Periodogram and likelihood periodicity search in the SNO solar neutrino data

In this work a detailed spectral analysis for periodicity search of the time series of the 8B solar neutrino flux released by the SNO Collaboration is presented. The data have been publicly released with truncation of the event times to the unit of day (1 day binning); they are thus suited to undergo the traditional Lomb-Scargle analysis for periodicity investigation, as well as an extension of such a method based on a likelihood approach. The results of the analysis presented here confirm the absence of modulation signatures in the SNO data. For completeness, a more refined "1 day binned" likelihood is also illustrated, which approximates the unbinned likelihood methodology, based upon the availability of the full time information, adopted by the SNO collaboration. Finally, this work is completed with two different joint analyses of the SNO and Super-Kamiokande data, respectively, over the common and the entire data taking periods. While both analyses reinforce the case of the constancy of the neutrino flux, the latter in addition provides evidence of the detection at the 99.7% confidence level of the annual modulation spectral line due to the Earth's orbit eccentricity around the SunComment: 27 pages, 29 figures. Joint periodicity analysis of the SNO and Super-Kamiokande data added. Accepted for publication on Phys. Rev.

Heterogeneous reconstruction of tracks and primary vertices with the CMS pixel tracker

The High-Luminosity upgrade of the LHC will see the accelerator reach an instantaneous luminosity of $7\times 10^{34} cm^{-2}s^{-1}$ with an average pileup of $200$ proton-proton collisions. These conditions will pose an unprecedented challenge to the online and offline reconstruction software developed by the experiments. The computational complexity will exceed by far the expected increase in processing power for conventional CPUs, demanding an alternative approach. Industry and High-Performance Computing (HPC) centres are successfully using heterogeneous computing platforms to achieve higher throughput and better energy efficiency by matching each job to the most appropriate architecture. In this paper we will describe the results of a heterogeneous implementation of pixel tracks and vertices reconstruction chain on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The framework has been designed and developed to be integrated in the CMS reconstruction software, CMSSW. The speed up achieved by leveraging GPUs allows for more complex algorithms to be executed, obtaining better physics output and a higher throughput

Subsidence and safety analysis

Regolamentazione e Best Practice

Catalytic oxidative desulphurization of pyrolytic oils to fuels over different waste derived carbon-based catalysts

8noIn this work, we reported the conversion though carbothermal process of two catalysts produced by pyrolyzing exhausted coffee and waste tires. We tailored the surface with anchored iron nanoparticles through a facile carbothermal route and tested them for catalytic oxidative desulphurization of high sulphur content oil derived from tires pyrolysis. We studied their activity in a biphasic system under different conditions reaching a desulphurization of up to of 60% by using an oil with a sulphur concentration of up to 7139 ppm. The extensive characterization proved the reliability of those materials as promising catalysts for upgrading of sulphur rich drop-in fuels.mixedembargoed_20230325Tamborrino V.; Costamagna G.; Bartoli M.; Rovere M.; Jagdale P.; Lavagna L.; Ginepro M.; Tagliaferro A.Tamborrino, V.; Costamagna, G.; Bartoli, M.; Rovere, M.; Jagdale, P.; Lavagna, L.; Ginepro, M.; Tagliaferro, A

Brassinosteroids interact with nitric oxide in the response of rice root systems to arsenic stress

Brassinosteroids (BRs), an emerging class of phytohormones, affect numerous plant physiological and metabolic processes and can improve plant defense systems to counteract metalloid phytotoxicity. Nitric oxide (NO), a reactive nitrogen species (RNS), behaves as a signalling molecule activating plant cellular responses to various environmental conditions. Brassinosteroids induce NO synthesis through nitrate reductase (NR) and NO synthase (NOS) activities. Arsenite and arsenate, inorganic forms of the metalloid arsenic (As), cause both soil pollution and many disorders in numerous plants, including important crops like rice, due to the oxidative stress generated by the imbalance between RNS and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Rice is very susceptible to As toxicity because both As availability and solubility are high in flooded paddy fields in many cultivated areas. The research aims to investigate the effects of BRs on the rice root systems exposed to 10-4 M Na2HAsO40.7 H2O [As(V)] or 2.5 × 10-5 M NaAsO2 [As(III)], highlighting the induced cyto-histological events and dissecting the NO role in the root response. A specific concentration (10-7 M) of 24-epibrassinolide (24-eBL), an exogenously applied BR, increases lateral root (LR) formation of more than 50% in the presence of As(III) or As(V). In addition, eBL attenuates the thickening of the cell walls induced by As in the outermost root cortical layers of LRs and in the adventitious roots (ARs) by reducing of ⁓ 50% the lignin deposition, while it restores the As(v)-altered NO levels by increasing OsNOS1 expression and the cellular NO distribution

