We present a novel pair of numerical models of the interaction history between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC, respectively) and our Milky Way (MW) in light of recent ...high-precision proper motions from the Hubble Space Telescope. Given the updated velocities, cosmological simulations of hierarchical structure formation favour a scenario where the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) are currently on their first infall towards our
Galaxy. We illustrate here that the observed irregular morphology and internal kinematics of the Magellanic System (in gas and stars) are naturally explained by interactions between the LMC and SMC, rather than gravitational interactions with the MW. These conclusions provide further support that the MCs are completing their first infall to our system. In particular, we demonstrate that the Magellanic Stream, a band of H i gas trailing behind the Clouds 150° across the sky, can be accounted for by the action of LMC tides on the SMC before the system was accreted by the MW. We further demonstrate that the off-centre, warped stellar bar of the LMC, and its one-armed spiral can be naturally explained by a recent direct collision with its lower mass companion, the SMC. Such structures are key morphological characteristics of a class of galaxies referred to as Magellanic Irregulars, the majority of which are not associated with massive spiral galaxies. We infer that dwarf-dwarf galaxy interactions are important drivers for the morphological evolution of Magellanic Irregulars and can dramatically affect the efficiency of baryon removal from dwarf galaxies via the formation of extended tidal bridges and tails. Such interactions are not only important for the evolution of dwarf galaxies but also have direct consequences for the build-up of baryons in our own MW, as LMC-mass systems are believed to be the dominant building blocks of MW-type haloes.
Recent high-precision proper motions from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC, respectively) are either on their first passage or on an ...eccentric long period (>6 Gyr) orbit about the Milky Way (MW). This differs markedly from the canonical picture in which the Clouds travel on a quasi-periodic orbit about the MW (period of {approx}2 Gyr). Without a short-period orbit about the MW, the origin of the Magellanic Stream, a young (1-2 Gyr old) coherent stream of H I gas that trails the Clouds {approx}150{sup 0} across the sky, can no longer be attributed to stripping by MW tides and/or ram pressure stripping by MW halo gas. We propose an alternative formation mechanism in which material is removed by LMC tides acting on the SMC before the system is accreted by the MW. We demonstrate the feasibility and generality of this scenario using an N-body/smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation with cosmologically motivated initial conditions constrained by the observations. Under these conditions, we demonstrate that it is possible to explain the origin of the Magellanic Stream in a first infall scenario. This picture is generically applicable to any gas-rich dwarf galaxy pair infalling toward a massive host or interacting in isolation.
Recent proper-motion measurements of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC, respectively) by Kallivayalil and coworkers suggest that the 3D velocities of the Clouds are substantially ...higher ( similar to 100 km s super(-1)) than previously estimated and now approach the escape velocity of the Milky Way (MW). Previous studies have also assumed that the Milky Way can be adequately modeled as an isothermal sphere to large distances. Here we reexamine the orbital history of the Clouds using the new velocities and a ACDM-motivated MW model with virial mass M sub(vlr) = 10 super(12) M unk (e.g., Klypin and coworkers). We conclude that the LMC and SMC are either currently on their first passage about the MW or, if the MW can be accurately modeled by an isothermal sphere to distances unk200 kpc (i.e., M sub(vlr) > 2 x 10 super(12) M unk), that their orbital period and apogalacticon distance must be a factor of 2 larger than previously estimated, increasing to 3 Gyr and 200 kpc, respectively. A first passage scenario is consistent with the fact that the LMC and SMC appear to be outliers when compared to other satellite galaxies of the MW: they are irregular in appearance and are moving faster. We discuss the implications of this orbital analysis for our understanding of the star formation history, the nature of the warp in the MW disk and the origin of the Magellanic Stream (MS), a band of H I gas trailing the LMC and SMC that extends similar to 100 degree across the sky. Specifically, as a consequence of the new orbital history of the Clouds, the origin of the MS may not be explainable by current tidal and ram pressure stripping models.
Spatial proteomics has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of biology, physiology and medicine. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) ...is a powerful tool in the spatial proteomics field, enabling direct detection and registration of protein abundance and distribution across tissues. MALDI-MSI preserves spatial distribution and histology allowing unbiased analysis of complex, heterogeneous tissues. However, MALDI-MSI faces the challenge of simultaneous peptide quantification and identification. To overcome this, we develop and validate HIT-MAP (High-resolution Informatics Toolbox in MALDI-MSI Proteomics), an open-source bioinformatics workflow using peptide mass fingerprint analysis and a dual scoring system to computationally assign peptide and protein annotations to high mass resolution MSI datasets and generate customisable spatial distribution maps. HIT-MAP will be a valuable resource for the spatial proteomics community for analysing newly generated and retrospective datasets, enabling robust peptide and protein annotation and visualisation in a wide array of normal and disease contexts.
We developed a multi-faceted prejudice habit-breaking intervention to produce long-term reductions in implicit race bias. The intervention is based on the premise that implicit bias is like a habit ...that can be broken through a combination of awareness of implicit bias, concern about the effects of that bias, and the application of strategies to reduce bias. In a 12-week longitudinal study, people who received the intervention showed dramatic reductions in implicit race bias. People who were concerned about discrimination or who reported using the strategies showed the greatest reductions. The intervention also led to increases in concern about discrimination and personal awareness of bias over the duration of the study. People in the control group showed none of the above effects. Our results raise the hope of reducing persistent and unintentional forms of discrimination that arise from implicit bias.
► We developed an intervention to produce long-term reductions in implicit race bias. ► The intervention produced reductions in implicit bias that lasted up to 8 weeks. ► The intervention also increased awareness of bias and concern about discrimination. ► Our results raise the hope of reducing the pernicious effects of implicit race bias.
