Of several dozen galaxies observed spectroscopically that are candidates for having a redshift (z) in excess of seven, only five have had their redshifts confirmed via Lyman α emission, at z = 7.008, ...7.045, 7.109, 7.213 and 7.215 (refs 1-4). The small fraction of confirmed galaxies may indicate that the neutral fraction in the intergalactic medium rises quickly at z > 6.5, given that Lyman α is resonantly scattered by neutral gas. The small samples and limited depth of previous observations, however, makes these conclusions tentative. Here we report a deep near-infrared spectroscopic survey of 43 photometrically-selected galaxies with z > 6.5. We detect a near-infrared emission line from only a single galaxy, confirming that some process is making Lyman α difficult to detect. The detected emission line at a wavelength of 1.0343 micrometres is likely to be Lyman α emission, placing this galaxy at a redshift z = 7.51, an epoch 700 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy's colours are consistent with significant metal content, implying that galaxies become enriched rapidly. We calculate a surprisingly high star-formation rate of about 330 solar masses per year, which is more than a factor of 100 greater than that seen in the Milky Way. Such a galaxy is unexpected in a survey of our size, suggesting that the early Universe may harbour a larger number of intense sites of star formation than expected.
Abstract
We present the first results from the Mapping Obscuration to Reionization with ALMA (MORA) survey, the largest Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) blank-field contiguous ...survey to date (184 arcmin
2
) and the only at 2 mm to search for dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs). We use the 13 sources detected above 5
σ
to estimate the first ALMA galaxy number counts at this wavelength. These number counts are then combined with the state-of-the-art galaxy number counts at 1.2 and 3 mm and with a backward evolution model to place constraints on the evolution of the IR luminosity function and dust-obscured star formation in the past 13 billion years. Our results suggest a steep redshift evolution on the space density of DSFGs and confirm the flattening of the IR luminosity function at faint luminosities, with a slope of
. We conclude that the dust-obscured component, which peaks at
z
≈ 2–2.5, has dominated the cosmic history of star formation for the past ∼12 billion years, back to
z
∼ 4. At
z
= 5, the dust-obscured star formation is estimated to be ∼35% of the total star formation rate density and decreases to 25%–20% at
z
= 6–7, implying a minor contribution of dust-enshrouded star formation in the first billion years of the universe. With the dust-obscured star formation history constrained up to the end of the epoch of reionization, our results provide a benchmark to test galaxy formation models, to study the galaxy mass assembly history, and to understand the dust and metal enrichment of the universe at early times.
We report the discovery of a galaxy cluster at z = 1.62 located in the Spitzer Wide-Area Infrared Extragalactic survey XMM-LSS field. This structure was selected solely as an overdensity of galaxies ...with red Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera colors, satisfying (3.6 - 4.5){sub AB}> - 0.1 mag. Photometric redshifts derived from the Subaru XMM Deep Survey (BViz bands), the UKIRT Infrared Deep Survey-Ultra-Deep Survey (UKIDSS-UDS, JK bands), and from the Spitzer Public UDS survey (3.6-8.0 {mu}m) show that this cluster corresponds to a surface density of galaxies at z {approx} 1.6 that is >20{sigma} above the mean at this redshift. We obtained optical spectroscopic observations of galaxies in the cluster region using IMACS on the Magellan telescope. We measured redshifts for seven galaxies in the range z = 1.62-1.63 within 2.8 arcmin (<1.4 Mpc) of the astrometric center of the cluster. A posteriori analysis of the XMM data in this field reveal a weak (4{sigma}) detection in the 0.5-2 keV band compatible with the expected thermal emission from such a cluster. The color-magnitude diagram of the galaxies in this cluster shows a prominent red sequence, dominated by a population of red galaxies with (z - J)>1.7 mag. The photometric-redshift probability distributions for the red galaxies are strongly peaked at z = 1.62, coincident with the spectroscopically confirmed galaxies. The rest-frame (U - B) color and scatter of galaxies on the red sequence are consistent with a mean luminosity-weighted age of 1.2 {+-} 0.1 Gyr, yielding a formation redshift z-bar{sub f}=2.35{+-}0.10, and corresponding to the last significant star formation period in these galaxies.
