Possible, alternative explanations of the T2K observation of the nu_e appearance from an initial nu_mu

An alternative explanation to the emergence of sin^2(2 theta_13) > 0 is discussed. It is pointed out that the recorded T2K events might have been due to some other new physics in the neutrino sector, related to the LSND/MiniBooNE sterile neutrino anomalies, for which there is nowadays a growing evidence. The presently running ICARUS detector with the CNGS beam will be able to distinguish between these two possible sources of the effectComment: 5 pages, 1 figur

A diagnostic tool to evaluate the proactivity levels of risk-Reporting activities by the workforce

Prevention of occupational injuries is an important task of Human Resource Management. Empiric research showed that risk perception, safety communication and worker's participation in safety programs may have a relevant role in reducing accident and injury occurrence - see for example (Conchie, 2013). These considerations lead us to this study to propose a new methodology which consists in an index aimed to assess the proactivity of worker participation in safety management systems. The innovation consists in defining a diagnostic measurement model to assess the degree of workforce proactivity, considering a specific kind of participatory contribute by workers for safety promotion in the workplace, like the spontaneous risk-reporting initiatives. The measurement tool has been defined and tested by an interdisciplinary team composed of four university researchers (human factor experts) and two site safety managers of a chemical site which is chosen with the purpose to apply for the first time the new tool. Preliminary results show that different levels of proactivity were adopted and that the highest levels of proactivity are relatively less frequent. The tool offers relevant diagnostic information for the industrial organizations which aim to achieve higher level of proactivity in risk management, offering practical indications for managerial interventions focused on stimulating and improving appropriate participation by the workforce. © Copyright 2014, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

Bayesian optimization with machine learning for big data applications in the cloud

L'ottimizzazione bayesiana è un metodo promettente per trovare configurazioni ottimali di applicazioni big data eseguite su cloud. I metodi di machine learning possono fornire informazioni utili sull'applicazione in oggetto grazie alle loro capacità predittive. In questo articolo, proponiamo un algoritmo ibrido basato sull'ottimizzazione bayesiana che integra tecniche di machine learning per risolvere problemi di ottimizzazione con vincoli di tempo in sistemi di cloud computing.Bayesian Optimization is a promising method for efficiently finding optimal cloud computing configurations for big data applications. Machine Learning methods can provide useful knowledge about the application at hand thanks to their predicting capabilities. In this paper, we propose a hybrid algorithm that is based on Bayesian Optimization and integrates elements from Machine Learning techniques to tackle time-constrained optimization problems in a cloud computing setting

On the proper time of the earthquake source

The concept of proper time, which is different from universal time, has been introduced into the physics of earthquakes. The global activity of strong earthquakes was chosen as the object of study. We consider the sequence of earthquakes as a random process of the Poisson type. Comparatively weak earthquakes are used as the underground clock, the ticking of which marks the course of proper time. The Poisson distribution is compared with the distributions for two sequences of strong earthquakes. One of the sequences is ordered by calendar time, and the second by proper time. The result of the test showed that the distribution of events ordered by proper time is closer to the Poisson distribution than the distribution of events ordered by calendar time. We explain this by non-stationarity, which is an immanent property of the Earth's lithosphere.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

The determinants of Teachers’ Wellbeing: the mediating role of Mental Fatigue

In recent years, many studies have focused on the determinants and consequences of teacher stress. One of the most recent theoretical models concerning stress is the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. This study examines one process – namely the energetic process – which supposes that high job demands exhaust employees’ mental and physical resources and therefore cause ill health. Particularly, this study examines the mediating role of mental fatigue between three job demands of teachers (workload, inequity and work/family confl ict) and three consequences of stress: psychological and physical symptoms and work satisfaction. An Italian version of the selfreport Questionnaire for Psychosocial Work Environment and Stress (PWSQ) was administered to 697 teachers belonging to a random sample of 17 school organizations. The results showed that mental fatigue has a mediating role in the relationship between work/family confl ict and the three outcomes considered, namely psychological and physical symptoms, and work satisfaction. This study has an important implication for intervention strategy because mental fatigue is a pre-strain condition which arises before more intense outcomes, such as stress-related diseases occur. Identifi cation of this condition allows prevention of the consequences of stress

A new search for anomalous neutrino oscillations at the CERN-PS

The LSND experiment has observed a 3.8 sigma excess of anti-nu_e events from an anti-nu_mu beam coming from pions at rest. If confirmed, the LSND anomaly would imply new physics beyond the standard model, presumably in the form of some additional sterile neutrinos. The MiniBooNE experiment at FNAL-Booster has further searched for the LSND anomaly. Above 475 MeV, the nu_e result is excluding the LSND anomaly to about 1.6 sigma but it introduces an unexplained, new 3.0 sigma anomaly at lower energies, down to 200 MeV. The nu_e data have so far an insufficient statistics to be conclusive with LSND's anti-nu_e. The present proposal at the CERN-PS is based on two strictly identical LAr-TPC detectors in the near and far positions, respectively at 127 and 850 m from the neutrino (or antineutrino) target and focussing horn, observing the electron-neutrino signal. This project will benefit from the already developed technology of ICARUS T600, well tested on surface in Pavia, without the need of any major R&D activity and without the added problems of an underground experiment (CNGS-2). The superior quality of the Liquid Argon imaging TPC and its unique electron - pi-zero discrimination allow full rejection of the NC background, without efficiency loss for electron neutrino detection. In two years of exposure, the far detector mass of 600 tons and a reasonable utilization of the CERN-PS with the refurbished previous TT7 beam line will allow to collect about 10^6 charged current events, largely adequate to settle definitely the LSND anomaly.Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures, added watermark, better referencin