A Multifrequency Analysis of the Polarized Diffuse Galactic Radio Emission at Degree Scales

The polarized diffuse Galactic radio emission, mainly synchrotron emission, is expected to be one of the most relevant source of astrophysical contamination at low and moderate multipoles in cosmic microwave background polarization anisotropy experiments at frequencies lower then 50 to 100 GHz. We present here preliminary results based on a recent analysis of the Leiden surveys covering about 50% of the sky at low as well as at middle and high Galactic latitudes. By implementing specific interpolation methods to deal with these data, which show a large variation of the sampling across the sky, we produce maps of the polarized diffuse Galactic synchrotron component at frequencies between 408 and 1411 MHz with pixel sizes larger or equal to about 0.92 degrees. We derive the angular power spectrum of this component for the whole covered region and for three patches in the sky significantly oversampled with respect to the average and at different Galactic latitudes. We find multipole spectral indices typically ranging between about -3 and about -1, according to the considered frequency and sky region. At frequencies higher or equal to 610 MHz, the frequency spectral indices observed in the considered sky regions are about -3.5, compatible with an intrinsic frequency spectral index of about -5.8 and a depolarization due to Faraday rotation with a rotation measure RM of about 15 radians per square meter. This implies that the observed angular power spectrum of the polarized signal is about 85% or 20% of the intrinsic one at 1411 MHz or 820 MHz respectively.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. to appear in S.Cecchini et al., Astrophysical Polarized Backgrounds, AIP Conf. Proceeding

Protein accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum as a non-equilibrium phase transition

Several neurological disorders are associated with the aggregation of aberrant proteins, often localized in intracellular organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum. Here we study protein aggregation kinetics by mean-field reactions and three dimensional Monte carlo simulations of diffusion-limited aggregation of linear polymers in a confined space, representing the endoplasmic reticulum. By tuning the rates of protein production and degradation, we show that the system undergoes a non-equilibrium phase transition from a physiological phase with little or no polymer accumulation to a pathological phase characterized by persistent polymerization. A combination of external factors accumulating during the lifetime of a patient can thus slightly modify the phase transition control parameters, tipping the balance from a long symptomless lag phase to an accelerated pathological development. The model can be successfully used to interpret experimental data on amyloid-\b{eta} clearance from the central nervous system

Legal determinants of external finance revisited : the inverse relationship between investor protection and societal well-being

This paper investigates relationships between corporate governance traditions and quality of life as measured by a number of widely reported indicators. It provides an empirical analysis of indicators of societal health in developed economies using a classification based on legal traditions. Arguably the most widely cited work in the corporate governance literature has been the collection of papers by La Porta et al. which has shown, inter alia, statistically significant relationships between legal traditions and various proxies for investor protection. We show statistically significant relationships between legal traditions and various proxies for societal health. Our comparative evidence suggests that the interests of investors may not be congruent with the interests of wider society, and that the criteria for judging the effectiveness of approaches to corporate governance should not be restricted to financial metrics

Transdifferentiation of cancer stem cells into endothelial cells

Vasculogenic mimicry was first described as the unique ability of aggressive melanoma cells to express an endothelial phenotype and to form vessel-like networks in three dimensional cultures, \u201cmimicking\u201d the pattern of embryonic vascular networks and recapitulating the patterned networks seen in patients with aggressive tumors correlated with poor prognosis. Recent work shows the occurrence of alternative vasculogenic patterns is due to the presence of stem cell population (cancer stem cells, CSC) at least in melanoma and glioblastoma. In the present review the new perspectives to target vasculogenic mimicry for an anti-vascular treatment strategy and the possible use of AQP1 as target, are discussed. Interest in AQP1 as a target arises from the pivotal role it plays in the organisation of vascular network affecting the cytoskeleton

An angular power spectrum analysis of the DRAO 1.4 GHz polarization survey: implications for CMB observations

The aim of the present analysis is to improve the knowledge of the statistical properties of the Galactic diffuse synchrotron emission, which constrains sensitive CMB anisotropy measurements. We have analysed the new DRAO 1.4 GHz polarization survey together with the Stockert 1.4 GHz total intensity survey and derived the angular power spectra (APSs) of the total intensity, the polarized emission, and their cross-correlation for the entire surveys and for three low-intensity regions. The APSs of the diffuse synchrotron emission are modelled by power laws. For the $E$ and $B$ modes, a slope of $\alpha \sim [-3.0,-2.5]$ for the multipole range $\sim [30,300]$ is found. By the extrapolation of these results to 70 GHz, we can estimate the Galactic synchrotron contamination of CMB anisotropies, and we find results that are compatible with the ones coming from WMAP 3-yr data. In the low-intensity regions, the cosmological primordial B~mode peak at $\ell \sim 100$ should be clearly observable for a tensor-to-scalar ratio T/S \gsim 0.5 and a synchrotron temperature spectral index $\beta \sim -3$. Its detection is also possible for T/S \gsim 0.005 and $\beta \sim -3$, in case a separation of the foreground from the CMB signal could be achieved with an accuracy of $\sim 5-10$. For the TE mode, a mask excluding $|b_{gal}| \le 5^{\circ}$ (for $\beta\sim -3.0$) or $|b_{gal}| \le 20^{\circ}$ (for $\beta\sim -2.8$) from the surveys is sufficient to render the foreground contamination negligible, thus confirming the ability of WMAP to have a clear view of the temperature-polarization correlation peak and antipeak series.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, will appear on A&A Let

Object-based image analysis for historic maps classification

Heritage maps represent fundamental information for the study of the evolution of a region, especially in terms of landscape and ecologic features. Historical maps present two kinds of hurdle before they can be used in a modern GIS: they must be geometrically corrected to correspond to the datum in use and they must be classified to exploit the information they contain. This study deals the latter problem: the Historical Cadaster Map, created between 1851 and 1861, for the Trentino region in the North of Italy is available as a collection of maps in the ETRS89/UTM 32N datum. The map is a high resolution scan (230 DPI, 24 bit) of the original map and has been used in several ecological studies, since it provides detailed information not only about land property but also about land use. In the past the cadaster map has been manually digitized and for each area a set of attributes has been recorded. Since this approach is time consuming and prone to errors, automatic and semi-automatic procedures have been tested. Traditional image classification techniques, such as maximum likelihood classification, supervised or un-supervised, pixelwise and contextual, do not provide satisfactory results for many reasons: map colors are very variable within the same area, symbols and characters are used to identify cadaster parcels and locations, lines, drawn by hand on the original map, have variable thickness and colors. The availability of FOSS tools for the Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA) has made possible the application of this technique to the cadaster map. This paper describes the use of GRASS GIS and R for the implementation of the OBIA approach for the supervised classification of the historic cadaster map. It describes the determination of the optimal segments, the choice of their attributes and relevant statistics, and their classification. The result has been evaluated with respect to a manually digitized map using Cohens Kappa and the analysis of the confusion matrix. The result of the OBIA classification has also been compared to the classification of the same map using maximum likelihood classification, un-supervised and supervised, both pixelwise and contextual. The OBIA approach has provided very satisfactory results with the ability to automatically remove the background and symbols and characters, creating a ready to be used classified map. This study highlights the effectiveness of the OBIA processing chain available in the FOSS4G ecosystem, and in particular the added value of the interoperability between GRASS GIS and R

Tunneling into granular Pb films in the superconducting and insulating regimes

Tunneling measurements have been performed on both sides of the insulator-superconductor transition in quench-condensed granular Pb films. The results indicate that the Pb film consists of fully superconducting grains with essentially bulk values for the superconducting energy gap and transition temperature, even when the film exhibits insulating behavior in transport measurements. The density of states inferred from measurements in perpendicular magnetic field are consistent with magnetic spin-flip broadening

THE RISKS AND ADVANTAGES OF ANTI-DIABETES THERAPY IN THE POSITIVE COVID-19 PATIENT

The new Sars-Cov-2 (COVID-19) is causing thousands of deaths worldwide and has caused a global pandemic, one of the biggest health challenges ever faced in history. in the most severe cases, Sars-Cov-2 infection can cause fatal lung injuries. In this context, it is essential to recognise effective therapeutic agents against the virus. There are currently no direct and effective vaccines and antivirals available. People with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes, and with chronic drug therapies in place may represent complex patients difficult to manage clinically during COVID-19 infection and at high risk of major complications. The regulation of blood glucose and the adoption of appropriate measures are critical aspects to consider for the diabetic patient in this pandemic period, especially in the patient with ongoing infection. In this article we describe the current evidence in the literature on the possible risks of side effects caused by taking antidiabetic drugs in the COVID-19 patient and the data on extra homeostasis glycemic activity useful to fight viral infection.              Peer Review History: Received 25 May 2020; Revised 8 June; Accepted 3 July, Available online 15 July 2020 Academic Editor: Essam Mohamed Eissa, Beni-Suef University, Egypt, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:                Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Heba M. Abd El-Azim, Damanhour University, Egypt, [email protected] Dr. George Zhu, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, [email protected] Similar Articles: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIABETES MELLITUS AND TUBERCULOSIS IN REVIEW OF PREVALENCE, DIAGNOSTICS AND PREVENTIO

USE OF COLCHICINE TO COUNTERACT THE STRONG HYPERINFLAMMATORY STATE INDUCED BY SARS-COV-2

Research in present time has been focusing on finding a specific SARS-CoV-2 vaccine or antiviral, which will probably be the therapeutic goal in the fight against the virus. In the meantime, scientific evidence shows that it is possible to have effective clinical improvements of infected patients in reducing the strong hyperinflammatory state. The SARS-CoV-2 infection is divided into three stages. The most serious phase is the third one where the immune system overdrives and launches an intense attack against itself. This is called "cytokine storm" and leads to tissue damage and often to death. Stopping the cytokine storm early is definitely an effective move; since March several studies have been evaluating how this can be an important pharmacological aspect. Blocking IL-6 or IL-1 inhibitors, for example, is already known to have wide efficacy, but they are not alone in being able to block the cascade of cytokines. This is a clinical pharmacology article and demonstrates how the use of colchicine, monotherapy or in combination in all three phases of SARS-CoV-2, controls inflammation and prevents patient death. Colchicine is safe and effective for treating SARS-CoV-2 patients in preventing inflammation and lung collapse and is certainly useful as an added remedy for other drugs. The advantage is certainly its safety profile much higher than that provided by other drugs, such as corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. Note is the story of hydroxychloroquine: use has been banned due to its high toxicity.                               Peer Review History: Received 25 May 2020; Revised 10 June; Accepted 6 July, Available online 15 July 2020 Academic Editor: Dr. Muhammad Zahid Iqbal, AIMST University, Malaysia, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:                Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Jennifer Audu-Peter, University of Jos, Nigeria, [email protected] Dr. Robert Tungadi, State University of Gorontalo, Indonesia, [email protected]