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We report spectro-polarimetric results of an observational campaign of the bright neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Cyg X-2 simultaneously observed by IXPE, NICER and INTEGRAL. Consistently with previous results, the broad-band spectrum is characterized by a lower-energy component, attributed to the accretion disc with $kT_{\rm in} \approx$ 1 keV, plus unsaturated Comptonization in thermal plasma with temperature $kT_{\rm e} = 3$ keV and optical depth $\tau \approx 4$, assuming a slab geometry. We measure the polarization degree in the 2-8 keV band $P=1.8 \pm 0.3$ per cent and polarization angle $\phi = 140^{\circ} \pm 4^{\circ}$, consistent with the previous X-ray polarimetric measurements by OSO-8 as well as with the direction of the radio jet which was earlier observed from the source. While polarization of the disc spectral component is poorly constrained with the IXPE data, the Comptonized emission has a polarization degree $P =4.0 \pm 0.7$ per cent and a polarization angle aligned with the radio jet. Our results strongly favour a spreading layer at the neutron star surface as the main source of the polarization signal. However, we cannot exclude a significant contribution from reflection off the accretion disc, as indicated by the presence of the iron fluorescence line., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Full list of authors: Ursini, F.; Marinucci, A.; Matt, G.; Bianchi, S.; Marin, F.; Marshall, H. L.; Middei, R.; Poutanen, J.; Rogantini, D.; De Rosa, A.; Di Gesu, L.; Garcia, J. A.; Ingram, A.; Kim, D. E.; Krawczynski, H.; Puccetti, S.; Soffitta, P.; Svoboda, J.; Tombesi, F.; Weisskopf, M. C.; Barnouin, T.; Perri, M.; Podgorny, J.; Ratheesh, A.; Zaino, A.; Agudo, I; Antonelli, L. A.; Bachetti, M.; Baldini, L.; Baumgartner, W. H.; Bellazzini, R.; Bongiorno, S. D.; Bonino, R.; Brez, A.; Bucciantini, N.; Capitanio, F.; Castellano, S.; Cavazzuti, E.; Ciprini, S.; Costa, E.; Del Monte, E.; Di Lalla, N.; Di Marco, A.; Donnarumma, I; Doroshenko, V; Dovciak, M.; Ehlert, S. R.; Enoto, T.; Evangelista, Y.; Fabiani, S.; Ferrazzoli, R.; Gunji, S.; Heyl, J.; Iwakiri, W.; Jorstad, S. G.; Karas, V; Kitaguchi, T.; Kolodziejczak, J. J.; La Monaca, F.; Latronico, L.; Liodakis, I; Maldera, S.; Manfreda, A.; Marscher, A. P.; Mitsuishi, I; Mizuno, T.; Muleri, F.; Ng, C. Y.; O'Dell, S. L.; Omodei, N.; Oppedisano, C.; Papitto, A.; Pavlov, G. G.; Peirson, A. L.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Petrucci, P-O; Pilia, M.; Possenti, A.; Ramsey, B. D.; Rankin, J.; Romani, R. W.; Sgro, C.; Slane, P.; Spandre, G.; Tamagawa, T.; Tavecchio, F.; Taverna, R.; Tawara, Y.; Tennant, A. F.; Thomas, N. E.; Trois, A.; Tsygankov, S. S.; Turolla, R.; Vink, J.; Wu, K.; Xie, F.; Zane, S., We report on the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observation of the closest and X-ray brightest Compton-thick active galactic nucleus (AGN), the Circinus galaxy. We find the source to be significantly polarized in the 2–6 keV band. From previous studies, the X-ray spectrum is known to be dominated by reflection components, both neutral (torus) and ionized (ionization cones). Our analysis indicates that the polarization degree is 28 ± 7 per cent (at 68 per cent confidence level) for the neutral reflector, with a polarization angle of 18° ± 5°, roughly perpendicular to the radio jet. The polarization of the ionized reflection is unconstrained. A comparison with Monte Carlo simulations of the polarization expected from the torus shows that the neutral reflector is consistent with being an equatorial torus with a half-opening angle of 45°–55°. This is the first X-ray polarization detection in a Seyfert galaxy, demonstrating the power of X-ray polarimetry in probing the geometry of the circumnuclear regions of AGNs, and confirming the basic predictions of standard Unification Models. © 2022 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society., The Imaging X ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a joint US and Italian mission. The US contribution is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and led and managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), with industry partner Ball Aerospace (contract NNM15AA18C). The Italian contribution is supported by the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, ASI) through contract ASI-OHBI-2017-12-I.0, agreements ASI-INAF-2017-12-H0 and ASI-INFN-2017.13-H0, and its Space Science Data Center (SSDC) with agreements ASI-INAF-2022-14-HH.0 and ASI-INFN 2021-43-HH.0, and by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) in Italy. This research used data products provided by the IXPE Team (MSFC, SSDC, INAF, and INFN) and distributed with additional software tools by the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). JPou and SST were supported by the Academy of Finland grants 349373 and 349906. AIng acknowledges support from the Royal Society. MDov, JSvo, and VKar acknowledge the support from the GACR project 21-06825X. POP acknowledges financial support from the French High Energy Program (PNHE/CNRS) and from the French spatial agency (CNES)., With funding from the Spanish government through the "Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence" accreditation (CEX2021-001131-S).

