4,629 research outputs found
Radio polarimetry of compact steep spectrum sources at sub-arcsecond resolution
Aims - We report new Very Large Array polarimetric observations of Compact
Steep-Spectrum (CSS) sources at 8.4, 15, and 23GHz. Methods - Using
multi-frequency VLA observations we have derived sub-arcsecond resolution
images of the total intensity, polarisation, and rotation measure (RM)
distributions. Results heading - We present multi-frequency VLA polarisation
observations of CSS sources. About half of the sources are point-like even at
the resolution of about 0.1x0.1 arcseconds. The remaining sources have double
or triple structure. Low values for the percentage of polarised emission in CSS
sources is confirmed. On the average, quasars are more polarised than galaxies.
A wide range of RM values have been measured. There are clear indications of
very large RMs up to 5\,585 rad m**(-2). CSS galaxies are characterized by RM
values that are larger than CSS quasars. The majority of the objects show very
large values of RM. Conclusions - The available data on sub-arcsecond-scale
rest-frame RM estimates for CSS sources show that these have a wide range of
values extending up to about 36,000 rad m**(-2). RM estimates indicate an
overall density of the magneto-ionic medium larger than classical radio
sources.Comment: Accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Electron beam transfer line design for plasma driven Free Electron Lasers
Plasma driven particle accelerators represent the future of compact
accelerating machines and Free Electron Lasers are going to benefit from these
new technologies. One of the main issue of this new approach to FEL machines is
the design of the transfer line needed to match of the electron-beam with the
magnetic undulators. Despite the reduction of the chromaticity of plasma beams
is one of the main goals, the target of this line is to be effective even in
cases of beams with a considerable value of chromaticity. The method here
explained is based on the code GIOTTO [1] that works using a homemade genetic
algorithm and that is capable of finding optimal matching line layouts directly
using a full 3D tracking code.Comment: 9 Pages, 4 Figures. A related poster was presented at EAAC 201
Plasma boosted electron beams for driving Free Electron Lasers
In this paper, we report results of simulations, in the framework of both
EuPRAXIA \cite{Walk2017} and EuPRAXIA@SPARC\_LAB \cite{Ferr2017} projects,
aimed at delivering a high brightness electron bunch for driving a Free
Electron Laser (FEL) by employing a plasma post acceleration scheme. The
boosting plasma wave is driven by a tens of \SI{}{\tera\watt} class laser and
doubles the energy of an externally injected beam up to \GeV{1}. The injected
bunch is simulated starting from a photoinjector, matched to plasma, boosted
and finally matched to an undulator, where its ability to produce FEL radiation
is verified to yield O(\num{e11}) photons per shot at \nm{2.7}.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
New Insights Into the Pivotal Role of CREB-Regulated Transcription Coactivator 1 in Depression and Comorbid Obesity.
Depression and obesity are major public health concerns, and there is mounting evidence that they share etiopathophysiological mechanisms. The neurobiological pathways involved in both mood and energy balance regulation are complex, multifactorial and still incompletely understood. As a coactivator of the pleiotropic transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) has recently emerged as a novel regulator of neuronal plasticity and brain functions, while CRTC1 dysfunction has been associated with neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. This review focuses on recent evidence emphasizing the critical role of CRTC1 in the neurobiology of depression and comorbid obesity. We discuss the role of CRTC1 downregulation in mediating chronic stress-induced depressive-like behaviors, and antidepressant response in the light of the previously characterized Crtc1 knockout mouse model of depression. The putative role of CRTC1 in the alteration of brain energy homeostasis observed in depression is also discussed. Finally, we highlight rodent and human studies supporting the critical involvement of CRTC1 in depression-associated obesity
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Cataract and optic disk drusen in a patient with glycogenosis and di George syndrome: clinical and molecular report
Background
We report the ophthalmic findings of a patient with type Ia glycogen storage disease (GSD Ia), DiGeorge syndrome (DGS), cataract and optic nerve head drusen (ONHD).
