Search

We present results from a search for high-redshift radio galaxy (H$z$RG) candidates using 1.28 GHz data in the Abell 2751 field drawn from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey (MGCLS). We use the H$z$RG criteria that a radio source is undetected in all-sky optical and infrared catalogues, and has a very steep radio spectrum. We cross-match the radio catalogue against multi-wavelength galaxy catalogues from DECaLS and AllWISE. For those radio sources with no multi-wavelength counterpart, we further implement a radio spectral index criterium of $\alpha < -1$, using in-band spectral index measurements from the wide-band MeerKAT data. Using a 5$\sigma$ signal-to-noise cut on the radio flux densities, we find a total of 274 HzRG candidates: 179 ultra-steep spectrum sources, and 95 potential candidates which cannot be ruled out as they have no spectral information available. The spectral index assignments in this work are complete above a flux density of 0.3 mJy, at least an order of magnitude lower than existing studies in this frequency range or when extrapolating from lower frequency limits. Our faintest HzRG candidates with and without an in-band spectral index measurement have a 1.28\,GHz flux density of 57 $\pm$ 8 $\mu$Jy and 68 $\pm$ 13 $\mu$Jy, respectively. Although our study is not complete down to these flux densities, our results indicate that the sensitivity and bandwidth of the MGCLS data makes them a powerful radio resource to search for H$z$RG candidates in the Southern sky, with 20 of the MGCLS pointings having similar image quality as the Abell~2751 field and full coverage in both DECaLS and AllWISE. Data at additional radio frequencies will be needed for the faintest source populations, which could be provided in the near future by the MeerKAT UHF band (580 -- 1015 MHz) at a similar resolution ($\sim$ 8-10 arcsec)., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. To be published in Galaxies, from the conference "A New Window on the Radio Emission from Galaxies, Galaxy Clusters and Cosmic Web: Current Status and Perspectives"

We estimate the Intracluster Light (ICL) component within a sample of 18clusters detected in XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) data using deep ($\sim$26.8 mag) Hyper Suprime Cam Subaru Strategic Program DR1 (HSC-SSP DR1)$i$-band data. We apply a rest-frame ${\mu}_{B} = 25 \\mathrm{mag/arcsec^{2}}$ isophotal threshold to our clusters, belowwhich we define light as the ICL within an aperture of $R_{X,500}$(X-ray estimate of $R_{500}$) centered on the Brightest Cluster Galaxy(BCG). After applying careful masking and corrections for flux lossesfrom background subtraction, we recover $\sim$20% of the ICL flux,approximately four times our estimate of the typical background at thesame isophotal level ($\sim$ 5%). We find that the ICL makes up about$\sim$ 24% of the total cluster stellar mass on average ($\sim$ 41%including the flux contained in the BCG within 50 kpc); this value iswell-matched with other observational studies andsemi-analytic/numerical simulations, but is significantly smaller thanresults from recent hydrodynamical simulations (even when measured in anobservationally consistent way). We find no evidence for any linksbetween the amount of ICL flux with cluster mass, but find a growth rateof $2-4$ for the ICL between $0.1

Degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc (IVD) are a leading cause of disability affecting humans worldwide and has been attributed primarily to trauma and the accumulation of pathology during aging. While genetic defects have also been associated with disc degeneration, the precise mechanisms driving the initiation and progression of disease have remained elusive due to a paucity of genetic animal models. Here, we discuss a novel conditional mouse genetic model of endplate-oriented disc herniations in adult mice. Using conditional mouse genetics, we show increased mechanical stiffness and reveal dysregulation of typical gene expression profiles of the IVD in adhesion G-protein coupled receptor G6 (Adgrg6) mutant mice prior to the onset of endplate-oriented disc herniations in adult mice. We observed increased STAT3 activation prior to IVD defects and go on to demonstrate that treatment of Adgrg6 conditional mutant mice with a small molecule inhibitor of STAT3 activation ameliorates endplate-oriented herniations. These findings establish ADGRG6 and STAT3 as novel regulators of IVD endplate and growth plate integrity in the mouse, and implicate ADGRG6/STAT3 signaling as promising therapeutic targets for endplate-oriented disc degeneration.

