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The teacher certification process can be overwhelming for early-career educators. Negotiating teacher identity, completing fieldwork hours, and navigating institutional expectations can stress the most resilient teacher candidates. These pressures are further compounded as teacher certification assessments, such as the edTPA, introduce additional hurdles to achieving state licensure. This study approaches these obstacles by examining the stories of a diverse group of 14 early-career teachers as they reflect on completing edTPA and their current teaching practices. Through social constructivist perspectives and professional learning continuum framing, we interpreted narrative data to examine early-career teacher discussions of completing edTPA and developing pedagogical practices. These 14 teachers elucidated that the collaborative nature of their preparation program was integral to their completing the assessment, that the program approach to completing the portfolio assessment positioned them to think reflexively about their practice, and that the skills and tools used on edTPA remained useful to them throughout their early-career teaching. We suggest ways that preparation programs can interpret this teacher certification policy as an instructional touchpoint and can limit the gatekeeping capabilities of certification exams through collaboration, building capital, and supporting reflective portfolios. This work has implications for policymakers in teacher education and induction programs.

Background and aim Laparoscopic Heller-Dor (LHD) is an effective treatment for esophageal achalasia, with good long-term results in more than 85–90% of patients. It remains controversial whether LHD is also indicated in the end-stage disease when the esophagus has a sigmoid shape. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of LHD in patients with end-stage achalasia, as compared to patients with megaesophagus but without a sigmoid shape. Methods From 1992 to 2020, patients with a radiological diagnosis of sigmoid-shaped esophagus (radiological stage IV achalasia: group SE) and patients with straight, larger than 6 cm in diameter esophagus (radiological stage III achalasia: group NSE), both treated with LHD, were compared. Treatment failure was defined as the persistence or reoccurrence of an Eckardt score > 3, or the need for retreatment. Results During the study period, 164 such patients were observed: 73 patients in the SE group and 91 in the NSE group. The patients’ demographic and clinical parameters are summarised in Table 1. The median follow-up was 67 months (IQR: 24–106). No intra or postoperative mortality was recorded. There were 7 mucosal lesions: 2 in the SE group and 5 in the NSE group (P = 0.45). A positive outcome was obtained in 73% of patients in the SE group, as compared to 90% in the NSE group (P = 0.007, Table 2). All the patients whose surgery failed subsequently underwent one or more endoscopic pneumatic dilations. The overall success rate of the combination of LHD and endoscopic dilations was 83.6% in the SE group and all patients in the NSE group. The persisting failures had additional treatments: 4 patients a redo-myotomy, one each a botox injection, POEM and only one patient had an esophagectomy; the remaining 5 patients refused additional treatments. Postoperative 24-hour pH-monitoring was abnormal in 16.6% in SE group and 8.3% in NSE group (P = 0.33). Conclusion In end-stage achalasia patients, LHD may still achieve good results by relieving symptoms in more than 70% of patients. Therefore, LHD may still be the first surgical option to be offered to these patients before esophagectomy.

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Infarct size (IS), area at risk (AAR) and microvascular obstruction (MVO) are well known predictors of adverse remodeling (aLVr) following acute myocardial infarction, while the pathogenic role of left ventricular (LV) hemodynamic forces (HDFs) is still unknown. Recent evidence suggests the role of HDFs in negative remodeling after pathogenic events. Purpose To identify LV HDFs patterns associated with aLVr in reperfused ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) patients. Methods Forty-nine acute STEMI patients underwent CMR at 1 week (baseline) and 4 months (follow-up) after MI. The following parameters were measured: left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume index for body surface area (LVEDVi and LVESVi), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and LV mass index, AAR and IS. LV HDFs were computed at baseline from cine CMR long axis datasets using a novel method based on LV endocardial boundary tracking. LV HDFs were calculated both in apex-base (A-B) and latero-septal (L-S) directions. The distribution of LV HDFs were evaluated by L-S over A-B HDFs ratio (L-S/A-B HDFs ratio %). All HDFs parameters are computed over the entire heartbeat, in systole and diastole. aLVr was defined as an absolute increase in LVESV of at least 15% (ΔLV-ESV ≥15%). Results Patients with aLVr (n = 18; 37%) had significant greater value of AAR (32 ± 23 vs 22 ± 18; p = 0.03) and slightly larger IS (23 ± 16 vs 15 ± 11; p= 0.07) at baseline. In patients with aLVr at FU, baseline systolic L-S HDF were lower (2.7 ± 0.9 vs 3.6 ± 1; p = 0.027) while diastolic L-S/A-B HDF ratio was significantly higher (28 ± 14 vs 19 ± 6; p = 0.03), reflecting higher grade of diastolic HDFs misalignment. At univariate logistic regression analysis, higher IS [Odd ratio (OR) 1.05; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01-1.1; p= 0.04] L-S HDFs (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.2-0.9; p= 0.04] and higher diastolic L-S/A-B HDFs ratio (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.01-1.2; p= 0.05) were associated with aLVr at FU (Table). At multivariate logistic regression analysis, L-S/A-B HDF ratio remained the only independent predictor of adverse LV remodeling after correction for other baseline determinants. Conclusion Misalignment of diastolic HDFs following STEMI is associated with aLVr observed after 4 months. Predictors of adverse remodeling Univariate Multivariate Parameter OR (95% CI) P OR (95% CI) P IS (%) 1.05 (1.01-1.1) 0.042 - - Systolic L-S HDF 0.41 (0.2-0.9) 0.04 - - Diastolic L-S/A-B HDF Ratio 1.1 (1.01-1.2) 0.05 1.1 (1.01-1.2) 0.04 A-B:apex-base; L-S: latero-septal; HDFs: hemodynamic forces Abstract Figure. Diastolic HDFs distribution and aLVr

