DNA waves and water

Some bacterial and viral DNA sequences have been found to induce low frequency electromagnetic waves in high aqueous dilutions. This phenomenon appears to be triggered by the ambient electromagnetic background of very low frequency. We discuss this phenomenon in the framework of quantum field theory. A scheme able to account for the observations is proposed. The reported phenomenon could allow to develop highly sensitive detection systems for chronic bacterial and viral infections.Comment: Invited talk at the DICE2010 Conference, Castiglioncello, Italy September 201

How heavy can the Fermions in Split Susy be? A study on Gravitino and Extradimensional LSP

In recently introduced Split Susy theories, in which the scale of Susy breaking is very high, the requirement that the relic abundance of the Lightest SuperPartner (LSP) provides the Dark Matter of the Universe leads to the prediction of fermionic superpartners around the weak scale. This is no longer obviously the case if the LSP is a hidden sector field, such as a Gravitino or an other hidden sector fermion, so, it is interesting to study this scenario. We consider the case in which the Next-Lightest SuperPartner (NLSP) freezes out with its thermal relic abundance, and then it decays to the LSP. We use the constraints from BBN and CMB, together with the requirement of attaining Gauge Coupling Unification and that the LSP abundance provides the Dark Matter of the Universe, to infer the allowed superpartner spectrum. As very good news for a possible detaction of Split Susy at LHC, we find that if the Gravitino is the LSP, than the only allowed NLSP has to be very purely photino like. In this case, a photino from 700 GeV to 5 TeV is allowed, which is difficult to test at LHC. We also study the case where the LSP is given by a light fermion in the hidden sector which is naturally present in Susy breaking in Extra Dimensions. We find that, in this case, a generic NLSP is allowed to be in the range 1-20 TeV, while a Bino NLSP can be as light as tens of GeV.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures. v2: modified conclusions for bino NLSP. v3: corrected small mistake in Gauge Coupling Unification, conclusions unchange

Counting dark matter particles in LHC events

We suggest trying to count the number of invisible particles produced in missing energy events at the LHC, arguing that multiple production of such particles provides evidence that they constitute stable Dark Matter and that counting them could yield further insights into the nature of Dark Matter. We propose a method to count invisible particles, based on fitting the shapes of certain transverse- or invariant-mass distributions, discuss various effects that may affect the measurement, and simulate the use of the method to count neutrinos in Standard Model processes and Dark Matter candidates in new physics processes.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures, revtex4 forma

Why the Water Bridge does not collapse

In 2007 an interesting phenomenon was discovered: a thread of water, the so-called water bridge (WB), can hang between two glass beakers filled with deionized water if voltage is applied to them. We analyze the available explanations of the WB stability and propose a completely different one: the force that supports the WB is the surface tension of water and the role of electric field is not to allow the WB to reduce its surface energy by means of breaking into separate drops.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Guideline on management of the acute asthma attack in children by Italian Society of Pediatrics.

BACKGROUND: Acute asthma attack is a frequent condition in children. It is one of the most common reasons for emergency department (ED) visit and hospitalization. Appropriate care is fundamental, considering both the high prevalence of asthma in children, and its life-threatening risks. Italian Society of Pediatrics recently issued a guideline on the management of acute asthma attack in children over age 2, in ambulatory and emergency department settings. METHODS: The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was adopted. A literature search was performed using the Cochrane Library and Medline/PubMed databases, retrieving studies in English or Italian and including children over age 2 year. RESULTS: Inhaled ß2 agonists are the first line drugs for acute asthma attack in children. Ipratropium bromide should be added in moderate/severe attacks. Early use of systemic steroids is associated with reduced risk of ED visits and hospitalization. High doses of inhaled steroids should not replace systemic steroids. Aminophylline use should be avoided in mild/moderate attacks. Weak evidence supports its use in life-threatening attacks. Epinephrine should not be used in the treatment of acute asthma for its lower cost / benefit ratio, compared to β2 agonists. Intravenous magnesium solphate could be used in children with severe attacks and/or forced expiratory volume1 (FEV1) lower than 60% predicted, unresponsive to initial inhaled therapy. Heliox could be administered in life-threatening attacks. Leukotriene receptor antagonists are not recommended. CONCLUSIONS: This Guideline is expected to be a useful resource in managing acute asthma attacks in children over age 2