| 1. |
- Feroci, M., et al.
(författare)
-
The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT)
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Experimental Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0922-6435 .- 1572-9508. ; 34:2, s. 415-444
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-time-resolution X-ray observations of compact objects provide direct access to strong-field gravity, to the equation of state of ultradense matter and to black hole masses and spins. A 10 m(2)-class instrument in combination with good spectral resolution is required to exploit the relevant diagnostics and answer two of the fundamental questions of the European Space Agency (ESA) Cosmic Vision Theme "Matter under extreme conditions", namely: does matter orbiting close to the event horizon follow the predictions of general relativity? What is the equation of state of matter in neutron stars? The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT), selected by ESA as one of the four Cosmic Vision M3 candidate missions to undergo an assessment phase, will revolutionise the study of collapsed objects in our galaxy and of the brightest supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. Thanks to an innovative design and the development of large-area monolithic silicon drift detectors, the Large Area Detector (LAD) on board LOFT will achieve an effective area of similar to 12 m(2) (more than an order of magnitude larger than any spaceborne predecessor) in the 2-30 keV range (up to 50 keV in expanded mode), yet still fits a conventional platform and small/medium-class launcher. With this large area and a spectral resolution of < 260 eV, LOFT will yield unprecedented information on strongly curved spacetimes and matter under extreme conditions of pressure and magnetic field strength.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Ferrari, S., et al.
(författare)
-
Nonmetastatic Ewing family tumors: high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue in poor responder patients. Results of the Italian Sarcoma Group/Scandinavian Sarcoma Group III protocol
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Annals of Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1569-8041 .- 0923-7534. ; 22:5, s. 1221-1227
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: High-dose chemotherapy (HDT) was added to conventional chemotherapy in Ewing sarcoma family tumor (EFT) patients, poor responders (PRs) to induction chemotherapy in order to improve their survival. Patients and methods: Patients aged <= 40 years with nonmetastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES) received vincristine (V), doxorubicin (A), cyclofosfamide (C), actinomycin (Ac), ifosfamide (I) and etoposide (E) (VACAc-IE regimen) as induction chemotherapy. As maintenance treatment, good responders (GR) received nine cycles of VACAc-IE regimen. PRs received three cycles of VAC-IE, mobilizing cycle with CE and HDT with Busulfan and Melphalan with stem cell support. Results: Three hundred patients [median age 15 years (3-40 years)] entered the study. One patient refused local treatment, 242 (81%) underwent surgery [with radiotherapy (RT) in 80] and 57 (19%) RT alone. No toxic deaths were recorded. Overall GR were 146 (49%). Twenty-eight PR did not receive HDT. At a median follow-up of 64 months (21-116 months), 5-year overall and event-free survival (EFS) were 75% and 69%, respectively. Five-year EFS was 75% for GR, 72% for PR treated with HDT and 33% for PR who did not receive HDT. Conclusions: High-dose therapy added to the VACA-IE regimen in PR patients is feasible and effective. Selected groups of patients with ES can benefit from HDT.
|
|
| 5. |
- Luksch, R., et al.
(författare)
-
Primary metastatic Ewing's family tumors: results of the Italian Sarcoma Group and Scandinavian Sarcoma Group ISG/SSG IV Study including myeloablative chemotherapy and total-lung irradiation
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Annals of Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1569-8041 .- 0923-7534. ; 23:11, s. 2970-2976
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Italian Sarcoma Group and the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group designed a joint study to improve the prognosis for patients with Ewing's family tumors and synchronous metastatic disease limited to the lungs, or the pleura, or a single bone. The study was opened in 1999 and closed to the enrollment in 2008. The program consisted of intensive five-drug combination chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy as local treatment, and consolidation treatment with high-dose busulfan/melphalan plus autologous stem cell rescue and total-lung irradiation. During the study period, 102 consecutive patients were enrolled. The median follow-up was 62 months (range 24-124). The 5-year event-free survival probability was 0.43 [standard deviation (SD) = 0.05] and the 5-year overall survival probability was 0.52 (SD = 0.052). Unfavorable prognostic factors emerging on multivariate analysis were a poor histological/radiological response at the site of the primary tumor [relative risk (RR) = 3.4], and incomplete radiological remission of lung metastases after primary chemotherapy (RR = 2.6). One toxic death and one secondary leukemia were recorded. This intensive approach is feasible and long-term survival is achievable in similar to 50% of patients. New treatment approaches are warranted for patients responding poorly to primary chemotherapy.
|
|
| 6. |
- Mari, E., et al.
(författare)
-
Sub-Rayleigh optical vortex coronagraphy
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 20:3, s. 2445-2451
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We introduce a new optical vortex coronagraph(OVC) method to determine the angular distance between two sources when the separation is sub-Rayleigh. We have found a direct relationship between the position of the minima and the source angular separation. A priori knowledge about the location of the two sources is not required. The superresolution capabilities of an OVC, equipped with an l = 2 N-step spiral phase plate in its optical path, were investigated numerically. The results of these investigations show that a fraction of the light, increasing with N, from the secondary source can be detected with a sub-Rayleigh resolution of at least 0.1 lambda/D.
|
|
| 7. |
- Mottola, S., et al.
