The physical origins of gas in the circumgalactic medium using observationally-motivated TNG50 mocks

Absorbers in the spectrum of background objects probe the circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding galaxies, but its physical properties remain unconstrained. We use the cosmological hydrodynamical simulation TNG50 to statistically trace the origins of HI Ly-$\alpha$ absorbers around galaxies at $z = 0.5$ with stellar masses ranging from 10$^8$ to 10$^{11}$ M$_\odot$. We emulate observational CGM studies by considering all gas within a line of sight velocity range of $\pm 500$ km s$^{-1}$ from the central, to quantitatively assess the impact of other galaxy haloes and overdense gas in the IGM that intersect sightlines. The impact of satellites to the total absorber fraction is most significant at impact parameters $0.5 R_{\rm vir} < b < R_{\rm vir}$ and satellites with masses below typical detection limits ($M_* < 10^8$ M$_\odot$) account for 10 (40) per cent of absorbers that intersect any satellite bound to $10^{10}$ and $10^{11}$ $(10^9)$ M$_\odot$ centrals. After confirming outflows are more dominant along the minor axis, we additionally show that at least 20 per cent of absorbers exhibit no significant radial movement, indicating that absorbers can also trace quasi-static gas. The metallicity of absorbers also depends on the azimuthal angle, but this signal is largely driven by enriched inflowing and quasi-static gas. Our work shows that determining the stellar mass of galaxies at $z_{\rm abs}$ is essential to constrain the physical origin of the gas traced in absorption, which in turn is key to characterising the kinematics and distribution of gas and metals in the CGM.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

The BarYon CYCLE Project (ByCycle): Identifying and Localizing MgII Metal Absorbers with Machine Learning

The upcoming ByCycle project on the VISTA/4MOST multi-object spectrograph will offer new prospects of using a massive sample of $\sim 1$ million high spectral resolution ($R$ = 20,000) background quasars to map the circumgalactic metal content of foreground galaxies (observed at $R$ = 4000 - 7000), as traced by metal absorption. Such large surveys require specialized analysis methodologies. In the absence of early data, we instead produce synthetic 4MOST high-resolution fibre quasar spectra. To do so, we use the TNG50 cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulation, combining photo-ionization post-processing and ray tracing, to capture MgII ($\lambda2796$, $\lambda2803$) absorbers. We then use this sample to train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) which searches for, and estimates the redshift of, MgII absorbers within these spectra. For a test sample of quasar spectra with uniformly distributed properties ($\lambda_{\rm{MgII,2796}}$, $\rm{EW}_{\rm{MgII,2796}}^{\rm{rest}} = 0.05 - 5.15$ \AA, $\rm{SNR} = 3 - 50$), the algorithm has a robust classification accuracy of 98.6 per cent and a mean wavelength accuracy of 6.9 \AA. For high signal-to-noise spectra ($\rm{SNR > 20}$), the algorithm robustly detects and localizes MgII absorbers down to equivalent widths of $\rm{EW}_{\rm{MgII,2796}}^{\rm{rest}} = 0.05$ \AA. For the lowest SNR spectra ($\rm{SNR=3}$), the CNN reliably recovers and localizes EW$_{\rm{MgII,2796}}^{\rm{rest}}$ $\geq$ 0.75 \AA\, absorbers. This is more than sufficient for subsequent Voigt profile fitting to characterize the detected MgII absorbers. We make the code publicly available through GitHub. Our work provides a proof-of-concept for future analyses of quasar spectra datasets numbering in the millions, soon to be delivered by the next generation of surveys.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRA

COVID-19 printable project

We are seeing hundreds of people being assessed for COVID-19. Only some of them will be tested. Everyone can do their part to help with self-management, social distancing and self-isolation. As physicians, we want to support patients to self-manage at home. With OCADU's Health Design Studio, we developed the following tools. Adapt, use, share. Drop us a line. Keep well. Current resources updated: 04/08/202

Prostaglandin metabolite induces inhibition of TRPA1 and channel-dependent nociception

BACKGROUND: The Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channel TRPA1 is a key player in pain pathways. Irritant chemicals activate ion channel TRPA1 via covalent modification of N-terminal cysteines. We and others have shown that 15-Deoxy-Δ12, 14-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)) similarly activates TRPA1 and causes channel-dependent nociception. Paradoxically, 15d-PGJ(2) can also be anti-nociceptive in several pain models. Here we hypothesized that activation and subsequent desensitization of TRPA1 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons underlies the anti-nociceptive property of 15d-PGJ(2). To investigate this, we utilized a battery of behavioral assays and intracellular Ca(2+) imaging in DRG neurons to test if pre-treatment with 15d-PGJ(2) inhibited TRPA1 to subsequent stimulation. RESULTS: Intraplantar pre-injection of 15d-PGJ(2), in contrast to mustard oil (AITC), attenuated acute nocifensive responses to subsequent injections of 15d-PGJ(2) and AITC, but not capsaicin (CAP). Intraplantar 15d-PGJ(2)—administered after the induction of inflammation—reduced mechanical hypersensitivity in the Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) model for up to 2 h post-injection. The 15d-PGJ(2)-mediated reduction in mechanical hypersensitivity is dependent on TRPA1, as this effect was absent in TRPA1 knockout mice. Ca(2+) imaging studies of DRG neurons demonstrated that 15d-PGJ(2) pre-exposure reduced the magnitude and number of neuronal responses to AITC, but not CAP. AITC responses were not reduced when neurons were pre-exposed to 15d-PGJ(2) combined with HC-030031 (TRPA1 antagonist), demonstrating that inhibitory effects of 15d-PGJ(2) depend on TRPA1 activation. Single daily doses of 15d-PGJ(2), administered during the course of 4 days in the CFA model, effectively reversed mechanical hypersensitivity without apparent tolerance or toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that 15d-PGJ(2) induces activation followed by persistent inhibition of TRPA1 channels in DRG sensory neurons in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrate novel evidence that 15d-PGJ(2) is analgesic in mouse models of pain via a TRPA1-dependent mechanism. Collectively, our studies support that TRPA1 agonists may be useful as pain therapeutics

