VDES J2325-5229 a z=2.7 gravitationally lensed quasar discovered using morphology independent supervised machine learning

We present the discovery and preliminary characterization of a gravitationally lensed quasar with a source redshift $\textit{zs}$ = 2.74 and image separation of 2.9 arcsec lensed by a foreground $\textit{zl}$ = 0.40 elliptical galaxy. Since optical observations of gravitationally lensed quasars show the lens system as a superposition of multiple point sources and a foreground lensing galaxy, we have developed a morphology-independent multi-wavelength approach to the photometric selection of lensed quasar candidates based on Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) supervised machine learning. Using this technique and $\textit{gi}$ multicolour photometric observations from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), near-IR $\textit{JK}$ photometry from the VISTA Hemisphere Survey (VHS) and WISE mid-IR photometry, we have identified a candidate system with two catalogue components with $\textit{iAB}$ = 18.61 and $\textit{iAB}$ = 20.44 comprising an elliptical galaxy and two blue point sources. Spectroscopic follow-up with NTT and the use of an archival AAT spectrum show that the point sources can be identified as a lensed quasar with an emission line redshift of $\textit{z}$ = 2.739 ± 0.003 and a foreground early-type galaxy with $\textit{z}$ = 0.400 ± 0.002. We model the system as a single isothermal ellipsoid and find the Einstein radius θE ∼ 1.47 arcsec, enclosed mass $\textit{M}$enc ∼ 4 × 10$^{11}$$\textit{M}$⊙ and a time delay of ∼52 d. The relatively wide separation, month scale time delay duration and high redshift make this an ideal system for constraining the expansion rate beyond a redshift of 1.FO is supported jointly by CAPES (the Science without Borders programme) and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust. RGM, CAL, MWA, MB, SLR acknowledge the support of UK Science and Technology Research Council (STFC). AJC acknowledges the support of a Raymond and Beverly Sackler visiting fellowship at the Institute of Astronomy. For further information regarding funding please visit the publisher's website

Tissue Microenvironments Define and Get Reinforced by Macrophage Phenotypes in Homeostasis or during Inflammation, Repair and Fibrosis

Current macrophage phenotype classifications are based on distinct in vitro culture conditions that do not adequately mirror complex tissue environments. In vivo monocyte progenitors populate all tissues for immune surveillance which supports the maintenance of homeostasis as well as regaining homeostasis after injury. Here we propose to classify macrophage phenotypes according to prototypical tissue environments, e.g. as they occur during homeostasis as well as during the different phases of (dermal) wound healing. In tissue necrosis and/or infection, damage- and/or pathogen-associated molecular patterns induce proinflammatory macrophages by Toll-like receptors or inflammasomes. Such classically activated macrophages contribute to further tissue inflammation and damage. Apoptotic cells and antiinflammatory cytokines dominate in postinflammatory tissues which induce macrophages to produce more antiinflammatory mediators. Similarly, tumor-associated macrophages also confer immunosuppression in tumor stroma. Insufficient parenchymal healing despite abundant growth factors pushes macrophages to gain a profibrotic phenotype and promote fibrocyte recruitment which both enforce tissue scarring. Ischemic scars are largely devoid of cytokines and growth factors so that fibrolytic macrophages that predominantly secrete proteases digest the excess extracellular matrix. Together, macrophages stabilize their surrounding tissue microenvironments by adapting different phenotypes as feed-forward mechanisms to maintain tissue homeostasis or regain it following injury. Furthermore, macrophage heterogeneity in healthy or injured tissues mirrors spatial and temporal differences in microenvironments during the various stages of tissue injury and repair. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Mapping and simulating systematics due to spatially-varying observing conditions in DES Science Verification data

Spatially-varying depth and characteristics of observing conditions, such as seeing, airmass, or sky background, are major sources of systematic uncertainties in modern galaxy survey analyses, in particular in deep multi-epoch surveys. We present a framework to extract and project these sources of systematics onto the sky, and apply it to the Dark Energy Survey (DES) to map the observing conditions of the Science Verification (SV) data. The resulting distributions and maps of sources of systematics are used in several analyses of DES SV to perform detailed null tests with the data, and also to incorporate systematics in survey simulations. We illustrate the complementarity of these two approaches by comparing the SV data with the BCC-UFig, a synthetic sky catalogue generated by forward-modelling of the DES SV images. We analyse the BCC-UFig simulation to construct galaxy samples mimicking those used in SV galaxy clustering studies. We show that the spatially-varying survey depth imprinted in the observed galaxy densities and the redshift distributions of the SV data are successfully reproduced by the simulation and well-captured by the maps of observing conditions. The combined use of the maps, the SV data and the BCC-UFig simulation allows us to quantify the impact of spatial systematics on $N(z)$, the redshift distributions inferred using photometric redshifts. We conclude that spatial systematics in the SV data are mainly due to seeing fluctuations and are under control in current clustering and weak lensing analyses. The framework presented here is relevant to all multi-epoch surveys, and will be essential for exploiting future surveys such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will require detailed null-tests and realistic end-to-end image simulations to correctly interpret the deep, high-cadence observations of the sky

Dark Energy Survey year 1 results: Joint analysis of galaxy clustering, galaxy lensing, and CMB lensing two-point functions

We perform a joint analysis of the auto and cross-correlations between three cosmic fields: the galaxy density field, the galaxy weak lensing shear field, and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) weak lensing convergence field. These three fields are measured using roughly 1300 sq. deg. of overlapping optical imaging data from first year observations of the Dark Energy Survey and millimeter-wave observations of the CMB from both the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich survey and Planck. We present cosmological constraints from the joint analysis of the two-point correlation functions between galaxy density and galaxy shear with CMB lensing. We test for consistency between these measurements and the DES-only two-point function measurements, finding no evidence for inconsistency in the context of flat $\Lambda$CDM cosmological models. Performing a joint analysis of five of the possible correlation functions between these fields (excluding only the CMB lensing autospectrum) yields $S_{8}\equiv \sigma_8\sqrt{\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3} = 0.782^{+0.019}_{-0.025}$ and $\Omega_{\rm m}=0.260^{+0.029}_{-0.019}$. We test for consistency between these five correlation function measurements and the Planck-only measurement of the CMB lensing autospectrum, again finding no evidence for inconsistency in the context of flat $\Lambda$CDM models. Combining constraints from all six two-point functions yields $S_{8}=0.776^{+0.014}_{-0.021}$ and $\Omega_{\rm m}= 0.271^{+0.022}_{-0.016}$. These results provide a powerful test and confirmation of the results from the first year DES joint-probes analysis

The use of dynamic elastomeric fabric orthosis suits as an orthotic intervention in the management of children with neuropathic onset scoliosis: A retrospective audit of routine clinical case notes

BACKGROUND: To date the main treatment approach for neuropathic onset scoliosis has utilised thoracic lumbar sacral orthoses (TLSO) to stabilize the spine and enable stable sitting. Dynamic elastomeric fabric orthoses (DEFOs) may achieve both of these aims if used as an early intervention. Due to a lack of evidence in this area, a retrospective audit of case notes was undertaken to understand current orthotic practice investigating the usage, outcomes and clinical characteristics of treated children with neuropathic onset scoliosis. Clinical notes of 180 children at risk for, or identified with, scoliosis were audited using a search matrix to identify diagnostic group, spinal muscle tone, Gross Motor Functional Classification Scale (GMFCS) level, orthotic treatment modalities, scoliosis specific data, surgical interventions, adaptive technologies used, and outcome measurements reported. RESULTS: Of the 180 notes examined, 85 were male; mean age nine years one month [SD four years seven months]. Spinal muscle tone was reported in 137 cases: 122/137 presented as low tone, 4/137 high tone, 6/137 fluctuating tone and 5/137 typical tone. Scoliosis was confirmed in (77/180) of whom (39/77) used a DEFO. Another (43/180) had a spinal curve developing, of whom (22/43) used a DEFO. The remaining (60/180) had no report of spinal curvature, but used a DEFO as a preventative measure. GMFCS scores were reported for 49 children of whom 14/49 were graded as level 4 and 17/49 level 5. Of the children with scoliosis who had spinal curve shapes reported, 48/60 had a C-shape presentation and 12/60 had an S-shape. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm previously reported papers in children with neuropathic onset scoliosis in relation to curve shape and GMFCS levels. It provides some evidence of the role DEFOs may have in the management of these children, and highlights the need for further research in this area due to the lack of peer-reviewed publications

