Large stellar surveys are revealing the chemodynamical structure of the Galaxy across a vast spatial extent. However, the many millions of low-resolution spectra observed to date are yet to be fully ...exploited. We employ The Cannon, a data-driven approach for estimating chemical abundances, to obtain detailed abundances from low-resolution (R = 1800) LAMOST spectra, using the GALAH survey as our reference. We deliver five (for dwarfs) or six (for giants) estimated abundances representing five different nucleosynthetic channels, for 3.9 million stars, to a precision of 0.05-0.23 dex. Using wide binary pairs, we demonstrate that our abundance estimates provide chemical discriminating power beyond metallicity alone. We show the coverage of our catalog with radial, azimuthal and dynamical abundance maps and examine the neutron capture abundances across the disk and halo, which indicate different origins for the in situ and accreted halo populations. LAMOST has near-complete Gaia coverage and provides an unprecedented perspective on chemistry across the Milky Way.
We announce the discovery of a new satellite of the Milky Way in the constellation of Bootes at a distance of 660 kpc. It was found in a systematic search for stellar overdensities in the north ...Galactic cap using Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5. The color-magnitude diagram shows a well-defined turnoff, red giant branch, and extended horizontal branch. Its absolute magnitude is M sub(v) 6 -5.8 mag, which makes it one of the faintest galaxies known. The half-light radius is 6220 pc. The isodensity contours are elongated and have an irregular shape, suggesting that Boo may be a disrupted dwarf spheroidal galaxy.
We present the identification of potential members of nearby Galactic globular clusters using radial velocities from the RAdial Velocity Experiment Data Release 4 (RAVE-DR4) survey data base. Our ...identifications are based on three globular clusters – NGC 3201, NGC 5139 (ω Cen) and NGC 362 – all of which are shown to have ∣RV∣ > 100 km s−1. The high radial velocity of cluster members compared to the bulk of surrounding disc stars enables us to identify members using their measured radial velocities, supplemented by proper motion information and location relative to the tidal radius of each cluster. The identification of globular cluster stars in RAVE DR4 data offers a unique opportunity to test the precision and accuracy of the stellar parameters determined with the currently available Stellar Parameter Pipelines used in the survey, as globular clusters are ideal test-beds for the validation of stellar atmospheric parameters, abundances, distances and ages. For both NGC 3201 and ω Cen, there is compelling evidence for numerous members (>10) in the RAVE data base; in the case of NGC 362 the evidence is more ambiguous, and there may be significant foreground and/or background contamination in our kinematically selected sample. A comparison of the RAVE-derived stellar parameters and abundances with published values for each cluster and with BASTI isochrones for ages and metallicities from the literature reveals overall good agreement, with the exception of the apparent underestimation of surface gravities for giants, in particular for the most metal-poor stars. Moreover, if the selected members are part of the main body of each cluster our results would also suggest that the distances from Binney et al., where only isochrones more metal rich than −0.9 dex were used, are typically underestimated by ∼40 per cent with respect to the published distances for the clusters, while the distances from Zwitter et al. show stars ranging from 1 to ∼6.5 kpc – with indications of a trend towards higher distances at lower metallicities – for the three clusters analysed in this study.
The stellar initial mass function (IMF) describes the distribution in stellar masses produced from a burst of star formation. For more than 50 yr, the implicit assumption underpinning most areas of ...research involving the IMF has been that it is universal, regardless of time and environment. We measure the high-mass IMF slope for a sample of low-to-moderate redshift galaxies from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey. The large range in luminosities and galaxy masses of the sample permits the exploration of underlying IMF dependencies. A strong IMF-star formation rate dependency is discovered, which shows that highly star-forming galaxies form proportionally more massive stars (they have IMFs with flatter power-law slopes) than galaxies with low star formation rates. This has a significant impact on a wide variety of galaxy evolution studies, all of which rely on assumptions about the slope of the IMF. Our result is supported by, and provides an explanation for, the results of numerous recent explorations suggesting a variation of or evolution in the IMF.
Using data from the GALAH pilot survey, we determine properties of the Galactic thin and thick discs near the solar neighbourhood. The data cover a small range of Galactocentric radius (7.9 less than ...or similar to R-GC less than or similar to 9.5 kpc), but extend up to 4 kpc in height from the Galactic plane, and several kpc in the direction of Galactic anti-rotation (at longitude 260 degrees <= l <= 280 degrees). This allows us to reliably measure the vertical density and abundance profiles of the chemically and kinematically defined 'thick' and 'thin' discs of the Galaxy. The thin disc (low-alpha population) exhibits a steep negative vertical metallicity gradient, at dM/H/dz = -0.18 +/- 0.01 dex kpc(-1), which is broadly consistent with previous studies. In contrast, its vertical alpha-abundance profile is almost flat, with a gradient of dalpha/M/dz = 0.008 +/- 0.002 dex kpc(-1). The steep vertical metallicity gradient of the low-a population is in agreement with models where radial migration has a major role in the evolution of the thin disc. The thick disc (high-alpha population) has a weaker vertical metallicity gradient dM/H/dz = -0.058 +/- 0.003 dex kpc(-1). The aabundance of the thick disc is nearly constant with height, dalpha/M/dz = 0.007 +/- 0.002 dex kpc(-1). The negative gradient in metallicity and the small gradient in alpha/M indicate that the high-alpha population experienced a settling phase, but also formed prior to the onset of major Type I alpha supernova enrichment. We explore the implications of the distinct alpha-enrichments and narrow alpha/M range of the sub-populations in the context of thick disc formation.
