8,248 research outputs found
Speckle statistics in adaptive optics images at visible wavelengths
Residual speckles in adaptive optics (AO) images represent a well-known
limitation on the achievement of the contrast needed for faint source
detection. Speckles in AO imagery can be the result of either residual
atmospheric aberrations, not corrected by the AO, or slowly evolving
aberrations induced by the optical system. We take advantage of the high
temporal cadence (1 ms) of the data acquired by the System for Coronagraphy
with High-order Adaptive Optics from R to K bands-VIS forerunner experiment at
the Large Binocular Telescope to characterize the AO residual speckles at
visible wavelengths. An accurate knowledge of the speckle pattern and its
dynamics is of paramount importance for the application of methods aimed at
their mitigation. By means of both an automatic identification software and
information theory, we study the main statistical properties of AO residuals
and their dynamics. We therefore provide a speckle characterization that can be
incorporated into numerical simulations to increase their realism and to
optimize the performances of both real-time and postprocessing techniques aimed
at the reduction of the speckle noise
First measurement of the K−n →Λπ−non-resonant transition amplitude below threshold
We present the analysis of K−absorption processes on He4 leading to Λπ−final states, measured with the KLOE spectrometer at the DAΦNE e+e−collider and extract, for the first time, the modulus of the non-resonant K−n →Λπ−direct production amplitude about 33 MeV below the K‾N threshold. This analysis also allows to disentangle the K−nuclear absorption at-rest from the in-flight capture, for K−momenta of about 120 MeV. The data are interpreted with the help of a phenomenological model, and the modulus of the non-resonant K−n →Λπ−amplitude for K−absorption at-rest is found to be |AK−n→Λπ−|=(0.334±0.018stat−0.058+0.034syst)fm
BeppoSAX Detection and Follow-up of GRB980425
We present BeppoSAX GRBM and WFC light curves of GRB980425 and NFI follow-up
data taken in 1998 April, May, and November. The first NFI observation has
detected within the 8' radius error box of the GRB an X-ray source positionally
consistent with the supernova SN 1998bw, exploded within a day of GRB980425,
and a fainter X-ray source, not consistent with the position of the supernova.
The former source is detected in the following NFI pointings and exhibits a
decline of a factor of two in six months. If it is associated with SN 1998bw,
this is the first detection of hard X-ray emission from a Type I supernova. The
latter source exhibits only marginally significant variability. Based on these
data, it is not possible to select either source as a firm candidate for the
GRB counterpart.Comment: 2 pages, 1 PostScript figure, submitted to A&AS, Proc. of the
Conference "Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era", held in Rome, 1998
November 3-6. Results concerning 'Source 2' have been update
BeppoSAX Observations of GRB980425: Detection of the Prompt Event and Monitoring of the Error Box
We present BeppoSAX follow-up observations of GRB980425 obtained with the
Narrow Field Instruments (NFI) in April, May, and November 1998. The first NFI
observation has detected within the 8' radius error box of the GRB an X-ray
source positionally consistent with the supernova 1998bw, which exploded within
a day of GRB980425, and a fainter X-ray source, not consistent with the
position of the supernova. The former source is detected in the following NFI
pointings and exhibits a decline of a factor of two in six months. If it is
associated with SN 1998bw, this is the first detection of X-ray emission from a
Type I supernova above 2 keV. The latter source exhibits only marginally
significant variability. The X-ray spectra and variability of the supernova are
compared with thermal and non-thermal models of supernova high energy emission.
