163 research outputs found

    Higgs Boson Production in Association with a Photon in Vector Boson Fusion at the LHC

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    Higgs boson production in association with two forward jets and a central photon at the CERN Large Hadron Collider is analyzed, for the Higgs boson decaying into a b bbar pair in the m_H <= 140 GeV mass region. We study both irreducible and main reducible backgrounds at parton level. Compared to the Higgs production via vector-boson fusion, the request of a further photon at moderate rapidities dramatically enhances the signal/background ratio. Inclusive cross sections for p_T^\gamma >= 20 GeV can reach a few tens of fb's. After a suitable choice of kinematical cuts, the cross-section ratio for signal and irreducible-background can be enhanced up to >= ~1/10, with a signal cross section of the order of a few fb's, for m_H ~ 120 GeV. The request of a central photon radiation also enhances the relative signal sensitivity to the WWH coupling with respect to the ZZH coupling. Hence, a determination of the cross section for the associated production of a Higgs boson decaying into a b bbar pair plus a central photon in vector-boson fusion could help in constraining the b bbar H coupling, and the WWH coupling as well. A preliminary study of QCD showering effects points to a further significant improvement of the signal detectability over the background.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures, 8 tables; minor corrections to the text; version appeared in Nuclear Physics

    Digitalization and Spatial Documentation of Post-Earthquake Temporary Housing in Central Italy: An Integrated Geomatic Approach Involving UAV and a GIS-Based System

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    Geoinformation and aerial data collection are essential during post-earthquake emergency response. This research focuses on the long-lasting spatial impacts of temporary solutions, which have persisted in regions of Central Italy affected by catastrophic seismic events over the past 25 years, significantly and permanently altering their landscapes. The paper analyses the role of geomatic and photogrammetric tools in documenting the emergency process and projects in post-disaster phases. An Atlas of Temporary Architectures is proposed, which defines a common semantic and geometric codification for mapping temporary housing from territorial to urban and building scales. The paper presents an implementation of attribute specification in existing official cartographic data, including geometric entities in a 3D GIS data model platform for documenting and digitalising these provisional contexts. To achieve this platform, UAV point clouds are integrated with non-metric data to ensure a complete description in a multiscalar approach. Accurate topographic modifications can be captured by extracting very high-resolution orthophotos and elevation models (DSM and DTM). The results have been validated in Visso (Macerata), a small historical mountain village in Central Italy which was heavily damaged by the seismic events of 2016/2017. The integrated approach overcomes the existing gaps and emphasizes the importance of managing heterogeneous geospatial emergency data for classification purposes. It also highlights the need to enhance an interoperable knowledge base method for post-disaster temporary responses. By combining geomatic tools with architectural studies, these visualization techniques can support national and local organizations responsible for post-earthquake management through a 3D modelling method to aid future transformations or interventions following other natural disasters

    Intradiaphragmatic abscesses in a wild boar (Sus scrofa): Inspective implications based on anatomopathological evidences

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    The intradiaphragmatic localization of an abscess is rarely described in humans and in other animal domestic and wild species, and can be caused by penetrative traumas (i.e., firearm injuries). Here we describe two intradiaphragmatic abscesses in a hunted adult male wild boar (Sus scrofa) pluck, associated with adhesion phenomena with the contiguous anatomical structures (pleural, phrenic, and glissonian serosas) and observed during the post mortem inspection, in accordance with the Reg. EU 627/2019. One of these lesions also presented a phreno-abdominal fistula. We found in cytopathological evaluation of the neoformations' content the presence of spheroidal bacterial soma, characterized by linearly concatenated "Streptococcus-like" aggregation pattern. Furthermore, microbiological assays revealed a polymicrobial pattern characterized by the presence of telluric microorganisms, some of which have a marked pyogenic action (Streptococcus suis type I, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Carnobacterium divergens, and Lactobacillus sakei). Our results and collected evidence demonstrate the pathogenetic hypothesis of bacterial contamination secondary to penetrative trauma caused by a not-mortal projectile's wound, defining the inspective behaviour according to the cogent legislation. These lesions, in the reason of their potential relation to toxemia, bacteremia and septicemia phenomena, represent a sanitary risk that impose, from a normative point of view, the total condemnation of the carcass. These inspective implications, originating from the observation and interdisciplinary description of the anatomopathological and microbiological features of the lesions, are directly projected on the normative scenario, providing useful elements to guarantee the health of the consumer

    Circulating hsa-miR-5096 predicts 18F-FDG PET/CT positivity and modulates somatostatin receptor 2 expression: a novel miR-based assay for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

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    Gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are rare diseases encompassing pancreatic (PanNETs) and ileal NETs (SINETs), characterized by heterogeneous somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) expression. Treatments for inoperable GEP-NETs are limited, and SSTR-targeted Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) achieves variable responses. Prognostic biomarkers for the management of GEP-NET patients are required. 18F-FDG uptake is a prognostic indicator of aggressiveness in GEP-NETs. This study aims to identify circulating and measurable prognostic miRNAs associated with 18FFDG- PET/CT status, higher risk and lower response to PRRT

    Seismic emergency in Molise (2018). Preliminary report of the SISMIKO task force.

