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Treatment with calcium antagonists has been shown to be beneficial in patients with primary and secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon. A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial was performed to assess the efficacy of amlodipine, a new long-acting calcium antagonist, in patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon without underlying disease. 20 of the 24 patients enrolled (20 women and 4 men, mean age 45 years) completed the trial.

Upper limits have been obtained to the diffuse gamma-ray emission from the Galactic disk. The limits I(gamma)/I(p) less than 0.2 percent, i.e., I(gamma)(greater than 130 TeV) less than 3.2 x 10 exp -13/q cm/s/rad provide the first measurement obtained in the angular window corresponding to the distribution of the ISM. It is still, however, a factor of about 30 higher than the flux calculated from the cosmic ray interactions by Berezinsky and Kudryavtsev (1990). A lower limit of gamma greater than 2.3 is obtained to the power-law index of the differential energy spectrum of Galactic gamma rays from 100 MeV to 100 TeV, setting a limit to the possibility of a hard extrapolation of the Galactic gamma-ray spectrum to the 100 TeV region. 21 refs.

This paper presents data on the sidereal variation of muons recorded at 570 hg/cm 2 , corresponding to primary rigidities around 1.8 TV. The record investigated covers a period of five years, from September 1985, near solar minimum, to September 1990, near solar maximum. The features of the observed sidereal variation histogram are related to the changing heliospheric conditions. Three conclusions emerge: (1) The Fourier reconstruction of the 24-h histogram requires a large number of harmonics, since the first and the second (diurnal and semidiurnal) are often outranked by higher order Fourier harmonics; (2) the anisotropy observed during the period of minimum solar activity has galactic origin; (3) as the level of solar activity increases the information on this anisotropy is altered by solar modulation processes.

The LVD particle astrophysics detector at Gran Sasso Laboratory is described and the status of the detector is presented.

Lonidamine (LND) is a new drug that interferes with mitochondrial functions, thereby inhibiting cellular oxygen consumption and energy metabolism in both normal and neoplastic cells. These metabolic actions of LND seem to increase the cytotoxic effect of antitumor agents such as doxorubicin (Dx). Dx is a widely used antitumor agent, but the specific cardiac toxicity which develops at a critical cumulative dose is the major limiting factor in its long term use. So far, nothing is known about a possible synergic action of LND and Dx on the metabolism of cardiac cells. The purpose of this study was to verify in an experimental model in vivo, whether LND could increase the toxicity of Dx on rat heart. Groups each consisting of 10 female Wistar rats (weighing 100-150 g) were injected ip with a single dose of Dx (10 mg/kg), LDN (50 mg/kg), or Dx plus LND and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (ratio LND:DMSO = 1/10). After 24 h, oxygen uptake (QO2) and intracellular concentrations of ATP and GTP indices of cardiac metabolic impairment, were measured on heart slices in Warburg apparatus and by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Dx, significantly (p less than 0.01), reduced QO2 (34%) and intracellular concentration of ATP and GTP (32-57%). LND alone only partially reduced cardiac QO2 (23%) and intracellular ATP-GTP concentration (16-31%). By contrast, the combination of the two agents did not enhance Dx-related metabolic cardiac toxicity.

The EAS‐TOP array at Gran Sasso (Italy) has been fully operating as a gamma‐ray astronomy observatory since the beginning of 1989 (energy range 1014‐1017 eV). We present the results on search for gamma ray emission from candidate point sources in northern hemisphere obtained by data collected through 1989‐1990. The UHE energy event observed from Crab Nebula on February 23rd, 1989, is also discussed.

The thermoluminescence (TL) profile of the GT14 Ionian Sea core has been recently analyzed in connection with other records of solar activity. Phenomenological similarities among the TL profile, the radiocarbon record in tree-rings and the variations of the mean anuual sunspot number Rz suggest a solar control of the TL signal. In this paper we consider new readings of the TL profile of the GT14 core which were obtained at different glow temperatures. While the main spectral peaks discussed in previous papers are observed in all readings, a few new significant periodic components may now be separated from the noise background. Among these, a strong 22 yr (Hale) cycle is evident, together with a periodicity of 28.5 yr which has already been detected in the spectrum of the sunspot number series. We finally test the temporal persistency of the main TL periodic components by using a cyclogram method and we explore the effects of background noise by considering the TL profile of bleached samples.

The detector of the e.m. component of Extensive Air Showers of the EAS-TOP array at Gran Sasso has been in operation for part of 1988 and 1989. We present the results obtained at primary energy Eγ ≈ 150 TeV in the study of the candidate sources observable in the northern emisphere. The observations of Cygnus X-3 during the radio burst of June '89 are discussed.