Study question Does testicular histology predict successful or unsuccessful TEsticular Sperm Extraction (TESE) in Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA) patients? Summary answer Testicular histology failed to predict successful TESE in 1 of 3 NOA patients. What is known already The management of patients with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia (NOA) involves TEsticular Sperm Extraction (TESE) combined with IntraCytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). Sperm retrieval is successful in up to 50% of men with NOA; however, there is no single clinical finding or investigation that can accurately predict a positive outcome. Previous studies have concluded that testicular histology is the best predictor of a successful or unsuccessful TESE. Study design, size, duration This is a retrospective study of 525 patients who underwent TESE between January 2018 and December 2020 in Humanitas Fertility Center. Participants/materials, setting, methods The cohort was dived in five groups: 287 NOA, 95 necrozoospermia, 18 anejaculation, 1 testicular trauma and 124 Obstructive Azoospermia (OA) patients. Main results and the role of chance Sperm was retrieved and cryopreserved in 218/287 patients with NOA (75,95%), 55/95 in necrozoospermia (57,89%), 18/18 anejaculation (100%), 1/1 testicular trauma (100%) and 120/124 in OA patients (96,77%). Interesting that, when we compare sperm recovery data through TESE with the histological assessment (HA) of corresponding testicular biopsy, we found discordance against HA. In particular we retrieved spermatozoa in 218 NOA patients but in 74 of them HA failed to detect them (33,94%). Moreover HA failed to detect spermatozoa in 8/55 (14,54%) in case of necrozoospermia, 1/18 (5,55%) in anejaculation and 10/120 (8,33%) in OA patients. Limitations, reasons for caution Testis's heterogeneity is a limitation of the study. Wider implications of the findings We found a discordance when HA is compared with sperm recovery data of corresponding testicular biopsy. This data suggest that in case of testicular diagnostics histology in 33,94% of NOA cases there is a wrong diagnosis and 1 of 3 patients it doesn’t retrieve and cryopreserve spermatozoa when it could. Trial registration number N A

Scheduled to launch in late 2021 the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a Small Explorer Mission designed to open up a new window of investigation -- X-ray polarimetry. The IXPE observatory features 3 identical telescope each consisting of a mirror module assembly with a polarization-sensitive imaging x-ray detector at its focus. An extending beam, deployed on orbit provides the necessary 4 m focal length. The payload sits atop a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft which among other things provides power, attitude determination and control, commanding, and telemetry to the ground. During its 2-year baseline mission, IXPE will conduct precise polarimetry for samples of multiple categories of x-ray sources, with follow-on observations of selected targets. IXPE is a partnership between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