(författare)
-
The rotation state of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from approach observations with the OSIRIS cameras on Rosetta
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 569, s. L2-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. Approach observations with the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) experiment onboard Rosetta are used to determine the rotation period, the direction of the spin axis, and the state of rotation of comet 67P's nucleus. Methods. Photometric time series of 67P have been acquired by OSIRIS since the post wake-up commissioning of the payload in March 2014. Fourier analysis and convex shape inversion methods have been applied to the Rosetta data as well to the available ground-based observations. Results. Evidence is found that the rotation rate of 67P has significantly changed near the time of its 2009 perihelion passage, probably due to sublimation-induced torque. We find that the sidereal rotation periods P-1 = 12.76129 +/- 0.00005 h and P2 = 12.4043 +/- 0.0007 h for the apparitions before and after the 2009 perihelion, respectively, provide the best fit to the observations. No signs of multiple periodicity are found in the light curves down to the noise level, which implies that the comet is presently in a simple rotation state around its axis of largest moment of inertia. We derive a prograde rotation model with spin vector J2000 ecliptic coordinates lambda = 65 degrees +/- 15 degrees, beta = + 59 degrees +/- 15 degrees, corresponding to equatorial coordinates RA = 22 degrees, Dec = +76 degrees. However, we find that the mirror solution, also prograde, at lambda = 275 degrees +/- 15 degrees, beta = + 50 degrees +/- 15 degrees (or RA = 274 degrees, Dec = +27 degrees), is also possible at the same confidence level, due to the intrinsic ambiguity of the photometric problem for observations performed close to the ecliptic plane.
|
|
| 8. |
- A. Strumpfer, Johan, et al.
(författare)
-
Stretching of Twitchin Kinase
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Biophysical Journal. - St. Louis, MO, United States : Cell Press. - 0006-3495 .- 1542-0086. ; 102:3 Supplement 1, s. 361a-362a
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The giant proteins from the titin family, that form cytoskeletal filaments, have emerged as key mechanotransducers in the sarcomere. These proteins contain a conserved kinase region, which is auto-inhibited by a C-terminal tail domain. The inhibitory tail domain occludes the active sites of the kinases, thus preventing ATP from binding. It was proposed that through application of a force, such as that arising during muscle contraction, the inhibitory tail becomes detached, lifting inhibition. The force-sensing ability of titin kinase was demonstrated in AFM experiments and simulations [Puchner, et al., 2008, PNAS:105, 13385], which showed indeed that mechanical forces can remove the autoinhibitory tail of titin kinase. We report here steered molecular dynamics simulations (SMD) of the very recently resolved crystal structure of twitchin kinase, containing the kinase region and flanking fibronectin and immuniglobulin domains, that show a variant mechanism. Despite the significant structural and sequence similarity to titin kinase, the autoinhibitory tail of twitchin kinase remains in place upon stretching, while the N-terminal lobe of the kinase unfolds. The SMD simulations also show that the detachment and stretching of the linker between fibronectin and kinase regions, and the partial extension of the autoinhibitory tail, are the primary force-response. We postulate that this stretched state, where all structural elements are still intact, may represent the physiologically active state.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Barbieri, Christopher E., et al.
(författare)
-
The Mutational Landscape of Prostate Cancer
- 2013
-
Ingår i: European Urology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-7560 .- 0302-2838. ; 64:4, s. 567-576
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a clinically heterogeneous disease with marked variability in patient outcomes. Molecular characterization has revealed striking mutational heterogeneity that may underlie the variable clinical course of the disease. Objective: In this review, we discuss the common genomic alterations that form the molecular basis of PCa, their functional significance, and the potential to translate this knowledge into patient care. Evidence acquisition: We reviewed the relevant literature, with a particular focus on recent studies on somatic alterations in PCa. Evidence synthesis: Advances in sequencing technology have resulted in an explosion of data regarding the mutational events underlying the development and progression of PCa. Heterogeneity is the norm; few abnormalities in specific genes are highly recurrent, but alterations in certain signaling pathways do predominate. These alterations include those in pathways known to affect tumorigenesis in a wide spectrum of tissues, such as the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/phosphatase and tensin homolog/Akt pathway, cell cycle regulation, and chromatin regulation. Alterations more specific to PCa are also observed, particularly gene fusions of ETS transcription factors and alterations in androgen signaling. Mounting data suggest that PCa can be subdivided based on a molecular profile of genetic alterations. Conclusions: Major advances have been made in cataloging the genomic alterations in PCa and understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. These findings raise the possibility that PCa could soon transition from being a poorly understood, heterogeneous disease with a variable clinical course to being a collection of homogenous subtypes identifiable by molecular criteria, associated with distinct risk profiles, and perhaps amenable to specific management strategies or targeted therapies. (C) 2013 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
