Characterizing the structure of the Galactic interstellar medium (ISM) in three dimensions is of high importance for accurate modeling of dust emission as a foreground to the cosmic microwave ...background (CMB). At high Galactic latitude, where the total dust content is low, accurate maps of the 3D structure of the ISM are lacking. We develop a method to quantify the complexity of the distribution of dust along the line of sight with the use of H i line emission. The method relies on a Gaussian decomposition of the H i spectra to disentangle the emission from overlapping components in velocity. We use this information to create maps of the number of clouds along the line of sight. We apply the method to (a) the high Galactic latitude sky and (b) the region targeted by the BICEP/Keck experiment. In the north Galactic cap we find on average three clouds per 0.2 square degree pixel, while in the south the number falls to 2.5. The statistics of the number of clouds are affected by intermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs), primarily in the north. IVCs produce detectable features in the dust emission measured by Planck. We investigate the complexity of H i spectra in the BICEP/Keck region and find evidence for the existence of multiple components along the line of sight. The data (doi: 10.7910/DVN/8DA5LH) and software are made publicly available and can be used to inform CMB foreground modeling and 3D dust mapping.
We consider topological dynamical systems over
Z
and, more generally, locally compact,
σ
-compact abelian groups. We relate spectral theory and diffraction theory. We first use a a recently developed ...general framework of diffraction theory to associate an autocorrelation and a diffraction measure to any
L
2
-function over such a dynamical system. This diffraction measure is shown to be the spectral measure of the function. If the group has a countable basis of the topology one can also exhibit the underlying autocorrelation by sampling along the orbits. Building on these considerations we then show how the spectral theory of dynamical systems can be reformulated via diffraction theory of function dynamical systems. In particular, we show that the diffraction measures of suitable factors provide a complete spectral invariant.
COLD MILKY WAY H i GAS IN FILAMENTS Kalberla, P. M. W.; Kerp, J.; Haud, U. ...
The Astrophysical journal,
04/2016, Letnik:
821, Številka:
2
Journal Article
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ABSTRACT We investigate data from the Galactic Effelsberg-Bonn H i Survey, supplemented with data from the third release of the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS III) observed at Parkes. We explore the ...all-sky distribution of the local Galactic H i gas with v LSR < 25 km s−1 on angular scales of 11′-16′. Unsharp masking is applied to extract small-scale features. We find cold filaments that are aligned with polarized dust emission and conclude that the cold neutral medium (CNM) is mostly organized in sheets that are, because of projection effects, observed as filaments. These filaments are associated with dust ridges, aligned with the magnetic field measured on the structures by Planck at 353 GHz. The CNM above latitudes b > 20 ° is described by a log-normal distribution, with a median Doppler temperature TD = 223 K, derived from observed line widths that include turbulent contributions. The median neutral hydrogen (H i) column density is NH i 1019.1 cm−2. These CNM structures are embedded within a warm neutral medium with NH i 1020 cm−2. Assuming an average distance of 100 pc, we derive for the CNM sheets a thickness of 0.3 pc. Adopting a magnetic field strength of Btot = (6.0 1.8) G, proposed by Heiles & Troland, and assuming that the CNM filaments are confined by magnetic pressure, we estimate a thickness of 0.09 pc. Correspondingly, the median volume density is in the range 14 n 47 cm−3.
is an obligate human pathogen that causes mucosal surface infections of male and female reproductive tracts, pharynx, rectum, and conjunctiva. Asymptomatic or unnoticed infections in the lower ...reproductive tract of women can lead to serious, long-term consequences if these infections ascend into the fallopian tube. The damage caused by gonococcal infection and the subsequent inflammatory response produce the condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Infection can lead to tubal scarring, occlusion of the oviduct, and loss of critical ciliated cells. Consequences of the damage sustained on the fallopian tube epithelium include increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and tubal-factor infertility. Additionally, the resolution of infection can produce new adhesions between internal tissues, which can tear and reform, producing chronic pelvic pain. As a bacterium adapted to life in a human host, the gonococcus presents a challenge to the development of model systems for probing host-microbe interactions. Advances in small-animal models have yielded previously unattainable data on systemic immune responses, but the specificity of
for many known (and unknown) host targets remains a constant hurdle. Infections of human volunteers are possible, though they present ethical and logistical challenges, and are necessarily limited to males due to the risk of severe complications in women. It is routine, however, that normal, healthy fallopian tubes are removed in the course of different gynecological surgeries (namely hysterectomy), making the very tissue most consequentially damaged during ascending gonococcal infection available for laboratory research. The study of fallopian tube organ cultures has allowed the opportunity to observe gonococcal biology and immune responses in a complex, multi-layered tissue from a natural host. Forty-five years since the first published example of human fallopian tube being infected
with
, we review what modeling infections in human tissue explants has taught us about the gonococcus, what we have learned about the defenses mounted by the human host in the upper female reproductive tract, what other fields have taught us about ciliated and non-ciliated cell development, and ultimately offer suggestions regarding the next generation of model systems to help expand our ability to study gonococcal pathogenesis.
