2,170,023 research outputs found
Cellular Automaton for Realistic Modelling of Landslides
A numerical model is developed for the simulation of debris flow in
landslides over a complex three dimensional topography. The model is based on a
lattice, in which debris can be transferred among nearest neighbors according
to established empirical relationships for granular flows. The model is then
validated by comparing a simulation with reported field data. Our model is in
fact a realistic elaboration of simpler ``sandpile automata'', which have in
recent years been studied as supposedly paradigmatic of ``self-organized
criticality''.
Statistics and scaling properties of the simulation are examined, and show
that the model has an intermittent behavior.Comment: Revised version (gramatical and writing style cleanup mainly).
Accepted for publication by Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics. 16 pages, 98Kb
uuencoded compressed dvi file (that's the way life is easiest). Big (6Mb)
postscript figures available upon request from [email protected] /
[email protected]
Constraints to the SSC model for Mkn 501
We fit the SEDs of the TeV blazar Mkn 501 adopting the homogeneous
Synchrotron-Self Compton model to simultaneous X-ray and TeV spectra recently
become available. We present detailed model spectra calculated with the above
constraints and taking into account the absorption of TeV photons by the IR
background. We found that the curved TeV spectra can be naturally reproduced
even without IRB absorption. Taking IRB absorption into account changes the
required parameter values only slightly.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference
"X-Ray Astronomy '99", Bologna, Italy, September 199
Observation of the TeV gamma-ray source MGRO J1908+06 with ARGO-YBJ
The extended gamma ray source MGRO J1908+06, discovered by the Milagro air
shower detector in 2007, has been observed for about 4 years by the ARGO-YBJ
experiment at TeV energies, with a statistical significance of 6.2 standard
deviations. The peak of the signal is found at a position consistent with the
pulsar PSR J1907+0602. Parametrizing the source shape with a two-dimensional
Gauss function we estimate an extension \sigma = 0.49 \pm 0.22 degrees,
consistent with a previous measurement by the Cherenkov Array H.E.S.S.. The
observed energy spectrum is dN/dE = 6.1 \pm 1.4 \times 10^-13 (E/4 TeV)^{-2.54
\pm 0.36} photons cm^-2 s^-1 TeV^-1, in the energy range 1-20 TeV. The measured
gamma ray flux is consistent with the results of the Milagro detector, but is
2-3 times larger than the flux previously derived by H.E.S.S. at energies of a
few TeV. The continuity of the Milagro and ARGO-YBJ observations and the stable
excess rate observed by ARGO-YBJ along 4 years of data taking support the
identification of MGRO J1908+06 as the steady powerful TeV pulsar wind nebula
of PSR J1907+0602, with an integrated luminosity above 1 TeV about 1.8 times
the Crab Nebula luminosity.Comment: 6 pages, accepted for pubblication by ApJ. Replaced to correct the
author lis
Entanglement in continuous variable systems: Recent advances and current perspectives
We review the theory of continuous-variable entanglement with special
emphasis on foundational aspects, conceptual structures, and mathematical
methods. Much attention is devoted to the discussion of separability criteria
and entanglement properties of Gaussian states, for their great practical
relevance in applications to quantum optics and quantum information, as well as
for the very clean framework that they allow for the study of the structure of
nonlocal correlations. We give a self-contained introduction to phase-space and
symplectic methods in the study of Gaussian states of infinite-dimensional
bosonic systems. We review the most important results on the separability and
distillability of Gaussian states and discuss the main properties of bipartite
entanglement. These include the extremal entanglement, minimal and maximal, of
two-mode mixed Gaussian states, the ordering of two-mode Gaussian states
according to different measures of entanglement, the unitary (reversible)
localization, and the scaling of bipartite entanglement in multimode Gaussian
states. We then discuss recent advances in the understanding of entanglement
sharing in multimode Gaussian states, including the proof of the monogamy
inequality of distributed entanglement for all Gaussian states, and its
consequences for the characterization of multipartite entanglement. We finally
review recent advances and discuss possible perspectives on the qualification
and quantification of entanglement in non Gaussian states, a field of research
that is to a large extent yet to be explored.Comment: 61 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables; Published as Topical Review in J.
