ALMA 870 m continuum imaging has uncovered a population of blends of multiple dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) in sources originally detected with the Herschel Space Observatory. However, their ...pairwise separations are much smaller than what is found by ALMA follow-up of other single-dish surveys or expected from theoretical simulations. Using ALMA and the Very Large Array, we have targeted three of these systems to confirm whether the multiple 870 m continuum sources lie at the same redshift, successfully detecting 12CO (J = 3-2) and 12CO (J = 1-0) lines and being able to confirm that in the three cases all the multiple DSFGs are likely physically associated within the same structure. Therefore, we report the discovery of two new gas-rich dusty protocluster cores (HELAISS02, z = 2.171 0.004; HXMM20, z = 2.602 0.002). The third target is located in the well-known COSMOS overdensity at z = 2.51 (named CL J1001+0220 in the literature), for which we do not find any new secure CO (1-0) detection, although some of its members show only tentative detections and require further confirmation. From the gas, dust, and stellar properties of the two new protocluster cores, we find very large molecular gas fractions yet low stellar masses, pushing the sources above the main sequence (MS), while not enhancing their star formation efficiency. We suggest that the sources might be newly formed galaxies migrating to the MS. The properties of the three systems compared to each other and to field galaxies may suggest a different evolutionary stage between systems.
Dusty star-forming galaxies at high redshift (1 < z < 3) represent the most intense star-forming regions in the universe. Key aspects to these processes are the gas heating and cooling mechanisms, ...and although it is well known that these galaxies are gas-rich, little is known about the gas excitation conditions. Only a few detailed radiative transfer studies have been carried out owing to a lack of multiple line detections per galaxy. Here we examine these processes in a sample of 24 strongly lensed star-forming galaxies identified by the Planck satellite (LPs) at z ∼ 1.1-3.5. We analyze 162 CO rotational transitions (ranging from Jup = 1 to 12) and 37 atomic carbon fine-structure lines (C i) in order to characterize the physical conditions of the gas in the sample of LPs. We simultaneously fit the CO and C i lines and the dust continuum emission, using two different non-LTE, radiative transfer models. The first model represents a two-component gas density, while the second assumes a turbulence-driven lognormal gas density distribution. These LPs are among the most gas-rich, IR-luminous galaxies ever observed ( L L IR ( 8 − 1000 m ) ∼ 10 13 − 14.6 L ; 〈 LMISM 〉 = (2.7 1.2) × 1012 M , with L ∼ 10-30 the average lens magnification factor). Our results suggest that the turbulent interstellar medium present in the LPs can be well characterized by a high turbulent velocity dispersion ( 〈 ΔVturb 〉 ∼ 100 km s−1) and ratios of gas kinetic temperature to dust temperature 〈 Tkin/Td 〉 ∼ 2.5, sustained on scales larger than a few kiloparsecs. We speculate that the average surface density of the molecular gas mass and IR luminosity, M ISM ∼ 103-4 M pc−2 and L IR ∼ 1011-12 L kpc−2, arise from both stellar mechanical feedback and a steady momentum injection from the accretion of intergalactic gas.
Summary The study cohort comprised 196 females and 163 males. Lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were acquired. Females had more severe disc degeneration ...than males. Lumbar spine lower BMD was associated with less severe disc degeneration. Lumbar disc spaces were more likely to be narrower when vertebral BMD was higher. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between gender, BMD, and disc degeneration in the lumbar spine. Methods The study cohort comprised 196 females and 163 males (age range 67-89 years) with no age difference between the two groups. Lumbar spine BMD was measured with dual X-ray densitometry, and MRI was acquired at 1.5 T. A subgroup of 48 males had additional lumbar vertebral quantitative computerized tomography densitometry. Lumbar disc degeneration was assessed using a MRI-based eight-level grading system. Results Female subjects had more severe disc degeneration than male subjects. After removing age effect, a positive trend was observed between T-score and severity of lumbar disc degeneration. This was significant in female subjects while not significant in male subjects. Lumbar disc spaces were more likely to be narrowed when vertebral BMD was higher. These observations were more significant in the midlumbar region (L3/4 and L4/5) and less so at the thoracolumbar junction. Conclusion Female subjects tended to have slightly more severe lumbar disc degeneration than male subjects. Lower lumbar spine BMD was associated with less severe disc degeneration.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged since the early 1960s. The increasing resistance of pathogens to currently used antibiotics requires the urgent discovery of new ...antimicrobials effective in combating drug-resistant bacteria. From past to present, medicinal plants are useful to cure human diseases. Corilagin (β-1-O-galloyl-3,6-(R)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-d-glucose), commonly found in Phyllanthus species, exerts potentiating effect on β-lactams against MRSA. However, its biological effect may not be fully utilized. Therefore, incorporating microencapsulation technology with the delivery of corilagin would be more effective in utilizing the potential effect on biomedical applications. This work reports the development of a safe micro-particulate system which combined agar with gelatin as wall matrix materials for topical delivery of corilagin in order to eliminate the potential toxicity of the crosslinker formaldehyde. The optimal parameters for microsphere preparation were identified and the particle size of optimal microspheres was 20.11 μm ± 3.58. Antibacterial studies revealed that micro-trapped corilagin (minimum bactericidal concentration, MBC = 0.5 mg/mL) possessed a higher potency against MRSA than free corilagin (MBC = 1 mg/mL). The in vitro skin cytotoxicity showed the safety of the corilagin-loaded microspheres for topical applications, with approximately 90 % of HaCaT cell viability. Our results demonstrated the potential of corilagin-loaded gelatin/agar microspheres for the applicable bio-textile products to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections.
