| 1. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 2. |
- Zerbi, F. M., et al.
(författare)
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HIRES : The High Resolution Spectrograph for E-ELT
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V. - : SPIE. - 9780819496157
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The current instrumentation plan for the E-ELT foresees a High Resolution Spectrograph conventionally indicated as HIRES. Shaped on the study of extra-solar planet atmospheres, Pop-III stars and fundamental physical constants, HIRES is intended to embed observing modes at high-resolution (up to R=150000) and large spectral range (from the blue limit to the K band) useful for a large suite of science cases that can exclusively be tackled by the E-ELT. We present in this paper the solution for HIRES envisaged by the "HIRES initiative", the international collaboration established in 2013 to pursue a HIRES on E-ELT.
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| 3. |
- Lammer, H., et al.
(författare)
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Exoplanet status report: Observation, characterization and evolution of exoplanets and their host stars
- 2010
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Ingår i: Solar System Research. - 1608-3423 .- 0038-0946. ; 44:4, s. 290-310
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After the discovery of more than 400 planets beyond our Solar System, the characterization of exoplanets as well as their host stars can be considered as one of the fastest growing fields in space science during the past decade. The characterization of exoplanets can only be carried out in a well coordinated interdisciplinary way which connects planetary science, solar/stellar physics and astrophysics. We present a status report on the characterization of exoplanets and their host stars by reviewing the relevant space- and ground-based projects. One finds that the previous strategy changed from space mission concepts which were designed to search, find and characterize Earth-like rocky exoplanets to: A statistical study of planetary objects in order to get information about their abundance, an identification of potential target and finally its analysis. Spectral analysis of exoplanets is mandatory, particularly to identify bio-signatures on Earth-like planets. Direct characterization of exoplanets should be done by spectroscopy, both in the visible and in the infrared spectral range. The way leading to the direct detection and characterization of exoplanets is then paved by several questions, either concerning the pre-required science or the associated observational strategy.
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| 4. |
- Oliva, E., et al.
(författare)
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Concept and optical design of the cross-disperser module for CRIRES
- 2014
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Ingår i: GROUND-BASED AND AIRBORNE INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASTRONOMY V. - : SPIE. - 9780819496157
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- CRIRES, the ESO high resolution infrared spectrometer, is a unique instrument which allows astronomers to access a parameter space which up to now was largely uncharted. In its current setup, it consists of a single-order spectrograph providing long-slit, single-order spectroscopy with resolving power up to R=100,000 over a quite narrow spectral range. This has resulted in sub-optimal efficiency and use of telescope time for all the scientific programs requiring broad spectral coverage of compact objects (e.g. chemical abundances of stars and intergalactic medium, search and characterization of extra-solar planets). To overcome these limitations, a consortium was set-up for upgrading CRIRES to a cross-dispersed spectrometer, called CRIRES+. This paper presents the updated optical design of the cross-dispersion module for CRIRES+. This new module can be mounted in place of the current pre-disperser unit. The new system yields a factor of >10 increase in simultaneous spectral coverage and maintains a quite long slit (10"), ideal for observations of extended sources and for precise sky-background subtraction.
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| 5. |
- Follert, R., et al.
(författare)
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CRIRES plus : a cross-dispersed high-resolution infrared spectrograph for the ESO VLT
- 2014
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Ingår i: GROUND-BASED AND AIRBORNE INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASTRONOMY V. - : SPIE. - 9780819496157
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-resolution infrared spectroscopy plays an important role in astrophysics from the search for exoplanets to cosmology. Yet, many existing infrared spectrographs are limited by a rather small simultaneous wavelength coverage. The AO assisted CRIRES instrument, installed at the ESO VLT on Paranal, is one of the few IR (0.92-5.2 mu m) high-resolution spectrographs in operation since 2006. However it has a limitation that hampers its efficient use: the wavelength range covered in a single exposure is limited to similar to 15 nanometers. The CRIRES Upgrade project (CRIRES+) will transform CRIRES into a cross-dispersed spectrograph and will also add new capabilities. By introducing cross-dispersion elements the simultaneously covered wavelength range will be increased by at least a factor of 10 with respect to the present configuration, while the operational wavelength range will be preserved. For advanced wavelength calibration, new custom made absorption gas cells and etalons will be added. A spectro-polarimetric unit will allow one for the first time to record circularly polarized spectra at the highest spectral resolution. This will be all supported by a new data reduction software which will allow the community to take full advantage of the new capabilities of CRIRES+.
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| 6. |
- Oliva, E., et al.
