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We discuss the consequences of the quantum uncertainty on the spectrum of the electron emitted by the $\beta$-processes of a tritium atom bound to a graphene sheet. We analyze quantitatively the issue recently raised in [Cheipesh et al., Phys. Rev. D 104, 116004 (2021)], and discuss the relevant time scales and the degrees of freedom that can contribute to the intrinsic spread in the electron energy. We perform careful calculations of the potential between tritium and graphene with different coverages and geometries. With this at hand, we propose possible avenues to mitigate the effect of the quantum uncertainty., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures

This paper reports and discusses the results of some experimental investigations carried out with the aim to identify the best conditions for a safe exposure of the 3D printed large-scale replica of Michelangelo’s David during its exhibition in the Italian Pavilion of the Expo 2020 Dubai.The whole project posed numerous challenges due to the dimension of the Michelangelo’s David (which is over seven metres high and weighs more than five ton). As a matter of fact, on the one hand, no standardized procedures have been still established to define accuracy and quality of 3D printing. On the other hand, the large-scale printing opens up new issues concerning the mechanical properties requested of the printing material and the printing set-up that is necessary to ensure the stability and durability of the printed replica.After a general picture of the whole project, thermal characterization of the material used to print the replica and mechanical tests of samples obtained form the replica are reported and discussed. Thermal characterisation showed that the stiffness of the material was strongly influenced by temperature and that it decreased continuously as this parameter increased. Mechanical tests showed a brittle behaviour, with a collapse load approximately 10 times higher than the internal loads resulting from the self-weight alone.The analyses here presented constitute some of the groundwork carried out for the realisation and installation of the 3D printed replica of Michelangelo’s David. This conceptualisation, considering both the extreme environmental conditions and the large-size of the replica, has been particularly challenging and the adopted procedure was useful to verify the different phases of the realisation of the replica.

Over the past decade, the use of machine learning and deep learning algorithms to support 3D semantic segmentation of point clouds has significantly increased, and their impressive results has led to the application of such algorithms for the semantic modeling of heritage buildings. Nevertheless, such applications still face several significant challenges, caused in particular by the high number of training data required during training, by the lack of specific data in the heritage building scenarios, and by the time-consuming operations to data collection and annotation. This paper aims to address these challenges by proposing a workflow for synthetic image data generation in heritage building scenarios. Specifically, the procedure allows for the generation of multiple rendered images from various viewpoints based on a 3D model of a building. Additionally, it enables the generation of per-pixel segmentation maps associated with these images. In the first part, the procedure is tested by generating a synthetic simulation of a real-world scenario using the case study of Spedale del Ceppo. In the second part, several experiments are conducted to assess the impact of synthetic data during training. Specifically, three neural network architectures are trained using the generated synthetic images, and their performance in predicting the corresponding real scenarios is evaluated.

The PTOLEMY transverse drift filter is a new concept to enable precision analysis of the energy spectrum of electrons near the tritium beta-decay endpoint. This paper details the implementation and optimization methods for successful operation of the filter. We present the first demonstrator that produces the required magnetic field properties with an iron return-flux magnet. Two methods for the setting of filter electrode voltages are detailed. The challenges of low-energy electron transport in cases of low field are discussed, such as the growth of the cyclotron radius with decreasing magnetic field, which puts a ceiling on filter performance relative to fixed filter dimensions. Additionally, low pitch angle trajectories are dominated by motion parallel to the magnetic field lines and introduce non-adiabatic conditions and curvature drift. To minimize these effects and maximize electron acceptance into the filter, we present a three-potential-well design to simultaneously drain the parallel and transverse kinetic energies throughout the length of the filter. These optimizations are shown, in simulation, to achieve low-energy electron transport from a 1 T iron core (or 3 T superconducting) starting field with initial kinetic energy of 18.6 keV drained to, 29 pages, 25 figures