Based on the BeppoSAX data, it is not possible to firmly establish which of the
two detected sources is the GRB X-ray counterpart, although probability
considerations favor the supernova.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, 6 PostScript figures and 1 GIF figure, 2 tables,
submitted to The Astrophysical Journa
Modifying Anthocyanins Biosynthesis in Tomato Hairy Roots:A Test Bed for Plant Resistance to Ionizing Radiation and Antioxidant Properties in Space
Gene expression manipulation of specific metabolic pathways can be used to obtain bioaccumulation of valuable molecules and desired quality traits in plants. A single-gene approach to impact different traits would be greatly desirable in agrospace applications, where several aspects of plant physiology can be affected, influencing growth. In this work, MicroTom hairy root cultures expressing a MYB-like transcription factor that regulates the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in Petunia hybrida (PhAN4), were considered as a testbed for bio-fortified tomato whole plants aimed at agrospace applications. Ectopic expression of PhAN4 promoted biosynthesis of anthocyanins, allowing to profile 5 major derivatives of delphinidin and petunidin together with pelargonidin and malvidin-based anthocyanins, unusual in tomato. Consistent with PhAN4 features, transcriptomic profiling indicated upregulation of genes correlated to anthocyanin biosynthesis. Interestingly, a transcriptome reprogramming oriented to positive regulation of cell response to biotic, abiotic, and redox stimuli was evidenced. PhAN4 hairy root cultures showed the significant capability to counteract reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and protein misfolding upon high-dose gamma irradiation, which is among the most potent pro-oxidant stress that can be encountered in space. These results may have significance in the engineering of whole tomato plants that can benefit space agriculture
Surgical site infection after caesarean section. Space for post-discharge surveillance improvements and reliable comparisons
Surgical site infections (SSI) after caesarean section (CS) represent a substantial health system concern. Surveying SSI has been associated with a reduction in SSI incidence. We report the findings of three (2008, 2011 and 2013) regional active SSI surveillances after CS in community hospital of the Latium region determining the incidence of SSI. Each CS was surveyed for SSI occurrence by trained staff up to 30 post-operative days, and association of SSI with relevant characteristics was assessed using binomial logistic regression. A total of 3,685 CS were included in the study. A complete 30 day post-operation follow-up was achieved in over 94% of procedures. Overall 145 SSI were observed (3.9% cumulative incidence) of which 131 (90.3%) were superficial and 14 (9.7%) complex (deep or organ/space) SSI; overall 129 SSI (of which 89.9% superficial) were diagnosed post-discharge. Only higher NNIS score was significantly associated with SSI occurrence in the regression analysis. Our work provides the first regional data on CS-associated SSI incidence, highlighting the need for a post-discharge surveillance which should assure 30 days post-operation to not miss data on complex SSI, as well as being less labour intensive
Prospects for the measurement of muon-neutrino disappearance at the FNAL-Booster
Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible
source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the
Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle in the
standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing
results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However,
puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE
Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the
muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small , which will be able to
put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos,
or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation
for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino
beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. This
proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites,
Near and Far. Their positions have been extensively studied, together with the
possible performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The proposal is
constrained by availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible
with the CERN project for a new more performant neutrino beam, which will
nicely extend the physics results achievable at the Booster. The possible FNAL
experiment will allow to clarify the current disappearance tension
with appearance and disappearance at the eV mass scale. Instead, a new
CERN neutrino beam would allow a further span in the parameter space together
with a refined control of systematics and, more relevant, the measurement of
the antineutrino sector, by upgrading the spectrometer with detectors currently
under R&D study.Comment: 76 pages, 52 figure
Precision measurement of the Dalitz plot distribution with the KLOE detector
Using fb of data collected with
the KLOE detector at DANE, the Dalitz plot distribution for the decay is studied with the world's largest sample of events. The Dalitz plot density is parametrized as a polynomial
expansion up to cubic terms in the normalized dimensionless variables and
. The experiment is sensitive to all charge conjugation conserving terms of
the expansion, including a term. The statistical uncertainty of all
parameters is improved by a factor two with respect to earlier measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, supplement: an ascii tabl
Search for dark Higgsstrahlung in e+ e- -> mu+ mu- and missing energy events with the KLOE experiment
We searched for evidence of a Higgsstrahlung process in a secluded sector,
leading to a final state with a dark photon U and a dark Higgs boson h', with
the KLOE detector at DAFNE. We investigated the case of h' lighter than U, with
U decaying into a muon pair and h' producing a missing energy signature. We
found no evidence of the process and set upper limits to its parameters in the
range 2m_mu<m_U<1000 MeV, m_h'<m_U.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Physics Letters
Limit on the production of a new vector boson in , U with the KLOE experiment
The recent interest in a light gauge boson in the framework of an extra U(1)
symmetry motivates searches in the mass range below 1 GeV.
We present a search for such a particle, the dark photon, in , U based on 28 million
events collected at DANE
by the KLOE experiment. The production by initial-state radiation
compensates for a loss of sensitivity of previous KLOE , searches due to the small branching ratios in
the resonance region. We found no evidence for a signal and set a
limit at 90\% CL on the mixing strength between the photon and the dark photon,
, in the U mass range between and ~MeV. Above 700 MeV
this new limit is more stringent than previous ones.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, submitted to Phys. Lett.
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