60 research outputs found
The distance to galactic globular clusters through RR Lyrae pulsational properties
By adopting the same approach outlined in De Santis & Cassisi (1999), we
evaluate the absolute bolometric magnitude of the Zero Age Horizontal Branch
(ZAHB) at the level of the RR Lyrae variable instability strip in selected
galactic globular clusters. This allows us to estimate the ZAHB absolute visual
magnitude for these clusters and to investigate its dependence on the cluster
metallicity. The derived relation, corrected in order to
account for the luminosity difference between the ZAHB and the mean RR Lyrae
magnitude, has been compared with some of the most recent empirical
determinations in this field, as the one provided by Baade-Wesselink analyses,
RR Lyrae periods, Hipparcos data for field variables and Main Sequence fitting
based on Hipparcos parallaxes for field subdwarfs. As a result, our relation
provides a clear support to the "long" distance scale. We discuss also another
method for measuring the distance to galactic globular clusters. This method is
quite similar to the one adopted for estimating the absolute bolometric
magnitude of the ZAHB but it relies only on the pulsational properties of the
Lyrae variables in each cluster. The reliability and accuracy of this method
has been tested by applying it to a sample of globulars for which, due to the
morphology of their horizontal branch (HB), the use of the commonly adopted
ZAHB fitting is a risky procedure.Comment: 7 pages, 2 postscript figures, accepted for publication on MNRA
Eskers associated with buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes: recent advances and future directions
Until recently, the influence of basal liquid water on the evolution of buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes was assumed to be negligible because the latter stages of Mars' Amazonian period (3 Ga to present) have long been thought to have been similarly cold and dry to today. Recent identifications of several landforms interpreted as eskers associated with these young (100s Ma) glaciers calls this assumption into doubt. They indicate basal melting (at least locally and transiently) of their parent glaciers. Although rare, they demonstrate a more complex mid-to-late Amazonian environment than was previously understood. Here, we discuss several open questions posed by the existence of glacier-linked eskers on Mars, including on their global-scale abundance and distribution, the drivers and dynamics of melting and drainage, and the fate of meltwater upon reaching the ice margin. Such questions provide rich opportunities for collaboration between the Mars and Earth cryosphere research communities
Corrections to flat-space particle dynamics arising from space granularity
The construction of effective Hamiltonians describing corrections to flat
space particle dynamics arising from the granularity of space at very short
distances is discussed in the framework of an heuristic approach to the
semiclassical limit of loop quantum gravity. After some general motivation of
the subject, a brief non-specialist introduction to the basic tools employed in
the loop approach is presented. The heuristical semiclassical limit is
subsequently defined and the application to the case of photons and spin 1/2
fermions is described. The resulting modified Maxwell and Dirac Hamiltonians,
leading in particular to Planck scale corrections in the energy-momentum
relations, are presented. Alternative interpretations of the results and their
limitations, together with other approaches are briefly discussed along the
text. Three topics related to the above methods are reviewed: (1) The
determination of bounds to the Lorentz violating parameters in the fermionic
sector, obtained from clock comparison experiments.(2) The calculation of
radiative corrections in preferred frames associated to space granularity in
the framework of a Yukawa model for the interactions and (3) The calculation of
synchrotron radiation in the framework of the Myers-Pospelov effective theories
describing Lorentz invariance violations, as well as a generalized approach to
radiation in Planck scale modified electrodynamics. The above exploratory
results show that quantum gravity phenomenology provides observational guidance
in the construction of quantum gravity theories and opens up the possibility of
probing Planck scale physics.Comment: 49 pages, 6 figures and 4 tables. Extended version of the talk given
at the 339-th WE-Heraeus-Seminar: Special Relativity, will it survive the
next 100 years?, Potsdam, february 200
The G0 Experiment: Apparatus for Parity-Violating Electron Scattering Measurements at Forward and Backward Angles
In the G0 experiment, performed at Jefferson Lab, the parity-violating
