350 research outputs found
Formation of Dark Matter Haloes in a Homogeneous Dark Energy Universe
Several independent cosmological tests have shown evidences that the energy
density of the Universe is dominated by a dark energy component, which cause
the present accelerated expansion. The large scale structure formation can be
used to probe dark energy models, and the mass function of dark matter haloes
is one of the best statistical tools to perform this study. We present here a
statistical analysis of mass functions of galaxies under a homogeneous dark
energy model, proposed in the work of Percival (2005), using an observational
flux-limited X-ray cluster survey, and CMB data from WMAP. We compare, in our
analysis, the standard Press-Schechter (PS) approach (where a Gaussian
distribution is used to describe the primordial density fluctuation field of
the mass function), and the PL (Power Law) mass function (where we apply a
nonextensive q-statistical distribution to the primordial density field). We
conclude that the PS mass function cannot explain at the same time the X-ray
and the CMB data (even at 99% confidence level), and the PS best fit dark
energy equation of state parameter is , which is distant from the
cosmological constant case. The PL mass function provides better fits to the
HIFLUGCS X-ray galaxy data and the CMB data; we also note that the
parameter is very sensible to modifications in the PL free parameter, ,
suggesting that the PL mass function could be a powerful tool to constrain dark
energy models.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Latex. Accepted for publication in the
International Journal of Modern Physics D (IJMPD)
The metal and dust yields of the first massive stars
We quantify the role of Population (Pop) III core-collapse supernovae (SNe)
as the first cosmic dust polluters. Starting from a homogeneous set of stellar
progenitors with masses in the range [13 - 80] Msun, we find that the mass and
composition of newly formed dust depend on the mixing efficiency of the ejecta
and the degree of fallback experienced during the explosion. For standard Pop
III SNe, whose explosions are calibrated to reproduce the average elemental
abundances of Galactic halo stars with [Fe/H] < -2.5, between 0.18 and 3.1 Msun
(0.39 - 1.76 Msun) of dust can form in uniformly mixed (unmixed) ejecta, and
the dominant grain species are silicates. We also investigate dust formation in
the ejecta of faint Pop III SN, where the ejecta experience a strong fallback.
By examining a set of models, tailored to minimize the scatter with the
abundances of carbon-enhanced Galactic halo stars with [Fe/H ] < -4, we find
that amorphous carbon is the only grain species that forms, with masses in the
range 2.7 10^{-3} - 0.27 Msun (7.5 10^{-4} - 0.11 Msun) for uniformly mixed
(unmixed) ejecta models. Finally, for all the models we estimate the amount and
composition of dust that survives the passage of the reverse shock, and find
that, depending on circumstellar medium densities, between 3 and 50% (10 - 80%)
of dust produced by standard (faint) Pop III SNe can contribute to early dust
enrichment.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS, 22 pages, 12 figures, 12 table
New Constraints on the Variable Equation of State Parameter from X-Ray Gas Mass Fractions and SNe Ia
Recent measurements are suggesting that we live in a flat Universe and that
its present accelerating stage is driven by a dark energy component whose
equation of state may evolve in time. Assuming two different parameterizations
for the function , we constrain their free parameters from a joint
analysis involving measurements from X-Ray luminosity of galaxy clusters and
SNe type Ia data.Comment: paper, 6 pages, 1 figure Accepted by Int. Journal of Modern Physics D
(IJPMD
Liposomes characterization for market approval as pharmaceutical products: Analytical methods, guidelines and standardized protocols
Liposomes are nano-sized lipid-based vesicles widely studied for their drug delivery capabilities. Compared to standard carries they exhibit better properties such as improved site-targeting and drug release, protection of drugs from degradation and clearance, and lower toxic side effects. At present, scientific literature is rich of studies regarding liposomes-based systems, while 14 types of liposomal products have been authorized to the market by EMA and FDA and many others have been approved by national agencies. Although the interest in nanodevices and nanomedicine has steadily increased in the last two decades the development of documentation regulating and standardizing all the phases of their development and quality control still suffers from major inadequacy due to the intrinsic complexity of nano-systems characterization. Many generic documents (Type 1) discussing guidelines for the study of nano-systems (lipidic and not) have been proposed while there is a lack of robust and standardized methods (Type 2 documents). As a result, a widespread of different techniques, approaches and methodologies are being used, generating results of variable quality and hard to compare with each other. Additionally, such documents are often subject to updates and rewriting further complicating the topic. Within this context the aim of this work is focused on bridging the gap in liposome characterization: the most recent standardized methodologies suitable for liposomes characterization are here reported (with the corresponding Type 2 documents) and revised in a short and pragmatical way focused on providing the reader with a practical background of the state of the art. In particular, this paper will put the accent on the methodologies developed to evaluate the main critical quality attributes (CQAs) necessary for liposomes market approval
