Confining properties of 2-color QCD at finite density

We study the confining properties of QCD with two colors across the finite density phase transition. A disorder parameter detecting dual superconductivity of the QCD vacuum is used as a probe for the confinement/deconfinement phase transition.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at Lattice 2006 (High Temperature and Density

Thermal monopoles and selfdual dyons in the Quark-Gluon Plasma

We perform a numerical study of the excess of non-abelian gauge invariant gluonic action around thermal abelian monopoles which populate the deconfined phase of Yang-Mills theories. Our results show that the excess of magnetic action is close to that of the electric one, so that thermal abelian monopoles may be associated with physical objects carrying both electric and magnetic charge, i.e. dyons. Thus, the quark gluon plasma is likely to be populated by selfdual dyons, which may manifest themselves in the heavy-ion collisions via the chiral magnetic effect. Thermodynamically, thermal monopoles provide a negative contribution to the pressure of the system.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX 4.

Spatial targeted vector control is able to reduce malaria prevalence in the highlands of Burundi.

In a highland province of Burundi, indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insecticidal net distribution were targeted in the valley, aiming also to protect the population living on the hilltops. The impact on malaria indicators was assessed, and the potential additional effect of nets evaluated. After the intervention--and compared with the control valleys--children 1-9 years old in the treated valleys had lower risks of malaria infection (odds ratio, OR: 0.55), high parasite density (OR: 0.48), and clinical malaria (OR: 0.57). The impact on malaria prevalence was even higher in infants (OR: 0.14). Using nets did not confer an additional protective effect to spraying. Targeted vector control had a major impact on malaria in the high-risk valleys but not in the less-exposed hilltops. Investment in targeted and regular control measures associated with effective case management should be able to control malaria in the highlands

Surviving on Mars: test with LISA simulator

We present the biological results of some experiments performed in the Padua simulators of planetary environments, named LISA, used to study the limit of bacterial life on the planet Mars. The survival of Bacillus strains for some hours in Martian environment is shortly discussed.Comment: To be published on Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 15 XXVIIth IAU General Assembly, August 2009 Ian F Corbett, ed. 2 pages, 1 figur

GREEND: An Energy Consumption Dataset of Households in Italy and Austria

Home energy management systems can be used to monitor and optimize consumption and local production from renewable energy. To assess solutions before their deployment, researchers and designers of those systems demand for energy consumption datasets. In this paper, we present the GREEND dataset, containing detailed power usage information obtained through a measurement campaign in households in Austria and Italy. We provide a description of consumption scenarios and discuss design choices for the sensing infrastructure. Finally, we benchmark the dataset with state-of-the-art techniques in load disaggregation, occupancy detection and appliance usage mining

On the phase diagram of the Higgs SU(2) model

The Higgs SU(2) model with fixed Higgs length is usually believed to have two different phases at high gauge coupling (\beta), separated by a line of first order transitions but not distinuguished by any typical symmetry associated with a local order parameter, as first proved by Fradkin and Shenker. We show that in regions of the parameter space where it is usually supposed to be a first order phase transition only a smooth crossover is in fact present.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Talk presented at The XXVI International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, July 14 - 19, 2008 - Williamsburg, Virginia, US

LISA: Mars and the limits of life

We describe the results of the first tests made on LISA, a simulator of planetary environments designed and built in Padua, dedicated to the study of the limit of bacterial life on the planet Mars. Tests on the cryogenic circuit, on the UV illumination and on bacterial coltures at room temperature that shall be used as references are described.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Mem. SAIt, in pres

Spatial and temporal hot spots of Aedes albopictus abundance inside and outside a South European metropolitan area

Aedes albopictus is a tropical invasive species which in the last decades spread worldwide, also colonizing temperate regions of Europe and US, where it has become a public health concern due to its ability to transmit exotic arboviruses, as well as severe nuisance problems due to its aggressive daytime outdoor biting behaviour. While several studies have been carried out in order to predict the potential limits of the species expansions based on eco-climatic parameters, few studies have so far focused on the specific effects of these variables in shaping its micro-geographic abundance and dynamics. The present study investigated eco-climatic factors affecting Ae. albopictus abundance and dynamics in metropolitan and sub-urban/rural sites in Rome (Italy), which was colonized in 1997 and is nowadays one of the most infested metropolitan areas in Southern Europe. To this aim, longitudinal adult monitoring was carried out along a 70 km-transect across and beyond the most urbanized and densely populated metropolitan area. Two fine scale spatiotemporal datasets (one with reference to a 20m circular buffer around sticky traps used to collect mosquitoes and the second to a 300m circular buffer within each sampling site) were exploited to analyze the effect of climatic and socio-environmental variables on Ae. albopictus abundance and dynamics along the transect. Results showed an association between highly anthropized habitats and high adult abundance both in metropolitan and sub-urban/ rural areas, with “small green islands” corresponding to hot spots of abundance in the metropolitan areas only, and a bimodal seasonal dynamics with a second peak of abundance in autumn, due to heavy rains occurring in the preceding weeks in association with permissive temperatures. The results provide useful indications to prioritize public mosquito control measures in temperate urban areas where nuisance, human-mosquito contact and risk of local arbovirus transmission are likely higher, and highlight potential public health risks also after the summer months typically associated with high mosquito densities

Short report: molecular markers associated with Plasmodium falciparum resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the first line antimalarial treatment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using polymerase chain reaction, we assessed the prevalence of mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) (codons 108, 51, 59) and dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) (codons 437, 540) genes of Plasmodium falciparum, which have been associated with resistance to pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine, respectively. Four hundred seventy-four patients were sampled in Kilwa (N = 138), Kisangani (N = 112), Boende (N = 106), and Basankusu (N = 118). The proportion of triple mutations dhfr varied between sites but was always > 50%. The proportion of dhps double mutations was < 20%, with some sites as low as 0.9%. A quintuple mutation was present in 12.8% (16/125) samples in Kilwa; 11.9% (13/109) in Kisangani, 2.9% (3/102) in Boende, and 0.9% (1/112) in Basankusu. These results suggest high resistance to pyrimethamine alone or combined with sulfadoxine. Adding artesunate to SP does not seem a valid alternative to the current monotherapy