Absolute calibration and beam reconstruction of MITO (a ground-based instrument in the millimetric region)

An efficient sky data reconstruction derives from a precise characterization of the observing instrument. Here we describe the reconstruction of performances of a single-pixel 4-band photometer installed at MITO (Millimeter and Infrared Testagrigia Observatory) focal plane. The strategy of differential sky observations at millimeter wavelengths, by scanning the field of view at constant elevation wobbling the subreflector, induces a good knowledge of beam profile and beam-throw amplitude, allowing efficient data recovery. The problems that arise estimating the detectors throughput by drift scanning on planets are shown. Atmospheric transmission, monitored by skydip technique, is considered for deriving final responsivities for the 4 channels using planets as primary calibrators.Comment: 14 pages, 6 fiugres, accepted for pubblication by New Astronomy (25 March

Transition to a greener fashion:how and why main brands are moving towardsa more sustainable business

The fashion industry has long been identified as a main driver of systemic environmental damage. Especially for so-called “fast fashion” giants that operate on a strategic model based on both overproduction and overconsumption. As environmental concerns become ever more relevant in public discourse, several key corporate players have taken steps to reduce their environmental impact and make their supply chains more sustainable. In order to investigate on this matter, we readapt existing research frameworks to measure the economic and sustainability performance, and their correlation, of eight-company sample selected among the great fast-fashion “giants” and evaluate their commitment to sustainability issues

Italy, Garibaldi and Goldoni Give Lady Gregory ‘a Room with a Different View’

This paper analyses the complex influence of Italy on Lady Gregory’s imagination. On the one hand she considered the Italian fight for independencea good example for Ireland. Reading Garibaldi’s Defence of the Roman Republic was “comforting” to her. On the other, she looked at Eleonora Duse’s efforts to create a national theatre with sympathy and with pride as she succeeded where the Italian actress had failed. She had a wide knowledge of Italian literature which she could read in the original. In her youth she even translated passages from Dante’s Commedia, but what is more important and revealing is that, at the height of her own creative career, with the intention of providing a more international repertory for the Abbey Theatre, she translated Goldoni’s La Locandiera. The choice of this play and the technique adopted for the translation cast new light on her view of life and on her work.This paper analyses the complex influence of Italy on Lady Gregory’s imagination. On the one hand she considered the Italian fight for independencea good example for Ireland. Reading Garibaldi’s Defence of the Roman Republic was “comforting” to her. On the other, she looked at Eleonora Duse’s efforts to create a national theatre with sympathy and with pride as she succeeded where the Italian actress had failed. She had a wide knowledge of Italian literature which she could read in the original. In her youth she even translated passages from Dante’s Commedia, but what is more important and revealing is that, at the height of her own creative career, with the intention of providing a more international repertory for the Abbey Theatre, she translated Goldoni’s La Locandiera. The choice of this play and the technique adopted for the translation cast new light on her view of life and on her work

Exploring bonding interactions of biochemical relevance in silicon, platinum(II) and iron(III) positively charged species

Elements playing a biological role that are present in nature or in synthetic drugs, such as silicon, platinum(II) and iron(III) usually appear coordinated to ligands in more or less composite molecular architectures. This notion is particularly true when a metal ion is placed in the active center of an enzyme or otherwise integrated into simple biomolecules and proteins. Whereas multifaceted factors affect a charged (metal) centre in a biological environment, the gas-phase provides an interesting medium for elucidating intrinsic interactions between metal ions and biological targets. The idea underlying this doctoral thesis is to highlight how state of the art techniques combining mass spectrometry, IR spectroscopy and computational chemistry can be applied to the study of ionic complexes in an isolated state. In a first section the reactivity behavior of gaseous complexes from the (CH3)3Si+ addition to acetylene has been fully explored by FT-ICR mass spectrometry and ab initio calculations. In this way the C5H11Si+ potential energy surface has been elucidated and the computational results nicely account for the experimental evidence showing an isomerization process from a primarily formed complex (a β-silyl-substituted vinyl cation acquiring an asymmetric cyclic geometry) to CH2=C(CH3)-Si(CH3)2+ silyl cation. The computational methods tested in dealing with the C5H11Si+ ion problem have been further applied to more challenging systems. In a second and third section a comprehensive investigation of the structural features of the key intermediates which are formed from cisplatin by replacement of chloro ligands by water or methionine is described. Here the experimental approach has involved vibrational spectroscopy carried out with a recently designed and assembled apparatus. The NH/OH stretching region has been found highly structurally diagnostic in the aqua complexes where hydrogen bonding interactions are crucial in determining relative conformer stability. The infrared characterization of the monofunctional adducts of platinum(II) drugs with methionine has led to identify distinct modes of interaction with cisplatin and transplatin derived species. In fact, the preferred ligand atom (S or N) seems to be depending on the specific isomer (cis- or trans-) that is reacting with the metal. Cisplatin and transplatin derived species have been sampled both experimentally and computationally, taking into account relativistic effects in the heavy metal. In a fourth task the binding properties of azole ligands toward ferric heme have been examined. Starting from simple ligands such as pyridine, 1-methylimidazole and 1H-1,2,4-triazole, the focus was then directed to imidazole- and triazole-based antifungal drugs. These drugs are known to act as inhibitors of CYP51enzyme, through binding to the heme prosthetic group. Relative binding energies were determined experimentally by energy variable collision induced dissociation experiments performed on the selected ionic complexes and evaluated theoretically by Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics calculations. To this end, theoretical investigations were carried out during a training period spent at the “Parc Cientific de Barcelona”, under the supervision of Research Professor Carme Rovira. Imidazole-based drugs consistently display higher dissociation energies when compared to triazole-based drugs

Atmospheric monitoring in the mm and sub-mm bands for cosmological observations: CASPER2

Cosmological observations from ground at millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths are affected by atmospheric absorption and consequent emission. The low and high frequency (sky noise) fluctuations of atmospheric performance imply careful observational strategies and/or instrument technical solutions. Measurements of atmospheric emission spectra are necessary for accurate calibration procedures as well as for site testing statistics. CASPER2, an instrument to explore the 90-450 GHz (3-15 1/cm) spectral region, was developed and verified its operation in the Alps. A Martin-Puplett Interferometer (MPI) operates comparing sky radiation, coming from a field of view (fov) of 28 arcminutes (FWHM) collected by a 62-cm in diameter Pressman-Camichel telescope, with a reference source. The two output ports of the interferometer are detected by two bolometers cooled down to 300 mK inside a wet cryostat. Three different and complementary interferometric techniques can be performed with CASPER2: Amplitude Modulation (AM), Fast-Scan (FS) and Phase Modulation (PM). An altazimuthal mount allows the sky pointing, possibly co-alligned to the optical axis of the 2.6-m in diameter telescope of MITO (Millimetre and Infrared Testagrigia Observatory, Italy). Optimal timescale to average acquired spectra is inferred by Allan variance analysis at 5 fiducial frequencies. We present the motivation for and design of the atmospheric spectrometer CASPER2. The adopted procedure to calibrate the instrument and preliminary performance of the instrument are described. Instrument capabilities were checked during the summer observational campaign at MITO in July 2010 by measuring atmospheric emission spectra with the three different procedures.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for publication in MNRA

Una nuova Germania per una nuova Europa? Le elezioni per il Bundestag del 24 settembre 2017 tra riassetto politico interno e necessario riequilibrio europeo

Il voto parlamentare del 24 settembre 2017 è stato definito come un momento di passaggio, una cesura tra un’epoca storica ed un’altra. Secondo alcuni, dalle urne sarebbe uscita una Germania inedita rispetto al passato, con equilibri partitici, politici, istituzionali e forse persino culturali diversi da quelli finora conosciuti. E’ innegabile che il risultato delle elezioni per il Bundestag contenga elementi di assoluta novità, sia da un punto di vista quantitativo che qualitativo, ed è altrettanto palese che dal giorno successivo al voto gli esponenti politici tedeschi, a cominciare dalla pur riconfermata Cancelliera Angela Merkel, dovranno affrontare un contesto completamente diverso da quello nel quale avevano operato fino al giorno prima. Al tempo stesso, gli attori politici della RFT saranno impegnati nelle prossime settimane a verificare quali possibilità sussistano per formare un nuovo Esecutivo, possibilmente in grado di guidare il Paese per tutta la legislatura, fornendo risposte adeguate alle tante domande che il voto parlamentare ha sollevato. Il presente lavoro si articola in sei parti: nella prima e nella seconda si darà conto l’esito della consultazione elettorale, evidenziando nel dettaglio i risultati conseguiti da ciascun partito e quali possibili alleanze politiche si profilano per la formazione del prossimo Gabinetto di Governo, ed analizzando le condizioni in cui versano le singole formazioni politiche all’indomani del voto, e come ciascuna di esse potrà profilarsi nel dibattito politico ed istituzionale che verrà; nella terza parte verranno descritti i temi che maggiormente hanno condizionato le scelte degli elettori nella consultazione; nella quarta si analizzeranno le caratteristiche del voto per il partito di estrema destra xenofoba Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), mentre nella quinta parte si verificheranno le ragioni che hanno determinato la composizione in termini numerici del futuro Bundestag; nella sesta ed ultima parte, infine, si descriveranno quali influenze potrà produrre l’esito della consultazione sulle posizioni e le strategie che la Germania adotterà in ambito nazionale, europeo ed internazionale nei mesi a venire.The parliamentary vote of 24 September 2017 was defined as a passing moment, a break between a historical era and another. According to some, the odds would leave an unprecedented Germany respect to the past, with political, institutional, and perhaps even cultural equilibriums different from those so far known. It is undeniable that the outcome of the Bundestag elections contains elements of absolute novelty, both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view, and it is equally obvious that from the day following the vote German political exponents, beginning with the re-affirmed Chancellor Angela Merkel, will have to to face a completely different context from what they had been up to the day before. At the same time, the RFT political actors will be engaged in the coming weeks to see which Possibilities exist to form a new Executive, possibly able to drive the country for throughout the legislature, providing adequate answers to the many questions raised by the parliamentary vote

