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Measurements of hadronic resonance production with ALICE
No full textShort-lived hadronic resonances are an important tool to characterize the system formed both in elementary and heavy-ion collisions. Since they have a lifetime comparable to the fireball one, resonance measured yields may be affected by re-scattering and regeneration processes. The ALICE experiment has collected data from several collision systems at LHC energies. The latest results on resonance production in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions are reported; in particular pT and the ratios of pT-integrated yields to long-lived particle ones will be discussed
Diplomacy in the Age of the Internet: Challenges for the World Heritage Convention
Get PDFWe are living in a time where the status quo of our existence has fundamentally changed in critical ways since the time of the drafting of the 1972 Convention. After 50 years of many changes in both technology and collective appreciation of heritage and new cultural paradigms seek to reshape how heritage protection is viewed, prompting many countries to re-examine their own politics toward preservation of cultural heritage. With it, so have the nature of threats to cultural heritage and the framework that governs its protection. In this paper we will examine the evolution of internet-led diplomacy, its effects on the perception of cultural identities and the need for a renewed understanding of the obligations to preserve and protect cultural heritage as understood under the 1972 Convention.
This paper was discussed at the International Conference “50 Years World Heritage Convention: Shared Responsibility – Conflict & Reconciliation” Internationale Akademie Berlin, June 22, 2021.
Keywords: 1972 World Heritage Convention, Cultural Diplomacy, Heritage, International Law, Governance; UNESCO; Twiplomacy; Threats; Cultural Heritag
Correlation of solar activity proxy with solar wind dynamic pressure in the last five solar cycles
No full textSolar variability related to the magnetic activity can be quantified using synthetic indices (e.g., sunspots number) or physical ones (e.g., chromospheric proxies). To connect solar surface variability and its features in the near-Earth, we use Ca II K index and solar wind OMNI data in the time interval between 1965 and 2019, which almost entirely covers the last 5 solar cycles. Using long-term averaged data, anti-correlation between Ca II K index and solar wind dynamic pressure at 1 AU has been found during solar cycles 20 and 21, while this relation seems to
change over the last 3 solar cycles
Characterization of PVA-GTA Fricke gels dosimeters using MRI and optical techniques in X-rays external radiation therapy
No full textIn this work, recent results about the dependence of the response of poly(vinyl-alcohol)-glutaraldehyde Fricke gel dosimeters on the irradiation and holding temperatures are reported. The investigations were carried out by two complementary techniques commonly used in gel dosimetry, namely spectrophotometry and MRI. No significant dependence of the dosimeters sensitivity on the irradiation
temperature in the range 20 ◦C–35 ◦C was observed. On the contrary, the holding temperature effects resulted to be not negligible. This work, based on literature results, highlights the limits and the capability of these dosimeters in the 3D dose mapping for clinical practice application
Neutron activation and dosimetry studies for a clinical facility of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
No full textBoron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a radiotherapy in which the patient is irradiated with low-energy neutrons after the administration of a borated drug targeting cancer cells. Neutron activation and dosimetry studies are
presented, related to a facility for the BNCT treatment of deep-seated tumours. The clinical beam is obtained from a proton accelerator coupled to a beryllium target and a neutron moderator/collimator (BSA, Beam Shaping Assembly) mainly made of solid lithiated aluminum fluoride. This paper illustrates the neutron activation analysis study performed on different aluminum fluoride powders to evaluate their use to produce the BSA material, and an example of Monte Carlo calculation of the out-of-field dosimetry. This last aspect is crucial to evaluate the safety of a clinical neutron beam concerning the dose absorbed by peripheral organ
Energy measurement of clinical proton beams with a telescope of Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors
No full textWithin the MoveIT-project of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the University of Torino (UNITO) and INFN-Torino are developing a detector made of a telescope of two Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors (UFSD) aligned along the beam direction to determine the energy of clinical proton beams from the measurement of the time-of-flight of single protons. Following the promising
results obtained at the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO, Pavia, Italy) with single pads, a second beam test was conducted at the Trento Proton Therapy Center (Italy) with dedicated UFSD sensors segmented in strips. The results obtained at Trento facility show that for 97 cm distance between sensors and for all the energies tested (chosen in the 62–227 MeV clinical range), the root mean square deviation between the measured beam energies with respect to the nominal ones corresponds to a range uncertainty < 1 mm in water, as clinically require
Low energy kaon-nuclei interaction at DAΦNE: The SIDDHARTA-2 experiment
No full textLight kaonic atoms spectroscopy is a unique tool for the investigation of the low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the strangeness sector. The precise measurements of the X-ray emission from light kaonic atoms provide
information on the kaon-nucleus interaction at threshold without the need of an extrapolation as in the case of scattering experiments. In 2009, the SIDDHARTA Collaboration performed the most precise measurement of kaonic hydrogen (KH) X-ray transition to the fundamental level. Nowadays, the SIDDHARTA-2 Collaboration is ready to perform the more challenging measurement of kaonic deuterium (Kd) 2p → 1s transition. To achieve this unprecedented result, which is fundamental to extract the isospin-dependent antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths, an upgraded experimental apparatus with respect to the SIDDHARTA one was realized. This paper presents an overview on the SIDDHARTA-2 setup installed on the DAΦNE collider of LNF-INFN and the first results obtained during the machine optimization phase, in preparation for the kaonic deuterium data taking campaign planned in 2021–2022
Project ALEX: Teacher workshops on presenting physical concepts through improvised demonstrations and qualitative reasoning
No full textWe describe a physics pedagogy centered on everyday experience and qualitative reasoning that can be a useful supplement for students by linking more formal, separated parts of the traditional curriculum and provide a safety net
for teachers in schools that do not have dedicated physics or chemical laboratories. We argue for an extension of practice, an enrichment of the presentation for both sides of the pedagogical transaction, not a radically new method or a replacement for the traditional Italian mode of instruction. This approach is even more relevant in these difficult times
Diagnostic Bias in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Series of Short Cases
Get PDFDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems have faced unprecedented pressures. One challenge has been to promptly recognise non-COVID-19 conditions. Cognitive bias due to the availability heuristic may cause difficulties in reaching the correct diagnosis. Confirmation bias may also affect imaging interpretation. We report three cases with an alternative final diagnosis in whom COVID-19 was
initially suspected: (a) Pneumocystis jirovecii
pneumonia with unrecognised HIV infection; (b) pulmonary lymphangitis carcinomatosis; and (c) ST elevation myocardial infarction causing acute pulmonary oedema. To help mitigate bias, there is no substitute for thoughtful clinical
assessment and critical appraisal when evaluating new information and formulating the differential diagnosis
Successful Conservative Treatment of a Complicated Aortic Thrombus in a Woman with Factor V Leiden Mutation
Get PDFThrombus in the aortic trunk is a rare complication. We report the case of a 63-year-old patient with a factor V Leiden mutation in whom an aortic arch thrombus was discovered accidentally. Conservative treatment was initiated with therapeutic anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin leading to complete thrombus lysis after 3 months but associated shortly after anticoagulation initiation with a
large splenic and limited renal infarctions