During the last decades, significant efforts have been made to define appropriate Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) frameworks based on the vibration signatures collected by accelerometers. Data-driven approaches are increasingly adopted for damage detection through the identification of anomalies in the distribution of the frequencies. This paper analyzes the long-term monitoring data acquired from a system installed on the Matilde tower in Livorno (Italy). The tower is a historic masonry structure monitored since the end of 2018 using a wireless sensor network developed during the MOSCARDO project.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of third trimester ultrasound for the diagnosis of clinically significant Placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PAS) in women with a low-lying placenta (less than 20 mm from the internal cervical os) or placenta praevia (covering the os) METHODS: Pregnant women with a low-lying placenta or placenta praevia, age ≥ 18 years and gestational age at ultrasound ≥ 26+0/7 weeks of gestation were prospectively included in the study. Ultrasound suspicion of PAS was raised in the presence of at least one of these signs: (1) obliteration of the hypoechoic space between the uterus and the placenta; (2) interruption of the hyperechoic interface between the uterine serosa and the bladder wall; (3) abnormal placental lacunae. In order to assess the ability of ultrasound to detect clinically significant PAS, a composite outcome comprehensive of both active management at delivery and histopathological confirmation of PAS was considered as the reference standard. PAS was considered of clinical significance if, in addition to histological confirmation, at least one of these procedures was carried out after delivery: use of hemostatic intrauterine balloon, compressive uterine suture, peripartum hysterectomy, uterine/hypogastric artery ligation, uterine artery embolization.

Different types of tissues respond differently to the action of oxidative stress. The visual system is very sensitive to oxidative action due to continuous exposure to light. In consideration of the growing interest of scientific studies towards various compounds endowed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, we performed a review of the literature focusing on the use of some antioxidant molecules for the treatment of conditions affecting the visual system. In this study, we focused on the ability of two antioxidant agents, the small molecule ��-lipoic acid (ALA) and the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), to influence the neurodegenerative physiological processes related to aging and oxidative stress affecting the ocular segment. The literature data report that ALA and SOD can protect against neurodegenerative effects both the optic nerve and retina and, if administered together, they are able to lower the levels of oxidative stress, thus preventing neurodegeneration and reducing the apoptotic process., EXCLI Journal; 21:Doc544; ISSN 1611-2156

This paper reports an application of wireless sensor network technology to the long-term monitoring of a historic masonry tunnel-like structure located in Italy. The monitoring was performed within the activity of a research project aimed at providing a general framework to check the structural health of heritage structures and to real-time detect any potential damage that may compromise their safety. The tunnel-like structure was selected being, to the best of authors' knowledge, a challenging experiment both for the type of structure itself and for the technical solution to be employed for installing the monitoring system. This paper, after a brief description of the installed monitoring system and the design of the sensor layout, summarizes the lesson learned after one year of monitoring.

Introduction. The clinical course of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly heterogenous, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal forms. The identification of clinical and laboratory predictors of poor prognosis may assist clinicians in monitoring strategies and therapeutic decisions. Materials and Methods. In this study, we retrospectively assessed the prognostic value of a simple tool, the complete blood count, on a cohort of 664 patients ( F 260; 39%, median age 70 (56-81) years) hospitalized for COVID-19 in Northern Italy. We collected demographic data along with complete blood cell count; moreover, the outcome of the hospital in-stay was recorded. Results. At data cut-off, 221/664 patients (33.3%) had died and 453/664 (66.7%) had been discharged. Red cell distribution width (RDW) ( χ 2 10.4; p < 0.001 ), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NL) ratio ( χ 2 7.6; p = 0.006 ), and platelet count ( χ 2 5.39; p = 0.02 ), along with age ( χ 2 87.6; p < 0.001 ) and gender ( χ 2 17.3; p < 0.001 ), accurately predicted in-hospital mortality. Hemoglobin levels were not associated with mortality. We also identified the best cut-off for mortality prediction: a NL ratio > 4.68 was characterized by an odds ratio for in-hospital mortality OR = 3.40 (2.40-4.82), while the OR for a RDW > 13.7 % was 4.09 (2.87-5.83); a platelet count > 166,000 /μL was, conversely, protective (OR: 0.45 (0.32-0.63)). Conclusion. Our findings arise the opportunity of stratifying COVID-19 severity according to simple lab parameters, which may drive clinical decisions about monitoring and treatment.