Abstract
We analyze the rest-frame near-UV and optical nebular spectra of three
z
> 7 galaxies from the Early Release Observations taken with the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James ...Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These three high-
z
galaxies show the detection of several strong emission nebular lines, including the temperature-sensitive O
iii
λ
4363 line, allowing us to directly determine the nebular conditions and abundances for O/H, C/O, and Ne/O. We derive O/H abundances and ionization parameters that are generally consistent with other recent analyses. We analyze the mass–metallicity relationship (i.e., slope) and its redshift evolution by comparing between the three
z
> 7 galaxies and local star-forming galaxies. We also detect the C
iii
λλ
1907, 1909 emission in a
z
> 8 galaxy from which we determine the most distant C/O abundance to date. This valuable detection of log(C/O) = −0.83 ± 0.38 provides the first test of C/O redshift evolution out to high redshift. For neon, we use the high-ionization Ne
iii
λ
3869 line to measure the first Ne/O abundances at
z
> 7, finding no evolution in this
α
-element ratio. We explore the tentative detection of Fe
ii
and Fe
iii
lines in a
z
> 8 galaxy, which would indicate a rapid buildup of metals. Importantly, we demonstrate that properly flux-calibrated and higher-S/N spectra are crucial to robustly determine the abundance pattern in
z
> 7 galaxies with NIRSpec/JWST.
Abstract
We present the results of the first, deep Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) imaging covering the full ≃4.5 arcmin2 of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) imaged with Wide Field Camera ...3/IR on HST. Using a 45-pointing mosaic, we have obtained a homogeneous 1.3-mm image reaching σ1.3 ≃ 35 μJy, at a resolution of ≃0.7 arcsec. From an initial list of ≃50 > 3.5σ peaks, a rigorous analysis confirms 16 sources with S
1.3 > 120 μJy. All of these have secure galaxy counterparts with robust redshifts (〈z〉 = 2.15). Due to the unparalleled supporting data, the physical properties of the ALMA sources are well constrained, including their stellar masses (M
*) and UV+FIR star formation rates (SFR). Our results show that stellar mass is the best predictor of SFR in the high-redshift Universe; indeed at z ≥ 2 our ALMA sample contains seven of the nine galaxies in the HUDF with M
* ≥ 2 × 1010 M⊙, and we detect only one galaxy at z > 3.5, reflecting the rapid drop-off of high-mass galaxies with increasing redshift. The detections, coupled with stacking, allow us to probe the redshift/mass distribution of the 1.3-mm background down to S
1.3 ≃ 10 μJy. We find strong evidence for a steep star-forming ‘main sequence’ at z ≃ 2, with SFR ∝M
* and a mean specific SFR ≃ 2.2 Gyr−1. Moreover, we find that ≃85 per cent of total star formation at z ≃ 2 is enshrouded in dust, with ≃65 per cent of all star formation at this epoch occurring in high-mass galaxies (M
* > 2 × 1010 M⊙), for which the average obscured:unobscured SF ratio is ≃200. Finally, we revisit the cosmic evolution of SFR density; we find this peaks at z ≃ 2.5, and that the star-forming Universe transits from primarily unobscured to primarily obscured at z ≃ 4.
Abstract Foetal mouse cortical cells were cultured on 2D films and within 3D thermally responsive chitosan/glycerophosphate salt (GP) hydrogels. The biocompatibility of chitosan/GP 2D films was ...assessed in terms of cell number and neurites per cell. Osmolarity of the hydrogel was a critical factor in promoting cell survival with isotonic GP concentrations providing optimal conditions. To improve cell adhesion and neurite outgrowth, poly- d -lysine (PDL) was immobilised onto chitosan via azidoaniline photocoupling. Increase in PDL concentrations did not alter cell survival in 2D cultures but neurite outgrowth was significantly inhibited. Neurons exhibited a star-like morphology typical of 2D culture systems. The effects of PDL attachment on cell number, cell morphology and neurite outgrowth were more distinct in 3D culture conditions. Neurones exhibited larger cell bodies and sent out single neurites within the macroporous gel. Immobilised PDL improved cell survival up to an optimum concentration of 0.1%, however, further increases resulted in drops in cell number and neurite outgrowth. This was attributed to a higher cell interaction with PDL within a 3D hydrogel compared to the corresponding 2D surface. The results show that thermally responsive chitosan/GP hydrogels provide a suitable 3D scaffolding environment for neural tissue engineering.
Submillimeter/millimeter observations of dusty star-forming galaxies with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have shown that dust continuum emission generally occurs in compact ...regions smaller than the stellar distribution. However, it remains to be understood how systematic these findings are. Studies often lack homogeneity in the sample selection, target discontinuous areas with inhomogeneous sensitivities, and suffer from modest
u
v
coverage coming from single array configurations. GOODS-ALMA is a 1.1 mm galaxy survey over a continuous area of 72.42 arcmin
2
at a homogeneous sensitivity. In this version 2.0, we present a new low resolution dataset and its combination with the previous high resolution dataset from the survey, improving the
u
v
coverage and sensitivity reaching an average of
σ
= 68.4 μJy beam
−1
. A total of 88 galaxies are detected in a blind search (compared to 35 in the high resolution dataset alone), 50% at
S
/
N
peak
≥ 5 and 50% at 3.5 ≤
S
/
N
peak
≤ 5 aided by priors. Among them, 13 out of the 88 are optically dark or faint sources (
H
- or
K
-band dropouts). The sample dust continuum sizes at 1.1 mm are generally compact, with a median effective radius of
R
e
= 0
.
