Information background of 11th-15th centuries earthquakes located by the current catalogues in Vrancea (Romania)

Earthquake catalogues for Romania supply for 11th–15th century earthquakes located in the region of Vrancea records that consist of a complete set of parameters, including magnitude and depth. Scope of this paper is to verify the reliability and consistency of these parameters with the informative background as explicitly referenced by the catalogues. After retrieving the original sources they mention, the set of data appeared to be related almost exclusively to the Russian plain and too poor to be at the very origin of the parameter assessment. Data for 19th–20th century earthquakes, such as instrumental locations and CMT solutions, added to the understanding of the macroseismic response of the Russian plain to Vrancea earthquakes. On the one hand, the investigation and analysis of historical earthquake records for the fourteen events listed by the catalogues in the 11th–15th centuries has shown that for three earthquakes (1022, 1038, 1258) no primary sources could be traced, and three more earthquakes (1091, 1170 and 1328) are attested only by scarcely reliable records and had to be classified as doubtful, and one (1473) is simply a duplication of the 1471 event. On the other hand, the availability of data on recent earthquakes that may be compared to historical ones in terms of macroseismic effects allowed the authors to agree with the previous catalogue compilers’ solution with regard to both magnitude and depth of the past earthquakes for which do exist reliable primary historical records

Quantum Homodyne Tomography as an Informationally Complete Positive Operator Valued Measure

We define a positive operator valued measure $E$ on $[0,2\pi]\times R$ describing the measurement of randomly sampled quadratures in quantum homodyne tomography, and we study its probabilistic properties. Moreover, we give a mathematical analysis of the relation between the description of a state in terms of $E$ and the description provided by its Wigner transform.Comment: 9 page

Towards a seismogenic source model of the Dinarides

Geology-based seismogenic source models are becoming the fundamental input for seismic hazard assessment at the scale of an entire country. In this work, we will illustrate in simple steps the complex process that leads from basic data to a fully-fledged seismogenic source model of the Dinaride thrust belt, running along coastal Croatia, Montenegro and part of Albania. We started from a layer of basic geological and structural data and explored a wide range of indicators of recent tectonic activity, such as drainage anomalies/diversions and displaced or warped geological markers. We then analyzed the interplay of these indicators with known or prospective tectonic structures. To the picture thus obtained, we added a layer with a revised historical seismic catalog and selected a few earthquakes for which we re-estimate epicenter and magnitude. At the end of our analyses we combined all these data in a structured GIS database. With these data at hand, we also compared the longer-term indicators with present-day stress/strain data such as GPS velocities and earthquake focal solutions. Following the approach already developed for the construction of the Database of Individual Seismogenic Sources for Italy, we developed a seismogenic source model for the Dinarides in which the better constrained seismogenic faults have been mapped and parameterized and made ready for use in seismic hazard practice. We believe that our experience in the Dinarides will become useful in unifying and formalizing the process of constructing seismic source models in other countries

Quantum tomography, phase space observables, and generalized Markov kernels

We construct a generalized Markov kernel which transforms the observable associated with the homodyne tomography into a covariant phase space observable with a regular kernel state. Illustrative examples are given in the cases of a 'Schrodinger cat' kernel state and the Cahill-Glauber s-parametrized distributions. Also we consider an example of a kernel state when the generalized Markov kernel cannot be constructed.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figure

Angiostatin anti-angiogenesis requires IL-12: The innate immune system as a key target

© 2009 Albini et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Generation of Alkyl Radicals:From the Tyranny of Tin to the Photon Democracy

Alkyl radicals are key intermediates in organic synthesis. Their classic generation from alkyl halides has a severe drawback due to the employment of toxic tin hydrides to the point that "flight from the tyranny of tin"in radical processes was considered for a long time an unavoidable issue. This review summarizes the main alternative approaches for the generation of unstabilized alkyl radicals, using photons as traceless promoters. The recent development in photochemical and photocatalyzed processes enabled the discovery of a plethora of new alkyl radical precursors, opening the world of radical chemistry to a broader community, thus allowing a new era of photon democracy

The chemopreventive polyphenol Curcumin prevents hematogenous breast cancer metastases in immunodeficient mice

Dissemination of metastatic cells probably occurs long before diagnosis of the primary tumor. Metastasis during early phases of carcinogenesis in high risk patients is therefore a potential prevention target. The plant polyphenol Curcumin has been proposed for dietary prevention of cancer. We therefore examined its effects on the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro and in a mouse metastasis model. Curcumin strongly induces apoptosis in MDA- MB- 231 cells in correlation with reduced activation of the survival pathway NF kappa B, as a consequence of diminished I kappa B and p65 phosphorylation. Curcumin also reduces the expression of major matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) due to reduced NF kappa B activity and transcriptional downregulation of AP-1. NF kappa B/p65 silencing is sufficient to downregulate c-jun and MMP expression. Reduced NF kappa B/AP-1 activity and MMP expression lead to diminished invasion through a reconstituted basement membrane and to a significantly lower number of lung metastases in immunodeficient mice after intercardiac injection of 231 cells (p=0.0035). 68% of Curcumin treated but only 17% of untreated animals showed no or very few lung metastases, most likely as a consequence of down-regulation of NF kappa B/AP-1 dependent MMP expression and direct apoptotic effects on circulating tumor cells but not on established metastases. Dietary chemoprevention of metastases appears therefore feasible. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel