Generation and reduction of the data for the Ulysses gravitational wave experiment

A procedure for the generation and reduction of the radiometric data known as REGRES is described. The software is implemented on a HP-1000F computer and was tested on REGRES data relative to the Voyager I spacecraft. The REGRES data are a current output of NASA's Orbit Determination Program. The software package was developed in view of the data analysis of the gravitational wave experiment planned for the European spacecraft Ulysses

Successful private–public funding of paediatric medicines research: lessons from the EU programme to fund research into off-patent medicines

The European Paediatric Regulation mandated the European Commission to fund research on off-patent medicines with demonstrated therapeutic interest for children. Responding to this mandate, five FP7 project calls were launched and 20 projects were granted. This paper aims to detail the funded projects and their preliminary results. Publicly available sources have been consulted and a descriptive analysis has been performed. Twenty Research Consortia including 246 partners in 29 European and non-European countries were created (involving 129 universities or public funded research organisations, 51 private companies with 40 SMEs, 7 patient associations). The funded projects investigate 24 medicines, covering 10 therapeutic areas in all paediatric age groups. In response to the Paediatric Regulation and to apply for a Paediatric Use Marketing Authorisation, 15 Paediatric Investigation Plans have been granted by the EMAPaediatric Committee, including 71 studies of whom 29 paediatric clinical trials, leading to a total of 7,300 children to be recruited in more than 380 investigational centres. Conclusion: Notwithstanding the EU contribution for each study is lower than similar publicly funded projects, and also considering the complexity of paediatric research, these projects are performing high-quality research and are progressing towards the increase of new paediatric medicines on the market. Private–public partnerships have been effectively implemented, providing a good example for future collaborative actions. Since these projects cover a limited number of offpatent drugs and many unmet therapeutic needs in paediatrics remain, it is crucial foreseeing new similar initiatives in forthcoming European funding programmes

Minimally invasive rehabilitation of a severely atrophic and fully edentulous maxilla using 4-mm-ultrashort implants: A case report with 1-year follow-up

This case report describes an alternative minimally invasive treatment option using 4-mm-long ultrashort implants placed to rehabilitate a severely atrophic edentulous maxilla. The patient, coming from a full removable denture, asked for an implant prosthesis avoiding reconstructive surgeries and expensive procedures. Considering that the mean available bone was about 4.8 mm in height on Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans, 6 implants were placed where bone volumes were sufficient to receive 4-mm-ultrashort implants. Six months after implant placement an implant-supported bar-retained overdenture prosthesis was delivered. The healing process was uneventful and 1 year after loading the result appears clinically and radiographically stable and the patient is fully satisfied. The described approach, despite some prosthetic compromises, within all the limitations of this case report, might be applied in selected cases, reducing rehabilitative times, possible complications and costs. However, longer follow-ups on large number of patients coming from Randomised Controlled clinical Trials (RCTs) are necessary before making more reliable recommendations

Direction-dependent secondary bonds and their stepwise melting in a uracil-based molecular crystal studied by infrared spectroscopy and theoretical modeling

Three types of supramolecular interactions are identified in the three crystallographic directions in crystals of 1,4-bis[(1-hexylurac-6-yl)ethynyl]benzene, a uracil-based molecule with a linear backbone. These three interactions, characterized by their strongest component, are: intermolecular double H-bonds along the molecular axis, London dispersion interaction of hexyl chains connecting these linear assemblies, and $\pi$--$\pi$ stacking of the aromatic rings perpendicular to the molecular planes. On heating, two transitions happen, disordering of hexyl chains at 473 K, followed by H-bond melting at 534 K. The nature of the bonds and transitions was established by matrix-isolation and temperature-dependent infrared spectroscopy and supported by theoretical computations

Materials and technological processes for High-Gradient accelerating structures: new results from mechanical tests of an innovative braze-free cavity

Pure oxygen-free high-conductivity copper is a widely used material for manufacturing accelerating cavities working at room temperature. Several studies attempted to explain limitations associated with the maximum allowed field gradients and the behaviour of vacuum RF breakdown in copper accelerating structures through generation and movement of dislocations under stresses associated with RF electric and magnetic fields. Pure copper and also copper alloys undergo mechanical and thermal treatments to be hardened and strengthened during manufacturing, although their mechanical properties significantly change after heating above 590ˆC. High temperature brazing and diffusion bonding are assembly methods widely used to manufacture ultra-high vacuum accelerating devices. However, these processes, occurring at about 800-1000ˆC, significantly affect the mechanical properties of copper and copper alloys. We present here a novel Tungsten Inert Gas welding procedure, which is fast and keeps the high-gradient surfaces of the cavity and other components well below the copper annealing temperature. This process may be successfully used to manufacture copper-based accelerating components. This technology preserves the hardness and cleanliness of copper in order to achieve the maximum accelerating gradient

Conventional Drills Versus Piezoelectric Surgery Preparation for Placement of Four Immediately Loaded Zygomatic Oncology Implants in Edentulous Maxillae: 3 Year Results of a Within Person Randomised Controlled Trial

