Who Believes in the Giant Skeleton Myth? An Examination of Individual Difference Correlates

This study examined individual difference correlates of belief in a narrative about the discovery of giant skeletal remains that contravenes mainstream scientific explanations. A total of 364 participants from Central Europe completed a survey that asked them to rate their agreement with a short excerpt describing the giant skeleton myth. Participants also completed measures of the Big Five personality factors, New Age orientation, anti-scientific attitudes, superstitious beliefs, and religiosity. Results showed that women, as compared with men, and respondents with lower educational qualifications were significantly more likely to believe in the giant skeleton myth, although effect sizes were small. Correlational analysis showed that stronger belief in the giant skeleton myth was significantly associated with greater anti-scientific attitudes, stronger New Age orientation, greater religiosity, stronger superstitious beliefs, lower Openness to Experience scores, and higher Neuroticism scores. However, a multiple regression showed that the only significant predictors of belief in myth were Openness, New Age orientation, and anti-scientific attitudes. These results are discussed in relation to the potential negative consequences of belief in myths

Immunoexpression Of α2-integrin And Hsp47 In Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis And Gingival Fibromatosis-associated Dental Abnormalities

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression of the α2-integrin subunit and heat shock protein 47 (Hsp47) in two families with isolated gingival fibromatosis (GF) form and one family with GF associated with dental abnormalities and normal gingiva (NG). Study Design: Immunohistochemistry was performed with antibodies against α2-integrin and Hsp47 in specimens from two unrelated families with hereditary gingival fibromatosis (Families 1 and 2) and from one family with a gingival fibromatosis-associated dental abnormality (Family 3); NG samples were used for comparison. The results were analysed statistically. Results: Immunoreactivity for α2-integrin and Hsp47 was observed in the nucleus of epithelial cells of both the basal and suprabasal layer and a more discreet signal was noted in connective tissue in all study samples. Hsp47 showed higher immunoreactivity in Family 2 compared with the other families (p≤0.05). Despite the markup α2-integrin was higher in Family 3 there was no statistically significant difference between the families studied (p≥0.05). Conclusions: Our results confirmed the heterogeneity of GF, such that similar patterns of expression of the condition may show differences in the expression of proteins such as Hsp47. Although no difference in α2-integrin expression was observed between GF and NG groups, future studies are necessary to determine the exact role of this protein in the various forms of GF and whether it contributes to GF pathogenesis. © Medicina Oral S. L. C.I.F. B 96689336 - pISSN 1698-4447 - eISSN: 1698-6946.181e45e48Takagi, M., Yamamoto, H., Mega, H., Hsieh, K.J., Shioda, S., Enomoto, S., Heterogeneity in the gingival fibromatoses (1991) Cancer, 68, pp. 2202-2212Dongari-Bagtzoglou, A., Drug-associated gingival enlargement (2004) J Periodontol, 75, pp. 1424-1431Coletta, R.D., Graner, E., Hereditary gingival fibromatosis: A systematic review (2006) J Periodontol, 77, pp. 753-764Hakkinen, L., Csiszar, A., Hereditary gingival fibromatosis: Characteristics and novel putative pathogenic mechanisms (2007) J Dent Res, 86, pp. 25-34Singer, S.L., Goldblatt, J., Hallan, L.A., Winters, J.C., Hereditary gingival fibromatosis with a recessive mode of inheritance. Case reports (1993) Aust Dent J, 38, pp. 427-432Martelli-Júnior, H., Bonan, P.R., Dos Santos, L.A., Santos, S.M., Cavalcanti, M.G., Coletta, R.D., Case reports of a new syndrome associating gingival fibromatosis and dental abnormalities in a consanguineous family (2008) J Periodontol, 79, pp. 1287-1296Ivarsson, M., McWhirter, A., Black, C.M., Rubin, K., Impaired regulation of collagen pro-α1(I) mRNA and change in pattern of collagen-binding integrins on scleroderma fibroblasts (1993) J Invest Dermatol, 101, pp. 216-221Langholz, O., Rockel, D., Mauch, C., Kozlowska, E., Bank, I., Krieg, T., Collagen and collagenase gene expression in three-dimensional collagen lattices are differentially regulated by α1β1 and α2β1 integrins (1995) J Cell Biol, 131, pp. 1903-1915Riikonen, T., Westermarck, J., Koivisto, L., Broberg, A., Kahari, V.M., Heino, J., Integrin alpha 2 beta 1 is a positive regulator of collagenase (MMP-1) and collagen alpha 1(I) gene expression (1995) J Biol Chem, 270, pp. 13548-13552Fujimura, T., Moriwaki, S., Imokawa, G., Takema, Y., Crucial role of fibroblasts integrins alpha2 and beta1 in maintaining the structural