The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Gould Belt Survey (GBS) was one of the first legacy surveys with the JCMT in Hawaii, mapping 47 deg2 of nearby (<500 pc) molecular clouds in dust continuum ...emission at 850 and 450 m, as well as a more limited area in lines of various CO isotopologues. While molecular clouds and the material that forms stars have structures on many size scales, their larger-scale structures are difficult to observe reliably in the submillimeter regime using ground-based facilities. In this paper, we quantify the extent to which three subsequent data reduction methods employed by the JCMT GBS accurately recover emission structures of various size scales, in particular, dense cores, which are the focus of many GBS science goals. With our current best data reduction procedure, we expect to recover 100% of structures with Gaussian sizes of ≤30″ and intensity peaks of at least five times the local noise for isolated peaks of emission. The measured sizes and peak fluxes of these compact structures are reliable (within 15% of the input values), but source recovery and reliability both decrease significantly for larger emission structures and fainter peaks. Additional factors such as source crowding have not been tested in our analysis. The most recent JCMT GBS data release includes pointing corrections, and we demonstrate that these tend to decrease the sizes and increase the peak intensities of compact sources in our data set, mostly at a low level (several percent), but occasionally with notable improvement.
We present the full data release of the 12CO (3–2) High-Resolution Survey (COHRS), which has mapped the inner Galactic plane over the range of 9.°5 ≤ l ≤ 62.°3 and ∣b∣ ≤ 0.°5. COHRS has been carried ...out using the Heterodyne Array Receiver Program on the 15 m James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. The released data are smoothed to have a spatial resolution of 16.″6 and a velocity resolution of 0.635 km s−1, achieving a mean rms of ∼0.6 K on TA*. The COHRS data are useful for investigating detailed three-dimensional structures of individual molecular clouds and large-scale structures such as spiral arms in the Galactic plane. Furthermore, data from other available public surveys of different CO isotopologues and transitions with similar angular resolutions to this survey, such as FUGIN, SEDIGISM, and CHIMPS/CHIMPS2, allow studies of the physical properties of molecular clouds and comparison of their states. In this paper, we report further observations on the second release and improved data reduction since the original COHRS release. We discuss the characteristics of the COHRS data and present integrated-emission images and a position–velocity (PV) map of the region covered. The PV map shows a good match with spiral-arm traces from existing CO and H i surveys. We also obtain and compare integrated one-dimensional distributions of 12CO (1–0) and (3–2) and those of star-forming populations.
The plastic monomer bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest production volume chemicals in the world and is frequently detected in wildlife and humans, particularly children. BPA has been associated ...with numerous adverse health outcomes relating to its estrogenic and other hormonal properties, but direct causal links are unclear in humans and animal models. Here we simulated measured (1×) and predicted worst-case (10× ) maximum fetal exposures for BPA, or equivalent concentrations of its metabolite MBP, using fluorescent reporter embryo-larval zebrafish, capable of quantifying Estrogen Response Element (ERE) activation throughout the body. Heart valves were primary sites for ERE activation by BPA and MBP, and transcriptomic analysis of microdissected heart tissues showed that both chemicals targeted several molecular pathways constituting biomarkers for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), including extra-cellular matrix (ECM) alteration. ECM collagen deficiency and impact on heart valve structural integrity were confirmed by histopathology for high-level MBP exposure, and structural defects (abnormal curvature) of the atrio-ventricular valves corresponded with impaired cardiovascular function (reduced ventricular beat rate and blood flow). Our results are the first to demonstrate plausible mechanistic links between ERE activation in the heart valves by BPA's reactive metabolite MBP and the development of valvular-cardiovascular disease states.
