1,641 research outputs found
The Topological Non-connectivity Threshold in quantum long-range interacting spin systems
Quantum characteristics of the Topological Non-connectivity Threshold (TNT),
introduced in F.Borgonovi, G.L.Celardo, M.Maianti, E.Pedersoli, J. Stat. Phys.,
116, 516 (2004), have been analyzed in the hard quantum regime. New interesting
perspectives in term of the possibility to study the intriguing
quantum-classical transition through Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling have been
addressed.Comment: contribution to NEXTSIGMAPHI 3r
The hadronic models for cosmic ray physics: the FLUKA code solutions
FLUKA is a general purpose Monte Carlo transport and interaction code used
for fundamental physics and for a wide range of applications. These include
Cosmic Ray Physics (muons, neutrinos, EAS, underground physics), both for basic
research and applied studies in space and atmospheric flight dosimetry and
radiation damage. A review of the hadronic models available in FLUKA and
relevant for the description of cosmic ray air showers is presented in this
paper. Recent updates concerning these models are discussed. The FLUKA
capabilities in the simulation of the formation and propagation of EM and
hadronic showers in the Earth's atmosphere are shown.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. Invited talk presented by M.V. Garzelli at
ISVHECRI2006, International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Rays,
Weihai, China, August 15 - 22 200
Atmospheric neutrinos in a Large Liquid Argon detector
In view of the evaluation of the physics goals of a large Liquid Argon TPC,
evolving from the ICARUS technology, we have studied the possibility of
performing precision measurements on atmospheric neutrinos. For this purpose we
have improved existing Monte Carlo neutrino event generators based on FLUKA and
NUX by including the 3-flavor oscillation formalism and the numerical treatment
of Earth matter effects. By means of these tools we have studied the
sensitivity in the measurement of Theta(23) through the accurate measurement of
electron neutrinos. The updated values for Delta m^2(23) from Super-Kamiokande
and the mixing parameters as obtained by solar and KamLand experiments have
been used as reference input, while different values of Theta(13) have been
considered. An exposure larger than 500 kton yr seems necessary in order to
achieve a significant result, provided that the present knowledge of systematic
uncertainties is largely improved.Comment: Talk given at the worksgop "Cryogenic Liquid Detectors for Future
Particle Physics", LNGS (Italy) March 13th-14th, 200
Extracellular glutathione decreases the ability of Burkholderia cenocepacia to penetrate into epithelial cells and to induce an inflammatory response
The airway surface liquid (ASL) of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients contains a lower concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) with respect to healthy people. It is not known whether this defect may favor lung colonization by opportunistic pathogens
An ERp57-mediated disulphide exchange promotes the interaction between Burkholderia cenocepacia and epithelial respiratory cells
Previous studies have demonstrated that extracellular glutathione reduces the ability of the Cystic Fibrosis pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia to infect primary or immortalized epithelial respiratory cells. We report here that the adhesion and invasion ability of B. cenocepacia is limited also by thiol-oxidizing and disulphide-reducing agents and by protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) inhibitors. PDI inhibitors also reduce the proinflammatory response elicited by cells in response to Burkholderia. These findings indicate that a membrane-associated PDI catalyzes thiol/disulphide exchange reactions which favor bacterial infection. The combined use of selective PDI inhibitors, RNA silencing and specific antibodies identified ERp57 as a major PDI involved in the interaction between B. cenocepacia and epithelial cells. This study contributes to the elucidation of the Burkholderia pathogenic mechanisms by showing that this microorganism exploits a membrane-associated host protein to infect epithelial cells and identifies ERp57 as a putative pharmacological target for the treatment of Burkholderia lung infections
HyBIS: Windows Guest Protection through Advanced Memory Introspection
Effectively protecting the Windows OS is a challenging task, since most
implementation details are not publicly known. Windows has always been the main
target of malwares that have exploited numerous bugs and vulnerabilities.