The SARS-Cov-2 pandemic significantly impacted on oncology practice across the globe. There is uncertainty as to the contribution of patients' demographics and oncological features on severity and mortality from Covid-19 and little guidance as to the role of anti-cancer and anti-Covid-19 therapy in this population. In a multi-center study of 890 cancer patients with confirmed Covid-19 we demonstrated a worsening gradient of mortality from breast cancer to haematological malignancies and showed that male gender, older age, and number of co-morbidities identifies a subset of patients with significantly worse mortality rates from Covid-19. Provision of chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy did not worsen mortality. Exposure to antimalarials was associated with improved mortality rates independent of baseline prognostic factors. This study highlights the clinical utility of demographic factors for individualized risk-stratification of patients and support further research into emerging anti-Covid-19 therapeutics in SARS-Cov-2 infected cancer patients.

Metal monochalcogenides (MX) have recently been rediscovered as two-dimensional materials with electronic properties highly dependent on the number of layers. Although some intriguing properties appear in the few-layer regime, the carrier mobility of MX compounds increases with the number of layers, motivating the interest in multilayered heterostructures or bulk materials. By means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements and density functional theory calculations, we compare the electronic band structure of bulk ε−GaSe and ε-InSe semiconductors. We focus our attention on the top valence band of the two compounds along main symmetry directions, discussing the effect of spin-orbit coupling and contributions from post-transition-metal (Ga or In) and Se atoms. Our results show that the top valence band at Γ point is dominated by Se pz states, while the main effect of Ga or In appears more deeply in binding energy, at the Brillouin zone corners, and in the conduction band. These findings explain also the experimental observation of a hole effective mass rather insensitive to the post-transition metal. Finally, by means of spin-resolved ARPES and surface band structure calculations we describe Rashba-Bychkov spin splitting of surface states in ε−InSe., The support by the Fundamental Research Program of the State Academies of Sciences (line of research III.23.2.9), and the project EUROFEL-ROADMAP ESFRI, are gratefully acknowledged. This work has been partly performed in the framework of the Nanoscience Foundry and Fine Analysis (NFFA—MIUR Italy Progetti Internazionali) facility. M. Castriota and F. Ciuchi are acknowledged for having performed, respectively, Raman and XRD characterization of GaSe and InSe samples. This work was supported by Saint Petersburg State University (Grant No. ID 51126254).

This paper presents some results about the MOSCARDO system, a structural health monitoring platform specifically developed for long-term measurement of heritage structures. The main features of the system are shown with reference to a case study: the Voltone in Livorno (Italy).

We propose to achieve the proof-of-principle of the PTOLEMY project to directly detect the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CNB). Each of the technological challenges described in [1,2] will be targeted and hopefully solved by the use of the latest experimental developments and profiting from the low background environment provided by the LNGS underground site. The first phase will focus on the graphene technology for a tritium target and the demonstration of TES microcalorimetry with an energy resolution of better than 0.05 eV for low energy electrons. These technologies will be evaluated using the PTOLEMY prototype, proposed for underground installation, using precision HV controls to step down the kinematic energy of endpoint electrons to match the calorimeter dynamic range and rate capabilities. The second phase will produce a novel implementation of the EM filter that is scalable to the full target size and which demonstrates intrinsic triggering capability for selecting endpoint electrons. Concurrent with the CNB program, we plan to exploit and develop the unique properties of graphene to implement an intermediate program for direct directional detection of MeV dark matter [3,4]. This program will evaluate the radio-purity and scalability of the graphene fabrication process with the goal of using recently identified ultra-high radio-purity CO2 sources. The direct detection of the CNB is a snapshot of early universe dynamics recorded by the thermal relic neutrino yield taken at a time that predates the epochs of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the Cosmic Microwave Background and the recession of galaxies (Hubble Expansion). Big Bang neutrinos are believed to have a central role in the evolution of the Universe and a direct measurement with PTOLEMY will unequivocally establish the extent to which these predictions match present-day neutrino densities.

Oceans and seas are essential components of the biosphere. Marine sustainability and human society are intrinsically interlinked. The oceans are crucial for global food security, human health and regulation of climate. The livelihoods of over 3 billion people worldwide depend upon services from marine and coastal biodiversity. Under the EU’s blue growth strategy, new marine goods and services, such as marine renewable energy, marine biotechnology and marine minerals, are seen as important sources of employment, economic security and sustainable development. Over the past 10 years there has been increasing focus on marine and maritime governance both within the European Union and beyond. The fundamental challenge that European policymakers must address is how to achieve a sustainable use of the oceans that ensures that marine goods and services are available for future generations, while meeting the demands of human population growth and economic growth.