Phys. A, Special Issue on Quantum Information, Communication, Computation and
Cryptography (v3: few typos corrected
Is acting prosocially beneficial for the credit market?
This article argues that behaving prosocially implies more transparent information during the negotiation process of a financial contract and more cooperation among the parties to respect the terms of the contract. For this reason this work considers interest rate on loans and insolvency rate functions of prosocial behaviour along with the traditional socio-economic and financial collaterals. The context of study is Italy and the analysis is developed at a cross-regional level. We collect data from the two reports on “Relatives and Safety Net” produced by the Italian Centre Bureau of Statistics (ISTAT) in 1998 and 2003 and from the reports on “Regional Economics” produced by the Bank of Italy in the same years. A two-period panel model shows two interesting outcomes. Firstly, regions with a higher proportion of prosocial individuals report lower interest rates on loans and insolvency rates. Secondly, when we include the efficiency of legal enforcement, evidence supports the idea that a more efficient legal framework can act as a more reliable transmission mechanism of institutional norms and facilitate the internalisation of social norms
DNA barcodes reveal a new host record for Carcelia atricosta Herting (Diptera Tachinidae) in Italy
The parasitoid-host association between Orgyia antiqua (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) and Carcelia
atricosta Herting (Diptera: Tachinidae) is recorded here for the first time in Italy. A single caterpillar of O. antiqua was
collected in Northern Italy (Arzergrande, Padua, Veneto Region) in June 2015. After the specimen died, a single tachinid
larva emerged and pupariated. The emerged parasitoid was identified using DNA barcoding, with DNA extracted from the
tachinid pupa. This is the first distributional record of C. atricosta in Northern Italy and the second for Italy, only two other
specimens having being recorded previously (Abruzzo Region, Central Italy)
A conjectural generating function for numbers of curves on surfaces
I give a conjectural generating function for the numbers of -nodal
curves in a linear system of dimension on an algebraic surface. It
reproduces the results of Vainsencher for the case and
Kleiman-Piene for the case . The numbers of curves are expressed
in terms of five universal power series, three of which I give explicitly as
quasimodular forms. This gives in particular the numbers of curves of arbitrary
genus on a K3 surface and an abelian surface in terms of quasimodular forms,
generalizing the formula of Yau-Zaslow for rational curves on K3 surfaces. The
coefficients of the other two power series can be determined by comparing with
the recursive formulas of Caporaso-Harris for the Severi degrees in . We
verify the conjecture for genus 2 curves on an abelian surface. We also discuss
a link of this problem with Hilbert schemes of points.Comment: amslatex 13 page
Postoperative pain surveys in Italy from 2006 and 2012. (POPSI and POPSI-2)
OBJECTIVE:
Despite established standards, effective treatments, and evidence-based guidelines, postoperative pain control in Italy and other parts of the world remains suboptimal. Pain control has been recognized as a fundamental human right. Effective treatments exist to control postsurgical pain. Inadequate postoperative analgesia may prolong the length of hospital stays and may adversely impact outcomes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The same multiple-choice survey administered at the SIAARTI National Congress in Perugia in 2006 (n=588) was given at the SIAARTI National Congress in Naples, Italy in 2012 (n=635). The 2012 survey was analysed and compared to the 2006 results.
RESULTS:
Postoperative pain control in Italy was less than optimal in 2006 and showed no substantial improvements in 2012. Geographical distinctions were evident with certain parts of Italy offering better postoperative pain control than other. Fewer than half of hospitals represented had an active Acute Pain Service (APS) and only about 10% of postsurgical patients were managed according to evidence-based guidelines. For example, elastomeric pumps for continuous IV infusion are commonly used in Italy, although patient-controlled analgesia systems are recommended in the guidelines. The biggest obstacles to optimal postoperative pain control reported by respondents could be categorized as organizational, cultural, and economic.
CONCLUSIONS:
There is considerable room for improvement in postoperative pain control in Italy, specifically in the areas of clinical education, evidence-based treatments, better equipment, and implementation of active APS departments in more hospitals. Two surveys taken six years apart in Italy reveal, with striking similarity, that there are many unmet needs in postoperative pain control and that Italy still falls below European standards for postoperative pain control
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