A persistent scatterer interferometry procedure to monitor urban subsidence

This paper describes a Persistent Scatterer Interferometry procedure for deformation monitoring. Its more original part concerns an approach to estimate the atmospheric phase component. The procedure can be used to monitor deformation areas that are relatively small and are surrounded by stable areas. The proposed procedure is described step by step. The procedure can be applied using SAR data coming from different sensors. However, in this work we discuss results obtained using Sentinel-1 data. A case study is described, where the deformation is caused by water pumping associated with construction works. In this case study, a stack of 78 Sentinel-1 images were analysed. The main part of the paper concerns the analysis of the atmospheric component. A comprehensive characterization of this component is first described, considering the original non-filtered phases. This is followed by the characterization of the residual filtered phases. This analysis highlights the goodness of the proposed procedure. This is further confirmed by the analysis of two deformation time series. The procedure can work with any type of deformation phenomena, provided that its spatial extension is sufficiently small

Calculations of the Temperature and Alloy Composition Effects on the Optical Properties of Alx Ga1-x Asy Sb1-y and Gax In1-x Asy Sb1-y in the Spectral Range 0.5-6 eV

A detailed analysis is presented on the temperature and alloy composition dependence of the optical properties of III-V alloys Alx Ga1-x Asy Sb1-y and Gax In1-x Asy Sb1-y in the energy range 0.5-6 eV. Expressions for the complex dielectric function are based on a semiempirical phenomenological model, which takes under consideration indirect and direct transitions below and above the fundamental absorption edge. Dielectric function and absorption coefficient calculations are in satisfactory agreement with available experimental data. Other dielectric related optical data, such as the refractive index, extinction, and reflection coefficients, can also be obtained from the model. © 2007 American Institute of Physics. (DOI: 10.1063/1.2751406

Effects of a resistance-training programme on endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response and mitochondrial functions in PBMCs from elderly subjects

10 p.Aging has been related with a decline in the ability to handle protein folding, which leads to endoplasmic reticulum stress and alterations in unfolded protein response (UPR). Importantly, physical activity could activate the UPR and attenuate or prevent age-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction. The current study evaluated the effects of a resistance exercise on UPR and mitochondrial functions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from elderly subjects. Thirty healthy women and men (age, 72.8, sx− = 2.2 years) were randomized to a training group, which performed an 8-week resistance training programme, or a control group, which followed their daily routines. The phosphorylation of PERK and IRE1, as well as ATF4, and XBP1 protein expression, significantly increased following the training, while expression of BiP, AFT6 and CHOP remain without changes. Additionally, the intervention also induced an increase in PGC-1α and Mfn1 protein levels, while no changes were found in Drp1 expression. Finally, the resistance protocol was not able to activate PINK1/Parkin and Bnip3/Nix pathways. The results obtained seem to indicate that 8-week resistance exercise activates the UPR, stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis, maintains mitochondrial dynamics and prevents mitophagy activation by unfolded proteins in PBMCs from elderly subjects.S

Long-path averaged mixing ratios of O₃ and NO₂ in the free troposphere from mountain MAX-DOAS

A new approximation is proposed to estimate O3 and NO2 mixing ratios in the northern subtropical free troposphere (FT). The proposed method uses O4 slant column densities (SCDs) at horizontal and near-zenith geometries to estimate a station-level differential path. The modified geometrical approach (MGA) is a simple method that takes advantage of a very long horizontal path to retrieve mixing ratios in the range of a few pptv. The methodology is presented, and the possible limitations are discussed. Multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) high-mountain measurements recorded at the Izaña observatory (28° 18' N, 16° 29' W) are used in this study. The results show that under low aerosol loading, O3 and NO2 mixing ratios can be retrieved even at very low concentrations. The obtained mixing ratios are compared with those provided by in situ instrumentation at the observatory. The MGA reproduces the O3 mixing ratio measured by the in situ instrumentation with a difference of 28%. The different air masses scanned by each instrument are identified as a cause of the discrepancy between the O3 observed by MAX-DOAS and the in situ measurements. The NO2 is in the range of 20–40 ppt, which is below the detection limit of the in situ instrumentation, but it is in agreement with measurements from previous studies for similar conditions

Lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to a vaginal leiomioma the female prostate: case report

This is a case report of lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to a vaginal leiomioma “the female prostate”. A 45-year-old female patient with no significant personal history, sensation of a vaginal foreign body accompanied by lower urinary tract symptoms, on vaginal physical examination with a 7×7 cm deep tumor, increased consistency, not painful, without hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance imaging with hypointense T1 and T2 images, few linear hyperintense areas in T2, homogeneous postgadolinium enhancement 69×66×53 mm, solid tumor dependent on the vaginal vault. Tumor markers CA 19-9: 5.98 U/ml, CEA: 1.09 ng/ml and CA 125: 11.73 U/ml. Open surgery was performed in which a 8×6 cm tumor was found in the vaginal vault dependent on the posterior wall of the vagina. Histopathological report: conventional leiomyoma measuring 9×7.5 cm in long axes, without nuclear atypia. With resolution of symptoms in the lower urinary tract, with normal urinary frequency, without presence of urgency, without urinary incontinence or voiding symptoms. It is important to identify and diagnose lower urinary tract symptoms always, since they could be an initial manifestation of pelvic tumors in which the treatment approach should not be delayed.

Planck pre-launch status: Low Frequency Instrument calibration and expected scientific performance

We give the calibration and scientific performance parameters of the Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) measured during the ground cryogenic test campaign. These parameters characterise the instrument response and constitute our best pre-launch knowledge of the LFI scientific performance. The LFI shows excellent $1/f$ stability and rejection of instrumental systematic effects; measured noise performance shows that LFI is the most sensitive instrument of its kind. The set of measured calibration parameters will be updated during flight operations through the end of the mission.Comment: Accepted for publications in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2010 (acceptance date: 12 Jan 2010

Precision Top-Quark Mass Measurements at CDF

We present a precision measurement of the top-quark mass using the full sample of Tevatron $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV proton-antiproton collisions collected by the CDF II detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 $fb^{-1}$. Using a sample of $t\bar{t}$ candidate events decaying into the lepton+jets channel, we obtain distributions of the top-quark masses and the invariant mass of two jets from the $W$ boson decays from data. We then compare these distributions to templates derived from signal and background samples to extract the top-quark mass and the energy scale of the calorimeter jets with {\it in situ} calibration. The likelihood fit of the templates from signal and background events to the data yields the single most-precise measurement of the top-quark mass, \mtop = 172.85 \pm$0.71 (stat)$\pm$0.85 (syst) GeV/c^{2}.$Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Perturbed soliton excitations in DNA molecular chain

We study nonlinear dynamics of a periodic inhomogeneous DNA double helical chain under dynamic plane-base rotator model by considering angular rotation of bases in a plane normal to the helical axis. The dynamics is governed by a perturbed sine-Gordon equation. The perturbed soliton solution is obtained using a multiple scale soliton perturbation theory. The perturbed kink-antikink solitons represent formation of open state configuration with fluctuation in DNA.Comment: 20 Pages, 5 figure

Combined search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying to a bb pair using the full CDF data set

We combine the results of searches for the standard model Higgs boson based on the full CDF Run II data set obtained from sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV p-pbar collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9.45/fb. The searches are conducted for Higgs bosons that are produced in association with a W or Z boson, have masses in the range 90-150 GeV/c^2, and decay into bb pairs. An excess of data is present that is inconsistent with the background prediction at the level of 2.5 standard deviations (the most significant local excess is 2.7 standard deviations).Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev. Lett (v2 contains minor updates based on comments from PRL