Study of TeV variability of Mrk 421 from 3 years of monitoring with the Milagro Observatory

The Milagro experiment was a TeV gamma-ray observatory designed to continuously monitor the overhead sky in the 0.1-100 TeV energy range. It operated from 2000 and 2008 and was characterized by a large field of view ($\sim$ 2 sr) and a high duty cycle ($\geq$ 90$\%$). Here we report on the long-term monitoring of the blazar Mrk 421 with Milagro over the period from September 21, 2005 to March 15, 2008. We present a study of the TeV variability of the source and provide upper limits for the measured flux for different time scales, ranging from one week up to one year.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Paper to appear in the Proceedings of the Thirteen Marcel Grossmann Meeting, held in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 2012, World Scientific, Singapore, in pres

Ethical and medico-legal remarks on uterus transplantation: may it solve uterine factor infertility?

Uterus transplantation was firstly tested with animal trials sixty-five years ago. Despite several successful attempts in human subjects, the different procedures still lay at the experimental stage, in need of further studies and investigations before they can be considered as standard clinical practices. Uterus transplant cannot be regarded as a life-saving procedure, but rather a method to restore woman ability to procreate, when lost, thus improving her quality of life. Uterus transplant is a complex surgical procedure and presents significant health threats. Medical staff should therefore always obtain informed consent from patients, emphasizing such risks. Before that, women undergoing uterine transplants should be thoroughly informed about the hazards inherent to the procedure and especially about the dangers of immunosuppressant drugs, administered after the surgery which may injure the fetus, eventually formed in the restored organ and even lead to its death, thus nullifying the purpose of the transplant itself. Therefore, the risk-benefit ratio of uterus transplantation needs to be carefully assessed and described