137 research outputs found
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich clusters reconstruction in multiband bolometer camera surveys
We present a new method for the reconstruction of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ)
galaxy clusters in future SZ-survey experiments using multiband bolometer
cameras such as Olimpo, APEX, or Planck. Our goal is to optimise SZ-Cluster
extraction from our observed noisy maps. We wish to emphasize that none of the
algorithms used in the detection chain is tuned on prior knowledge on the SZ
-Cluster signal, or other astrophysical sources (Optical Spectrum, Noise
Covariance Matrix, or covariance of SZ Cluster wavelet coefficients). First, a
blind separation of the different astrophysical components which contribute to
the observations is conducted using an Independent Component Analysis (ICA)
method. Then, a recent non linear filtering technique in the wavelet domain,
based on multiscale entropy and the False Discovery Rate (FDR) method, is used
to detect and reconstruct the galaxy clusters. Finally, we use the Source
Extractor software to identify the detected clusters. The proposed method was
applied on realistic simulations of observations. As for global detection
efficiency, this new method is impressive as it provides comparable results to
Pierpaoli et al. method being however a blind algorithm. Preprint with full
resolution figures is available at the URL:
w10-dapnia.saclay.cea.fr/Phocea/Vie_des_labos/Ast/ast_visu.php?id_ast=728Comment: Submitted to A&A. 32 Pages, text onl
Cosmology with wide-field SZ cluster surveys: Selection and Systematic Effects
The cosmological potential of large-scale structure observations for
cosmology have been extensively discussed in the litterature. In particular, it
has recently been shown how Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) cluster surveys can be used
to constrain dark energy parameters. In this paper, we study whether selection
and systematics effects will limit future wide-field SZ surveys from achieving
their cosmological potential. For this purpose, we use a sky simulation and an
SZ-cluster detection software presented in Pires et al. (2005), using the
future Olimpo, APEX and Planck surveys as a concrete examples. We show that the
SZ-cluster selection function and contamination of SZ-cluster catalogues are
more complex than is usually assumed. In particular, the simulated
field-to-field detected cluster counts is a factor 3 larger than the expected
Poisson fluctuations. We also study the impact of missing redshift information
and of the uncertainty of the scaling relations for low mass clusters. We
quantify, through hypothesis tests, how near-future SZ experiments can be used
to discriminate between different structure formation models. Using a maximum
likelihood approach, we then study the impact of these systematics on the joint
measurement of cosmological models and of cluster scaling relations.Comment: 23 pages, submitted to Astron. & AstroPhy
pRb/E2F-1-mediated caspase-dependent induction of Noxa amplifies the apoptotic effects of the Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor ABT-737
Although Bcl-2 family members control caspase activity by regulating mitochondrial permeability, caspases can, in turn, amplify the apoptotic process upstream of mitochondria by ill-characterized mechanisms. We herein show that treatment with a potent inhibitor of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, ABT-737, triggers caspase-dependent induction of the BH3-only protein, Mcl-1 inhibitor, Noxa. RNA interference experiments reveal that induction of Noxa, and subsequent cell death, rely not only on the transcription factor E2F-1 but also on its regulator pRb. In response to ABT-737, pRb is cleaved by caspases into a p68Rb form that still interacts with E2F-1. Moreover, pRb occupies the noxa promoter together with E2F-1, in a caspase-dependent manner upon ABT-737 treatment. Thus, caspases contribute to trigger the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by coupling Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibition to that of Mcl-1, via the pRb/E2F-1-dependent induction of Noxa
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the 600< ell <8000 Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum at 148 GHz
We present a measurement of the angular power spectrum of the cosmic
microwave background (CMB) radiation observed at 148 GHz. The measurement uses
maps with 1.4' angular resolution made with data from the Atacama Cosmology
Telescope (ACT). The observations cover 228 square degrees of the southern sky,
in a 4.2-degree-wide strip centered on declination 53 degrees South. The CMB at
arcminute angular scales is particularly sensitive to the Silk damping scale,
to the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect from galaxy clusters, and to emission by
radio sources and dusty galaxies. After masking the 108 brightest point sources
in our maps, we estimate the power spectrum between 600 < \ell < 8000 using the
adaptive multi-taper method to minimize spectral leakage and maximize use of
the full data set. Our absolute calibration is based on observations of Uranus.
