Abstract
The detection of TeV gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) brought new opportunities for studying the physics of particle acceleration at relativistic shocks. The High Energy Stereoscopic System ...(H.E.S.S.) telescopes recently observed very-high-energy (VHE) emission from a nearby low-luminosity GRB, GRB 190829A. Follow-up observations with, e.g., Swift-XRT, revealed unusual flare activities at ∼10
3
s, which can be caused by a long-lasting central engine. We show that the VHE emission during the H.E.S.S. observation time is naturally produced in the external inverse-Compton (EIC) scenario, where seed photons supplied by the flares or other late-time dissipations are upscattered to VHE energies by the nonthermal electrons accelerated at the external forward shock. Our calculations show that the EIC flare nearly coincides with the late-prompt flare, but extends ∼3–4 times longer than the duration of the late-prompt flare. The preferred kinetic energy and initial Lorentz factor used in our model are ∼10
52
erg and ∼20, respectively. Understanding the mechanisms of the VHE emission from low-luminosity GRBs will help us constrain the properties of the outflow and the central engine activities, as well as the particle acceleration mechanism.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) exoplanet-hunting mission detected the rising and decaying optical afterglow of GRB 191016A, a long gamma-ray burst (GRB) detected by Swift-BAT but ...without prompt XRT or UVOT follow-up due to proximity to the Moon. The afterglow has a late peak at least 1000 s after the BAT trigger, with a brightest-detected TESS data point at 2589.7 s post-trigger. The burst was not detected by Fermi-LAT, but was detected by Fermi-GBM without triggering, possibly due to the gradual nature of the rising light curve. Using ground-based photometry, we estimate a photometric redshift of z(sub phot) = 3.29 ± 0.40. Combined with the high-energy emission and optical peak time derived from TESS, estimates of the bulk Lorentz factor Γ(sub BL) range from 90 to 133. The burst is relatively bright, with a peak optical magnitude in ground-based follow-up of R = 15.1 mag. Using published distributions of GRB afterglows and considering the TESS sensitivity and sampling, we estimate that TESS is likely to detect ∼1 GRB afterglow per year above its magnitude limit.
•Synthesis of spherical (d = 3–5 mm) Fe(III)-alginate aerogel particles.•Detailed characterization of Fe(III)-alginate aerogel (including SAXS).•Impregnation of aerogel spheres with ibuprofen and ...ascorbic acid in sc. CO2.•Incorporated ascorbic acid markedly increases the rate of drug release.
Iron(III)-crosslinked alginate aerogel beads (d = 3–5 mm) were prepared and loaded with ibuprofen by using the technique of adsorptive deposition from supercritical CO2. Additional formulations were prepared where the aerogels were co-impregnated by ibuprofen and ascorbic acid. The release of ibuprofen from the Fe(III)-alginate is much faster in pH = 7.4 (PBS) than in pH = 2.0 (HCl), which can be explained by the faster dissolution and higher swelling of the alginate matrix in PBS. By decreasing the size of the beads and using a higher G content alginate the release rate could be slightly increased. A marked acceleration of drug release was achieved in both HCl and PBS by incorporating ascorbic acid into the Fe(III)-alginate aerogel preparations. The explanation is that in aqueous media ascorbic acid in situ reduces the crosslinking Fe(III) to Fe(II). The latter does not interact strongly with alginate, which promotes the hydration of the chains, thus the erosion and dissolution of the carrier matrix.
ABSTRACT Since its launch in 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) has triggered and located on average approximately two γ-ray bursts (GRBs) every three days. Here, we present the third of a ...series of catalogs of GRBs detected by GBM, extending the second catalog by two more years through the middle of 2014 July. The resulting list includes 1405 triggers identified as GRBs. The intention of the GBM GRB catalog is to provide information to the community on the most important observables of the GBM-detected GRBs. For each GRB, the location and main characteristics of the prompt emission, the duration, peak flux, and fluence are derived. The latter two quantities are calculated for the 50-300 keV energy band where the maximum energy release of GRBs in the instrument reference system is observed, and also for a broader energy band from 10 to 1000 keV, exploiting the full energy range of GBM's low-energy NaiTl) detectors. Using statistical methods to assess clustering, we find that the hardness and duration of GRBs are better fit by a two-component model with short-hard and long-soft bursts than by a model with three components. Furthermore, information is provided on the settings and modifications of the triggering criteria and exceptional operational conditions during years five and six in the mission. This third catalog is an official product of the Fermi GBM science team, and the data files containing the complete results are available from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center.
