1,614 research outputs found
Detection of Intracluster Globular Clusters in the First JWST Images of the Gravitational Lens Cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 at z = 0.39
We present a survey of globular clusters (GCs) in the massive gravitational
lens cluster SMACS J0723.3-7327 at based on the early released
JWST/NIRCam images. In the color-magnitude diagrams of the point sources we
find clearly a rich population of intracluster GCs that spread in a wide area
of the cluster. Their ages, considering the cluster redshift, are younger than
9.5 Gyr. The F200W (AB) magnitudes of these GCs, mag,
correspond to mag, showing that they belong to the
brightest GCs (including ultracompact dwarfs). The spatial distributions of
these GCs show a megaparsec-scale structure elongated along the major axis of
the brightest cluster galaxy. In addition, they show a large number of
substructures, some of which are consistent with the substructures seen in the
map of diffuse intracluster light. The GC number density map is, in general,
consistent with the dark matter mass density map based on the strong lensing
analysis in the literature. The radial number density profile of the GCs in the
outer region is steeper than the dark matter mass profile obtained from lensing
models. These results are consistent with those for the GCs found in the deep
HST images of Abell 2744, another massive cluster at , and in
simulated galaxy clusters. This shows that the intracluster GCs are an
excellent independent tool to probe the dark matter distribution in galaxy
clusters as well as to reveal the cluster assembly history in the JWST era.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ
Formation of Warped Disks by Galactic Fly-by Encounters. I. Stellar Disks
Warped disks are almost ubiquitous among spiral galaxies. Here we revisit and
test the `fly-by scenario' of warp formation, in which impulsive encounters
between galaxies are responsible for warped disks. Based on N-body simulations,
we investigate the morphological and kinematical evolution of the stellar
component of disks when galaxies undergo fly-by interactions with adjacent dark
matter halos. We find that the so-called `S'-shaped warps can be excited by
fly-bys and sustained for even up to a few billion years, and that this
scenario provides a cohesive explanation for several key observations. We show
that disk warp properties are governed primarily by the following three
parameters; (1) the impact parameter, i.e., the minimum distance between two
halos, (2) the mass ratio between two halos, and (3) the incident angle of the
fly-by perturber. The warp angle is tied up with all three parameters, yet the
warp lifetime is particularly sensitive to the incident angle of the perturber.
Interestingly, the modeled S-shaped warps are often non-symmetric depending on
the incident angle. We speculate that the puzzling U- and L-shaped warps are
geometrically superimposed S-types produced by successive fly-bys with
different incident angles, including multiple interactions with a satellite on
a highly elongated orbit.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Učinci prenatalne i postnatalne izloženosti perfluorooktanskoj kiselini na ekspresiju glavnih gena povezanih s reprodukcijom u mišjem hipotalamusu i spolnim žlijezdama
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a ubiquitous environmental pollutant reported to be an endocrine disruptor, is used in many industrial and consumer products. Although the adverse effects of PFOA on the reproductive health of animals and humans have been widely reported, most studies have focused on assessing the anatomical features and conventional histology of adult gonads. Therefore, the molecular mechanisms activated in the hypothalamus and gonads following PFOA exposure during the pre- and postnatal periods are not clear. This study used a mouse model to evaluate the effects of PFOA exposure on the alteration of molecular mechanisms in the hypothalamus and gonads during the prenatal and postpartum periods. Changes in gene and protein expression following PFOA exposure were evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Kisspeptin 1 and gonadotropin-releasing hormone expression in the hypothalamus of female and male mouse pups was significantly decreased. Additionally, Cyp17a1 expression was upregulated in male offspring testes, while Cyp17a1 and Cyp19a1 expression was downregulated in female offspring ovaries. Changes at the molecular level due to PFOA exposure in the early stages of development did not show sex-related differences in the hypothalamus; however, such differences were confirmed in the gonads. These results could be used as basic data to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the reproductive dysfunction caused by PFOA exposure in the early stages of embryonic development.Perfluorooktanska kiselina (PFOA) sveprisutna je onečišćujuća tvar za okoliš, za koju je zabilježeno da uzrokuje i endokrinopatije, a upotrebljava se u mnogim industrijskim proizvodima. Bez obzira na poznate i zabilježene nuspojave PFOA-e na reproduktivno zdravlje životinja i ljudi, većina se istraživanja usredotočuje na procjenu anatomskih histoloških značajki u spolnim žlijezdama odraslih jedinki. Molekularni mehanizmi koji se aktiviraju u hipotalamusu i spolnim žlijezdama nakon izlaganja PFOA-i stoga nisu razjašnjeni. U ovom je istraživanju upotrijebljen mišji model za procjenu učinaka izlaganja PFOA-i na promjenu molekularnih mehanizama u hipotalamusu i spolnim žlijezdama za vrijeme prijeporođajnog i poslijeporođajnog razdoblja. Promjene u ekspresiji gena i proteina nakon izloženosti PFOA-i analizirane su kvantitativnom PCR metodom i metodom Western blotting. Ekspresija kispeptina 1 i hormona koji oslobađa gonadotropin u hipotalamusu ženske i muške mladunčadi bila je znakovito smanjena. Osim toga ekpresija Cyp17a1 bila je pojačana u testisima muških potomaka, dok je ekspresija Cyp17a1 i Cyp19a1 u jajnicima ženskih potomaka bila smanjena. Kod promjena na molekularnoj razini u hipotalamusu u ranim razvojnim stadijima nije bilo razlike među spolovima, dok je kod promjena u spolnim žlijezdama povrđena razlika među spolovima. Rezultati ovog istraživanja mogli bi biti korisni kao osnovni podaci u proučavanju molekularnih mehanizama podležeće reproduktivne disfunkcije uzrokovane izloženošću PFOA-i u ranim stadijima embrionalnog razvoja
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