16 research outputs found
Constraints on secret neutrino interactions after Planck
(Abridged) Neutrino interactions beyond the standard model may affect the
cosmological evolution and can be constrained through observations. We consider
the possibility that neutrinos possess secret scalar or pseudoscalar
interactions mediated by the Nambu-Goldstone boson of a still unknown
spontaneously broken global symmetry, as in, e.g. , Majoron models. In
such scenarios, neutrinos still decouple at MeV, but become tightly
coupled again ('recouple') at later stages of the cosmological evolution. We
use available observations of CMB anisotropies, including Planck 2013 and the
joint BICEP2/Planck 2015 data, to derive constraints on the quantity
, parameterizing the neutrino collision rate due to
(pseudo)scalar interactions. We consider both a minimal extension of the
standard CDM model, and scenarios with extra relativistic species or
non-vanishing tensors. We find a typical constraint (95% C.L.), implying an upper limit on the redshift
of neutrino recoupling . In the framework of Majoron models,
the upper limit on roughly translates on a constraint on the Majoron-neutrino coupling constant . In general,
the data show a weak () but intriguing preference for non-zero
values of , with best fits in the range , depending on the particular dataset. This is
more evident when either observations from ACT and SPT are included, or the
possibility of non-vanishing tensor modes is considered. In particular, for the
minimal model CDM + and including the Planck 2013,
ACT and SPT data, we report () at 68% confidence level.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Replaced to match version accepted for
pubblication in JCA
Cosmic microwave background constraints on secret interactions among sterile neutrinos
Secret contact interactions among eV sterile neutrinos, mediated by a massive
gauge boson (with ), and characterized by a gauge coupling
, have been proposed as a mean to reconcile cosmological observations and
short-baseline laboratory anomalies. We constrain this scenario using the
latest Planck data on Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropies, and
measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO). We consistently include the
effect of secret interactions on cosmological perturbations, namely the
increased density and pressure fluctuations in the neutrino fluid, and still
find a severe tension between the secret interaction framework and cosmology.
In fact, taking into account neutrino scattering via secret interactions, we
derive our own mass bound on sterile neutrinos and find (at 95% CL) eV or eV from Planck alone or in combination with BAO,
respectively. These limits confirm the discrepancy with the laboratory
anomalies. Moreover, we constrain, in the limit of contact interaction, the
effective strength to be from Planck
(Planck+BAO). This result, together with the mass bound, strongly disfavours
the region with MeV and relatively large coupling , previously indicated as a possible solution to the small scale dark
matter problem.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, 4 table
Thermal axions with multi-eV masses are possible in low-reheating scenarios
We revise cosmological mass bounds on hadronic axions in low-reheating
cosmological scenarios, with a reheating temperature MeV,
in light of the latest cosmological observations. In this situation, the
neutrino decoupling would be unaffected, while the thermal axion relic
abundance is suppressed. Moreover, axions are colder in low-reheating
temperature scenarios, so that bounds on their abundance are possibly loosened.
As a consequence of these two facts, cosmological mass limits on axions are
relaxed. Using state-of-the-art cosmological data and characterizing axion-pion
interactions at the leading order in chiral perturbation theory, we find in the
standard case an axion mass bound eV. However, axions with masses
eV, or heavier, would be allowed for reheating temperatures
MeV. Multi-eV axions would be outside the mass
sensitivity of current and planned solar axion helioscopes and would demand new
experimental approaches to be detected.Comment: v2: minor changes to match the version published on JCAP. 27 pages,
10 figure
Simulating the development and progression of Chronic Kidney Disease and osteoporosis in people living with HIV
The "chronicization" of HIV infection brings about a growing necessity to attentively evaluate current and potential complications when prescribing the individual therapeutic regimen. Starting from this need, we developed two HIV-comorbidity simulators that, basing on the evidence available in medical literature and starting from the current clinical and demographic features of the individual patient, project and compare the risks of developing and worsening of nephropathy and osteopathy associated with possible ARV regimens. These simulators are embedded in a desktop, user-friendly software thought to be used by the treating physician during prescription discussion with his/her patients, in order to highlight expected clinical outcomes and healthcare resource consumption that may differ according to the therapeutic strategy selected. In this article we present the sources and methods used in developing the mathematical models, alongside a set of examples and the results of cohort-level validation runs
Association of COVID-19 Vaccinations With Intensive Care Unit Admissions and Outcome of Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia in Lombardy, Italy
IMPORTANCE Data on the association of COVID-19 vaccination with intensive care unit (ICU) admission and outcomes of patients with SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia are scarce. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether COVID-19 vaccination is associated with preventing ICU admission for COVID-19 pneumonia and to compare baseline characteristics and outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients admitted to an ICU. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cohort study on regional data sets reports: (1) daily number of administered vaccines and (2) data of all consecutive patients admitted to an ICU in Lombardy, Italy, from August 1 to December 15, 2021 (Delta variant predominant). Vaccinated patients received either mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273) or adenoviral vector vaccines (ChAdOx1-S or Ad26.COV2). Incident rate ratios (IRRs) were computed from August 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022; ICU and baseline characteristics and outcomes of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients admitted to an ICU were analyzed from August 1 to December 15, 2021. EXPOSURES COVID-19 vaccination status (no vaccination, mRNA vaccine, adenoviral vector vaccine). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The incidence IRR of ICU admission was evaluated, comparing vaccinated people with unvaccinated, adjusted for age and sex. The baseline characteristics at ICU admission of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients were investigated. The association between vaccination status at ICU admission and mortality at ICU and hospital discharge were also studied, adjusting for possible confounders. RESULTS Among the 10 107 674 inhabitants of Lombardy, Italy, at the time of this study, the median [IQR] agewas 48 [28-64] years and 5 154 914 (51.0%) were female. Of the 7 863 417 individuals who were vaccinated (median [IQR] age: 53 [33-68] years; 4 010 343 [51.4%] female), 6 251 417 (79.5%) received an mRNA vaccine, 550 439 (7.0%) received an adenoviral vector vaccine, and 1 061 561 (13.5%) received a mix of vaccines and 4 497 875 (57.2%) were boosted. Compared with unvaccinated people, IRR of individuals who received an mRNA vaccine within 120 days from the last dosewas 0.03 (95% CI, 0.03-0.04; P <.001), whereas IRR of individuals who received an adenoviral vector vaccine after 120 days was 0.21 (95% CI, 0.19-0.24; P <.001). There were 553 patients admitted to an ICU for COVID-19 pneumonia during the study period: 139 patients (25.1%) were vaccinated and 414 (74.9%) were unvaccinated. Compared with unvaccinated patients, vaccinated patients were older (median [IQR]: 72 [66-76] vs 60 [51-69] years; P <.001), primarily male individuals (110 patients [ 79.1%] vs 252 patients [60.9%]; P <.001), with more comorbidities (median [IQR]: 2 [1-3] vs 0 [0-1] comorbidities; P <.001) and had higher ratio of arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FiO(2)) at ICU admission (median [IQR]: 138 [100-180] vs 120 [90-158] mm Hg; P =.007). Factors associated with ICU and hospital mortality were higher age, premorbid heart disease, lower PaO2/FiO(2) at ICU admission, and female sex (this factor only for ICU mortality). ICU and hospital mortality were similar between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this cohort study, mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines were associated with significantly lower risk of ICU admission for COVID-19 pneumonia. ICU and hospital mortality were not associated with vaccinated status.These findings suggest a substantial reduction of the risk of developing COVID-19-related severe acute respiratory failure requiring ICU admission among vaccinated people
Exploring Cosmic Origins with CORE: Cosmological Parameters
We forecast the main cosmological parameter constraints achievable with theCORE space mission which is dedicated to mapping the polarisation of the CosmicMicrowave Background (CMB). CORE was recently submitted in response to ESA'sfifth call for medium-sized mission proposals (M5). Here we report the resultsfrom our pre-submission study of the impact of various instrumental options, inparticular the telescope size and sensitivity level, and review the great,transformative potential of the mission as proposed. Specifically, we assessthe impact on a broad range of fundamental parameters of our Universe as afunction of the expected CMB characteristics, with other papers in the seriesfocusing on controlling astrophysical and instrumental residual systematics. Inthis paper, we assume that only a few central CORE frequency channels areusable for our purpose, all others being devoted to the cleaning ofastrophysical contaminants. On the theoretical side, we assume LCDM as ourgeneral framework and quantify the improvement provided by CORE over thecurrent constraints from the Planck 2015 release. We also study the jointsensitivity of CORE and of future Baryon Acoustic Oscillation and Large ScaleStructure experiments like DESI and Euclid. Specific constraints on the physicsof inflation are presented in another paper of the series. In addition to thesix parameters of the base LCDM, which describe the matter content of aspatially flat universe with adiabatic and scalar primordial fluctuations frominflation, we derive the precision achievable on parameters like thosedescribing curvature, neutrino physics, extra light relics, primordial heliumabundance, dark matter annihilation, recombination physics, variation offundamental constants, dark energy, modified gravity, reionization and cosmicbirefringence. (ABRIDGED
Probing the neutrino sector through Cosmic Microwave Background observations
Le interazioni tra neutrini oltre il modello standard della fisica delle particelle sono
un campo aperto sia dal punto di vista teorico che sperimentale. In questa tesi
presentiamo come le proprietà non standard dei neutrini possano essere vincolate
usando le osservazioni cosmologiche e in particolare i dati della radiazione di fondo
cosmica, come i dati di Planck. Considereremo la possibilità che i neutrini posseggano
interazioni segrete scalari o pseudoscalari mediate da un bosone Nambu-Goldstone
di una simmetria globale spontaneamente rotta U (1) ancora sconosciuta, come ad
esempio i modelli che includono i Majoroni oppure quelle interazioni segrete di contatto
tra neutrini sterili leggeri (∼ 1 eV), mediati da un bosone di gauge massivo X (con
M X M W ). Presenteremo vincoli sulla forza di interazione e sulla massa di neutrini
consentita dai dati cosmologici o in combinazione con osservazioni astrofisiche, infine
discuteremo la fattibilità dei modelli considerati.Neutrino interactions beyond the standard model of particle physics are an open field
both from theoretical and experimental point of view. In this thesis we present how non-
standard neutrino properties can be constrained using cosmological observations and in
particular cosmic microwave background data like those of the Planck satellites. We will
consider the possibility that neutrinos possess secret scalar or pseudoscalar interactions
mediated by the Nambu-Goldstone boson of a still unknown spontaneously broken
global U (1) symmetry, as in, e.g., Majoron models or that secret contact interactions
among eV sterile neutrinos, mediated by a massive gauge boson X (with M X M W )
exist. We will present constraints on the interaction strength and on the neutrino mass
allowed by cosmological data alone or in combination with astrophysical observations
and we will discuss the feasibility of the considered models