The EAS-TOP extensive air shower array has been operating since 1992 in the search for gamma-ray bursts at primary energies E(1) greater than or equal to 10 GeV and E(2) greater than or equal to 80 TeV. The study is performed by searching for short transients in the cosmic-ray intensity in the single particle (E(1)) and extensive air shower (E(2)) counting rates at mountain altitude (2005 m above sea level). We discuss the method and the results obtained both in sky survey and in correlation with BATSE events. In both energy ranges, the observed fluctuations in the event rate obtained in the sky survey during similar to 800 days of live time are compatible with the statistical fluctuations of the cosmic-ray background. A single candidate of time duration Delta t similar to 2 s and energy fluence F(10 < E < 100 GeV) = 1.7 x 10(-4)/(cos theta)(10.5) ergs cm(-2) (where theta is the unknown zenith angle) has been observed on 1992 July 15 at 13:22:26 UT in the energy range E(1) greater than or equal to 10 GeV with significance 10.6 and 20.1 sigma in two measurement channels. In the analysis made in correlation with similar to 50 events detected by BATSE, no burst candidate was found in time coincidence or in the 2 hr interval, around the BATSE detection time. The following ranges of upper limits F-max to the energy fluence in the time interval Delta t(90) in which BATSE detected 90% of the counts are obtained: F-max = 2.3 x 10(-5)-7.4 x 10(-3) ergs cm(-2) (10 < E < 100 GeV) F-max = 1.6 x 10(-6)-3.3 x 10(-5) ergs cm(-2) (100 < E < 1000 TeV).

We introduce a method which uses measurements on muons at the end of their range to derive information on the index γ of the muon energy spectrum in the (10÷150) GeV region. Advantages and limitations of the method are discussed, and the results on γ are compared with those obtained with spectrographs and calorimeters.

An air shower array on top of the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory (GSL) can give valuable information in the field of high-energy cosmic-ray physics. We discuss the performances of a specific apparatus (EAS-TOP) operating both in coincidence with the underground array (i.e. for measuring the total primary energy of multimuon events) and as an autonomous air shower detector (for studies of ultra-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, cosmic-ray anisotropies and primary composition).

This paper presents results on the fractal and statistical behavior of cosmic ray time series detected in an air shower experiment located at 2000-m altitude above the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory, Italy. We consider single particles (muons), corresponding to primary energies of ≥10 GeV, and air showers, corresponding to primary energies of ≥80 TeV. For all time series the analysis indicates a clear stochastic monofractal, non-Gaussian character; comparing these results with those obtained for underground muons and for neutron monitors, we conclude that these properties likely belong in general to cosmic ray time series, irrespective of the nature of the particles and the energies of their progenitors. In particular, the air shower time series from high-energy primaries have a fractal dimension larger than the single-muon time series originating from low-energy primaries.

The authors investigate the fractal and statistical properties of underground muons recorded at 570 hg/cm{sup 2} and study their response to solar activity variations in the second part of solar cycle 21. A constant feature detected throughout the whole period considered is the self-affine nature of the underground muon fluctuations which display a scaling range extending approximately from a few hours to more than 2 months. An important result of the study is that the scaling and spectral exponents are positively correlated with the sunspot cycle. In addition, the intensity distribution shows a more marked presence of short- and long-term fluctuations near solar maximum. The presence of solar modulation in the muon record suggests dimensions of the heliosphere at least as large as a few scattering mean free paths of the 1.8-TV primaries.

In this paper we present the thermoluminescence profile of a Tyrrhenian sea core during the time interval 1577–1808 A.D. We have sampled the core every 0.5 cm, which is half the spacing used in a previous experiment covering the time interval 600–1600 A.D. This allows the TL behaviour to be determined every4.35 y. In this way the time series of the measurements can directly be tested for the presence of the 11 y solar cycle. The results obtained give support to the previous suggestion that the TL profile method can be used for monitoring solarterrestrial relations in the past.

The characteristics of the EAS-TOP extensive air shower array as a detector of very high energy cosmic rays ( E 0 ≥ 10 14 eV) for astrophysical studies are discussed. The array is located on top of the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory in central Italy; a subarray (11 modules of the em detector) has been operating since the end of 1987. From such data the stability of the detector, the timing resolution, the accuracies in the determination of the arrival directions ( δθ = 1.2° at E 0 ∼ 200 TeV in the present configuration) and in the reconstruction of the lateral electron distribution and of the shower size are derived.

