A triple-GEM telescope for the TOTEM experiment

The TOTEM experiment at LHC has chosen the triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology for its T2 telescope which will provide charged track reconstruction in the rapidity range 5.3<|eta|<6.5 and a fully inclusive trigger for diffractive events. GEMs are gas-filled detectors that have the advantageous decoupling of the charge amplification structure from the charge collection and readout structure. Furthermore, they combine good spatial resolution with very high rate capability and a good resistance to radiation. Results from a detailed T2 GEM simulation and from laboratory tests on a final design detector performed at CERN are presented.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 10th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors (IPRD06), Siena, Italy, October 1-5 200

Evaluation of different methods to estimate the transfer of immunity in donkey foals fed with colostrum of good IgG quality: A preliminary study

The aims of the present study were to evaluate the correlation between IgG Serum Radial Immunodiffusion (SRID), Electrophoresis Gamma Globulins (EGG), Electrophoresis Total Protein (ETP) and the serum total protein (TP) analyzed by refractometry and by a dry chemistry analyzer (Biuret) and to estimate serum IgG concentrations using serum TP. A total of 36 samples collected at four different times (birth, 6, 12, 24 hours after birth) from nine Amiata donkey foals were evaluated with SRID, EGG, ETP, serum TP Biuret and refractometry. SRID IgG concentration increased significantly over time until T12. Serum TP analyzed with refractometry, electrophoresis and Biuret showed a statistically significant difference between T0 and T6 vs T12 and T24. A good or strong correlation was found between different tests performed. Equations to quantify serum IgG were created and can be used for estimating the donkey foals’ serum IgG in the first day of life. Serum TP refractometry showed a high correlation with SRID IgG (0.91) which may be a particularly useful and economic instrument to estimate the transfer of immunity in donkey foals during the first day of life

Mammary cistern size during the dry period in healthy dairy cows: A preliminary study for an ultrasonographic evaluation

We evaluated the udder cistern (UC) size during the dry period using ultrasound. Forty healthy quarters were evaluated in both the longitudinal and cross-section of the UC. Quarters were evaluated at the drying-off (T0) and 24 h later (T1), then regularly until the end of the dry period (T7–T58), during the colostrum production phase (TCPP) and at 7 days in milking (T7PP). The Spearman test was applied to find the correlation between the ultrasonographic UC size (UUCS) assessment and time. The Friedman test and Dunn’s test for multiple comparisons as a post-hoc test were performed to compare the forequarter and hindquarter cross-sections (FQCSs and HQCSs, respectively) and the forequarter and hindquarter longitudinal sections (FQLSs and HQLSs, respectively) at T0 vs. T58 vs. TCPP vs. T7PP. A total of 440 images were evaluated. A negative linear correlation between time and FQCS and FQLS (r = −0.95; p &lt; 0.0004) and between time and HQCS and HQLS (r = −0.90; p &lt; 0.002) was found. The UUCS decreased throughout the dry period, starting to increase at the beginning of the next lactation. Measuring the UUCS provides useful information for monitoring the dry period

Phenotypic and genotypic resistance to colistin in E. coli isolated from wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunted in Italy

The One Health approach is not only focused on diseases and zoonosis control but also on&nbsp;antimicrobial resistance. As concern this important issue, the problem of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance recently emerged. Few studies reported data about colistin resistance and mcr genes in bacteria from wildlife. In this manuscript, 168 Escherichia coli isolated from hunted wild boar were tested; colistin resistance was evaluated by MIC microdilution method, and the presence of mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes was evaluated by PCR. Overall, 27.9% of isolates resulted resistant to colistin, and most of them showed a MIC value &gt; 256&nbsp;μg/mL. A percentage of 44.6% of tested E. coli scored positive for one or both genes. In details, 13.6% of isolated harbored mcr-1 and mcr-2 in combination; most of them exhibiting the highest MIC values. Interestingly, 19.6% of mcr-positive E. coli resulted phenotypically susceptible to colistin. Wild boar could be considered a potential reservoir of colistin-resistant bacteria. In the light of the possible contacts with domestic animals and humans, this wild species could play an important role in the diffusion of colistin resistance. Thus, the monitoring programs on wildlife should include this aspect

Evaluation of jennies' colostrum: IgG concentrations and absorption in the donkey foals. A preliminary study

Immunoglobulin type G (IgG) concentration both in jennies' colostrum and in serum of donkey foals are mostly unknown in the first 24 h after delivery. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the IgG concentrations of colostrum during the first 24 h of lactation of Amiata jennies, the absorption of colostrum and the weekly body weight gain of the donkey foals. IgG concentrations were assessed in the jennies' colostrum and in the serum of donkey foals. Colostrum was collected in 9 jennies ready after delivery, and at 6, 12, 24 h after foaling from both halves. Serum was collected at the same sampling times from 9 donkey foals. Donkey foals were weighted at birth and then weekly until the 28th days of life. Temporal changes of IgG concentrations in dam's colostrum and in donkey foal serum were analyzed by a linear regression model and a general linear model, respectively. Results showed that colostrum IgG concentration were similar between the left and the right half. Colostrum IgG concentrations decreased continuously throughout the time in all jennies by 0.0244 Log10 mg/mL per hour. Serum IgG concentrations in donkey foals at birth was significantly lower compared to other times. No correlation was found between the colostrum IgG concentrations and the average weekly body weight gain of the donkey foal. The pattern of colostrum IgG levels in jennies and serum IgG concentration in donkey foals seem to be similar to what reported for equine. However, the donkey foals seem to be less agammaglobulinemic at birth compared to the horse foal. The pattern and both serum and colostrum concentrations evaluated in the Amiata donkeys were slightly different from results reported in other donkey breeds, underlying the importance of setting references specific to breed

