3,007 research outputs found
The LAUE project for broadband gamma-ray focusing lenses
We present the LAUE project devoted to develop an advanced technology for
building a high focal length Laue lens for soft gamma--ray astronomy (80-600
keV). The final goal is to develop a focusing optics that can improve the
current sensitivity in the above energy band by 2 orders of magnitude.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, presented at the SPIE conference on "Optics for
EUV, X-ray, and Gamma-ray Astronomy". To be published in the Proceedings of
SPIE, vol.8147, 201
Development status of the LAUE project
We present the status of LAUE, a project supported by the Italian Space
Agency (ASI), and devoted to develop Laue lenses with long focal length (up to
100 meters), for hard X--/soft gamma--ray astronomy (80-600 keV). Thanks to
their focusing capability, the design goal is to improve the sensitivity of the
current instrumention in the above energy band by 2 orders of magnitude, down
to a few times photons/(cm s keV).Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, presented at the Space Telescopes and
Instrumentation Symposium in Amsterdam, 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
Conference. Published in the Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 8443, id.
84430B-84430B-9 (2012
New development: Directly elected mayors in Italy: creating a strong leader doesnât mean creating strong leadership
More than 20 years after their introduction, directly elected mayors are key players in Italian urban governance. This article explains the main effects of this reform on local government systems and provides lessons for other countries considering directly elected mayors
The practices of apartheid as a war crime: a critical analysis
The human suffering caused by the political ideology of apartheid in South Africa during the Apartheid era (1948-1994) prompted worldwide condemnation and a variety of diplomatic and legal responses. Amongst these responses was the attempt to have apartheid recognised both as a crime against humanity in the 1973 Apartheid Convention as well as a war crime in Article 85(4)(c) of Additional Protocol I. This article examines the origins, nature and current status of the practices of apartheid as a war crime and its possible application to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Scientific prospects in soft gamma-ray astronomy enabled by the LAUE project
This paper summarizes the development of a successful project, LAUE,
supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and devoted to the development of
long focal length (up to 100 m) Laue lenses for hard X--/soft gamma--ray
astronomy (80-600 keV). The apparatus is ready and the assembling of a
prototype lens petal is ongoing. The great achievement of this project is the
use of bent crystals. From measurements obtained on single crystals and from
simulations, we have estimated the expected Point Spread Function and thus the
sensitivity of a lens made of petals. The expected sensitivity is a few
photons cm s keV. We discuss a number of
open astrophysical questions that can settled with such an instrument aboard a
free-flying satellite.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, published in Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume
8861, id. 886106 17 pp. (2013
Complex effective index in graphene-silicon waveguides
We report for the first time and characterize experimentally the complex optical
conductivity of graphene on silicon photonic waveguides. This permits us to predict
accurately the behavior of photonic integrated devices encompassing graphene layers.
Exploiting a Si microring add/drop resonator, we show the effect of electrical gating of
graphene on the complex effective index of the waveguide by measuring both the wavelength
shift of the resonance and the change in the drop peak transmission. Due to electro-refractive
effect of graphene a giant (>10 123) change in the effective index is demonstrated for the first
time on Si photonics waveguides and this large effect will crucially impact performances and
consumption of Si photonics devices. We confirmed the results by two independent
experiments involving two different gating schemes: Si gating through the ridge waveguide,
and polymer-electrolyte gating. Both the experiments demonstrate a very large phase effect in
good agreement with numerical calculations. The reported results validate the Kubo model
for the case of graphene-Si photonics interfaces and for propagation in this type of
waveguide. This is fundamental for the next design and fabrication of future graphene-silicon
photonics devices
Portal venous gas after a failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography attempt in a patient with a large hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report
The cause of hepatic portal vein gas (HPVG) is variable. Good knowledge of the possible causes, combined with the clinical assessment of the patient and a good quality imaging, is required to correctly identify the underlying cause of HPVG and to best predict the prognosis
Robust pricing and hedging of double no-touch options
Double no-touch options, contracts which pay out a fixed amount provided an
underlying asset remains within a given interval, are commonly traded,
particularly in FX markets. In this work, we establish model-free bounds on the
price of these options based on the prices of more liquidly traded options
(call and digital call options). Key steps are the construction of super- and
sub-hedging strategies to establish the bounds, and the use of Skorokhod
embedding techniques to show the bounds are the best possible.
In addition to establishing rigorous bounds, we consider carefully what is
meant by arbitrage in settings where there is no {\it a priori} known
probability measure. We discuss two natural extensions of the notion of
arbitrage, weak arbitrage and weak free lunch with vanishing risk, which are
needed to establish equivalence between the lack of arbitrage and the existence
of a market model.Comment: 32 pages, 5 figure
Small is beautiful? Emerging organizational strategies among Italian professionals
The traditional debate about professional groups has mainly focused on conflicts between professions and organizations, reinforcing dualisms and dichotomies. Few scholars have investigated the extent to which professionalism and organizations are intertwined while focusing on the case of professionals integrated into large organizations, and even less attention has been paid to emerging forms of organization among self-employed professionals. Taking as an example organizational trends among architects (liberal professionals) and management consultants (emerging professionals) in Italy, this article investigates how small, flexible, and (often) interprofessional organizations promoted by self-employed professionals are increasingly instrumental in overcoming market pressures and responding to emerging social needs in times of crisis and austerity.Le debat traditionnel Ă propos des groupes professionnels a principalement concernĂ© les conflits entre professions et organisations, renforçant ainsi les dualisations et dichotomies entre ces deux groupes. Peu de chercheurs ont enquĂȘtĂ© Ă quel point la profession et l'organisationnel sont interdependants lors de l'Ă©tude de l'integration de professionnels Ă de grandes organisations. En fait, moins d'attention a Ă©tĂ© portĂ©e aux formes organisationnelles Ă©mergentes entre les professionnels indĂ©pendants. En prenant exemple sur les architectes (professionnels libĂ©raux) et les professionnels dans le conseil en management (professionnels Ă©mergents) qui travaillent en Italie, cet article analyse comment les organisations des professionnels indĂ©pendants, qui sont petites, flexibles et (souvent) interprofessionnelles, se transforment en outils pour faire face Ă la pression du marchĂ© et pour rĂ©pondre aux besoins Ă©mergents en temps de crises et austĂ©ritĂ©
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