Enhanced fast digital integrator for magnetic measurements

An enhanced Fast Digital Integrator (eFDI) was prototyped to satisfy the new requirements arising from current on-field exploitation of the previous Fast Digital Integrator in magnetic measurements for particle accelerators at CERN. In particular, the prototype achieves improved performance in terms of offset (5 ppm on 10 V fullscale), self-calibration accuracy (1 ppm of residual error), and data throughput (100 MB/s), by simultaneously preserving high-level signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SINAD 105 dB at 10 Hz). In this paper, initially, the specifications, the design solutions, and the main features of the eFDI are illustrated. Then, the experimental results of the metrological characterization are compared with the CERN state-of-the-art integrator FDI performance in order to highlight the achieved improvements

A Fast Digital Integrator for Magnetic Field Measurements at CERN

A self-calibrating digital instrument for flux measurements on magnets for accelerators used in basic research on subnuclear particles is proposed. The instrument acquires voltage arising from rotating coils transducers with a theoretical resolution of 10 ppt and a maximum sampling frequency of 800 kS/s. Then, samples are integrated on-line and suitably processed in order to improve time resolution and flux accuracy. This allows the limits of state-of-the-art digital fluximeters, related mainly to newgeneration rotating coils, with trigger rate of 20 kHz and coils speed of 10 rps, to be overcome. The instrument has been prototyped at Magnetic Measurement and Testing (MTM) Group of European Laboratory for Nuclear Research (CERN), under a framework of cooperation with the University of Sannio. Details on hardware and firmware conception, as well as on experimental results of the instrument principle validation, and of the preliminary metrological characterization of the prototype, are provided

IgG4 related disease in elderly: A case report

IgG4-related systemic disease (IgG4-RSD) is an emerging autoimmune disorder that may affect several organs, with signs of organ fibrosis, storiform masses for hystopathological plasmacellular infiltration and plasmatic elevation of IgG4. This clinical condition frequently occurs in the sixth decade and may be considered an autoimmunity of the elderly; the disease may have a smouldering course with frequent misdiagnosis for the co-occurrence of comorbidity and clinical complexity. The present case report describes the clinical case of an 81 years old woman admitted to the geriatric ward for remittent fever and functional decline. The past clinical history reported an isolated CT scan suggestive of retroperitoneal fibrosis of unknown origin with and a drug regimen that included chronic corticosteroids (prednisone 5 mg oad). The in hospital diagnostic workout demonstrated the presence of a thoracic aneurysm. Several possible diagnoses among inflammatory, autoimmune (connective tissue disease, vasculitis, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis), infectious (mycotic) or neoplastic conditions were ruled out, as well as any drug association with higher risk of retroperitoneal fibrosis. Thus, the clinical hypothesis of an IgG4 chronic periaortitis was formulated due to the co-occurrence of all the three major components: the presence of a retroperitoneal fibrosis, IgG4 related abdominal aortitis and peryaneurysmal fibrosis. Patient\u2019s comorbidity did not allow performing the histological analysis. The present clinical case is original and adds knowledge to the 76 cases of thoracic aortitis due to IgG4 systemic disease out of the 3482 cases of disease reported so far. Further clinical investigation is needed to provide a homogeneous diagnostic workout for tailored early therapeutic intervention on the single geriatric patient. Moreover, a growing awareness of the disease is needed, especially in geriatrics, to providing a better standard of care and to improving the disease clinical knowledge and managemen

Cognitive Function and Atrial Fibrillation: From the Strength of Relationship to the Dark Side of Prevention. Is There a Contribution from Sinus Rhythm Restoration and Maintenance?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common chronic cardiac arrhythmia with an increasing prevalence over time mainly because of population aging. It is well established that the presence of AF increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, sudden death, and cardiovascular morbidity. In the last two decades several reports have shown an association between AF and cognitive function, ranging from impairment to dementia. Ischemic stroke linked to AF is a well-known risk factor and predictor of cognitive decline. In this clinical scenario, the risk of stroke might be reduced by oral anticoagulation. However, recent data suggest that AF may be a predictor of cognitive impairment and dementia also in the absence of stroke. Cerebral hypoperfusion, reduced brain volume, microbleeds, white matter hyperintensity, neuroinflammation, and genetic factors have been considered as potential mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of AF-related cognitive dysfunction. However, a cause-effect relationship remains still controversial. Consequently, no therapeutic strategies are available to prevent AF-related cognitive decline in stroke-free patients. This review will analyze the potential mechanisms leading to cognitive dysfunction in AF patients and examine the available data on the impact of a sinus rhythm restoration and maintenance strategy in reducing the risk of cognitive decline

