Correlating electron trapping and structural defects in Al2O3 thin films deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition

In this article, electron trapping in aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin films grown by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures has been studied and a correlation with the presence of oxygen defects in the film has been provided. Capacitance–voltage measurements revealed the occurrence of a negative charge trapping effect upon bias stress, able to fill an amount of charge traps in the bulk Al2O3 in the order of 5 × 1012 cm−2. A structural analysis based on electron energy-loss spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of low-coordinated Al cations in the Al2O3 film, which is an indication of oxygen vacancies, and can explain the electrical behavior of the film. These charge trapping effects were used for achieving thermally stable (up to 100 °C) enhancement mode operation in AlGaN/GaN transistors, by controlling the two-dimensional electron gas depletion

The FPGA based trigger and data acquisition system for the CERN NA62 experiment

The main goal of the NA62 experiment at CERN is to measure the branching ratio of the ultra-rare K+ → π+vv decay, collecting about 100 events to test the Standard Model of Particle Physics. Readout uniformity of sub-detectors, scalability, efficient online selection and lossless high rate readout are key issues. The TDCB and TEL62 boards are the common blocks of the NA62 TDAQ system. TDCBs measure hit times from sub-detectors, TEL62s process and store them in a buffer, extracting only those requested by the trigger system following the matching of trigger primitives produced inside TEL62s themselves. During the NA62 Technical Run at the end of 2012 the TALK board has been used as prototype version of the L0 Trigger Processor

Development of a high-throughput tracking processor on FPGA boards

We present the latest results on the prototype of a tracking processor capable of reconstructing events in a silicon-strip tracker at about 40 MHz event rate with sub-microsecond latency. The processor is based on an advanced pattern-recognition algorithm, called “artificial retina”, inspired to the vision system of the mammals. We design and implement one of the first functional prototype of this processor on a DAQ board based on Alters Stratix III FPGAs. Then, in order to test the maximum rate capability, we port and optimize the processor on a high-speed board equipped with Altera Stratix V FPGAs. Future applications of this novel approach as real-time track trigger at LHC experiments are also discussed

A high-resolution TDC-based board for a fully digital trigger and data acquisition system in the NA62 experiment at CERN

A Time to Digital Converter (TDC) based system, to be used for most sub-detectors in the high-flux rare-decay experiment NA62 at CERN SPS, was built as part of the NA62 fully digital Trigger and Data AcQuisition system (TDAQ), in which the TDC Board (TDCB) and a general-purpose motherboard (TEL62) will play a fundamental role. While TDCBs, housing four High Performance Time to Digital Converters (HPTDC), measure hit times from sub-detectors, the motherboard processes and stores them in a buffer, produces trigger primitives from different detectors and extracts only data related to the lowest trigger level decision, once this is taken on the basis of the trigger primitives themselves. The features of the TDCB board developed by the Pisa NA62 group are extensively discussed and performance data is presented in order to show its compliance with the experiment requirements.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, presented to IEEE RT 2014 Conference and I want to publish in TN

Economic Evaluation of Different Organizational Models for the Management of Patients with Hepatitis C

BACKGROUND: Access to Directly Acting Antivirals (DAAs) for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment in Italy was initially restricted to severe patients. In 2017, AIFA expanded access to all patients, to achieve elimination by 2030.AIM: To investigate the impact of different hospitals’ organizational models on elimination timing, treatment capacity and direct costs.METHODS: Most Regional healthcare systems in Italy deploy a Center of Excellence (CoE) organizational model, where patients are referred to a single major hospital in the area, which is the only one that can prescribe and deliver DAAs. The study was conducted at Bergamo’s (Lombardy, Italy) Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital (PG-23), which deploys a Hub&Spoke model: the Hub (PG-23) prescribes and delivers DAAs while Spokes (four smaller hospitals) can only prescribe them. The study compares the two models (CoE vs. H&S). Patient journey and workloads were mapped and quantified through interviews with hospital stakeholders. Cost data were collected through the hospital’s IT system; the sample comprised 2,277 HCV patients, over one year.RESULTS: The study calculated the average cost to treat HCV patients (~ € 1,470 per patient). Key cost drivers are lab tests (60%) and specialist visits (30%). Over one year, H&S can treat 68% more patients than CoE. As deferred patients absorb up to 40% of total costs, the “Optimized” model was designed by streamlining specialists’ visits and involving general practitioners during follow-up. “Optimized” model increases treatment capacity and reduces costs of deferred patients by 72% vs CoE.CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the importance of organizational models in efficiently achieving 2030 elimination

