1,409 research outputs found
Atmospheric Neutrinos
The results of experiments on atmospheric neutrinos are summarized, with the
important exception of Superkamiokande. The main emphasis is given to the
Soudan-2 and MACRO experiments. Both experiments observe atmospheric neutrino
anomalies in agreement with nu_mu-->> nu_tau oscillations with maximum mixing.
The nu_mu-->> nu_sterile oscillation is disfavored by the MACRO experiment.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of TAUP99 Conference College de
France - Paris 6-10 September 1999 11 pages 12 figure
Molecular analysis of sarcomeric and non-sarcomeric genes in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic heart disorder characterized by
unexplained left ventricle hypertrophy associated with non-dilated ventricular chambers. Several genes
encoding heart sarcomeric proteins have been associated to HCM, but a small proportion of HCM patients
harbor alterations in other non-sarcomeric loci. The variable expression of HCM seems influenced by genetic
modifier factors and new sequencing technologies are redefining the understanding of genotype–phenotype
relationships, even if the interpretations of the numerous identified variants pose several challenges.
Methods and results: We investigated 62 sarcomeric and non-sarcomeric genes in 41 HCM cases and in
3 HCM-related disorders patients. We employed an integrated approach that combines multiple tools for
the prediction, annotation and visualization of functional variants. Genotype–phenotype correlations
were carried out for inspecting the involvement of each gene in age onset and clinical variability of HCM. The
80% of the non-syndromic patients showed at least one rare non-synonymous variant (nsSNV) and among
them, 58% carried alterations in sarcomeric loci, 14% in desmosomal and 7% in other non-sarcomeric ones
without any sarcomere change. Statistical analyses revealed an inverse correlation between the number of
nsSNVs and age at onset, and a relationship between the clinical variability and number and type of variants.
Conclusions: Our results extend the mutational spectrum of HCM and contribute in defining the molecular
pathogenesis and inheritance pattern(s) of this condition. Besides, we delineate a specific procedure for the
identification of the most likely pathogenetic variants for a next generation sequencing approach embodied in
a clinical context
A simulation code to assist designing space missions of the Airwatch type
The design of an Airwatch type space mission can greatly benefit from a flexible simulation code for establishing the values of the main parameters of the experiment. We present here a code written for this purpose. The cosmic ray primary spectrum at very high energies, the atmosphere modelling, the fluorescence yield, the photon propagation and the detector response are taken into account in order to optimize the fundamental design parameters of the experiment, namely orbit height, field of view, mirror radius, number of pixels of the focal plane, threshold of photo-detection. The optimization criterion will be to maximize counting rates versus mission cost, which imposes limits both on weight and power consumption. Preliminary results on signals with changing energy and zenith angle of incident particles are shown
PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING: AN ASSOCIATION WITH ALEXITHYMIA, PERSONALITY DISORDERS AND CLINICAL SYNDROMES
Pathological gambling (PG) is a disorder recently conceptualized as a behavioural addiction, because of its neurobiological, neurophysiological and psychological features (American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders - 5th ed., 2013; Potenza et al., 2012). PG represents both a social and a sanitary cost, in terms of pharmacological and psychological therapies. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between personality disorders, clinical syndromes and alexithymia levels in a group of pathological gamblers. Furthermore this study aimed at highlighting a relationship between PG and alexithymia, over and above the relationship between personality disorders, clinical syndromes and PG. Sixty treatment- seeking pathological gamblers and 60 healthy controls were included in the study. Psychological assessment included the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Pathological gamblers displayed Axis I disorders, such as anxiety, somatoform symptoms, bipolar symptoms, dysthymia, thought disorders and major depression, as well as Axis II disorders such as depressive, antisocial, sadistic, passive-aggressive, self-defeating and paranoid disorders, and greater alexithymia levels. Alexithymia was detected in PG independently from the presence of other psychiatric disorders. Our data show that comorbid psychiatric disorders have been evidentiated in PG. Interestingly alexithymia is related to PG indipendently from other psychopathological disorders, representing a relevant feature, helpful for assessing PG diagnosis and for orienting to the correct therapeutical strategy. REFERENCES American Psychiatric Association. 2013. American Psychiatric Publishing Potenza et al.,2012Psychoph219(2):469-49
Getting the Best of Both Worlds? Developing Complementary Equation-Based and Agent-Based Models
We argue that building agent-based and equation-based versions of the same theoretical model is a fruitful way of gaining insights into real-world phenomena. We use the epistemological concept of “models as isolations and surrogate systems” as the philosophical underpinning of this argument. In particular, we show that agent-based and equation-based approaches align well when used simultaneously and, contrary to some common misconceptions, should be considered complements rather than substitutes. We illustrate the usefulness of the approach by examining a model of the long-run relationship between economic development and inequality (i.e., the Kuznets hypothesis)
The central structure of Broad Absorption Line QSOs: observational characteristics in the cm-mm wavelength domain
Accounting for ~20% of the total QSO population, Broad Absorption Line QSOs
are still an unsolved problem in the AGN context. They present wide troughs in
the UV spectrum, due to material with velocities up to 0.2 c toward the
observer. The two models proposed in literature try to explain them as a
particular phase of the evolution of QSOs or as normal QSOs, but seen from a
particular line of sight.