MUSE-ALMA Halos XI: Gas flows in the circumgalactic medium

The flow of gas into and out of galaxies leaves traces in the circumgalactic medium which can then be studied using absorption lines towards background quasars. We analyse 27 log(N_HI) > 18.0 HI absorbers at z = 0.2 to 1.4 from the MUSE-ALMA Halos survey with at least one galaxy counterpart within a line of sight velocity of +/-500 km s^{-1}. We perform 3D kinematic forward modelling of these associated galaxies to examine the flow of dense, neutral gas in the circumgalactic medium. From the VLT/MUSE, HST broadband imaging and VLT/UVES and Keck/HIRES high-resolution UV quasar spectroscopy observations, we compare the impact parameters, star-formation rates and stellar masses of the associated galaxies with the absorber properties. We find marginal evidence for a bimodal distribution in azimuthal angles for strong HI absorbers, similar to previous studies of the MgII and OVI absorption lines. There is no clear metallicity dependence on azimuthal angle and we suggest a larger sample of absorbers are required to fully test the relationship predicted by cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. A case-by-case study of the absorbers reveals that ten per cent of absorbers are consistent with gas accretion, up to 30 per cent trace outflows while the remainder trace gas in the galaxy disk, the intragroup medium and low-mass galaxies below the MUSE detection limit. Our results highlight that the baryon cycle directly affects the dense neutral gas required for star-formation and plays a critical role in galaxy evolution.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, 12 pages of appendix. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Interactive based secured online organizational culture audit system

Organization culture represents the set of values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, expectations and norms that define how employees think, decide and perform. The focal issue associated with organizational culture is its association with organizational performance. This proposed online organizational culture audit system should be further secured using a facial recognition element where the system could recognize the human face using the camera and only then allows the authorize user to operate the system. The system will be developed using the Human Factors and Human Computer Interactions (HCI) approach to ensure usability and user friendliness of user when interacting with the system. The combination of recognition and interactions in augmented way will give birth to a new type of system that conforms to Human Factors need and provides user with a new computing experience that contains text and graphical information

A spiral scaffold underlies cytoadherent knobs in Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

Much of the virulence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is caused by cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes, which promotes parasite survival by preventing clearance in the spleen. Adherence is mediated by membrane protrusions known as knobs, whose formation depends on the parasite-derived, knob-associated histidine-rich protein (KAHRP). Knobs are required for cytoadherence under flow conditions, and they contain both KAHRP and the parasite-derived erythrocyte membrane protein PfEMP1. Using electron tomography, we have examined the three-dimensional structure of knobs in detergent-insoluble skeletons of P. falciparum 3D7 schizonts. We describe a highly organised knob skeleton composed of a spiral structure coated by an electron dense layer underlying the knob membrane. This knob skeleton is connected by multiple links to the erythrocyte cytoskeleton. We used immuno-electron microscopy to locate KAHRP in these structures. The arrangement of membrane proteins in the knobs, visualised by high resolution freeze fracture scanning electron microscopy, is distinct from that in the surrounding erythrocyte membrane, with a structure at the apex that likely represents the adhesion site. Thus, erythrocyte knobs in P. falciparum infection contain a highly organised skeleton structure underlying a specialised region of membrane. We propose that the spiral and dense coat organise the cytoadherence structures in the knob, and anchor them into the erythrocyte cytoskeleton. The high density of knobs and their extensive mechanical linkage suggest an explanation for the rigidification of the cytoskeleton in infected cells, and for the transmission to the cytoskeleton of shear forces experienced by adhering cells

The Gene Ontology knowledgebase in 2023

The Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase (http://geneontology.org) is a comprehensive resource concerning the functions of genes and gene products (proteins and noncoding RNAs). GO annotations cover genes from organisms across the tree of life as well as viruses, though most gene function knowledge currently derives from experiments carried out in a relatively small number of model organisms. Here, we provide an updated overview of the GO knowledgebase, as well as the efforts of the broad, international consortium of scientists that develops, maintains, and updates the GO knowledgebase. The GO knowledgebase consists of three components: (1) the GO-a computational knowledge structure describing the functional characteristics of genes; (2) GO annotations-evidence-supported statements asserting that a specific gene product has a particular functional characteristic; and (3) GO Causal Activity Models (GO-CAMs)-mechanistic models of molecular "pathways" (GO biological processes) created by linking multiple GO annotations using defined relations. Each of these components is continually expanded, revised, and updated in response to newly published discoveries and receives extensive QA checks, reviews, and user feedback. For each of these components, we provide a description of the current contents, recent developments to keep the knowledgebase up to date with new discoveries, and guidance on how users can best make use of the data that we provide. We conclude with future directions for the project

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI