Dust Absorption and the Cosmic UV Flux Density

We study the evolution of the galaxy UV luminosity density as a function of redshift in the Hubble Deep Field North (HDF-N). We estimate the amount of energy absorbed by dust and hidden from optical observations by analyzing the HDF-N photometric data with the spectral energy distribution fitting method. According to our results, at redshifts 1 < z < 4.5, the global energy observed in the UV rest-frame at lambda=1500 A corresponds to only 7-11% of the stellar energy output, the rest of it being absorbed by dust and re-emitted in the far-IR. Our estimates of the comoving star formation rate density in the universe from the extinction-corrected UV emission are consistent with the recent results obtained with Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) at faint sub-millimeter flux levels.Comment: 14 pages, 3 encapsulated postscript figures, LateX, accepted for publication in ApJ

New needs for menopausal women during covid-19 pandemic. A physician-based investigation

It was evaluated whether the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the manifestation of menopausal symptoms. In a web interview, 143 physicians, experts on the menopause, were asked to rate their perceived prevalence of hot flush, sleep disorder, sexual disturbance, anxiety and depression as ‘rare’, ‘seldom’, ‘frequent’ and ‘very frequent’ in patients they managed prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to physicians, there was no major change in the prevalence of hot flush, sleep disorder and sexual disturbance but prevalence of anxiety (39-8% vs 75.5%; p &lt; 0.0001) and depressive (35.6% vs 72.0%; p &lt; 0.0001) symptoms increased during COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic has changed the composite picture of menopausal symptoms, challenging physicians to adjust their therapeutic approach to the new need. Approaches capable to treat vasomotor symptoms but also highly effective on mood disturbance should be preferred

Analysis of Temperature and Residence Time of the Exhausts in the Combustion Chamber of an Incinerator Plant

ABSTRACT The interest for energy recovery from waste incineration has increased over the years, in order to reduce the number of landfills and produce electricity and heat. At the same time, concern for the impact such processes have on the environment has also grown, and to reduce such an impact, new legislation is being enforced in Europe and Italy. In particular, important restrictions are imposed on the temperature of the exhausts in the combustion chamber, which must be kept above certain values for a given period of time, depending on the type of waste that is being incinerated. Such conditions can be rather difficult and certainly very expensive to monitor with acceptable accuracy. For this reason, in practical applications the temperature of the exhausts in the chamber is usually calculated through semi-empirical and approximate models that relate the temperatures in different sections of the chamber. In this work, the authors present a numerical approach for the analysis of such models that can be used to quantify the uncertainty on this type of measurement due to the common approximations used in full scale incineration plants. The analysis is based on the CFD simulation of the thermo-fluid-dynamic field in the combustion chamber of a full scale plant in Italy, whose results have verified based on a comparison with the data collected during an experimental campaign

Evolution of UV -- NIR Structural Properties of Cluster Galaxies

Structural parameters (half light radius r_e, mean surface brightness _e and Sersic index n) are derived for the galaxy cluster A 209, at z = 0.21, in UV and optical restframe, and for the cluster EIS 0048, at z = 0.64, in UV, optical and NIR restframe. This data set, together with previous optical and NIR measurements for the cluster AC 118 at z=0.31}, constitutes the first large sample (N~250) of cluster galaxies whose UV - NIR structure can be investigated up to a look-back time of ~6 Gyr (Omega_m=0.3, Omega_L=0.7 and H_0=70 Km/s/Mpc). The analysis is performed (1) by direct comparison of log r_e, and log n, in UV-OPT and OPT-NIR, and (2) by using the structural parameters to estimate UV-OPT and OPT-NIR internal colour gradients of galaxies. We classify the galaxies as spheroids or disks according to the shape of the optical light profile of galaxies, and investigate separately the evolution in the properties of both populations. On the average, we find that the bulk of spheroids and disks are more concentrated at longer wavelengths, having Delta(log r_e) > 0, and Delta(log n) < 0. The mean value of Delta(log n) in OPT-NIR seems to be the quantity more dependent on z, in the sense that it decreases at higher redshift. In particular, we find a strong decrease in the ratio of OPT to NIR Sersic indices for the disks at z~0.64. By comparing the estimated colour gradients (grad(UV-OPT) and grad(OPT-NIR)) with age and metallicity models, we find that, for the spheroids, both grad(UV-OPT) and grad(OPT-NIR) are weakly dependent on the redshift, confirming that metallicity is the primary effect to drive the gradients. For the disks, metallicity is not able at all to describe the observed range of colour gradients. Age or age+metallicity are responsible for the radial colour distribution of disk dominated galaxies

Influence of Topological Edge States on the Properties of Al/Bi2Se3/Al Hybrid Josephson Devices

In superconductor-topological insulator-superconductor hybrid junctions, the barrier edge states are expected to be protected against backscattering, to generate unconventional proximity effects, and, possibly, to signal the presence of Majorana fermions. The standards of proximity modes for these types of structures have to be settled for a neat identification of possible new entities. Through a systematic and complete set of measurements of the Josephson properties we find evidence of ballistic transport in coplanar Al-Bi2Se3-Al junctions that we attribute to a coherent transport through the topological edge state. The shunting effect of the bulk only influences the normal transport. This behavior, which can be considered to some extent universal, is fairly independent of the specific features of superconducting electrodes. A comparative study of Shubnikov - de Haas oscillations and Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy gave an experimental signature compatible with a two dimensional electron transport channel with a Dirac dispersion relation. A reduction of the size of the Bi2Se3 flakes to the nanoscale is an unavoidable step to drive Josephson junctions in the proper regime to detect possible distinctive features of Majorana fermions.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

Macroscopic quantum tunnelling in spin filter ferromagnetic Josephson junctions.

The interfacial coupling of two materials with different ordered phases, such as a superconductor (S) and a ferromagnet (F), is driving new fundamental physics and innovative applications. For example, the creation of spin-filter Josephson junctions and the demonstration of triplet supercurrents have suggested the potential of a dissipationless version of spintronics based on unconventional superconductivity. Here we demonstrate evidence for active quantum applications of S-F-S junctions, through the observation of macroscopic quantum tunnelling in Josephson junctions with GdN ferromagnetic insulator barriers. We show a clear transition from thermal to quantum regime at a crossover temperature of about 100 mK at zero magnetic field in junctions, which present clear signatures of unconventional superconductivity. Following previous demonstration of passive S-F-S phase shifters in a phase qubit, our result paves the way to the active use of spin filter Josephson systems in quantum hybrid circuits.We acknowledge financial support from COST Action MP1201 [NanoSC COST], by Progetto FIRB HybridNanoDev RBFR1236VV001 and by Regione Campania through POR Campania FSE 2007/2013, progetto MASTRI CUP B25B09000010007.This is the final version. It was first published by NPG at http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150609/ncomms8376/full/ncomms8376.html#abstract

CHANTI: a Fast and Efficient Charged Particle Veto Detector for the NA62 Experiment at CERN

The design, construction and test of a charged particle detector made of scintillation counters read by Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) is described. The detector, which operates in vacuum and is used as a veto counter in the NA62 experiment at CERN, has a single channel time resolution of 1.14 ns, a spatial resolution of ~2.5 mm and an efficiency very close to 1 for penetrating charged particles