253 research outputs found
Spatially resolved kinematics, galactic wind, and quenching of star formation in the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS F11506-3851
We present a multi-wavelength integral field spectroscopic study of the low-z
LIRG IRAS F11506-3851, on the basis of VIMOS and SINFONI (ESO-VLT)
observations. The morphology and the 2D kinematics of the gaseous (neutral and
ionized) and stellar components have been mapped using the NaD doublet, the
H line, and the near-IR CO(2-0) and CO(3-1) bands. The kinematics of
the ionized gas and the stars are dominated by rotation, with large observed
velocity amplitudes and centrally peaked velocity dispersion maps. The stars
lag behind the warm gas and represent a dynamically hotter system, as indicated
by the observed dynamical ratios. Thanks to these IFS data we have disentangled
the contribution of the stars and the ISM to the NaD feature, finding that it
is dominated by the absorption of neutral gas clouds in the ISM. The neutral
gas 2D kinematics shows a complex structure dominated by two components. On the
one hand, the thick slowly rotating disk lags significantly compared to the
ionized gas and the stars, with an irregular and off-center velocity dispersion
map. On the other hand, a kpc-scale neutral gas outflow is observed along the
semi-minor axis of the galaxy, as revealed by large blueshifted velocities
(30-154 km/s). We derive an outflowing mass rate in neutral gas of about 48
/yr. Although this implies a global mass loading factor of
1.4, the 2D distribution of the ongoing SF suggests a much larger value of mass
loading factor associated with the inner regions (R200 pc), where the
current SF represents only 3 percent of the total. All together these results
strongly suggest that we are witnessing (nuclear) quenching due to SF feedback
in IRAS F11506-3851. However, the relatively large mass of molecular gas
detected in the nuclear region via the H2 1-0 S(1) line suggests that further
episodes of SF may take place again
Uncertainties in gas kinematics arising from stellar continuum modelling in integral field spectroscopy data: the case of NGC2906 observed with MUSE/VLT
We study how the use of several stellar subtraction methods and line fitting
approaches can affect the derivation of the main kinematic parameters (velocity
and velocity dispersion fields) of the ionized gas component. The target of
this work is the nearby galaxy NGC 2906, observed with the MUSE instrument at
Very Large Telescope. A sample of twelve spectra is selected from the inner
(nucleus) and outer (spiral arms) regions, characterized by different
ionization mechanisms. We compare three different methods to subtract the
stellar continuum (FIT3D, STARLIGHT and pPXF), combined with one of the
following stellar libraries: MILES, STELIB and GRANADA+MILES. The choice of the
stellar subtraction method is the most important ingredient affecting the
derivation of the gas kinematics, followed by the choice of the stellar library
and by the line fitting approach. In our data, typical uncertainties in the
observed wavelength and width of the H\alpha and [NII] lines are of the order
of _rms \sim 0.1\AA\ and _rms \sim 0.2\AA\ (\sim 5
and 10km/s, respectively). The results obtained from the [NII] line seem to be
slightly more robust, as it is less affected by stellar absorption than
H\alpha. All methods considered yield statistically consistent measurements
once a mean systemic contribution
\Delta\bar\lambda=\Delta\bar\sigma=0.2xDelta_{MUSE} is added in quadrature to
the line fitting errors, where \Delta_{MUSE} = 1.1\AA\ \sim 50 km/s denotes the
instrumental resolution of the MUSE spectra. Although the subtraction of the
stellar continuum is critical in order to recover line fluxes, any method
(including none) can be used in order to measure the gas kinematics, as long as
an additional component of 0.2 x Delta_MUSE is added to the error budget.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure
Modelling transpiration of greenhouse gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus) grown in substrate with saline water in a Mediterranean climate
Gerbera plants were grown in semi-closed rockwool culture under greenhouse conditions in different seasons in a Mediterranean climate. The plants were irrigated using either fresh (FW; 1.0 mol m−3NaCl)or moderately saline (SW; 9.0 mol m−3NaCl) water. In autumn, NaCl concentration did not influence significantly plant growth, flower production and transpiration (E), which instead were reduced in springin the plants irrigated with SW. In both seasons, water salinity did not affect leaf stomatal resistance (rl),which was determined by the inversion of the Penman–Monteith (PM) equation or measured with a diffusion porometer. The PM formula and two regression equations were calibrated and validated for estimating the hourly rate of daytime transpiration (Ed); a regression model was also fit to nocturnal transpiration (En). Regression models predicted Edas a function of vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and/or the radiation intercepted by the canopy. Leaf area index (LAI), which is required by all the equations, was modelled as function of crop thermal time (i.e. growing degree days). The PM model predicted Ed using a constant value of rl. Model calibration and validation were performed using independent data sets. The irrigation with FW or SW did not require a different calibration of transpiration models. Both PM formula and regression equations provided accurate estimates of Ed; fitted equations explained between 80% and96% of the variance in measured Ed. A linear regression of En against (LAI·VPD) accounted for 92% of measured En
