580 research outputs found
On the Origin of the Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts
The origin of dark bursts - i.e. that have no observed afterglows in X-ray,
optical/NIR and radio ranges - is unclear yet. Different possibilities -
instrumental biases, very high redshifts, extinction in the host galaxies - are
discussed and shown to be important. On the other hand, the dark bursts should
not form a new subgroup of long gamma-ray bursts themselves.Comment: published in Nuovo Ciment
Factor analysis of the spectral and time behavior of long GRBs
A sample of 197 long BATSE GRBs is studied statistically. In the sample 11
variables, describing for any burst the time behavior of the spectra and other
quantities, are collected. The application of the factor analysis on this
sample shows that five factors describe the sample satisfactorily. Both the
pseudo-redshifts coming from the variability and the Amati-relation in its
original form are disfavored.Comment: In GAMMA-RAY BURSTS 2007: Proceedings of the Santa Fe Conferenc
Factor analysis of the long gamma-ray bursts
We study statistically 197 long gamma-ray bursts, detected and measured in
detail by the BATSE instrument of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. In the
sample 10 variables, describing for any burst the time behavior of the spectra
and other quantities, are collected. The factor analysis method is used to find
the latent random variables describing the temporal and spectral properties of
GRBs. The application of this particular method to this sample indicates that
five factors and the \REpk spectral variable (the ratio of peak energies in
the spectrum) describe the sample satisfactorily. Both the pseudo-redshifts
inferred from the variability, and the Amati-relation in its original form, are
disfavored.Comment: 5 pages, acceptod to A&
Método fenomenológico y personalismo filosófico en algunos escritos prepontificales de Karol Wojtyla
«Communio et virtus». Pedagogía divina en la Revelación y tarea educativa de la familia cristiana
A trip in voice phytotheraphy: TRPA1 ion channel as a target for bioactive compounds in herbal remedies for voice care
Voice is the sound we produce to communicate meanings and ideas and has a capital importance in human social development. Herbs have been used for voice care since ancient times and many herbal remedies are still in use, both as folk medicine and as sources of botanicals used in commercial products. In Europe Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop (the "singers'plant\u201d) is the most popular herbal remedy for voice care, but many other plants are employed in phytopreparations. The mechanisms of action of these botanicals include anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, mucolytic, antinociceptive and other general activities; nevertheless, mechanisms that could be specifically referred to voice are often unknown. We collected information on plants used worldwide for voice care; the plants have been organized in a database (Herbs for Voice Database) and classified according to the bioactive compounds, their molecular targets and the pathologies they are recommended for. The data were analyzed with the aim to identify some possible common mechanism of action and the molecular targets involved. The analysis of data shows that an important pathway involves the somatosensory TRPA1 (Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin type 1) ion channel, a well-known mediator of irritation, inflammatory and neurogenic pain. Agonists of this ion channel have been identified in 27 over 44 plants, corresponding to 61,3% of the plants in the database. Also TRPM8 (Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin type 8), involved in the perception of coolness, was identified among the molecular targets. This finding reinforces the hypothesis that these somatosensory ion channels could be involved in relevant mechanisms of action of these traditional remedies and open new perspectives in the rational study of voice phytopharmacology and therapy. This research was funded by FONDAZIONE CARIPLO (Milano, I), University of Milano (I) and Conservatorio di Musica G. Verdi (Milano, I), grant number 2017-1653
Herbs for voice database : developing a rational approach to the study of herbal remedies used in voice care
Herbs have been used for voice care since ancient times and many herbal remedies are still in use in
every geographical areas and cultures, both as traditional medicine and as sources of botanicals used in commercial products. Many of these plants are used as extracts and other phytopreparates, and a full phytochemical analysis is sometimes incomplete or lacking. The mechanisms of action of these botanicals include antibacterial, antiinflammatory, mucolytic, and other general activities; nevertheless, mechanisms that could be specifically referred
to voice are often unknown, as well as the corresponding molecular targets and therefore a rational approach in
the use of these remedies is hard to be applied by phoniatricians. To address this problem, we collected information on plants used for voice care from several different geographical areas, using both literature data and a pool
of contributors from an international network of artistic phoniatrics and vocologists. The plants have been organized in a database (Herbs for Voice Database) and classified according to the natural compounds contained in
them, their molecular targets and the pathologies they are recommended for. This first database contains 44
plants, 101 phytocompounds, and 32 recognized molecular targets. The distribution of herbs and phytocompounds according to the botanical families, their known biological activity, traditional uses, and molecular targets were analyzed. In particular, data analysis shows that the somatosensory and pain receptor Transient
Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 ion channel is targeted by a large number of different phytochemicals contained in
the herbs for voice, and could therefore be involved in a mechanism of action common to many plants
Time-resolved spectral correlations of long-duration Gamma-Ray Bursts
For a sample of long GRBs with known redshift, we study the distribution of
the evolutionary tracks on the rest-frame luminosity-peak energy Liso-Ep'
diagram. We are interested in exploring the extension of the `Yonetoku'
correlation to any phase of the prompt light curve, and in verifying how the
high-signal prompt duration time, Tf, in the rest frame correlates with the
residuals of such correlation (Firmani et al. 2006). For our purpose, we
analyse separately two samples of time-resolved spectra corresponding to 32
GRBs with peak fluxes >1.8 phot cm^-2 s^-1 from the Swift-BAT detector, and 7
bright GRBs from the CGRO-BATSE detector previously processed by Kaneko et al.
(2006). After constructing the Liso-Ep' diagram, we discuss the relevance of
selection effects, finding that they could affect significantly the
correlation. However, we find that these effects are much less significant in
the Liso x Tf-Ep' diagram, where the intrinsic scatter reduces significantly.
We apply further corrections for reducing the intrinsic scatter even more. For
the sub-samples of GRBs (7 from Swift and 5 from CGRO) with measured jet break
time, we analyse the effects of correcting Liso by jet collimation. We find
that (i) the scatter around the correlation is reduced, and (ii) this scatter
is dominated by the internal scatter of the individual evolutionary tracks.
These results suggest that the time, integrated `Amati' and `Ghirlanda'
correlations are consequences of the time resolved features, not of selection
effects, and therefore call for a physical origin. We finally remark the
relevance of looking inside the nature of the evolutionary tracks.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to MNRAS (Sept 8th), after
referee comment
Effectiveness of Different Analytical Methods for the Characterization of Propolis : a Case of Study in Northern Italy
Propolis is used as folk medicine due to its spectrum of alleged biological and pharmaceutical properties and it is a complex matrix not still totally characterized. Two batches of propolis coming from two different environments (plains of Po Valley and the hilly Ligurian\u2013 Piedmont Apennines) of Northern Italy were characterized using different analytical methods: Spectrophotometric analysis of phenols, flavones and flavonols, and DPPH radical scavenging activity, HPLC, NMR, HSPME and GC\u2013MS and HPLC\u2013MS Orbitrap. Balsam and moisture content were also considered. No statistical differences were found at the spectrophotometric analysis; balsam content did not vary significantly. The most interesting findings were in the VOCs composition, with the Po Valley samples containing compounds of the resins from leaf buds of Populus nigra L. The hills (Appennines) samples were indeed characterize by the presence of phenolic glycerides already found in mountain environments. HPLC\u2013Q-Exactive-Orbitrap\uae\u2013MS analysis is crucial in appropriate recognition of evaluate number of metabolites, but also NMR itself could give more detailed information especially when isomeric compounds should be identified. It is necessary a standardized evaluation to protect and valorize this production and more research on propolis characterization using different analytical techniques
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