The runaway black hole GRO J1655-40

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the motion in the sky and compute the galactocentric orbit of the black hole X-ray binary GRO J1655-40. The system moves with a runaway space velocity of $112\pm 18$ km s$^{-1}$ in a highly eccentric ($e = 0.34\pm 0.05$) orbit. The black hole was formed in the disk at a distance greater than 3 kpc from the Galactic centre and must have been shot to such an eccentric orbit by the explosion of the progenitor star. The runaway linear momentum and kinetic energy of this black hole binary are comparable to those of solitary neutron stars and millisecond pulsars. GRO J1655-40 is the first black hole for which there is evidence for a runaway motion imparted by a natal kick in a supernova explosion.Comment: Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 5 pages, 2 color figures. Color figure and animation can be found at http://www.iafe.uba.ar/astronomia/mirabel/mirabel.html or ftp://ftp.cea.fr/incoming/y2k01/mirabe

The LUNA experiment at Gran Sasso laboratory

Accurate knowledge of thermonuclear reaction rates is a key issue in nuclear astrophysics since it is important for understanding the energy generation, neutrino production and the synthesis of the elements in stars. Cross-section measurements are mainly hampered by the very low counting rate and cosmic background. An underground location is extremely advantageous for such studies, as demonstrated by the LUNA experiment in the Gran Sasso Laboratory (Italy). This paper reports on the results recently obtained by such an experiment and on the future perspectives in this field

Nuclear astrophysics and LUNA MV

Nuclear astrophysics is an extremely rich field, strongly correlated with many other research fields like observational astronomy, stellar modelling, neutrino physics, cosmology, nuclear physics etc. One of the most ambitious task of nuclear astrophysics is to explain the origin and relative abundances of the elements in the Universe, formed through different nuclear processes in different astrophysical scenarios. Therefore, nuclear fusion reactions are the core of nuclear astrophysics since they determine the formation of the elements in the earliest stages of the Universe (Big Bang nucleosynthesis, BBN) and in all the objects formed thereafter and control the energy generation, neutrino production and evolution of stars. After 25 years of measurements on the cross section of key reactions belonging to BBN or Hydrogen burning, the LUNA collaboration is going to start a new ambitious program devoted to Helium and Carbon burning using the new 3.5 MV \u201cLUNA MV\u201d accelerator which will be installed in the underground laboratory of Gran Sasso next year. After a general introduction on nuclear astrophysics and underground techniques, the scientific goals of the LUNA MV project for the first five years and its present status will be described

Migraine and cluster headache show impaired neurosteroids patterns

Background: Perturbation of neuronal excitability contributes to migraine. Neurosteroids modulate the activity of γ-aminobutyric acid A and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, and might be involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Here, we measured plasma levels of four neurosteroids, i.e., allopregnanolone, epiallopregnanolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and deydroepiandrosterone sulfate, in patients affected by episodic migraine, chronic migraine, or cluster headache. Methods: Nineteen female patients affected by episodic migraine, 51 female patients affected by chronic migraine, and 18 male patients affected by cluster headache were recruited to the study. Sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects (31 females and 16 males) were also recruited. Patients were clinically characterized by using validated questionnaires. Plasma neurosteroid levels were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: We found disease-specific changes in neurosteroid levels in our study groups. For example, allopregnanolone levels were significantly increased in episodic migraine and chronic migraine patients than in control subjects, whereas they were reduced in patients affected by cluster headache. Dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were reduced in patients affected by chronic migraine, but did not change in patients affected by cluster headache. Conclusion: We have shown for the first time that large and disease-specific changes in circulating neurosteroid levels are associated with chronic headache disorders, raising the interesting possibility that fluctuations of neurosteroids at their site of action might shape the natural course of migraine and cluster headache. Whether the observed changes in neurosteroids are genetically determined or rather result from exposure to environmental or intrinsic stressors is unknown. This might also be matter for further investigation because stress is a known triggering factor for headache attacks in both migraineurs and cluster headache patients

Cost of chronic and episodic migraine patients in continuous treatment for two years in a tertiary level headache Centre

Background: Migraine is one of the most common neurological diseases and an estimated 1.04 billion people worldwide have been diagnosed with migraine. Available data suggest that migraine is world widely associated with a high economic burden, but there is great variability in estimated costs that depends on the geographical, methodological and temporal differences between the studies. The purpose of this study was to quantify the annual direct cost of episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM), both for the patient and for the National Health System (NHS), using data from subjects who attended an Italian tertiary headache centre. Furthermore, we evaluated comparatively the impact of gender and age on the economic burden of migraine. Methods: We conducted a retrospective and non-interventional observational analysis of the electronic medical records of subjects with EM and CM who consecutively attended the Regional Referral Headache Centre of Rome and undergoing continuous treatment in the 2 years prior to 31 January 2019. This approach was intended to prevent distorsions due to natural fluctuations in migraine status over time. The collected data included demographic characteristics, number of specialist visits, consumption of medications, diagnostic tests, accesses in the emergency department (ED) and days of hospitalization due to the pathology. Results: Our sample consisted of 548 patients (85.4% women and 14.6% men): 65.5% had CM and 34.5% had EM. The average annual expenditure per patient was 1482. 82.8% of the total cost (1227) was covered by the NHS. The main item of expenditure were medications that represented 86.8% (1286), followed by specialist visits (10.2%), hospitalizations for (1.9%), diagnostic tests for (1%) and ED visits for (0.1%). Costs were significantly higher for women than men (1517 vs. 1274, p = 0.013) and increased with age (p = 0.002). The annual direct cost of CM was 4.8-fold higher than that of EM (2037 vs. 427, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our results provide a valuable estimate of the annual direct cost of CM and EM patients in the specific setting of a tertiary headache centre and confirm the high economic impact of migraine on both the NHS and patients

Discovery of the Barium Isotopes

Thirty-eight barium isotopes have so far been observed; the discovery of these isotopes is discussed. For each isotope a brief summary of the first refereed publication, including the production and identification method, is presented.Comment: to be published in At. Data Nucl. Data Table

New perspectives on an “old” technique: Lipari obsidian and Neolithic communities investigated by Fission Track Dating

“Lipari obsidian and Neolithic human communities in the Aeolian islands” is a project aimed at studying the connection between obsidian flows on the island of Lipari and Neolithic populations on the Aeolian archipelago, in Italy. As it is well known, obsidian is of particular interest to trace prehistorical trading patterns; indeed, Lipari obsidian has the widest distribution and has been found in southern France, Dalmazia, Sicily and mainland Italy. The project outputs will give a general vision of both archaeological and volcanological aspects through thestratigraphic and radiometric dating of eruptions which produced obsidian, in relationship with the first phases of the human settlements and row material exploitation. To reach this goal, we are considering both raw materials (geological samples) from different flows and artifacts from Neolithic settlements (archaeological samples) on the Aeolian islands, and performing fission track dating to get the age of obsidian sources and artefacts. Obtained results are expected to shed some new light on the raw material procurement and on the ability of the Neolithic populations to move from their locations, with particular attention to the consequences of environmental features on the first human settlements on the Aeolian islands