ABSTRACT
To study the high-transition dense-gas tracers and their relationships to the star formation of the inner ∼2 kpc circumnuclear region of NGC 253, we present HCN J = 4−3 and HCO+ J = 4−3 maps ...obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Using the spatially resolved data, we compute the concentration indices r90/r50 for the different tracers. HCN and HCO+ 4–3 emission features tend to be centrally concentrated, which is in contrast to the shallower distribution of CO 1–0 and the stellar component. The dense-gas fraction (fdense, traced by the velocity-integrated-intensity ratios of HCN/CO and HCO+/CO) and the ratio R31 (CO 3–2/1–0) decline towards larger galactocentric distances, but increase with higher star formation rate surface density. The radial variation and the large scatter of fdense and R31 imply distinct physical conditions in different regions of the galactic disc. The relationships of fdense versus Σstellar, and SFEdense versus Σstellar are explored. SFEdense increases with higher Σstellar in this galaxy, which is inconsistent with previous work that used HCN 1–0 data. This implies that existing stellar components might have different effects on the high-J HCN and HCO+ than their low-J emission. We also find that SFEdense seems to be decreasing with higher fdense which is consistent with previous works, and it suggests that the ability of the dense gas to form stars diminishes when the average density of the gas increases. This is expected in a scenario where only the regions with high-density contrast collapse and form stars.
Abstract
The Submillimetre Common User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) is the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope’s continuum imager, operating simultaneously at 450 and 850
μ
m. SCUBA-2 was commissioned in ...2009–2011, and since that time, regular observations of point-like standard sources have been performed whenever the instrument is in use. Expanding the calibrator observation sample by an order of magnitude compared to previous work, in this paper we derive updated opacity relations at each wavelength for a new atmospheric extinction correction, analyze the Flux Conversion Factors used to convert instrumental units to physical flux units as a function of date and observation time, present information on the beam profiles for each wavelength, and update secondary calibrator source fluxes. Between 07:00 and 17:00 UTC, the portion of the night that is most stable to temperature gradients that cause dish deformation, the total flux uncertainty and the peak flux uncertainty measured at 450
μ
m are found to be 14% and 17%, respectively. Measured at 850
μ
m, the total flux and peak flux uncertainties are 6% and 7%, respectively. The analysis presented in this work is applicable to all SCUBA-2 projects observed since 2011.
With the advent of modern multidetector heterodyne instruments that can result in observations generating thousands of spectra per minute it is no longer feasible to reduce these data as individual ...spectra. We describe the automated data reduction procedure used to generate baselined data cubes from heterodyne data obtained at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). The system can automatically detect baseline regions in spectra and automatically determine regridding parameters, all without input from a user. Additionally, it can detect and remove spectra suffering from transient interference effects or anomalous baselines. The pipeline is written as a set of recipes using the ORAC-DR pipeline environment with the algorithmic code using Starlink software packages and infrastructure. The algorithms presented here can be applied to other heterodyne array instruments and have been applied to data from historical JCMT heterodyne instrumentation.
We present and maps of six nearby star-forming galaxies, NGC 253, NGC 1068, IC 342, M82, M83, and NGC 6946, obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope as part of the MALATANG survey. All ...galaxies were mapped in the central 2′ × 2′ region at 14″ (FWHM) resolution (corresponding to linear scales of ∼0.2-1.0 kpc). The LIR-L′dense relation, where the dense gas is traced by the and the emission, measured in our sample of spatially resolved galaxies is found to follow the linear correlation established globally in galaxies within the scatter. We find that the luminosity ratio, LIR/L′dense, shows systematic variations with LIR within individual spatially resolved galaxies, whereas the galaxy-integrated ratios vary little. A rising trend is also found between LIR/L′dense ratio and the warm-dust temperature gauged by the 70 m/100 m flux ratio. We find that the luminosity ratios of IR/HCN (4-3) and IR/HCO+ (4-3), which can be taken as a proxy for the star formation efficiency (SFE) in the dense molecular gas (SFEdense), appear to be nearly independent of the dense gas fraction (fdense) for our sample of galaxies. The SFE of the total molecular gas (SFEmol) is found to increase substantially with fdense when combining our data with those on local (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies and high-z quasars. The mean line ratio measured for the six targeted galaxies is 0.9 0.6. No significant correlation is found for the ratio with the star formation rate as traced by LIR, nor with the warm-dust temperature, for the different populations of galaxies.
