Testbeam studies of pre-prototype silicon strip sensors for the LHCb UT upgrade project

The LHCb experiment is preparing for a major upgrade in 2018-2019. One of the key components in the upgrade is a new silicon tracker situated upstream of the analysis magnet of the experiment. The Upstream Tracker (UT) will consist of four planes of silicon strip detectors, with each plane covering an area of about 2 m$^2$. An important consideration of these detectors is their performance after they have been exposed to a large radiation dose. In this article we present test beam results of pre-prototype n-in-p and p-in-n sensors that have been irradiated with fluences up to $4.0\times10^{14}$ $n_{\rm eq}$ cm$^{-2}$.Comment: 25 pages, 20 figure

Nondestructive Raman investigation on wall paintings at Sala Vaccarini in Catania (Sicily)

In this work, the results of a Raman campaign for studying seventeenth-century Sicilian frescoes, by using two portable Raman systems, equipped with different excitation sources (785 and 1064 nm), are proposed. The measurements were performed with the aim to provide an in situ diagnostic analysis of the wall paintings (in terms of colorants and preparation layer) and to support the conservators in the framework of the ongoing restoration. The combined use of the two Raman spectrometers has given a complete overview on the artist palette and on the state of preservation of frescoes, also informing us about the technique employed by the painter. Natural pigments as hematite, vermillion, goethite, lead red, lead white and carbon-based black pigments have been identified. Additionally, the application of a transitional Romanesque-Renaissance frescoes method has been noticed by the systematic combined presence of calcite and gypsum in the substrate. Finally, the analyses have highlighted the presence of degradation products, mainly related to alteration of lead-based pigments

How I do it: transapical cannulation for acute type-A aortic dissection

Abstract Aortic dissection is the most frequently diagnosed lethal disease of the aorta. Half of all patients with acute type-A aortic dissection die within 48 hours of presentation. There is still debate as to the optimal site of arterial cannulation for establishing cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with type-A aortic dissection. Femoral artery cannulation with retrograde perfusion is the most common method but because of the risk of malperfusion of vital organs and atheroembolism related to it different sites such as the axillary artery, the innominate artery and the aortic arch are used. Cannulation of these sites is not without risks of atheroembolism, neurovascular complications and can be time consuming. Another yet to be popularised option is the transapical aortic cannulation (TAC) described in this article. TAC consists of the insertion of the arterial cannula through the apex of the left ventricle and the aortic valve to lie in the sinus of Valsalva. Trans-oesophageal guidance is necessary to ensure correct placement of the cannula. TAC is an excellent method of establishing cardiopulmonary bypass as it is quick, provides a more physiological method of delivering antegrade arterial flow and is the only method to assure perfusion of the true lumen.</p

FIRB "SQUARE" project: nano-structured sensors for the detection of the polluting in engine exhaust gases and for indoor air quality monitoring

The present work is a final dissemination of activities carried out and main results obtained in the national founded project Firb "Square". The project is leaded by Centro Ricerche Fiat and it involves the most qualified national public Research Institutes and Universities active in the fields of nanomaterials synthesis, nanotechnology and gas sensors development

"Undicimila e uno: il problema politico e diplomatico dei prigionieri nella guerra delle Falklands".

Undicimila e uno. La cifra è eloquente della sproporzione tra il numero dei prigionieri argentini e dell’unico prigioniero militare britannico nella guerra delle Falklands del 1982, significativa dell’andamento delle operazioni militari, e indicativa delle problematiche politiche, giuridiche e diplomatiche che la gestione dei prigionieri di guerra pose. La memoria storica del trattamento dei prigionieri di guerra non era recente. Bisognava risalire al Secondo conflitto mondiale per rintracciare i più vicini precedenti. L’aspetto diplomatico, per ovvie ragioni, assunse un ruolo centrale nella risoluzione del problema, sia per il profilo relativo al dialogo e alle comunicazioni tra Regno Unito e Argentina, che per la supervisione della Croce Rossa Internazionale, nonché per gli alleati dei due paesi, che venivano a trovarsi in una delicata situazione, considerato che il principale alleato era lo stesso per entrambi: gli Stati Uniti. La revoca delle sanzioni economiche e la ripresa di normali relazioni erano infatti vivamente desiderate da europei e americani. La mancanza di una dichiarazione ufficiale di fine delle ostilità da parte argentina suggerì ai britannici la decisione di trattenerne alcune centinaia come mezzo di pressione per la rinuncia a velleità di ripresa delle operazioni militari, nonché per la consegna dell’unico prigioniero militare e di tre giornalisti britannici. Questo divenne il capitolo più problematico della vicenda, poiché rischiava di configurare possibili violazioni delle Convenzioni di Ginevra e di imbarazzare gli amici ed alleati della Gran Bretagna. Entrambi i contendenti, comunque, rivendicarono a se stessi, e negarono all’altro, il merito di aver pienamente e cavallerescamente trattato i prigionieri di guerra e rispettato le leggi internazionali

Cavour e la guerra.

L'articolo esamina l'esperienza e l'uso che il conte di Cavour intraprese dello strumento militare e del ricorso al conflitto armato per il raggiungimento del suo supremo scopo politico dell'unificazione italiana

Implementation of Robust Satellite Techniques for Volcanoes on ASTER Data under the Google Earth Engine Platform

The RST (Robust Satellite Techniques) approach is a multi-temporal scheme of satellite data analysis widely used to investigate and monitor thermal volcanic activity from space through high temporal resolution data from sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI). In this work, we present the results of the preliminary RST algorithm implementation to thermal infrared (TIR) data, at 90 m spatial resolution, from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). Results achieved under the Google Earth Engine (GEE) environment, by analyzing 20 years of satellite observations over three active volcanoes (i.e., Etna, Shishaldin and Shinmoedake) located in different geographic areas, show that the RST-based system, hereafter named RASTer, detected a higher (around 25% more) number of thermal anomalies than the well-established ASTER Volcano Archive (AVA). Despite the availability of a less populated dataset than other sensors, the RST implementation on ASTER data guarantees an efficient identification and mapping of volcanic thermal features even of a low-intensity level. To improve the temporal continuity of the active volcanoes monitoring, the possibility of exploiting RASTer is here addressed, in the perspective of an operational multi-satellite observing system. The latter could include mid-high spatial resolution satellite data (e.g., Sentinel-2/MSI, Landsat-8/OLI), as well as those at higher-temporal (lower spatial) resolution (e.g., EOS/MODIS, Suomi-NPP/VIIRS, Sentinel-3/SLSTR), for which RASTer could provide useful algorithm’s validation and training dataset