Summary
In plants, autophagy has been assigned ‘pro‐death’ and ‘pro‐survival’ roles in controlling programmed cell death associated with microbial effector‐triggered immunity. The role of autophagy ...in basal immunity to virulent pathogens has not been addressed systematically, however. Using several autophagy‐deficient (atg) genotypes, we determined the function of autophagy in basal plant immunity. Arabidopsis mutants lacking ATG5, ATG10 and ATG18a develop spreading necrosis upon infection with the necrotrophic fungal pathogen, Alternaria brassicicola, which is accompanied by the production of reactive oxygen intermediates and by enhanced hyphal growth. Likewise, treatment with the fungal toxin fumonisin B1 causes spreading lesion formation in atg mutant genotypes. We suggest that autophagy constitutes a ‘pro‐survival’ mechanism that controls the containment of host tissue‐destructive microbial infections. In contrast, atg plants do not show spreading necrosis, but exhibit marked resistance against the virulent biotrophic phytopathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Inducible defenses associated with basal plant immunity, such as callose production or mitogen‐activated protein kinase activation, were unaltered in atg genotypes. However, phytohormone analysis revealed that salicylic acid (SA) levels in non‐infected and bacteria‐infected atg plants were slightly higher than those in Col‐0 plants, and were accompanied by elevated SA‐dependent gene expression and camalexin production. This suggests that previously undetected moderate infection‐induced rises in SA result in measurably enhanced bacterial resistance, and that autophagy negatively controls SA‐dependent defenses and basal immunity to bacterial infection. We infer that the way in which autophagy contributes to plant immunity to different pathogens is mechanistically diverse, and thus resembles the complex role of this process in animal innate immunity.
Context. The Effelsberg-Bonn Hi Survey (EBHIS) is a new 21-cm survey performed with the 100-m telescope at Effelsberg. It covers the whole northern sky out to a redshift of z ~ 0.07 and comprises Hi ...line emission from the Milky Way and the Local Volume. Aims. We aim to substitute the northern-hemisphere part of the Leiden/Argentine/Bonn Milky Way Hi survey (LAB) with this first EBHIS data release, which presents the Hi gas in the Milky Way regime. Methods. The use of a seven-beam L-band array made it feasible to perform this all-sky survey with a 100-m class telescope in a reasonable amount of observing time. State-of-the-art fast-Fourier-transform spectrometers provide the necessary data read-out speed, dynamic range, and spectral resolution to apply software radio-frequency interference mitigation. EBHIS is corrected for stray radiation and employs frequency-dependent flux-density calibration and sophisticated baseline-removal techniques to ensure the highest possible data quality. Results. Detailed analyses of the resulting data products show that EBHIS is not only outperforming LAB in terms of sensitivity and angular resolution, but also matches the intensity-scale of LAB extremely well, allowing EBHIS to be used as a drop-in replacement for LAB. Data products are made available to the public in a variety of forms. Most important, we provide a properly gridded Milky Way Hi column density map in HEALPix representation. To maximize the usefulness of EBHIS data, we estimate uncertainties in the Hi column density and brightness temperature distributions, accounting for systematic effects.