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•We report corilagin-loaded microspheres prepared by a non-toxic gelatin/agar-based system.•Micro-entrapped corilagin showed a stronger antibacterial activity against MRSA than the free drug.•Micro-entrapped corilagin showed lower HaCaT cytotoxicity than the free drug.•Micro-entrapped corilagin with enhanced anti-MRSA activity would be applied to bio-textiles to treat bacterial infections.
Influenza viruses circulate around the world every year. From time to time new strains emerge and cause global pandemics. Many national and international health agencies recommended the use of face ...masks during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. We reviewed the English-language literature on this subject to inform public health preparedness. There is some evidence to support the wearing of masks or respirators during illness to protect others, and public health emphasis on mask wearing during illness may help to reduce influenza virus transmission. There are fewer data to support the use of masks or respirators to prevent becoming infected. Further studies in controlled settings and studies of natural infections in healthcare and community settings are required to better define the effectiveness of face masks and respirators in preventing influenza virus transmission.
Abstract
We present the first linear polarization measurements from the 2015 long-duration balloon flight of
Spider
, which is an experiment that is designed to map the polarization of the cosmic ...microwave background (CMB) on degree angular scales. The results from these measurements include maps and angular power spectra from observations of 4.8% of the sky at 95 and 150 GHz, along with the results of internal consistency tests on these data. While the polarized CMB anisotropy from primordial density perturbations is the dominant signal in this region of sky, Galactic dust emission is also detected with high significance. Galactic synchrotron emission is found to be negligible in the
Spider
bands. We employ two independent foreground-removal techniques to explore the sensitivity of the cosmological result to the assumptions made by each. The primary method uses a dust template derived from
Planck
data to subtract the Galactic dust signal. A second approach, which constitutes a joint analysis of
Spider
and
Planck
data in the harmonic domain, assumes a modified-blackbody model for the spectral energy distribution of the dust with no constraint on its spatial morphology. Using a likelihood that jointly samples the template amplitude and
r
parameter space, we derive 95% upper limits on the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio from Feldman–Cousins and Bayesian constructions, finding
r
< 0.11 and
r
< 0.19, respectively. Roughly half the uncertainty in
r
derives from noise associated with the template subtraction. New data at 280 GHz from
Spider
’s second flight will complement the
Planck
polarization maps, providing powerful measurements of the polarized Galactic dust emission.
Abstract A newly developed magnesium implant is used to stimulate bone formation in vivo . The magnesium implant after undergoing dual aluminum and oxygen plasma implantation is able to suppress ...rapid corrosion, leaching of magnesium ions, as well as hydrogen gas release from the biodegradable alloy in simulated body fluid (SBF). No released aluminum is detected from the SBF extract and enhanced corrosion resistance properties are confirmed by electrochemical tests. In vitro studies reveal enhanced growth of GFP mouse osteoblasts on the aluminum oxide coated sample, but not on the untreated sample. In addition to that a small amount (50 ppm) of magnesium ions can enhance osteogenic differentiation as reported previously, our present data show a low concentration of hydrogen can give rise to the same effect. To compare the bone volume change between the plasma-treated magnesium implant and untreated control, micro-computed tomography is performed and the plasma-treated implant is found to induce significant new bone formation adjacent to the implant from day 1 until the end of the animal study. On the contrary, bone loss is observed during the first week post-operation from the untreated magnesium sample. Owing to the protection offered by the Al2 O3 layer, the plasma-treated implant degrades more slowly and the small amount of released magnesium ions stimulate new bone formation locally as revealed by histological analyses. Scanning electron microscopy discloses that the Al2 O3 layer at the bone-implant interface is still present two months after implantation. In addition, no inflammation or tissue necrosis is observed from both treated and untreated implants. These promising results suggest that the plasma-treated magnesium implant can stimulate bone formation in vivo in a minimal invasive way and without causing post-operative complications.
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