CAIRNS: The Cluster And Infall Region Nearby Survey III. Environmental Dependence of H-alpha Properties of Galaxies

We investigate the environmental dependence of star formation in cluster virial regions and infall regions as part of CAIRNS (Cluster And Infall Region Nearby Survey), a large spectroscopic survey of the infall regions surrounding nine nearby rich clusters of galaxies. Our long-slit spectroscopy yields estimates of star formation rates in environments from cluster cores to the general large-scale structure. The fraction of galaxies with current star formation in their inner disks as traced by H-alpha emission increases with distance from the cluster and converges to the ``field'' value only at 2-3 virial radii, in agreement with other investigations. However, among galaxies with significant current star formation (EW[Ha]geq2\AA), there is no difference in the distribution of EW[Ha] inside and outside the virial radius. This surprising result, first seen by Carter et al., suggests that (1) star formation is truncated on either very short timescales or only at moderate and high redshifts or (2) that projection effects contaminate the measurement. The number density profiles of star-forming and non-star-forming galaxies indicate that, among galaxies projected inside the virial radius, at least half of the former and 20% of the latter are ``infall interlopers,'' galaxies in the infall region but outside the virial region. The kinematics of star-forming galaxies in the infall region closely match those of absorption-dominated galaxies. This result shows that the star forming galaxies in the infall regions are not interlopers from the field and excludes one model of the backsplash scenario of galaxy transformation. Finally, we quantify systematic uncertainties in estimating the global star formation in galaxies from their inner disks.Comment: 25 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in A

In silico and in vitro drug screening identifies new therapeutic approaches for Ewing sarcoma.

The long-term overall survival of Ewing sarcoma (EWS) patients remains poor; less than 30% of patients with metastatic or recurrent disease survive despite aggressive combinations of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. To identify new therapeutic options, we employed a multi-pronged approach using in silico predictions of drug activity via an integrated bioinformatics approach in parallel with an in vitro screen of FDA-approved drugs. Twenty-seven drugs and forty-six drugs were identified, respectively, to have anti-proliferative effects for EWS, including several classes of drugs in both screening approaches. Among these drugs, 30 were extensively validated as mono-therapeutic agents and 9 in 14 various combinations in vitro. Two drugs, auranofin, a thioredoxin reductase inhibitor, and ganetespib, an HSP90 inhibitor, were predicted to have anti-cancer activities in silico and were confirmed active across a panel of genetically diverse EWS cells. When given in combination, the survival rate in vivo was superior compared to auranofin or ganetespib alone. Importantly, extensive formulations, dose tolerance, and pharmacokinetics studies demonstrated that auranofin requires alternative delivery routes to achieve therapeutically effective levels of the gold compound. These combined screening approaches provide a rapid means to identify new treatment options for patients with a rare and often-fatal disease

Data Geologi dan Geofisika Selat Lembeh sebagai Pendukung Pengembangan Infrastruktur Pelabuhan

Selat Lembeh sepanjang 16 km dengan lebar sekitar 1 km mempunyai kedalaman laut mencapai 380 m di bagian utaranya, memasuki selatnya mendangkal (20 m) dan ke arah selatannya mendalam (120 m). Dasar laut Selat Lembeh ditutupi oleh sedimen permukaan pasir kerikilan dan kerikil pasiran yang berkomposisi volkanoklastik dan bioklastik bersifat gampingan. Ke dua jenis sedimen ini relatif mempunyai kesesuaian dengan hasil interpretasi sidescan sonar dan seismik, masing-masing sebagai pasir dan sedimen berbutir sedang-kasar (Runtunan D). Daratannya, berdasarkan peta geologi Daerah Bitung dan sekitarnya didominasi oleh batuan gunungapi muda dengan kemiringan pantai antara 0-5o dan tidak ditemukan adanya indikasi sesar. Daerah penelitian mempunyai besaran kegempaan magnitudo kecil dan tsunami terlindung oleh Pulau Lembeh. Kawasan ini berdasarkan peta hidrogeologi termasuk kedalam akuifer setempat, produktif sampai produktif sedang penyebaran luas. Data dasar geologi dan geofisika ini sangat berperan dalam pengembangan Selat Lembeh terutama rencana pengembangan infrastruktur di kawasan Bitung dan sekitarnya. Kata kunci: Kedalaman laut, sedimen permukaan, batuan gunungapi muda, topografi, akuifer dan pengembangan Selat Lembeh.The Lembeh Strait with a length of 16 km and a width of about 1 km has a depth of 380 m in its northern part, entering the strait has a shallow depth of 20 m and to the south it has a depth of 120 m. The seabed of the Lembeh Strait is covered by surface sediment of gravelly sand and sandy gravel formed by volcanoclastic and bioclastic materials. The two types of sediments are relatively similar to the results of the side scan sonar and seismic interpretations, each of which is sand and medium-coarse grain sediments (Sequence D). In the mainland, based on the geological data of the Bitung Region and its surroundings, its lithology is dominated by young volcanic rocks with a slope on the coast between 0-5o and no indications of faults were found. This area is valued of seismicity relatively small magnitude and safe from tsunami waves because it is protected by Pulau Lembeh. This area based on hydrogeological data is classified into local aquifers, productive to medium productive with wide distribution. The basic data of the geological and geophysical aspects play a part in the development of the Lembeh Strait, especially the infrastructure development plan in the Bitung area and its surroundings

Levels and sources of volatile organic compounds in homes of children with asthma

Many volatile organic compounds ( VOC s) are classified as known or possible carcinogens, irritants, and toxicants, and VOC exposure has been associated with the onset and exacerbation of asthma. This study characterizes VOC levels in 126 homes of children with asthma in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The total target VOC concentration ranged from 14 to 2274  μ g/m 3 (mean = 150  μ g/m 3 ; median = 91  μ g/m 3 ); 56 VOC s were quantified; and d ‐limonene, toluene, p , m ‐xylene, and ethyl acetate had the highest concentrations. Based on the potential for adverse health effects, priority VOC s included naphthalene, benzene, 1,4‐dichlorobenzene, isopropylbenzene, ethylbenzene, styrene, chloroform, 1,2‐dichloroethane, tetrachloroethene, and trichloroethylene. Concentrations varied mostly due to between‐residence and seasonal variation. Identified emission sources included cigarette smoking, solvent‐related emissions, renovations, household products, and pesticides. The effect of nearby traffic on indoor VOC levels was not distinguished. While concentrations in the Detroit homes were lower than levels found in other North American studies, many homes had elevated VOC levels, including compounds that are known health hazards. Thus, the identification and control of VOC sources are important and prudent, especially for vulnerable individuals. Actions and policies to reduce VOC exposures, for example, sales restrictions, improved product labeling, and consumer education, are recommended.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108002/1/ina12086.pd

Substructure in the Coma Cluster: Giants vs Dwarfs

The processes that form and shape galaxy clusters, such as infall, mergers and dynamical relaxation, tend to generate distinguishable differences between the distributions of a cluster's giant and dwarf galaxies. Thus the dynamics of dwarf galaxies in a cluster can provide valuable insights into its dynamical history. With this in mind, we look for differences between the spatial and velocity distributions of giant (b18) galaxies in the Coma cluster. Our redshift sample contains new measurements from the 2dF and WYFFOS spectrographs, making it more complete at faint magnitudes than any previously studied sample of Coma galaxies. It includes 745 cluster members - 452 giants and 293 dwarfs. We find that the line-of-sight velocity distribution of the giants is significantly non-Gaussian, but not that for the dwarfs. A battery of statistical tests of both the spatial and localised velocity distributions of the galaxies in our sample finds no strong evidence for differences between the giant and dwarf populations. These results rule out the cluster as a whole having moved significantly towards equipartition, and they are consistent with the cluster having formed via mergers between dynamically-relaxed subclusters.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Ap

A comparison of the galaxy populations in the Coma and distant clusters: the evolution of k+a galaxies and the role of the intracluster medium

The spectroscopic properties of galaxies in the Coma cluster are compared with those of galaxies in rich clusters at $z \sim 0.5$, to investigate the evolution of the star formation history in clusters. Luminous galaxies with $M_V \leq -20$ and post-starburst/post-starforming (k+a) spectra which constitute a significant fraction of galaxies in distant cluster samples are absent in Coma, where spectacular cases of k+a spectra are found instead at $M_V>-18.5$ and represent a significant proportion of the cluster dwarf galaxy population. A simple inspection of their positions on the sky indicates that this type of galaxy does not show a preferential location within the cluster, but the bluest and strongest-lined group of k+a's lies in projection towards the central 1.4 Mpc of Coma and have radial velocities significantly higher than the cluster mean. We find a striking correlation between the positions of these young and strong post-starburst galaxies and substructure in the hot intracluster medium (ICM) identified from {\it XMM-Newton} data, with these galaxies lying close to the edges of two infalling substructures. This result strongly suggests that the interaction with the dense ICM could be responsible for the quenching of the star formation (thus creating the k+a spectrum), and possibly, for any previous starburst. The evolution with redshift of the luminosity distribution of k+a galaxies can be explained by a ``downsizing effect'', with the maximum luminosity/mass of actively star-forming galaxies infalling onto clusters decreasing at lower redshift. We discuss the possible physical origin of this downsizing effect and the implications of our results for current scenarios of environmental effects on the star formation in galaxies.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, to appear in ApJ, version after referee's change