BackgroundSeveral studies reported higher depression and anxiety rates in fibromyalgia (FM) patients compared to the general population. Furthermore, dysfunctional coping strategieshave been pointed to as intrinsic parts of the pathogenesis of FM.ObjectivesOur study aimed to verify the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and explore their correlation with physical symptoms as fatigue, sleep, and widespread pain in a cohort of patients diagnosed with FM. We also aimed to determine whether dysfunctional coping strategies might increase the depression and anxiety burden, besides worsening the core symptoms of FM.MethodsWe analyzed a cohort of 105 patients (median age of 53 years 6 M, 99 F) with a diagnosis of FM according to the ACR 2016 criteria. The participants were consecutively recruited from the Fibromyalgia clinic of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”. All patients underwent a psychiatric evaluation. We assessed widespread pain by the Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and the presence of fatigue by the Symptom Severity score (SS). Sleep disorders were investigated through Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). We analyzed mental alterations by Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales (HAM-D, HAM-A), and coping strategies by Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Inventory.The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 was used; the level of significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsAll patients showed fatigue and widespread pain (100%); sleep disturbances were found in 90.5% of patients and overlapped with all sleep phases. The prevalence of anxiety associated with depression was 75.2%. We found isolated anxiety in 14.3% and isolated depression in 4.8% of patients. We further evidenced a different degree of depression: mild (50.7%), moderate (24.3%), and severe (6.5%). All patients showed depressed mood only if questioned (low tendency to spontaneous verbalization). COPE analysis showed no significant differences in the use of the three coping strategies (Problem-focused, emotion-focused, avoidance-focused). Pearson’s correlation analysis highlighted a negative relationship between problem-focused strategies and the severity of anxiety (r = -0.31, p = .001) and depression (r = -0.32, p = .001). Our analysis also highlighted a positive correlation between fatigue, sleep disturbances, widespread pain, and both anxiety and depression. The analysis of the characteristics of anxiety and depressive symptoms showed a scarce tendency to spontaneous verbalization of depressed mood and ideas of guilt, mostly limited to family relationships, and a sense of ineffectiveness conditioned by the physical symptoms of the disease. Most patients showed psychomotor agitation, psychic and somatic anxiety, poor insight. The analysis of coping strategies adopted showed a negative correlation between problem-focused strategies and anxiety-depressive symptoms, suggesting that such strategies are less frequent in FM patients with comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms.ConclusionOur study confirms the high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in FM patients. A positive correlation between the pivotal symptoms and anxiety and depressive symptoms may suggest, without implying a cause-and-effect relationship, that psychiatric intervention should be considered along with rheumatologic treatment, to improve both physical symptoms and quality of life. Potentiating problem-focused coping strategies may represent a target to improve anxiety and depressive symptoms.References[1]Wolfe et al Revisions to the 2010/2011 FM diagnostic criteria. Semin Arth. Rheum. 2016Table 1.Correlation analysis between coping strategies and HAM-D and HAM-A total scoresHAM-DHAM- AProblem-focused Coping- 0,32**- 0,31**Avoidant Coping0,800,92Emotion Coping0,140,13**pDisclosure of InterestsNone declared