and mechanical properties of the skin (2007) J Dermatol Sci, 45, pp. 45-53Nagata, K., Expression and function of heat shock protein 47: A collagen-specific molecular chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum (1998) Matrix Biol, 16, pp. 379-386Bozzo, L., Almeida, O.P., Scully, C., Aldred, M.J., Hereditary gingival fibromatosis. Report of an extensive four-generation pedigree (1994) Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol, 78, pp. 452-454Martelli-Júnior, H., Lemos, D.P., Silva, C.O., Graner, E., Coletta, R.D., Hereditary gingival fibromatosis: Report of a five-generation family using cellular proliferation analysis (2005) J Periodontol, 76, pp. 2299-2305Vigneswaran, N., Zhao, W., Dassanayake, A., Muller, S., Miller, D.M., Zacharias, W., Variable expression of cathepsin B and D correlates with highly invasive and metastatic phenotype of oral cancer (2000) Hum Pathol, 31, pp. 931-937Zhou, J., Meng, L.Y., Ye, X.Q., von der Hoff, J.W., Bian, Z., Increased expression of integrin alpha 2 and abnormal response to TGF-β1 in hereditary gingival fibromatosis (2009) Oral Dis, 15, pp. 414-421Nagata, K., Hosokawa, N., Regulation and function of collagen-specific molecular chaperone, HSP47 (1996) Cell Struct Funct, 21, pp. 425-430Bolcato-Bellemin, A.-L., Elkaim, R., Tenenbaum, H., Expression of RNAs encoding for α and β integrin subunits in periodontitis and in cyclosporin A gingival overgrowth (2003) J Clin Periodontol, 30, pp. 937-943Kataoka, M., Seto, H., Wada, C., Kido, J., Nagata, T., Decreased expression of α2 integrin in fibroblasts isolated from cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth in rats (2003) J Periodontal Res, 38, pp. 533-537Slambrouk, S.V., Jenkins, A.R., Romero, A.E., Steelant, W.F.A., Reorganization of the integrin α2 subunit controls cell adhesion and cancer cell invasion in prostate cancer (2009) Int J Oncol, 34, pp. 1717-1726O'Sullivan, J., Bitu, C.C., Daly, S.B., Urquhart, J.E., Barron, M.J., Bhaskar, S.S., Whole-exome sequencing identifies FAM20A mutations as a cause of amelogenesis imperfect and gingival hyperplasia syndrome (2011) Am J Hum Genet, 88, pp. 616-620Martelli-Júnior, H., Santos, C.O., Bonan, P.R., Moura, P.F., Bitu, C.C., León, J.E., Minichromosome maintenance 2 and 5 expression is increased in the epithelium of hereditary gingival fibromatosis associated with dental abnormalities (2011) Clinics, 66, pp. 753-757Shiuan-Shinn, L., Ling-Hsien, T., Yi-Ching, L., Chung-Hung, T., Yu-Chao, C., Heat shock protein 47 in oral squamous cell carcinomas and upregulated by arecoline in human oral ephitelial cells (2011) J Oral Pathol Med, 40, pp. 390-396Tagushi, T., Nazneen, A., Al-Shihri, A.A., Turkistani, K.A., Razzaque, M.S., Heat shock protein 47: A novel biomarker of phenotypically altered collagen-producing cells (2011) Acta Histochem Cytochem, 44, pp. 35-41Totan, S., Echo, A., Yuksel, E., Heat shock proteins modulate keloid formation (2011) Eplasty, 11, pp. 190-20

ESO Imaging Survey: Optical follow-up of 12 selected XMM-Newton fields

(Abridged) This paper presents the data recently released for the XMM-Newton/WFI survey carried out as part of the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) project. The aim of this survey is to provide optical imaging follow-up data in BVRI for identification of serendipitously detected X-ray sources in selected XMM-Newton fields. In this paper, fully calibrated individual and stacked images of 12 fields as well as science-grade catalogs for the 8 fields located at high-galactic latitude are presented. The data covers an area of \sim 3 square degrees for each of the four passbands. The median limiting magnitudes (AB system, 2" aperture, 5\sigma detection limit) are 25.20, 24.92, 24.66, and 24.39 mag for B-, V-, R-, and I-band, respectively. These survey products, together with their logs, are available to the community for science exploitation in conjunction with their X-ray counterparts. Preliminary results from the X-ray/optical cross-correlation analysis show that about 61% of the detected X-ray point sources in deep XMM-Newton exposures have at least one optical counterpart within 2" radius down to R \simeq 25 mag, 50% of which are so faint as to require VLT observations thereby meeting one of the top requirements of the survey, namely to produce large samples for spectroscopic follow-up with the VLT, whereas only 15% of the objects have counterparts down to the DSS limiting magnitude.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Accompanying data releases available at http://archive.eso.org/archive/public_datasets.html (WFI images), http://www.eso.org/science/eis/surveys/release_65000025_XMM.html (optical catalogs), http://www.aip.de/groups/xray/XMM_EIS/ (X-ray data). Full resolution version available at http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~dietrich/publications/3785.ps.g

