Two Axis Pointing System (TAPS) attitude acquisition, determination, and control

The Two Axis Pointing System (TAPS) is a 2 axis gimbal system designed to provide fine pointing of Space Transportation System (STS) borne instruments. It features center-of-mass instrument mounting and will accommodate instruments of up to 1134 kg (2500 pounds) which fit within a 1.0 by 1.0 by 4.2 meter (40 by 40 by 166 inch) envelope. The TAPS system is controlled by a microcomputer based Control Electronics Assembly (CEA), a Power Distribution Unit (PDU), and a Servo Control Unit (SCU). A DRIRU-II inertial reference unit is used to provide incremental angles for attitude propagation. A Ball Brothers STRAP star tracker is used for attitude acquisition and update. The theory of the TAPS attitude determination and error computation for the Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT) are described. The attitude acquisition is based upon a 2 star geometric solution. The acquisition theory and quaternion algebra are presented. The attitude control combines classical position, integral and derivative (PID) control with techniques to compensate for coulomb friction (bias torque) and the cable harness crossing the gimbals (spring torque). Also presented is a technique for an adaptive bias torque compensation which adjusts to an ever changing frictional torque environment. The control stability margins are detailed, with the predicted pointing performance, based upon simulation studies. The TAPS user interface, which provides high level operations commands to facilitate science observations, is outlined

Evaluating the Efficacy of Lysozyme Against Lactic Acid Bacteria Under Different Winemaking Scenarios

This study evaluated the efficacy of lysozyme in winemaking to control lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In a wineryvinification, indigenous LAB were partially and completely inhibited when lysozyme was added to red and whitegrape must respectively. This result was confirmed by using two selected strains of Lactobacillus brevis andOenococcus oeni to contaminate the grape must. In the red wine microvinification, the cell population decreasedonly temporarily and malolactic fermentation terminated at different times, depending on the grape must pH andlysozyme dosage. In the white wine microvinification, cell mortality rates differed according to lysozyme dosagerather than pH values. During the fermentation, lysozyme activity was stable or decreased, depending on theabsence or presence of grape must respectively. The study highlighted that lysozyme efficacy is strongly affected bythe type of vinification

Bacterial Inoculation Strategies for the Achievement of Malolactic Fermentation in High-alcohol Wines

The purpose of this work was to study the induction of malolactic fermentation (MLF) in a wine that does not oftensupport malic acid deacidification because of its high alcohol content. Amarone wine, known for its high alcoholcontent, served as a model. Simultaneous and sequential alcoholic and malolactic fermentation (AF/MLF) wereconducted by direct inoculation of bacteria, which resulted in successful MLF in wines containing approximately16% (v/v) alcohol. At higher ethanol contents, stuck MLF occurred because of growth inhibition. To overcomethis technological problem, the performance of bacteria was tested in wine containing approximately 17% (v/v)ethanol using a starter preparation consisting of cells acclimatised in a wine-water solution (1:1) for 24 h and 48h respectively. Total l-malic acid depletion was recorded when the bacterial cells that had been acclimatised for48 h were inoculated simultaneously with yeast to conduct AF. The method by which the bacterial cultures areprepared and the time of inoculation affects the efficacy of MLF in high-alcohol wines. The inoculation of yeastswith acclimatised bacteria before AF seems to be a valid strategy to obtain complete MLF in high-alcohol wines

Correlation between physical activity and sedentary behavior with healthy and unhealthy behaviors in Italy and Tuscan region: a cross sectional study

Introduction. Regular physical activity (PA) has associated with various positive health aspects such as a decreased risk of chronic or generic illnesses, furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle has been asso- ciated with health problems such as obesity. To examine the rela- tionship between patterns of PA, screen-based media use (SBM) and social health indicators within a specific demographic group and highlight the regional vs. national differences in these relationships. Methods. The data is drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) database, a national cross-sec- tional survey in a representative sample (N = 3920) of students aged 11-13-15 years and compared to those of the Tuscan region (N = 3381). Variables considered other than PA and SBM use includes positive health indicators such as physical health status, quality of family and peer relationships, fruit consumption, break- fast consumption as well as negative health indicators, such as health complaints, smoking and alcohol use. Results. Some positive health indicators showed a positive cor- relation with PA. Students adopting healthy behaviours often met the Physical Activity Guide Line (PAGL). On the contrary, negative health indicators were associated with PAGL in a neg- ative way. In general SBM was positively related to several of the negative health indicators and vice versa. SBM was related in a positive fashion to tobacco use that repre- sents a protective factor. Discussion. The results show that met PAGL is associated with positive health indicators and that high levels of SBM use is asso- ciated with negative health indicators. The study also emphasizes the relationship between PA, SBM use and social factors. Increas- ing PA and decreasing SBM use should be an aim in general health behaviour promotion

Propranolol does not affect the oxidative burst of rat neutrophils or complement serum opsonizing capacity in in vivo and in vitro experiments

Propranolol is a ß-adrenergic antagonist used for the treatment of a variety of cardiac conditions and has a palliative value when used in situations in which adrenergic signals and symptoms are involved. It is used as a co-adjuvant in hyperthyroidism to decrease heart rate and output, as well as the tremor. The aim of this work was to study the effect of propranolol treatment on the oxidative burst of rat peripheral blood neutrophils and on the complement system.In the in vivo study, Wistar male rats were treated with propranolol by gavage for 16 days with 220 or 440 μg/animal/day. These doses are equivalent to 80 or 160 mg/adult human (~70 day/kg), respectively. Neutrophils were obtained and stimulated with opsonized immune complexes (opIC). The oxidative burst of control (from water treated rats) or propranolol-treated rat cells was measured by luminol- and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (CL). The CL of treated rat neutrophils was not affected by any of the propranolol doses studied when compared to the control responses.In the in vitro study whole blood and serum from Wistar male rats were incubated for 1 h at 37C° with propranolol at three different concentrations (17.5, 35 and 70 μg/mL). After incubation, neutrophils were isolated from whole blood and stimulated with opIC while treated sera were used to opsonize IC. IC opsonized with treated sera were used to stimulate neutrophils from normal rats. In both cases oxidative burst was measured by luminol- and lucigenin-dependent CL. No differences in responses or activities were detected between in vitro treated neutrophils or sera and their respective controls.These results suggest that this drug, at the concentrations studied and with the experimental approach used, had no effect on the oxidative burst during phagocytosis of opIC or on the complement opsonization capacity of the sera

Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of 130^{130}Te with CUORE-0

We report the results of a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in a 9.8~kg$\cdot$yr exposure of $^{130}$Te using a bolometric detector array, CUORE-0. The characteristic detector energy resolution and background level in the region of interest are $5.1\pm 0.3{\rm~keV}$ FWHM and $0.058 \pm 0.004\,(\mathrm{stat.})\pm 0.002\,(\mathrm{syst.})$~counts/(keV$\cdot$kg$\cdot$yr), respectively. The median 90%~C.L. lower-limit sensitivity of the experiment is $2.9\times 10^{24}~{\rm yr}$ and surpasses the sensitivity of previous searches. We find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{130}$Te and place a Bayesian lower bound on the decay half-life, $T^{0\nu}_{1/2}>$~$2.7\times 10^{24}~{\rm yr}$ at 90%~C.L. Combining CUORE-0 data with the 19.75~kg$\cdot$yr exposure of $^{130}$Te from the Cuoricino experiment we obtain $T^{0\nu}_{1/2} > 4.0\times 10^{24}~\mathrm{yr}$ at 90%~C.L.~(Bayesian), the most stringent limit to date on this half-life. Using a range of nuclear matrix element estimates we interpret this as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, $m_{\beta\beta}< 270$ -- $760~\mathrm{meV}$.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, updated version as published in PR

Analysis Techniques for the Evaluation of the Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Lifetime in 130^{130}Te with CUORE-0