(författare)
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Upgrading CRIRES-VLT to cross-dispersed mode
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of SPIE. - : SPIE. - 9780819491473
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The cryogenic high resolution IR echelle spectrograph CRIRES is the ESO infrared (0.95-5.4 μm) high resolution spectrograph operating at the Nasmyth A focus of VLT-UT1. The instrument provides long-slit (31″) spectroscopy with resolving power up to R=100,000 over a quite narrow wavelengths range, about 1/70 of the central wavelength. Observations of compact objects (e.g. stellar photospheres) could be made much more efficient by implementing a cross-dispersed mode, which increases the simultaneous spectral coverage by an order of magnitude or more. This paper presents the design of a relatively simple system to add cross-dispersed modes to CRIRES with a minimum impact on the instrument optics and mechanics.
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| 7. |
- Seemann, U., et al.
(författare)
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Wavelength calibration from 1-5 mu m for the CRIRES plus high-resolution spectrograph at the VLT
- 2014
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Ingår i: GROUND-BASED AND AIRBORNE INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASTRONOMY V. - : SPIE. - 9780819496157
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- CRIRES at the VLT is one of the few adaptive optics enabled instruments that offer a resolving power of 10 5 from 1 - 5 mu m. An instrument upgrade (CRIRES+) is proposed to implement cross-dispersion capabilities, spectro-polarimetry modes, a new detector mosaic, and a new gas absorption cell. CRIRES+ will boost the simultaneous wavelength coverage of the current instrument (similar to lambda/70 in a single-order) by a factor of greater than or similar to 10 in the cross-dispersed configuration, while still retaining a 10 arcsec slit suitable for long-slit spectroscopy. CRIRES+ dramatically enhances the instrument's observing efficiency, and opens new scientific opportunities. These include high-precision radial-velocity studies on the 3m/s level to characterize extra-solar planets and their athmospheres, which demand for specialized, highly accurate wavelength calibration techniques. In this paper, we present a newly developed absorption gas-cell to enable high-precision wavelength calibration for CRIRES+. We also discuss the strategies and developments to cover the full operational spectral range (1-5 mu m), employing hollow-cathode emission lamps, Fabry-Perot etalons, and absorption gas-cells.
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| 8. |
- Tinetti, Giovanna, et al.
(författare)
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The science of EChO
- 2010
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. - 1743-9213 .- 1743-9221. ; 6:S276, s. 359-370
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The science of extra-solar planets is one of the most rapidly changing areas of astrophysics and since 1995 the number of planets known has increased by almost two orders of magnitude. A combination of ground-based surveys and dedicated space missions has resulted in 560-plus planets being detected, and over 1200 that await confirmation. NASA's Kepler mission has opened up the possibility of discovering Earth-like planets in the habitable zone around some of the 100,000 stars it is surveying during its 3 to 4-year lifetime. The new ESA's Gaia mission is expected to discover thousands of new planets around stars within 200 parsecs of the Sun. The key challenge now is moving on from discovery, important though that remains, to characterisation: what are these planets actually like, and why are they as they are In the past ten years, we have learned how to obtain the first spectra of exoplanets using transit transmission and emission spectroscopy. With the high stability of Spitzer, Hubble, and large ground-based telescopes the spectra of bright close-in massive planets can be obtained and species like water vapour, methane, carbon monoxide and dioxide have been detected. With transit science came the first tangible remote sensing of these planetary bodies and so one can start to extrapolate from what has been learnt from Solar System probes to what one might plan to learn about their faraway siblings. As we learn more about the atmospheres, surfaces and near-surfaces of these remote bodies, we will begin to build up a clearer picture of their construction, history and suitability for life. The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory, EChO, will be the first dedicated mission to investigate the physics and chemistry of Exoplanetary Atmospheres. By characterising spectroscopically more bodies in different environments we will take detailed planetology out of the Solar System and into the Galaxy as a whole. EChO has now been selected by the European Space Agency to be assessed as one of four M3 mission candidates. © International Astronomical Union 2011.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Glauser, A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Characterizing exoplanets in the visible and infrared: A spectrometer concept for the EChO space mission
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation. - 2251-1725 .- 2251-1717. ; 2:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transit-spectroscopy of exoplanets is one of the key observational techniques used to characterize extrasolar planets and their atmospheres. The observational challenges of these measurements require dedicated instrumentation and only the space environment allows undisturbed access to earth-like atmospheric features such as water or carbon dioxide. Therefore, several exoplanet-specific space missions are currently being studied. One of them is EChO, the Exoplanet Characterization Observatory, which is part of ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program, and which is one of four candidates for the M3 launch slot in 2024. In this paper we present the results of our assessment study of the EChO spectrometer, the only science instrument onboard this spacecraft. The instrument is a multi-channel all-reflective dispersive spectrometer, covering the wavelength range from 400 nm to 16μm simultaneously with a moderately low spectral resolution. We illustrate how the key technical challenge of the EChO mission - the high photometric stability - influences the choice of spectrometer concept and fundamentally drives the instrument design. First performance evaluations underline the suitability of the elaborated design solution for the needs of the EChO mission.
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