The mechanisms by which proteins are targeted to the membrane of eukaryotic flagella and cilia are largely uncharacterized. We have identified a new family of small myristoylated proteins (SMPs) that ...are present in Leishmania spp and related trypanosomatid parasites. One of these proteins, termed SMP-1, is targeted to the Leishmania flagellum. SMP-1 is myristoylated and palmitoylated in vivo, and mutation of Gly-2 and Cys-3 residues showed that both fatty acids are required for flagellar localization. SMP-1 is associated with detergent-resistant membranes based on its recovery in the buoyant fraction after Triton X-100 extraction and sucrose density centrifugation and coextraction with the major surface glycolipids in Triton X-114. However, the flagellar localization of SMP-1 was not affected when sterol biosynthesis and the properties of detergent-resistant membranes were perturbed with ketoconazole. Remarkably, treatment of Leishmania with ketoconazole and myriocin (an inhibitor of sphingolipid biosynthesis) also had no affect on SMP-1 localization, despite causing the massive distension of the flagellum membrane and the partial or complete loss of internal axoneme and paraflagellar rod structures, respectively. These data suggest that flagellar membrane targeting of SMP-1 is not dependent on axonemal structures and that alterations in flagellar membrane lipid composition disrupt axoneme extension.
Abstract
We present the full data release of the
12
CO (3–2) High-Resolution Survey (COHRS), which has mapped the inner Galactic plane over the range of 9.°5 ≤
l
≤ 62.°3 and ∣
b
∣ ≤ 0.°5. COHRS has ...been carried out using the Heterodyne Array Receiver Program on the 15 m James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. The released data are smoothed to have a spatial resolution of 16.″6 and a velocity resolution of 0.635 km s
−1
, achieving a mean rms of ∼0.6 K on
T
A
*
. The COHRS data are useful for investigating detailed three-dimensional structures of individual molecular clouds and large-scale structures such as spiral arms in the Galactic plane. Furthermore, data from other available public surveys of different CO isotopologues and transitions with similar angular resolutions to this survey, such as FUGIN, SEDIGISM, and CHIMPS/CHIMPS2, allow studies of the physical properties of molecular clouds and comparison of their states. In this paper, we report further observations on the second release and improved data reduction since the original COHRS release. We discuss the characteristics of the COHRS data and present integrated-emission images and a position–velocity (PV) map of the region covered. The PV map shows a good match with spiral-arm traces from existing CO and H
i
surveys. We also obtain and compare integrated one-dimensional distributions of
12
CO (1–0) and (3–2) and those of star-forming populations.
Abstract
We present
and
maps of six nearby star-forming galaxies, NGC 253, NGC 1068, IC 342, M82, M83, and NGC 6946, obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope as part of the MALATANG survey. ...All galaxies were mapped in the central 2′ × 2′ region at 14″ (FWHM) resolution (corresponding to linear scales of ∼0.2–1.0 kpc). The
L
IR
–
L
′
dense
relation, where the dense gas is traced by the
and the
emission, measured in our sample of spatially resolved galaxies is found to follow the linear correlation established globally in galaxies within the scatter. We find that the luminosity ratio,
L
IR
/
L
′
dense
, shows systematic variations with
L
IR
within individual spatially resolved galaxies, whereas the galaxy-integrated ratios vary little. A rising trend is also found between
L
IR
/
L
′
dense
ratio and the warm-dust temperature gauged by the 70
μ
m/100
μ
m flux ratio. We find that the luminosity ratios of IR/HCN (4–3) and IR/HCO
+
(4–3), which can be taken as a proxy for the star formation efficiency (SFE) in the dense molecular gas (SFE
dense
), appear to be nearly independent of the dense gas fraction (
f
dense
) for our sample of galaxies. The SFE of the total molecular gas (SFE
mol
) is found to increase substantially with
f
dense
when combining our data with those on local (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies and high-
z
quasars. The mean
line ratio measured for the six targeted galaxies is 0.9 ± 0.6. No significant correlation is found for the
ratio with the star formation rate as traced by
L
IR
, nor with the warm-dust temperature, for the different populations of galaxies.