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    Il 16 agosto 2018 alle ore 18:19:04 UTC un terremoto di magnitudo ML 5.2 (Mw 5.1) è stato ben risentito in un’ampia area che comprende molte regioni del Centro Sud Italia. I sismologi in turno presso la sala di monitoraggio e sorveglianza sismica dell’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) hanno localizzato l’evento in provincia di Campobasso, a 4 km a Sud-Est di Montecilfone e ad una profondità inizialmente calcolata di 9 km. Nella stessa area si era verificato due giorni prima, il 14 agosto alle ore 23.48 italiane un terremoto di Mw 4.6 anch’esso ben risentito (i dettagli dell’evento sono reperibili alla pagina [http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/event/20375681]). A seguito dell’evento di magnitudo Mw 5.1 e della sequenza ad esso associata, come in ogni emergenza di questo tipo, è stato attivato il Gruppo Operativo SISMIKO [Moretti et al., 2012; 2016; Pondrelli et al., 2016] per l’installazione di alcune stazioni sismiche temporanee ad integrazione di quelle permanenti della Rete Sismica Nazionale (RSN [Michelini et al., 2016]) presenti nella regione.Il 16 agosto 2018 alle ore 18:19:04 UTC un terremoto di magnitudo ML 5.2 (Mw 5.1) è stato ben risentito in un’ampia area che comprende molte regioni del Centro Sud Italia [http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/event/20375681]. I sismologi, in turno presso la sala di monitoraggio e sorveglianza sismica dell’Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), hanno localizzato l’evento in provincia di Campobasso, a 4 km a Sud-Est di Montecilfone. Nella stessa area si era verificato due giorni prima, il 14 agosto alle ore 21.48 UTC un terremoto di Mw 4.6 [http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/event/20362671]. A seguito dell’evento di magnitudo Mw 5.1 e della sequenza ad esso associata, come avviene in questi casi, si è attivato il Gruppo Operativo SISMIKO [Moretti et al., 2012; 2016; Pondrelli et al., 2016] per l’installazione di stazioni sismiche temporanee ad integrazione di quelle permanenti della Rete Sismica Nazionale (RSN [Michelini et al., 2016; http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/instruments/network/IV]) presenti nella regione.Published1SR. TERREMOTI - Servizi e ricerca per la Societ

    &quot;Delirium Day&quot;: A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

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    Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 ± 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys

    Towards a muon collider

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    A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work

    Towards a Muon Collider

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    A muon collider would enable the big jump ahead in energy reach that is needed for a fruitful exploration of fundamental interactions. The challenges of producing muon collisions at high luminosity and 10 TeV centre of mass energy are being investigated by the recently-formed International Muon Collider Collaboration. This Review summarises the status and the recent advances on muon colliders design, physics and detector studies. The aim is to provide a global perspective of the field and to outline directions for future work.Comment: 118 pages, 103 figure

    Erratum:Towards a muon collider

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    Aseismic transient driving the swarm-like seismic sequence in the Pollino range, Southern Italy

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    Tectonic earthquake swarms challenge our understanding of earthquake processes since it is difficult to link observations to the underlying physical mechanisms and to assess the hazard they pose. Transient forcing is thought to initiate and drive the spatio-temporal release of energy during swarms. The nature of the transient forcing may vary across sequences and range from aseismic creeping or transient slip to diffusion of pore pressure pulses to fluid redistribution and migration within the seismogenic crust. Distinguishing between such forcing mechanisms may be critical to reduce epistemic uncertainties in the assessment of hazard due to seismic swarms, because it can provide information on the frequency–magnitude distribution of the earthquakes (often deviating from the assumed Gutenberg–Richter relation) and on the expected source parameters influencing the ground motion (for example the stress drop). Here we study the ongoing Pollino range (Southern Italy) seismic swarm, a long-lasting seismic sequence with more than five thousand events recorded and located since October 2010. The two largest shocks (magnitude Mw = 4.2 and Mw = 5.1) are among the largest earthquakes ever recorded in an area which represents a seismic gap in the Italian historical earthquake catalogue. We investigate the geometrical, mechanical and statistical characteristics of the largest earthquakes and of the entire swarm. We calculate the focal mechanisms of the Ml &gt; 3 events in the sequence and the transfer of Coulomb stress on nearby known faults and analyse the statistics of the earthquake catalogue. We find that only 25 per cent of the earthquakes in the sequence can be explained as aftershocks, and the remaining 75 per cent may be attributed to a transient forcing. The b-values change in time throughout the sequence, with low b-values correlated with the period of highest rate of activity and with the occurrence of the largest shock. In the light of recent studies on the palaeoseismic and historical activity in the Pollino area, we identify two scenarios consistent with the observations and our analysis: This and past seismic swarms may have been ‘passive’ features, with small fault patches failing on largely locked faults, or may have been accompanied by an ‘active’, largely aseismic, release of a large portion of the accumulated tectonic strain. Those scenarios have very different implications for the seismic hazard of the area
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