Factors Affecting Participation of Italian Farmers in Rural Development Policy

In this paper a (micro)econometric approach is developed by considering the farmer likelihood to participate in different policy programs as linked to the objective of farmer to maximize their welfare. In this way we model farmers participation in policy support scheme by using a new institutional economics approach and conceptualizing the decision to entry as a contractual choice between two rural development types of policy. Different discrete choice modelling approaches are used to analyze the complementarity/ substitutability of different policy programs such as environmental-related measures and farm investment supports policy schemes and the main driving factors behind them. We use an extensive cross-sectional database related to the Italian FADN 2006. Results indicate that social capital and institutional factors should be taken much more into account in order to understand farmers likelihood to entry in policy support schemes. Location and farm(er) socio-economic features are also relevant factors. Moreover complementarity has been found between different policy schemes

New results from an extensive aging test on bakelite Resistive Plate Chambers

We present recent results of an extensive aging test, performed at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility on two single--gap RPC prototypes, developed for the LHCb Muon System. With a method based on a model describing the behaviour of an RPC under high particle flux conditions, we have periodically measured the electrode resistance R of the two RPC prototypes over three years: we observe a large spontaneous increase of R with time, from the initial value of about 2 MOhm to more than 250 MOhm. A corresponding degradation of the RPC rate capabilities, from more than 3 kHz/cm2 to less than 0.15 kHz/cm2 is also found.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, presented at Siena 2002, 8th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors 21-24 October 2002, Siena, Ital

A direct search for the CP-violating decay Ks->3p^0 with the KLOE detector at DAFNE

We have searched for the decay Ks->3p^0 with the KLOE experiment at DAFNE using data from e^+ e^- collisions at a center of mass energy W= m(phi) for an integrated luminosity L=450 pb^-1. The search has been performed with a pure Ks beam obtained by tagging with Kl interactions in the calorimeter and detecting six photons. We find an upper limit for the branching ratio of 1.2x10^-7 at 90% C.L.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. To be submitted to Physics Letter

Measurement of the η→3π0\eta\to 3\pi^{0} slope parameter α\alpha with the KLOE detector

We present a measurement of the slope parameter $\alpha$ for the $\eta\to 3\pi^{0}$ decay, with the KLOE experiment at the DA$\Phi$NE $\phi$-factory, based on a background free sample of $\sim$ 17 millions $\eta$ mesons produced in $\phi$ radiative decays. By fitting the event density in the Dalitz plot we determine $\alpha = -0.0301 \pm 0.0035\,stat\;_{-0.0035}^{+0.0022}\,syst\,$. The result is in agreement with recent measurements from hadro- and photo-production experiments.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Precision Measurement of KS Meson Lifetime with the KLOE detector

Using a large sample of pure, slow, short lived K0 mesons collected with KLOE detector at DaFne, we have measured the KS lifetime. From a fit to the proper time distribution we find tau = (89.562 +- 0.029_stat +- 0.043_syst) ps. This is the most precise measurement today in good agreement with the world average derived from previous measurements. We observe no dependence of the lifetime on the direction of the Ks.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure

A Study of the Radiative Ke3 Decay and Search for Direct Photon Emission with the KLOE Detector

We present a measurement of the ratio R = \Gamma(\keg;\Estar>30\mev,\qstar>20^\circ)$/$\Gamma(\kegf)$and a first measurement of the direct emission contribution in KL semileptonic decays. The measurement is done at the DAFNE phi-factory selecting phi->KL KS decays with the KLOE detector. We use 328 pb^{-1}$ of data corresponding to about 3.5 million Ke3(g) events and about 9000 radiative events. Our result is R=(924 +/- 23(stat) +/-16(syst)10^{-5} for the branching ratio and X=-2.3 +/- 1.3(stat) +/- 1.4(syst) for the parameter describing direct emission.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Measurement of the pseudoscalar mixing angle and η′\eta^{\prime} gluonium content with KLOE detector

We have measured the ratio $R_{\phi}=BR(\phi \to \eta^{\prime} \gamma)/BR(\phi \to \eta \gamma)$ by looking for the radiative decays $\phi \to \eta^{\prime} \gamma$ and $\phi \to \eta \gamma$ in the final states $\pi^+\pi^-$ 7 $\gamma$'s and 7 $\gamma$'s respectively, in a sample of $\sim 1.3\cdot 10^{9}$ $\phi$ mesons produced at the Frascati $\phi$-factory. We obtain $R_{\phi}=(4.77\pm0.09_{stat}\pm0.19_{sys})\cdot 10^{-3}$ from which we derive $BR(\phi \to \eta^{\prime} \gamma)=(6.20\pm0.11_{stat}\pm0.25_{sys})\cdot 10^{-5}$. In the hypothesis of no gluonium content we extract the pseudoscalar mixing angle in the quark-flavor basis $\phi_P=(41.4\pm0.3_{stat}\pm0.7_{sys}\pm0.6_{th})^{\circ}$. Combining the value of $R_{\phi}$ with other constraints, we estimate the gluonium fractional content of $\eta^{\prime}$ meson as $Z^2 = 0.14\pm0.04$ and the mixing angle $\phi_P = (39.7\pm0.7)^{\circ}$.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

First observation of quantum interference in the process phi -> KS KL ->pi+pi-pi+pi-: a test of quantum mechanics and CPT symmetry

We present the first observation of quantum interference in the process phi -> KS KL ->pi+pi-pi+pi-. This analysis is based on data collected with the KLOE detector at the e^+e^- collider DAFNE in 2001--2002 for an integrated luminosity of about 380pb^-1. Fits to the distribution of Delta t, the difference between the two kaon decay times, allow tests of the validity of quantum mechanics and CPT symmetry. No deviations from the expectations of quantum mechanics and CPT symmetry have been observed. New or improved limits on various decoherence and CPT violation parameters have been obtainedComment: submitted to Physics Letter B one number changed old:gamma=(1.1+2.9-2.4)10^-21 GeV new:(1.3+2.8-2.4)10^-21GeV corrected typo

The Low Energy Tagger for the KLOE-2 experiment

The KLOE experiment at the upgraded DAFNE e+e- collider in Frascati (KLOE-2) is going to start a new data taking at the beginning of 2010 with its detector upgraded with a tagging system for the identification of gamma-gamma interactions. The tagging stations for low-energy e+e- will consist in two calorimeters The calorimeter used to detect low-energy e+e- will be placed between the beam-pipe outer support structure and the inner wall of the KLOE drift chamber. This calorimeter will be made of LYSO crystals readout by Silicon Photomultipliers, to achieve an energy resolution better than 8% at 200 MeV.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, in the proceedings of "Frontier detectors for frontier physics", isola d'Elba, Italy, May 200