To verify the calibration and test the fidelity of our map at large angular
scales, we cross-correlate the ACT map to the WMAP map and recover the WMAP
power spectrum from 250 < ell < 1150. The power beyond the Silk damping tail of
the CMB is consistent with models of the emission from point sources. We
quantify the contribution of SZ clusters to the power spectrum by fitting to a
model normalized at sigma8 = 0.8. We constrain the model's amplitude ASZ < 1.63
(95% CL). If interpreted as a measurement of sigma8, this implies sigma8^SZ <
0.86 (95% CL) given our SZ model. A fit of ACT and WMAP five-year data jointly
to a 6-parameter LCDM model plus terms for point sources and the SZ effect is
consistent with these results.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Non-linear microwave impedance of short and long Josephson Junctions
The non-linear dependence on applied field () or current () of the microwave (ac) impedance of both
short and long Josephson junctions is calculated under a variety of excitation
conditions. The dependence on the junction width is studied, for both field
symmetric (current anti-symmetric) and field anti-symmetric (current symmetric)
excitation configurations.The resistance shows step-like features every time a
fluxon (soliton) enters the junction, with a corresponding phase slip seen in
the reactance. For finite widths the interference of fluxons leads to some
interesting effects which are described. Many of these calculated results are
observed in microwave impedance measurements on intrinsic and fabricated
Josephson junctions in the high temperature superconductors, and new effects
are suggested. When a field () or current () is applied,
interesting phase locking effects are observed in the ac impedance
. In particular an almost periodic dependence on the dc bias is
seen similar to that observed in microwave experiments at very low dc field
bias. These results are generic to all systems with a potential
in the overdamped limit and subjected to an ac drive.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figure
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Extragalactic Sources at 148 GHz in the 2008 Survey
We report on extragalactic sources detected in a 455 square-degree map of the southern sky made with data at a frequency of 148 GHz from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope 2008 observing season. We provide a catalog of 157 sources with flux densities spanning two orders of magnitude: from 15 mJy to 1500 mJy. Comparison to other catalogs shows that 98% of the ACT detections correspond to sources detected at lower radio frequencies. Three of the sources appear to be associated with the brightest cluster galaxies of low redshift X-ray selected galaxy clusters. Estimates of the radio to mm-wave spectral indices and differential counts of the sources further bolster the hypothesis that they are nearly all radio sources, and that their emission is not dominated by re-emission from warm dust. In a bright (> 50 mJy) 148 GHz-selected sample with complete cross-identifications from the Australia Telescope 20 GHz survey, we observe an average steepening of the spectra between .5, 20, and 148 GHz with median spectral indices of alp[ha (sub 5-20) = -0.07 +/- 0.06, alpha (sub 20-148) -0.39 +/- 0.04, and alpha (sub 5-148) = -0.20 +/- 0.03. When the measured spectral indices are taken into account, the 148 GHz differential source counts are consistent with previous measurements at 30 GHz in the context of a source count model dominated by radio sources. Extrapolating with an appropriately rescaled model for the radio source counts, the Poisson contribution to the spatial power spectrum from synchrotron-dominated sources with flux density less than 20 mJy is C(sup Sync) = (2.8 +/- 0.3) x 1O (exp-6) micro K(exp 2)
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT): Beam Profiles and First SZ Cluster Maps
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is currently observing the cosmic
microwave background with arcminute resolution at 148 GHz, 218 GHz, and 277
GHz. In this paper, we present ACT's first results. Data have been analyzed
using a maximum-likelihood map-making method which uses B-splines to model and
remove the atmospheric signal. It has been used to make high-precision beam
maps from which we determine the experiment's window functions. This beam
information directly impacts all subsequent analyses of the data. We also used
the method to map a sample of galaxy clusters via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ)
effect, and show five clusters previously detected with X-ray or SZ
observations. We provide integrated Compton-y measurements for each cluster. Of
particular interest is our detection of the z = 0.44 component of A3128 and our
current non-detection of the low-redshift part, providing strong evidence that
the further cluster is more massive as suggested by X-ray measurements. This is
a compelling example of the redshift-independent mass selection of the SZ
effect.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJS. See Marriage
et al. (arXiv:1010.1065) and Menanteau et al. (arXiv:1006.5126) for
additional cluster result
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological Parameters from the 2008 Power Spectra
We present cosmological parameters derived from the angular power spectrum of
the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation observed at 148 GHz and 218 GHz
over 296 deg^2 with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) during its 2008
season. ACT measures fluctuations at scales 500<l<10000. We fit a model for the
lensed CMB, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ), and foreground contribution to the 148 GHz