Structural change of carbon supported Pt nanocatalyst subjected to a step-like potential cycling in PEM-FC
Abstract In this paper we present detailed X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations of the changes in the local geometric and electronic structure of Pt nanoparticles used as a cathode catalyst in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), working under controlled potential cycling conditions. The body of the results obtained suggests that in the first stage of \{PEMFC\} operation, small particle dissolution was a dominant process. Subsequent 100 h of work led to the progressive agglomeration of nanoparticles followed by a pronounced growth of the mean nanoparticle size. At the same time, high-quality \{XAFS\} spectra analysis demonstrated that negligible changes in structural local ordering and a slight increase in Pt 5d-electron density occurred during the whole \{FC\} operation period under consideration
Perturbative approach to the structure of rapidly rotating neutron stars
We construct models of rotating stars using the perturbative approach
introduced by J. Hartle in 1967, and a set of equations of state proposed to
model hadronic interactions in the inner core of neutron stars. We integrate
the equations of stellar structure to third order in the angular velocity and
show, comparing our results to those obtained with fully non linear codes, to
what extent third order corrections are needed to accurately reproduce the
moment of inertia of a star which rotates at rates comparable to that of the
fastest isolated pulsars.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, minor changes to match version accepted by Phys.
Rev.
Supernova dust yields: the role of metallicity, rotation, and fallback
Supernovae (SNe) are considered to have a major role in dust enrichment of
high redshift galaxies and, due to the short lifetimes of interstellar grains,
in dust replenishment of local galaxies. Here we explore how SN dust yields
depend on the mass, metallicity, and rotation rate of the progenitor stars, and
on the properties of the explosion. To this aim, assuming uniform mixing inside
the ejecta, we quantify the dust mass produced by a sample of SN models with
progenitor masses , metallicity , rotation rate and ~km/s, that
explode with a fixed energy of ~erg (FE models) or with
explosion properties calibrated to reproduce the - relation
inferred from SN observations (CE models). We find that rotation favours more
efficient dust production, particularly for more massive, low metallicity
stars, but that metallicity and explosion properties have the largest effects
on the dust mass and its composition. In FE models, SNe with are more efficient at forming dust: between 0.1 and 1 is
formed in a single explosion, with a composition dominated by silicates, carbon
and magnetite grains when , and by carbon and magnetite grains
when . In CE models, the ejecta are massive and metal-rich and
dust production is more efficient. The dust mass increases with and it is
dominated by silicates, at all [Fe/H].Comment: MNRAS, in pres
Environmental sustainability of orthopedic devices produced with powder bed fusion
Additive manufacturing consists in melting metallic powders to produce objects from 3D data, layer upon layer. Its industrial applications range from automotive, biomedical (e.g., prosthetic implants for dentistry and orthopedics), aeronautics and others. This study uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the possible improvement in environmental performance of laser-based powder bed fusion additive manufacturing systems on prosthetic device production. Environmental impacts due to manufacturing, use, and end of life of the designed solution were assessed. In addition, two powder production technologies, gas atomization (GA) and plasma atomization (PA), were compared in order to establish the most sustainable one. Production via traditional subtractive technologies and the additive manufacturing production were also compared. 3D building was found to have a significant environmental advantage compared to the traditional technology. The powder production process considerably influences on a damage point of view the additive manufacturing process; however, its impact can be mitigated if GA powders are employed
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