“Galileo Galilei” (GG) a small satellite to test the equivalence principle of Galileo, Newton and Einstein     

Anna M. Nobili  Gian Luca Comandi  Suresh Doravari  Donato Bramanti  Rajeev Kumar  Francesco Maccarrone  Erseo Polacco  Slava G. Turyshev  Michael Shao  John Lipa  Hansjoerg Dittus  Claus Laemmerzhal  Achim Peters  Jurgen Mueller  C. S. Unnikrishnan  Ian W. Roxburgh  Alain Brillet  Christian Marchal  Jun Luo  Jozef van der Ha  Vadim Milyukov  Valerio Iafolla  David Lucchesi  Paolo Tortora  Paolo De Bernardis  Federico Palmonari  Sergio Focardi  Dino Zanello  Salvatore Monaco  Giovanni Mengali  Luciano Anselmo  Lorenzo Iorio  Zoran Knezevic 《Experimental Astronomy》2009,23(2):689-710

“Galileo Galilei” (GG) is a small satellite designed to fly in low Earth orbit with the goal of testing the Equivalence Principle—which is at the basis of the General Theory of Relativity—to 1 part in 10¹⁷. If successful, it would improve current laboratory results by 4 orders of magnitude. A confirmation would strongly constrain theories; proof of violation is believed to lead to a scientific revolution. The experiment design allows it to be carried out at ambient temperature inside a small 1-axis stabilized satellite (250 kg total mass). GG is under investigation at Phase A-2 level by ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) at Thales Alenia Space in Torino, while a laboratory prototype (known as GGG) is operational at INFN laboratories in Pisa, supported by INFN (Istituto Nazionale di fisica Nucleare) and ASI. A final study report will be published in 2009.  相似文献   

Nebular shock waves generated by planetesimals passing through Jovian resonances: Possible sites for chondrule formation     

Lon L. HOOD  Fred J. CIESLA  Natalia A. ARTEMIEVA  Francesco MARZARI  Stuart J. WEIDENSCHILLING 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2009,44(3):327-342

Abstract— The primordial asteroid belt contained at least several hundred and possibly as many as 10,000 bodies with diameters of 1000 km or larger. Following the formation of Jupiter, nebular gas drag combined with passage of such bodies through Jovian resonances produced high eccentricities (e = 0.3‐0.5), low inclinations (i < 0.5°), and, therefore, high velocities (3–10 km/s) for “resonant” bodies relative to both nebular gas and non‐resonant planetesimals. These high velocities would have produced shock waves in the nebular gas through two mechanisms. First, bow shocks would be produced by supersonic motion of resonant bodies relative to the nebula. Second, high‐velocity collisions of resonant bodies with non‐resonant bodies would have generated impact vapor plume shocks near the collision sites. Both types of shocks would be sufficient to melt chondrule precursors in the nebula, and both are consistent with isotopic evidence for a time delay of ?1‐1.5 Myr between the formation of CAIs and most chondrules. Here, initial simulations are first reported of impact shock wave generation in the nebula and of the local nebular volumes that would be processed by these shocks as a function of impactor size and relative velocity. Second, the approximate maximum chondrule mass production is estimated for both bow shocks and impact‐generated shocks assuming a simplified planetesimal population and a rate of inward migration into resonances consistent with previous simulations. Based on these initial first‐order calculations, impact‐generated shocks can explain only a small fraction of the minimum likely mass of chondrules in the primordial asteroid belt (?10²⁴‐10²⁵g). However, bow shocks are potentially a more efficient source of chondrule production and can explain up to 10–100 times the estimated minimum chondrule mass.  相似文献   

An ecotoxicological protocol with caged mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, for monitoring the impact of an offshore platform in the Adriatic Sea     

Gorbi S  Virno Lamberti C  Notti A  Benedetti M  Fattorini D  Moltedo G  Regoli F 《Marine environmental research》2008,65(1):34-49

