Unbiased cut selection for optimal upper limits in neutrino detectors: the model rejection potential technique

We present a method for optimising experimental cuts in order to place the strongest constraints (upper limits) on theoretical signal models. The method relies only on signal and background expectations derived from Monte-Carlo simulations, so no bias is introduced by looking at actual data, for instance by setting a limit based on expected signal above the ``last remaining data event.'' After discussing the concept of the ``average upper limit,'' based on the expectation from an ensemble of repeated experiments with no true signal, we show how the best model rejection potential is achieved by optimising the cuts to minimise the ratio of this ``average upper limit'' to the expected signal from the model. As an example, we use this technique to determine the limit sensitivity of kilometre scale neutrino detectors to extra-terrestrial neutrino fluxes from a variety of models, e.g. active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts. We suggest that these model rejection potential optimised limits be used as a standard method of comparing the sensitivity of proposed neutrino detectors.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Astroparticle Physic

Neutrino Masses and Mixing one Decade from Now

We review the status of neutrino masses and mixings in the light of the solar and atmospheric neutrino data. The result from the LSND experiment is also considered. We discuss the present knowledge and the expected sensitivity to the neutrino mixing parameters in the simplest schemes proposed to reconcile these data some of which include a light sterile neutrino in addition to the three standard ones.Comment: 16 pages Latex file using elsart.sty. Seven postscript figures included. Talk given at the ICFA/ECFA Workshop "Neutrino Factories based on Muon Storage Rings, nu-FACT99", Lyon, July 1999. Typo in Eq. 8 correcte

Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate- Accelerated Addition of Catalytically Generated Zinc Acetylides to Aldehydes

In the presence of TMSOTf, a wide variety of terminal acetylenes add rapidly and efficiently to aldehydes via a catalytically generated zinc acetylide. In the absence of TMSOTf, no reaction is observed under otherwise identical conditions

Indagini briologiche in aree urbane: diversità briofitica dei centri abitati di Erice (Trapani) e Belmonte Mezzagno (Palermo).

Bryologic surveys in urban areas: bryophyte diversity of the population centers of Erice (province of Trapani) and Belmonte Mezzagno ((province of Palermo). The bryophytic flora of the towns of Erice (Trapani) and Belmonte Mezzagno (Palermo) have been studied. The first consists of 53 taxa (42 mosses and 11 liverwort), two of which are new for the province of Trapani, the second of 40 taxa (38 mosses and 2 liverworts), one of which new for the province of Palermo. A comparison between the studied bryofloras and those of other Sicilian urban areas shows that Erice’s bryophytic flora is, given its size, rich in species and families

Molecular analysis of sarcomeric and non-sarcomeric genes in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic heart disorder characterized by unexplained left ventricle hypertrophy associated with non-dilated ventricular chambers. Several genes encoding heart sarcomeric proteins have been associated to HCM, but a small proportion of HCM patients harbor alterations in other non-sarcomeric loci. The variable expression of HCM seems influenced by genetic modifier factors and new sequencing technologies are redefining the understanding of genotype–phenotype relationships, even if the interpretations of the numerous identified variants pose several challenges. Methods and results: We investigated 62 sarcomeric and non-sarcomeric genes in 41 HCM cases and in 3 HCM-related disorders patients. We employed an integrated approach that combines multiple tools for the prediction, annotation and visualization of functional variants. Genotype–phenotype correlations were carried out for inspecting the involvement of each gene in age onset and clinical variability of HCM. The 80% of the non-syndromic patients showed at least one rare non-synonymous variant (nsSNV) and among them, 58% carried alterations in sarcomeric loci, 14% in desmosomal and 7% in other non-sarcomeric ones without any sarcomere change. Statistical analyses revealed an inverse correlation between the number of nsSNVs and age at onset, and a relationship between the clinical variability and number and type of variants. Conclusions: Our results extend the mutational spectrum of HCM and contribute in defining the molecular pathogenesis and inheritance pattern(s) of this condition. Besides, we delineate a specific procedure for the identification of the most likely pathogenetic variants for a next generation sequencing approach embodied in a clinical context

A simulation code to assist designing space missions of the Airwatch type

The design of an Airwatch type space mission can greatly benefit from a flexible simulation code for establishing the values of the main parameters of the experiment. We present here a code written for this purpose. The cosmic ray primary spectrum at very high energies, the atmosphere modelling, the fluorescence yield, the photon propagation and the detector response are taken into account in order to optimize the fundamental design parameters of the experiment, namely orbit height, field of view, mirror radius, number of pixels of the focal plane, threshold of photo-detection. The optimization criterion will be to maximize counting rates versus mission cost, which imposes limits both on weight and power consumption. Preliminary results on signals with changing energy and zenith angle of incident particles are shown

Time-dependent linearisation of bottom friction for storm surge modelling in the Wadden Sea

The nonlinear nature of bottom friction in shallow flow complicates its analysis, particularly in idealised models. For tidal flows, Lorentz’ linearisation has been widely applied, using an energy criterion to specify the friction coefficient. Here we propose an extension of this approach to storm surges, leading to a friction coefficient that may gradually vary over a storm event. The derivation is provided along with first results for a single channel

Nuclear Physics with Electroweak Probes

In recent years, the italian theoretical Nuclear Physics community has played a leading role in the development of a unified approach, allowing for a consistent and fully quantitative description of the nuclear response to electromagnetic and weak probes. In this paper I review the main achievements in both fields, point out some of the open problems, and outline the most promising prospects.Comment: Invited Talk at the XII Workshop on Theoretical Nuclear Physics in Italy, Cortona, October 8-10, 200