Le elezioni regionali in Schleswig-Holstein e in Nordreno-Vestfalia. Tra contingenze regionali, “Effetto Merkel” e suggestioni europee

Nel periodo tra il 7 ed il 14 maggio 2017 in Germania si sono tenute due consultazioni per il rinnovo dei parlamenti regionali, rispettivamente in Schleswig-Holstein e in Nordreno-Vestfalia. Nel caso di questo ultimo Land oltre 13 milioni di cittadini sono stati chiamati alle urne per il rinnovo del parlamento regionale (Landtag) della regione più popolosa e una delle economicamente più forti della Germania. I due appuntamenti rivestivano una rilevanza ancora maggiore del solito, in quanto rappresentavano i due ultimi test elettorali previsti in Germania prima delle elezioni del Bundestag del prossimo 24 settembre. In queste ultime, i tedeschi si troveranno di fronte all’alternativa se rinnovare la fiducia ad nuovo governo guidato dalla cancelliera uscente, Angela Merkel (Unione Cristiano-Democratica – CDU), o dal suo principale sfidante, l’ex presidente del Parlamento europeo, Martin Schulz (Partito Socialdemocratico Tedesco – SPD). Inoltre, insieme alle omologhe elezioni regionali celebrate nella Saar lo scorso 26 marzo, queste elezioni offrivano l’opportunità di verificare la tenuta delle diverse coalizioni di governo formatesi nelle precedenti legislature nei tre Länder, e più in generale di esaminare in quale misura le tematiche locali e quelle di portata nazionale ed europea abbiano effettivamente inciso sugli orientamenti degli elettori nell’occasione

Millimeter and sub-millimeter atmospheric performance at Dome C combining radiosoundings and ATM synthetic spectra

The reliability of astronomical observations at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths closely depends on a low vertical content of water vapor as well as on high atmospheric emission stability. Although Concordia station at Dome C (Antarctica) enjoys good observing conditions in this atmospheric spectral windows, as shown by preliminary site-testing campaigns at different bands and in, not always, time overlapped periods, a dedicated instrument able to continuously determine atmospheric performance for a wide spectral range is not yet planned. In the absence of such measurements, in this paper we suggest a semi-empirical approach to perform an analysis of atmospheric transmission and emission at Dome C to compare the performance for 7 photometric bands ranging from 100 GHz to 2 THz. Radiosoundings data provided by the Routine Meteorological Observations (RMO) Research Project at Concordia station are corrected by temperature and humidity errors and dry biases and then employed to feed ATM (Atmospheric Transmission at Microwaves) code to generate synthetic spectra in the wide spectral range from 100 GHz to 2 THz. To quantify the atmospheric contribution in millimeter and sub-millimeter observations we are considering several photometric bands in which atmospheric quantities are integrated. The observational capabilities of this site at all the selected spectral bands are analyzed considering monthly averaged transmissions joined to the corresponding fluctuations. Transmission and pwv statistics at Dome C derived by our semi-empirical approach are consistent with previous works. It is evident the decreasing of the performance at high frequencies. We propose to introduce a new parameter to compare the quality of a site at different spectral bands, in terms of high transmission and emission stability, the Site Photometric Quality Factor.Comment: accepted to MNRAS with minor revision

On the coherent rotation of diffuse matter in numerical simulations of galaxy clusters

We present a study on the coherent rotation of the intracluster medium and dark matter components of simulated galaxy clusters extracted from a volume-limited sample of the MUSIC project. The set is re-simulated with three different recipes for the gas physics: $(i)$ non-radiative, $(ii)$ radiative without AGN feedback, and $(iii)$ radiative with AGN feedback. Our analysis is based on the 146 most massive clusters identified as relaxed, 57 per cent of the total sample. We classify these objects as rotating and non-rotating according to the gas spin parameter, a quantity that can be related to cluster observations. We find that 4 per cent of the relaxed sample is rotating according to our criterion. By looking at the radial profiles of their specific angular momentum vector, we find that the solid body model is not a suitable description of rotational motions. The radial profiles of the velocity of the dark matter show a prevalence of the random velocity dispersion. Instead, the intracluster medium profiles are characterized by a comparable contribution from the tangential velocity and the dispersion. In general, the dark matter component dominates the dynamics of the clusters, as suggested by the correlation between its angular momentum and the gas one, and by the lack of relevant differences among the three sets of simulations.Comment: 12 pages, updated to match the MNRAS versio