Leptoproduction of charm revisited

We calculate the energy--momentum distribution of the charmed quarks produced in neutrino reactions on protons, quantifying the importance of mass and current non--conservation effects. We study the strange and charm distributions probed in neutrino interactions in the presently accessible kinematical region. Some ambiguities inherent to the extraction of the parton densities from dimuon data are pointed out.Comment: 9 pages, DFTT 72/9

Charged currents, color dipoles and xF_3 at small x

We develop the light-cone color dipole description of highly asymmetric diffractive interactions of left-handed and right-handed electroweak bosons. We identify the origin and estimate the strength of the left-right asymmetry effect in terms of the light-cone wave functions. We report an evaluation of the small-x neutrino-nucleon DIS structure functions xF_3 and 2xF_1 and present comparison with experimental data.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, misprints correcte

Non universality of structure functions and measurement of the strange sea density

We show that there is no real conflict between the two determinations of the strange sea density from the opposite--sign dimuon production and from the difference of the $F_2$ structure functions measured in neutrino and muon deep inelastic scattering. Once non universal sea parton densities are introduced, which take into account the effects of different mass thresholds and different longitudinal contributions, the discrepancy is shown to disappear and both sets of data are simultaneously well reproduced. No need for a large strange sea content of the nucleon emerges.Comment: latex, DFTT-93-3

The Strange Quark Distribution

We discuss the latest CCFR determination of the strange sea density of the proton. We comment on the differences with a previous, leading--order, result and point out the relevance of quark mass effects and current non--conservation effects. By taking them into account it is possible to solve the residual discrepancy with another determination of the strange quark distribution. Two important sources of uncertainties are also analyzed.Comment: 19page

New quantum chemical computations of formamide deuteration support a gas-phase formation of this prebiotic molecule

Based on recent work, formamide might be a potentially very important molecule in the emergence of terrestrial life. Although detected in the interstellar medium for decades, its formation route is still debated, whether in the gas phase or on the dust grain surfaces. Molecular deuteration has proven to be, in other cases, an efficient way to identify how a molecule is synthesised. For formamide, new published observations towards the IRAS16293-2422 B hot corino show that its three deuterated forms have all the same deuteration ratio, 2--5%, and that this is a factor 3--8 smaller than that measured for H2CO towards the IRAS16293-2422 protostar. Following a previous work on the gas-phase formamide formation via the reaction NH2 + H2CO -> HCONH2 + H, we present here new calculations of the rate coefficients for the production of monodeuterated formamide through the same reaction, starting from monodeuterated NH2 or H2CO. Some misconceptions regarding our previous treatment of the reaction are also cleared up. The results of the new computations show that, at the 100 K temperature of the hot corino, the rate of deuteration of the three forms is the same, within 20%. On the contrary, the reaction between non-deuterated species proceeds three times faster than that with deuterated ones. These results confirm that a gas-phase route for the formation of formamide is perfectly in agreement with the available observations.Comment: MNRAS in pres

Suppression of timing errors in short overdamped Josephson junctions

The influence of fluctuations and periodical driving on temporal characteristics of short overdamped Josephson junction is analyzed. We obtain the standard deviation of the switching time in the presence of a dichotomous driving force for arbitrary noise intensity and in the frequency range of practical interest. For sinusoidal driving the resonant activation effect has been observed. The mean switching time and its standard deviation have a minimum as a function of driving frequency. As a consequence the optimization of the system for fast operation will simultaneously lead to minimization of timing errors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, in press in Physical Review Letter

Current-phase relation in Josephson junction coupled with a magnetic dot

The current-phase relation (CPR) for a short Josephson junction placed in the nonuniform field of a small ferromagnetic particle is studied. The effect of the particle produced on the junction appears to be strong due to the formation of the pair of oppositely directed Abrikosov vortices which pierce the thin film superconducting electrode and cause a small--scale inhomogeneity of Josephson phase difference. The induced phase difference inhomogeneity is shown to result in the nonzero fixed phase drop $\phi_0$ across the junction. The equilibrium value $\phi_0$ corresponding to the ground state of the junction depends the configuration of the vortex--antivortex pair. The possibility to tune the ground state phase difference $\phi_0$ is discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

KRAS early testing. Consensus initiative and cost-effectiveness evaluation for metastatic colorectal patients in an italian setting

KRAS testing is relevant for the choice of the most appropriate first-line therapy of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Strategies for preventing unequal access to the test should be implemented, but their relevance in the practice is related to economic sustainability. The study adopted the Delphi technique to reach a consensus on several topics. Issues related to execution of KRAS testing were identified by an expert's board and proposed to 108 Italian oncologists and pathologists through two subsequent questionnaires. The emerging proposal was evaluated by decision analyses models employed by technology assessment agencies in order to assess cost-effectiveness. Alternative therapeutic strategies included most commonly used chemotherapy regimens alone or in combination with cetuximab or bevacizumab. The survey indicated that time interval for obtaining KRAS test should not exceed 15 days, 10 days being an optimal interval. To assure the access to proper treatment, a useful strategy should be to anticipate the test after radical resection in patients at high risk of relapse. Early KRAS testing in high risk CRC patients generates incremental cost-effectiveness ratios between 6,000 and 13,000 Euro per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained. In extensive sensitivity analyses ICER's were always below 15,000 Euro per QALY gained, far within the threshold of 60,000 Euro/QALY gained accepted by regulatory institutions in Italy. In metastatic CRC a time interval higher than 15 days for result of KRAS testing limits access to therapeutic choices. Anticipating KRAS testing before the onset of metastatic disease in patients at high risk does not affect the sustainability and cost-effectiveness profile of cetuximab in first-line mCRC. Early KRAS testing may prevent this inequality in high-risk patients, whether they develop metastases, and is a cost-effective strategy. Based on these results, present joined recommendations of Italian societies of Oncology and Pathology should be updated including early KRAS testing