166 research outputs found
Interband electron Raman scattering in a quantum wire in a transverse magnetic field
Electron Raman scattering (ERS) is investigated in a parabolic semiconductor
quantum wire in a transverse magnetic field neglecting by phonon-assisted
transitions. The ERS cross-section is calculated as a function of a frequency
shift and magnetic field. The process involves an interband electronic
transition and an intraband transition between quantized subbands. We analyze
the differential cross-section for different scattering configurations. We
study selection rules for the processes. Some singularities in the Raman
spectra are found and interpreted. The scattering spectrum shows
density-of-states peaks and interband matrix elements maximums and a strong
resonance when scattered frequency equals to the "hybrid" frequency or
confinement frequency depending on the light polarization. Numerical results
are presented for a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wire.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
DIAGNOSIS OF GROUPS OF ELECTRO-RADIO COMPONENTS ACCORDING TO THE TRANSIENT RESPONSES FOR THE DETECTION OF DEFECTS ON THE FUNCTIONAL CELLS
Objectives. A method for diagnosing electronic components with minimally complicated control and measuring instrumentation and the ability to obtain information from internal control points of operating units is developed. Methods. The developed method for control of groups of electronic components presupposes the passage of a controllable influence through a few control points, connected via several electronic components. In addition, each electronic component contributes its share to the transformation of the parameter output, so the discrepancy of its allowable values for the identification of defective electronic component are required to assess the implication of the expected value of the probable defect of each electronic component in the schema with the aim of isolating it. The faulty component in the electronic circuit is identified by the minimum estimated variance, by which the magnitude of the defect will match the expected value of the electronic component parameter. Results. As a result of the control no more than ten groups of electrical components on functional cell matrices can be assessed as having a defective element by comparing the calculated variance values for each electrical component and the corresponding electrical component parameter itself. Conclusion. Diagnosing groups of electric components on transient characteristics for the detection of defects in the functional cell matrices enables efficiency control operations improvement and troubleshooting in the search for modern electronic equipment reliability
The GRANDMA network in preparation for the fourth gravitational-wave observing run
GRANDMA is a world-wide collaboration with the primary scientific goal ofstudying gravitational-wave sources, discovering their electromagneticcounterparts and characterizing their emission. GRANDMA involves astronomers,astrophysicists, gravitational-wave physicists, and theorists. GRANDMA is now atruly global network of telescopes, with (so far) 30 telescopes in bothhemispheres. It incorporates a citizen science programme (Kilonova-Catcher)which constitutes an opportunity to spread the interest in time-domainastronomy. The telescope network is an heterogeneous set of already-existingobserving facilities that operate coordinated as a single observatory. Withinthe network there are wide-field imagers that can observe large areas of thesky to search for optical counterparts, narrow-field instruments that dotargeted searches within a predefined list of host-galaxy candidates, andlarger telescopes that are devoted to characterization and follow-up of theidentified counterparts. Here we present an overview of GRANDMA after the thirdobserving run of the LIGO/VIRGO gravitational-wave observatories in and its ongoing preparation for the forthcoming fourth observational campaign(O4). Additionally, we review the potential of GRANDMA for the discovery andfollow-up of other types of astronomical transients.<br
The Disk Wind in the Young Binaries and the Origin of the Cyclic Activity of Young Stars
We present results of numerical modeling of the cyclic brightness modulation
in the young binary systems with the eccentric orbits and low-mass secondary
components. Brightness variations of the primary is due to the periodical
extinction variations on the line-of-sight caused by the disk wind of the
secondary and a common envelope it produces. A matter distribution in the
envelope has been calculated in the ballistic approach. Calculations showed
that for the young binaries with the elliptic orbits parameters of the
photometric minima (their depth, duration and the shape of light curves) depend
not only on the disk wind parameters and an inclination of the binary orbit to
the line-of-sight but also on the longitude of the periastron. A modulation of
the scattered radiation of the common envelope with a phase of the orbital
period has been investigated in the single scattering approach. It is shown
that an amplitude of the modulation is maximal when the system is seen edge-on
and has also a non-zero value in the binaries observed pole-on. Possible
applications of the theory to the young stellar objects are discussed. In
particular, an attention is payed to a resemblance of the light curves in some
models with light curves of the objects suspected as candidates to FUORs.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Astronomy Letter
Multi-band analyses of the bright GRB~230812B and the associated SN2023pel
GRB~230812B is a bright and relatively nearby () long gamma-ray
burst that has generated significant interest in the community and therefore
has been subsequently observed over the entire electromagnetic spectrum. We
report over 80 observations in X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and
sub-millimeter bands from the GRANDMA (Global Rapid Advanced Network for
Multi-messenger Addicts) network of observatories and from observational
partners. Adding complementary data from the literature, we then derive
essential physical parameters associated with the ejecta and external
properties (i.e. the geometry and environment) and compare with other analyses
of this event (e.g. Srinivasaragavan et al. 2023). We spectroscopically confirm
the presence of an associated supernova, SN2023pel, and we derive a
photospheric expansion velocity of v 17 km . We
analyze the photometric data first using empirical fits of the flux and then
with full Bayesian Inference. We again strongly establish the presence of a
supernova in the data, with an absolute peak r-band magnitude . We find a flux-stretching factor or relative brightness and a time-stretching factor ,
both compared to SN1998bw. Therefore, GRB 230812B appears to have a clear long
GRB-supernova association, as expected in the standard collapsar model.
However, as sometimes found in the afterglow modelling of such long GRBs, our
best fit model favours a very low density environment (). We also find small values for
the jet's core angle and
viewing angle. GRB 230812B/SN2023pel is one of the best characterized
afterglows with a distinctive supernova bump
Preliminary Evidence for Cell Membrane Amelioration in Children with Cystic Fibrosis by 5-MTHF and Vitamin B12 Supplementation: A Single Arm Trial
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common fatal autosomal recessive disorders in the Caucasian population caused by mutations of gene for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). New experimental therapeutic strategies for CF propose a diet supplementation to affect the plasma membrane fluidity and to modulate amplified inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) and vitamin B12 supplementation for ameliorating cell plasma membrane features in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis.A single arm trial was conducted from April 2004 to March 2006 in an Italian CF care centre. 31 children with CF aged from 3 to 8 years old were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were diabetes, chronic infections of the airways and regular antibiotics intake. Children with CF were supplemented for 24 weeks with 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF, 7.5 mg /day) and vitamin B12 (0.5 mg/day). Red blood cells (RBCs) were used to investigate plasma membrane, since RBCs share lipid, protein composition and organization with other cell types. We evaluated RBCs membrane lipid composition, membrane protein oxidative damage, cation content, cation transport pathways, plasma and RBCs folate levels and plasma homocysteine levels at baseline and after 24 weeks of 5-MTHF and vitamin B12 supplementation. In CF children, 5-MTHF and vitamin B12 supplementation (i) increased plasma and RBC folate levels; (ii) decreased plasma homocysteine levels; (iii) modified RBC membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition; (iv) increased RBC K(+) content; (v) reduced RBC membrane oxidative damage and HSP70 membrane association.5-MTHF and vitamin B12 supplementation might ameliorate RBC membrane features of children with CF.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00730509
Abstracts of presentations on selected topics at the XIVth international plant protection congress (IPPC) July 25-30, 1999
PHASES Differential Astrometry and Iodine Cell Radial Velocities of the kappa Pegasi Triple Star System
kappa Pegasi is a well-known, nearby triple star system. It consists of a
``wide'' pair with semi-major axis 235 milli-arcseconds, one component of which
is a single-line spectroscopic binary (semi-major axis 2.5 milli-arcseconds).
