5 expression failed to restore the antibacterial defense. Last, healthy humans consuming an HSD for 1 week showed hyperglucocorticoidism and impaired antibacterial neutrophil function. In summary, an HSD suppresses intrarenal neutrophils Nfat5-independently by altering the local microenvironment and systemically by glucocorticoid-mediated immunosuppression. These findings argue against high-salt consumption during bacterial infections