4,382 research outputs found
On the Possibility of Measuring the Gravitomagnetic Clock Effect in an Earth Space-Based Experiment
In this paper the effect of the post-Newtonian gravitomagnetic force on the
mean longitudes of a pair of counter-rotating Earth artificial satellites
following almost identical circular equatorial orbits is investigated. The
possibility of measuring it is examined. The observable is the difference of
the times required to in passing from 0 to 2 for both senses of
motion. Such gravitomagnetic time shift, which is independent of the orbital
parameters of the satellites, amounts to 5 s for Earth; it is
cumulative and should be measured after a sufficiently high number of
revolutions. The major limiting factors are the unavoidable imperfect
cancellation of the Keplerian periods, which yields a constraint of 10
cm in knowing the difference between the semimajor axes of the satellites,
and the difference of the inclinations of the orbital planes which, for
, should be less than . A pair of spacecrafts
endowed with a sophisticated intersatellite tracking apparatus and drag-free
control down to 10 cm s Hz level might allow to meet
the stringent requirements posed by such a mission.Comment: LaTex2e, 22 pages, no tables, 1 figure, 38 references. Final version
accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System
Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of
the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical
scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of
gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or
proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital
motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the
Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of
the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin
to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly
measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in
Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text
now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde
The neglected liaison: Targeting cancer cell metabolic reprogramming modifies the composition of non‐malignant populations of the tumor microenvironment
Metabolic reprogramming is a well‐known hallmark of cancer, whereby the development of drugs that target cancer cell metabolism is gaining momentum. However, when establishing preclinical studies and clinical trials, it is often neglected that a tumor mass is a complex system in which cancer cells coexist and interact with several types of microenvironment populations, including endothelial cells, fibroblasts and immune cells. We are just starting to understand how such populations are affected by the metabolic changes occurring in a transformed cell and little is known about the impact of metabolism‐targeting drugs on the non‐malignant tumor components. Here we provide a general overview of the links between cancer cell metabolism and tumor microenvironment (TME), particularly focusing on the emerging literature reporting TME‐specific effects of metabolic therapies
Mass Screening in Modified Gravity
Models of modified gravity introduce extra degrees of freedom, which for
consistency with the data, should be suppressed at observable scales. In the
models that share properties of massive gravity such a suppression is due to
nonlinear interactions: An isolated massive astrophysical object creates a halo
of a nonzero curvature around it, shielding its vicinity from the influence of
the extra degrees of freedom. We emphasize that the very same halo leads to a
screening of the gravitational mass of the object, as seen by an observer
beyond the halo. We discuss the case when the screening could be very
significant and may rule out, or render the models observationally interesting.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, A contribution to the Proceedings of the
International Workshop on Cosmology and Gravitation, Peyresq 12, June 16-22,
2007, Peyresq, Franc
Measured Copper Toxicity to Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Pisces: Poeciliidae) and Predicted by Biotic Ligand Model in Pilcomayo River Water: A Step for a Cross-Fish-Species Extrapolation
In order to determine copper toxicity (LC50) to a local species (Cnesterodon decemmaculatus) in the South American Pilcomayo River water and evaluate a cross-fish-species extrapolation of Biotic Ligand Model, a 96 h acute copper toxicity test was performed. The dissolved copper concentrations tested were 0.05, 0.19, 0.39, 0.61, 0.73, 1.01, and 1.42 mg Cu L−1. The 96 h Cu LC50 calculated was 0.655 mg L−1 (0.823 − 0.488). 96-h Cu LC50 predicted by BLM for Pimephales promelas was 0.722 mg L−1. Analysis of the inter-seasonal variation of the main water quality parameters indicates that a higher protective effect of calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulphate, and chloride is expected during the dry season. The very high load of total suspended solids in this river might be a key factor in determining copper distribution between solid and solution phases. A cross-fish-species extrapolation of copper BLM is valid within the water quality parameters and experimental conditions of this toxicity test
On the Gravitomagnetic Time Delay
We study the gravitational time delay in ray propagation due to rotating
masses in the linear approximation of general relativity. Simple expressions
are given for the gravitomagnetic time delay that occurs when rays of radiation
cross a slowly rotating shell and propagate in the field of a distant rotating
source. Moreover, we calculate the local gravitational time delay in the Goedel
universe. The observational consequences of these results in the case of weak
gravitational lensing are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, revised version submitted to Phys. Lett.
Millimeter wave spectroscopic measurements of stratospheric and mesospheric constituents over the Italian Alps: stratospheric ozone
Measurements of rotational lines emitted by middle atmospheric trace gases have been carried out from the Alpine
station of Testa Grigia (45.9°N, 7.7°E, elev. 3500 m) by means of a Ground-Based Millimeter-wave Spectrometer
(GBMS). Observations of species such as O3, HNO3, CO, N2O, HCN, and HDO took place during 4 winter periods,
from February 2004 to March 2007, for a total of 116 days of measurements grouped in about 18 field campaigns.
By studying the pressure-broadened shape of emission lines the vertical distribution of the observed constituents
is retrieved within an altitude range of ∼17-75 km, constrained by the 600 MHz pass band and the 65 kHz
spectral resolution of the back-end spectrometer. This work discusses the behavior of stratospheric O3 during the
entire period of operation at Testa Grigia. Mid-latitude O3 columnar content as estimated using GBMS measurements
can vary by large amounts over a period of very few days, with the largest variations observed in December
2005, February 2006, and March 2006, confirming that the northern winter of 2005-2006 was characterized by a
particularly intense planetary wave activity. The largest rapid variation from maximum to minimum O3 column values
over Testa Grigia took place in December 2006 and reached a relative value of 72% with respect to the average
column content for that period. During most GBMS observation times much of the variability is concentrated
in the column below 20 km, with tropospheric weather systems and advection of tropical tropospheric air into the
lower stratosphere over Testa Grigia having a large impact on the observed variations in column contents. Nonetheless,
a wide variability is also found in middle stratospheric GBMS O3 measurements, as expected for mid-latitude
ozone. We find that O3 mixing ratios at ∼32 km are very well correlated with the solar illumination experienced by
air masses over the previous ∼15 days, showing that already at 32 km altitude ozone photochemistry dominates over
transport processes. The correlation of lower stratospheric ozone concentrations with potential vorticity as an indicator
of transport is instead not as clear-cut, due to very complex mixing processes that characterize stratospheric
air at mid-latitudes. Correlations of O3 over Testa Grigia with stratospheric tracers such as N2O and HCN, also observed
by means of the GBMS, are planned for the future, in order to better characterize lower stratospheric dynamics
and therefore lower stratospheric ozone concentrations at mid-latitudes
The hERG1 potassium channel behaves as prognostic factor in gastric dysplasia endoscopic samples
Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is still a relevant health issue worldwide. The identification of prognostic factors for progression of gastric dysplasia (GD), the main pre-cancerous lesion of the intestinal-type GC, is hence mandatory.Patients and methods: A cohort of 83 GD endoscopic samples belonging to Italian subjects was collected. hERG1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and scored 0-3, depending on the percentage of stained cells. Expression data were analysed in conjunction with clinico-pathological and survival data.Results: hERG1 turned out to be expressed in 67.47% (56 out of 83) of the GD samples. hERG1 expression was higher in high-grade GD compared to low-grade GD (29 out of 39, 74.36% vs 27 out of 44, 61.36%), although the statistical significance was not reached (P=0.246). No association emerged between hERG1 expression and clinical features of the patients (age, gender, localization, H. pylori infection, gastritis and intestinal metaplasia). In a subset of cases for which sequential samples of gastric lesions (from GD to Early Gastric Cancer and Advanced Gastric Cancer) were available, hERG1 expression was maintained in all the steps of gastric carcinogenesis from GD onwards. A general trend to increased expression in advanced lesions was observed. hERG1 score had a statistically significant impact on both Progression-Free Survival (P=0.018) and Overall Survival (P=0.031). In particular, patients displaying a high hERG1 score have a shorter survival.Conclusion: hERG1 is aberrantly expressed in human GD samples and has an impact on both PFS and OS, hence representing a novel prognostic marker for progression of GD towards GC of the intestinal histotype. Once properly validated, hERG1 detection could be included in the clinical practice, during endoscopic surveillance protocols, for the management of GD at higher risk of progression, as already proposed for Barrett's oesophagus
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