While X-ray Spectroscopy, Timing and Imaging have improved verymuch since 1962, when the first astronomical non-solar source was discovered, especially with the launch of Newton/X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission, Rossi/X-ray Timing Explorer and Chandra/Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, the progress of X-ray polarimetry has been meager. This is in part due to the lack of sensitive polarization detectors, in part due to the fate of approved missions and in part because the celestial X-ray sources appeared less polarized than expected. Only one positive measurement has been available until now. Indeed the eight Orbiting Solar Observatory measured the polarization of the Crab nebula in the 70s. The advent of techniques of microelectronics allowed for designing a detector based on the photoelectric effect in gas in an energy range where the optics are efficient in focusing X-rays. Herewe describe the Instrument, which is the major contribution of the Italian collaboration to the SmallExplorer mission called IXPE, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, which will be flown in late 2021. The instrument, is composed of three Detector Units, based on this technique, and a Detector Service Unit. Three Mirror Modules provided by Marshall Space Flight Center focus X-rays onto the detectors. In the following we will show the technological choices, their scientific motivation and the results from the calibration of the Instrument. IXPE will perform imaging, timing and energy resolved polarimetry in the 2-8 keV energy band opening this window of X-ray astronomy to tens of celestial sources of almost all classes., 25 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables (accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal)

Due to be launched in late 2021, the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer mission designed to perform polarization measurements in the 2-8 keV band, complemented with imaging, spectroscopy and timing capabilities. At the heart of the focal plane is a set of three polarization-sensitive Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD), each based on a custom ASIC acting as a charge-collecting anode. In this paper we shall review the design, manufacturing, and test of the IXPE focal-plane detectors, with particular emphasis on the connection between the science drivers, the performance metrics and the operational aspects. We shall present a thorough characterization of the GPDs in terms of effective noise, trigger efficiency, dead time, uniformity of response, and spectral and polarimetric performance. In addition, we shall discuss in detail a number of instrumental effects that are relevant for high-level science analysis -- particularly as far as the response to unpolarized radiation and the stability in time are concerned., Comment: To be published in Astroparticle Physics

In order to evaluate whether overuse has a significant role in rotator cuff tear (RCT) aetiology, we evaluated both shoulders of patients with old unilateral arm amputation expecting a higher rate of RC degeneration in the healthy side. Nineteen males and six females (mean age: 57.3 ± 10.1) with an old (>20 years) unilateral arm amputation were submitted to an MRI of both shoulders. Tendon status and muscle tropism were evaluated according to Sugaya and Fuchs classifications, respectively; the acromion humeral distance was measured. Statistical analysis was performed to verify the prevalence of Sugaya and Fuchs categories in each sides. A significant prevalence of Sugaya type II in the amputated side (p = 0.02) and of type I in the healthy side (p

The frequency of normoblastemia in dogs receiving chemotherapy is unknown. To provide this information, we calculated the percentage and number of nucleated erythrocytes (nRBCs) in blood of dogs treated for lymphoma (n = 284), mast cell tumour (n = 40) or carcinoma (n = 46). Relative normoblastemia (>1 or >5%) and absolute normoblastemia (>0.1 or >0.4 × 103 µL-1 ) were found after administration of vincristine (49.3, 20.5, 42.5, 19.2%, respectively), carboplatin (37.0, 2.2, 34.8, 13.0%), cyclophosphamide (30.8, 7.7, 23.1, 7.7%), doxorubicin (25.0, 8.3, 21.7, 6.7%), vinblastine and prednisone (25.0; 5.0; 22.5; 7.5%). Absolute normoblastemia was very severe (>1.0 × 103 nRBC µL-1 ) after administration of vincristine (9.6%), doxorubicin (3.3%), vinblastine and prednisone (2.5%). Absolute normoblastemia negatively correlated with RBC counts (P

The aim of this study was to analyze soybean seed physiological quality after being subjected to various mixtures of pesticides via industrial seed treatment. The experiment was performed at the seed laboratory of the company BioGrow, located at São Paulo-SP, using soybean seeds cultivar NS 6700 IPRO which were subjected to 11 different treatments. Seed treatment was carried out using a treater Momesso, model L5-K, calibrated to apply a spray volume of 0.5 L 100 kg-1 of seeds in which the volume of each treatment was adjusted using distilled water. After treatment, seeds were spread over plastic strays for drying for a period of 24 hours under environmental conditions. Once dry, seeds were packed in paper bags and stored for 0 (control), 45, 90, 135 and 180 days, under uncontrolled conditions of temperature and relative humidity, when seed physiological quality was evaluated using the following tests: germination, accelerated aging, seedling emergence, speed of emergence index and speed of emergence. Soybean industrial seed treatment before storage for up to 180 days is practicable using the mixtures of pesticides tested for storing seeds under environmental conditions. All treatments tested contribute to the maintenance of seed quality throughout storage.

Pecorino di Laticauda is a traditional Italian goat milk cheese carrying a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Previously there was no information available on the microbiological characterization of Pecorino di Laticauda. The present work deals with the studies carried out on the microflora evolution during all the stages of maturation of cheese.

The continuous advancement in communication technology has introduced many video communication applications. The rise in demand for these applications has brought about an increase in bandwidth consumption. Despite the ability of the new generation of technology to render this need, challenges on transmitting a video with good quality over networks still exists. One of these is the variation in delay caused by congestion in the links of the network. In real-time transmission, this delay can cause a packet to be dropped, leading to an error in the video stream. This error can propagate to the subsequent frames, further degrading the quality of video at the receiver end. One major cause of error propagation is the loss of packets due to an extensive delay. In this paper, a multi-hop wired network was simulated to demonstrate packet loss due to packet drop caused by queuing on the hops; and the effects of packet drop in video transmission on the quality of video were observed. A maximum threshold end-to-end delay had been observed wherein the packet is dropped when this value of delay is exceeded. The dropped packet had been correlated to the number of queued packets on the link where it was dropped. With the simulated packet loss pattern used on video transmission, the quality of video between lossless video transmission and that with packet loss and the effects of packet loss between different bit rate and motion complexity had been observed and differentiated.

The frequency of normoblastemia in dogs receiving chemotherapy is unknown. To provide this information, we calculated the percentage and number of nucleated erythrocytes (nRBCs) in blood of dogs treated for lymphoma (n = 284), mast cell tumour (n = 40) or carcinoma (n = 46). Relative normoblastemia (1 or5%) and absolute normoblastemia (0.1 or0.4 × 10

Some recent results obtained in the search for double beta decay in vari- ous isotopes obtained in experiments carried out at LNGS with the DAMA/R&D, DAMA/Ge set-up and the STELLA facility will be summarized.

This paper shortly summarizes the results obtained with the total exposure of 1.04 ton × yr collected by DAMA/LIBRA-phase1 deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) of the I.N.F.N. during 7 annual cycles. The DAMA/LIBRA-phase1 and the former DAMA/NaI data (cumulative exposure 1.33 ton × yr, corresponding to 14 annual cycles) give evidence at 9.3 σ C.L. for the presence of Dark Matter (DM) particles in the galactic halo, on the basis of the exploited model independent DM annual modulation signature by using highly radio-pure NaI(Tl) target. The modulation amplitude of the single-hit events in the (2–6) keV energy interval is: (0.0112 ± 0.0012) cpd/kg/keV; the measured phase is (144 ± 7) days and the measured period is (0.998 ± 0.002) yr, values well in agreement with those expected for DM particles. No systematic or side reaction able to mimic the exploited DM signature has been found or suggested by anyone over more than a decade. Some of the perspectives of the presently running DAMA/LIBRA-phase2 are outlined.

Background: Topical corticosteroids are the mainstay treatment for oral lichen planus (OLP), but some authors suggest that systemic corticosteroid therapy is the only way to control acute presentation of OLP. Methods: Forty-nine patients with histologically proven atrophic–erosive OLP were divided into two groups matched for age and sex. The test group (26 patients) was treated systemically with prednisone (50 mg/day), and afterwards with clobetasol ointment in an adhesive medium plus antimicotics, whereas the control group (23 patients) was only treated topically with clobetasol plus antimycotics. Results: Complete remission of signs was obtained in 68.2% of the test group and 69.6% of the control group, respectively (P = 0.94). Similar results were obtained for symptoms. Follow-up showed no significant differences between the two groups. One-third of the patients of the test group versus none in the control group experienced systemic side-effects (P = 0.003). Conclusions: The most suitable corticosteroid therapy in the management of OLP is the topical therapy, which is easier and more cost-effective than the systemic therapy followed by topical therapy.

The 7 kDa Sso7 is a basic protein particularly abundant in Sulfolobus solfataricus and is involved in 28 DNA assembly. This protein undergoes in vitro ADP-ribosylation by an endogenous poly(ADP-ribose) 29 polymerase-like enzyme. The circular dichroism spectrum of purified ADP-ribosylated Sso7 shows 30 that this modification stabilizes the prevalent protein b-conformation, as suggested by shifting of 31 negative ellipticity minimum to 220 nm. Moreover, a short ADP-ribose chain (up to 6-mers) bound 32 to Sso7 is able to reduce drastically the thermoprotective and DNA condensing ability of the protein, 33 suggesting a possible regulatory role of ADP-ribosylation in sulfolobal DNA organization. 34 _ 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies. 35

A 1 H NMR study of the phytotoxin fusicoccin (FC) and of a group of related compounds has been carried out at 500 MHz in chloroform- d solutions. Among the seven investigated compounds five were biologically active while two were not. The NMR spectra were completely analysed in terms of chemical shifts and coupling constants. A computer program, designed to provide all possible conformations compatible with the experimental values of a molecular set of vicinal coupling constants, was then employed to attain the structural conformations of the aglycones of all the compounds. The procedure afforded one conformation for each compound, except in one case wherein the experimental data are better interpreted in terms of a mixture of two interconverting conformers. The results of the present investigation seem to suggest that the occurrence of a given overall conformation of the carbotricyclic system whilst contributory to, is not sufficient to account for the biological activity of these compounds.

The high-coverage genomes of a Neandertal and Denisovan individuals from the Altai Mountains in Southern Siberia have provided insights into the history and relationships of archaic and modern humans (Meyer et al., Science 2012 ; Prüfer et al., Nature 2014). The demographic history of Neandertal populations across Eurasia, however, remains largely unknown. Here we present the first integrated demographic analysis making use of the DNA sequences of chromosome 21 from two Neandertals from Spain and Croatia together with the two archaic genomes from Southern Siberia and 14 present-day humans. The analysis was conducted using the Generalized Phylogenetic Coalescent Sampler (G-PhoCS ; Gronau et al., Nat Genet 2011), a Bayesian method for robust demographic inference based on the joint analysis of small numbers of individuals from multiple populations.

The high-coverage sequencing of a Neandertal and a Denisovan individual from the Altai Mountains in Siberia provided insights into the history and relationships of these archaic individuals to modern humans (Meyer et al. 2012 ; Prüfer et al. 2014). We used densely tiled oligonucleotide probes to capture 30 million bases of the human chromosome 21 from two Neandertal individuals from El Sidrón in Spain and Vindija in Croatia, and sequenced them to 12- and 34-fold, respectively. We compared the genotypes of these individuals to the same regions from the chromosomes 21 of a Neandertal and a Denisovan, as well as to 25 presentday humans from different populations around the world. Heterozygosities in the two Neandertals from Europe are similar to that of the Denisovan individual and about one third of the lowest heterozygosity seen in the present-day humans. Only the Altai Neandertal shows a lower heterozygosity. As described, the Altai Neandertal shows a large number of large regions of homozygosity that are the result of recent inbreeding. The two European Neandertals show fewer and smaller such regions of homozygosity that are still larger than what is seen in any of the present-day humans. These results suggest that the long-term population size of Neandertals across their geographic range was low, while only the Altai Neandertal shows an excess of long homozygous regions due to recent inbreeding.

