Characterization of the Hamamatsu R11265-103-M64 multi-anode photomultiplier tube

The aim of this paper is to fully characterize the new multi-anode photomultiplier tube R11265-103-M64, produced by Hamamatsu. Its high effective active area (77%), its pixel size, the low dark signal rate and the capability to detect single photon signals make this tube suitable for an application in high energy physics, such as for RICH detectors. Four tubes and two different bias voltage dividers have been tested. The results of a standard characterization of the gain and the anode uniformity, the dark signal rate, the cross-talk and the device behaviour as a function of temperature have been studied. The behaviour of the tube is studied in a longitudinal magnetic field up to 100 Gauss. Shields made of a high permeability material are also investigated. The deterioration of the device performance due to long time operation at intense light exposure is studied. A quantitative analysis of the variation of the gain and the dark signals rate due to the aging is described.Comment: 22 page

An operator expansion for integrable quantum field theories

A large class of quantum field theories on 1+1 dimensional Minkowski space, namely, certain integrable models, has recently been constructed rigorously by Lechner. However, the construction is very abstract and the concrete form of local observables in these models remains largely unknown. Aiming for more insight into their structure, we establish a series expansion for observables, similar but not identical to the well-known form factor expansion. This expansion will be the basis for a characterization and explicit construction of local observables, to be discussed elsewhere. Here, we establish the expansion independent of the localization aspect, and analyze its behavior under space-time symmetries. We also clarify relations with deformation methods in quantum field theory, specifically, with the warped convolution in the sense of Buchholz and Summers.Comment: minor corrections and clarifications, as published in J. Phys A; 24 page

InfoFaunaFVG: a novel progressive web application for wildlife surveillance

The Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences (DI4A) at the University of Udine, in collaboration with Friuli Venezia Giulia regional authorities, within northeastern Italy, set up a wildlife monitoring and surveillance regional network, named InfoFaunaFVG. Here we describe the development and application of this data repository system based on a novel progressive web application, and report the data gathered in the first two and a half years of its use. InfoFaunaFVG is made of a Web Database and an integrated WebGIS system. In particular, the following open source softwares are used: Apache HTTP Server, Oracle MySQL, Symfony, Apache Tomcat, GeoServer, OpenLayers. The web app can be accessed from any web browser or by installing the progressive web application in the desktop or mobile devices. In short, operating from November 2019, InfoFaunaFVG currently (April 2022) contains a total of 40,175 records, from 300 different users, from 16 institutions. Among all species recorded, mammals were 40% (16,018) of the total, whereas avian species represented 59% (23,741), and others (reptiles and amphibians) 1% (416), respectively. Two hundred twenty-six different species (175 avian and 51 mammals) were recorded. Details about causes of death and live animal rescue were reported. To date, InfoFaunaFVG has proven to be a successful wildlife data repository system providing high quality consistent, accurate and traceable data. These had a considerable impact on regional wildlife governance. In the authors’ knowledge, InfoFaunaFVG is the first example described in literature of such a progressive web application, coordinated on an institutional level, and not based on voluntary-citizen observations. InfoFaunaFVG has the potential to become the largest wildlife monitoring and surveillance data repository system on a national level

Necroptosis in Cholangiocarcinoma

Necroptosis is a type of regulated cell death that is increasingly being recognized as a relevant pathway in different pathological conditions. Necroptosis can occur in response to multiple stimuli, is triggered by the activation of death receptors, and is regulated by receptor-interacting protein kinases 1 and 3 and mixed-lineage kinase domain-like, which form a regulatory complex called the necrosome. Accumulating evidence suggests that necroptosis plays a complex role in cancer, which is likely context-dependent and can vary among different types of neoplasms. Necroptosis serves as an alternative mode of programmed cell death overcoming apoptosis and, as a pro-inflammatory death type, it may inhibit tumor progression by releasing damage-associated molecular patterns to elicit robust cross-priming of anti-tumor CD8+ T cells. The development of therapeutic strategies triggering necroptosis shows great potential for anti-cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on necroptosis and its role in liver biliary neoplasms, underlying the potential of targeting necroptosis components for cancer treatment

Sport identification, moral perceptions and collective action: A study with young football players

We conducted a cross-sectional study investigating whether sport identification predicts different forms of collective action intentions aimed to redress the unfavourable condition faced by disadvantaged individuals. In doing so, moral perceptions (moral convictions, moral violation and moral obligation) were tested as mediators. Participants were young football players from the grassroots of a professional Italian club (N = 111). Results revealed that sport identification was indirectly associated with greater willingness to engage in both normative and non-normative solidarity-based collective action via stronger moral obligation perceptions; moral convictions mediated the relationship between sport identification and normative collective action, while no mediation effects emerged for moral violation. We discuss findings in relation to collective action and sport research

