Artificial Spill Generator at COMPASS

openThe Artificial Spill Generator firmware for controlling, monitoring, and generating accelerator timing signals, has been developed for the DAQ system of CERN SPS M2 beamline experiments COMPASS and AMBER, within the frame of the Summer Student Program. In this work, the COMPASS experimental context is described, reporting its field of research, the main purposes of its creation, and the architecture of its spectrometer setup. A more detailed presentation of its Trigger and DAQ systems is also produced, providing a description of the bigger architecture in which the Artificial Spill Generator was first devised and eventually deployed. The structure and behaviour of the M2 beam line of CERN SPS exploited by COMPASS is explained, providing links with the functioning of the FPGA-based continuously run- ning DAQ currently used in the experiment. Moreover, the hardware and software monitoring tools of the DAQ are presented, making comments on how they interact with the Artificial Spill Generator. Eventually, the logic and the behavior of the firmware are reported in detail, explaining the different tasks and measurements associated with such a module. After having passed all the required tests, the Artificial Spill Generator firmware has been programmed into an FPGA board, which is currently still implemented in COMPASS and AMBER DAQ systems, improving their acquisition performances

Chronic Pain Severity and Depression/Somatization Levels in TMD Patients

PURPOSE: The Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) axis II for psychosocial assessment was adopted to grade chronic pain severity and to correlate that severity with levels of depression and somatization in a population of chronic TMD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of 111 consecutive patients who sought treatment for TMD symptoms lasting longer than 6 months were recruited and underwent assessment using the RDC/TMD axis II instrument. The frequencies of the different scores from the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) and the Symptoms Checklist-90R Depression (SCL-DEP) and Somatization (SCL-SOM) scales in the study population were recorded. Correlation between categories of patients identified by the GCPS items and the SCL-DEP and SCL-SOM scales was assessed by means of the Spearman rank correlation test. RESULTS: Severe or moderate somatization was shown by 47.7% and 26.1% of patients, and severe or moderate depression scores were recorded by 39.6% and 1.8% of the sample, respectively. GCPS scores showed that the vast majority of patients had a low disability or no disability at all, with only 5.4% of patients showing a severely limiting high disability. A significant correlation was found between SCL-SOM and GCPS scores, but not between SCL-DEP and GCPS, even if raw depression scores of patients with a high disability were greater than those of subjects with a low disability. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of the present investigation, the external validity of which is far from optimal and should be improved in future studies on more representative samples, the RDC/TMD axis II for psychosocial assessment has provided interesting data regarding the prevalence of the different degrees of chronic pain severity and their relation with levels of depression and somatization

NdCoO3 perovskite as possible candidate for CO-sensors: thin films synthesis and sensing properties

In this paper the preparation of neodymium cobaltite (NdCoO3) thin films by means of rf-magnetron sputtering is presented. The sensing properties towards the CO were analyzed by following the resistivity response when changing the gas composition from air to air with CO. Measurements have shown a good response in the temperature range between 250 and 400 ◦C for CO concentration until 1000 ppm. Measurable resistance changes are accomplished within few minutes after gas switch. The optimal working temperature was found to be around 300 ◦C by taking into account the amount of resistance variation and the time required to achieve an easily measurable response for different temperatures and CO concentrations. In order to explain the results obtained, a possible model for the NCO response mechanism towards CO is presented

ESARDA Bulletin n.58

ESARDA is an association initially formed to advance and harmonize research and development for nuclear safeguards whose scope has in recent year expanded as the number and type of its working groups’ activities below indicates. Esarda is currently composed of about 30 laboratories, private and governmental institutions worldwide. Within Esarda (http://esarda.jrc.ec.europa.eu/), a number working groups have been over the years established and active namely: Techniques and Standards for Destructive Analysis, Techniques and Standards for Non-Destructive Analysis, Containment and Surveillance, Novel Approaches / Novel Technologies, Implementation of Safeguards, Verification Technologies and Methodologies, Training and Knowledge Management, Editorial Committee. ESARDA publishes a Bulletin containing peer reviewed scientific related to nuclear Safeguards, verification and non-proliferation. This publication appears generally twice a year. In addition, thematic special issues are published as proposed by the ESARDA community. The Bulletin Editorial Board is composed of about 10 experts in the various technical and scientific fields related to safeguards. They are all actively engaged in safeguards R&D or in safeguards implementation and other fields. The Editorial Board decides the contents of the Bulletin, selects the papers to be published and reviews them before publication. All ESARDA editorial activities are carried out at JRC in Ispra. Scientific papers submitted for publication are reviewed by independent authors and by members of the Editorial Committee. The Bulletin is currently submitted to Scopus for evaluation in view of citation. ESARDA Bulletin is published jointly by ESARDA and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and distributed free of charge to over 1000 registered members, libraries and institutions worldwide.JRC.G.II.7-Nuclear securit

Telecommunications in the ICT Age: From Research to Applications

The human society in the information age deeply relies on digital information processing, communication and storage. Photonic routing and switchingis expected to be exploited in future all-optical networks. Channel coding is needed in order to protect information against natural disturbances, and modern coding schemes are able to reach the ultimate limits predicted by Shannon. On the other hand, postquantum cryptography is necessary for assuring security against cyber attackers, possibly provided with quantum computers. Source coding, especially in video data compression, is recommended for optimizing the bandwidth usage. Spread spectrum systems can solve the problem of radio transmissions over common frequency bands. These technologies are of crucial importance for the evolution of networks and of the whole Internet, allowing people to interact each other and access information in the web. Nowadays, the conventional Internet of people has moved into the pervasive Internet of Things providing innovative services in a variety of application fields. In this respect, domotic systems, based on ambient and wearable sensors, appear of dramatic importance in the design of future assisted living protocols