We describe in detail the methods used to obtain the lower bound on the lifetime of neutrinoless double-beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay in $^{130}$Te and the associated limit on the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino using the CUORE-0 detector. CUORE-0 is a bolometric detector array located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that was designed to validate the background reduction techniques developed for CUORE, a next-generation experiment scheduled to come online in 2016. CUORE-0 is also a competitive $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay search in its own right and functions as a platform to further develop the analysis tools and procedures to be used in CUORE. These include data collection, event selection and processing, as well as an evaluation of signal efficiency. In particular, we describe the amplitude evaluation, thermal gain stabilization, energy calibration methods, and the analysis event selection used to create our final $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay search spectrum. We define our high level analysis procedures, with emphasis on the new insights gained and challenges encountered. We outline in detail our fitting methods near the hypothesized $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay peak and catalog the main sources of systematic uncertainty. Finally, we derive the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay half-life limits previously reported for CUORE-0, $T^{0\nu}_{1/2}>2.7\times10^{24}$ yr, and in combination with the Cuoricino limit, $T^{0\nu}_{1/2}>4.0\times10^{24}$ yr.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures. (Version 3 reflects only minor changes to the text. Few additional details, no major content changes.

Clinical outcomes in the second versus first pandemic wave in italy: Impact of hospital changes and reorganization

The region of Lombardy was the epicenter of the COVID‐19 outbreak in Italy. Emergency Hospital 19 (EH19) was built in the Milan metropolitan area during the pandemic’s second wave as a facility of Humanitas Clinical and Research Center (HCRC). The present study aimed to assess whether the implementation of EH19 was effective in improving the quality of care of COVID‐19 patients during the second wave compared with the first one. The demographics, mortality rate, and in‐hospital length of stay (LOS) of two groups of patients were compared: the study group involved patients admitted at HCRC and managed in EH19 during the second pandemic wave, while the control group included patients managed exclusively at HCRC throughout the first wave. The study and control group included 903 (56.7%) and 690 (43.3%) patients, respectively. The study group was six years older on average and had more pre‐existing comorbidities. EH19 was associated with a decrease in the intensive care unit admission rate (16.9% vs. 8.75%, p &lt; 0.001), and an equal decrease in invasive oxygen therapy (3.8% vs. 0.23%, p &lt; 0.001). Crude mortality was similar but overlap propensity score weighting revealed a trend toward a potential small decrease. The adjusted difference in LOS was not significant. The implementation of an additional COVID‐ 19 hospital facility was effective in improving the overall quality of care of COVID‐19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic when compared with the second. Further studies are necessary to validate the suggested approach

CUORE-0 results and prospects for the CUORE experiment

With 741 kg of TeO2 crystals and an excellent energy resolution of 5 keV (0.2%) at the region of interest, the CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment aims at searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130Te with unprecedented sensitivity. Expected to start data taking in 2015, CUORE is currently in an advanced construction phase at LNGS. CUORE projected neutrinoless double beta decay half-life sensitivity is 1.6E26 y at 1 sigma (9.5E25 y at the 90% confidence level), in five years of live time, corresponding to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in the range 40-100 meV (50-130 meV). Further background rejection with auxiliary bolometric detectors could improve CUORE sensitivity and competitiveness of bolometric detectors towards a full analysis of the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. CUORE-0 was built to test and demonstrate the performance of the upcoming CUORE experiment. It consists of a single CUORE tower (52 TeO2 bolometers of 750 g each, arranged in a 13 floor structure) constructed strictly following CUORE recipes both for materials and assembly procedures. An experiment its own, CUORE-0 is expected to reach a sensitivity to the neutrinoless double beta decay half-life of 130Te around 3E24 y in one year of live time. We present an update of the data, corresponding to an exposure of 18.1 kg y. An analysis of the background indicates that the CUORE performance goal is satisfied while the sensitivity goal is within reach.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of NEUTRINO 2014, 26th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, 2-7 June 2014, held at Boston, Massachusetts, US

CUPID-0: the first array of enriched scintillating bolometers for 0decay investigations

The CUPID-0 detector hosted at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, is the first large array of enriched scintillating cryogenic detectors for the investigation of82Se neutrinoless double-beta decay (0). CUPID-0 aims at measuring a background index in the region of interest (RoI) for 0at the level of 10- 3 counts/(keV kg years), the lowest value ever measured using cryogenic detectors. CUPID-0 operates an array of Zn82Se scintillating bolometers coupled with bolometric light detectors, with a state of the art technology for background suppression and thorough protocols and procedures for the detector preparation and construction. In this paper, the different phases of the detector design and construction will be presented, from the material selection (for the absorber production) to the new and innovative detector structure. The successful construction of the detector lead to promising preliminary detector performance which is discussed here