″
10 ± 0
.
″
05 (a physical size of
R
e
= 0.73 ± 0.29 kpc at the redshift of each source). Dust continuum sizes evolve with redshift and stellar mass resembling the trends of the stellar sizes measured at optical wavelengths, albeit a lower normalization compared to those of late-type galaxies. We conclude that for sources with flux densities
S
1.1 mm
> 1 mJy, compact dust continuum emission at 1.1 mm prevails, and sizes as extended as typical star-forming stellar disks are rare. The
S
1.1 mm
< 1 mJy sources appear slightly more extended at 1.1 mm, although they are still generally compact below the sizes of typical star-forming stellar disks.
We discuss the structural and morphological properties of galaxies in a z = 1.62 proto-cluster using near-IR imaging data from Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 data of the Cosmic Assembly ...Near-IR Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey (CANDELS). The cluster galaxies exhibit a clear color-morphology relation: galaxies with colors of quiescent stellar populations generally have morphologies consistent with spheroids, and galaxies with colors consistent with ongoing star formation have disk-like and irregular morphologies. The size distribution of the quiescent cluster galaxies shows a deficit of compact ({approx}< 1 kpc), massive galaxies compared to CANDELS field galaxies at z = 1.6. As a result, the cluster quiescent galaxies have larger average effective sizes compared to field galaxies at fixed mass at greater than 90% significance. Combined with data from the literature, the size evolution of quiescent cluster galaxies is relatively slow from z {approx_equal} 1.6 to the present, growing as (1 + z){sup -0.6{+-}0.1}. If this result is generalizable, then it implies that physical processes associated with the denser cluster region seem to have caused accelerated size growth in quiescent galaxies prior to z = 1.6 and slower subsequent growth at z < 1.6 compared to galaxies in the lower density field. The quiescent cluster galaxies at z = 1.6 have higher ellipticities compared to lower redshift samples at fixed mass, and their surface-brightness profiles suggest that they contain extended stellar disks. We argue that the cluster galaxies require dissipationless (i.e., gas-poor or 'dry') mergers to reorganize the disk material and to match the relations for ellipticity, stellar mass, size, and color of early-type galaxies in z < 1 clusters.
ABSTRACT We introduce a new color selection technique to identify high-redshift, massive galaxies that are systematically missed by Lyman-break selection. The new selection is based on the H160 (H) ...and Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) 4.5 m bands, specifically mag. These galaxies, called "HIEROs," include two major populations that can be separated with an additional J − H color. The populations are massive and dusty star-forming galaxies at ( ) and extremely dusty galaxies at ( ). The 350 arcmin2 of the GOODS-North and GOODS-South fields with the deepest Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) near-infrared and IRAC data contain as many as 285 HIEROs down to mag. Inclusion of the most extreme HIEROs, not even detected in the H band, makes this selection particularly complete for the identification of massive high-redshift galaxies. We focus here primarily on ( ) HIEROs, which have a median photometric redshift and stellar mass and are much fainter in the rest-frame UV than similarly massive Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). Their star formation rates (SFRs), derived from their stacked infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs), reach ∼240 yr−1, leading to a specific SFR, Gyr−1, suggesting that the sSFRs for massive galaxies continue to grow at but at a lower growth rate than from z = 0 to z = 2. With a median half-light radius of 2 kpc, including as compact as quiescent (QS) galaxies at similar redshifts, HIEROs represent perfect star-forming progenitors of the most massive ( ) compact QS galaxies at and have the right number density. HIEROs make up of all galaxies with identified at from their photometric redshifts. This is five times more than LBGs with nearly no overlap between the two populations. While HIEROs make up 15%-25% of the total SFR density at -5, they completely dominate the SFR density taking place in galaxies, and HIEROs are therefore crucial to understanding the very early phase of massive galaxy formation.
Electrospinning has been employed extensively in tissue engineering to generate nanofibrous scaffolds from either natural or synthetic biodegradable polymers to simulate the cellular ...microenvironment. Electrospinning rapidly produces fibers of the nanolength scale and the process offers many opportunities to tailor the physical, chemical, and biological properties of a material for specific applications and cellular environments. There is growing evidence that nanofibers amplify certain biological responses such as contact guidance and differentiation, however this has not been fully exploited in tissue engineering. This review addresses the cellular interactions with electrospun scaffolds, with particular focus on neural, bone, cartilage, and vascular tissue regeneration. Some aspects of scaffold design, including architectural properties, surface functionalization and materials selection are also addressed.
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