In order to investigate the extent to which 10Be concentrations in polar ice record solar activity on the level of individual Schwabe solar cycles, we have measured 10Be concentrations over the interval from 1180 to 1800 A.D. in an ice core from Greenland, using the accelerator mass spectrometer of the ETH Zurich. The data were analysed using the cyclogram method of time series analysis which showed that 10Be concentrations varied with a period which ranged between 9 and 11.4 y. Schwabe-type 10Be variations were visible even during the Maunder Minimum (1645–1715 A.D.), an interval of almost no visible sunspots. During this period 10Be concentrations varied with a periodicity which slowly increased from 9 to 11 y. 10Be concentrations were higher during the Maunder Minimum than during minima in the 11 y Schwabe cycle. This suggests the presence of residual solar modulation even during Schwabe solar cycle minima.

The thermoluminescence profile of an Ionian Sea recent sedimentary core, constructed with 467 equispaced data points and spanning 18 centuries from 170 to 1974 A.D. is studied. Several time series analysis methods reveal two evident periodicities on the centennial time scale, at 137 years and 118 years, both with their second harmonics. Together with these slow cyclic variations two sharp periodicities appear on the decennial time scale, at 12.1 years and 10.8 years. In the present study the amplitude and phase of these waves have been determined and it is shown that their summation accounts for more than 50% of the standard deviation of the whole time series and that they correctly reproduce the basic characteristics of the data.

A meteorite shower fell at Torino, Italy on May 18, 1988. Petrographic studies indicate that the stone is an H6 chondrite having features of moderate to severe shock. Chemical analyses of the meteorite are reported. Cosmic ray produced He-3, Ne-21 and Xe-126 yield an exposure age of about 48 Ma. The cosmic ray track densities in three fragments range between 1.8 to 5 x 10 to the 5th/sq cm suggesting about 99 percent mass ablation in the atmosphere,. Twelve radioisotopes with half lives ranging between 5.6 days to 7.3 x 10 to the 5th years have been measured with high precision. Marginal signals were observed for several short-lived nuclides and upper limits were obtained for the activity levels of eight radionuclides, some of which have not been hitherto detected in fresh falls. The data are generally consistent with the nuclide production by galactic cosmic rays when modulation due to the solar cycle is taken into consideration. 23 refs.

The lower limits of the nucleon lifetime obtainable with radiochemical and geochemical methods are discussed. The background rate produced by the cosmic radiation at great depths is evaluated, leading to the result of τ≤2·1030y. To improve this limit it seems necessary to use other methods which, however, are model dependent.

Thermoluminescence from the different layers of a recent core drilled in the Tyrrhenian Sea has been measured. The sedimentation rate of 0.115 cm y−1 previously determined by the210Pb−226Ra method allows the profile of TL to be obtained in the last 1500 years. We notice that sharp peaks in the TL intensity appear during the years in which records of hystorical supernovae explosions are given. A working model of the process based on the irradiation of dust in the upper atmosphere by γ-rays produced in the SN burst allows a satisfactory energy estimate of the observations to be done. Moreover, the profile shows the modulation of the irradiations of the Earth environment produced by the Sun in the past.

The integral response functions for cosmic-ray muons, at different muon threshold energies, are calculated by taking into account the nuclear composition of the primary cosmic radiation, and showing their contribution also at large zenith angles.

The Zurich sunspot relative number R z series has been analysed by the cyclogram method. The amplitude and the frequency variations of the Fourier 11 yr component between 1700–1983 A.D., were determined in a continuous way. Four distinct time intervals with significantly different characteristics of the periodicities are observed and discussed. Their second harmonics are also considered. The periodicity changes are contemporary to those of the 11 yr cycles. Around the year 1903 it seems that an important event has happened in the Sun. In fact the 11.4 yr cycle periodicity, that was very stable since at least 1825 started to change gradually to smaller values and similarly it happened to the second harmonic which also stopped and abruptly changed of phase of 90°.

The results of the spectral analysis of the time variations of the thermoluminescence (TL) intensity measured at 4 y intervals in a recent Ionian Sea sediment core from 1500 A.D. to 1974 A.D. are presented. The presence of an 11 y wave is clearly demonstrated not only by the power spectral density analysis but also by two other methods:a) the superposition of the 11 y epochs andb) the stretching index of the 11 y cyclogram. Moreover, the fan map of the stretching index of the cyclograms at different perioditities shows that the oscillations in the band (11±0.5) y are regularly frequency-modulated on a time scale around 90 y. The two kind of periodicities could be related to the Schwabe and the Gleissberg cycles of solar activity which appear in phase with the TL cycles. We confirm, therefore, our previous suggestion that the TL profiles from sea sediments could be a useful tool for monitoring the solar-terrestrial effects in the past.