Short Gamma Ray Bursts: marking the birth of black holes from coalescing compact binaries

This contribution summarizes, as of early 2008, the observational and theoretical understanding of the origin, physics, and emission properties of short gamma-ray bursts in both electromagnetic and gravitational waves.Comment: 19 pages, appeared in the book "Physics of Relativistic Objects in Compact Binaries: From Birth to Coalescence", Astrophysics and Space Science Library, edited by M. Colpi, P. Casella, V. Gorini, U. Moschella, and A. Possent

The circumburst density profile around GRB progenitors: a statistical study

According to our present understanding, long GRBs originate from the collapse of massive stars while short bursts are due to the coalescence of compact stellar objects. Since the afterglow evolution is determined by the circumburst density profile, n(r), traversed by the fireball, it can be used to distinguish between a so-called ISM profile, n(r) = const., and a free stellar wind, $n(r) \propto r^{-2}$. Our goal is to derive the most probable circumburst density profile for a large number of Swift-detected bursts using well-sampled afterglow light curves in the optical and X-ray bands. We combined all publicly available optical and Swift/X-ray afterglow data from June 2005 to September 2009 to find the best-sampled late-time afterglow light curves. After applying several selection criteria, our final sample consists of 27 bursts, including one short burst. The afterglow evolution was then studied within the framework of the fireball model. We find that the majority (18) of the 27 afterglow light curves are compatible with a constant density medium (ISM case). Only 6 of the 27 afterglows show evidence for a wind profile at late times. In particular, we set upper limits on the wind termination-shock radius, $R_T$, for GRB fireballs which are propagating into an ISM profile and lower limits on $R_T$ for those which were found to propagate through a wind medium. Observational evidence for ISM profiles dominates in GRB afterglow studies, implying that most GRB progenitors might have relatively small wind termination-shock radii. A smaller group of progenitors, however, seems to be characterised by notably more extended wind regions.Comment: A&A, accepted (Oct 26, 2010); 20 pages in journal format; 6 pages main text, 13 pages Appendix, 1 page references, 6 tables and 2 figures; included comments by the referee and language editor; removed grey colouring of the table

The optical afterglows and host galaxies of three short/hard gamma-ray bursts

Short GRBs are commonly thought to originate from the merging of double compact object binaries but direct evidence for this scenario is still missing. Optical observations of short GRBs allow us to measure redshifts, firmly identify host galaxies, characterize their properties, and accurately localize GRBs within them. Multiwavelength observations of GRB afterglows provide useful information on the emission mechanisms at work. These are all key issues that allow one to discriminate among different models of these elusive events. We carried out photometric observations of the short/hard GRB 051227, GRB 061006, and GRB 071227 with the ESO-VLT starting from several hours after the explosion down to the host galaxy level several days later. For GRB 061006 and GRB 071227 we also obtained spectroscopic observations of the host galaxy. We compared the results obtained from our optical observations with the available X-ray data of these bursts. For all the three above bursts, we discovered optical afterglows and firmly identified their host galaxies. About half a day after the burst, the optical afterglows of GRB 051227 and GRB 061006 present a decay significatly steeper than in the X-rays. In the case of GRB 051227, the optical decay is so steep that it likely indicates different emission mechanisms in the two wavelengths ranges. The three hosts are blue, star forming galaxies at moderate redshifts and with metallicities comparable to the Solar one. The projected offsets of the optical afterglows from their host galaxies centers span a wide range, but all afterglows lie within the light of their hosts and present evidence for local absorption in their X-ray spectra. We discuss our findings in light of the current models of short GRB progenitors.Comment: Accepted for publication by A&A. 11 pages, 9 figures; v2: minor changes and new version of Fig.

BVRI Light Curves for 29 Type Ia Supernovae

BVRI light curves are presented for 27 Type Ia supernovae discovered during the course of the Calan/Tololo Survey and for two other SNe Ia observed during the same period. Estimates of the maximum light magnitudes in the B, V, and I bands and the initial decline rate parameter m15(B) are also given.Comment: 17 pages, figures and tables are not included (contact first author if needed), to appear in the Astronomical Journa

UVES/VLT high resolution spectroscopy of GRB 050730 afterglow: probing the features of the GRB environment

We analyze high resolution spectroscopic observations of the optical afterglow of GRB050730, obtained with UVES@VLT about hours after the GRB trigger. The spectrum shows that the ISM of the GRB host galaxy at z = 3.967 is complex, with at least five components contributing to the main absorption system. We detect strong CII*, SiII*, OI* and FeII* fine structure absorption lines associated to the second and third component. For the first three components we derive information on the relative distance from the site of the GRB explosion. Component 1, which has the highest redshift, does not present any fine structure nor low ionization lines; it only shows very high ionization features, such as CIV and OVI, suggesting that this component is very close to the GRB site. From the analysis of low and high ionization lines and fine structure lines, we find evidences that the distance of component 2 from the site of the GRB explosion is 10-100 times smaller than that of component 3. We evaluated the mean metallicity of the z=3.967 system obtaining values about 0.01 of the solar metallicity or less. However, this should not be taken as representative of the circumburst medium, since the main contribution to the hydrogen column density comes from the outer regions of the galaxy while that of the other elements presumably comes from the ISM closer to the GRB site. Furthermore, difficulties in evaluating dust depletion correction can modify significantly these values. The mean [C/Fe] ratio agrees well with that expected by single star-formation event models. Interestingly the [C/Fe] of component 2 is smaller than that of component 3, in agreement with GRB dust destruction scenarios, if component 2 is closer than component 3 to the GRB site.Comment: 11 pages, 15 postscript figures, accepted for pubblication in A&

Unveiling the origin of X-ray flares in Gamma-Ray Bursts

We present an updated catalog of 113 X-ray flares detected by Swift in the ~33% of the X-ray afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). 43 flares have a measured redshift. For the first time the analysis is performed in 4 different X-ray energy bands, allowing us to constrain the evolution of the flare temporal properties with energy. We find that flares are narrower at higher energies: their width follows a power-law relation w~E^{-0.5} reminiscent of the prompt emission. Flares are asymmetric structures, with a decay time which is twice the rise time on average. Both time scales linearly evolve with time, giving rise to a constant rise-to-decay ratio: this implies that both time scales are stretched by the same factor. As a consequence, the flare width linearly evolves with time to larger values: this is a key point that clearly distinguishes the flare from the GRB prompt emission. The flare 0.3-10 keV peak luminosity decreases with time, following a power-law behaviour with large scatter: L_{pk}~ t_{pk}^{-2.7}. When multiple flares are present, a global softening trend is established: each flare is on average softer than the previous one. The 0.3-10 keV isotropic energy distribution is a log-normal peaked at 10^{51} erg, with a possible excess at low energies. The flare average spectral energy distribution (SED) is found to be a power-law with spectral energy index beta~1.1. These results confirmed that the flares are tightly linked to the prompt emission. However, after considering various models we conclude that no model is currently able to account for the entire set of observations.Comment: MNRAS submitte

The red optical afterglow of GRB 030725

We present a photometric study of the optical counterpart of the long-duration Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) 030725, which triggered the HETE FREGATE and WXM instruments on July 25th, 2003, and lasted more than 160s. An optical counterpart was identified at the Bronberg Observatory in South Africa about 7 hours after the burst occurred. The optical afterglow (OA) was observed between 4 and 15 days after the burst with the 1.54m Danish telescope at La Silla in the V, Rc, and Ic bands. We fit a broken power law to the data and determine a break time in the light curve between 16 hours and 4.7 days after the first detection of the burst. The decay slope is alpha1 = -0.59 +0.59/-0.44 before and alpha2 = -1.43 +/- 0.06 after the break. A bump may be present in the light curve, only significant at the 2-sigma level, 13.9 days after the main burst. The spectral slope of the OA, measured 12 days after the burst, is -2.9 +/- 0.6 , i.e. it falls in the extreme red end of the distribution of previous OA spectral slopes. Observations of the field 8 months after the burst with the EMMI instrument on the NTT telescope (La Silla) resulted in an upper limit of Rc=24.7 mag for the host galaxy of GRB 030725. The OA of GRB 030725 was discovered at a private, non-professional observatory and we point out that with the current suite of gamma ray satellites, an effort to organize future contributions of amateur observers may provide substantial help in GRB light curve follow up efforts.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 6 pages, 2 figure