The three-body recombination of a condensed Bose gas near a Feshbach resonance

In this paper, we study the three-body recombination rate of a homogeneous dilute Bose gas with a Feshbach resonance at zero temperature. The ground state and excitations of this system are obtained. The three-body recombination in the ground state is due to the break-up of an atom pair in the quantum depletion and the formation of a molecule by an atom from the broken pair and an atom from the condensate. The rate of this process is in good agreement with the experiment on $^{23}$Na in a wide range of magnetic fields.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Versatile hydrogels: An efficient way to clean paper artworks

In this work we present innovative materials able to remove in a single, simple and not invasive treatment, different contaminants like starch paste from paper artworks. The materials, based on biocompatible hydrogels, overcome many of the problems usually faced by restorers during the cleaning of paper sample

Usefulness of Low-Dose Statin Plus Ezetimibe and/or Nutraceuticals in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Intolerant to High-Dose Statin Treatment.

High-dose statin (HDS) therapy is recommended to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C); however, some patients are unable to tolerate the associated side effects. Nutraceuticals have shown efficacy in lowering LDL-C. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the combination of low-dose statin (LDS) plus ezetimibe (EZE) or LDS plus nutraceutical (Armolipid Plus [ALP] containing red yeast rice, policosanol, and berberine) can lead to a higher proportion of high-risk patients achieving target LDL-C. A secondary objective was to assess the efficacy of triple combination LDS + EZE + ALP in resistant patients (LDL-C >70 mg/dl). A randomized, prospective, parallel-group, single-blind study was conducted in patients with coronary artery disease (n = 100) who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention in the preceding 12 months, were HDS-intolerant, and were not at LDL-C target (<70 mg/dl) with LDS alone. Patients received either LDS + EZE or LDS + ALP. Of the 100 patients, 33 patients (66%) treated with LDS + EZE and 31 patients (62%) treated with LDS + ALP achieved target LDL-C after 3 months, which was maintained at 6 months. Patients who did not achieve the therapeutic goal received a triple combination of LDS + EZE + ALP for a further 3 months. At 6 months, 28 of 36 patients (78%) achieved LDL-C target. Overall, 92% of patients enrolled in this study were at target LDL-C at 6 months. No patients in any group experienced major side effects. In conclusion, in HDS-intolerant coronary artery disease patients, the combination of LDS plus EZE and/or ALP represents a valuable therapeutic option allowing most patients to reach target LDL-C within 3 to 6 months

Multi-GeV Electron Spectrometer

The advance in laser plasma acceleration techniques pushes the regime of the resulting accelerated particles to higher energies and intensities. In particular the upcoming experiments with the FLAME laser at LNF will enter the GeV regime with almost 1pC of electrons. From the current status of understanding of the acceleration mechanism, relatively large angular and energy spreads are expected. There is therefore the need to develop a device capable to measure the energy of electrons over three orders of magnitude (few MeV to few GeV) under still unknown angular divergences. Within the PlasmonX experiment at LNF a spectrometer is being constructed to perform these measurements. It is made of an electro-magnet and a screen made of scintillating fibers for the measurement of the trajectories of the particles. The large range of operation, the huge number of particles and the need to focus the divergence present unprecedented challenges in the design and construction of such a device. We will present the design considerations for this spectrometer and the first results from a prototype.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to NIM

Frequency-modulated electromagnetic neural stimulation (FREMS) as a treatment for symptomatic diabetic neuropathy: results from a double-blind, randomised, multicentre, long-term, placebo-controlled clinical trial

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous frequency-modulated electromagnetic neural stimulation (frequency rhythmic electrical modulation system, FREMS) as a treatment for symptomatic peripheral neuropathy in patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomised, multicentre, parallel-group study of three series, each of ten treatment sessions of FREMS or placebo administered within 3 weeks, 3 months apart, with an overall follow-up of about 51 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in nerve conduction velocity (NCV) of deep peroneal, tibial and sural nerves. Secondary endpoints included the effects of treatment on pain, tactile, thermal and vibration sensations. Patients eligible to participate were aged 18-75 years with diabetes for ≥ 1 year, HbA(1c) <11.0% (97 mmol/mol), with symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy at the lower extremities (i.e. abnormal amplitude, latency or NCV of either tibial, deep peroneal or sural nerve, but with an evocable potential and measurable NCV of the sural nerve), a Michigan Diabetes Neuropathy Score ≥ 7 and on a stable dose of medications for diabetic neuropathy in the month prior to enrolment. Data were collected in an outpatient setting. Participants were allocated to the FREMS or placebo arm (1:1 ratio) according to a sequence generated by a computer random number generator, without block or stratification factors. Investigators digitised patients' date of birth and site number into an interactive voice recording system to obtain the assigned treatment. Participants, investigators conducting the trial, or people assessing the outcomes were blinded to group assignment. RESULTS: Patients (n = 110) with symptomatic neuropathy were randomised to FREMS (n = 54) or placebo (n = 56). In the intention-to-treat population (50 FREMS, 51 placebo), changes in NCV of the three examined nerves were not different between FREMS and placebo (deep peroneal [means ± SE]: 0.74 ± 0.71 vs 0.06 ± 1.38 m/s; tibial: 2.08 ± 0.84 vs 0.61 ± 0.43 m/s; and sural: 0.80 ± 1.08 vs -0.91 ± 1.13 m/s; FREMS vs placebo, respectively). FREMS induced a significant reduction in day and night pain as measured by a visual analogue scale immediately after each treatment session, although this beneficial effect was no longer measurable 3 months after treatment. Compared with the placebo group, in the FREMS group the cold sensation threshold was significantly improved, while non-significant differences were observed in the vibration and warm sensation thresholds. No relevant side effects were recorded during the study. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: FREMS proved to be a safe treatment for symptomatic diabetic neuropathy, with immediate, although transient, reduction in pain, and no effect on NCV. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01628627. FUNDING: The clinical trial was sponsored by Lorenz Biotech (Medolla, Italy), lately Lorenz Lifetech (Ozzano dell'Emilia, Italy)

Advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in takotsubo syndrome: update on feature tracking and tissue mapping

Backgrounds: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an intriguing clinical entity characterized by transient myocardial dysfunction. The precise pathophysiological mechanism of TTS is still unknown, but recent evidence suggests a central role of systemic inflammation associated with adrenergic discharge. Although initially considered benign, TTS has shown several potential short-term and long-term complications and adverse outcomes. To improve understanding and management, advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques, such as feature tracking (FT) and parametric mapping, have gained attention. Purpose of Review: The purpose of this review is to summarize the current literature on the clinical applications of CMR-FT and mapping in TTS. Additionally, the most significant and recent findings will be discussed. Recent Findings: FT-CMR enables the parametric quantification of myocardial deformation, allowing a comprehensive evaluation of left ventricular, right ventricular, and atrial function. It provides an accurate definition of areas of myocardial dysfunction and potentially serves as a superior prognostic tool compared to ejection fraction. Tissue mapping techniques enable precise and comprehensive tissue characterization by quantifying areas of oedema, and myocardial fibrosis. Summary: FT-CMR and mapping techniques serve as valuable prognostic tools both in the acute and chronic phases of TTS. They can detect subtle alterations and pan-cardiac involvement, while also providing important insights into the complex underlying mechanisms of the syndrome