FIGHTING FOR POWER IN GAME OF THRONES: SOCIAL DOMINANCE ORIENTATION, CHARACTER MORALITY, AND COLLECTIVE VERSUS INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS WORLDVIEWS

Focusing on the "Game of Thrones" saga, we investigated among fans ( N = 338) whether social dominance orientation (SDO) is associated with morality attributed to characters of TV fictions and, in turn, individuals' worldviews. We further considered the distinction in SDO-Dominance (SDO-D) and SDO-Antiegaliatarianism (SDO-A). Results revealed that SDO-D was positively associated with morality attributed to characters using harsh power-achievement strategies; SDO-A was negatively associated with morality attributed to characters fighting for collective interests and supporting equality principles. Morality attributed to some characters mediated the associations of the two SDO dimensions with participants' worldview about pursuing collective rather than individual interests

Asymmetric Dark Matter and Dark Radiation

Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) models invoke a particle-antiparticle asymmetry, similar to the one observed in the Baryon sector, to account for the Dark Matter (DM) abundance. Both asymmetries are usually generated by the same mechanism and generally related, thus predicting DM masses around 5 GeV in order to obtain the correct density. The main challenge for successful models is to ensure efficient annihilation of the thermally produced symmetric component of such a light DM candidate without violating constraints from collider or direct searches. A common way to overcome this involves a light mediator, into which DM can efficiently annihilate and which subsequently decays into Standard Model particles. Here we explore the scenario where the light mediator decays instead into lighter degrees of freedom in the dark sector that act as radiation in the early Universe. While this assumption makes indirect DM searches challenging, it leads to signals of extra radiation at BBN and CMB. Under certain conditions, precise measurements of the number of relativistic species, such as those expected from the Planck satellite, can provide information on the structure of the dark sector. We also discuss the constraints of the interactions between DM and Dark Radiation from their imprint in the matter power spectrum.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, to be published in JCAP, minor changes to match version to be publishe

Hydrophobic cellulose-based and non-woven fabrics coated with mesoporous TiO2 and their virucidal properties under indoor light

Antiviral hydrophobic cellulose-based cotton or non-woven fabrics containing mesoporous TiO2 particles were developed for potential use in healthcare and in other contaminated environments. Hydrosols made with the sol-gel method using two different amounts of the Ti precursor were applied to cotton and non-woven fabrics and their virucidal effect on Murine Coronavirus (MHV-3) and Human Adenovirus (HAdV-5) was evaluated under indoor light irradiation. The results show 90% reduction of HAdV-5 and up to 99% of MHV-3 in non-woven fabric, and 90% reduction of MHV-3 and no reduction of HAdV-5 in cotton fabric. The antiviral activity was related to the properties of the TiO2 powders and coatings characterized by BET surface area, DRX, DLS, FTIR, DRS, SEM, TEM and water contact angle. The hydrophobic characteristic of the treated fabrics and the high surface area of the TiO2 particles favor interaction with the virus, especially MHV-3. These results demonstrate that non-woven fabric and cotton, coated with TiO2, can be highly effective in preventing contamination with MHV-3 and HAdV-5 viruses, particularly for applications in healthcare indoor environments

Angiopoietin-2 and the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Promote Migration and Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma- and Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma-Derived Spheroids

Aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) overexpressing Angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) (a protein linked with angiogenesis, proliferation, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)), shares 95% of up-regulated genes and a similar poor prognosis with the proliferative subgroup of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). We analyzed the pro-invasive effect of ANG-2 and its regulator vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on HCC and CCA spheroids to uncover posUsible common ways of response. Four cell lines were used: Hep3B and HepG2 (HCC), HuCC-T1 (iCCA), and EGI-1 (extrahepatic CCA). We treated the spheroids with recombinant human (rh) ANG-2 and/or VEGF and then observed the changes at the baseline, after 24 h, and again after 48 h. Proangiogenic stimuli increased migration and invasion capability in HCC- and iCCA-derived spheroids and were associated with a modification in EMT phenotypic markers (a decrease in E-cadherin and an increase in N-cadherin and Vimentin), especially at the migration front. Inhibitors targeting ANG-2 (Trebananib) and the VEGF (Bevacizumab) effectively blocked the migration ability of spheroids that had been stimulated with rh-ANG-2 and rh-VEGF. Overall, our findings highlight the critical role played by ANG-2 and the VEGF in enhancing the ability of HCC- and iCCA-derived spheroids to migrate and invade, which are key processes in cancer progression