The XMM-Newton Slew Survey

XMM-Newton, with the huge collecting area of its mirrors and the high quantum efficiency of its EPIC detectors, is the most sensitive X-ray observatory ever flown. This is strikingly evident during slew exposures, which, while yielding only at most 14 seconds of on-source exposure time, actually constitute a 2-10 keV survey ten times deeper than all other "all-sky" surveys. The current (April 2005) XMM archive contains 374 slew exposures which give a uniform coverage over around 10,000 square degrees (approx. 25% of the sky). Here we describe the results of pilot studies, the current status of the XMM-Newton Slew Survey, up-to-date results and our progress towards constructing a catalogue of slew detections in the full 0.2-12 keV energy band.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, XMM-Newton EPIC Consortium Meeting, Schloss Ringberg, Germany, April 2005, to appear in MPE Repor

Extended sources in the XMM-Newton slew survey

The low background, good spatial resolution and great sensitivity of the EPIC-pn camera on XMM-Newton give useful limits for the detection of extended sources even during the short exposures made during slewing maneouvers. In this paper we attempt to illustrate the potential of the XMM-Newton slew survey as a tool for analysing flux-limited samples of clusters of galaxies and other sources of spatially extended X-ray emission.Comment: 2 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The X-ray Universe 2005", San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spain), 26-30 September 200

The XMM-Newton Slew Survey: towards the XMMSL1 catalogue

The XMM-Newton satellite is the most sensitive X-ray observatory flown to date due to the great collecting area of its mirrors coupled with the high quantum efficiency of the EPIC detectors. It performs slewing manoeuvers between observation targets tracking almost circular orbits through the ecliptic poles due to the Sun constraint. Slews are made with the EPIC cameras open and the other instruments closed, operating with the observing mode set to the one of the previous pointed observation and the medium filter in place. Slew observations from the EPIC-pn camera in FF, eFF and LW modes provide data, resulting in a maximum of 15 seconds of on-source time. These data can be used to give a uniform survey of the X-ray sky, at great sensitivity in the hard band compared with other X-ray all-sky surveys.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The X-ray Universe 2005", San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spain), 26-30 September 200

Physical Properties of OSIRIS-REx Target Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 derived from Herschel, ESO-VISIR and Spitzer observations

In September 2011, the Herschel Space Observatory performed an observation campaign with the PACS photometer observing the asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 in the far infrared. The Herschel observations were analysed, together with ESO VLT-VISIR and Spitzer-IRS data, by means of a thermophysical model in order to derive the physical properties of 1999 RQ36. We find the asteroid has an effective diameter in the range 480 to 511 m, a slightly elongated shape with a semi-major axis ratio of a/b=1.04, a geometric albedo of 0.045 +0.015/-0.012, and a retrograde rotation with a spin vector between -70 and -90 deg ecliptic latitude. The thermal emission at wavelengths below 12 micron -originating in the hot sub-solar region- shows that there may be large variations in roughness on the surface along the equatorial zone of 1999 RQ36, but further measurements are required for final proof. We determine that the asteroid has a disk-averaged thermal inertia of Gamma = 650 Jm-2s-0.5K-1 with a 3-sigma confidence range of 350 to 950 Jm-2s-0.5K-1, equivalent to what is observed for 25143 Itokawa and suggestive that 1999 RQ36 has a similar surface texture and may also be a rubble-pile in nature. The low albedo indicates that 1999 RQ36 very likely contains primitive volatile-rich material, consistent with its spectral type, and that it is an ideal target for the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 9 pages, 7 figure

STAT3, a hub protein of cellular signaling pathways, is triggered by β-hexaclorocyclohexane

Background: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely distributed in the environment and their toxicity is mostly associated with the molecular mechanisms of endocrine disruption. Among OCPs, particular attention was focused on the effects of β-hexaclorocyclohexane (β-HCH), a widely common pollutant. A detailed epidemiological study carried out on exposed population in the “Valle del Sacco” found correlations between the incidence of a wide range of diseases and the occurrence of β-HCH contamination. Taking into account the pleiotropic role of the protein signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), its function as a hub protein in cellular signaling pathways triggered by β-HCH was investigated in different cell lines corresponding to tissues that are especially vulnerable to damage by environmental pollutants. Materials and Methods: Human prostate cancer (LNCaP), human breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 468), and human hepatoma (HepG2) cell lines were treated with 10 µM β-HCH in the presence or absence of specific inhibitors for different receptors. All samples were subjected to analysis by immunoblotting and RT-qPCR. Results and Conclusions: The preliminary results allow us to hypothesize the involvement of STAT3, through both its canonical and non-canonical pathways, in response to β-HCH. Moreover, we ascertained the role of STAT3 as a master regulator of energy metabolism via the altered expression and localization of HIF-1α and PKM2, respectively, resulting in a Warburg-like effect