BackgroundTo date, globally considered, the literature suggests that AIRD may be at higher risk of infection and death due to COVID19 compared to the general population. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 reduces the risk of hospitalization and mortality. However, immunological alteration associated with Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases (AIRD) and immunosuppressive medications may impair the response to vaccination. Emerging data suggest that immunosuppressive treatment may negatively impact the response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the AIRD population; data are robust for some treatments, more controversial for others.Identifying patients at higher risk of lack of protection is essential for shielding them and for adapting therapeutic protocol and vaccination timing.ObjectivesIn the light of the current COVID19 epidemic and the availability of effective vaccines, this study aims to identify predictors of non-response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients affected by AIRD.MethodsAn observational cross-sectional study was conducted evaluating the serological response and the persistence of antibodies at eight weeks in IRD patient cohort and non-IRD control.IRD and age and sex-matched controls volunteer among the health professionals (CTRL) who underwent vaccination with two doses of BNT162b2 were recruited for this study. Anti-Trimeric Spike protein antibodies were assayed eight ± one week after the second vaccine dose. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of non-response and low antibody titers.ResultsSamples were obtained from 237 IRD patients (m/f 73/164, mean age 57, CI 95% [56-59]): 4 autoinflammatory diseases (AI), 62 connective tissue diseases (CTD), 86 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 71 spondylarthritis (SpA) and 14 vasculitis (Vsc). 232 CTRL were recruited (m/f 71/161, mean age 57, CI 95% [56-58]).Globally, IRD had a lower seroconversion rate (88.6% vs 99.6%, CI 95% OR [1.61-5.73], pThe antibody titers eight weeks after the second dose of vaccine were lower in AIRD compared to controls, median (IQR) 403 (131.5-1012) vs 1160 (702.5-1675), pConclusionThe response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is often impaired in AIRD patients under treatment and may pose them at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Although this work focused on serological response, most of the treatment the impaired vaccine response are known to act on T cells, possibly also influencing the cellular response. Evidence-based protocols are required to time vaccination and treatment to improve immunization of AIRD patients.References[1]Kroon, F. P. B. et al. Risk and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a systematic literature review to inform EULAR recommendations. Ann. Rheum. Dis. (2021).AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank Dr Daniela Iacono, Dr Carlo Iandoli, Dr Alessandra Milone, Dr Anna Pellegrlino, Dr Elisabetta Seguino and Mrs Maria Puca, for their contribution in data and blood samples collection, Dr Giorgia Della Polla for the valuable suggestions on data analysis. The authors are grateful also to all patients and the volunteers for their contribution.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

BackgroundCognitive dysfunction (CD) is among the most frequent neuropsychiatric manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that has a considerable impact on quality of life, but still lacks adequate screening in clinical routine.ObjectivesOur aim was to investigate the distribution and determinants of CD in patients with lupus nephritis, and to compare cognitive function with that in patients with other forms of glomerular chronic kidney disease (CKD) by the Montréal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).MethodsWe carried out a cross-sectional case-control study with consecutive patients with SLE who fulfilled the 2012 SLICC (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics) classification criteria(1) and have history of lupus nephritis, using a similarly derived CKD control population matched by age and sex, to assess cognitive function using MoCA scale(2). CD was defined as score < 26/30, adjusted for duration of formal education. Demographic data and disease characteristics were collected. SLE disease activity was evaluated by using Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI2K) (3). The effect of disease-related parameters on the MoCA was examined by regression analysis.ResultsA total of 35 patients with SLE and 35 CKD controls were included in our study (Table 1). Among SLE patients, 7 (20%) patients had biopsy proven active nephritis, 7 (20%) had kidney failure and one a kidney transplant. CD according to MoCA score was found in 64.2% (n=45) patients (Figure 1). The proportion of patients with CD according to MoCA between patients with lupus nephritis and CKD controls was not statistically significant (62.8% vs 65.7%, p>0.05). SLE patients performed bad in all cognitive domains. Memory, abstraction and language skills were the most affected domains. Our study showed that active nephritis and disease duration were associated with poor cognitive performance (OR=1.4, p = 0.03; OR=1.2, p = 0.03). GFR values and other parameters evaluated (end stage renal disease, damage, age at diagnosis, use of glucocorticoids, hydroxychloroquine and immunosuppressive drugs) had no significant effect on development of CD in SLE patients.Table 1.Demographics and clinical characteristics of SLE patientsmean%Age44Women94.2Education>16 yrs51.416 -13 yrs37.111.4Disease duration (yrs)16Kidney failure20Prednisone (% use)11.4≥20mg88.5Hydroxychloroquine (% use)65.7Immunosuppressants (% use)57.1SLEDAI2.4SDI0.8Figure 1.Montréal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) results in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to hemodialysis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.ConclusionIn this study, two thirds of SLE patients had CD. Patients with lupus nephritis have comparable cognitive function than patients with other CKD. Decline in renal function was not associated with CD in SLE, suggesting that the CD in this population may represent a consequence of lupus itself rather than kidney-related central nervous system damage.References[1]Petri M, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2012[2]Nasreddine ZS, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc 2005[3]Gladman DD, et al. J Rheumatol. 2002Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

In this work we design data-driven soft sensors of downhole pressure for gas-lift oil wells. We employ a two-step procedure. First, discrete-time (N)ARX models are identified offline from historical data. Second, recursive predictions of these multiple models are combined with current measured data (of variables other than the downhole pressure) by means of an interacting bank of (unscented) Kalman filters. We investigate the usage (i) of linear versus nonlinear models and (ii) of models with or without seabed variables in addition to platform variables. Results are validated by means of experimental data from three oil wells.

International audience; In the ASY-EOS experiment flows of neutrons and light charged particles were measured for (197)Au+(197)Au collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon, in order to investigate the strength of the symmetry term of the nuclear equation of state at supra-saturation densities. By comparing the experimental data with the UrQMD transport model predictions, we have extracted a new constraint in agreement with the moderately soft to linear density dependence obtained in the former analysis on FOPI-LAND data, but reducing the associated uncertainty by a factor ∼ 2.

Monoenergetic pulsed proton beams at energies of 1 and 3 MeV per proton have been employed to characterize a segmented double-sided silicon strip detector. The detector is manufactured from a neutron transmutation doped silicon wafer and features a bulk resistivity of $2300~\Omega \cdot \text {cm}$ . Signals from both P-side and N-side strips have been digitized at 14 b, 100 MS/s. The beam was focused either in the middle of one strip or on the gap in between two strips. Energy resolution, charge collection time, and interstrip effects (charge sharing, charge losses, and inverted polarity pulses) have been investigated at different bias voltages and for particles entering either from the junction side or from the ohmic side.

Directed and elliptic flows of neutrons and light charged particles were measured for the reaction 197Au+197Au at 400 MeV/nucleon incident energy within the ASY-EOS experimental campaign at the GSI laboratory. The detection system consisted of the Large Area Neutron Detector LAND, combined with parts of the CHIMERA multidetector, of the ALADIN Time-of-flight Wall, and of the Washington-University Microball detector. The latter three arrays were used for the event characterization and reaction-plane reconstruction. In addition, an array of triple telescopes, KRATTA, was used for complementary measurements of the isotopic composition and flows of light charged particles. From the comparison of the elliptic flow ratio of neutrons with respect to charged particles with UrQMD predictions, a value \gamma = 0.72 \pm 0.19 is obtained for the power-law coefficient describing the density dependence of the potential part in the parametrization of the symmetry energy. It represents a new and more stringent constraint for the regime of supra-saturation density and confirms, with a considerably smaller uncertainty, the moderately soft to linear density dependence deduced from the earlier FOPI-LAND data. The densities probed are shown to reach beyond twice saturation., Comment: 25 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review C

International audience; The ASY-EOS experiment at GSI laboratory measured the direct and elliptic flow of neutrons and light charged particles in the reaction 197Au+197 Au at 400 A MeV incident energy. The ratio of elliptic flow of neutrons with respect to that of the light charged particles was used as main experimental observable to probe the density dependence of the symmetry energy term of the nuclear equation of state. Results, obtained by comparison of the experimental data with the UrQMD model predictions, strongly support a moderately soft to linear density dependence of the symmetry energy at suprasaturation densities below 2ρ0.

The dependence of the CsI(Tl) scintillation time constants and intensities on the particle ionization profile is at the basis of the Charge and Mass identification technique for Light Charged Products in Intermediate Energy Nuclear Physics multi-detector arrays. The possibility of storing the digitized waveforms in true beam experiments allows performing further offline analyses and makes available a data set related to the interaction of different particle types in a wide energy range.

In an attempt to address perceived shortcomings in traditional content-area literacy preparation, an interdisciplinary group of teacher education faculty developed an approach called “content-driven literacy” (CDL), which was applied to the design of courses to prepare preservice secondary science and social studies teachers. This article describes the development and implementation of the CDL course work and its five elements: reading and writing embedded in subject matter, explicit instruction, planning and modification of literacy instruction, research-based instruction, and the use of diverse content-area texts. The types of knowledge the preservice teacher participants gained from this approach and implications for secondary content instruction are discussed.

