Constraints on Extragalactic Point Source Flux from Diffuse Neutrino Limits

We constrain the maximum flux from extragalactic neutrino point sources by using diffuse neutrino flux limits. We show that the maximum flux from extragalactic point sources is E^2(dN/dE) < 1.4 x 10^-9 (L_nu/2x10^43 erg/s)^1/3 GeV cm-^2 s^-1 from individual point sources with average neutrino luminosity per decade, L_nu. It depends only slightly on factors such as the inhomogeneous matter density distribution in the local universe, the luminosity distribution, and the assumed spectral index. The derived constraints are at least one order of magnitude below the current experimental limits from direct searches. Significant constraints are also derived on the number density of neutrino sources and on the total neutrino power density.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, and 2 table

Push & Pull: autonomous deployment of mobile sensors for a complete coverage

Mobile sensor networks are important for several strategic applications devoted to monitoring critical areas. In such hostile scenarios, sensors cannot be deployed manually and are either sent from a safe location or dropped from an aircraft. Mobile devices permit a dynamic deployment reconfiguration that improves the coverage in terms of completeness and uniformity. In this paper we propose a distributed algorithm for the autonomous deployment of mobile sensors called Push&Pull. According to our proposal, movement decisions are made by each sensor on the basis of locally available information and do not require any prior knowledge of the operating conditions or any manual tuning of key parameters. We formally prove that, when a sufficient number of sensors are available, our approach guarantees a complete and uniform coverage. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the algorithm execution always terminates preventing movement oscillations. Numerous simulations show that our algorithm reaches a complete coverage within reasonable time with moderate energy consumption, even when the target area has irregular shapes. Performance comparisons between Push&Pull and one of the most acknowledged algorithms show how the former one can efficiently reach a more uniform and complete coverage under a wide range of working scenarios.Comment: Technical Report. This paper has been published on Wireless Networks, Springer. Animations and the complete code of the proposed algorithm are available for download at the address: http://www.dsi.uniroma1.it/~novella/mobile_sensors

A holistic approach to care for women struggling after mastectomy: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among women worldwide today. Although the number of diagnosed cases continues to increase, the efficacy of treatment has also been improving, allowing survival rates to rise. Breast cancer treatment and surgery often involve a variety of changes in women’s appearance, altered sense of identity and relational challenges. A limited amount of research has been found in connection to the subjective embodied experience of women after mastectomy and during rehabilitation. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to conduct an idiographic exploration of the participants’ perceptions of physical and psychological struggles after mastectomy relating to identity change, self-image and sexual intimacy and how these were embodied in the context of overall wellbeing after illness. Method: This research sought to explore in depth participants’ subjective experiences of femininity and sexuality after mastectomy using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) through semi-structured individual interviews. Results: Three major themes emerged from the data: (1) the ‘Ill Self’, (2) the ‘Vulnerable Self’ and (3) the ‘Coping Self’. Nine sub-themes emerged from the data: (1) ‘shock’, ‘pain’, ‘body-changes’, (2) ‘control’, ‘uncertainty’, ‘other’s gaze’, (3) ‘warrior’, ‘comparing losses’ and ‘recovering’. The themes illustrate a linear but complex experience of women losing their healthy status and functioning to becoming breast cancer patients, and through to recovery. The first major theme ‒ ‘Ill Self’ ‒ includes participants’ responses to physical and psychological experiences in the context of illness. Participants expressed the difficulties faced in this first stage of diagnosis and how that seemed to have shifted their position from being healthy to becoming a patient. This major theme reflects participants’ views on interactions with their bodies and how these are expressed through self-image as they lose/gain body parts (mastectomy and/or reconstruction). The second major theme ‒ ‘Vulnerable Self’ ‒ was identified through participants’ exposed vulnerability in relational dynamics but also vulnerability to the challenges presented by illness. Participants revealed conflicts with others and themselves in surrendering and taking power. The ‘Vulnerable Self’ also illustrates women’s concerns about the uncertainties regarding the recovery process and their feelings of exposure to the other’s gaze during rehabilitation. The third major theme - ‘Coping Self’ ‒ is the final identity recognised in the data. I identified the participants’ need to gather their remaining emotional resources following a phase of high vulnerability and to continue their journey into recovery and the reestablishment of wellbeing. My findings explicitly show the need to create a strong professional network of support between counselling psychologists and other relevant healthcare professionals. This network of support relies on the close involvement of clients during assessment and formulation. Designing a holistic treatment plan which is based on individual client needs (identity, relationships, sexual recovery, body image, etc.) but which also accounts for the physical and psychological needs of service users is paramount for the recovery of quality of life after breast cancer. Conclusion: The findings of this study add to the body of research regarding women’s struggles after mastectomy and the embodiment of illness. Participants reported their perceptions and reactions regarding identity change, self-image and sexual intimacy after mastectomy. The participants’ desire for a holistic approach to care from specialised services during treatment and recovery was noted. A shortcoming in terms of the provision of psychotherapeutic services to facilitate sensitive communication and follow up on the recovery of breast cancer patients was identified within medical teams, at times of extreme physical and psychological struggle for participants

Enabling technology for maintenance in a smart factory: A literature review

Industry 4.0 technologies are transforming the factory in an "intelligent" or "smart" factory. In a such context, a greater efficiency and innovative relationship is basically demanded within the whole production chain, including suppliers, producers, and customers. To be more competitive, companies are becoming increasingly aware that maintenance plays a key role during the digital transformation from the perspective of both technology and management. In this work, we perform a literature review of published cases to investigate how maintenance is changing through technologies of Industry 4.0 currently used in maintenance. We found 34 papers in literature involved in analyzing relations between maintenance and Industry 4.0 technology. The analysis of such studies let us to establish the current technology state-of-art and identify the most suited technology that today is employed in maintenance tasks. In particular Industrial Internet of Things and Cloud Computing are more common in the analyzed studies, confirming how these concepts and technologies are at the basis of Industry 4.0

Analisi dinamiche in tensioni efficaci con il codice "SCOSSA"

L’incremento di pressioni interstiziali indotto da azioni sismiche in depositi sabbio-limosi determina la progressiva riduzione delle tensioni efficaci e di conseguenza della rigidezza e della resistenza dei terreni, fino a condurre alla completa liquefazione. Un metodo sviluppato per la stima di tale incremento si basa su un parametro semi-empirico, detto ‘parametro di danno’, che consente di applicare direttamente i risultati di prove cicliche di laboratorio per predire l’incremento di pressione interstiziale generato in sito dall’azione sismica. Tale procedura, implementata all’interno di un codice di calcolo non lineare, consente di effettuare analisi monodimensionali in tensioni efficaci senza adottare sofisticati modelli costitutivi del terreno. L’applicazione ad un argine danneggiato dal terremoto emiliano del 2012 ha consentito di evidenziare fenomeni di degradazione ciclica degli strati sabbiosi profondi che non sarebbe stato possibile osservare con le tradizionali analisi in tensioni totali

Chiral Anomalies via Classical and Quantum Functional Methods

In the quantum path integral formulation of a field theory model an anomaly arises when the functional measure is not invariant under a symmetry transformation of the Lagrangian. In this paper, generalizing previous work done on the point particle, we show that even at the classical level we can give a path integral formulation for any field theory model. Since classical mechanics cannot be affected by anomalies, the measure of the classical path integral of a field theory must be invariant under the symmetry. The classical path integral measure contains the fields of the quantum one plus some extra auxiliary ones. So, at the classical level, there must be a sort of "cancellation" of the quantum anomaly between the original fields and the auxiliary ones. In this paper we prove in detail how this occurs for the chiral anomaly.Comment: 26 pages, Latex, misprint fixed, a dedication include

Determinants of travel mode choice in Europe: Results from a survey on routine mobility

Understanding the differences in travel behaviour across different countries underlined by trip and individual characteristics are paramount to develop effective policies to nudge a shift towards sustainable mobility. In this study we present a descriptive analysis of the results of a mobility household survey, collecting information on citizen travel behaviour, travel mode choices and the factors influencing them. The study involves five European countries: Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland and Spain. Results describe how travel mode choice fluctuates with users’ heterogeneity and that different mobility transition policies receive different support from citizens. Instruments implying a direct financial cost are much less accepted than technology- and infrastructure-based policies. Support to policies such as road expansion is also observed. The transition in mobility should then have to deal with households’ beliefs to make them revise their travel behaviours. But the mobility transition is also closely linked to the city development and the distribution of workplace and grocery shopping in the cit

Changing alignments in the Greek of southern Italy

Abstract This article investigates a peculiar pattern of subject case-marking in the Greek of southern Italy. Recent fieldwork with native speakers, coupled with the consultation of some written sources, reveals that, alongside prototypical nominative subjects, Italo-Greek also licenses accusative subjects, despite displaying a predominantly nominative-accusative alignment. Far from being random replacements within a highly attrited grammar, the distribution of these accusative subjects obeys specific structural principles, revealing similarities with historical attestations of the so-called “extended accusative” in early Indo-European. On the basis of these data, Italo-Greek is argued to be undergoing a progressive shift towards an active-stative alignment, a claim supported by additional evidence from auxiliary selection, adverb agreement and sentential word order.Leverhulme Trus