Sensitivities of Low Energy Reactor Neutrino Experiments

The low energy part of the reactor neutrino spectra has not been experimentally measured. Its uncertainties limit the sensitivities in certain reactor neutrino experiments. The origin of these uncertainties are discussed, and the effects on measurements of neutrino interactions with electrons and nuclei are studied. Comparisons are made with existing results. In particular, the discrepancies between previous measurements with Standard Model expectations can be explained by an under-estimation of the low energy reactor neutrino spectra. To optimize the experimental sensitivities, measurements for \nuebar-e cross-sections should focus on events with large ($>$1.5 MeV) recoil energy while those for neutrino magnetic moment searches should be based on events $<$100 keV. The merits and attainable accuracies for neutrino-electron scattering experiments using artificial neutrino sources are discussed.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

A Predictor-Informed Multi-Subject Bayesian Approach for Dynamic Functional Connectivity

Time Varying Functional Connectivity (TVFC) investigates how the interactions among brain regions vary over the course of an fMRI experiment. The transitions between different individual connectivity states can be modulated by changes in underlying physiological mechanisms that drive functional network dynamics, e.g., changes in attention or cognitive effort as measured by pupil dilation. In this paper, we develop a multi-subject Bayesian framework for estimating dynamic functional networks as a function of time-varying exogenous physiological covariates that are simultaneously recorded in each subject during the fMRI experiment. More specifically, we consider a dynamic Gaussian graphical model approach, where a non-homogeneous hidden Markov model is employed to classify the fMRI time series into latent neurological states, borrowing strength over the entire time course of the experiment. The state-transition probabilities are assumed to vary over time and across subjects, as a function of the underlying covariates, allowing for the estimation of recurrent connectivity patterns and the sharing of networks among the subjects. Our modeling approach further assumes sparsity in the network structures, via shrinkage priors. We achieve edge selection in the estimated graph structures, by introducing a multi-comparison procedure for shrinkage-based inferences with Bayesian false discovery rate control. We apply our modeling framework on a resting-state experiment where fMRI data have been collected concurrently with pupillometry measurements, leading us to assess the heterogeneity of the effects of changes in pupil dilation, previously linked to changes in norepinephrine-containing locus coeruleus, on the subjects' propensity to change connectivity states

The Paradoxes of Democracy and the Rule of Law

The promise of modernization after the Second World War was that economic growth, equality, the rule of law and democracy would proceed together. In many ways, this has happened. Yet many of the promises of social progress developed after WWII have been undermined by internal tensions within the democratic project, as well as by social and economic trends. While stating the challenges that these trends have posed for democratic institutions and actors, we also look at the responses (both proposals and practices) that have emerged in order to address those challenges. In doing this, we note that the very conception of democracy as liberal democracy (based on delegation and majority voting) is under stress as neoliberalism has attacked those very intermediary institutions (parties, unions, voluntary associations) that had been at the basis of the development of the welfare state and democratic capitalism. We start by noting the growth in inequality, which means that formal democracy is shaped by uneven power resources as concentration of wealth provides advantages in the capacity to influence public decision making with mutual convertibility of economic and political resources. The spiral of inequality and corporate political power is reflected in a growing legitimacy crisis in old and new democracies. Liberalism, which promised the separation between the state and the market, has evolved into neoliberalism, , based on the domination of the corporation, exacerbated by privatization and de-regulation. This has raised private profit criteria about considerations of the broader public good and in many cases encouraged corruption. The ensuing inefficiency and lack of transparency foster institutional mistrust, with perverse effects. Challenges are also related to the fact that democracy has been mainly defined in a national mode, with the demos identified as the nation. Economic rescaling produced by global capitalism has however a produced both de-territorialization and re-territorialization, which requires a (yet unachieved) rethinking of the basis for democracy but also of welfare and its foundation in both identities and institutions. In the North and (with different characteristics) in the South of the globe, movement of capital and of people pose challenges of national pluralism and its constitutional recognition, questioning key concepts such as the definition of political community and popular sovereignty and the . relationship between human rights and citizenship. Citizenship is more appropriately considered as related not to fixed institutions but rather as ‘acts of citizenships’ requiring subjectivity and agency and more inclusive conceptions. The main actors in democratic development have been affected by these challenges. Political parties are an important element in democracy but they have become an interest in their own right. A crisis of representation has emerged from growing social detachment of political parties from social cleavages as well as of elected representatives from the citizens. This had most dramatic effects on the Left, when left-wing parties have supported neoliberal reforms. Relying on expertise for the development of progressive policies is not a solution given the non-accountable power of science as well as the increasing challenges of privatization of knowledge-making, opacity of knowledge production and persistence of fundamental class imbalances in access to knowledge. Participatory channels of access to institutions have been opened to ‘ordinary citizens’ but, within neoliberalism, they are often based on individualist conceptions and do not address fundamental issues of inequalities. While citizens often call for direct participation, existing experiments rarely empower the citizens. While the judiciary has been seen as a surrogate for democratic participation for marginalized minority groups, its capacity for rights enforcement is limited by the expansion (in particular at international level) of a lex mercatoria as well as the use of courts in order to protect economic freedom from democratic dynamics. The rule of law has also been subverted by unequal access to the law and by the influence of money while the judiciary also has its own particular interests and corporate lawyers assume a brokerage function in globalized markets. On the other hand, in the control of political dissent, the state, rather than being weakened from globalization, increases its reach and power. The ‘war on terror’ has been used to challenge the rule of law by states of emergency as well as authoritarian drifts with attempts at imposing a permanent ‘state of exception’. On the other hand, progressive social movements have addressed growing inequalities and democratic crises by developing alternative visions of democracy, stressing participation over delegation and deliberation over majoritarian decision-making. Participatory and deliberative conceptions have been prefigured as well as elaborated in recent waves of protests. The consolidation of oppositional actors, however, faces challenges in the fragmentation of the potential social bases, the need to build a new collective identity as well as to establish channels of access to power. This has resulted from, but also triggered, the reduction in citizens’ entitlements and the weakening of the social contract upon which social progress depends

