Relevant gluonic energy scale of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking from lattice QCD

We analyze which momentum component of the gluon field induces spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in lattice QCD. After removing the high-momentum or low-momentum component of the gluon field, we calculate the chiral condensate and observe the roles of these momentum components. The chiral condensate is found to be drastically reduced by removing the zero-momentum gluon. The reduction is about 40% of the total in our calculation condition. The nonzero-momentum infrared gluon also has a sizable contribution to the chiral condensate. From the Banks-Casher relation, this result reflects the nontrivial relation between the infrared gluon and the zero-mode quark

Factors Influencing Greenways Use in Italy: Definition of a Method for Estimation

The issue of non-motorized mobility in the last decades has seen increasing attention at the international level. Also in Italy we assisted at the creation of hundreds of miles of trails dedicated to cycling and walking, many of which meet the greenway definition of the European Greenways Association: “Communication routes reserved exclusively for non-motorized journeys, developed in an integrated manner which enhances both the environment and quality of life of the surrounding area. These routes should meet satisfactory standards of width, gradient, and surface condition to ensure that they are both user-friendly and low-risk for users of all abilities. In this respect, canal towpaths and disused railway lines are a highly suitable resource for the development of greenways” (EGWA, 2002). More generally, greenways are green infrastructures that can be planned at different scales and for multiple purposes (ecological, recreational, cultural, non-motorized mobility) (Fabos, 1995; Ahern, 1995). Various methodologies and several studies on greenways planning have been conducted also in Italy (Rovelli et al., 2004; Toccolini et al., 2006; Senes et al., 2010). The growing number of infrastructures built and the related costs, combined with the recent economic crisis, led to an increasing need for public bodies to evaluate each project in terms of its ability to meet the needs of the communities, particularly in terms of attractiveness for users and benefits (not only economic) for local communities. To do this, planners and decision makers need to be provided with: 1) updated and consistent data on greenways and trails users; 2) models, based on the previous data, that can help to predict the number of users on a planned infrastructure. In such a context, the aim of this research was to assess the relationships between the number of users detected along some Italian greenways and the characteristics of the territory crossed (in terms of population and environment), in order to define a model capable of estimating the potential users of a greenway before it is realized. It represents one of the first attempts in Italy

Development and preliminary data on the use of a mobile app specifically designed to increase community awareness of invasive pneumococcal disease and its prevention

PublishedGiven the growing use and great potential of mobile apps, this project aimed to develop and implement a user-friendly app to increase laypeople's knowledge and awareness of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Despite the heavy burden of IPD, the documented low awareness of IPD among both laypeople and healthcare professionals and far from optimal pneumococcal vaccination coverage, no app specifically targeting IPD has been developed so far. The app was designed to be maximally functional and conceived in accordance with user-centered design. Its content, layout and usability were discussed and formally tested during several workshops that involved the principal stakeholders, including experts in IPD and information technology and potential end-users. Following several workshops, it was decided that, in order to make the app more interactive, its core should be a personal “checker” of the risk of contracting IPD and a user-friendly risk-communication strategy. The checker was populated with risk factors identified through both Italian and international official guidelines. Formal evaluation of the app revealed its good readability and usability properties. A sister web site with the same content was created to achieve higher population exposure. Seven months after being launched in a price- and registration-free modality, the app, named “Pneumo Rischio,” averaged 20.9 new users/day and 1.3 sessions/user. The first in-field results suggest that “Pneumo Rischio” is a promising tool for increasing the population's awareness of IPD and its prevention through a user-friendly risk checker.The development of the app is a part of the project on increasing the population's awareness of invasive pneumococcal disease and has been supported by sponsorship from Pfizer S.r.l. The sponsor had no role in the app design and development. The authors thank Progetti di Impresa Srl for creating the app and website

Analysis of influenza vaccination coverage among the elderly in Genoa (Italy) based on a deprivation index, 2009-2013

Introduction. The elderly suffer the most influenza-related complications, and 90%of deaths due to influenza occur in older subjects. Consequently, the elderly are among the main targets of influenza vaccination campaigns. The use of deprivation indexes can help to identify subgroups with lower vaccination uptake. This study analyzed influenza vaccination coverage in elderly persons living in Genoa (Italy) in relation to a local Index of Socio-Economic and Health Deprivation (SEHDI) in order to identify population subgroups needing specific intervention to improve vaccination coverage. Methods. The study targeted subjects aged 65 65 years living in Genoa in the period 2009-2013. Information on vaccination coverage was provided by general practitioners and Local Health Units. A combination of linear regression, factor analysis and cluster analysis was used to construct the SEHDI at Census Tract (CT) level, on the basis of data from the 2011 Italian census. Results. In 2011, people aged 65 65 years accounted for the 27.7%of the population of Genoa. Most elderly subjects were assigned to either the medium (45.3%) or medium-high (32%) deprivation groups, while the percentages in the extreme tails were low (3.6%high deprivation; 1.3%low deprivation). Significant, nonlinear (p < 0.05 NL) relationships were observed in both sexes with regard to mortality due to all respiratory diseases (RD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with the highest Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) values in women in the high deprivation group of women (1.81, p < 0.05 RD; 1.79, p < 0.05 COPD). The SMRs for influenza and pneumonia showed a positive linear trend in women (p < 0.05) with the highest value in the high deprivation group (1.97, p < 0.05), while in men the trend was NL (p < 0.05). A positive linear trend (p < 0.05) was found with regard to vaccination coverage, which grew weakly as deprivation increased, up to the medium-high deprived group (from 34.6%to 44.4%). However, the high deprivation group showed the lowest value (33.3%). Conclusions. The results revealed a relationship between deprivation and influenza vaccination coverage in the elderly. This finding should be taken into account in the organization of vaccination campaigns and should prompt differentiated intervention in each local area

Inter-Quark Potentials in Baryons and Multi-Quark Systems in QCD

We perform the first studies of various inter-quark potentials in SU(3)$_{\rm c}$ lattice QCD. From the accurate lattice calculation for more than 300 different patterns of three-quark (3Q) systems, we find that the static 3Q potential $V_{\rm 3Q}$ is well described by Y-Ansatz, i.e., the Coulomb plus Y-type linear potential. Quark confinement mechanism in baryons is also investigated in maximally-Abelian projected QCD. We next study the multi-quark potentials $V_{n{\rm Q}}$ ($n$=4,5) in SU(3)$_{\rm c}$ lattice QCD, and find that they are well described by the one-gluon-exchange Coulomb plus multi-Y type linear potential, which supports the flux-tube picture even for the multi-quarks. Finally, we study the heavy-heavy-light quark (QQq) potential both in lattice QCD and in a lattice-QCD-based quark model.Comment: Invited talk at the international Conference on Chiral Symmetry in Hadron and Nuclear Physics (Chiral07) November 13-16, 2007, Osaka University, Japa