Aims. We aim to obtain high-quality time-resolved spectral fits of gamma-ray bursts observed by the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Methods. We performed ...time-resolved spectral analysis with high temporal and spectral resolution of the brightest bursts observed by Fermi GBM in its first four years of mission. Results. We present the complete catalog containing 1491 spectra from 81 bursts with high spectral and temporal resolution. Distributions of parameters, statistics of the parameter populations, parameter-parameter and parameter-uncertainty correlations, and their exact values are obtained and presented as main results in this catalog. We report a criterion that is robust enough to automatically distinguish between different spectral evolutionary trends between bursts. We also search for plausible blackbody emission components and find that only three bursts (36 spectra in total) show evidence of a pure Planck function. It is observed that peak energy and the averaged, time-resolved power-law index at low energy are slightly harder than the time-integrated values. Time-resolved spectroscopic results should be used instead of time-integrated results when interpreting physics from the observed spectra.
Silica-gelatin hybrid aerogels of varying gelatin content (from 4 wt.% to 24 wt.%) can be conveniently impregnated with hydrophobic active agents (e.g. ibuprofen, ketoprofen) in supercritical CO2 and ...used as drug delivery systems. Contrast variation neutron scattering (SANS) experiments show the molecular level hybridization of the silica and the gelatin components of the aerogel carriers. The active agents are amorphous, and homogeneously dispersed in these porous, hybrid matrices. Importantly, both fast and retarded drug release can be achieved with silica-gelatin hybrid aerogels, and the kinetics of drug release is governed by the gelatin content of the carrier. In this paper, for the first time, a molecular level explanation is given for the strong correlation between the composition and the functionality of a family of aerogel based drug delivery systems. Characterization of the wet aerogels by SANS and by NMR diffusiometry, cryoporometry and relaxometry revealed that the different hydration mechanisms of the aerogels are responsible for the broad spectrum of release kinetics. Low-gelatin (4–11 wt.%) aerogels retain their open-porous structure in water, thus rapid matrix erosion dictates fast drug release from these carriers. In contrast to this, wet aerogels of high gelatin content (18–24 wt.%) show well pronounced hydrogel-like characteristics, and a wide gradual transition zone forms in the solid-liquid interface. The extensive swelling of the high-gelatin hybrid backbone results in the collapse of the open porous structure, that limits mass transport towards the release medium, resulting in slower, diffusion controlled drug release.
Developing new drug delivery systems is a key aspect of pharmaceutical research. Supercritically dried mesoporous aerogels are ideal carriers for small molecular weight drugs due to their open porous structures and large specific surface areas. Hybrid silica-gelatin aerogels can display both fast and retarded drug release properties based on the gelatin contents of their backbones. The structural characterization of the aerogels by SANS and by NMR diffusiometry, cryoporometry and relaxometry revealed that the different hydration mechanisms of the hybrid backbones are responsible for the broad spectrum of release kinetics. The molecular level understanding of the functionality of these hybrid inorganic-biopolymer drug delivery systems facilitates the realization of quality-by-design in this research field.
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ABSTRACT A bright long gamma-ray burst GRB 141207A was observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and detected by both instruments onboard. The observations show that the spectrum in the prompt ...phase is not well described by the canonical empirical Band function alone, and that an additional power-law component is needed. In the early phase of the prompt emission, a modified blackbody with a hard low-energy photon index ( = +0.2 to +0.4) is detected, which suggests a photospheric origin. In a finely time-resolved analysis, the spectra are also well fitted by the modified blackbody combined with a power-law function. We discuss the physical parameters of the photosphere such as the bulk Lorentz factor of the relativistic flow and the radius. We also discuss the physical origin of the extra power-law component observed during the prompt phase in the context of different models such as leptonic and hadronic scenarios in the internal shock regime and synchrotron emission in the external forward shock. In the afterglow phase, the temporal and spectral behaviors of the temporally extended high-energy emission and the fading X-ray emission detected by the X-Ray Telescope on-board Swift are consistent with synchrotron emission in a radiative external forward shock.
Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions in the universe. How efficiently the jet converts its energy to radiation is a long-standing problem, which is poorly constrained. ...The standard model invokes a relativistic fireball with a bright photosphere emission component. A definitive diagnosis of GRB radiation components and the measurement of GRB radiative efficiency require prompt emission and afterglow data, with high resolution and wide band coverage in time and energy. Here, we present a comprehensive temporal and spectral analysis of the TeV-emitting bright GRB 190114C. Its fluence is one of the highest for all the GRBs that have been detected so far, which allows us to perform a high-resolution study of the prompt emission spectral properties and their temporal evolutions, down to a timescale of about 0.1 s. We observe that each of the initial pulses has a thermal component contributing ∼20% of the total energy and that the corresponding temperature and inferred Lorentz factor of the photosphere evolve following broken power-law shapes. From the observation of the nonthermal spectra and the light curve, the onset of the afterglow corresponding to the deceleration of the fireball is considered to start at ∼6 s. By incorporating the thermal and nonthermal observations, as well as the photosphere and synchrotron radiative mechanisms, we can directly derive the fireball energy budget with little dependence on hypothetical parameters, measuring a ∼16% radiative efficiency for this GRB. With the fireball energy budget derived, the afterglow microphysics parameters can also be constrained directly from the data.
A floc-forming, Gram-stain-negative, petroleum hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strain, designated Buc ᵀ, was isolated from a petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated site in Hungary. Phylogenetic analysis ...based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain Buc ᵀ formed a distinct phyletic lineage within the genus Zoogloea . Its closest relative was found to be Zoogloea caeni EMB43 ᵀ (97.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) followed by Zoogloea oryzae A-7 ᵀ (95.9 %), Zoogloea ramigera ATCC 19544 ᵀ (95.5 %) and Zoogloea resiniphila DhA-35 ᵀ (95.4 %). The level of DNA–DNA relatedness between strain Buc ᵀ and Z. caeni EMB43 ᵀ was 31.6 %. Cells of strain Buc ᵀ are facultatively aerobic, rod-shaped, and motile by means of a polar flagellum. The strain grew at temperatures of 5–35 °C (optimum 25–28 °C), and at pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum 6.5–7.5). The predominant fatty acids were C ₁₆ : ₀, C ₁₀ : ₀ 3-OH, C ₁₂ : ₀ and summed feature 3 (C ₁₆ : ₁ω7 c and/or iso-C ₁₅ : ₀ 2-OH). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8) and the predominant polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The genomic DNA G+C content was 63.2 mol%. On the basis of the chemotaxonomic, molecular and phenotypic data, isolate Buc ᵀ is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Zoogloea , for which the name Zoogloea oleivorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Buc ᵀ (= DSM 28387 ᵀ = NCAIM B 02570 ᵀ).
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Methotrexate functionalized silica-gelatin hybrid aerogel (SGM) was synthesized by the sol–gel method and co-gelation. The drug methotrexate (MTX) is covalently linked to the collagen ...molecules of the hybrid aerogel backbone by amide-bond. The characteristic MTX content of the functionalized hybrid aerogel is ca. 6 wt% by the dry weight. The micronization of SGM aerogel in water yields cell sized (d = 10–20 µm) particles. The cytotoxicity of these microparticles against tumor cell lines (SCC VII and HL-60) is unprecedentedly high, it is approximately equivalent to that of an equal dose of free (dissolved) MTX, as proved by in vitro experiments. Thus, the activity of MTX is intact after aerogel functionalization, and the mass specific cytotoxicity of SGM is high enough for medical applications. Drug release studies verified that MTX cannot be liberated from this drug delivery system solely by chemical hydrolysis, however, collagenase enzymatic activity releases MTX from the functionalized hybrid aerogel. The cytotoxicity of SGM towards various cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines correlates with the collagenase activities of cells. Therefore, conjugation with the hybrid aerogel provides a controlled release system for the antineoplastic agent MTX. The morphology of the delivery vehicle was chosen to adapt the size of cancer cells; thus the metastatic pathways of the tumor cells can get flooded.
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