High intrinsic energy resolution photon number resolving detectors

Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) are characterized by the intrinsic figure of merit to resolve both the energy and the statistical distribution of the incident photons. These properties lead TES devices to become the best single photon detector for quantum technology experiments. For a TES based on titanium and gold has been reached, at telecommunication wavelength, an unprecedented intrinsic energy resolution (0.113 eV). The uncertainties analysis of both energy resolution and photon state assignment has been discussed. The thermal properties of the superconductive device have been studied by fitting the bias curve to evaluate theoretical limit of the energy resolution

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ): A Comparison between TOPSIS- and PROMETHEE-Based Approaches for Indirect Eliciting of Category Weights

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has received a great deal of attention in recent years due to the relationship between worker comfort and productivity. Many academics have studied IEQ from both a building design and an IEQ assessment perspective. This latter line of research has mostly used direct eliciting to obtain weights assigned to IEQ categories such as thermal comfort, visual comfort, acoustic comfort, and indoor air quality. We found only one application of indirect eliciting in the literature. Such indirect eliciting operates without the need for imprecise direct weighing and requires only comfort evaluations, which is in line with the Industry 5.0 paradigm of individual, dynamic, and integrated IEQ evaluation. In this paper, we use a case study to compare the only indirect eliciting model already applied to IEQ, based on TOPSIS, to an indirect eliciting method based on PROMETHEE and to a classical direct eliciting method (AHP). The results demonstrate the superiority of indirect eliciting in reconstructing individual preferences related to perceived global comfort

Factors related to delayed treatment: A case report of a huge cutaneous horn and review of the literature

We present a case of a man with a giant cutaneous horn over his frontal region. This case has been presented for the size of the lesion, due to delayed treatment, and to illustrate the reasons why the growth of this lesion has been possible in a western country, in the 21st century. It was a solitary, not painful lesion which caused significant aesthetic problems. The diagnosis was based on an ultrasonographic study and the treatment of choice was a surgical excision. This case is an opportunity to review the literature about the cutaneous horns, to talk about the main causes of delayed diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous lesions and, to define the role of the specialist in the assessment of emotions and patient support

Self consistent, absolute calibration technique for photon number resolving detectors

Well characterized photon number resolving detectors are a requirement for many applications ranging from quantum information and quantum metrology to the foundations of quantum mechanics. This prompts the necessity for reliable calibration techniques at the single photon level. In this paper we propose an innovative absolute calibration technique for photon number resolving detectors, using a pulsed heralded photon source based on parametric down conversion. The technique, being absolute, does not require reference standards and is independent upon the performances of the heralding detector. The method provides the results of quantum efficiency for the heralded detector as a function of detected photon numbers. Furthermore, we prove its validity by performing the calibration of a Transition Edge Sensor based detector, a real photon number resolving detector that has recently demonstrated its effectiveness in various quantum information protocols.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Post-Occupancy Evaluation’s (POE) Applications for Improving Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)

To improve buildings and their characteristics, the feedback provided directly by users is generally fundamental in order to be able to adapt the technical and structural functions to the well-being of users. The post-occupancy evaluation (POE) fits perfectly into this context. The POE, through qualitative and quantitative information on the interior environment, makes it possible to identify the differences between the performances modeled in the design phase and the real performances experienced by the occupants. This review of 234 articles, published between 2006 and 2022, aims to analyze and compare the recent literature on the application of the POE methodology. The aim was to provide both a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the main factors that comprise the indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The study highlighted the factors that comprise the quality of the indoor environment, as well as the variables that are usually analyzed to describe the well-being of the occupants. The results suggested which are the most common approaches in carrying out POE studies and will identify the factors that most influence the determination of the good quality of an indoor environment

Inter-firm exchanges, distributed renewable energy generation, and battery energy storage system integration via microgrids for energy symbiosis

Policymakers and entrepreneurs are aware that reducing energy waste and underutilization are mandatory to actually foster the green transition. Nevertheless, small-medium enterprises usually meet technical and over-whelming financial constraints. They are unable to make profits, become less energy-sensitive, and cut down on their emissions simultaneously. Industrial districts are a source of both wealth and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. Eco-industrial parks (EIPs) supply a suitable strategy to ease symbiotic exchanges among various organizations. Surplus electricity from larger, energy-autonomous companies will be a new input for more vulnerable ones. This type of district is challenging, and it can provide an unexplored opportunity to cooperate, invest in renewable energy sources, and form alliances. To better exploit underutilized energy in industrial districts, it is essential to explore energy symbiosis (ES), i.e., an energy-based perspective of industrial symbiosis. This study presents an original mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) optimization model that aims to identify possible inter-firm exchanges and introduce microgrid-based support for distributed renewable-energy generators (DREGs) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) over a one-year simulation period. The model simultaneously targets economic and ecological objectives. The paper compares two case studies, one with battery support and one without. The optimization model was tested using a case study and found to improve energy efficiency (with a 43.46% saving in energy costs) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (with an 84.59% reduction in GHG) by facilitating symbiotic exchanges among SMEs in industrial districts. The inclusion of BESS support further enhanced the model's ability to utilize green and recovered energy. These findings have im-plications for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and SMEs seeking to transition to more sustainable energy practices. Future work could explore the applicability of the MILP optimization model in other contexts and the potential for scaling up the model to larger industrial districts

Towards joint reconstruction of noise and losses in quantum channels

The calibration of a quantum channel, i.e. the determination of the transmission losses affecting it, is definitely one of the principal objectives in both the quantum communication and quantum metrology frameworks. Another task of the utmost relevance is the identification, e.g. by extracting its photon number distribution, of the noise potentially present in the channel. Here we present a protocol, based on the response of a photon-number-resolving detector at different quantum efficiencies, able to accomplish both of these tasks at once, providing with a single measurement an estimate of the transmission losses as well as the photon statistics of the noise present in the exploited quantum channel. We show and discuss the experimental results obtained in the practical implementation of such protocol, with different kinds and levels of noise.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure