The Gamma-Flash data acquisition system for observation of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes

Gamma-Flash is an Italian project funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and led by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), devoted to the observation and study of high-energy phenomena, such as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes and gamma-ray glows produced in the Earth's atmosphere during thunderstorms. The project's detectors and the data acquisition and control system (DACS) are placed at the "O. Vittori" observatory on the top of Mt. Cimone (Italy). Another payload will be placed on an aircraft for observations of thunderstorms in the air. This work presents the architecture of the data acquisition and control system and the data flow.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and System XXXII (2022

ASTRI SST-2M prototype and mini-array data reconstruction and scientific analysis software in the framework of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

n the framework of the international Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) gamma-ray observatory, the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) is developing a dual-mirror, small-sized, end-to-end prototype (ASTRI SST-2M), inaugurated on September 2014 at Mt. Etna (Italy), and a mini-array composed of nine ASTRI telescopes, proposed to be installed at the southern CTA site. The ASTRI mini-array is a collaborative effort led by INAF and carried out by institutes from Italy, Brazil, and South-Africa. The project is also including the full data handling chain from raw data up to final scientific products. To this end, a dedicated software for the online/ on-site/off-site data reconstruction and scientific analysis is under development for both the ASTRI SST-2M prototype and mini-array. The software is designed following a modular approach in which each single component and the entire pipeline are developed in compliance with the CTA requirements. Data reduction is conceived to be run on parallel computing architectures, as multi-core CPUs and graphic accelerators (GPUs), and new hardware architectures based on low-power consumption processors (e.g. ARM). The software components are coded in C++/Python/CUDA and wrapped by efficient pipelines written in Python. The final scientific products are then achieved by means of either science tools currently being used in the CTA Consortium (e.g. ctools) or specifically developed ones. In this contribution, we present the framework and the main software components of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype and mini-array data reconstruction and scientific analysis software package, and report the status of its development

Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPARgamma2 locus modulates the relationship between energy intake and body weight in type 2 diabetic patients

OBJECTIVE: We explore the relationship among BMI, habitual diet, and the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma2. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Pro12Ala variant was characterized in 343 unrelated type 2 diabetic patients who were consecutively seen at the outpatient clinic of a health district of the province of Naples. Anthropometric and laboratory parameters were measured; habitual diet was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall frequency of Ala12 was 12% (n = 42). BMI was significantly higher in Ala carriers than non-Ala carriers, whereas total daily energy intake or macronutrient composition of the diet were similar in the two groups. For further analysis, participants were stratified according to genotype and sex-specific quartiles of energy intake. BMI increased in both genotype groups with increasing energy intake (P 0.10) in the lower quartile of energy intake but significantly higher in Ala carriers in the upper quartile (36.0 vs. 32.1 kg/m2, P < 0.001). Average daily energy intake and diet composition were comparable within each quartile for carriers or noncarriers of the Ala allele. Relative to the noncarriers, Ala carriers had a significantly lower energy intake per kilogram body weight, thus suggesting that the Ala allele is associated with a higher food efficiency. The confounding role of medications, glucose control, and physical exercise was ruled out. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of a differential susceptibility to fat accumulation, and, hence, weight gain, in response to habitual high energy intake for Ala carriers compared with Pro/Pro homozygotes. PMID: 17259473 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE