An XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL view on the hard state of EXO 1745-248 during its 2015 outburst

CONTEXT - Transient low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) often show outbursts lasting typically a few-weeks and characterized by a high X-ray luminosity ($L_{x} \approx 10^{36}-10^{38}$ erg/sec), while for most of the time they are found in X-ray quiescence ($L_X\approx10^{31} -10^{33}$ erg/sec). EXO 1745-248 is one of them. AIMS - The broad-band coverage, and the sensitivity of instrument on board of {\xmm} and {\igr}, offers the opportunity to characterize the hard X-ray spectrum during {\exo} outburst. METHODS - In this paper we report on quasi-simultaneous {\xmm} and {\igr} observations of the X-ray transient {\exo} located in the globular cluster Terzan 5, performed ten days after the beginning of the outburst (on 2015 March 16th) shown by the source between March and June 2015. The source was caught in a hard state, emitting a 0.8-100 keV luminosity of $\simeq10^{37}$~{\lumcgs}. RESULTS - The spectral continuum was dominated by thermal Comptonization of seed photons with temperature $kT_{in}\simeq1.3$ keV, by a cloud with moderate optical depth $\tau\simeq2$ and electron temperature $kT_e\simeq 40$ keV. A weaker soft thermal component at temperature $kT_{th}\simeq0.6$--0.7 keV and compatible with a fraction of the neutron star radius was also detected. A rich emission line spectrum was observed by the EPIC-pn on-board {\xmm}; features at energies compatible with K-$\alpha$ transitions of ionized sulfur, argon, calcium and iron were detected, with a broadness compatible with either thermal Compton broadening or Doppler broadening in the inner parts of an accretion disk truncated at $20\pm6$ gravitational radii from the neutron star. Strikingly, at least one narrow emission line ascribed to neutral or mildly ionized iron is needed to model the prominent emission complex detected between 5.5 and 7.5 keV. (Abridged)Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure, 2 tables. Accepted for publication on A&A (21/03/2017

Effects of atomic diffraction on the Collective Atomic Recoil Laser

We formulate a wave atom optics theory of the Collective Atomic Recoil Laser, where the atomic center-of-mass motion is treated quantum mechanically. By comparing the predictions of this theory with those of the ray atom optics theory, which treats the center-of-mass motion classically, we show that for the case of a far off-resonant pump laser the ray optics model fails to predict the linear response of the CARL when the temperature is of the order of the recoil temperature or less. This is due to the fact that in theis temperature regime one can no longer ignore the effects of matter-wave diffraction on the atomic center-of-mass motion.Comment: plain tex, 10 pages, 10 figure

Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Switch Induced by Traditional Cigarette Smoke Condensate: A Holistic Overview

Cigarette smoke (CS) is a risk factor for inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis. CS condensate (CSC) contains lipophilic components that may represent a systemic cardiac risk factor. To better understand CSC effects, we incubated mouse and human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with CSC. We evaluated specific markers for contractile [i.e., actin, aortic smooth muscle (ACTA2), calponin-1 (CNN1), the Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), and myocardin (MYOCD) genes] and inflammatory [i.e., IL-1 beta, and IL-6, IL-8, and galectin-3 (LGALS-3) genes] phenotypes. CSC increased the expression of inflammatory markers and reduced the contractile ones in both cell types, with KLF4 modulating the SMC phenotypic switch. Next, we performed a mass spectrometry-based differential proteomic approach on human SMCs and could show 11 proteins were significantly affected by exposition to CSC (FC >= 2.7, p <= 0.05). These proteins are active in signaling pathways related to expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and IFN, inflammasome assembly and activation, cy-toskeleton regulation and SMC contraction, mitochondrial integrity and cellular response to oxidative stress, proteostasis control via ubiquitination, and cell proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Through specific bioinformatics resources, we showed their tight functional correlation in a close interaction niche mainly orchestrated by the interferon-induced double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (alternative name: protein kinase RNA-activated; PKR) (EIF2AK2/PKR). Finally, by combining gene expression and protein abundance data we obtained a hybrid network showing reciprocal integration of the CSC-deregulated factors and indicating KLF4 and PKR as the most relevant factors

Salvage rates and prognostic factors after relapse in children and adolescents with initially localised synovial sarcoma

Background: Previous studies have reported a poor outcome for synovial sarcoma patients whose tumours relapse. Methods: This study analysed 44 relapsing cases in a series of 118 consecutive patients<21 yr of age with non-metastatic synovial sarcoma prospectively enrolled in Italian paediatric protocols between 1979 and 2006. In an effort to identify a possible risk-adapted stratification enabling a better planning of second-line treatment, the relapsing patients' outcome was analysed vis-à-vis their clinical picture at onset, first-line treatments, clinical findings at the time of first relapse and second-line treatment modalities. Results: The first event was a local recurrence in only 15 cases, and metastatic in 29 (associated with local relapse too in 7 cases). The time to relapse ranged from 4 to 108 months (median 20 months). Overall survival was 29.7% and 21.0% five and ten years after relapsing, respectively. The variables influencing survival were the timing and type of relapse (combined) and the chances of a secondary remission, which correlated strongly with the feasibility of complete surgery. Conclusions: Our study confirmed a largely unsatisfactory prognosis after recurrences in children and adolescents with synovial sarcoma: the chances of survival can be estimated on the basis of several variables for the purposes of planning risk-adapted salvage protocols. An aggressive surgical approach should be recommended. New effective systemic agents are warranted, and experimental therapies can be offered to patients with little chance of salvage. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Tunable Short-Term Plasticity Response in Three-Terminal Organic Neuromorphic Devices

Reversibly tunable short-term plasticity (STP) of the channel current in organic neuromorphic devices is demonstrated with a three-terminal architecture. Electrolyte-gated organic transistors - EGOTs - are driven with square voltage pulses at the drain electrodes, while the gate bias enables the modulation of the amplitude and characteristic time scale of the depressive STP spiking response up to 1 order of magnitude. The gate potential sets the baseline and the steady-state current, preluding multilevel memory writing. The fine-tuning of the STP response, which is not possible with two-electrode organic neuromorphic devices, is reversible and does not imply chemical modifications of the active layer

Soft X-ray components in the hard state of accreting black holes

Recent observations of two black hole candidates (GX 339-4 and J1753.5-0127) in the low-hard state (L_X/L_Edd ~ 0.003-0.05) suggest the presence of a cool accretion disk very close to the innermost stable orbit of the black hole. This runs counter to models of the low-hard state in which the cool disk is truncated at a much larger radius. We study the interaction between a moderately truncated disk and a hot inner flow. Ion-bombardment heats the surface of the disk in the overlap region between a two-temperature advection-dominated accretion flow and standard accretion disk, producing a hot (kT_e ~70 keV) layer on the surface of the cool disk. The hard X-ray flux from this layer heats the inner parts of the underlying cool disk, producing a soft X-ray excess. Together with interstellar absorption these effects mimic the thermal spectrum from a disk extending to the last stable orbit. The results show that soft excesses in the low-hard state are a natural feature of truncated disk models.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics, reference added, minor typos correcte

The third generation of gravitational wave observatories and their science reach

Large gravitational wave interferometric detectors, like Virgo and LIGO, demonstrated the capability to reach their design sensitivity, but to transform these machines into an effective observational instrument for gravitational wave astronomy a large improvement in sensitivity is required. Advanced detectors in the near future and third-generation observatories in more than one decade will open the possibility to perform gravitational wave astronomical observations from the Earth. An overview of the possible science reaches and the technological progress needed to realize a third-generation observatory are discussed in this paper. The status of the project Einstein Telescope (ET), a design study of a third-generation gravitational wave observatory, will be reported

A new limit on the CP violating decay KS -> 3pi0 with the KLOE experiment

We have carried out a new direct search for the CP violating decay KS -> 3pi0 with 1.7 fb^-1 of e+e- collisions collected by the KLOE detector at the phi-factory DAFNE. We have searched for this decay in a sample of about 5.9 x 10^8 KS KL events tagging the KS by means of the KL interaction in the calorimeter and requiring six prompt photons. With respect to our previous search, the analysis has been improved by increasing of a factor four the tagged sample and by a more effective background rejection of fake KS tags and spurious clusters. We find no candidates in data and simulated background samples, while we expect 0.12 standard model events. Normalizing to the number of KS -> 2pi0 events in the same sample, we set the upper limit on BR(KS -> 3pi0 < 2.6 x 10^-8 at 90% C.L., five times lower than the previous limit. We also set the upper limit on the eta_000 parameter, |eta_000 | < 0.0088 at 90% C.L., improving by a factor two the latest direct measurement.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics Letters B (15 pages, 13 figures