The galaxy cluster Zwicky 3146 is a sloshing cool core cluster at $z=0.291$ that in X-ray imaging does not appear to exhibit significant pressure substructure in the intracluster medium (ICM). The published $M_{500}$ values range between $3.88^{+0.62}_{-0.58}$ to $22.50 \pm 7.58 \times 10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$, where ICM-based estimates with reported errors $<20$\% suggest that we should expect to find a mass between $6.53^{+0.44}_{-0.44} \times 10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$ (from Planck, with an $8.4\sigma$ detection) and $8.52^{+1.77}_{-1.47} \times 10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$ (from ACT, with a $14\sigma$ detection). This broad range of masses is suggestive that there is ample room for improvement for all methods. Here, we investigate the ability to estimate the mass of Zwicky 3146 via the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect with data taken at 90 GHz by MUSTANG-2 to a noise level better than $15\ \mu$K at the center, and a cluster detection of $104\sigma$. We derive a pressure profile from our SZ data which is in excellent agreement with that derived from X-ray data. From our SZ-derived pressure profiles, we infer $M_{500}$ and $M_{2500}$ via three methods -- $Y$-$M$ scaling relations, the virial theorem, and hydrostatic equilibrium -- where we employ X-ray constraints from \emph{XMM-Newton} on the electron density profile when assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. Depending on the model and estimation method, our $M_{500}$ estimates range from $6.23 \pm 0.59$ to $10.6 \pm 0.95 \times 10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$, where our estimate from hydrostatic equilibrium, is $8.29^{+1.93}_{-1.24}$ ($\pm 19.1$\% stat) ${}^{+0.74}_{-0.68}$ ($\pm 8.6$\% sys, calibration) $\times 10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$. Our fiducial mass, derived from a $Y$-$M$ relation is $8.16^{+0.44}_{-0.54}$ ($\pm 5.5$\% stat) ${}^{+0.46}_{-0.43}$ ($\pm 5.5$\% sys, $Y$-$M$) ${}^{+0.59}_{-0.55}$ ($\pm 7.0$\% sys, cal.) $\times 10^{14}$ M$_{\odot}$., Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures; submitted to ApJ

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Rochester. School of Medicine & Dentistry. Dept. of Biomedical Genetics, 2017., Preaxial polydactyly (PPD) is a common congenital birth defect characterized by extra digits in the anterior autopod (hand/foot). Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling is critical in establishing proper digit identity and number. Mouse models of increased SHH signaling (Gli3xt) produce a PPD phenotype, although the mechanism(s) are unclear. Interestingly, Gli3xt mice exhibit expanded Hes1 expression within the anterior autopod. To determine whether altered Hes1 expression is relevant to PPD, we generated Hes1 gain-of-function mice that over-express Hes1 within the limb bud mesenchyme (Prx1cre; R26-Hes1f/f) (HES1GOF). Skeletal analyses demonstrated that HES1GOF mice develop PPD. To dissect the role of HES1 in PPD and its interaction with SHH signaling, we performed RNAseq, qPCR, whole mount in situ hybridization, and Western analyses on E10.5 and E11.5 limb buds. These data indicate that HES1 regulates digit number by enhancing mesenchymal cell proliferation and delaying chondrogenesis via transcriptional regulation. While HES1 activation promotes Shh expression and regulates known SHH effectors such as Shh, Pax9, and Alx4, SHH signaling appears to be unaffected in HES1GOF mice since GLI3 processing and canonical target gene expression (Ptch1 and Gli1) is not altered. To determine whether HES1 may act downstream of SHH, we first generated HES1GOF mutant mice in the absence of SHH (Prx1Cre; R26-Hes1f/f; Shhf/f). Interestingly, Hes1 over-expression overcame the constrained digit number phenotype of SHH mutant mice, suggesting HES1 likely functions downstream of SHH in regulating digit number. Finally, we generated and analyzed Hes1 loss-of-function (HES1LOF) mice in a Gli3xt heterozygous background (Prx1Cre; Hes1f/f; Gli3xt/+) and treated HES1LOF limb-buds with the SHH agonist, purmorphamine, which further demonstrated the requirement for HES1 in SHH-induced PPD and specific target gene regulation within the developing limb bud. Collectively, our data demonstrate that HES1 re

