scholarly journals What can the occult do for you?

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 248-250
Author(s):  
B. W. Holwerda ◽  
W. C. Keel

AbstractInterstellar dust is still a dominant uncertainty in Astronomy, limiting precision in e.g., cosmological distance estimates and models of how light is re-processed within a galaxy. When a foreground galaxy serendipitously overlaps a more distant one, the latter backlights the dusty structures in the nearer foreground galaxy.Such an overlapping or occulting galaxy pair can be used to measure the distribution of dust in the closest galaxy with great accuracy. The STARSMOG program uses Hubble to map the distribution of dust in foreground galaxies in fine (<100 pc) detail. Integral Field Unit (IFU) observations will map the effective extinction curve, disentangling the role of fine-scale geometry and grain composition on the path of light through a galaxy.The overlapping galaxy technique promises to deliver a clear understanding of the dust in galaxies: geometry, a probability function of dimming as a function of galaxy mass and radius, and its dependence on wavelength.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 173-175
Author(s):  
B. W. Holwerda ◽  
W. C. Keel

AbstractInterstellar dust is still the dominant uncertainty in Astronomy, limiting precision in e.g., cosmological distance estimates and models of how light is re-processed within a galaxy. When a foreground galaxy serendipitously overlaps a more distant one, the latter backlights the dusty structures in the nearer foreground galaxy. Such an overlapping or occulting galaxy pair can be used to measure the distribution of dust in the closest galaxy with great accuracy. The STARSMOG program uses HST observation of occulting galaxy pairs to accurately map the distribution of dust in foreground galaxies in fine (<100 pc) detail. Furthermore, Integral Field Unit observations of such pairs will map the effective extinction curve in these occulting galaxies, disentangling the role of fine-scale geometry and grain composition on the path of light through a galaxy.The overlapping galaxy technique promises to deliver a clear understanding of the dust in galaxies: the dust geometry, a probability function of the amount of dimming as a function of galaxy type, its dependence on wavelength, and evolution of all these properties with cosmic time using distant, high-redshift pairs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S352) ◽  
pp. 336-336
Author(s):  
Catarina Alves de Oliveira

AbstractThe near-infrared spectrograph NIRSpec is one of four instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It offers seven dispersers covering the wavelength range from 0.6 to 5.3 micron with resolutions from R ∼ 100 to R ∼ 2700. Using an array of micro-shutters for target selection, the multi-object spectroscopy mode of NIRSpec will be capable of obtaining spectra from a few tens to more than 200 objects simultaneously. It also features an integral field unit with a 3 by 3 arcseconds field of view, and various slits for high contrast spectroscopy of individual objects. We will provide an overview of the capabilities and performances of these three observing modes highlighting how NIRSpec will contribute to the quest to further understand the assembly and evolution of galaxies from the end of re-ionisation epoch to the present day.


2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques R. D. Lepine ◽  
Antonio C. de Oliveira ◽  
Milito V. Figueredo ◽  
Bruno V. Castilho ◽  
Clemens Gneiding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Simone Valeri ◽  
Laura Zavattero ◽  
Giulia Capotorti

In promoting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service capacity, landscape connectivity is considered a critical feature to counteract the negative effects of fragmentation. Under a Green Infrastructure (GI) perspective, this is especially true in rural and peri-urban areas where a high degree of connectivity may be associated with the enhancement of agriculture multifunctionality and sustainability. With respect to GI planning and connectivity assessment, the role of dispersal traits of tree species is gaining increasing attention. However, little evidence is available on how to select plant species to be primarily favored, as well as on the role of landscape heterogeneity and habitat quality in driving the dispersal success. The present work is aimed at suggesting a methodological approach for addressing these knowledge gaps, at fine scales and for peri-urban agricultural landscapes, by means of a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome. The study area was stratified into Environmental Units, each supporting a unique type of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV), and a multi-step procedure was designed for setting priorities aimed at enhancing connectivity. First, GI components were defined based on the selection of the target species to be supported, on a fine scale land cover mapping and on the assessment of land cover type naturalness. Second, the study area was characterized by a Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and connectivity was assessed by Number of Components (NC) and functional connectivity metrics. Third, conservation and restoration measures have been prioritized and statistically validated. Notwithstanding the recognized limits, the approach proved to be functional in the considered context and at the adopted level of detail. Therefore, it could give useful methodological hints for the requalification of transitional urban–rural areas and for the achievement of related sustainable development goals in metropolitan regions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (S359) ◽  
pp. 454-456
Author(s):  
T. V. Ricci ◽  
J. E. Steiner ◽  
R. B. Menezes

AbstractIn this work, we present preliminary results regarding the nuclear emission lines of a statistically complete sample of 56 early-type galaxies that are part of the Deep Integral Field Spectroscopy View of Nuclei of Galaxies (DIVING3D) Project. All early type galaxies (ETGs) were observed with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph Integral Field Unit (GMOS-IFU) installed on the Gemini South Telescope. We detected emission lines in 93% of the sample, mostly low-ionization nuclear emission-line region galaxies (LINERs). We did not find Transition Objects nor H II regions in the sample. Type 1 objects are seen in ∼23% of the galaxies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (S359) ◽  
pp. 347-349
Author(s):  
Carpes P. Hekatelyne ◽  
Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann

AbstractWe present Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) Integral Field Unit (IFU), Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the inner kpc of the OH Megamaser galaxy IRAS 11506-3851. In this work we discuss the kinematics and excitation of the gas as well as its radio emission. The HST images reveal an isolated spiral galaxy and the combination with the GMOS-IFU flux distributions allowed us to identify a partial ring of star-forming regions surrounding the nucleus with a radius of ≍500 pc. The emission-line ratios and excitation map reveal that the region inside the ring present mixed/transition excitation between those of Starbursts and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), while regions along the ring are excited by Starbursts. We suggest that we are probing a buried or fading AGN that could be both exciting the gas and originating an outflow.