elastic scattering of electrons from protons and quasi-elastic scattering from
deuterons is measured in order to determine the neutral weak currents of the
nucleon. Asymmetries as small as 1 part per million in the scattering of a
polarized electron beam are determined using a dedicated apparatus. It consists
of specialized beam-monitoring and control systems, a cryogenic hydrogen (or
deuterium) target, and a superconducting, toroidal magnetic spectrometer
equipped with plastic scintillation and aerogel Cerenkov detectors, as well as
fast readout electronics for the measurement of individual events. The overall
design and performance of this experimental system is discussed.Comment: Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Method
Stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (HOP/STI1/STIP1) regulates the accumulation and toxicity of α-synuclein in vivo
The predominantly pre-synaptic intrinsically disordered protein α-synuclein is prone to misfolding and aggregation in synucleinopathies, such as Parkinsonâs disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Molecular chaperones play important roles in protein misfolding diseases and members of the chaperone machinery are often deposited in Lewy bodies. Here, we show that the Hsp90 co-chaperone STI1 co-immunoprecipitated α-synuclein, and co-deposited with Hsp90 and Hsp70 in insoluble protein fractions in two mouse models of α-synuclein misfolding. STI1 and Hsp90 also co-localized extensively with filamentous S129 phosphorylated α-synuclein in ubiquitin-positive inclusions. In PD human brains, STI1 transcripts were increased, and in neurologically healthy brains, STI1 and α-synuclein transcripts correlated. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analyses revealed direct interaction of α-synuclein with STI1 and indicated that the STI1 TPR2A, but not TPR1 or TPR2B domains, interacted with the C-terminal domain of α-synuclein. In vitro, the STI1 TPR2A domain facilitated S129 phosphorylation by Polo-like kinase 3. Moreover, mice over-expressing STI1 and Hsp90Ă presented elevated α-synuclein S129 phosphorylation accompanied by inclusions when injected with α-synuclein pre-formed fibrils. In contrast, reduced STI1 function decreased protein inclusion formation, S129 α-synuclein phosphorylation, while mitigating motor and cognitive deficits as well as mesoscopic brain atrophy in α-synuclein-over-expressing mice. Our findings reveal a vicious cycle in which STI1 facilitates the generation and accumulation of toxic α-synuclein conformers, while α-synuclein-induced proteostatic stress increased insoluble STI1 and Hsp90
All-particle cosmic ray energy spectrum measured with 26 IceTop stations
We report on a measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum with the IceTop
air shower array, the surface component of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at
the South Pole. The data used in this analysis were taken between June and
October, 2007, with 26 surface stations operational at that time, corresponding
to about one third of the final array. The fiducial area used in this analysis
was 0.122 km^2. The analysis investigated the energy spectrum from 1 to 100 PeV
measured for three different zenith angle ranges between 0{\deg} and 46{\deg}.
Because of the isotropy of cosmic rays in this energy range the spectra from
all zenith angle intervals have to agree. The cosmic-ray energy spectrum was
determined under different assumptions on the primary mass composition. Good
agreement of spectra in the three zenith angle ranges was found for the
assumption of pure proton and a simple two-component model. For zenith angles
{\theta} < 30{\deg}, where the mass dependence is smallest, the knee in the
cosmic ray energy spectrum was observed between 3.5 and 4.32 PeV, depending on
composition assumption. Spectral indices above the knee range from -3.08 to
-3.11 depending on primary mass composition assumption. Moreover, an indication
of a flattening of the spectrum above 22 PeV were observed.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figure
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
A comparative view of glacial and periglacial landforms on Earth and Mars
This paper emphasizes the importance of using terrestrial analogues to improve our understanding of the role of ice on Mars through its associated landforms. We discuss terrestrial regions and techniques that can help understand Martian icy environments, and highlight the necessity to explore the Martian cryosphere as the next natural step
EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial
More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University MĂŒnster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369
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