There is growing consensus that human interventions can fundamentally change fine sediment transport in estuaries. Critical transitions in response to human interventions have been hypothesized based ...on indirect observational evidence and theoretical understanding. So far direct evidence has been lacking. Based on a 20 year data-set of surface suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations, we present empirical evidence of critical transitions in a temperate meso-tidal estuary. In 2008-2009 the SPM dynamics of the Scheldt estuary (Belgium/The Netherlands) changed dramatically. Not only did the total amount of sediment in suspension increase, a new maximum turbidity zone (MTZ) at typical winter discharges appeared. At intermediate and low summer discharges the longitudinal distribution of SPM now flickers between two markedly different states. Our data suggest that a range of human interventions (fairway widening and deepening, dredging and dumping activities) set the scene leading to the observed transitions. Moreover the freshwater MTZ in the Scheldt and in its major tributary exhibit an increasing sensitivity towards freshwater discharge, coinciding with water quality improvements. This suggests large scale impacts of changes in eutrophication status on estuarine sediment dynamics. This has largely been a blind spot in morphodynamic research.
Despite doubling of yields of major grain crops since the 1950s, more than one in seven people suffer from malnutrition (1). Global population is growing; demand for food, especially meat, is ...increasing; much land most suitable for annual crops is already in use; and production of nonfood goods (e.g., biofuels) increasingly competes with food production for land (2). The best lands have soils at low or moderate risk of degradation under annual grain production but make up only 12.6% of global land area (16.5 million km super(2)) (3). Supporting more than 50% of world population is another 43.7 million km super(2) of marginal lands (33.5% of global land area), at high risk of degradation under annual grain production but otherwise capable of producing crops (3). Global food security depends on annual grains- cereals, oilseeds, and legumes-planted on almost 70% of croplands, which combined supply a similar portion of human calories (4, 5). Annual grain production, though, often compromises essential ecosystem services, pushing some beyond sustainable boundaries (5). To ensure food and ecosystem security, farmers need more options to produce grains under different, generally less favorable circumstances than those under which increases in food security were achieved this past century. Development of perennial versions of important grain crops could expand options.
Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations as well as observations indicate that spiral galaxies comprise five different components: dark matter halo, stellar disc, stellar bulge, gaseous disc and ...gaseous halo. While the first four components have been extensively considered in numerical simulations of binary galaxy mergers, the effect of a hot gaseous halo has usually been neglected even though it can contain up to 80 per cent of the total gas within the galaxy virial radius. We present a series of hydrodynamic simulations of major mergers of disc galaxies, that for the first time include a diffuse, rotating, hot gaseous halo. Through cooling and accretion, the hot halo can dissipate and refuel the cold gas disc before and after a merger. This cold gas can subsequently form stars, thus impacting the morphology and kinematics of the remnant. Simulations of isolated systems with total mass M∼ 1012 M⊙ show a nearly constant star formation rate of ∼5 M⊙ yr−1 if the hot gaseous halo is included, while the star formation rate declines exponentially if it is neglected. We conduct a detailed study of the star formation efficiency during mergers and find that the presence of a hot gaseous halo reduces the starburst efficiency (e= 0.5) compared to simulations without a hot halo (e= 0.68). The ratio of the peak star formation rate in mergers compared to isolated galaxies is reduced by almost an order of magnitude (from 30 to 5). Moreover, we find cases where the stellar mass of the merger remnant is lower than the sum of the stellar mass of the two progenitor galaxies when evolved in isolation. This suggests a revision to semi-analytic galaxy formation models which assume that a merger always leads to enhanced star formation. In addition, the bulge-to-total ratio after a major merger is decreased if hot gas is included in the halo, due to the formation of a more massive stellar disc in the remnant. We show that adding the hot gas component has a significant effect on the kinematics and internal structure of the merger remnants, like an increased abundance of fast rotators and an r
1/4 surface brightness profile at small scales. The consequences on the population of elliptical galaxies formed by disc mergers are discussed.
Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder due to the deficient activity of the acid beta-glucosidase (GCase) enzyme, resulting in the progressive lysosomal ...accumulation of glucosylceramide (GlcCer) and its deacylated derivate, glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph). GCase is encoded by the GBA1 gene, located on chromosome 1q21 16 kb upstream from a highly homologous pseudogene. To date, more than 400 GBA1 pathogenic variants have been reported, many of them derived from recombination events between the gene and the pseudogene. In the last years, the increased access to new technologies has led to an exponential growth in the number of diagnostic laboratories offering GD testing. However, both biochemical and genetic diagnosis of GD are challenging and to date no specific evidence-based guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis of GD have been published. The objective of the guidelines presented here is to provide evidence-based recommendations for the technical implementation and interpretation of biochemical and genetic testing for the diagnosis of GD to ensure a timely and accurate diagnosis for patients with GD worldwide. The guidelines have been developed by members of the Diagnostic Working group of the International Working Group of Gaucher Disease (IWGGD), a non-profit network established to promote clinical and basic research into GD for the ultimate purpose of improving the lives of patients with this disease. One of the goals of the IWGGD is to support equitable access to diagnosis of GD and to standardize procedures to ensure an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, a guideline development group consisting of biochemists and geneticists working in the field of GD diagnosis was established and a list of topics to be discussed was selected. In these guidelines, twenty recommendations are provided based on information gathered through a systematic review of the literature and two different diagnostic algorithms are presented, considering the geographical differences in the access to diagnostic services. Besides, several gaps in the current diagnostic workflow were identified and actions to fulfill them were taken within the IWGGD. We believe that the implementation of recommendations provided in these guidelines will promote an equitable, timely and accurate diagnosis for patients with GD worldwide.
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