Context. The H i halo clouds of the Milky Way, and in particular the intermediate-velocity clouds (IVCs), are thought to be connected to Galactic fountain processes. Observations of fountain clouds ...are important for understanding the role of matter recycling and accretion onto the Galactic disk and subsequent star formation. Aims. Here, we quantify the amount of molecular gas in the Galactic halo. We focus on the rare class of molecular IVCs (MIVCs) and search for new objects. Methods. The H i-FIR correlation was studied across the entire northern and southern Galactic hemispheres at Galactic latitudes | b | > 20° to determine the amount and distribution of molecular gas in IVCs. We used the most recent large-scale H i and FIR data, the Effelsberg Bonn-H i Survey, the Parkes Galactic All-Sky Survey, and the Planck FIR surveys. Results. We present a catalogue of 239 MIVC candidates on the northern and southern Galactic hemispheres. Among these candidates, all previously known MIVCs are recovered except for one single source. The frequency of candidates differs significantly between the northern and southern Galactic hemispheres and between negative and positive LSR velocities as well. Conclusions. In our approach we analyse the local Galactic environment. Extrapolating our results to the entire Galaxy, the global inflow of atomic and molecular IVC gas onto the Milky Way may account for the major fraction of the gaseous mass that is required to sustain the current Galactic star formation rate.
Macrolides are a diverse class of hydrophobic compounds characterized by a macrocyclic lactone ring and distinguished by variable side chains/groups. Some of the most well characterized macrolides ...are toxins produced by marine bacteria, sea sponges, and other species. Many marine macrolide toxins act as biomimetic molecules to natural actin-binding proteins, affecting actin polymerization, while other toxins act on different cytoskeletal components. The disruption of natural cytoskeletal processes affects cell motility and cytokinesis, and can result in cellular death. While many macrolides are toxic in nature, others have been shown to display therapeutic properties. Indeed, some of the most well known antibiotic compounds, including erythromycin, are macrolides. In addition to antibiotic properties, macrolides have been shown to display antiviral, antiparasitic, antifungal, and immunosuppressive actions. Here, we review each functional class of macrolides for their common structures, mechanisms of action, pharmacology, and human cellular targets.
The human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae ascends into the upper female reproductive tract to cause damaging inflammation within the Fallopian tubes and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), increasing ...the risk of infertility and ectopic pregnancy. The loss of ciliated cells from the epithelium is thought to be both a consequence of inflammation and a cause of adverse sequelae. However, the links between infection, inflammation, and ciliated cell extrusion remain unresolved. With the use of ex vivo cultures of human Fallopian tube paired with RNA sequencing we defined the tissue response to gonococcal challenge, identifying cytokine, chemokine, cell adhesion, and apoptosis related transcripts not previously recognized as potentiators of gonococcal PID. Unexpectedly, IL-17C was one of the most highly induced genes. Yet, this cytokine has no previous association with gonococcal infection nor pelvic inflammatory disease and thus it was selected for further characterization. We show that human Fallopian tubes express the IL-17C receptor on the epithelial surface and that treatment with purified IL-17C induces pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in addition to sloughing of the epithelium and generalized tissue damage. These results demonstrate a previously unrecognized but critical role of IL-17C in the damaging inflammation induced by gonococci in a human explant model of PID.
Universal and early recognition of pathogens occurs through recognition of evolutionarily conserved pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by innate immune receptors and the consequent ...secretion of cytokines and chemokines. The intrinsic complexity of innate immune signaling and associated signal transduction challenges our ability to obtain physiologically relevant, reproducible and accurate data from experimental systems. One of the reasons for the discrepancy in observed data is the choice of measurement strategy. Immune signaling is regulated by the interplay between pathogen-derived molecules with host cells resulting in cellular expression changes. However, these cellular processes are often studied by the independent assessment of either the transcriptome or the proteome. Correlation between transcription and protein analysis is lacking in a variety of studies. In order to methodically evaluate the correlation between transcription and protein expression profiles associated with innate immune signaling, we measured cytokine and chemokine levels following exposure of human cells to the PAMP lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Expression of 84 messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts and 69 proteins, including 35 overlapping targets, were measured in human lung epithelial cells. We evaluated 50 biological replicates to determine reproducibility of outcomes. Following pairwise normalization, 16 mRNA transcripts and 6 proteins were significantly upregulated following LPS exposure, while only five (CCL2, CSF3, CXCL5, CXCL8/IL8, and IL6) were upregulated in both transcriptomic and proteomic analysis. This lack of correlation between transcription and protein expression data may contribute to the discrepancy in the immune profiles reported in various studies. The use of multiomic assessments to achieve a systems-level understanding of immune signaling processes can result in the identification of host biomarker profiles for a variety of infectious diseases and facilitate countermeasure design and development.
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