Relativistic Tunneling Through Two Successive Barriers

We study the relativistic quantum mechanical problem of a Dirac particle tunneling through two successive electrostatic barriers. Our aim is to study the emergence of the so-called \emph{Generalized Hartman Effect}, an effect observed in the context of nonrelativistic tunneling as well as in its electromagnetic counterparts, and which is often associated with the possibility of superluminal velocities in the tunneling process. We discuss the behavior of both the phase (or group) tunneling time and the dwell time, and show that in the limit of opaque barriers the relativistic theory also allows the emergence of the Generalized Hartman Effect. We compare our results with the nonrelativistic ones and discuss their interpretation.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Revised version, with a new appendix added. Slightly changes in the styles and captions of Figures 1 and 2. To appear in Physical Review

Optimization of photon storage fidelity in ordered atomic arrays

A major application for atomic ensembles consists of a quantum memory for light, in which an optical state can be reversibly converted to a collective atomic excitation on demand. There exists a well-known fundamental bound on the storage error, when the ensemble is describable by a continuous medium governed by the Maxwell-Bloch equations. The validity of this model can break down, however, in systems such as dense, ordered atomic arrays, where strong interference in emission can give rise to phenomena such as subradiance and "selective" radiance. Here, we develop a general formalism that finds the maximum storage efficiency for a collection of atoms with discrete, known positions, and a given spatial mode in which an optical field is sent. As an example, we apply this technique to study a finite two-dimensional square array of atoms. We show that such a system enables a storage error that scales with atom number $N_\mathrm{a}$ like $\sim (\log N_\mathrm{a})^2/N_\mathrm{a}^2$, and that, remarkably, an array of just $4 \times 4$ atoms in principle allows for an efficiency comparable to a disordered ensemble with optical depth of around 600.Comment: paper is now identical to published versio

Primordial Black Holes as Near Infrared Background sources

The near infrared background (NIRB) is the collective light from unresolved sources observed in the band 1-10 $\mu$m. The measured NIRB angular power spectrum on angular scales $\theta \gtrsim 1$ arcmin exceeds by roughly two order of magnitudes predictions from known galaxy populations. The nature of the sources producing these fluctuations is still unknown. Here we test primordial black holes (PBHs) as sources of the NIRB excess. Considering PBHs as a cold dark matter (DM) component, we model the emission of gas accreting onto PBHs in a cosmological framework. We account for both accretion in the intergalactic medium (IGM) and in DM haloes. We self consistently derive the IGM temperature evolution, considering ionization and heating due to X-ray emission from PBHs. Besides $\Lambda$CDM, we consider a model that accounts for the modification of the linear matter power spectrum due to the presence of PBHs; we also explore two PBH mass distributions, i.e. a $\delta$-function and a lognormal distribution. For each model, we compute the mean intensity and the angular power spectrum of the NIRB produced by PBHs with mass 1-$10^3~\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$. In the limiting case in which the entirety of DM is made of PBHs, the PBH emission contributes $<1$ per cent to the observed NIRB fluctuations. This value decreases to $<0.1$ per cent if current constraints on the abundance of PBHs are taken into account. We conclude that PBHs are ruled out as substantial contributors to the NIRB.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Solid-phase synthesis of peptides containing reverse-turn mimetic bicyclic lactams

The solid-phase synthesis and characterization of a series of peptides (4-15) containing reverse-turn mimetic bicyclic lactams is reported. The bicyclic lactams (1a, 1b) possess high structural similarity to the two central residues of a Pturn. Amino acid conjugates of these bicyclic lactams were synthesized on solid supports following a g-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (FMOC) protection strategy on WangMerrifield resin. Coupling between amino acids was accomplished by means of diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC)/ hydroxyazabenzotriazole (HOAt). Coupling between amino acids and the mimics was performed with the potent Carpino's reagent O-(7-azabenzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramelhyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HATU). The final compounds were cleaved from the resin and obtained as N-acetylated methyl esters or benzyl amides

Shaping and Dilating the Fitness Landscape for Parameter Estimation in Stochastic Biochemical Models

The parameter estimation (PE) of biochemical reactions is one of the most challenging tasks in systems biology given the pivotal role of these kinetic constants in driving the behavior of biochemical systems. PE is a non-convex, multi-modal, and non-separable optimization problem with an unknown fitness landscape; moreover, the quantities of the biochemical species appearing in the system can be low, making biological noise a non-negligible phenomenon and mandating the use of stochastic simulation. Finally, the values of the kinetic parameters typically follow a log-uniform distribution; thus, the optimal solutions are situated in the lowest orders of magnitude of the search space. In this work, we further elaborate on a novel approach to address the PE problem based on a combination of adaptive swarm intelligence and dilation functions (DFs). DFs require prior knowledge of the characteristics of the fitness landscape; therefore, we leverage an alternative solution to evolve optimal DFs. On top of this approach, we introduce surrogate Fourier modeling to simplify the PE, by producing a smoother version of the fitness landscape that excludes the high frequency components of the fitness function. Our results show that the PE exploiting evolved DFs has a performance comparable with that of the PE run with a custom DF. Moreover, surrogate Fourier modeling allows for improving the convergence speed. Finally, we discuss some open problems related to the scalability of our methodology

Multimodal treatment of gastric cancer in the west: Where are we going?

The incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is decreasing worldwide, especially for intestinal histotype of the distal third of the stomach. On the contrary, proximal location and diffuse Lauren histotype have been reported to be generally stable over time. In the west, no clear improvement in long-term results was observed in clinical and population-based studies. Results of treatment in these neoplasms are strictly dependent on tumor stage. Adequate surgery and extended lymphadenectomy are associated with good long-term outcome in early-stage cancer; however, results are still unsatisfactory for advanced stages (III and IV), for which additional treatments could provide a survival benefit. This implies a tailored approach to GC. The aim of this review was to summarize the main multimodal treatment options in advanced resectable GC. Perioperative or postoperative treatments, including chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, targeted therapies, and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy have been reviewed, and the main ongoing and completed trials have been analyzed. An original tailored multimodal approach to non-cardia GC has been also proposed

Modulation of the postural effects of cognitive load by hypnotizability

Aim of the experiment was to study whether cognitive load aVects postural control more in low (Lows) than in highly hypnotizable (Highs) subjects due to the latter\u27s greater attentional abilities. Standing Highs and Lows underwent an experimental session (closed eyes) consisting of a basal condition and of mental computation in an easy (stable support) and a diYcult (unstable support) postural condition. Variability [standard deviation (SD)] and complexity [sample entropy (SampEn)] of the movement of the centre of pressure (CoP), its mean velocity (Velocity), the area swept by the CoP (Area) and the ratio between the CoP trajectory length and area [length for surface (LFS)] were measured. Few hypnotizability-related diVerences were detected (reduction in the Highs\u27 SD and increases in the Lows\u27 LFS in the diYcult postural condition). Thus, the hypnotizability-related postural diVerences observed in previous studies during sensory alteration could not be accounted mainly by attentional abilities

DEVELOPMENT OF A PCR-RFLP METOD FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF SIX SPECIES BELONGING TO THE GENUS LOPHIUS

Nowadays, six of the seven species belonging to the Genus Lophius have an important commercial value in the national and international markets. Usually they are sold beheaded and for this reason they are called tails. This kind of preparation is a limit for the specie-identification by means of the morphological characteristics. The mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene is considered a useful genetic marker to identify fish species. In this work, after obtaining the Cyt b complete sequence of the Lophius species that were missed in the databases, we set up a method based on PCR-RFLP able to identify the six species of Lophius with a commercial denomination in the Italian market

Metachronous hepatic metastases from gastric carcinoma: a multicentric survey

BACKGROUND: The treatment of hepatic metastases from gastric cancer is controversial, due to biologic aggressiveness of the disease. OBJECTIVE: To survey the clinical approach to the subset of atients presenting with metachronous hepatic metastases as sole site of recurrence after curative resection of gastric cancer, focusing on the results achieved by different therapies and to investigate the prognostic factors of major clinical relevance. METHODS: Retrospective multi-center chart review evaluating 73 patients, previously submitted to D >or= 2 gastrectomy for gastric cancer, who developed exclusive hepatic recurrence. Prognostic factors related to the patient, to the gastric malignancy and its treatment, and to the metastatic disease and its therapy were evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-five patients received supportive care, 17 were submitted to chemotherapy, and 11 to hepatic resection. Survival was independently influenced by the variables T (p=0.019), N (p=0.05) and G (p=0.018) of the gastric primary and by the therapeutic approach to the metastases (p<0.005). In particular, T4 gastric cancer, presence of lymph-node metastases and G3 tumor displayed a negative prognostic value. Therapeutic approach to the metastases was the principal prognostic variable: 1, 2, and 3 years survival rates were 22.2%, 4.4% and 2.2%, respectively, for patients without specific treatment; 44.9%, 12.8% and 6.4% after chemotherapy (p=0.08) and 80.8%, 30.3% and 20.2% after surgical resection (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest some clinical criteria that may facilitate selection of therapy for patients with hepatic recurrence after primary gastric cancer resection. The best survival rates are associated with surgical treatment, which should be chosen whenever possible

Reduced basis approximation and a posteriori error estimation for Stokes flows in parametrized geometries: roles of the inf-sup stability constants

In this paper we review and we extend the reduced basis approximation and a posteriori error estimation for steady Stokes flows in affinely parametrized geometries, focusing on the role played by the Brezzi's and Babuška's stability constants. The crucial ingredients of the methodology are a Galerkin projection onto a low-dimensional space of basis functions properly selected, an affine parametric dependence enabling to perform competitive Offline-Online splitting in the computational procedure and a rigorous a posteriori error estimation on field variables. The combinatiofn of these three factors yields substantial computational savings which are at the basis of an efficient model order reduction, ideally suited for real-time simulation and many-query contexts (e.g. optimization, control or parameter identification). In particular, in this work we focus on (i) the stability of the reduced basis approximation based on the Brezzi's saddle point theory and the introduction of a supremizer operator on the pressure terms, (ii) a rigorous a posteriori error estimation procedure for velocity and pressure fields based on the Babuška's inf-sup constant (including residuals calculations), (iii) the computation of a lower bound of the stability constant, and (iv) different options for the reduced basis spaces construction. We present some illustrative results for both interior and external steady Stokes flows in parametrized geometries representing two parametrized classical Poiseuille and Couette flows, a channel contraction and a simple flow control problem around a curved obstacl