Under ideal circumstances, maximum flux is achieved from saturated solutions and, therefore, the diffusion of compounds from supersaturated solutions would provide enhanced penetration. However, due to the inherent lack of stability of supersaturated solutions, they tend to crystallise upon preparation, but in some cases this can be overcome with antinucleant polymers which inhibit or retard crystallisation. Supersaturated solutions of piroxicam for a range of different degrees of saturation up to 5.3 were prepared in a 40:60, v/v, propylene glycol/water cosolvent mixture. Solutions up to 4 degrees of saturation were stable for at least 16 h and their penetration across silicone membranes and full-thickness human skin was investigated using diffusion cells. Relationships between flux and degree of saturation for the supersaturated systems produced linear correlations, but flux values across skin at 0.5 and 1 degrees of saturation were similar. This was partly attributed to differences in the solubility of the drug at different donor phase temperatures. Mechanisms of action for antinucleant polymers were considered, and it was postulated that hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose prevented the formation of a hydrate form of piroxicam, which was less soluble than its anhydrous form in aqueous based solvent systems.

A new search for production of correlated e+e- pairs in the alpha decay of 241Am has been carried out deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. by using pairs of NaI(Tl) detectors of the DAMA/LIBRA set-up. The experimental data show an excess of double coincidences of events with energy around 511 keV in faced pairs of detectors, which are not explained by known side reactions. This measured excess gives a relative activity lambda = (4.70 \pm 0.63) \times 10^{-9} for the Internal Pair Production (IPP) with respect to alpha decay of 241Am; this value is of the same order of magnitude as previous determinations. In a conservative approach the upper limit lambda < 5.5 \times 10^{-9} (90% C.L.) can be derived. It is worth noting that this is the first result on IPP obtained in an underground experiment, and that the lambda value obtained in the present work is independent on the live-time estimate., 18 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables; version accepted for publication on Eur. Phys. J. A

Cadmium tungstate crystal scintillators enriched in 106Cd and 116Cd were developed. The produced scintillators exhibit good optical and scintillation properties, and a low level of radioactive contamination. Experiments to search for double beta decay of 106Cd and 116Cd are in progress at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories of the INFN (Italy). Prospects to further improve the radiopurity of the detectors by recrystallization are discussed., Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure (4 eps-figs), 1 table. Accepted for publication in Radiation Measurements as a Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Luminescent Detectors and Transformers of Ionizing Radiation (LUMDETR 2012), September 09-14, 2012, Halle (Saale), Germany

The studies performed in the research of new materials and purification techniques allow us a wide choice among inorganic scintillators for a variety of use. In this paper crystal scintillators and their application and potentialities in low background measurements are discussed, with a particular attention to direct dark matter investigation.

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The ultimate effectiveness of any mass screening campaign is directly related to strict compliance with certain rules and technical protocols designed for radiological installations. Concerning radiological screening, the primary technical objective is to ensure reproducibly high quality images at low radiation dose to the patient. This paper describes the methodology followed for the implementation of a quality control (QC) programme of 48 mammography installations used within the context of the breast cancer screening campaign in the Bas-Rhin region of eastern France. In order to demonstrate the efficacy of such a programme, results of QC tests and procedures relating to each element of the radiological imaging chain are presented and compared for four control visits carried out at 6 month intervals over a period of 2 years. A reduction of 50% (from 16 mGy to 7.5 mGy) of breast entrance doses (normalized to a breast thickness of 4.5 cm) and a significant improvement of detectability of high contrast details are discussed. The importance of encouraging an extension of a similar process to the other screening experiments currently underway in France is emphasized.