Thermoplastic Blends Based on Poly(Butylene Succinate-co-Adipate) and Different Collagen Hydrolysates from Tanning Industry: I—Processing and Thermo-mechanical Properties

In this study, blends of a biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, poly (butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) with two different raw hydrolyzed collagens (HCs), derived from the tannery industry, were investigated in terms of processability, rheological, thermal and mechanical properties. HCs, obtained by alkaline (HCa) and enzymatic (HCe) hydrolysis of the solid wastes generated during the shaving of the tanned leather, were used in PBSA/HC blends, up to 20 wt% of HC, produced by melting extrusion and processed by injection molding. All the blends up to 20 wt% HCs resulted suitable for the injection molding obtaining flexible molded specimens with good tensile properties. The different secondary structure of the two HCs influenced the rheology, morphology and mechanical properties of the produced blends. In particular, HCa, due its higher content of oligopeptides and free amino-acids, showed a good compatibility with the polymeric matrix acting as a plasticizer with consequent reduction of melt viscosity with increasing its loading. The molded dog-bones specimens containing 20 wt% HCa showed a value of elongation at break of 810%. While, HCe, due its higher presence of b-sheet structures, behaved as organic filler, showing a poor interfacial interaction with PBSA with consequent decrease of the tensile properties with increasing its loading. The good processability and satisfactory mechanical properties obtained encourage the use of both investigated collagen hydrolysates in the production of thermoplastic blends and relative molded products for applications in agriculture and plant nurseries, such as pots or small containers with fertilizing properties, due the presence of HCs

Short-term effects of focal muscle vibration on motor recovery after acute stroke: a pilot randomized sham-controlled study

Repetitive focal muscle vibration (rMV) is known to promote neural plasticity and long-lasting motor recovery in chronic stroke patients. Those structural and functional changes within the motor network underlying motor recovery occur in the very first hours after stroke. Nonetheless, to our knowledge, no rMV-based studies have been carried out in acute stroke patients so far, and the clinical benefit of rMV in this phase of stroke is yet to be determined. The aim of this randomized double-blind sham-controlled study is to investigate the short-term effect of rMV on motor recovery in acute stroke patients. Out of 22 acute stroke patients, 10 were treated with the rMV (vibration group–VG), while 12 underwent the sham treatment (control group–CG). Both treatments were carried out for 3 consecutive days, starting within 72 h of stroke onset; each daily session consisted of three 10-min treatments (for each treated limb), interspersed with a 1-min interval. rMV was delivered using a specific device (Cro®System, NEMOCO srl, Italy). The transducer was applied perpendicular to the target muscle's belly, near its distal tendon insertion, generating a 0.2–0.5 mm peak-to-peak sinusoidal displacement at a frequency of 100 Hz. All participants also underwent a daily standard rehabilitation program. The study protocol underwent local ethics committee approval (ClinicalTrial.gov NCT03697525) and written informed consent was obtained from all of the participants. With regard to the different pre-treatment clinical statuses, VG patients showed significant clinical improvement with respect to CG-treated patients among the NIHSS (p < 0.001), Fugl-Meyer (p = 0.001), and Motricity Index (p < 0.001) scores. In addition, when the upper and lower limb scales scores were compared between the two groups, VG patients were found to have a better clinical improvement at all the clinical end points. This study provides the first evidence that rMV is able to improve the motor outcome in a cohort of acute stroke patients, regardless of the pretreatment clinical status. Being a safe and well-tolerated intervention, which is easy to perform at the bedside, rMV may represent a valid complementary non-pharmacological therapy to promote motor recovery in acute stroke patients

CEA Bolometer Arrays: the First Year in Space

The CEA/LETI and CEA/SAp started the development of far-infrared filled bolometer arrays for space applications over a decade ago. The unique design of these detectors makes possible the assembling of large focal planes comprising thousands of bolometers running at 300 mK with very low power dissipation. Ten arrays of 16x16 pixels were thoroughly tested on the ground, and integrated in the Herschel/PACS instrument before launch in May 2009. These detectors have been successfully commissioned and are now operating in their nominal environment at the second Lagrangian point of the Earth-Sun system. In this paper we briefly explain the functioning of CEA bolometer arrays, and we present the properties of the detectors focusing on their noise characteristics, the effect of cosmic rays on the signal, the repeatability of the measurements, and the stability of the system

A Compact Solid State Detector for Small Angle Particle Tracking

MIDAS (MIcrostrip Detector Array System) is a compact silicon tracking telescope for charged particles emitted at small angles in intermediate energy photonuclear reactions. It was realized to increase the angular acceptance of the DAPHNE detector and used in an experimental program to check the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule at the Mainz electron microtron, MAMI. MIDAS provides a trigger for charged hadrons, p/pi identification and particle tracking in the region 7 deg < theta < 16 deg. In this paper we present the main characteristics of MIDAS and its measured performances.Comment: 13 pages (9 figures). Submitted to NIM