PURPOSE. A within-person randomised controlled trial to compare the outcome of site preparation for two zygomatic oncology implants per zygoma using conventional preparation with rotary drills or piezoelectric surgery with dedicated inserts. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Twenty edentulous patients with severely atrophic maxillae and insufficient bone volumes for placing dental implants with less than 4 mm of bone height subantrally had their hemi-maxillae randomised according to a within-patient study design into implant site preparation with either conventional rotational drills or piezoelectric surgery. Two zygomatic oncology implants (unthreaded coronal portion) were placed in each hemi-maxilla. Implants that achieved an insertion torque of greater than 40 Ncm were immediately loaded with provisional screw-retained metal-reinforced acrylic prostheses. Outcome measures were: prosthesis and implant failures, any com-plications, time to place the implants, presence of post-operative haematoma, and patient preference, as assessed by blinded assessors when possible. All patients were followed up for 3 years after loading. RESULTS. In two patients, drills had to be used in the piezoelectric surgery arm in order to prepare implant sites properly. One implant from the conventional drill group did not achieve an insertion torque of greater than 40 Ncm since the zygoma fractured. Three patients dropped out. Two distal oncology implants failed in the same patient (one per group), who was not prosthetically rehabilitated. Six patients experienced at least one complication at drilled sites and five at piezoelectric surgery sites (three patients had bilateral complications), the difference not being statistically significant (odds ratio = 1.5; P [McNemar’s test] = 1.0; 95% CI of odds ratio: 0.25 to 8.98). Implant placement with con-vention drills took on average 14.35±1.76 minutes vs. 23.50±2.26 minutes with piezoelectric surgery, the implant placement time being significantly shorter with conventional drilling (difference = 9.15±1.69 minutes; 95%CI: 8.36 to 9.94 minutes; P = 0.000). Post-operative haematomas were larger at drilled sites in 11 patients and similar at both sides in nine patients (chi-square = 20.4; df = 3; P = 0.0001), and 16 patients found both techniques equally acceptable while four preferred piezoelectric surgery (chi-square = 34.4; df = 3; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS. Although these results may be system-dependent, and therefore cannot be generalised to other zygomatic systems with confidence, both drilling techniques achieved similar clinical outcomes. However, conventional drilling required 9 minutes less and could be used in all instances, though it was more aggressive

A proposed protocol for ordinary and extraordinary hygienic maintenance in different implant prosthetic scenarios

Prevention of peri-implantitis involves the early diagnosis of peri-implant mucositis. This article presents a protocol of hygienic maintenance in different implant prosthetic scenarios: single crown, fixed partial prosthesis, fixed full-arch, and overdentures. Others clinical conditions have to be taken into consideration: patient compliance; history of periodontitis; implants placed in augmented bone; short, zygomatic, pterygoid, and tilted implants; and complex prosthesis with false gingiva. Two levels of implant maintenance are described: ordinary, performed by dental hygienist, and extraordinary, carried out by both dentist and hygienist. Extraordinary maintenance also involves the removal and decontamination of the prosthetic structure. To obtain an effective prevention of peri-implantitis, one must plan ordinary and extraordinary hygiene in relation to the type of rehabilitation and clinical parameters

Dysprosium-carboxylate nanomeshes with tunable cavity size and assembly motif through ionic interactions

We report the design of dysprosium directed metallo-supramolecular architectures on a pristine Cu(111) surface. By an appropriate selection of the ditopic molecular linkers equipped with terminal carboxylic groups (TPA, PDA and TDA species), we create reticular and mononuclear metal–organic nanomeshes of tunable internodal distance, which are stabilized by eight-fold Dy⋯O interactions. A thermal annealing treatment for the reticular Dy:TDA architecture gives rise to an unprecedented quasi-hexagonal nanostructure based on dinuclear Dy clusters, exhibiting a unique six-fold Dy⋯O bonding motif. All metallo-supramolecular architectures are stable at room temperature. Our results open new avenues for the engineering of supramolecular architectures on surfaces incorporating f-block elements forming thermally robust nanoarchitectures through ionic bonds

Deep shower interpretation of the cosmic ray events observed in excess of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin energy

We consider the possibility that the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray flux has a small component of exotic particles which create showers much deeper in the atmosphere than ordinary hadronic primaries. It is shown that applying the conventional AGASA/HiRes/Auger data analysis procedures to such exotic events results in large systematic biases in the energy spectrum measurement. SubGZK exotic showers may be mis-reconstructed with much higher energies and mimick superGZK events. Alternatively, superGZK exotic showers may elude detection by conventional fluorescence analysis techniques.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages and rhodolith facies evolution in post-LGM sediments from the Pontine Archipelago shelf (Central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

The seabed of the Pontine Archipelago (Tyrrhenian Sea) insular shelf is peculiar as it is characterized by a mixed siliciclastic–carbonate sedimentation. In order to reconstruct the Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental evolution of the Pontine Archipelago, this study investigates the succession of facies recorded by two sediment cores. For this purpose, benthic foraminifera and rhodoliths assemblages were considered. The two cores (post-Last Glacial Maximum in age) were collected at 60 (CS1) and 122 m (Caro1) depth on the insular shelf off Ponza Island. The paleontological data were compared with seismo-stratigraphic and lithological evidence. The cores show a deepening succession, with a transition from a basal rhodolith-rich biodetritic coarse sand to the surface coralline-barren silty sand. This transition is more evident along core Caro1 (from the bottom to the top), collected at a deeper water depth than CS1. In support of this evidence, along Caro1 was recorded a fairly constant increase in the amount of planktonic foraminiferal and a marked change in benthic foraminiferal assemblages (from Asterigerinata mamilla and Lobatula lobatula assemblage to Cassidulina carinata assemblage). Interestingly, the dating of the Caro1 bottom allowed us to extend to more than 13,000 years BP the rhodolith record in the Pontine Archipelago, indicating the possible presence of an active carbonate factory at that time