Anti-Apolipoprotein A-1 auto-antibodies are active mediators of atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability

Aims Anti-Apolipoprotein A-1 auto-antibodies (anti-ApoA-1 IgG) represent an emerging prognostic cardiovascular marker in patients with myocardial infarction or autoimmune diseases associated with high cardiovascular risk. The potential relationship between anti-ApoA-1 IgG and plaque vulnerability remains elusive. Thus, we aimed to investigate the role of anti-ApoA-1 IgG in plaque vulnerability. Methods and results Potential relationship between anti-ApoA-1 IgG and features of cardiovascular vulnerability was explored both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, we investigated anti-ApoA-1 IgG in patients with severe carotid stenosis (n = 102) and in ApoE−/− mice infused with polyclonal anti-ApoA-1 IgG. In vitro, anti-ApoA-1 IgG effects were assessed on human primary macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils. Intraplaque collagen was decreased, while neutrophil and matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-9 content were increased in anti-ApoA-1 IgG-positive patients and anti-ApoA-1 IgG-treated mice when compared with corresponding controls. In mouse aortic roots (but not in abdominal aortas), treatment with anti-ApoA-1 IgG was associated with increased lesion size when compared with controls. In humans, serum anti-ApoA-1 IgG levels positively correlated with intraplaque macrophage, neutrophil, and MMP-9 content, and inversely with collagen. In vitro, anti-ApoA-1 IgG increased macrophage release of CCL2, CXCL8, and MMP-9, as well as neutrophil migration towards TNF-α or CXCL8. Conclusion These results suggest that anti-ApoA-1 IgG might be associated with increased atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability in humans and mic

The activation of the cannabinoid receptor type 2 reduces neutrophilic protease-mediated vulnerability in atherosclerotic plaques

Aims The activation of cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2)-mediated pathways might represent a promising anti-atherosclerotic treatment. Here, we investigated the expression of the endocannabinoid system in human carotid plaques and the impact of CB2 pharmacological activation on markers of plaque vulnerability in vivo and in vitro. Methods and results The study was conducted using all available residual human carotid tissues (upstream and downstream the blood flow) from our cohort of patients symptomatic (n = 13) or asymptomatic (n = 27) for ischaemic stroke. Intraplaque levels of 2-arachidonoylglycerol, anandamide N-arachidonoylethanolamine, N-palmitoylethanolamine, N-oleoylethanolamine, and their degrading enzymes (fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase) were not different in human plaque portions. In the majority of human samples, CB1 (both mRNA and protein levels) was undetectable. In downstream symptomatic plaques, CB2 protein expression was reduced when compared with asymptomatic patients. In these portions, CB2 levels were inversely correlated (r = −0.4008, P = 0.0170) with matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-9 content and positively (r = 0.3997, P = 0.0174) with collagen. In mouse plaques, CB2 co-localized with neutrophils and MMP-9. Treatment with the selective CB2 agonist JWH-133 was associated with the reduction in MMP-9 content in aortic root and carotid plaques. In vitro, pre-incubation with JWH-133 reduced tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α-mediated release of MMP-9. This effect was associated with the reduction in TNF-α-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation in human neutrophils. Conclusion Cannabinoid receptor type 2 receptor is down-regulated in unstable human carotid plaques. Since CB2 activation prevents neutrophil release of MMP-9 in vivo and in vitro, this treatment strategy might selectively reduce carotid vulnerability in human

Mu2e Crystal Calorimeter Readout Electronics: Design and Characterisation

The Mu2e experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will search for the charged-lepton flavour-violating neutrinoless conversion of negative muons into electrons in the Coulomb field of an Al nucleus. The conversion electron with a monoenergetic 104.967 MeV signature will be identified by a complementary measurement carried out by a high-resolution tracker and an electromagnetic calorimeter, improving by four orders of magnitude the current single-event sensitivity. The calorimeter—composed of 1348 pure CsI crystals arranged in two annular disks—has a high granularity, 10% energy resolution and 500 ps timing resolution for 100 MeV electrons. The readout, based on large-area UV-extended SiPMs, features a fully custom readout chain, from the analogue front-end electronics to the digitisation boards. The readout electronics design was validated for operation in vacuum and under magnetic fields. An extensive radiation hardness certification campaign certified the FEE design for doses up to 100 krad and 1012 n1MeVeq/cm2 and for single-event effects. A final vertical slice test on the final readout chain was carried out with cosmic rays on a large-scale calorimeter prototype