A Novel Approach for an Integrated Straw tube-Microstrip Detector

We report on a novel concept of silicon microstrips and straw tubes detector, where integration is accomplished by a straw module with straws not subjected to mechanical tension in a Rohacell $^{\circledR}$ lattice and carbon fiber reinforced plastic shell. Results on mechanical and test beam performances are reported on as well.Comment: Accepted by Transactions on Nuclear Science (2005). 11 pages, 9 figures, uses lnfprep.st

Simulations and test beam studies of the iMPACT calorimeter

This contribution describes the first results obtained within the iMPACT project, which aims to build a novel proton computed tomography (pCT) scanner for protons of energy up to 230 MeV, as used in hadron therapy. We will first describe the design of the iMPACT scanner, which is composed by a tracker and a range calorimeter. Results of test-beams, focused on the characterization of the building elements of the prototype of the calorimeter, will be presented and compared with simulations

Measurement of Λ (1520) production in pp collisions at √s=7TeV and p–Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02TeV

The production of the Λ (1520) baryonic resonance has been measured at midrapidity in inelastic pp collisions at s=7TeV and in p–Pb collisions at sNN=5.02TeV for non-single diffractive events and in multiplicity classes. The resonance is reconstructed through its hadronic decay channel Λ (1520) → pK - and the charge conjugate with the ALICE detector. The integrated yields and mean transverse momenta are calculated from the measured transverse momentum distributions in pp and p–Pb collisions. The mean transverse momenta follow mass ordering as previously observed for other hyperons in the same collision systems. A Blast-Wave function constrained by other light hadrons (π, K, KS0, p, Λ) describes the shape of the Λ (1520) transverse momentum distribution up to 3.5GeV/c in p–Pb collisions. In the framework of this model, this observation suggests that the Λ (1520) resonance participates in the same collective radial flow as other light hadrons. The ratio of the yield of Λ (1520) to the yield of the ground state particle Λ remains constant as a function of charged-particle multiplicity, suggesting that there is no net effect of the hadronic phase in p–Pb collisions on the Λ (1520) yield

Measurement of prompt D0, D+, D*+, and DS+ production in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The measurement of the production of prompt D0, D+, D*+, and DS+ mesons in proton–lead (p–Pb) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of sNN = 5.02 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of 292 ± 11 μb−1, are reported. Differential production cross sections are measured at mid-rapidity (−0.96 < ycms< 0.04) as a function of transverse momentum (pT) in the intervals 0 < pT< 36 GeV/c for D0, 1 < pT< 36 GeV/c for D+ and D*+, and 2 < pT< 24 GeV/c for D+ mesons. For each species, the nuclear modification factor RpPb is calculated as a function of pT using a proton-proton (pp) ref- erence measured at the same collision energy. The results are compatible with unity in the whole pT range. The average of the non-strange D mesons RpPb is compared with theoretical model predictions that include initial-state effects and parton transport model predictions. The pT dependence of the D0, D+, and D*+ nuclear modification factors is also reported in the interval 1 < pT< 36 GeV/c as a function of the collision centrality, and the central-to-peripheral ratios are computed from the D-meson yields measured in different centrality classes. The results are further compared with charged-particle measurements and a similar trend is observed in all the centrality classes. The ratios of the pT-differential cross sections of D0, D+, D*+, and DS+ mesons are also reported. The DS+ and D+ yields are compared as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity for several pT intervals. No modification in the relative abundances of the four species is observed with respect to pp collisions within the statistical and systematic uncertainties. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Measurement of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays as a function of multiplicity in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The multiplicity dependence of electron production from heavy-flavour hadron decays as a function of transverse momentum was measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The measurement was performed in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval −1.07 < ycms< 0.14 and transverse momentum interval 2 < pT< 16 GeV/c. The multiplicity dependence of the production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was studied by comparing the pT spectra measured for different multiplicity classes with those measured in pp collisions (QpPb) and in peripheral p-Pb collisions (Qcp). The QpPb results obtained are consistent with unity within uncertainties in the measured pT interval and event classes. This indicates that heavy-flavour decay electron production is consistent with binary scaling and independent of the geometry of the collision system. Additionally, the results suggest that cold nuclear matter effects are negligible within uncertainties, in the production of heavy-flavour decay electrons at midrapidity in p-Pb collisions. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

3D Cell Culture: Recent Development in Materials with Tunable Stiffness

It is widely accepted that three-dimensional cell culture systems simulate physiological conditions better than traditional 2D systems. Although extracellular matrix components strongly modulate cell behavior, several studies underlined the importance of mechanosensing in the control of different cell functions such as growth, proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Human tissues are characterized by different degrees of stiffness, and various pathologies (e.g., tumor or fibrosis) cause changes in the mechanical properties through the alteration of the extracellular matrix structure. Additionally, these modifications have an impact on disease progression and on therapy response. Hence, the development of platforms whose stiffness could be modulated may improve our knowledge of cell behavior under different mechanical stress stimuli. In this review, we have analyzed the mechanical diversity of healthy and diseased tissues, and we have summarized recently developed materials with a wide range of stiffness

Inclusive J/ψ production at mid-rapidity in pp collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV

Inclusive J/ψ production is studied in minimum-bias proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 5.02 TeV by ALICE at the CERN LHC. The measurement is performed at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.9) in the dielectron decay channel down to zero transverse momentum pT, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of Lint = 19.4 ± 0.4 nb−1. The measured pT-integrated inclusive J/ψ production cross sec- tion is dσ/dy = 5.64 ± 0.22(stat.) ± 0.33(syst.) ± 0.12(lumi.) μb. The pT-differential cross section d2σ/dpTdy is measured in the pT range 0–10 GeV/c and compared with state-of- the-art QCD calculations. The J/ψ 〈pT〉 and 〈pT2〉 are extracted and compared with results obtained at other collision energies. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Measurement of ϒ(1S) Elliptic Flow at Forward Rapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV.

The first measurement of the ϒ(1S) elliptic flow coefficient (v_{2}) is performed at forward rapidity (2.

Characterization of structural bone properties through portable single-sided nmr devices: State of the art and future perspectives

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a well-suited methodology to study bone composition and structural properties. This is because the NMR parameters, such as the T2 relaxation time, are sensitive to the chemical and physical environment of the1H nuclei. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows bone structure assessment in vivo, its cost limits the suitability of conventional MRI for routine bone screening. With difficulty accessing clinically suitable exams, the diagnosis of bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, and the associated fracture risk estimation is based on the assessment of bone mineral density (BMD), obtained by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, integrating the information about the structure of the bone with the bone mineral density has been shown to improve fracture risk estimation related to osteoporosis. Portable NMR, based on low-field single-sided NMR devices, is a promising and appealing approach to assess NMR properties of biological tissues with the aim of medical applications. Since these scanners detect the signal from a sensitive volume external to the magnet, they can be used to perform NMR measurement without the need to fit a sample inside a bore of a magnet, allowing, in principle, in vivo application. Techniques based on NMR single-sided devices have the potential to provide a high impact on the clinical routine because of low purchasing and running costs and low maintenance of such scanners. In this review, the development of new methodologies to investigate structural properties of trabecular bone exploiting single-sided NMR devices is reviewed, and current limitations and future perspectives are discussed