Dark Matter Searche with GLAST

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), scheduled to be launched in fall 2007, is the next generation satellite for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. The Large Area Telescope (LAT), GLAST main instrument, with a wide field of view (> 2 sr), a large effective area (> 8000 cm^2 at 1 GeV) and 20 MeV - 300 GeV energy range, will provide excellent high energy gamma-ray observations for Dark Matter searches. In this paper we examine the potential of the LAT to detect gamma-rays coming from WIMPS annihilation in the context of supersymmetry. As an example, two search regions are investigated: the galactic center and the galactic satellites.Comment: Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 36th COSPAR proceeding accepted for publication in "Advances in Space Research

Endothelial cells, endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxysterols

Oxysterols are bioactive lipids that act as regulators of lipid metabolism, inflammation, cell viability and are involved in several diseases, including atherosclerosis. Mounting evidence linked the atherosclerosis to endothelium dysfunction; in fact, the endothelium regulates the vascular system with roles in processes such as hemostasis, cell cholesterol, hormone trafficking, signal transduction and inflammation. Several papers shed light the ability of oxysterols to induce apoptosis in different cell lines including endothelial cells. Apoptotic endothelial cell and endothelial denudation may constitute a critical step in the transition to plaque erosion and vessel thrombosis, so preventing the endothelial damaged has garnered considerable attention as a novel means of treating atherosclerosis. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site where the proteins are synthetized and folded and is necessary for most cellular activity; perturbations of ER homeostasis leads to a condition known as endoplasmic reticulum stress. This condition evokes the unfolded protein response (UPR) an adaptive pathway that aims to restore ER homeostasis. Mounting evidence suggests that chronic activation of UPR leads to cell dysfunction and death and recently has been implicated in pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction. Autophagy is an essential catabolic mechanism that delivers misfolded proteins and damaged organelles to the lysosome for degradation, maintaining basal levels of autophagic activity it is critical for cell survival. Several evidence suggests that persistent ER stress often results in stimulation of autophagic activities, likely as a compensatory mechanism to relieve ER stress and consequently cell death. In this review, we summarize evidence for the effect of oxysterols on endothelial cells, especially focusing on oxysterols-mediated induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress

Over-the-scope clip and self-expandable metal stent: a comprehensive treatment for failed peroral endoscopic myotomy and fibrosis complications in idiopathic achalasia

Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder that affects both sexes and all ages. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been reported as an optional treatment since 2010 [1]. Frequently associated adverse events include pneumoperitoneum, pneumomediastinum, and pneumothorax, which are usually asymptomatic and managed conservatively [2, 3]. Perforation, bleeding, mediastinitis, and peritonitis rarely occur and are often symptomatic. Mucosal injuries (including dehiscence, ulcer, and ischemia) do not alter the post-procedural course [4]. A 31-year-old man, affected by idiopathic achalasia, was admitted as an outpatient to our Gastroenterological Unit owing to symptom recurrence and weight loss (Eckardt score 8). Two years before, he had undergone POEM, which was complicated by pneumomediastinum and ischemic damage of the distal esophagus with residual fibrosis. An esophagogram revealed a dilated esophagus (maximum diameter 60mm) and supracardial stricture extending 15 mm above. His dysphagia was most likely worsened by post-POEM complications. We planned to place a fully covered removable metal stent (SEMS; 60 × 27mm) to achieve progressive, effective dilation of the distal esophagus . The SEMS would be firmly fixed by means of an over-the-scope (OTS) clip. This novel OTS clip device has demonstrated success in reducing SEMS migration even in benign diseases [5]. The SEMS was released 10mm above the post-POEM stricture, 25 mm above the cardia, and fixed by means of the OTS clip. The patient was discharged uneventfully on the same day. An alternative approach (Heller myotomy) was ready to be employed in case of failure. At the 4-week follow-up, dysphagia had improved and the patient had gained weight. Both the OTS clip and the SEMS were removed using the remOVE device (Ovesco Endoscopy AG, Tübingen, Germany) . The patient was discharged uneventfully 12 hours later. After a further 4 weeks, an esophagogram revealed a significant reduction in the esophagus dilation and the patient’s clinical condition had significantly improved (Eckardt score 0)

A Statistical Analysis of Supersymmetric Dark Matter in the MSSM after WMAP

We study supersymmetric dark matter in the general flavor diagonal MSSM by means of an extensive random scan of its parameter space. We find that, in contrast with the standard mSUGRA lore, the large majority of viable models features either a higgsino or a wino-like lightest neutralino, and yields a relic abundance well below the WMAP bound. Among the models with neutralino relic density within the WMAP range, higgsino-like neutralinos are still dominant, though a sizeable fraction of binos is also present. In this latter case, relic density suppression mechanisms are shown to be essential in order to obtain the correct neutralino abundance. We then carry out a statistical analysis and a general discussion of neutralino dark matter direct detection and of indirect neutralino detection at neutrino telescopes and at antimatter search experiments. We point out that current data exclude only a marginal portion of the viable parameter space, and that models whose thermal relic abundance lies in the WMAP range will be significantly probed only at future direct detection experiments. Finally, we emphasize the importance of relic density enhancement mechanisms for indirect detection perspectives, in particular at future antimatter search experiments.Comment: 39 pages, 25 figure

Longitudinal phase-space manipulation with beam-driven plasma wakefields

The development of compact accelerator facilities providing high-brightness beams is one of the most challenging tasks in field of next-generation compact and cost affordable particle accelerators, to be used in many fields for industrial, medical and research applications. The ability to shape the beam longitudinal phase-space, in particular, plays a key role to achieve high-peak brightness. Here we present a new approach that allows to tune the longitudinal phase-space of a high-brightness beam by means of a plasma wakefields. The electron beam passing through the plasma drives large wakefields that are used to manipulate the time-energy correlation of particles along the beam itself. We experimentally demonstrate that such solution is highly tunable by simply adjusting the density of the plasma and can be used to imprint or remove any correlation onto the beam. This is a fundamental requirement when dealing with largely time-energy correlated beams coming from future plasma accelerators

Nudging Cooperation in a Crowd Experiment

We examine the hypothesis that driven by a competition heuristic, people don't even reflect or consider whether a cooperation strategy may be better. As a paradigmatic example of this behavior we propose the zero-sum game fallacy, according to which people believe that resources are fixed even when they are not. We demonstrate that people only cooperate if the competitive heuristic is explicitly overridden in an experiment in which participants play two rounds of a game in which competition is suboptimal. The observed spontaneous behavior for most players was to compete. Then participants were explicitly reminded that the competing strategy may not be optimal. This minor intervention boosted cooperation, implying that competition does not result from lack of trust or willingness to cooperate but instead from the inability to inhibit the competition bias. This activity was performed in a controlled laboratory setting and also as a crowd experiment. Understanding the psychological underpinnings of these behaviors may help us improve cooperation and thus may have vast practical consequences to our society.Fil: Niella, Tamara. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; ArgentinaFil: Stier, Nicolas. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sigman, Mariano. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The SEEMP Approach to Semantic Interoperability for E-Employment

SEEMP is a European Project that promotes increased partnership between labour market actors and the development of closer relations between private and public employment services, making optimal use of the various actors’ specific characteristics, thus providing job-seekers and employers with better services. The need for a flexible collaboration gives rise to the issue of interoperability in both data exchange and share of services. SEEMP proposes a solution that relies on the concepts of services and semantics in order to provide a meaningful service-based communication among labour market actors requiring a minimal shared commitment