An ecotoxicological protocol with caged mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, was developed to evaluate the potential impact of an offshore gas platform in the central Adriatic Sea. Reference organisms were collected on a seasonal basis from an unpolluted site and transplanted for four weeks in both the sampling area and to the investigated platform. Chemical analyses of trace metals in mussel tissues were integrated with a multi-biomarker approach for the early detection of biological responses at several cellular targets. Induction of metallothioneins, peroxisomal proliferation and activity of acetylcholinesterase were measured as markers for specific classes of chemicals. Special attention was given to oxyradical metabolism and appearance of oxidative-mediated toxicity to reveal a more general onset of cellular disturbance. In addition to individual antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferases, glutathione reductase, Se-dependent and Se-independent glutathione peroxidases, and levels of total glutathione), the total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC) allowed a quantification of the overall capability to neutralize specific forms of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS; i.e. peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals). Cellular damages were evaluated as lysosomal destabilization (membrane stability, accumulation of lipofuscin and neutral lipids), lipid peroxidation products (malondialdehyde) and DNA integrity (strand breaks and micronuclei); the air survival test was finally applied to evaluate the overall physiological condition of mussels. Concentration of trace metals (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) revealed only limited variations in transplanted mussels during various experimental periods and such changes appeared partly related to natural fluctuations. Among biological responses, variations of antioxidants and lysosomal stability were confirmed as sensitive early warning signals for biological disturbance of both natural and anthropogenic origin. The presented protocol with caged mussels allowed marked biological effects caused by the investigated platform to be excluded, and represented a useful approach that is easy to extend for monitoring the impact of offshore activities in the Adriatic sea.  相似文献   

The hypsometric curve of Mars     

Marcello Coradini  Marcello Fulchignoni  Francesco Visicchio 《Earth, Moon, and Planets》1980,22(2):201-210

For the construction of the hypsometric curve of Mars the topographic map of the planet produced by the U.S.G.S. has been utilized. All the areas delimited by isolines and geographic grid have been measured, then summing all the contributions given by the areas included between the same isolines. Such measurements have been effected by means of a solid-state optical image analyzer.A comparative study of the hypsometric curves of the Earth and the Moon shows that, on Mars, several processes of vertical differentiation of the crust started, but did not develop completely owing to the exhaustion of the endogenic forces which determine the surficial dynamics of a planet.A model of the evolution of the Martian crust is discussed in order to justify the shape of the hypsometric curve.Paper presented at the European Workshop on Planetary Sciences, organised by the Laboratorio di Astrofisica Spaziale di Frascati, and held between April 23–27, 1979, at the Accademia Nazionale del Lincei in Rome, Italy.  相似文献   

Petrographic evidence of the past occurrence of gas hydrates in the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy)     

Luca Martire  Marcello Natalicchio  Catalin Costel Petrea  Simona Cavagna  Pierangelo Clari  Francesco Dela Pierre 《Geo-Marine Letters》2010,30(3-4):461-476

Methane-derived rocks in Monferrato and the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (NW Italy) consist of seep carbonates, formed by gas seepage at the seafloor, and macroconcretions resulting from the cementation of buried sediments crossed by gas-rich fluids. These rocks are characterized by both negative δ¹³C values and a marked enrichment in δ¹⁸O. Petrographic features not commonly described and that point to enigmatic depositional and diagenetic conditions have been observed in both types of rocks: inhomogeneous distribution of cements within cavities; dolomite crystals floating within cavity-filling calcite spar; non-gravitational fabrics of internal sediments plastering cavity walls; open framework within microbial crusts. These features suggest the former presence of gas hydrates in sediments. During their dissociation, new space was formed and filled with authigenic carbonates or injected sediments. Analogous mechanisms of clathrate freeze-and-thaw processes have been inferred for the genesis of zebra and stromatactis structures and particular kinds of carbonate breccias. The term melt-seal structure is proposed for this kind of diagenetic structure. The fabrics of gas hydrates and the geochemical conditions of sediments, in turn depending on the relative rates of supply of methane-rich fluids and normal seawater, conditioned the final aspect of the rocks.  相似文献   

Magma-induced strain localization in centrifuge models of transfer zones   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Giacomo Corti  Marco Bonini  Francesco Mazzarini  Mario Boccaletti  Fabrizio Innocenti  Piero Manetti  Genene Mulugeta  Dimitrios Sokoutis 《Tectonophysics》2002,348(4)

Scaled centrifuge experiments have been used to investigate the dynamic relations between deformation and magma distribution in rift-related transfer zones. The physical models were built using suitable analogue materials, such as sand to represent the brittle upper crust, various kinds of silicone mixtures to simulate the lower crust and upper mantle and glycerol to reproduce magma. Models simulated the development of transfer zones across pre-existing glycerol reservoirs placed at the base of the analogue continental crust. In plan view, different geometries, dimensions and positions of subcrustal reservoirs were reproduced in three different sets of experiments; to compare results, models were also performed without magma-simulating glycerol.Set 1 experiments, incorporating a narrow rectangular glycerol reservoir, show that the low-viscosity material is able to localise deformation into the overlying crust, giving rise to discrete transfer zones. This concentrated surface deformation corresponds at depth to major magma accumulation. Set 2 experiments, with an initial wide squared glycerol reservoir, show instead that deformation is distributed across the whole model surface, corresponding at depth to relatively minor magma accumulation. Set 3 experiments explored various positions of a small squared reservoir that invariably localised faulting in the overlying analogue brittle crust at the onset of model deformation.The overall model behaviour suggests that magma distribution at depth can effectively control the strain distribution in the overlying crust and the deformative pattern of transfer zones. Strain distribution, in turn, may control magma emplacement as localized deformation would favour major accumulation of magma at transfer zones. Coupled to a strong thermal weakening of the country rocks, this process may ultimately lead to a positive feedback interaction between magma and deformation.  相似文献   