LaBr3:Ce has been showing very promising characteristics as gamma ray imager and spectrometer. In particular its excellent energy resolution values (6% at 140 keV and not, vert, similar3% FWHM at 662 keV), obtained when coupled to a PMT, make it the major competitor of semiconductor detectors working at room temperature. In order to improve its imaging performances, the LaBr3:Ce can easily work as continuous detector allowing sub-millimeter spatial resolution values at 140 keV photon energy when coupled to a Position Sensitive PMT. Further interesting characteristics like a short scintillation decay time (16 ns), a very high light yield (63 000 photons/MeV) and a low afterglow are attracting the scientific community for the potential improvement of a wide range of applications in medicine like PET, SPECT and CT instrumentation. In this paper, we present some preliminary imaging results obtained by coupling H8500 Hamamatsu Flat Panel PMT to two LaBr3:Ce crystals with 50×50 mm2 area, 5 and 10 mm thickness respectively. With the aim to propose a single detector able to combine functional information, for example from Single Photon Emission technique, with the morphological ones from X-ray imaging the spatial resolution results obtained in the energy range between 30 and 302 keV are analyzed and discussed. We obtained very interesting spatial resolution results for gamma ray energy value greater than 60 keV (better than 1 mm, intrinsic value), while in the energy range proper to X-ray applications, like RX-Mammography (about 30 keV), the spatial resolution values resulted about 2 mm.

The availability of LaBr3 :Ce crystals from St. Gobain has started various investigations in the field of medical imaging, in particular in PET, SPECT and Compton camera systems. At present LaBr3 :Ce crystals are available in a continuous shape covering up to 10×10 cm2 with a thickness of 1 cm, in contrast, serious concerns are arising in pixellated manufacturing. With the aim of verifying the potentials introduced by LaBr3 :Ce for SPET imaging, two small γ cameras based on Anger camera principle have been assembled and imaging performances were compared. Two crystals of LaBr3 :Ce and NaI(Tl) with the same detection area (5×5 cm2) and thickness of 5 and 1.5 mm, respectively were been integrally assembled with a H8500 Hamamatsu flat panel PMT. Through the thicker crystal, the LaBr3 :Ce camera showed superior imaging and detection performances at 140 keV compared with the NaI(Tl) one, with 0.9 mm FWHM intrinsic spatial resolution, 8% FWHM energy resolution and 80% intrinsic detection efficiency.

The principal limiting factor in the clinical acceptance of scintimammography is certainly its low sensitivity for cancers sized

In mammals, estrogens have dose- and cell-type-specific effects on immune cells and may act as pro- and anti-inflammatory stimuli, depending on the setting. In the bivalve mollusc Mytilus, the natural estrogen 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) has been shown to affect neuroimmune functions. We have investigated the immunomodulatory role of E(2) in Mytilus hemocytes, the cells responsible for the innate immune response. E(2) at 5-25 nM rapidly stimulated phagocytosis and oxyradical production in vitro; higher concentrations of E(2) inhibited phagocytosis. E(2)-induced oxidative burst was prevented by the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine and superoxide dismutase, indicating involvement of NO and O(2)(-); NO production was confirmed by nitrite accumulation. The effects of E(2) were prevented by the antiestrogen tamoxifen and by specific kinase inhibitors, indicating a receptor-mediated mechanism and involvement of p38 MAPK and PKC. E(2) induced rapid and transient increases in the phosphorylation state of PKC, as well as of a aCREB-like (cAMP responsive element binding protein) transcription factor, as indicated by Western blot analysis with specific anti-phospho-antibodies. Localization of estrogen receptor-alpha- and -beta-like proteins in hemocytes was investigated by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. The effects of E(2) on immune function were also investigated in vivo at 6 and 24 h in hemocytes of E(2)-injected mussels. E(2) significantly affected hemocyte lysosomal membrane stability, phagocytosis, and extracellular release of hydrolytic enzymes: lower concentrations of E(2) resulted in immunostimulation, and higher concentrations were inhibitory. Our data indicate that the physiological role of E(2) in immunomodulation is conserved from invertebrates to mammals.

Organic molecule-metal interfaces are relevant both for theirtechnological applications and for the knowledge of the earlystage of the adsorption. In this context the interface propertiesplay an important role in determining the adsorbate orderingand its electronic properties. In this work we present theelectronic properties and the growth morphology of the CuPcmolecule grown on Al(100) and Au(110) surfaces. These twometals have completely di.erent properties that influence thenature of the interface. Al is a prototype of a free electronmetal and the CuPc/Al(100) interface is characterized by asignificant charge transfer as observed by the disappearanceof the HOMO-LUMO transition in the EELS spectra at lowcoverage [1]. Strong evidence of the interaction between themolecule and Al substrate also come from XPS [2] where weobserve the disappearance of the shake-up satellites in the C1s spectra and the complete reduction of copper for the lowestcoverages. On the contrary Au is characterized by a stronglocalization of d electrons and a low density of delocalized selectrons. For the CuPc/Au(110) interface we observe less important modification of the electronic structure of the moleculewith respect to the CuPc/Al(100) interface. Nonetheless theinteraction between the molecule and the Au substrate is notnegligible. In fact HR-UPS study has shown the presence ofinterface states [3]. From a morphological point of view weobserve that CuPc grown on Au(110) gives rise to di.erentsymmetry of the interface as a function of the CuPc thickness:the 1x2 clean Au reconstruction evolves in a 5x5 and in a 5x3reconstruction as observed by LEED. The Au(110) surface ismade by long channels of missing atoms that act as a guidefor the adsorption of the molecules. Along the direction of thechannels we observe a periodicity that match the dimension ofthe molecule, while along the other direction the x2 reconstructionof the Au atoms disappears after a deposition of a fractionof monolayer and it evolves in the x5 and the x3 reconstruction.As pointed out by GIXD [4], these reconstructions along the [001] direction is due to a rearrangement of the uppermostgold atoms. The CuPc/Al(100) interface does not show anylong range order. For the lowest coverage the strong interactionsuggests a flat lying deposition while for thicker film, XASdata indicate the growth of CuPc layer with the plane of themolecule perpendicular to the surface.

Architectural and engineering geniuses of ancient times have left to the world an important heritage of stone, masonry and other structures ranging from temples, churches, mosques, pyramids to aqueducts, palaces, and dams. Preserving these for future generations is one of the more important challenges facing modern civilization. In some places vibrations from traffic can be a cause of gradual damage, which if not counteracted could result in eventual catastrophic collapse. More often than not, it is earthquakes that pose such a threat that catastrophic failure could occur. Other factors or combination of factors can also cause catastrophic distress to a structure (impacts, blasts, fire, lightening, etc.). Modern engineering design practices usually consider the so called ultimate limit states for a structure as a whole. By using the theory of probability for design parameters such as loads and material properties, one can arrive at the probability of a catastrophic failure of a structure given a particular event. The problem with applying these to significant historical structures is that the computational tools available are at times somewhat limited for ancient structure analyses purposes simply because of the specific and innovative ways the structures were built. In this paper, using the Los Alamos MUNROU package it is demonstrated that the combined finite discrete element method (FDEM) has some unique capabilities in modeling the ultimate limit state of historical buildings ; each individual stone blocks or stone anchors could potentially be captured with accurate representation of frictional energy dissipation under transient dynamic loads. Our work here focuses on an initial cursory analysis of the potential earthquake threat posed to one of the most famous historical structures, the Santa Maria Del Fiore Dome in Florence.

Hypothyroidism and gestational diabetes are common endocrine disorders in pregnancy. Our aim is to evaluate the outcome of newborns from mothers with hypothyroidism and from mothers with gestational diabetes.The study analysed 216 newborns: 112 from mothers with gestational diabetes and 104 from mothers with hypothyroidism. For each case, we included as a control a newborn of same sex and gestational age from a mother without diabetes or thyreopathy.In newborns from mothers with gestational diabetes there was an increased frequency of hypoglycaemia and hypocalcaemia, of lower head circumference and of small-for-gestational age (SGA) birth or macrosomy (LGA) than controls. The newborns from mothers with hypothyroidism are more frequently SGA or LGA and they have a slightly increased risk of hypoglycaemia.Newborns from mothers with diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism have an increased risk of being SGA or LGA, and to develop a mild transient hypoglycaemia. Newborns from mothers with diabetes mellitus have also an increased risk to develop hypocalcaemia and to have a lower head circumference than controls. Thus, to prevent SGA or LGA births, it is very important an early diagnosis and treatment, and a strict metabolic control of these conditions.