and 218 GHz power spectra, including thermal and kinetic SZ, Poisson power from
radio and infrared point sources, and clustered power from infrared point
sources. The power from thermal and kinetic SZ at 148 GHz is estimated to be
B_3000 = 6.8+-2.9 uK^2, where B_l=l(l+1)C_l/2pi. We estimate primary
cosmological parameters from the 148 GHz spectrum, marginalizing over SZ and
source power. The LCDM cosmological model is a good fit to the data, and LCDM
parameters estimated from ACT+WMAP are consistent with the 7-year WMAP limits,
with scale invariant n_s = 1 excluded at 99.7% CL (3sigma). A model with no CMB
lensing is disfavored at 2.8sigma. By measuring the third to seventh acoustic
peaks, and probing the Silk damping regime, the ACT data improve limits on
cosmological parameters that affect the small-scale CMB power. The ACT data
combined with WMAP give a 6sigma detection of primordial helium, with Y_P =
0.313+-0.044, and a 4sigma detection of relativistic species, assumed to be
neutrinos, with Neff = 5.3+-1.3 (4.6+-0.8 with BAO+H0 data). From the CMB alone
the running of the spectral index is constrained to be dn/dlnk = -0.034 +-
0.018, the limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio is r<0.25 (95% CL), and the
possible contribution of Nambu cosmic strings to the power spectrum is
constrained to string tension Gmu<1.6 \times 10^-7 (95% CL).Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to ApJ. This paper is a companion to
Hajian et al. (2010) and Das et al. (2010
Fascin Is Regulated by Slug, Promotes Progression of Pancreatic Cancer in Mice, and Is Associated With Patient Outcomes
Background & AimsPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often lethal because it is highly invasive and metastasizes rapidly. The actin-bundling protein fascin has been identified as a biomarker of invasive and advanced PDAC and regulates cell migration and invasion in vitro. We investigated fascin expression and its role in PDAC progression in mice.MethodsWe used KRasG12D p53R172H Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mice to investigate the effects of fascin deficiency on development of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIn), PDAC, and metastasis. We measured levels of fascin in PDAC cell lines and 122 human resected PDAC samples, along with normal ductal and acinar tissues; we associated levels with patient outcomes.ResultsPancreatic ducts and acini from control mice and early-stage PanINs from KPC mice were negative for fascin, but approximately 6% of PanIN3 and 100% of PDAC expressed fascin. Fascin-deficient KRasG12D p53R172H Pdx1-Cre mice had longer survival times, delayed onset of PDAC, and a lower PDAC tumor burdens than KPC mice; loss of fascin did not affect invasion of PDAC into bowel or peritoneum in mice. Levels of slug and fascin correlated in PDAC cells; slug was found to regulate transcription of Fascin along with the epithelial−mesenchymal transition. In PDAC cell lines and cells from mice, fascin concentrated in filopodia and was required for their assembly and turnover. Fascin promoted intercalation of filopodia into mesothelial cell layers and cell invasion. Nearly all human PDAC samples expressed fascin, and higher fascin histoscores correlated with poor outcomes, vascular invasion, and time to recurrence.ConclusionsThe actin-bundling protein fascin is regulated by slug and involved in late-stage PanIN and PDAC formation in mice. Fascin appears to promote formation of filopodia and invasive activities of PDAC cells. Its levels in human PDAC correlate with outcomes and time to recurrence, indicating it might be a marker or therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer
Planck Intermediate Results. IV. The XMM-Newton validation programme for new Planck galaxy clusters
We present the final results from the XMM-Newton validation follow-up of new
Planck galaxy cluster candidates. We observed 15 new candidates, detected with
signal-to-noise ratios between 4.0 and 6.1 in the 15.5-month nominal Planck
survey. The candidates were selected using ancillary data flags derived from
the ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) and Digitized Sky Survey all-sky maps, with the
aim of pushing into the low SZ flux, high-z regime and testing RASS flags as
indicators of candidate reliability. 14 new clusters were detected by XMM,
including 2 double systems. Redshifts lie in the range 0.2 to 0.9, with 6
clusters at z>0.5. Estimated M500 range from 2.5 10^14 to 8 10^14 Msun. We
discuss our results in the context of the full XMM validation programme, in
which 51 new clusters have been detected. This includes 4 double and 2 triple
systems, some of which are chance projections on the sky of clusters at
different z. We find that association with a RASS-BSC source is a robust
indicator of the reliability of a candidate, whereas association with a FSC
source does not guarantee that the SZ candidate is a bona fide cluster.
Nevertheless, most Planck clusters appear in RASS maps, with a significance
greater than 2 sigma being a good indication that the candidate is a real
cluster. The full sample gives a Planck sensitivity threshold of Y500 ~ 4 10^-4
arcmin^2, with indication for Malmquist bias in the YX-Y500 relation below this
level. The corresponding mass threshold depends on z. Systems with M500 > 5
10^14 Msun at z > 0.5 are easily detectable with Planck. The newly-detected
clusters follow the YX-Y500 relation derived from X-ray selected samples.
Compared to X-ray selected clusters, the new SZ clusters have a lower X-ray
luminosity on average for their mass. There is no indication of departure from
standard self-similar evolution in the X-ray versus SZ scaling properties.
(abridged)Comment: accepted by A&
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