Why are we not flooded by involuntary thoughts about the past and future? Testing the cognitive inhibition dependency hypothesis

© The Author(s) 2018In everyday life, involuntary thoughts about future plans and events occur as often as involuntary thoughts about the past. However, compared to involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs), such episodic involuntary future thoughts (IFTs) have become a focus of study only recently. The aim of the present investigation was to examine why we are not constantly flooded by IFTs and IAMs given that they are often triggered by incidental cues while performing undemanding activities. One possibility is that activated thoughts are suppressed by the inhibitory control mechanism, and therefore depleting inhibitory control should enhance the frequency of both IFTs and IAMs. We report an experiment with a between-subjects design, in which participants in the depleted inhibition condition performed a 60-min high-conflict Stroop task before completing a laboratory vigilance task measuring the frequency of IFTs and IAMs. Participants in the intact inhibition condition performed a version of the Stroop task that did not deplete inhibitory control. To control for physical and mental fatigue resulting from performing the 60-min Stroop tasks in experimental conditions, participants in the control condition completed only the vigilance task. Contrary to predictions, the number of IFTs and IAMs reported during the vigilance task, using the probe-caught method, did not differ across conditions. However, manipulation checks showed that participants’ inhibitory resources were reduced in the depleted inhibition condition, and participants were more tired in the experimental than in the control conditions. These initial findings suggest that neither inhibitory control nor physical and mental fatigue affect the frequency of IFTs and IAMs.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Renaissance of the ~1 TeV Fixed-Target Program

This document describes the physics potential of a new fixed-target program based on a ~1 TeV proton source. Two proton sources are potentially available in the future: the existing Tevatron at Fermilab, which can provide 800 GeV protons for fixed-target physics, and a possible upgrade to the SPS at CERN, called SPS+, which would produce 1 TeV protons on target. In this paper we use an example Tevatron fixed-target program to illustrate the high discovery potential possible in the charm and neutrino sectors. We highlight examples which are either unique to the program or difficult to accomplish at other venues.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figure

Sea level changes and vertical land movements in the Mediterranean from historical and geophysical data and modelling

The Mediterranean basin is a natural laboratory for the reconstruction of the sea level variations since paleo-historical times. During the Holocene, sea level variations in this region have been mainly determined by the response of the geoid and of the solid Earth to the melting of remote ice aggregates, which has produced spatially variable signals mostly governed by the effect of ocean loading. An analysis of past and recent sea level variations is possible from various indicators, which provide data on relative sea level and crustal vertical movements on different time scales.PublishedBurlington house, London3.3. Geodinamica e struttura dell'interno della Terraope

Hierarchical Corannulene‐Based Materials: Energy Transfer and Solid‐State Photophysics

We report the first example of a donor–acceptor corannulene-containing hybrid material with rapid ligand-to-ligand energy transfer (ET). Additionally, we provide the first time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) data for any corannulene-based compounds in the solid state. Comprehensive analysis of PL data in combination with theoretical calculations of donor–acceptor exciton coupling was employed to estimate ET rate and efficiency in the prepared material. The ligand-to-ligand ET rate calculated using two models is comparable with that observed in fullerene-containing materials, which are generally considered for molecular electronics development. Thus, the presented studies not only demonstrate the possibility of merging the intrinsic properties of π-bowls, specifically corannulene derivatives, with the versatility of crystalline hybrid scaffolds, but could also foreshadow the engineering of a novel class of hierarchical corannulene-based hybrid materials for optoelectronic devices

Towards demonstration of photonic payload for telecom satellites

To address the challenges of the Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) and also to remain in line with the evolution of terrestrial communications in a globally connected world, a major increase in telecoms satellites capacity is required in the near future. With telecom satellites payloads based on traditional RF equipment, increase in capacity and flexibility has always translated into a more or less linear increase in equipment count, mass, power consumption and power dissipation. The main challenge of next generation of High Throughput Satellites (HTS) is therefore to provide a ten-fold-increased capacity with enhanced flexibility while maintaining the overall satellite within a "launchable" volume and mass envelope [1], [2], [3]. Photonic is a very promising technology to overcome the above challenges. The ability of Photonic to handle high data rates and high frequencies, as well as enabling reduced size, mass, immunity to EMI and ease of harness routing (by using fibre-optic cables) is critical in this scenario

The Drift Chambers Of The Nomad Experiment

We present a detailed description of the drift chambers used as an active target and a tracking device in the NOMAD experiment at CERN. The main characteristics of these chambers are a large area, a self supporting structure made of light composite materials and a low cost. A spatial resolution of 150 microns has been achieved with a single hit efficiency of 97%.Comment: 42 pages, 26 figure