Extracellular GTP is a Potent Water- Transport Regulator via Aquaporin 5 Plasma-Membrane Insertion in M1-CCD Epithelial Cortical Collecting Duct Cells

Background/Aims: Extracellular GTP is able to modulate some specific functions in neuron, glia and muscle cell models as it has been demonstrated over the last two decades. In fact, extracellular GTP binds its specific plasma membrane binding sites and induces signal transduction via [Ca(2+)]i increase. We demonstrate, for the first time, that extracellular GTP is able to modulate cell swelling in M1-CCD cortical collecting duct epithelial cells via upregulation of aquaporin 5 (AQP5) expression. Methods: We used videoimaging, immunocitochemistry, flow cytometry, confocal techniques, Western blotting and RT-PCR for protein and gene expression analysis, respectively. Results: We demonstrate that AQP5 mRNA is up-regulated 7 h after the GTP exposure in the cell culture medium, and its protein level is increased after 12-24 h. We show that AQP5 is targeted to the plasma membrane of M1-CCD cells, where it facilitates cell swelling, and that the GTP-dependent AQP5 up-regulation occurs via [Ca(2+)]i increase. Indeed, GTP induces both oscillating and transient [Ca(2+)]i increase, and specifically the oscillating kinetic appears to be responsible for blocking cell cycle in the S-phase while the [Ca(2+)]i influx, with whatever kinetic, seems to be responsible for inducing AQP5 expression. Conclusion: The role of GTP as a regulator of AQP5-mediated water transport in renal cells is of great importance in the physiology of renal epithelia, due to its possible physiopathological implications. GTP-dependent AQP5 expression could act as osmosensor. In addition, the data presented here suggest that GTP might play the same role in other tissues where rapid water transport is required for cell volume regulation and maintenance of the homeostasis. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel. ispartof: Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry vol:33 issue:3 pages:731-46 ispartof: location:Germany status: publishe

Cardiac rehabilitation activities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Position Paper of the AICPR (Italian Association of Clinical Cardiology, Prevention and Rehabilitation)

The COVID-19 outbreak is having a significant impact on both cardiac rehabilitation (CR) inpatient and outpatient healthcare organization. The variety of clinical and care scenarios we are observing in Italy depends on the region, the organization of local services and the hospital involved. Some hospital wards have been closed to make room to dedicated beds or to quarantine the exposed health personnel. In other cases, CR units have been converted or transformed into COVID-19 units. The present document aims at defining the state of the art of CR during COVID-19 pandemic, through the description of the clinical and management scenarios frequently observed during this period and the exploration of the future frontiers in the management of cardiac rehabilitation programs after the COVID-19 outbreak

Tidal notches in Mediterranean Sea: a comprehensive analysis

Recent works (Evelpidou et al., 2012) suggest that the modern tidal notch is disappearing worldwide due sea level rise over the last century. In order to assess this hypothesis, we measured modern tidal notches in several of sites along the Mediterranean coasts. We report observations on tidal notches cut along carbonate coasts from 73 sites from Italy, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta and Spain, plus additional observations carried outside the Mediterranean. At each site, we measured notch width and depth, and we described the characteristics of the biological rim at the base of the notch. We correlated these parameters with wave energy, tide gauge datasets and rock lithology. Our results suggest that, considering \u2018the development of tidal notches the consequence of midlittoral bioerosion\u2019 (as done in Evelpidou et al., 2012) is a simplification that can lead to misleading results, such as stating that notches are disappearing. Important roles in notch formation can be also played by wave action, rate of karst dissolution, salt weathering and wetting and drying cycles. Of course notch formation can be augmented and favoured also by bioerosion which can, in particular cases, be the main process of notch formation and development. Our dataset shows that notches are carved by an ensemble rather than by a single process, both today and in the past, and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle them and establish which one is prevailing. We therefore show that tidal notches are still forming, challenging the hypothesis that sea level rise has drowned them