| 1. |
- Jones, Geraint H., et al.
(författare)
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The Comet Interceptor Mission
- 2024
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Nature. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 220:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum Δ V capability of 600 ms − 1 . Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule.
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| 2. |
- Anthony, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Laser processing of minerals common on asteroids
- 2021
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Ingår i: Optics and Laser Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0030-3992 .- 1879-2545. ; 135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Asteroid mining and redirection are two trends that both can utilize lasers, one to drill and cut, the other to ablate and move. Yet little is known about what happens when a laser is used to process the types of materials we typically expect to find on most asteroids. To shed light on laser processing of asteroid material, we used a 300-W, pulsed Ytterbium fiber laser on samples of olivine, pyroxene, and serpentine, and studied the process with a high-speed camera and illumination laser at 10 000 frames per second. We also measure the sizes of the resulting holes using X-ray micro-tomography to find the pulse parameters which remove the largest amount of material using the least amount of energy. We find that at these power densities, all three minerals will melt and chaotically throw off spatter. Short, low-power pulses can efficiently produce thin, deep holes, and long, high-power pulses are more energy efficient at removing the most amount of material.
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| 3. |
- Bagnulo, Stefano, et al.
(författare)
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Optical Spectropolarimetry of Binary Asteroid Didymos-Dimorphos before and after the DART Impact
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 945:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have monitored the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid in spectropolarimetric mode in the optical range before and after the DART impact. The ultimate goal was to obtain constraints on the characteristics of the ejected dust for modeling purposes. Before impact, Didymos exhibited a linear polarization rapidly increasing with phase angle, reaching a level of ∼5% in the blue and ∼4.5% in the red. The shape of the polarization spectrum was anticorrelated with that of its reflectance spectrum, which appeared typical of an S-class asteroid. After impact, the level of polarization dropped by about 1 percentage point (pp) in the blue band and about 0.5 pp in the red band, then continued to linearly increase with phase angle, with a slope similar to that measured prior to impact. The polarization spectra, once normalized by their values at an arbitrary wavelength, show very little or no change over the course of all observations before and after impact. The lack of any remarkable change in the shape of the polarization spectrum after impact suggests that the way in which polarization varies with wavelength depends on the composition of the scattering material, rather than on its structure, be this a surface or a debris cloud.
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| 4. |
- Gray, Zuri, et al.
(författare)
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Polarimetry of Didymos–Dimorphos: Unexpected Long-term Effects of the DART Impact
- 2024
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2632-3338. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have monitored the Didymos–Dimorphos binary system in imaging polarimetric mode before and after the impact from the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission. A previous spectropolarimetric study showed that the impact caused a dramatic drop in polarization. Our longer-term monitoring shows that the polarization of the post-impact system remains lower than the pre-impact system even months after the impact, suggesting that some fresh ejecta material remains in the system at the time of our observations, either in orbit or settled on the surface. The slope of the post-impact polarimetric curve is shallower than that of the pre-impact system, implying an increase in albedo of the system. This suggests that the ejected material is composed of smaller and possibly brighter particles than those present on the pre-impact surface of the asteroid. Our polarimetric maps show that the dust cloud ejected immediately after the impact polarizes light in a spatially uniform manner (and at a lower level than pre-impact). Later maps exhibit a gradient in polarization between the photocentre (which probes the asteroid surface) and the surrounding cloud and tail. The polarization occasionally shows some small-scale variations, the source of which is not yet clear. The polarimetric phase curve of Didymos–Dimorphos resembles that of the S-type asteroid class.
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| 5. |
- Luukkonen, Panu K., et al.
(författare)
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Distinct contributions of metabolic dysfunction and genetic risk factors in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Hepatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-8278. ; 76:3, s. 526-535
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background & Aims: There is substantial inter-individual variability in the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Part of which is explained by insulin resistance (IR) (‘MetComp’) and part by common modifiers of genetic risk (‘GenComp’). We examined how IR on the one hand and genetic risk on the other contribute to the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Methods: We studied 846 individuals: 492 were obese patients with liver histology and 354 were individuals who underwent intrahepatic triglyceride measurement by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A genetic risk score was calculated using the number of risk alleles in PNPLA3, TM6SF2, MBOAT7, HSD17B13 and MARC1. Substrate concentrations were assessed by serum NMR metabolomics. In subsets of participants, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and their flux were assessed by D5-glycerol and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (n = 41), and hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) was measured by D2O (n = 61). Results: We found that substrate surplus (increased concentrations of 28 serum metabolites including glucose, glycolytic intermediates, and amino acids; increased NEFAs and their flux; increased DNL) characterized the ‘MetComp’. In contrast, the ‘GenComp’ was not accompanied by any substrate excess but was characterized by an increased hepatic mitochondrial redox state, as determined by serum β-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio, and inhibition of hepatic pathways dependent on tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, such as DNL. Serum β-hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio correlated strongly with all histological features of NAFLD. IR and hepatic mitochondrial redox state conferred additive increases in histological features of NAFLD. Conclusions: These data show that the mechanisms underlying ‘Metabolic’ and ‘Genetic’ components of NAFLD are fundamentally different. These findings may have implications with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD. Lay summary: The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be explained in part by a metabolic component, including obesity, and in part by a genetic component. Herein, we demonstrate that the mechanisms underlying these components are fundamentally different: the metabolic component is characterized by hepatic oversupply of substrates, such as sugars, lipids and amino acids. In contrast, the genetic component is characterized by impaired hepatic mitochondrial function, making the liver less able to metabolize these substrates.
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| 6. |
- Luukkonen, Panu K., et al.