We built a statistically complete sample of Radio-Loud BAL QSOs, and carried
out an observing campaign to piece together the whole spectrum in the cm
wavelength domain, and highlight all the possible differences with respect to a
comparison sample of Radio-Loud non-BAL QSOs. VLBI observations at high angular
resolution have been performed, to study the pc-scale morphology of these
objects. Finally, we tried to detect a possible dust component with
observations at mm-wavelengths.
Results do not seem to indicate a young age for all BAL QSOs. Instead a
variety of orientations and morphologies have been found, constraining the
outflows foreseen by the orientation model to have different possible angles
with respect to the jet axis
Expression of cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 in normal and pathological human oral mucosa.
Cyclooxigenase (COX) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandins (PGs). Two isoforms of COX have been identified: COX-1 is constitutively expressed in many cells and is involved in cell homeostasis, angiogenesis and cell-cell signalling; COX-2 is not expressed in normal condition however it is strongly expressed in inflammation. The oral cavity is constantly exposed to physical and chemical trauma that could lead to mucosal reactions such as hyperplasia, dysplasia and cancer. Early diagnosis is the most important issue to address for a positive outcome of oral cancer; therefore it would be useful to identify molecular markers whose expression is associated with the various stages of oral cancer progression. Since COX enzyme has been involved, with different mechanisms, in the development and progression of malignancies we decided to investigate the expression and localization of COX-1 and COX-2 in normal human oral mucosa and three different pathologies (hyperplasia, dysplasia and carcinoma) by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. COX-1 mRNA and protein have been detected already in normal oral mucosa and their expression progressively increases from normal samples towards hyperplasia, dysplasia and finally carcinoma. On the contrary, COX-2 is not expressed in the normal tissue, starts to be expressed in hyperplasia, reaches the maximum activation in dysplasia and then starts to be downregulated in carcinoma
Neutrino suppression and extra dimensions: a minimal model
We study flavour neutrinos confined to our 4-dimensional world coupled to one
"bulk" state, i.e. a Kaluza-Klein tower. We discuss the spatial development of
the neutrino disappearance, the possibility of resurgence and the effective
flavour transitions induced in this mechanism. We show that even a simple model
can produce an energy-independent suppression at large distances, and relate
this to experimental data.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures; the exclusion of sterile neutrinos by
SuperKamiokande is discussed; references adde
The Merging System Am 2049-691
Spectroscopic and photometric observations of the peculiar object AM 2049-691
are presented here. Its systemic velocity is V(GSR) = (10956 +-30) km/s, and
the derived distance (H(0) = 75 km/s/Mpc) results 146 Mpc. A bridge is observed
between two very distinct nuclei whose separation is about 10 kpc, as well as
two tails that emerge from the extremes SW and NE of the main body and extend
up to 41 and 58 kpc respectively. The spectral characteristics of the all
observed zones are typical of H II regions of low excitation. The internal
reddening is quit high, particularly in the NE nucleus. All the derived
equivalent widths of the H(alpha)+[N II] lines indicate enhanced star formation
compared with isolated galaxies, specially in the NE nucleus; the equivalent
width corresponding to the integrated spectrum reflects starburst activity in
the whole object, and is compatible with a merger of two disk galaxies. All the
observed characteristics of AM 2049-691 indicate it is a merger, where a
overabundance of nitrogen is detected in one of the nuclei, which has the most
evolved population and would be the most massive one. The detected total IR
emission is not very high. The integrated total color B - V corresponds to a
Sc-Scd galaxy and its average integrated population is about F7 type.
Indicative B - V colors of the nuclei, corrected for internal absorption, are
in agreement with the spectroscopic results. The central radial velocity
dispersions at the nuclei suggest that the most massive galaxy would be the
progenitor of the SW component. The observed radial velocity curve shows the
presence of two subsystems, each one associated with a different nucleus.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Atmospheric neutrino flux from 3-dimensional simulation
The atmospheric muon and neutrino flux have been simulated using the same
approach which successfully accounted for the recent secondary proton, electron
and positron flux measurements in orbit by the AMS experiment. For the muon
flux, a good agreement is obtained with the CAPRICE and HEAT data for altitudes
ranging from sea level up to about 38 km. The general features of the
calculated atmospheric neutrino flux are reported and discussed. The flux
obtained at the Super-Kamiokande experiment location are reported and compared
with other calculations. For low neutrino energies the flux obtained is
significantly smaller than that used in the data analysis of underground
experiment. The simulation results for the SOUDAN experiment site are also
reported.Comment: 33 pages, 27 figures, 12 tables, final version for Phys. Rev.
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