Levels and chemical speciation of arsenic in polychaetes: a review     

Daniele Fattorini  Alessandra Notti  Magdalena N. Halt  Maria Cristina Gambi  & Francesco Regoli 《Marine Ecology》2005,26(3-4):255-264

  相似文献   

Distribution of macrobenthic assemblages along a marine gradient in Mediterranean eutrophic coastal lagoons     

Francesco Rossi  Alberto Castelli  & Claudio Lardicci 《Marine Ecology》2006,27(1):66-75

Coastal lagoons can be characterised by strong environmental changes along the outer marine‐inner brackish gradient, which are reflected in the patterns of distribution of organisms and composition of assemblages. Close to the sea the assemblages are dominated by marine animals, while in the innermost confined areas, there would be estuarine taxa and organisms typical of organically‐enriched areas. During the last decades, human impact has been severe in these habitats and has often profoundly altered the distribution of animals and plants along the gradient. In this study we have analysed the distribution of macrofauna along the outer marine‐inner brackish gradient in five Italian lagoons, affected by severe human disturbance on the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Sardinian coasts. We aimed to measure changes in the composition of assemblages according to the distance from the sea, consistent among lagoons and time, after the occurrence of eutrophication, repeated distrophic crisis and other human interventions. We considered existing data from campaigns done during 1994, 1995 and 1999. We arranged different datasets according to the available data, in order to measure the spatial distribution of macrofauna genera with distance from the sea and through time. Analyses showed differences among assemblages related to the gradient. Nevertheless, the species characterizing the assemblages were all typical of organically‐enriched areas, which testified to an impoverishment of diversity and functioning of all these systems.  相似文献   

A Comparison Among Assemblages in Areas Invaded by Caulerpa taxifolia and C. racemosa on a Subtidal Mediterranean Rocky Bottom   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

David Balata  Luigi Piazzi  & Francesco Cinelli 《Marine Ecology》2004,25(1):1-13

Abstract.  This study compares the structure of Mediterranean macroalgal assemblages invaded by Caulerpa taxifolia and C. racemosa . Assemblages in areas colonized by the two algae and in reference areas were sampled and analyzed for 2 years. Significant differences were recorded both between reference and invaded areas and between areas invaded by different Caulerpa species. Macroalgal assemblages colonized by C. racemosa were more separated from references than those colonized by C. taxifolia . Differences between assemblages colonized by C. racemosa and the others decreased during the alga's period of vegetative rest and increased at the last sampling date. While erect and turf species showed similar patterns in invaded areas, covers of encrusting algae were lower in C. racemosa areas than in C. taxifolia areas.  相似文献   

Fish Assemblages in Shallow Marine Caves of the Salento Peninsula (Southern Apulia, SE Italy)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Simona Bussotti  Francesco Denitto  Paolo Guidetti  Genuario Belmonte 《Marine Ecology》2002,23(S1):11-20

Abstract. Fish assemblages of three shallow marine caves from the Salento Peninsula (Apulia, SE Italy) were investigated in July 2000. Data were collected in situ by using visual census. A total of nineteen fish species were recorded inside the caves. The species richness generally displayed a similar pattern in all three caves, decreasing from the entrance towards the innermost sections, whereas the patterns of total fish abundance differed among caves. Apogon imberbis (mainly represented by juveniles) was the most important species in terms of number of individuals (accounting for more than 85% of the censused fish) and showed a fairly even distribution inside the investigated caves. Without the numerical contribution of A. imberbis , fish abundance decreased from the entrance to the inner sections and this pattern was common to all three caves. Juvenile fishes of economic interest ( e. g., Diplodus vulgaris and Epinephelus marginatus ) were also recorded inside. The present study suggests that: (1) environmental constraints could affect distribution patterns in fish species richness and in the abundance of several fish along the axis of "blind caves" (with a single entrance), as already observed for sessile benthos and plankton assemblages; (2) shallow marine caves of the Salento Peninsula could exert the role of refuge and/or nursery for some littoral fish species during the adult and/or juvenile stages of their life histories.  相似文献