Abstract
The Ghar Dalam cave, southern Malta, hosts the oldest human evidence in the Maltese archipelago. Although the internal stratigraphy of the cave and its biotic record is well studied, the ...possibility of archaeological / paleontological prospects in the surrounding areas requires additional studies. In this work we use aerial and ground-based photogrammetry to reconstruct the interior and the surface of the cave, and various geophysical techniques (GPR, passive seismic and ERT) to study the subsurface of the cave and its surroundings. The results have clarified the geometry of the soil-rock contact above and at the entrance of the cave and possible karstic structures have been identified. The authors conclude that this multidisciplinary methodology allows more reliable results to be achieved and is essential for studies where direct observation is not possible.
Background
Ethanol (EtOH) alters the all‐trans‐retinoic acid (ATRA) levels in some tissues. Retinol and ATRA are essential for cell proliferation, differentiation, and maintenance of prostate ...homeostasis. It has been suggested that disturbances in retinol/ATRA concentration as well as in the expression of retinoic acid receptors (RARs) contribute to benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer. This study aimed to evaluate whether EtOH consumption is able to alter retinol and ATRA levels in the plasma and prostate tissue as well as the expression of RARs, cell proliferation, and apoptosis index.
Methods
All animals were divided into 4 groups (n = 10/group). UChA: rats fed 10% (v/v) EtOH ad libitum; UChACo: EtOH‐naïve rats without access to EtOH; UChB: rats fed 10% (v/v) EtOH ad libitum; UChBCo: EtOH‐naïve rats without access to EtOH. Animals were euthanized by decapitation after 60 days of EtOH consumption for high‐performance liquid chromatography and light microscopy analysis.
Results
EtOH reduced plasma retinol concentration in both UChA and UChB groups, while the retinol concentration was not significantly different in prostate tissue. Conversely, plasma and prostate ATRA levels increased in UChB group compared with controls, beyond the up‐regulation of RARβ and ‐γ in dorsal prostate lobe. Additionally, no alteration was found in cell proliferation and apoptosis index involving dorsal and lateral prostate lobe.
Conclusions
We conclude that EtOH alters the plasma retinol concentrations proportionally to the amount of EtOH consumed. Moreover, high EtOH consumption increases the concentration of ATRA in plasma/prostate tissue and especially induces the RARβ and RARγ in the dorsal prostate lobe. EtOH consumption and increased ATRA levels were not associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis in the prostate.
The housing of the photo-detectors for future Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors is a complex task, regardless of the sensor choice, due to the many requirements. The sensor housing for LHCb Upgrade II ...will be an evolution of the one developed for Upgrade I where a totally modular solution, based on fully autonomous functional units called Elementary Cells has been adopted. The main challenge of the new Elementary Cell will be to include active cooling. With SiPM, cooling well below zero degrees centigrade is required. Two different cooling strategies are considered and the status of the design for the Upgrade II Elementary Cell is presented.
Even after the entry into force of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights ('the Charter'), some doubts regarding its legal effects are still looming large. Among them is whether, and to ...what extent, the Charter applies to national measures that are connected to European Union (EU) law but are not intended to implement it directly. This legal uncertainty affects the position of individuals seeking to assert their fundamental rights before a national judge. In particular, whereas the application of the Charter warrants disapplication of the conflicting national measures, the same remedy is often not available when plaintiffs rely only on other fundamental rights instruments (like the European Convention on Human Rights or national constitutions). This article offers a bottom-up account of how this hermeneutic cul de sac, often discussed at the theoretical level, influences adjudication in ordinary courts. It also appraises the outcome of two recent disputes that hinged precisely upon the application of the Charter and its relationship with other fundamental rights instruments (Kamberaj, Fransson). The aim is to ascertain whether national judges can derive some interpretive guidance from these precedents. It is submitted that the Kamberaj judgment fails to provide guidance on Article 51(1) of the Charter, and that the Advocate General's laudable attempt at conceptualisation in Fransson is ultimately impracticable, at least in the short term. The decision in Fransson is maybe showing some goodwill on the part of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), but is insufficient. In the absence of a reliable test, it is argued that the CJEU should be pressed to clarify the scope of application of the Charter on a case-by-case basis through its preliminary reference jurisdiction. The recent case-law suggests instead that the CJEU prefers to maintain a hands-off approach. This is undermining the advent of the Charter as a discrete legal instrument (as opposed to an interpretative supplement) and is contrary to the CJEU's mandate to help national judges in the interpretation of EU law. Besides, the Bundesverfassungsgericht's reaction to Fransson shows that the lack of a clear test can encourage member states to attempt a counter-colonisation of areas falling within the scope of EU law, as far as human rights protection is concerned.
AstrO: A portable cosmic ray telescope Grazzi, S.; Assandri, L.; Battaglieri, M. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
10/2020, Letnik:
976, Številka:
C
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
This paper describes the design and performances of the AstrO (Astroparticle Outreach) cosmic muon telescope. The detector, contained in a trolley, is transportable and simple enough to be used by ...high-school students. The sophisticated data acquisition system is based on advanced DAQ technology and thanks to a simple interface is suitable for non-expert users. The detector is capable of measuring an integrated cosmic muon rate of 1–2 Hz with a precision (statistical and systematic) of a few percent in few hours of data taking. It can be used to detect variations induced by the solar activity, to determine the rate dependence on the geographical location (altitude and latitude) and to measure the cosmic muon rate attenuation due to surrounding high-density shielding such as rocks or concrete walls.
We propose a parametrization for interpreting some of the presently available data of the
B
±
→
K
±
p
p
¯
decay, in particular those by the LHCb and Belle Collaborations. The model is inspired by the ...well-known current and transition contributions, usually assumed in this kind of decay. However, in the light of considerations as regards the dominant diagrams and final state interactions, we modify some parameters of the model, determining them by means of a best fit to the data. We show the results, which we discuss in some detail. Moreover, we give some predictions on other observables relative to the decays.
We propose a parametrization for interpreting some of the presently available data of the Formula omitted decay, in particular those by the LHCb and Belle Collaborations. The model is inspired by the ...well-known current and transition contributions, usually assumed in this kind of decay. However, in the light of considerations as regards the dominant diagrams and final state interactions, we modify some parameters of the model, determining them by means of a best fit to the data. We show the results, which we discuss in some detail. Moreover, we give some predictions on other observables relative to the decays.
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