Dark energy survey year 1 results: weak lensing shape catalogues

We present two galaxy shape catalogues from the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 data set, covering 1500 deg2 with a median redshift of 0.59. The catalogues cover two main fields: Stripe 82, and an area overlapping the South Pole Telescope survey region. We describe our data analysis process and in particular our shape measurement using two independent shear measurement pipelines, METACALIBRATION and IM3SHAPE. The METACALIBRATION catalogue uses a Gaussian model with an innovative internal calibration scheme, and was applied to riz bands, yielding 34.8M objects. The IM3SHAPE catalogue uses amaximum-likelihood bulge/disc model calibrated using simulations, and was applied to r-band data, yielding 21.9M objects. Both catalogues pass a suite of null tests that demonstrate their fitness for use in weak lensing science. We estimate the 1σ uncertainties in multiplicative shear calibration to be 0.013 and 0.025 for the METACALIBRATION and IM3SHAPE catalogues, respectively

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Tomographic cross-correlations between Dark Energy Survey galaxies and CMB lensing from South Pole Telescope+Planck

We measure the cross-correlation between redMaGiC galaxies selected from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) year 1 data and gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) reconstructed from South Pole Telescope (SPT) and Planck data over 1289 deg2. When combining measurements across multiple galaxy redshift bins spanning the redshift range of 0.1

Identifying chondroprotective diet-derived bioactives and investigating their synergism

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease and nutrition is a modifiable factor that may contribute to disease onset or progression. A detailed understanding of mechanisms through which diet-derived bioactive molecules function and interact in OA is needed. We profiled 96 diet-derived, mainly plant-based bioactives using an in vitro model in chondrocytes, selecting four candidates for further study. We aimed to determine synergistic interactions between bioactives that affected the expression of key genes in OA. Selected bioactives, sulforaphane, apigenin, isoliquiritigenin and luteolin, inhibited one or more interleukin-1-induced metalloproteinases implicated in OA (MMP1, MMP13, ADAMTS4, ADAMTS5). Isoliquiritigenin and luteolin showed reactive oxygen species scavenging activity in chondrocytes whereas sulforaphane had no effect and apigenin showed only a weak trend. Sulforaphane inhibited the IL-1/NFκB and Wnt3a/TCF/Lef pathways and increased TGFβ/Smad2/3 and BMP6/Smad1/5/8 signalling. Apigenin showed potent inhibition of the IL-1/NFκB and TGFβ/Smad2/3 pathways, whereas luteolin showed only weak inhibition of the IL-1/NFκB pathway. All four bioactives inhibited cytokine-induced aggrecan loss from cartilage tissue explants. The combination of sulforaphane and isoliquiritigenin was synergistic for inhibiting MMP13 gene expression in chondrocytes. We conclude that dietary-derived bioactives may be important modulators of cartilage homeostasis and synergistic relationships between bioactives may have an anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective role

The DES Science Verification weak lensing shear catalogues

We present weak lensing shear catalogues for 139 square degrees of data taken during the Science Verification (SV) time for the new Dark Energy Camera (DECam) being used for the Dark Energy Survey (DES). We describe our object selection, point spread function estimation and shear measurement procedures using two independent shear pipelines, IM3SHAPE and NGMIX, which produce catalogues of 2.12 million and 3.44 million galaxies, respectively. We detail a set of null tests for the shear measurements and find that they pass the requirements for systematic errors at the level necessary for weak lensing science applications using the SV data. We also discuss some of the planned algorithmic improvements that will be necessary to produce sufficiently accurate shear catalogues for the full 5-yr DES, which is expected to cover 5000 square degrees

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Cross-correlation between Dark Energy Survey Y1 galaxy weak lensing and South Pole Telescope +Planck CMB weak lensing

We cross-correlate galaxy weak lensing measurements from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) year-one data with a cosmic microwave background (CMB) weak lensing map derived from South Pole Telescope (SPT) and Planck data, with an effective overlapping area of 1289 deg2. With the combined measurements from four source galaxy redshift bins, we obtain a detection significance of 5.8σ. We fit the amplitude of the correlation functions while fixing the cosmological parameters to a fiducial ΛCDM model, finding A=0.99±0.17. We additionally use the correlation function measurements to constrain shear calibration bias, obtaining constraints that are consistent with previous DES analyses. Finally, when performing a cosmological analysis under the ΛCDM model, we obtain the marginalized constraints of ωm=0.261-0.051+0.070 and S8σ8ωm/0.3=0.660-0.100+0.085. These measurements are used in a companion work that presents cosmological constraints from the joint analysis of two-point functions among galaxies, galaxy shears, and CMB lensing using DES, SPT, and Planck data