Case presentation
A 26-year-old white woman, born at term by natural delivery presented with a post-natal diagnosis of GSD Ia. Genetic testing by array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) for DGS was required because of her low levels of serum calcium. The patient has been followed from birth, attending the day-hospital every six months at the San Paolo Hospital, Milan, outpatient clinic for metabolic diseases and previously at another eye center. During the last day-hospital visit, a complete eye examination showed ONHD and cataract in both eyes. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was subsequently done to check for any association between the eye problems and metabolic aspects.
Conclusions
This is the first description of ocular changes in a patient with GSD Ia and DGS. Mutations explaining GSD Ia and DGS were found but no specific causative mutation for cataract and ONHD. The metabolic etiology of her lens changes is known, whereas the pathogenesis of ONHD is not clear. Although the presence of cataract and ONHD could be a coincidence; the case reported could suggest that hypocalcemia due to DGS could be the common biochemical pathway
EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB: the high-brightness RF photo-injector layout proposal
At EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB, the unique combination of an advanced high-brightness
RF injector and a plasma-based accelerator will drive a new multi-disciplinary
user-facility. The facility, that is currently under study at INFN-LNF
Laboratories (Frascati, Italy) in synergy with the EuPRAXIA collaboration, will
operate the plasma-based accelerator in the external injection configuration.
Since in this configuration the stability and reproducibility of the
acceleration process in the plasma stage is strongly influenced by the
RF-generated electron beam, the main challenge for the RF injector design is
related to generating and handling high quality electron beams. In the last
decades of R&D activity, the crucial role of high-brightness RF photo-injectors
in the fields of radiation generation and advanced acceleration schemes has
been largely established, making them effective candidates to drive
plasma-based accelerators as pilots for user facilities. An RF injector
consisting in a high-brightness S-band photo-injector followed by an advanced
X-band linac has been proposed for the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB project. The electron
beam dynamics in the photo-injector has been explored by means of simulations,
resulting in high-brightness, ultra-short bunches with up to 3 kA peak current
at the entrance of the advanced X-band linac booster. The EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB
high-brightness photo-injector is described here together with performance
optimisation and sensitivity studies aiming to actual check the robustness and
reliability of the desired working point.Comment: 5 pages,5 figures, EAAC201
Quadrupole scan emittance measurements for the ELI-NP compton gamma source
The high brightness electron LINAC of the Compton
Gamma Source at the ELI Nuclear Physics facility in Roma-
nia is accelerating a train of 32 bunches with a nominal total
charge of
250 pC
and nominal spacing of
16 ns
. To achieve
the design gamma flux, all the bunches along the train must
have the designed Twiss parameters. Beam sizes are mea-
sured with optical transition radiation monitors, allowing a
quadrupole scan for Twiss parameters measurements. Since
focusing the whole bunch train on the screen may lead to
permanent screen damage, we investigate non-conventional
scans such as scans around a maximum of the beam size
or scans with a controlled minimum spot size. This paper
discusses the implementation issues of such a technique in
the actual machine layou
An agent-based approach to assess drivers’ interaction with pre-trip information systems.
This article reports on the practical use of a multi-agent microsimulation framework to address the issue of assessing drivers’
responses to pretrip information systems. The population of drivers is represented as a community of autonomous agents,
and travel demand results from the decision-making deliberation performed by each individual of the population as regards
route and departure time. A simple simulation scenario was devised, where pretrip information was made available to users
on an individual basis so that its effects at the aggregate level could be observed. The simulation results show that the
overall performance of the system is very likely affected by exogenous information, and these results are ascribed to demand
formation and network topology. The expressiveness offered by cognitive approaches based on predicate logics, such as the
one used in this research, appears to be a promising approximation to fostering more complex behavior modelling, allowing
us to represent many of the mental aspects involved in the deliberation process
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