Pulsar Bound on the Photon Electric Charge Reexamined

If photons had a small electric charge $Q_\gamma$ their path in the galactic magnetic field would be curved, leading to a time delay between photons of different frequency from a distant source. Cocconi's previous application of this argument led to a limit which is too restrictive by a factor of about 200; the corrected bound is Q_\gamma/e\lapprox10^{-29}.Comment: 3 pages, LaTe

Neutrinos: the Key to UHE Cosmic Rays

Observations of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECR) do not uniquely determine both the injection spectrum and the evolution model for UHECR sources - primarily because interactions during propagation obscure the early Universe from direct observation. Detection of neutrinos produced in those same interactions, coupled with UHECR results, would provide a full description of UHECR source properties.Comment: three pages, three figures. corrected typo

Riforma universitaria

La l. 30.12.2010, n. 240, che ha profondamente riformato l\u2019ordinamento universitario, mira ad elevare la concorrenza e il merito nelle universit\ue0, riducendo l\u2019autoreferenzialit\ue0 delle componenti accademiche sia nelle scelte strategiche e di governo del sistema sia in ordine ai meccanismi di reclutamento dei professori. La riforma, al contempo, sembra aver compresso in modo significativo l\u2019autonomia universitaria. \uc8 presto, tuttavia, per formulare un giudizio sulla l. n. 240/2010: per un bilancio degli effetti della stessa occorrer\ue0 attendere la conclusione del complesso processo di attuazione \uaba cascata\ubb. La legge, infatti, richiede, da un lato, che gli atenei adeguino i loro statuti e, dall\u2019altro, che il governo adotti numerosi regolamenti e decreti di attuazione

Performance of the Fully Digital FPGA-based Front-End Electronics for the GALILEO Array

In this work we present the architecture and results of a fully digital Front End Electronics (FEE) read out system developed for the GALILEO array. The FEE system, developed in collaboration with the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) collaboration, is composed of three main blocks: preamplifiers, digitizers and preprocessing electronics. The slow control system contains a custom Linux driver, a dynamic library and a server implementing network services. The digital processing of the data from the GALILEO germanium detectors has demonstrated the capability to achieve an energy resolution of 1.53 per mil at an energy of 1.33 MeV.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, preprint version of IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science paper submitted for the 19th IEEE Real Time Conferenc

Cosmogenic activation of Germanium and its reduction for low background experiments

Production of $^{60}$Co and $^{68}$Ge from stable isotopes of Germanium by nuclear active component of cosmic rays is a principal background source for a new generation of $^{76}$Ge double beta decay experiments like GERDA and Majorana. The biggest amount of cosmogenic activity is expected to be produced during transportation of either enriched material or already grown crystal. In this letter properties and feasibility of a movable iron shield are discussed. Activation reduction factor of about 10 is predicted by simulations with SHIELD code for a simple cylindrical configuration. It is sufficient for GERDA Phase II background requirements. Possibility of further increase of reduction factor and physical limitations are considered. Importance of activation reduction during Germanium purification and detector manufacturing is emphasized.Comment: 10 pages, 3 tables, 6 figure

A solution of a hoary conundrum: the origin and properties of cosmic rays

I discuss a theory of non-solar cosmic rays (CRs) based on a single type of CR source at all energies. All observed properties of CRs are predicted in terms of very simple and completely `standard' physics. The source of CRs is extremely `economical': it has only one parameter to be fitted to the enormous ensemble of all of the data. All other inputs are `priors', that is theoretical or observational items of information independent of the properties of the source of CRs and chosen to lie in their pre-established ranges.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures. Contribution to the Cosmic Ray International Seminar, Catania, 200

Small scale dynamics of a shearless turbulent/non-turbulent interface in dilute polymer solutions

We study the physics of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) of an isolated turbulent region in dilute polymer solutions and Newtonian fluids. We designed an experimental setup of a turbulent patch growing in water/dilute polymer solutions, without mean shear and far from the walls. The observations from the experiments are complemented and expanded by simulations performed using a localised homogeneous forcing to generate the turbulent front and the Finitely Extensible Elastic model with the Peterlin closure model for the polymer stress. The comparison, which shows that when Newtonian and viscoelastic TNTIs are fed by the same energy they behave in similar manner both in the experiments and in the simulations, permits to extend the applicability, on a qualitative basis, of single relaxation time polymer models also to turbulent/non-turbulent interfaces. From the detailed analysis offered by the numerical results, the alterations in the dynamics between strain and vorticity help understanding the mechanics of the polymer action on the TNTI without mean shear. The reduced vorticity stretching and increased vorticity compression terms are found to be due to the modified degrees of alignment between vorticity, polymer conformation tensor, and rate-of-strain tensor eigenvectors observed especially near the interface. These alignments at the smallest scales of the non-Newtonian turbulent flow lead to a reduced production of enstrophy and consequently to a reduced entrainment, which in this problem are seen as reduced advancement of a turbulent region

Bose-Einstein source of intermittency in hadronic interactions

The multi-particle Bose-Einstein correlations are the source of ''intermittency'' in high energy hadronic collisions. The power-law like increase of factorial moments with decreasing bin size was obtained by complete event weighing technique with gaussian approximation of space-time particle emitting source shape. The value of source size parameter was found to be higher than the common one fitted with the help of the standard Handbury Brown-Twiss procedure.Comment: 12

The burden of severe cases of Influenza disease: The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region experience

IIntroduction. Influenza is a matter of serious concern for clinicians, in both outpatient and in-hospital settings. Worldwide, the 2017-18 epidemic proved to be the most severe since 2003-04. We report a real-world experience regarding the management of patients with influenza admitted to a large teaching hospital in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region during the 2017-2018 influenza season. We also provide a practical guide for the management of hospitalized influenza patients. Methods. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted among all influenza patients requiring admission to our center during the 2017-18 season. Results. Overall, 29 patients were admitted to the University Hospital of Udine during the 2017-18 season with a diagnosis of influenza. B virus was responsible for the majority of cases. More than 65.5% of the subjects presented with a complication. We estimated that 41.4% of the patients admitted were affected by a \u201csevere form\u201d. All these cases required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, with 27.6% and 10.3% needing Orotracheal Intubation and Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, respectively. The fatality rate was 24.1%. Notably, only 9 subjects in our cohort had been vaccinated. Based on the experience acquired during the past season, we propose a practical guide to the management of influenza cases in everyday hospital practice. Conclusion. The cornerstones of the management of all hospitalized influenza patients are the rapid identification and treatment of severe forms. Timely and strict adherence to contact and respiratory precautions are also fundamental to reducing the risk of intra-hospital outbreaks. Despite improvements in antiviral therapies and supportive measures, influenza-related morbidity and mortality remain high. In our opinion, a universal vaccination program is the only safe and effective method of filling the gap