Presence and characterization of zoonotic bacterial pathogens in wild boar hunting dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in tuscany (italy)

Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) used for wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunting may represent incidental hosts for several zoonotic pathogens. This investigation aimed to evaluate the presence of anti-Leptospira antibodies and the occurrence, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence of Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, and Listeria monocytogenes in sera and rectal swabs collected from 42 domestic hunting dogs in the Tuscany region (Italy). Regarding Leptospira, 31 out of 42 serum samples (73.8%) were positive and serogroup Pomona was the most detected (71.4%) at titers between 1:100 and 1:400. Four Salmonella isolates (9.52%) were obtained, all belonging to serotype Infantis; two of them showed antimicrobial resistance to streptomycin, while pipB and sopE presence was assessed in all but one isolate. Concerning Yersinia enterocolitica, seven isolates (16.7%) were obtained, six belonging to biotype 1 and one to biotype 4. Resistance to amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, cephalothin, and ampicillin was detected. Biotype 4 presented three of the virulence genes searched (ystA, ystB, inv), while isolates of biotype 1 showed only one gene. No Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from dog rectal swabs. The results suggest that hunting dogs are exposed to different bacterial zoonotic agents, potentially linked to their work activity, and highlight the possible health risks for humans

Integrative Taxonomy of Armeria Taxa (Plumbaginaceae) Endemic to Sardinia and Corsica

Sardinia and Corsica are two Mediterranean islands where the genus Armeria is represented by 11 taxa, 10 out of which are endemic. An integrative approach, using molecular phylogeny, karyology, and seed and plant morphometry was used to resolve the complex taxonomy and systematics in this group. We found that several taxa are no longer supported by newly produced data. Accordingly, we describe a new taxonomic hypothesis that only considers five species: Armeria leucocephala and A. soleirolii, endemic to Corsica, and A. morisii, A. sardoa, and A. sulcitana, endemic to Sardinia

A New Scintillator Tile/Fiber Preshower Detector for the CDF Central Calorimeter

A detector designed to measure early particle showers has been installed in front of the central CDF calorimeter at the Tevatron. This new preshower detector is based on scintillator tiles coupled to wavelength-shifting fibers read out by multi-anode photomultipliers and has a total of 3,072 readout channels. The replacement of the old gas detector was required due to an expected increase in instantaneous luminosity of the Tevatron collider in the next few years. Calorimeter coverage, jet energy resolution, and electron and photon identification are among the expected improvements. The final detector design, together with the R&D studies that led to the choice of scintillator and fiber, mechanical assembly, and quality control are presented. The detector was installed in the fall 2004 Tevatron shutdown and started collecting colliding beam data by the end of the same year. First measurements indicate a light yield of 12 photoelectrons/MIP, a more than two-fold increase over the design goals.Comment: 5 pages, 10 figures (changes are minor; this is the final version published in IEEE-Trans.Nucl.Sci.

A novel background reduction strategy for high level triggers and processing in gamma-ray Cherenkov detectors

Gamma ray astronomy is now at the leading edge for studies related both to fundamental physics and astrophysics. The sensitivity of gamma detectors is limited by the huge amount of background, constituted by hadronic cosmic rays (typically two to three orders of magnitude more than the signal) and by the accidental background in the detectors. By using the information on the temporal evolution of the Cherenkov light, the background can be reduced. We will present here the results obtained within the MAGIC experiment using a new technique for the reduction of the background. Particle showers produced by gamma rays show a different temporal distribution with respect to showers produced by hadrons; the background due to accidental counts shows no dependence on time. Such novel strategy can increase the sensitivity of present instruments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Proc. of the 9th Int. Syposium "Frontiers of Fundamental and Computational Physics" (FFP9), (AIP, Melville, New York, 2008, in press

An overview of the design, construction and performance of large area triple-GEM prototypes for future upgrades of the CMS forward muon system

GEM detectors are used in high energy physics experiments given their good spatial resolution, high rate capability and radiation hardness. An international collaboration is investigating the possibility of covering the 1.6 < vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.4 region of the CMS muon endcaps with large-area triple-GEM detectors. The CMS high-eta area is actually not fully instrumented, only Cathode Strip Chamber (CSC) are installed. The vacant area presents an opportunity for a detector technology able to to cope with the harsh radiation environment; these micropattern gas detectors are an appealing option to simultaneously enhance muon tracking and triggering capabilities in a future upgrade of the CMS detector. A general overview of this feasibility study is presented. Design and construction of small (10cm x 10cm) and full-size trapezoidal (1m x 0.5m) triple-GEM prototypes is described. Results from measurements with x-rays and from test beam campaigns at the CERN SPS is shown for the small and large prototypes. Preliminary simulation studies on the expected muon reconstruction and trigger performances of this proposed upgraded muon system are reported