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- Abbasi, R., et al.
(author)
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An absence of neutrinos associated with cosmic-ray acceleration in gamma-ray bursts
- 2012
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 484:7394, s. 351-354
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Very energetic astrophysical events are required to accelerate cosmic rays to above 10(18) electronvolts. GRBs (c-ray bursts) have been proposed as possible candidate sources(1-3). In the GRB 'fireball' model, cosmic-ray acceleration should be accompanied by neutrinos produced in the decay of charged pions created in interactions between the high-energy cosmic-ray protons and gamma-rays(4). Previous searches for such neutrinos found none, but the constraints were weak because the sensitivity was at best approximately equal to the predicted flux(5-7). Here we report an upper limit on the flux of energetic neutrinos associated with GRBs that is at least a factor of 3.7 below the predictions(4,8-10). This implies either that GRBs are not the only sources of cosmic rays with energies exceeding 10(18) electronvolts or that the efficiency of neutrino production is much lower than has been predicted.
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| 6. |
- Pascal, M, et al.
(author)
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Assessing the public health impacts of urban air pollution in 25 European cities : Results of the Aphekom project
- 2013
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 449, s. 390-400
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: The Aphekom project aimed to provide new, clear, and meaningful information on the health effects of air pollution in Europe. Among others, it assessed the health and monetary benefits of reducing short and long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) and ozone in 25 European cities. METHOD: Health impact assessments were performed using routine health and air quality data, and a common methodology. Two scenarios were considered: a decrease of the air pollutant levels by a fixed amount and a decrease to the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. Results were economically valued by using a willingness to pay approach for mortality and a cost of illness approach for morbidity. RESULTS: In the 25 cities, the largest health burden was attributable to the impacts of chronic exposure to PM2.5. Complying with the WHO guideline of 10μg/m3 in annual mean would add up to 22months of life expectancy at age 30, depending on the city, corresponding to a total of 19,000 deaths delayed. The associated monetary gain would total some €31billion annually, including savings on health expenditures, absenteeism and intangible costs such as well-being, life expectancy and quality of life. CONCLUSION: European citizens are still exposed to concentrations exceeding the WHO recommendations. Aphekom provided robust estimates confirming that reducing urban air pollution would result in significant health and monetary gains in Europe. This work is particularly relevant now when the current EU legislation is being revised for an update in 2013.
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| 8. |
- Vanden Berghe, T, et al.
(author)
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Necroptosis, necrosis and secondary necrosis converge on similar cellular disintegration features
- 2010
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In: CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1350-9047 .- 1476-5403. ; 17:6, s. 922-930
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Necroptosis, necrosis and secondary necrosis following apoptosis represent different modes of cell death that eventually result in similar cellular morphology including rounding of the cell, cytoplasmic swelling, rupture of the plasma membrane and spilling of the intracellular content. Subcellular events during tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced necroptosis, H2O2-induced necrosis and anti-Fas-induced secondary necrosis were studied using high-resolution time-lapse microscopy. The cellular disintegration phase of the three types of necrosis is characterized by an identical sequence of subcellular events, including oxidative burst, mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization, lysosomal membrane permeabilization and plasma membrane permeabilization, although with different kinetics. H2O2-induced necrosis starts immediately by lysosomal permeabilization. In contrast, during TNF-mediated necroptosis and anti-Fas-induced secondary necrosis, this is a late event preceded by a defined signaling phase. TNF-induced necroptosis depends on receptor-interacting protein-1 kinase, mitochondrial complex I and cytosolic phospholipase A(2) activities, whereas H2O2-induced necrosis requires iron-dependent Fenton reactions.
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