Trojan Horse Investigation for AGB Stellar Nucleosynthesis

Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are among the most important astrophysical sites influencing the nucleosynthesis and the chemical abundances in the Universe. From a pure nuclear point of view, several processes take part during this peculiar stage of stellar evolution thus requiring detailed experimental cross section measurements. Here, we report on the most recent results achieved via the application of the Trojan Horse Method (THM) and Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC) indirect techniques, discussing the details of the experimental procedure and the deduced reaction rates. In addition, we report also on the on going studies of interest for AGB nucleosynthesis

The 10B(p,α)7Be S(E)-factor from 5 keV to 1.5 MeV using the Trojan Horse Method

The 10 B(p, α ) 7 Be reaction is the main responsible for the 10 B destruction in stellar interior [1]. In such environments this p-capture process occurs at a Gamow energy of 10 keV and takes places mainly through a resonant state (Ex = 8.701 MeV) of the compound 11 C nucleus. Thus a resonance right in the region of the Gamow peak is expected to significantly influence the behavior of the astrophysical S(E)-factor. The 10 B(p, α ) 7 Be reaction was studied via the Trojan Horse Method (THM) applied to the 2 H( 10 B, α 7 Be)n in order to extract the astrophysical S(E)-factor in a wide energy range from 5 keV to 1.5 MeV

Initial state fluctuations and anisotropic flows of the Quark-Gluon Plasma created in Ultra-relativistic Heavy Ion collisions

The fundamental theory of strong interactions is the so called Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD) that is a quantum field theory with an extremely rich dynamical content. The main features of this theory are the asymptotic freedom and confinement. The study of QCD, under extreme conditions of temperature and density has been one of the most difficult problem in physics during the last decades, capturing increasing experimental and theoretical attention also in connection with its relation to the Early Universe physics.\\ In this work of thesis it is extensively discussed the effect of the primordial QCD phase transition during the first part of the evolution of our Universe: the Big Bang nucleosynthesis.\\ On the other hand, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and Large Hadron Collider (LHC) programs have been used to probe the properties of nuclear matter under such extreme condition. In the light of the experimental results accumulated in these years in these ultra relativistic heavy ion collisions, the main purpose of this thesis is to study the dynamical evolution of the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) in the framework of kinetic theory.\\ In particular, recent experimental data show that the momentum anisotropy of the emitted particles is an observable that encodes information about the transport properties of the matter created in these HIC and also that it is an observable sensitive to the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio $\eta/s$. Hence, in this work we have investigated within an event-by-event transport approach at fixed viscosity this elliptic flow $v_{2}$ and high order harmonics $v_{n}$.\\ The principal results presented in this thesis concern the different sensitivity to the $\eta/s(T)$ at different energies (RHIC and LHC) for both ultra-central and mid-peripheral collisions, especially in the cross over region of the transition. Moreover we highlighted the effect of the inclusion in our simulation code of a realistic kinetic freeze out. Finally, we discussed the correlation between the initial spatial anisotropies $\epsilon_{n}$ and flow coefficients $v_{n}$

Shedding light on

Indirect methods have been established in the past as a complementary way of increasing our knowledge about nuclear structure and low-energy cross section measurements. Among these, the neutron induced reaction cross sections appear to be of particular interest because of their role both for unstable and stable beams. In view of this, we report here the combined study of the 17O(n,α)14C reaction accomplished by the Trojan Horse Method (THM) and the Asymptotic Normalization Coefficient (ANC) method. The low lying resonances 8038, 8125, 8213, and 8282 keV in 18O are studied and Γn are derived. A comparison with direct data and recent THM experimental data is presented. The independent ANC investigation corroborates our previous THM results, confirms the consistence of the two indirect investigation and shows new frontiers also in view of neutron induced reactions with RIB’s

NEW TOPICAL AGENTS FOR ACTINIC KERATOSES: CLINICAL AND HD-OCT EVALUATION

Background: Actinic keratoses (AKs) is one of the most common dermatological diagnoses worldwide, especially among the elderly, fair-skinned, and immunocompromised patients. AK are scaly, pink to reddish-brown scaly lesions on erythematous base appearing as single to multiple elements on sun-exposed areas. They are considered as an early in situ squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), with a risk of progression to invasive SCC (iSCC) estimated to range between 0.025% and 16% per year. The diagnosis is based on clinical and dermoscopic evaluation. Other non-invasive techniques such as reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) represent further tools for differential diagnosis and characterization. Several clinical, dermoscopic ad histological classification systems have been proposed for grading AK lesions. Due to their potential risk of progression to iSCC, all AK should be treated, and clinical follow-up is recommended. Observation: Among available treatments, it is possible to distinguish lesion-directed therapies (cryotherapy, laser therapy and surgery when a progression to iSCC is suspected) and field-directed therapies (5-fluorouracil, diclofenac, imiquimod and photodynamic therapy). Recently, Tirbanibulin, proved its efficacy in the treatment of AK in two phase III clinical trials; it inhibits Src kinase signaling and tubulin polymerisation, stimulating arrest in the cell cycle in just 5 consecutive days of application. We evaluated efficacy, safety and adherence to therapy of topical ointments indicated for the treatment of the different clinico-pathologic variants of AK (focusing on tirbanibulin and 5-Fluorouracil 0.5%, Salicylic Acid 10%), providing a clinical, dermoscopic and OCT longitudinal evaluation. Key message: the use of non-invasive diagnostic technique allowed us to classificate AK and choose a tailored treatment for each patients

Valutazione di una lesione papulare mammaria peri-cicatriziale con high-definition optical coherent tomography HD-OCT (HD-OCT)

Il cancro della mammella rappresenta la neoplasia più comune nelle donne a livello mondiale. Nella maggior parte dei casi, le metastasi sono la principale causa di decesso. Nonostante le varie società abbiano promosso programmi di screening standardizzati, la diagnosi precoce risulta ancora difficoltosa, ma è fondamentale per migliorare la sopravvivenza. Inoltre, una comprensione più approfondita del potenziale metastatico del carcinoma mammario è indispensabile per sviluppare approcci terapeutici più efficaci. Le metastasi cutanee da carcinoma della mammella sono relativamente poco frequenti nella pratica clinica. Poiché queste possono mimare lesioni cutanee benigne, è necessaria un’attenta valutazione clinica, dermatoscopica e, se possibile, attraverso metodiche di diagnostica non invasiva. Descriviamo il caso di una paziente di 76 anni che si è presentata al nostro ambulatorio di diagnostica non invasiva con un'insolita lesione cutanea, risultata poi metastasi da carcinoma mammario Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). Il nostro scopo è quello di sottolineare l'importanza del dermatologo nel processo diagnostico multidisciplinare in ambito oncologico e il ruolo sempre più determinante che potranno rivestire le tecniche di diagnostica in vivo nella diagnosi differenziale delle lesioni sospette