Using high-precision differential astrometry and radial velocity observations,
the masses for all three components are determined and the relative
inclinations between the wide and narrow pairs' orbits is found to be 43.8 +/-
3.0 degrees, just over the threshold for the three body Kozai resonance. The
system distance is determined to 34.60 +/- 0.21 parsec, and is consistent with
trigonometric parallax measurements.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, complete versions of tables 2 and 4
can be found at http://stuff.mit.edu/~matthew1/kapPegTables
Azithromycin reduces spontaneous and induced inflammation in ΔF508 cystic fibrosis mice
BACKGROUND: Inflammation plays a critical role in lung disease development and progression in cystic fibrosis. Azithromycin is used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis lung disease, although its mechanisms of action are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that azithromycin modulates lung inflammation in cystic fibrosis mice. METHODS: We monitored cellular and molecular inflammatory markers in lungs of cystic fibrosis mutant mice homozygous for the ΔF508 mutation and their littermate controls, either in baseline conditions or after induction of acute inflammation by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which would be independent of interactions of bacteria with epithelial cells. The effect of azithromycin pretreatment (10 mg/kg/day) given by oral administration for 4 weeks was evaluated. RESULTS: In naive cystic fibrosis mice, a spontaneous lung inflammation was observed, characterized by macrophage and neutrophil infiltration, and increased intra-luminal content of the pro-inflammatory cytokine macrophage inflammatory protein-2. After induced inflammation, cystic fibrosis mice combined exaggerated cellular infiltration and lower anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 production. In cystic fibrosis mice, azithromycin attenuated cellular infiltration in both baseline and induced inflammatory condition, and inhibited cytokine (tumor necrosis factor-α and macrophage inflammatory protein-2) release in lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation. CONCLUSION: Our findings further support the concept that inflammatory responses are upregulated in cystic fibrosis. Azithromycin reduces some lung inflammation outcome measures in cystic fibrosis mice. We postulate that some of the benefits of azithromycin treatment in cystic fibrosis patients are due to modulation of lung inflammation
K+ channel openers restore verapamil-inhibited lung fluid resolution and transepithelial ion transport
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lung epithelial Na<sup>+ </sup>channels (ENaC) are regulated by cell Ca<sup>2+ </sup>signal, which may contribute to calcium antagonist-induced noncardiogenic lung edema. Although K<sup>+ </sup>channel modulators regulate ENaC activity in normal lungs, the therapeutical relevance and the underlying mechanisms have not been completely explored. We hypothesized that K<sup>+ </sup>channel openers may restore calcium channel blocker-inhibited alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) by up-regulating both apical and basolateral ion transport.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Verapamil-induced depression of heterologously expressed human αβγ ENaC in <it>Xenopus </it>oocytes, apical and basolateral ion transport in monolayers of human lung epithelial cells (H441), and <it>in vivo </it>alveolar fluid clearance were measured, respectively, using the two-electrode voltage clamp, Ussing chamber, and BSA protein assays. Ca<sup>2+ </sup>signal in H441 cells was analyzed using Fluo 4AM.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The rate of <it>in vivo </it>AFC was reduced significantly (40.6 ± 6.3% of control, <it>P </it>< 0.05, n = 12) in mice intratracheally administrated verapamil. K<sub>Ca3.1 </sub>(1-EBIO) and K<sub>ATP </sub>(minoxidil) channel openers significantly recovered AFC. In addition to short-circuit current (Isc) in intact H441 monolayers, both apical and basolateral Isc levels were reduced by verapamil in permeabilized monolayers. Moreover, verapamil significantly altered Ca<sup>2+ </sup>signal evoked by ionomycin in H441 cells. Depletion of cytosolic Ca<sup>2+ </sup>in αβγ ENaC-expressing oocytes completely abolished verapamil-induced inhibition. Intriguingly, K<sub>V </sub>(pyrithione-Na), K <sub>Ca3.1 </sub>(1-EBIO), and K<sub>ATP </sub>(minoxidil) channel openers almost completely restored the verapamil-induced decrease in Isc levels by diversely up-regulating apical and basolateral Na<sup>+ </sup>and K<sup>+ </sup>transport pathways.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our observations demonstrate that K<sup>+ </sup>channel openers are capable of rescuing reduced vectorial Na<sup>+ </sup>transport across lung epithelial cells with impaired Ca<sup>2+ </sup>signal.</p
- …