The profiles of the concentration of210Pb precipitated from the atmosphere are measured in Tyrrhenian Sea cores, all collected in about the same region. From the disequilibrium226Ra−210Pb the sedimentation rate has been found and its uniformity has been tested. The measured activities of210Pb unsupportedin situ in the different layers show an exponential behaviour as a function of depth, thus demonstrating that the sedimentation rate is constant. Moreover the fall-out has been estimated in two different cores, and the agreement is excellent (respectively 62 and 58 atoms/cm2 min). A case of mixing in the top layers during collection mishandling is also presented: the fluctuations in the activity measurements are evident and prevent the sedimentation rate to be univocally determined.

We present the results of a spectral analysis in the frequency domain of the fluctuations of cosmic rays extended to primary rigidity ∼250 GV. The experimental power spectrum is compared with that expected on the basis of the theory of interplanetary scintillations, Forbush effect and the effects of CM passages of solar recurrent active regions. The agreement confirms the influence of heliospheric phenomena up to 250 GV and the presence of nonlinear interactions between particles and interplanetary magnetic fields.

We describe here the LVD experiment (Large-Volume Detector) of the Gran Sasso Laboratory, which is the natural improvement of the LSD experiment (Liquid Scintillation Detector) running in the Mont Blanc Laboratory. The LVD ((31×13) m2 area, height 12 m) consists of ≈1800 tons of liquid scintillator and of a system of streamer tubes on 5 layers for reconstructing tracks of charged particles. As any experiment in an underground laboratory, which has a low statistics of events and requires long running times, the LVD is a multipurpose experiment but with different priorities of the researches. The main goal is neutrino astronomy, firstly detection of neutrinos from collapsing stars and secondly high-energy neutrinos and solar neutrinos. Since the expected number of interactions of neutrinos, from a stellar collapse is very high (of order of 900 for a collapse at the distance of the galactic centre), the LVD is, contrary to the present experiments, a real neutrino observatory, able to make a detailed analysis of the energy and temporal distributions of the burst. In addition to neutrino astrophysics, with the LVD experiment excellent possibilities exist to perform researches in cosmic-ray and high-energy elementary-particle physics.

Data on the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase activities in normal liver and in three transplantable rat hepatomas, viz Yoshida's AH 130 and Morris's 5123C and 7793, were studied by means of factor analysis, a powerful technique of multivariate analysis particularly suitable for identifying factors which theoretically may account for the pattern of interrelations between several variables. The analysis has been performed on 51 patterns of enzyme activities, covering 17 out of the 20 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases; 80% on average of the total variability of the 17 enzyme activities may be accounted for by the first 4 factors extracted. The enzymes seem to fall into different groups, depending on their relationship with the factors thus identified. The results suggest that enzymes belonging to the same group share a common control mechanism, and are independent of the enzymes belonging to different groups, both in normal liver and in hepatomas.

The analysis of the thermoluminescence (TL) profile of the GT14 recent sea sedimentary core shows the existence of four main periodicities of 137.7, 59,12.06, and 10.8 years. Here we discuss the affinity of these waves to the known cycles of solar variability. The beats of the two high frequency components produce a modulated wavetrain with a carrier wave of 11.4 years and an amplitude modulation with period 206 years. The minima of this squared amplitude modulation fall in 1810 and 1913 A.D. and closely correspond to the periods of lowest solar activity as indicated by the sunspot series. The sum of the two low frequency waves can in turn be rewritten as a component with period 82.6 years which is amplitude modulated by a second component with period of 206 years. The 82.6-yr wave has the period commonly attributed to the Gleissberg cycle of solar activity. The maxima of the 82.6-yr wave occur in agreement with the dates of maximum solar radius as suggested by Gilliland (1981).

LVD is a large volume detector which will be installed in Hall A of the Gran Sasso Laboratory. This detector is 49 m long, 13.2 m high and 12 m wide. It contains 2280 m3 of scintillator (1800 t) and 1800 t of steel. The geometric acceptance of LVD for an isotropic flux of particles is greater than 7000 m2 sr. LVD is the ideal detector for detecting a stellar collapse, anywhere in our galaxy; for studying neutrino oscillations; for searching for the supersymmetric decay mode of the proton; and for looking at the boron neutrinos from the sun. LVD is a very competitive detector for detecting astrophysical neutrino emitting point sources, for performing dark matter searches, for studying single muon distributions, for detecting muon bundles and hence determining the primary cosmic ray composition, and for searching for massive monopoles and other ultra heavy particles. LVD is composed of 190 identical modules, of which the first 10% of these modules will installed in 1987.

The large-volume detector (LVD) which will be installed in Hall A of the Gran Sasso Laboratory can be defined as an underground observatory devoted to neutrino astronomy and to the measurement of the penetrating components of cosmic rays. The detector consists of two major parts: the tracking system and the scintillator system. It is specifically designed to permit a multipurpose experiment allowing the detection of neutrino interaction inside the detector and the detection of omnidirectional mu-mesons and the measurement of their trajectories and direction of flight.