Design study and evaluation of a hypergolic engine for a space power system, phase 2 Final report, 1 Jul. 1964 - 10 Feb. 1966

Design feasibility of hypergolic engine for space power syste

A study of atmospheric neutrinos with the IMB detector

A sample of 401 contained neutrino interactions collected in the 3300 metric ton fiducial mass IMB detector was used to study neutrino oscillations, geomagnetic modulation of the flux and to search for point sources. The majority of these events are attributed to neutrino interactions. For the most part, these neutrinos are believed to originate as tertiary products of cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere. The neutrinos are a mixture of v sub e and v sub micron

Gravitational Radiation from Triple Star Systems

We have studied the main features of the gravitational radiation generated by an astrophysical system constituted of three compact objects attracting one another (only via gravitational interaction) in such a manner that stable orbits do exist. We have limited our analysis to systems that can be treated with perturbative methods. We show the profile of the gravitational waves emitted by such systems. These results can be useful within the framework of the new gravitational astronomy which will be made feasible by means of the new generation of gravitational detectors such as LISA in a no longer far future.Comment: 10 pages plus 9 postscript figures; revtex; accepted for publication in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Roma e la storia del Canada francese sino alla guerra dei Sette Anni

Presentation of the documents concerning New France and Canada in the Vatican Archive

Dirac neutrino magnetic moment and a possible time evolution of the neutrino signal from a supernova

We analyze the influence of neutrino helicity conversion, $\nu_L \to \nu_R$, on the neutrino flux from a supernova caused by the interaction of the Dirac neutrino magnetic moment with a magnetic field. We show that if the neutrino has a magnetic moment in the interval $10^{-13} \, \mu_{\rm B} < \mu_\nu < 10^{-12} \, \mu_{\rm B}$ and provided that a magnetic field of $\sim 10^{13} - 10^{14}$ G exists in the supernova envelope, a peculiar kind of time evolution of the neutrino signal from the supernova caused by the resonance transition $\nu_L \to \nu_R$ in the magnetic field of the envelope can appear. If a magnetar with a poloidal magnetic field is formed in a supernova explosion, then the neutrino signal could have a pulsating behavior, i.e., a kind of a neutrino pulsar could be observed, when it rotates around an axis that does not coincide with its magnetic moment and when the orientation of its rotation axis is favourable for our observation.Comment: 9 pages, LaTeX, 2 EPS figures, based on the talk presented by A.V. Kuznetsov at the XVI International Seminar Quarks'2010, Kolomna, Moscow Region, June 6-12, 2010, to appear in the Proceeding

Phosphatidylserine (PS) induces PS receptor–mediated macropinocytosis and promotes clearance of apoptotic cells

Efficient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is important for normal tissue development, homeostasis, and the resolution of inflammation. Although many receptors have been implicated in the clearance of apoptotic cells, the roles of these receptors in the engulfment process have not been well defined. We developed a novel system to distinguish between receptors involved in tethering of apoptotic cells versus those inducing their uptake. Our results suggest that regardless of the receptors engaged on the phagocyte, ingestion does not occur in the absence of phosphatidylserine (PS). Further, recognition of PS was found to be dependent on the presence of the PS receptor (PSR). Both PS and anti-PSR antibodies stimulated membrane ruffling, vesicle formation, and “bystander” uptake of cells bound to the surface of the phagocyte. We propose that the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells requires two events: tethering followed by PS-stimulated, PSR-mediated macropinocytosis

The crystal structure of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B7 C-terminal end is the first mammalian UGT target to be revealed: the significance for human UGTs from both the 1A and 2B families

Human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (EC 2.4.1.17) (UGTs) are major phase II metabolism enzymes that detoxify a multitude of endo- and xenobiotics through the covalent addition of a glucuronic acid moiety. UGTs are promiscuous enzymes that regulate the levels of numerous important endobiotics in a range of tissues, and inactivate most therapeutic compounds in concert with phase I enzymes. In spite of the importance of these enzymes, we have only a limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing their substrate specificity and catalytic activity. Until recently, no three-dimensional structural information was available for any mammalian UGT. The 1.8-Å resolution apo crystal structure of the UDP-glucuronic acid binding domain of human UGT2B7 (2B7CT) is the only structure of a mammalian UGT target determined to date. In this review, we summarize what has been learned about human UGT function from the analysis of this and other related glycosyltransferase (GT) crystal structures

Premenopausal endogenous oestrogen levels and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many of the established risk factors for breast cancer implicate circulating hormone levels in the aetiology of the disease. Increased levels of postmenopausal endogenous oestradiol (E2) have been found to increase the risk of breast cancer, but no such association has been confirmed in premenopausal women. We carried out a meta-analysis to summarise the available evidence in women before the menopause. METHODS: We identified seven prospective studies of premenopausal endogenous E2 and breast cancer risk, including 693 breast cancer cases. From each study we extracted odds ratios of breast cancer between quantiles of endogenous E2, or for unit or s.d. increases in (log transformed) E2, or (where odds ratios were unavailable) summary statistics for the distributions of E2 in breast cancer cases and unaffected controls. Estimates for a doubling of endogenous E2 were obtained from these extracted estimates, and random-effect meta-analysis was used to obtain a pooled estimate across the studies. RESULTS: Overall, we found weak evidence of a positive association between circulating E2 levels and the risk of breast cancer, with a doubling of E2 associated with an odds ratio of 1.10 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.27). CONCLUSION: Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis of a positive association between premenopausal endogenous E2 and breast cancer risk