In this Letter, we study a localized stellar overdensity in the constellation of Ursa Major, first identified in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data and subsequently followed up with Subaru imaging. ...Its color-magnitude diagram (CMD) shows a well-defined subgiant branch, main sequence, and turnoff, from which we estimate a distance of 630 kpc and a projected size of 6250 x 125 pc super(2). The CMD suggests a composite population with some range in metallicity and/or age. Based on its extent and stellar population, we argue that this is a previously unknown satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, hereby named Ursa Major II (UMa II) after its constellation. Using SDSS data, we find an absolute magnitude of Mv6-3.8, which would make it the faintest known satellite galaxy. UMall's isophotes are irregular and distorted with evidence for multiple concentrations; this suggests that the satellite is in the process of disruption.
Purpose of Review
The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in modulating cardiovascular function and fluid homeostasis. While the systemic actions of the RAS are widely accepted, ...the role of the RAS in the brain, its regulation of cardiovascular function, and sympathetic outflow remain controversial. In this report, we discuss the current understanding of central RAS on blood pressure (BP) regulation, in light of recent literature and new experimental techniques.
Recent Findings
Studies using neuronal or glial-specifc mouse models have allowed for greater understanding into the site-specific expression and role centrally expressed RAS proteins have on BP regulation. While all components of the RAS have been identified in cardiovascular regulatory regions of the brain, their actions may be site specific. In a number of animal models of hypertension, reduction in Ang II-mediated signaling, or upregulation of the central ACE2/Ang 1–7 pathway, has been shown to reduce BP, via a reduction in sympathetic signaling and increase parasympathetic tone, respectively. Emerging evidence also suggests that, in part, the female protective phenotype against hypertension may be due to inceased ACE2 activity within cardiovascular regulatory regions of the brain, potentially mediated by estrogen.
Summary
Increasing evidence suggests the importance of a central renin-angiotensin pathway, although its localization and the mechanisms involved in its expression and regulation still need to be clarified and more precisely defined.
All reported studies/experiments with human or animal subjects performed by the authors have been previously published and complied with all applicable ethical standards (including the Helsinki declaration and its amendments, institutional/national research committee standards, and international/national/institutional guidelines).
The first generation of large-scale chemical tagging surveys, in particular the High Efficiency and Resolution Multi-Element Spectrograph (HERMES)/Galactic Archaeology with HERMES million star ...survey, promises to vastly expand our understanding of the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Galaxy. This, however, is contingent on our ability to confidently perform chemical tagging on such a large data set. Chemical homogeneity has been observed across a range of elements within several Galactic open clusters, yet the level to which this is the case globally, and particularly in comparison to the scatter across clusters themselves, is not well understood. The patterns of elements in coeval cluster members, occupying a complex chemical abundance space, are rooted in the evolution, ultimately the nature of the very late stages, of early generations of stars. The current astrophysical models of such stages are not yet sufficient to explain all observations, combining with our significant gaps in the understanding of star formation, makes this a difficult arena to tackle theoretically. Here, we describe a robust pair-wise metric used to gauge the chemical difference between two stellar components. This metric is then applied to a data base of high-resolution literature abundance sources to derive a function describing the probability that two stars are of common evolutionary origin. With this cluster probability function, it will be possible to report a confidence, grounded in empirical observational evidence, with which clusters are detected, independent of the group finding methods. This formulation is also used to probe the role of chemical dimensionality, and that of individual chemical species, on the ability of chemical tagging to differentiate coeval groups of stars.
We report the identification of extended tidal debris potentially associated with the globular cluster NGC 3201, using the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) catalogue. We find the debris stars are ...located at a distance range of 1–7 kpc based on the forthcoming RAVE distance estimates. The derived space velocities and integrals of motion show interesting connections to NGC 3201, modulo uncertainties in the proper motions. Three stars, which are among the four most likely candidates for NGC 3201 tidal debris, are separated by 80° on the sky yet are well matched by the 12 Gyr, Fe/H = −1.5 isochrone appropriate for the cluster. This is the first time tidal debris around this cluster has been reported over such a large spatial extent, with implications for the cluster's origin and dynamical evolution.
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