This is an essay in the catalogue (published by Ikon Gallery Birmingham) which accompanied the exhibition 'Janet Mendelsohn; Varna Road. PARC director Val Williams has researched the 1960s photographs of US documentary photography Janet Mendelsohn, for a catalogue essay, which will be published by the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham to accompany the exhibition, which runs from 27 January to 3 April 2016. Mendelsohn was a visiting scholar at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham University from 1967 to 1969. Having studied Social Relations at Harvard’s all-women Radcliffe College, Mendelsohn became interested in documentary photography; in Birmingham she decided to study social conditions in the inner city, and began to work in and around Varna Road in Balsall Heath. Originally a sedate and elegant nineteenth century middle- class suburb, by the 1960s, Balsall Heath had become known as Birmingham’s major red light district and as a centre for migration from South Asia. The once-elegant houses fell into decay, and were subdivided into rooming houses and shabby flats. Corner shops, pubs and cafés formed the social hubs of the community, and life on the streets was hectic and crowded. The combination of vitality and cheapness meant that, for a time, Balsall Heath became a draw both for Birmingham’s artistic bohemia and for students, as well as a centre for prostitution. Balsall Heath was a highly visible example of British post-war society in transition, with a complex mix of groups, new populations engaging with the more traditional. Balsall Heath was about to undergo a relentless process of slum clearance and Varna Road, along with many other streets in the area, would cease to exist. Mendelsohn’s Varna Road photographs focussed on the life of ‘Kathleen’ -sex worker, mother and Balsall Heath resident. These remarkable photographs, are intimate and collaborative, as Mendelsohn observed ‘Kathleen’ in her day- to -day life. At the heart of the project are M

Objective. Obesity is a state of chronic inflammation that is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), as well as an increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA). This study was undertaken to define the links between obesity-associated inflammation, insulin resistance, and OA, by testing the hypotheses that 1) tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is critical in mediating these pathologic changes in OA, and 2) insulin has direct effects on the synovial joint that are compromised by insulin resistance. Methods. The effects of TNF and insulin on catabolic gene expression were determined in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) isolated from human OA synovium. Synovial TNF expression and OA progression were examined in 2 mouse models, high-fat (HF) diet–fed obese mice with type 2 DM and TNF-knockout mice. Insulin resistance was investigated in synovium from patients with type 2 DM. Results. Insulin receptors (IRs) were abundant in both mouse and human synovial membranes. Human OA FLS were insulin responsive, as indicated by the dose-dependent phosphorylation of IRs and Akt. In cultures of human OA FLS with exogenous TNF, the expression and release of MMP1, MMP13, and ADAMTS4 by FLS were markedly increased, whereas after treatment with insulin, these effects were selectively inhibited by >50%. The expression of TNF and its abundance in the synovium were elevated in samples from obese mice with type 2 DM. In TNF-knockout mice, increases in osteophyte formation and synovial hyperplasia associated with the HF diet were blunted. The synovium from OA patients with type 2 DM contained markedly more macrophages and showed elevated TNF levels as compared to the synovium from OA patients without diabetes. Moreover, insulin-dependent phosphorylation of IRs and Akt was blunted in cultures of OA FLS from patients with type 2 DM. Conclusion. TNF appears to be involved in mediating the advanced progression of OA seen in type 2 DM. While insulin plays a protective, antiinflam

The history of post-war Britain can only be properly understood with reference to the phenomenon of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They have been right at the heart of every major socio-political initiative. From environmentalism to consumerism; from international aid to human rights; on identity issues such as age, gender, race, religion, disability and sexuality; and on social policy issues such as homelessness, education, child protection and mental health. This book offers the first survey account of NGOs in Britain since 1945. It brings together younger and established scholars to showcase new research presented in the form of surveys of the following areas: environmentalism, international aid and development, human rights, the peace movement, gay rights, sexual politics, women's groups, the anti-apartheid movement, the poverty lobby, drugs, fair-trade, moral reform groups, the relationship between NGOs and the state, and the nature of democracy. It does so by offering accounts of key NGOs in postwar Britain including Amnesty International, the Abortion Law Reform Association, Greenpeace, the Women's Institute, the Child Poverty Action Group and even Mary Whitehouse's National Viewers' and Listeners' Association.

Issu d'une rencontre scientifique internationale organisée à Paris les 10 et 11 juin 2004, Notes bibliogr. Index