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in a combined screening approach to individuate pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis
Objectives The DETECT algorithm has been developed to identify SSc patients at risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) yielding high sensitivity but low specificity, and positive predictive value. We tested whether cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) could improve the performance of the DETECT screening strategy. Methods Consecutive SSc patients over a 30-month period were screened with the DETECT algorithm and positive subjects were referred for CPET before the execution of right-heart catheterization. The predictive performance of CPET on top of DETECT was evaluated and internally validated via bootstrap replicates. Results Out of 314 patients, 96 satisfied the DETECT application criteria and 54 were positive. PAH was ascertained in 17 (31.5%) and pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension in 23 (42.6%) patients. Within CPET variables, the slope of the minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production relationship (VE/VCO2 slope) had the best performance to predict PAH at right-heart catheterization [median (interquartile range) of specificity 0.778 (0.714\u20130.846), positive predictive value 0.636 (0.556\u20130.750)]; exploratory analysis on pre-capillary yielded a specificity of 0.714 (0.636\u20130.8) and positive predictive value of 0.714 (0.636\u20130.8). Conclusion In association with the DETECT algorithm, CPET may be considered as a useful tool in the workup of SSc-related pulmonary hypertension. The sequential determination of the VE/VCO2 slope in DETECT-positive subjects may reduce the number of unnecessary invasive procedures without any loss in the capability to capture PAH. This strategy had also a remarkable performance in highlighting the presence of pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension
Projecting grassland sensitivity to climate change from an ensemble of models
The grassland biome covers about one-quarter of the earth’s land area and contributes to the livelihoods of ca. 800 million people. Increased aridity and persistent droughts are projected in the twenty-first century for most of Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East, most of the Americas, Australia and South East Asia. A number of these regions have a large fraction of their land use covered by grasslands and rangelands. Grasslands are the ecosystems that respond most rapidly to precipitation variability. However, global projections of climate change impacts on grasslands are still lacking in the scientific literature. Within AgMIP, based on the C3MP protocol initially developed for crops, we have explored the sensitivity of temperate grasslands to climate change drivers with an ensemble of models. Site calibrated models are used to provide projections under probabilistic climate change scenarios, which are defined by a combination of air temperature, precipitation and atmospheric CO2 changes resulting in 99 runs for each model times site combination. This design provides a test of grassland production, GHG (N2O and CH4) emissions and soil carbon sensitivity to climate change drivers. This integrated approach has been tested for 12 grassland simulation models applied to 19 sites over three continents. We show here that a single polynomial emulator can be fitted with high significance to the results of all models and sites, when these are expressed as relative changes from the optimal combination of climate drivers. This polynomial emulator shows that elevated atmospheric CO2 expands the thermal and hydric range which allows for the development of temperate grasslands. Moreover, we calculate the climatic response surface of GHG emissions per unit grassland production and we show that this surface varies with elevated CO2. From these results we provide first estimates of the impacts of climate change on temperate grasslands based on a range of climate scenarios
SARS-CoV-2 variants and their relevant mutational profiles: update summer 2021
