Search results for "exo"
showing 10 items of 1699 documents
Circular RNA in Exosomes
2018
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel family of non-coding endogenous RNAs discovered in all eukaryotic cells and generated through a particular mechanism of alternative splicing called “back-splicing”. These molecules show multiple functions, by acting as modulators of gene and miRNA expression, and may have a role in several biological processes, such as cell proliferation and invasion with, tumour development and progression, and in several mechanisms underlying other diseases. Their presence has been shown to be abundant in several body fluids such as blood and saliva. Based on their biogenesis mechanism, cir- cRNAs may be categorized into five classes: exonic circRNAs, intronic circRNAs…
Modeling self-sustaining waves of exothermic dissolution in nanometric Ni-Al multilayers
2016
Abstract The self-sustained propagating reaction occurring in nanometric metallic multilayers was studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD) and numerical modeling. We focused on the phenomenon of the exothermic dissolution of one metallic reactant into the less refractory one, such as Ni into liquid Al. The exothermic character is directly related to a negative enthalpy of mixing. An analytical model based on the diffusion-limited dissolution [1] coupled with heat transfer was derived to account for the main aspects of the process. Together, several microscopic simulations were carried out. The first series were set up to obtain all the parameters governing the process, including the heat…
Diving into exoplanets: Are water seas the most common?
2019
One of the basic tenets of exobiology is the need for a liquid substratum in which life can arise, evolve, and develop. The most common version of this idea involves the necessity of water to act as such a substratum, both because that is the case on Earth and because it seems to be the most viable liquid for chemical reactions that lead to life. Other liquid media that could harbor life, however, have occasionally been put forth. In this work, we investigate the relative probability of finding superficial seas on rocky worlds that could be composed of nine different, potentially abundant, liquids, including water. We study the phase space size of habitable zones defined for those substance…
A giant exoplanet orbiting a very-low-mass star challenges planet formation models
2019
Surveys have shown that super-Earth and Neptune-mass exoplanets are more frequent than gas giants around low-mass stars, as predicted by the core accretion theory of planet formation. We report the discovery of a giant planet around the very-low-mass star GJ 3512, as determined by optical and near-infrared radial-velocity observations. The planet has a minimum mass of 0.46 Jupiter masses, very high for such a small host star, and an eccentric 204-day orbit. Dynamical models show that the high eccentricity is most likely due to planet-planet interactions. We use simulations to demonstrate that the GJ 3512 planetary system challenges generally accepted formation theories, and that it puts con…
Could CoRoT-7b and Kepler-10b be remnants of evaporated gas or ice giants?
2009
We present thermal mass loss calculations over evolutionary time scales for the investigation if the smallest transiting rocky exoplanets CoRoT-7b (∼1.68REarth) and Kepler-10b (∼1.416REarth) could be remnants of an initially more massive hydrogen-rich gas giant or a hot Neptune-class exoplanet. We apply a thermal mass loss formula which yields results that are comparable to hydrodynamic loss models. Our approach considers the effect of the Roche lobe, realistic heating efficiencies and a radius scaling law derived from observations of hot Jupiters. We study the influence of the mean planetary density on the thermal mass loss by placing hypothetical exoplanets with the characteristics of Jup…
ARES. III. Unveiling the Two Faces of KELT-7 b with HST WFC3
2020
We present the analysis of the hot-Jupiter KELT-7b using transmission and emission spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), both taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Our study uncovers a rich transmission spectrum which is consistent with a cloud-free atmosphere and suggests the presence of H2O and H-. In contrast, the extracted emission spectrum does not contain strong absorption features and, although it is not consistent with a simple blackbody, it can be explained by a varying temperature-pressure profile, collision induced absorption (CIA) and H-. KELT-7 b had also been studied with other space-based instruments and we explore the effects of introducing these additiona…
The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG: . Atmospheric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and improved parameters of KELT-9b
2019
In the framework of the GAPS project, we observed the planet-hosting star KELT-9 (A-type star, VsinI$\sim$110 km/s) with the HARPS-N spectrograph at the TNG. In this work we analyse the spectra and the extracted radial velocities (RVs), to constrain the physical parameters of the system and to detect the planetary atmosphere of KELT-9b. We extracted from the high-resolution optical spectra the mean stellar line profiles with an analysis based on the Least Square Deconvolution technique. Then, we computed the stellar RVs with a method optimized for fast rotators, by fitting the mean stellar line profile with a purely rotational profile instead of using a Gaussian function. The new spectra an…
Effect of Intensity and Mode of Artificial Upwelling on Particle Flux and Carbon Export
2021
Reduction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions alone will not sufficiently restrict global warming and enable the 1.5°C goal of the Paris agreement to be met. To effectively counteract climate change, measures to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are required. Artificial upwelling has been proposed as one such carbon dioxide removal technique. By fueling primary productivity in the surface ocean with nutrient-rich deep water, it could potentially enhance downward fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and carbon sequestration. In this study we investigated the effect of different intensities of artificial upwelling combined with two upwelling modes (recurring additions vs. on…
Very high MHC Class IIB diversity without spatial differentiation in the mediterranean population of greater Flamingos.
2017
WOS: 000397335400001
First extensive characterization of the venom gland from an egg parasitoid: structure, transcriptome and functional role.
2018
The venom gland is a ubiquitous organ in Hymenoptera. In insect parasitoids, the venom gland has been shown to have multiple functions including regulation of host immune response, host paralysis, host castration and developmental alteration. However, the role played by the venom gland has been mainly studied in parasitoids developing in larval or pupal hosts while little is known for parasitoids developing in insect eggs. We conducted the first extensive characterization of the venom of the endoparasitoid Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev), a species that develops in eggs of the stink bug Nezara viridula (L.). In particular we investigated the structure of the venom apparatus, its functio…