Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

About: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is a facility organization based out in Tokyo, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Galaxy & Telescope. The organization has 4327 authors who have published 12054 publications receiving 208330 citations.

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU)

Abstract: The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) on board the Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics (Athena) will provide spatially resolved high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy from 0.2 to 12 keV, with 5 arc second pixels over a field of view of 5 arc minute equivalent diameter and a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV up to 7 keV. In this paper, we first review the core scientific objectives of Athena, driving the main performance parameters of the X-IFU, namely the spectral resolution, the field of view, the effective area, the count rate capabilities, the instrumental background. We also illustrate the breakthrough potential of the X-IFU for some observatory science goals. Then we briefly describe the X-IFU design as defined at the time of the mission consolidation review concluded in May 2016, and report on its predicted performance. Finally, we discuss some options to improve the instrument performance while not increasing its complexity and resource demands (e.g. count rate capability, spectral resolution). The X-IFU will be provided by an international consortium led by France, The Netherlands and Italy, with further ESA member state contributions from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and two international partners from the United States and Japan.

A new lunar digital elevation model from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and SELENE Terrain Camera

Abstract: United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Project and Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program

Ubiquitin Ligase Cbl-b Is a Negative Regulator for Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Signaling during Muscle Atrophy Caused by Unloading

Abstract: Skeletal muscle atrophy caused by unloading is characterized by both decreased responsiveness to myogenic growth factors (e.g., insulin-like growth factor 1 [IGF-1] and insulin) and increased proteolysis. Here, we show that unloading stress resulted in skeletal muscle atrophy through the induction and activation of the ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b. Upon induction, Cbl-b interacted with and degraded the IGF-1 signaling intermediate IRS-1. In turn, the loss of IRS-1 activated the FOXO3-dependent induction of atrogin-1/MAFbx, a dominant mediator of proteolysis in atrophic muscle. Cbl-b-deficient mice were resistant to unloading-induced atrophy and the loss of muscle function. Furthermore, a pentapeptide mimetic of tyrosine 608 -phosphorylated IRS-1 inhibited Cbl-b-mediated IRS-1 ubiquitination and strongly decreased the Cbl-b-mediated induction of atrogin-1/MAFbx. Our results indicate that the Cbl-b-dependent destruction of IRS-1 is a critical dual mediator of both increased protein degradation and reduced protein synthesis observed in unloading-induced muscle atrophy. The inhibition of Cbl-b-mediated ubiquitination may be a new therapeutic strategy for unloading-mediated muscle atrophy.

Empirical ocean-color algorithms to retrieve chlorophyll- a , total suspended matter, and colored dissolved organic matter absorption coefficient in the Yellow and East China Seas

Abstract: A bio-optical dataset collected during the 1998–2007 period in the Yellow and East China Seas (YECS) was used to provide alternative empirical ocean-color algorithms in the retrieval of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), total suspended matter (TSM), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficients at 440 nm (ag440). Assuming that remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs) could be retrieved accurately, empirical algorithms for TChl (regionally tuned Tassan’s Chl-a algorithm) in case-1 waters (TChl2i in case-2 waters), TTSM (regionally tuned Tassan’s TSM algorithm), and Tag440 or Cag440 (regionally tuned Tassan’s or Carder’s ag440 algorithm) were able to retrieve Chl-a, TSM, and ag440 with uncertainties as high as 35, 46, and 35%, respectively. Applying the standard SeaWiFS Rrs, TChl was not viable in the eastern part of the YECS, which was associated with an inaccurate SeaWiFS Rrs retrieval because of improper atmospheric correction. TChl behaved better than other algorithms in the turbid case-2 waters, although overestimation was still observed. To retrieve more reliable Chl-a estimates with standard SeaWiFS Rrs in turbid water (a proxy for case-2 waters), we modified TChl for data with SeaWiFS normalized water-leaving radiance at 555 nm (nLw555) > 2 mW cm−2 μm−1 sr−1 (TChl2s). Finally, with standard SeaWiFS Rrs, we recommend switching algorithms from TChl2s (for case-2 waters) to MOCChl (SeaWiFS-modified NASA OC4v4 standard algorithm for case-1 waters) for retrieving Chl-a, which resulted in uncertainties as high as 49%. To retrieve TSM and ag440 using SeaWiFS Rrs, we recommend empirical algorithms for TTSM (pre-SeaWiFS-modified form) and MTag440 or MCag440 (SeaWiFS Rrs-modified forms of Tag440 or Cag440). These could retrieve with uncertainties as high as 82 and 52%, respectively.

Suzaku Observations of Abell 1795: Cluster Emission to R200

Abstract: We report Suzaku observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 1795 that extend to r200 �2 Mpc, the radius within which the mean cluster mass density is 200 times the cosmic critical density. These observations are the first to probe the state of the intracluster medium in this object at r > 1.3 Mpc. We sample two disjoint sectors in the cluster outskirts (1.3 0.4 Mpc and find that it falls relatively rapidly (Tdeprojected / r −0.9 ), reaching a value about one third of its peak at the largest radius we can measure it. Assuming the intracluster medium is in hydrostatic equilibrium and is polytropic, we find a polytropic index of =1 .3 +0.3 −0.2 and we estimate a mass of 4.1 +0.5 −0.3 ×10 14 M⊙ within 1.3 Mpc, somewhat (2.7 σ) lower than that reported by previous observers. However, our observations provide evidence for departure from hydrostatic equilibrium at radii as small as