(författare)
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The PNPLA3-I148M Variant Confers an Antiatherogenic Lipid Profile in Insulin-resistant Patients
- 2021
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Ingår i: The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. - : The Endocrine Society. - 1945-7197 .- 0021-972X. ; 106:1, s. 300-315
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- CONTEXT: The I148M (rs738409-G) variant in PNPLA3 increases liver fat content but may be protective against cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance (IR) amplifies the effect of PNPLA3-I148M on liver fat. OBJECTIVE: To study whether PNPLA3-I148M confers an antihyperlipidemic effect in insulin-resistant patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study comparing the impact of PNPLA3-I148M on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in 2 cohorts, both divided into groups based on rs738409-G allele carrier status and median HOMA-IR. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: A total of 298 obese patients who underwent a liver biopsy during bariatric surgery (bariatric cohort: age 49 ± 9 years, body mass index [BMI] 43.2 ± 6.8 kg/m2), and 345 less obese volunteers in whom liver fat was measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (nonbariatric cohort: age 45 ± 14 years, BMI 29.7 ± 5.7 kg/m2). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nuclear magnetic resonance profiling of plasma lipids, lipoprotein particle subclasses and their composition. RESULTS: In both cohorts, individuals carrying the PNPLA3-I148M variant had significantly higher liver fat content than noncarriers. In insulin-resistant and homozygous carriers, PNPLA3-I148M exerted a distinct antihyperlipidemic effect with decreased very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles and their constituents, and increased high-density lipoprotein particles and their constituents, compared with noncarriers. VLDL particles were smaller and LDL particles larger in PNPLA3-I148M carriers. These changes were geometrically opposite to those due to IR. PNPLA3-I148M did not have a measurable effect in patients with lower IR, and its effect was smaller albeit still significant in the less obese than in the obese cohort. CONCLUSIONS: PNPLA3-I148M confers an antiatherogenic plasma lipid profile particularly in insulin-resistant individuals.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Penttilä, Antti, et al.
(författare)
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Modeling Linear Polarization of the Didymos–Dimorphos System before and after the DART Impact
- 2024
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Ingår i: The Planetary Science Journal. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 2632-3338. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyze the polarization observations of the Didymos–Dimorphos system before and after the impact by the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft on Dimorphos. We fit empirical polarization phase curve models and statistically confirm the discovery by Gray et al. about the degree of linear polarization of the system decreasing on the impact and remaining altered for at least 30 days post-impact. With numerical simulations of particles in the geometric optics domain, we estimate the dominant size of the particles either in the regolith of Didymos and Dimorphos or in the impact-driven ejecta cloud to be several hundred micrometers. The observed change between the pre-impact and post-impact systems indicates either a decrease in average particle size of some tens of micrometers or a decreased level of space weathering.
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| 9. |
- Qadri, Sami, et al.
(författare)
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The PNPLA3-I148M variant increases polyunsaturated triglycerides in human adipose tissue
- 2020
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Ingår i: Liver international (Print). - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 1478-3223 .- 1478-3231. ; 40:9, s. 2128-2138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND & AIMS: The I148M variant in PNPLA3 is the major genetic risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The liver is enriched with polyunsaturated triglycerides (PUFA-TGs) in PNPLA3-I148M carriers. Gene expression data indicate that PNPLA3 is liver-specific in humans, but whether it functions in adipose tissue (AT) is unknown. We investigated whether PNPLA3-I148M modifies AT metabolism in human NAFLD.METHODS: Profiling of the AT lipidome and fasting serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) composition were conducted in 125 volunteers (PNPLA3148MM/MI , n=63; PNPLA3148II , n=62). AT fatty acid composition was determined in 50 volunteers homozygous for the variant (PNPLA3148MM , n=25) or lacking the variant (PNPLA3148II , n=25). Whole-body insulin sensitivity of lipolysis was determined using [2 H5 ]glycerol, and PNPLA3 mRNA and protein levels were measured in subcutaneous AT and liver biopsies in a subset of the volunteers.RESULTS: PUFA-TGs were significantly increased in AT in carriers versus non-carriers of PNPLA3-I148M. The variant did not alter the rate of lipolysis or the composition of fasting serum NEFAs. PNPLA3 mRNA was 33-fold higher in the liver than in AT (p<0.0001). In contrast, PNPLA3 protein levels per tissue protein were 3-fold higher in AT than the liver (p<0.0001) and 9-fold higher when related to whole-body AT and liver tissue masses (p<0.0001).CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to previous assumptions, PNPLA3 is highly abundant in AT. PNPLA3-I148M locally remodels AT TGs to become polyunsaturated as it does in the liver, without affecting lipolysis or composition of serum NEFAs. Changes in AT metabolism do not contribute to NAFLD in PNPLA3-I148M carriers.
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| 10. |
- Torppa, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Added-value interfaces to asteroid photometric and spectroscopic data in the Gaia database
- 2018
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Ingår i: Advances in Space Research. - : Elsevier. - 0273-1177 .- 1879-1948. ; 62:2, s. 464-476
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present two added-value interfaces (AVIs) for analyzing photometric and spectroscopic data observed by the Gaia satellite. The Gaia Added-Value Interface for Temporal Analysis (GAVITEA) is used to calculate an estimate for the spin state and shape of an asteroid from its photometric data, and the Gaia Added-Value Interface for Spectral Classification (GAVISC) provides tools to define the taxonomic type and surface absorption coefficient based on spectroscopic asteroid data. Computations are mainly carried out using well-known methods of asteroid data analysis but the AVIs also offer the possibility to test novel methods that are specifically developed for analyzing temporally sparse photometric data, typical for Gaia.
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