: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by it, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been undergoing a genetic diversification leading to the emergence of new variants. Nevertheless, a clear definition of the genetic signatures underlying the circulating variants is still missing. Here, we provide a comprehensive insight into mutational profiles characterizing each SARS-CoV-2 variant, focusing on spike mutations known to modulate viral infectivity and/or antigenicity. We focused on variants and on specific relevant mutations reported by GISAID, Nextstrain, Outbreak.info, Pango, and Stanford database websites that were associated with any clinical/diagnostic impact, according to published manuscripts. Furthermore, 1,223,338 full-length high-quality SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were retrieved from GISAID and used to accurately define the specific mutational patterns in each variant. Finally, mutations were mapped on the three-dimensional structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to assess their localization in the different spike domains. Overall, this review sheds light and assists in defining the genetic signatures characterizing the currently circulating variants and their clinical relevance. IMPORTANCE Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, several recurrent mutations, particularly in the spike protein, arose during human-to-human transmission or spillover events between humans and animals, generating distinct worrisome variants of concern (VOCs) or of interest (VOIs), designated as such due to their clinical and diagnostic impacts. Characterizing these variants and their related mutations is important in tracking SAR-CoV-2 evolution and understanding the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics based on monoclonal antibodies, convalescent-phase sera, and direct antivirals. Our study provides a comprehensive survey of the mutational profiles characterizing the important SARS-CoV-2 variants, focusing on spike mutations and highlighting other protein mutations
Limited impact of jet induced feedback in the multi-phase nuclear interstellar medium of 4C12.50
Although the ultraluminous infrared radio galaxy 4C12.50 at z=0.12 is a
promising candidate to reveal how radio induced feedback may regulate star
formation in galaxies, we find no solid evidence for current or past impact of
this mechanism on the evolution of this system, neither by clearing out the
dusty central cocoon efficiently, nor by suppressing star formation. We study
in detail for the first time the hot (>~1500 K) molecular gas in this object.
The potential impact of the radio jet on this gas phase, as well as on the star
formation activity, are investigated. 4C12.50 hosts (2.1+/-0.4)x1e4 Msun of hot
molecular gas. An unusually high rotational temperature T =3020+/-160 K is
inferred. The molecular gas mass obeys a power law temperature distribution
d(M(H2))/dT ~ T^-5 from T~300 K and up to ~3000 K. Both results support that
shocks (probably induced by the radio jet) contribute to the heating and
excitation of the hot molecular gas. A molecular outflow is not detected. The
coupling of the outflowing ionized and neutral outflows with the hot molecular
gas is poor. We find no evidence for star formation supression. NIR and MIR
integral field spectroscopy at very high spatial resolution (for instance, with
the JWST) would be of key value to further investigate these issues.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A,18 pages, 13 figure
Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA: The PUMA project: I. Properties of the survey and first MUSE data results
Ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) are characterised by extreme
starburst (SB) and AGN activity, and are therefore ideal laboratories for
studying the outflow phenomena. We have recently started a project called
Physics of ULIRGs with MUSE and ALMA (PUMA), which is a survey of 25 nearby (z
< 0.165) ULIRGs observed with the integral field spectrograph MUSE and the
interferometer ALMA. This sample includes systems with both AGN and SB nuclear
activity in the pre- and post-coalescence phases of major mergers. The main
goals of the project are to study the prevalence of multi-phase outflows as a
function of the galaxy properties, to constrain the driving mechanisms of the
outflows (e.g. distinguish between SB and AGN winds), and to identify feedback
effects on the host galaxy. In this first paper, we present details on the
sample selection, MUSE observations, and derive first data products. MUSE data
were analysed to study the dynamical status of each of the 21 ULIRGs observed
so far, taking the stellar kinematics and the morphological properties inferred
from MUSE narrow-band images into account. We also located the ULIRG nuclei,
using near-IR (HST) and mm (ALMA) data, and studied their optical spectra to
infer the ionisation state through BPT diagnostics, and outflows in both
ionised and neutral gas. We show that the morphological and stellar kinematic
classifications are consistent: post-coalescence systems are more likely
associated with ordered motions, while interacting (binary) systems are
dominated by non-ordered and streaming motions. We also find broad and
asymmetric [OIII] and NaID profiles in almost all nuclear spectra, with line
widths in the range 300-2000 km/s, possibly associated with AGN- and SB-driven
winds. This result reinforces previous findings that indicated that outflows
are ubiquitous during the pre- and post-coalescence phases of major mergers.ERC
STF
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