1,454 research outputs found
Galaxy formation with radiative and chemical feedback
Here we introduce GAMESH, a novel pipeline which implements self-consistent
radiative and chemical feedback in a computational model of galaxy formation.
By combining the cosmological chemical-evolution model GAMETE with the
radiative transfer code CRASH, GAMESH can post process realistic outputs of a
N-body simulation describing the redshift evolution of the forming galaxy.
After introducing the GAMESH implementation and its features, we apply the code
to a low-resolution N-body simulation of the Milky Way formation and we
investigate the combined effects of self-consistent radiative and chemical
feedback. Many physical properties, which can be directly compared with
observations in the Galaxy and its surrounding satellites, are predicted by the
code along the merger-tree assembly. The resulting redshift evolution of the
Local Group star formation rates, reionisation and metal enrichment along with
the predicted Metallicity Distribution Function of halo stars are critically
compared with observations. We discuss the merits and limitations of the first
release of GAMESH, also opening new directions to a full implementation of
feedback processes in galaxy formation models by combining semi-analytic and
numerical methods.Comment: This version has coloured figures not present in the printed version.
Submitted to MNRAS, minor revision
Hopf bifurcation and related stability problems for periodic differential systems
This paper deals with 2π-periodic one parameter differential systems in the plane. Those systems all admit the null solution which is asymptotically stable for a fixed value, say μ=0, and completely unstable for μ>0 small. We find that for the perturbed systems 2π-periodic solutions occur only if another parameter ε which regulates the angular velocity is involved. In any other case an annulus which is asimptotically stable replaces the 2π-periodic solutions
Targeting RAGE prevents muscle wasting and prolongs survival in cancer cachexia
Background: Cachexia, a multifactorial syndrome affecting more than 50% of patients with advanced cancer and responsible for ~20% of cancer-associated deaths, is still a poorly understood process without a standard cure available. Skeletal muscle atrophy caused by systemic inflammation is a major clinical feature of cachexia, leading to weight loss, dampening patients' quality of life, and reducing patients' response to anticancer therapy. RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end-products) is a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily and a mediator of muscle regeneration, inflammation, and cancer. Methods: By using murine models consisting in the injection of colon 26 murine adenocarcinoma (C26-ADK) or Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in BALB/c and C57BL/6 or Ager−/− (RAGE-null) mice, respectively, we investigated the involvement of RAGE signalling in the main features of cancer cachexia, including the inflammatory state. In vitro experiments were performed using myotubes derived from C2C12 myoblasts or primary myoblasts isolated from C57BL/6 wild type and Ager−/− mice treated with the RAGE ligand, S100B (S100 calcium-binding protein B), TNF (tumor necrosis factor)α±IFN (interferon) γ, and tumour cell- or masses-conditioned media to analyse hallmarks of muscle atrophy. Finally, muscles of wild type and Ager−/− mice were injected with TNFα/IFNγ or S100B in a tumour-free environment. Results: We demonstrate that RAGE is determinant to activate signalling pathways leading to muscle protein degradation in the presence of proinflammatory cytokines and/or tumour-derived cachexia-inducing factors. We identify the RAGE ligand, S100B, as a novel factor able to induce muscle atrophy per se via a p38 MAPK (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase)/myogenin axis and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3)-dependent MyoD (myoblast determination protein 1) degradation. Lastly, we found that in cancer conditions, an increase in serum levels of tumour-derived S100B and HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) occurs leading to chronic activation/overexpression of RAGE, which induces hallmarks of cancer cachexia (i.e. muscle wasting, systemic inflammation, and release of tumour-derived pro-cachectic factors). Absence of RAGE in mice translates into reduced serum levels of cachexia-inducing factors, delayed loss of muscle mass and strength, reduced tumour progression, and increased survival. Conclusions: RAGE is a molecular determinant in inducing the hallmarks of cancer cachexia, and molecular targeting of RAGE might represent a therapeutic strategy to prevent or counteract the cachectic syndrome
Deep into the structure of the first galaxies: SERRA views
We study the formation and evolution of a sample of Lyman Break Galaxies in
the Epoch of Reionization by using high-resolution (),
cosmological zoom-in simulations part of the SERRA suite. In SERRA, we follow
the interstellar medium (ISM) thermo-chemical non-equilibrium evolution, and
perform on-the-fly radiative transfer of the interstellar radiation field
(ISRF). The simulation outputs are post-processed to compute the emission of
far infrared lines ([CII], [NII], and [OIII]). At , the most massive
galaxy, `Freesia', has an age , stellar mass
, and a star formation rate
, due to a recent burst.
Freesia has two stellar components (A and B) separated by ; other 11 galaxies are found within . The
mean ISRF in the Habing band is and is spatially uniform; in
contrast, the ionisation parameter is , and
has a patchy distribution peaked at the location of star-forming sites. The
resulting ionising escape fraction from Freesia is .
While [CII] emission is extended (radius 1.54 kpc), [OIII] is concentrated in
Freesia-A (0.85 kpc), where the ratio . As many high- galaxies, Freesia lies below the local [CII]-SFR
relation. We show that this is the general consequence of a starburst phase
(pushing the galaxy above the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation) which
disrupts/photodissociates the emitting molecular clouds around star-forming
sites. Metallicity has a sub-dominant impact on the amplitude of [CII]-SFR
deviations.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, accepted by MNRA
ICONA: Inter Cluster ONOS Network Application
Several Network Operating Systems (NOS) have been proposed in the last few
years for Software Defined Networks; however, a few of them are currently
offering the resiliency, scalability and high availability required for
production environments. Open Networking Operating System (ONOS) is an open
source NOS, designed to be reliable and to scale up to thousands of managed
devices. It supports multiple concurrent instances (a cluster of controllers)
with distributed data stores. A tight requirement of ONOS is that all instances
must be close enough to have negligible communication delays, which means they
are typically installed within a single datacenter or a LAN network. However in
certain wide area network scenarios, this constraint may limit the speed of
responsiveness of the controller toward network events like failures or
congested links, an important requirement from the point of view of a Service
Provider. This paper presents ICONA, a tool developed on top of ONOS and
designed in order to extend ONOS capability in network scenarios where there
are stringent requirements in term of control plane responsiveness. In
particular the paper describes the architecture behind ICONA and provides some
initial evaluation obtained on a preliminary version of the tool.Comment: Paper submitted to a conferenc
A novel automatic method for the urban canyon parametrization needed by turbulence numerical simulations for wind energy potential assessment
The energy transition to more sustainable forms is currently ongoing worldwide, because of the environmental impacts produced by the non-renewable energy sources employed in the last decades. Among the main alternatives, wind plays a key role and, nowadays, innovative instruments, such as small-scale turbines allow for installation of wind turbines in urban areas. Their energy potential assessment requires high-accuracy simulations of the turbulent flows in the urban canopy layer, which, in turn, require detailed information about the geometrical properties of the basic element to classify urban surfaces, i.e., the urban canyon, often not available. In this work, we propose a novel automatic method, based on Voronoi graph, to univocally identify urban canyons and to extract their geometrical parameters from online available GIS (Geographic Information System) data, and test it on four European cities that differ in size, story and location. Results show the capability of the method to identify the single urban canyon and to properly extract its geometrical parameters, which tend to assume similar values for the largest cities. Moreover, we first attempt to propose and test some curves to generally describe the data probability distribution, which may be useful for turbulence simulations for urban wind energy assessment and planning. The best results are found for the canyon aspect ratio
A two-mechanism and multiscale compatible approach for solid state electrolytes of (Li-ion) batteries
All solid state batteries are claimed to be the next-generation battery
system, in view of their safety accompanied by high energy densities. A new
advanced, multiscale compatible, and fully three dimensional model for solid
electrolytes is presented in this note. The response of the electrolyte is
profoundly studied theoretically and numerically, analyzing the equilibrium and
steady state behaviors, the limiting factors, as well as the most relevant
constitutive parameters according to the sensitivity analysis of the model
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