Respon Mikrofauna (Ostracoda) terhadap Kondisi Lingkungan Sekitar Pulau Bangka, Sulawesi Utara

Ostracoda merupakan kelompok mikro-organisme yang dapat terawetkan dalam sedimen dasar laut, termasuk dasar perairan sekitar Pulau Bangka, Sulawesi Utara. Pulau ini terkenal akan keindahan alam bawah laut dan penambangan bijih besi di kawasan pesisir. Perubahan lingkungan di pesisir tersebut secara tidak langsung berpengaruh terhadap kondisi dasar perairan laut sebagai habitat biota. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui respon ostracoda terhadap Perubahan lingkungan perairan tersebut. Studi ini menggunakan 10 sampel sedimen dasar laut hasil cucian dilanjutkan dengan analisa mikropaleontologi (tahap penjentikan, identifikasi spesies, penghitungan spesimen dari setiap spesies, pengolahan data, dokumentasi spesimen) dan analisa sedimentologi (SEM-EDX). Keterdapatan Bairdopillata, Neonesidea, Paranesidea dan Quadracythere (BL16-010) yang hidup berasosiasi dengan kondisi terumbu karang mencerminkan suatu perairan dalam kondisi cukup bagus. Di titik lokasi lain (BL16-015 dan BL16-030) ditemukan mikrofauna dengan cangkang abnormal (rusak, kehitaman) yang mengandung C (59-86%), Al2O3(2%), SiO2 (1-7%), dan MnO (2%). Dijumpainya cangkang abnormal merupakan salah satu respon mikrofauna terhadap Perubahan lingkungan di daerah penelitian.Kata Kunci: ostracoda, cangkang abnormal, SEM-EDX, Pulau Bangka, Sulawesi Utara Ostracoda is a group of micro-organism that could be preserved in marine sediments, including on the seafloor of Bangka Island, North Sulawesi. This island is famous as beautiful underwater place and iron mining in the coastal area. The environmental changes in the coastal area indirectly influence the seafloor condition as biotic habitats. The purpose of this study is to know the response of ostracoda to this coastal environmental change. This study used ten washed residue of surface sediment samples followed by micropaleontological analysis (picking, identification of species, specimen calculation every species, data processing, specimen documentation), and sedimentological analysis (SEM-EDX). The occurrences of Bairdopillata, Neonesidea, Paranesidea dan Quadracythere (BL16-010) that associated with coral reef communities reflect a good marine condition. In another sampling location (BL16-015 and BL16-030), it is found abnormal microfaunas (broken, blackish) that composed of C (59-86%), Al2O3 (2%), SiO2 (1-7%), and MnO (2%). The finding of these abnormal shells is one of the microfaunal response to environmental changes in the study area

Experimental evolution reveals that sperm competition intensity selects for longer, more costly sperm

It is the differences between sperm and eggs that fundamentally underpin the differences between the sexes within reproduction. For males, it is theorized that widespread sperm competition leads to selection for investment in sperm numbers, achieved by minimizing sperm size within limited resources for spermatogenesis in the testis. Here, we empirically examine how sperm competition shapes sperm size, after more than 77 generations of experimental selection of replicate lines under either high or low sperm competition intensities in the promiscuous flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. After this experimental evolution, populations had diverged significantly in their sperm competitiveness, with sperm in ejaculates from males evolving under high sperm competition intensities gaining 20% greater paternity than sperm in ejaculates from males that had evolved under low sperm competition intensity. Males did not change their relative investment into sperm production following this experimental evolution, showing no difference in testis sizes between high and low intensity regimes. However, the more competitive males from high sperm competition intensity regimes had evolved significantly longer sperm and, across six independently selected lines, there was a significant association between the degree of divergence in sperm length and average sperm competitiveness. To determine whether such sperm elongation is costly, we used dietary restriction experiments, and revealed that protein-restricted males produced significantly shorter sperm. Our findings therefore demonstrate that sperm competition intensity can exert positive directional selection on sperm size, despite this being a costly reproductive trait