2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (4) ◽  
pp. 4983-5002
Author(s):  
D Wittor ◽  
M Gaspari

ABSTRACT Turbulence in the intracluster, intragroup, and circumgalactic medium plays a crucial role in the self-regulated feeding and feedback loop of central supermassive black holes. We dissect the 3D turbulent ‘weather’ in a high-resolution Eulerian simulation of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback, shown to be consistent with multiple multiwavelength observables of massive galaxies. We carry out post-processing simulations of Lagrangian tracers to track the evolution of enstrophy, a proxy of turbulence, and its related sinks and sources. This allows us to isolate in depth the physical processes that determine the evolution of turbulence during the recurring strong and weak AGN feedback events, which repeat self-similarly over the Gyr evolution. We find that the evolution of enstrophy/turbulence in the gaseous halo is highly dynamic and variable over small temporal and spatial scales, similar to the chaotic weather processes on Earth. We observe major correlations between the enstrophy amplification and recurrent AGN activity, especially via its kinetic power. While advective and baroclinc motions are always subdominant, stretching motions are the key sources of the amplification of enstrophy, in particular along the jet/cocoon, while rarefactions decrease it throughout the bulk of the volume. This natural self-regulation is able to preserve, as ensemble, the typically observed subsonic turbulence during cosmic time, superposed by recurrent spikes via impulsive anisotropic AGN features (wide outflows, bubbles, cocoon shocks). This study facilitates the preparation and interpretation of the thermo-kinematical observations enabled by new revolutionary X-ray integral field unit telescopes, such as XRISM and Athena.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luay Anaya ◽  
Mohammed Dulaimi ◽  
Sherief Abdallah

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to articulate clear understanding about the role of enterprise information systems (EIS) in developing innovative business practices. Particularly, it aims to explore the different ways that make EIS enables innovation development. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted exploratory case study, based on qualitative approach. Investigations included two case studies each involved interviewing a number of senior information technology staff, working at these cases. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about the EIS role in enabling innovation. The analysis of the case studies revealed that integrating an EIS with other system(s) or with digital devices can provide new practices that could not be easily available without these technologies. The study also found that applying data analytics tools into data accumulated from EIS, to extract new insights, lead to innovative practices. Practical implications – The study provides a set of recommendations for organizations interested to maximize the benefits from their investments in EIS. Originality/value – The paper provides evidences from cases in United Arab Emirates for the EIS role in enabling business innovation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 418 (2) ◽  
pp. 1127-1137
Author(s):  
Mudit K. Srivastava ◽  
A. N. Ramaprakash ◽  
Hillol K. Das ◽  
Mahesh P. Burse ◽  
Pravin A. Chordia ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muthukumar Balasubramaniam ◽  
Jing Zhou ◽  
Amma Addai ◽  
Phillip Martinez ◽  
Jui Pandhare ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe HIV-1 capsid protein (CA) facilitates reverse transcription and nuclear entry of the virus. However, CA’s role in post-nuclear entry steps remains speculative. We describe a direct link between CA and integration by employing the capsid inhibitor PF74 as a probe coupled with the biochemical analysis of HIV-1 preintegration complexes (PICs) isolated from acutely infected cells. At a low micromolar concentration, PF74 potently inhibited HIV-1 infection without affecting reverse transcription. Surprisingly, PF74 markedly reduced proviral integration owing to inhibition of nuclear entry and/or integration. However, a 2-fold reduction in nuclear entry by PF74 did not quantitatively correlate with the level of antiviral activity. Titration of PF74 against the integrase inhibitor raltegravir showed an additive antiviral effect that is dependent on a block at the post-nuclear entry step. PF74’s inhibitory effect was not due to the formation of defective viral DNA ends or a delay in integration, suggesting that the compound inhibits PIC-associated integration activity. Unexpectedly, PICs recovered from cells infected in the presence of PF74 exhibited elevated integration activity. PF74’s effect on PIC activity is CA specific since the compound did not increase the integration activity of PICs of a PF74-resistant HIV-1 CA mutant. Sucrose gradient-based fractionation studies revealed that PICs assembled in the presence of PF74 contained lower levels of CA, suggesting a negative association between CA and PIC-associated integration activity. Finally, the addition of a CA-specific antibody or PF74 inhibited PIC-associated integration activity. Collectively, our results demonstrate that PF74’s targeting of PIC-associated CA results in impaired HIV-1 integration.IMPORTANCEAntiretroviral therapy (ART) that uses various combinations of small molecule inhibitors has been highly effective in controlling HIV. However, the drugs used in the ART regimen are expensive, cause side effects, and face viral resistance. The HIV-1 CA plays critical roles in the virus life cycle and is an attractive therapeutic target. While currently there is no CA-based therapy, highly potent CA-specific inhibitors are being developed as a new class of antivirals. Efforts to develop a CA-targeted therapy can be aided through a clear understanding of the role of CA in HIV-1 infection. CA is well established to coordinate reverse transcription and nuclear entry of the virus. However, the role of CA in post-nuclear entry steps of HIV-1 infection is poorly understood. We show that a CA-specific drug PF74 inhibits HIV-1 integration revealing a novel role of this multifunctional viral protein in a post-nuclear entry step of HIV-1 infection.


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