Recent trusted boot and additional integrity checks have rendered the Windows
OS less vulnerable to kernel-level rootkits. Nevertheless, guest Windows
Virtual Machines are becoming an increasingly interesting attack target. In
this work we introduce and analyze a novel Hypervisor-Based Introspection
System (HyBIS) we developed for protecting Windows OSes from malware and
rootkits. The HyBIS architecture is motivated and detailed, while targeted
experimental results show its effectiveness. Comparison with related work
highlights main HyBIS advantages such as: effective semantic introspection,
support for 64-bit architectures and for latest Windows (8.x and 10), advanced
malware disabling capabilities. We believe the research effort reported here
will pave the way to further advances in the security of Windows OSes
Relative potency ranking of azoles altering craniofacial morphogenesis in rats : an in vitro data modelling approach
Facial malformations represent one of the most frequent abnormality in humans. The adverse outcome pathway involved in facial defects seems to be related to retinoic acid (RA) pathway imbalance. Environmental agents inducing craniofacial malformations in experimental models include pesticides (especially azole fungicides). By using the in vitro alternative method postimplantation rat whole embryo culture (WEC), we evaluated the intrinsic embryotoxic activity of some azole antifungals (cyproconazole, CYPRO; triadimefon, FON; flusilazole, FLUSI; and prochloraz, PCZ), in comparison to RA. All the tested molecules induced in a dose-related manner specific defects of the craniofacial structures (fused branchial arches), similar to those induced by RA. Collected data were modelled using PROAST 65.5 software to characterise the relative potency factors (RPFs) versus RA. In comparison to RA, all the evaluated azoles were less potent, showing among them a similar potency. Our data suggest a possible azole-related RA signalling perturbation to be further investigated. Moreover, the present results indicate the approach used in this work to be an interesting tool applicable to the hazard evaluation of novel compounds or the assessment of combined exposure to azoles or other dismorphogens
The physics models of FLUKA: status and recent development
A description of the intermediate and high energy hadronic interaction models
used in the FLUKA code is given. Benchmarking against experimental data is also
reported in order to validate the model performances. Finally the most recent
developments and perspectives for nucleus-nucleus interactions are described
together with some comparisons with experimental data.Comment: talk from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics
(CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 10 pages, p
Development of an adverse outcome pathway for cranio-facial malformations: A contribution from in silico simulations and in vitro data
Mixtures of substances sharing the same molecular initiating event (MIE) are supposed to induce additive effects. The proposed MIE for azole fungicides is CYP26 inhibition with retinoic acid (RA) local increase, triggering key events leading to craniofacial defects. Valproic acid (VPA) is supposed to imbalance RA-regulated gene expression trough histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibition. The aim was to evaluate effects of molecules sharing the same MIE (azoles) and of such having (hypothetically) different MIEs but which are eventually involved in the same adverse outcome pathway (AOP). An in silico approach (molecular docking) investigated the suggested MIEs. Teratogenicity was evaluated in vitro (WEC). Abnormalities were modelled by PROAST software. The common target was the branchial apparatus. In silico results confirmed azole-related CYP26 inhibition and a weak general VPA inhibition on the tested HDACs. Unexpectedly, VPA showed also a weak, but not marginal, capability to enter the CYP 26A1 and CYP 26C1 catalytic sites, suggesting a possible role of VPA in decreasing RA catabolism, acting as an additional MIE. Our findings suggest a new more complex picture. Consequently two different AOPs, leading to the same AO, can be described. VPA MIEs (HDAC and CYP26 inhibition) impinge on the two converging AOPs
experimental assessment of a pressure wave charger for motorcycle engines
Abstract Charging a motorcycle engine is challenging, since requirements of lightness, system simplicity and engine responsiveness are key factors. This paper reports on a preliminary study on a pressure wave compressor, the "Impulse Drum Charger". Performances of a 4-stroke motorcycle engine with and without Drum Charger were compared at the test bench and a pressure analysis in the intake manifold was carried out as well. Results show that this system is able to effectively improve engine power (up to 1.4 kW at 9500 rpm WOT) without an ECU recalibration
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