pure analgesics in a rheumatological outpatient clinic

Objective: Pure analgesics are only rarely used by Italian clinicians and this holds true also for rheumatologists. This work is concerned with an evaluation of the use of analgesics in a rheumatological outpatient clinic during the period 1989-1999. Methods: The records of 1705 patients consecutively seen at the clinic were downloaded on a specifically built website. Results: 4469 visits were considered. In 260 of them (5.8%), analgesics were prescribed to 234 (13.7%) patients. The number of patients with a prescription of analgesics steadily increased during the years 1989-1999. The diagnoses in patients assuming analgesics were: osteoarthritis (47.1%), inflammatory arthritis (24.2%), soft tissue rheumatisms (13.7%), nonspecific arthralgia/myalgia (7.5%), and connective tissue diseases (2.6%). Peripheral analgesics were used in 188 (82.5%) patients and central analgesics were used in the remaining 40 patients (17.5%). Analgesic drugs were used mainly in degenerative joint conditions. The indications for analgesics in the 55 patients with inflammatory arthrits were: (a) partial or total remission of arthritis; for this reason non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were no longer required in 18 patients; (b) to increase the analgesic effect of NSAIDs in 23 patients; (c) contraindications to NSAIDs in 14 patients (renal failure in 2 patients, gastritis in 10, allergy and bleeding in the remaining two). Conclusions: About 14% of our outpatients were treated with analgesics with an increasing trend in the examined period. The main indications for analgesics are degenerative conditions but they can be used also in selected patients with arthritis

Persistent spin and mass currents and Aharonov-Casher effect

Spin-orbit interaction produces persistent spin and mass currents in the ring via the Aharonov-Casher effect. The experiment in $^3He-A_1$ phase, in which this effect leads to the excitation of mass and spin supercurrent is proposed.Comment: 10 page

Reumatismo : cambio della guardia

Cosa significa prendere nelle mani la direzione di una delle pi\uf9 antiche riviste di reumatologia al mondo? Un ritorno al passato ed un tuffo nel futuro: nel passato ritrovo il ricordo di uno specializzando in reumatologia alle prime armi coinvolto nella redazione di Reumatismo, diretta allora dal Prof. Vittorio Bianchi. Nel futuro alcune idee e progetti ambiziosi per rendere la nostra rivista sempre pi\uf9 incisiva nel mondo della reumatologia. Questi sono stati suggeriti e discussi con i due codirettori Roberto Caporali e Piercarlo Sarzi-Puttini: sapere che loro facevano parte del team ha reso di molto pi\uf9 facile la decisione di accettare questo incarico, del quale sono, ovviamente, onorato. Il momento \ue8 senza dubbio propizio ed entusiasmante: la reumatologia italiana sta confermando il suo ruolo in Europa (EULAR 2010 a Roma, primato nella partecipazione scientifica dei reumatologi italiani ai congressi europei, pubblicazioni internazionali, presidenze di commissioni, ecc.) e questo non potr\ue0 non avere ricadute anche su Reumatismo

The CUL4-DDB1 ubiquitin ligase complex controls adult and embryonic stem cell differentiation and homeostasis

Little is known on post-transcriptional regulation of adult and embryonic stem cell maintenance and differentiation. Here we characterize the role of Ddb1, a component of the CUL4-DDB1 ubiquitin ligase complex. Ddb1 is highly expressed in multipotent hematopoietic progenitors and its deletion leads to abrogation of both adult and fetal hematopoiesis, targeting specifically transiently amplifying progenitor subsets. However, Ddb1 deletion in non-dividing lymphocytes has no discernible phenotypes. Ddb1 silencing activates Trp53 pathway and leads to significant effects on cell cycle progression and rapid apoptosis. The abrogation of hematopoietic progenitor cells can be partially rescued by simultaneous deletion of Trp53. Conversely, depletion of DDB1 in embryonic stem cell (ESC) leads to differentiation albeit negative effects on cell cycle and apoptosis. Mass spectrometry reveals differing protein interactions between DDB1 and distinct DCAFs, the substrate recognizing components of the E3 complex, between cell types. Our studies identify CUL4-DDB1 complex as a novel post-translational regulator of stem and progenitor maintenance and differentiation