PulsarSpectrum: simulating gamma-ray pulsars for the GLAST mission

We present here an overview of PulsarSpectrum, a program that simulates the gamma ray emission from pulsars. This simulator reproduces not only the basic features of the observed gamma ray pulsars, but it can also simulate more detailed effects related to pulsar timing. It is a very useful tool to understand the GLAST capabilities in the pulsar science.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, contribution for "Third Workshop on Science with the New Generation of High Energy Gamma-ray Experiments", May 2005, Cividale del Friuli (UD), Ital

The influence of the ECTHR on the CJEU with respect to the interplay between EU competition law and fundamental rights : the case of the right to privacy

Aquesta ponència forma part del Workshop internacional de doctorands organitzat pel Programa de Doctorat en Dret de la UAB i la Facultat de Dret de la UAB, amb el suport de l'École Européenne de Droit de l'Université Toulouse Capitol

The GLAST Large Area Telescope

Abstract The Large Area Telescope ( LAT ) is the main instrument of the GLAST satellite, designed for the study of the gamma-ray sky between 20 MeV and 1 TeV , scheduled for launch by NASA in 2006. The LAT will revolutionize the field addressing many of the unresolved questions in high-energy astrophysics with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity. Key to efficient and precise photon detection and measurement is the γ→e + e − vertex reconstruction from the LAT tracker. Technologies that make the LAT such an expectional detector, mainly due to the use of particle physics instrumentation, are discussed in this paper

Studies of cosmic ray electrons with the Fermi-LAT

The Fermi Large Area Telescope measures the cosmic-ray electron spectrum from 7GeV up to 1TeV, covering a broad range of approximately 2.5 decades with unprecedented accuracy. This result is based on an analysis of about 8 million electron candidates detected in the first 12 months of operations of the satellite. It extends our previously published measurement down to 7GeV, and confirms a spectrum harder than expected and with no prominent spectral features. In this paper we describe key points of the analysis and of its validations, as well as a cross-check measurement of the spectrum via a subset of events selected for the best energy resolution. Possible interpretations of the result and prospects for future Fermi measurements are briefly discussed at the end

Non-visible penetrating brain trauma: a case report

Objective: One of the most frequent causes of death and acquired disability in the pediatric population is the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI is secondary to falls, road traffic and vehicle collisions, child abuse and assaults. Penetrating brain injury is a severe form of traumatic brain injury. Blunt head injury is more frequent than TBI in children, but the second one carries a poor prognosis and a worse outcomes. Case Presentation: We report a pediatric case of penetrating craniofacial trauma, caused by a pencil in to the eye, and the successful of multidisciplinary management. Conclusion: Traumatic head injuries in children are frequently seen in the emergency ward, but the penetrating head injuries are unusual in young children. This case shows the importance of the 'first golden hour' after head trauma. The collaboration between team members, added to a promptly and invasive strategy, allowed to reduce neurological sequelae

Quality of reporting on the vegetative state in Italian newspapers. The case of Eluana Englaro.

Background: Media coverage of the vegetative state (VS) includes refutations of the VS diagnosis and describes behaviors inconsistent with VS. We used a quality score to assess the reporting in articles describing the medical characteristics of VS in Italian newspapers. Methodology/Principal Findings: Our search covered a 7-month period from July 1, 2008, to February 28, 2009, using the online searchable databases of four major Italian newspapers: Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, La Stampa, and Avvenire. Medical reporting was judged as complete if three core VS characteristics were described: patient unawareness of self and the environment, preserved wakefulness (eyes open), and spontaneous respiration (artificial ventilator not needed). We retrieved 2,099 articles, and 967 were dedicated to VS. Of these, 853 (88.2%) were non-medical and mainly focused on describing the political, legal, and ethical aspects of VS. Of the 114 (11.8%) medical articles, 53 (5.5%) discussed other medical problems such as death by dehydration, artificial nutrition, neuroimaging, brain death, or uterine hemorrhage, and 61 (6.3%) described VS. Of these 61, only 18 (1.9%) reported all three CORE characteristics and were judged complete. We found no differences among the four investigated newspapers (Fisher’s exact = 0.798), and incomplete articles were equally distributed between journalistic pieces and expert opinions (x2 = 1.8854, P = 0.170). Incorrect descriptions of VS were significantly more common among incomplete articles (13 of 43 vs. 1 of 18; Fisher’s exact P = 0.047). Conclusions/Significance: Core VS characteristics are rarely reported in Italian newspaper articles, which can alter adequate comprehension of new developments and (mis)inform political, legal, and ethical decisions