Brazing alloys characterization for EU-DEMO Divertor Target

In the framework of the roadmap of the DEMO reactor design pursued by the EUROfusion Programme, R&amp;D activities have been promoted for the technological development of Plasma Facing Components (PFCs). Dedicated research activity has been undertaken at ENEA to support the development of technological solutions for the monoblock-pipe joining in order to reduce the use of materials having high activation and/or a degradation under neutron irradiation. For this purpose, a preliminary brazing alloy screening was carried out: a total of seven brazing alloys were identified and tested (i.e. Gemco, Nicuman23, TiCuNi, CuTiZrNi and three alloys with different percentages of Cu and Ge). For each brazing alloy, a wettability test on joint base materials (i.e., W and Cu) was performed. Then, three samples were fabricated joining tungsten monoblocks, without Cu interlayer, on a W fiber-reinforced Cu composite cooling pipe; other three samples were realized joining W monoblocks, with and without Cu interlayer on standard ITER-grade CuCrZr pipes. Non-destructive Ultrasonic Testing (UT) examinations were performed on each sample and showed that the monoblocks surface was not fully attached to Wf-Cu pipes; as regard the samples with CuCrZr pipes, excellent results have been achieved both in the case with and without Cu interlayer. From the results, Gemco seems to be the most promising commercial alloy among the tested ones, thanks to its low amount of Nickel and the good joining capabilities

Remediate and sense: alginate beads empowered by portable electrochemical strips for copper ion removal and detection at environmental sites

The contamination of environmental sites due to the presence of persistent species represents an important issue to be tackled. In particular, the presence of high levels of metals in soil and surface water is more frequent. One of the metals that sometimes exceeds the permissible limit set by regulatory authorities is copper. For instance, copper-based fungicides are widely used in viticulture. However, copper ions remain in soil and can enter the food chain, posing threats to human health and environmental safety. Although the rapid detection of copper ions using portable sensors is effective in enhancing early warning, it sometimes solves only half of the problem as remediation is not considered. In this paper, we present a novel integrated/portable approach that merges the remediation and sensing of metals by proposing a remediate-and-sense concept. In order to realize this concept, alginate beads were coupled with printed electrochemical strips for on-site copper detection. Within the same architecture, alginate beads were used to remove copper ions from the soil, and printed electrochemical strips were used to evaluate the efficacy of remediation at the point of need. The concept was applied towards soil containing copper ions at the parts per billion level; with few alginate beads and in the absence of additional species, copper ions were quantitatively removed from the matrix; and 3D printing allowed us to combine the printed strips and spheres within a unique tool. The architecture was optimized and the results were compared to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements with a recovery percentage of 90%-110%. It should be noted that this novel portable approach may be applied to other pollutants, opening new possibilities for integrated remediation and sensing

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of Takotsubo syndrome in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute heart failure syndrome characterized by a relevant comorbid background, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, TTS patients with COPD are still not well characterized. Aim: to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with TTS and COPD. Methods: n = 440 TTS patients were dichotomized according to the presence of COPD. Endpoint of the study were in-hospital complications (composite of death, major arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock and acute pulmonary edema), TTS recurrence and long-term mortality at follow-up. Results: mean age of the population was 72±11, 10 % males. COPD prevalence was 16 % (n = 69). On subgroup analysis, patients with COPD were more likely smokers (41 % vs 13 %, p &lt; 0.001), with higher rates of dyspnea and physical triggers at presentation (52 % vs 18 %, p &lt; 0.001 and 52 % vs 32 %, p = 0.001 respectively) and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (36 % vs 39 %, p = 0.035) In-hospital complications were more common in patients with COPD (26 % vs 13 %, p = 0.006), driven by higher rates of acute pulmonary edema (19 % vs 6 %, p &lt; 0.001) and cardiogenic shock (10 % vs 4 %, p = 0.023). At multivariable logistic regression analysis, COPD was independently associated with in-hospital complications occurrence (Odds Ratio 2.10, 95 % CI 1.09–4.05; p = 0.027). At univariable Cox regression analysis COPD was associated with TTS recurrence (Hazard Ratio (HR 9.82, 95 % CI 3.2–30.12; p &lt; 0.001)), at multivariable Cox regression analysis with long-term mortality (HR 2.97, 95 % CI 1.44–6.12; p = 0.003). Conclusion: COPD marks a vulnerable TTS phenotype including higher risk of in-hospital complications, long-term recurrence and mortality