The use of NE102A-BaF2 phoswich detector drastically improves the particle identification with respect to BaF2 crystals. To better exploit the possibility of light ion discrimination we have applied digital signal processing to the signals, on-beam collected with NE102A-BaF2 phoswich. We present the results obtained for the heavy ion charge identification (up to Z=50) and light particle mass identification, using digital pulse shape acquisition and a 12-bit, 2 GSample/s sampling analog to digital converter. The results concerning the response of BaF2-plastic phoswich to the reaction products issued at forward angles in the collision of 35.1 MeV/u 124Sn beam on 64Ni target have been obtained at the Superconducting Cyclotron of the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud in Catania.

The elliptic-flow ratio of neutrons with respect to protons or light complex particles in reactions of heavy-ions at pre-relativistic energies has been proposed as an observable sensitive to the strength of the symmetry term of the nuclear equation of state at supra-saturation densities. The results obtained from the existing FOPI/LAND data for 197Au+197Au collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon in comparison with the UrQMD model simulations favoured a moderately soft symmetry term, but suffer from a considerable statistical uncertainty. These results have been confirmed by an independent analysis based on the Tübingen QMD simulations. In order to obtain an improved data set for Au+Au collisions and to extend the study to other systems, a new experiment was carried out at the GSI laboratory by the ASY-EOS collaboration. The present status of the data analysis is reported

International audience; The elliptic-flow ratio of neutrons with respect to protons or light complex particles in reactions of heavy ions at pre-relativistic energies has been proposed as an observable sensitive to the strength of the symmetry term of the nuclear equation of state at supra-saturation densities. In the ASY-EOS experiment at the GSI laboratory, flows of neutrons and light charged particles were measured for ^197Au+^197Au collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon. Flow results obtained for the Au+Au system, in comparison with predictions of the UrQMD transport model, confirm the moderately soft to linear density dependence of the symmetry energy deduced from the earlier FOPI-LAND data.

In past experiments, mass asymmetric projectile-target combinations 124Sn+64Ni and 112Sn+58Ni were investigated at ELab(112,124Sn)=35 A.MeV beam energy by using the 4π multi-detector CHIMERA. From a quantitative comparison of cross sections associated to Statistical and Dynamical Fission of the Projectile-Like Fragments, it resulted that Dynamical Fission process is about two times more probable in the neutron rich 124Sn+64Ni system than in the 112Sn +58 Ni neutron poor one. In contrast, no sizable difference was found for Statistical Fission mechanism. The observed difference in the strength of the Dynamical effects could arise from the difference in entrance channel Isospin (N/Z) content. In order to disentangle Isospin effects from effects due to the different masses of the two systems, a new experiment 124Xe+64Zn at 35 A.MeV beam energy has been recently carried out.

In order to fully exploit all the possibilities of digital pulse shape acquisition with AZ/4/spl pi/-multidetectors for charged products, we developed a case study of data acquisition system. The proposed object-oriented scalable architecture is distributed over a network of processing and storage units and based on a set of objects, each one devoted to a specific job. It performs on-line real-time acquisition and product identification, using sampling VME-ADCs and proper algorithms for digital signal processing. A PCI-VME bridge is used to interface the ADCs to a gigabit network of personal computers. Preliminary benchmarking tests have been carried out to determine performances and actual possibilities of the system.

The elliptic-flow ratio of neutrons with respect to protons in reactions of neutron rich Heavy-Ion at intermediate energies has been recently proposed as an observable sensitive to the strength of the symmetry term in the nuclear equation of state (EOS) at supra-saturation densities. The recent results obtained from the existing FOPI/LAND data for 197Au+197Au collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon in comparison with the UrQMD model allowed a first estimate of the symmetry term of the EOS but suffer from a considerable statistical uncertainty. In order to obtain an improved data set for Au+Au collisions and to extend the study to other systems, a new experiment was carried out at the GSI laboratory by the ASY-EOS collaboration in May 2011. © Owned by the authors, 2012.

In the framework of the construction of a novel Femtoscope Array for Correlation and Spectroscopy, named FARCOS, aiming at the identification in charge and mass even of particles stopping in the first detection layer, we are performing a thorough characterization of the silicon detector layers in terms of the collection properties as a function of the point of incidence. We have experimental evidence — as previously observed also in the literature for other strip detectors — that interstrip incidence alters the signal shape not only for the trivial effect of charge sharing but also because of induction effects on neighbor strips. In order to clarify this issue we developed a custom simulation suite of the electron-hole transport and signal formation able to properly describe 3-D Coulomb interaction and thermal diffusion in semiconductor detectors. We ran a batch of significant and representative simulations presenting the qualitative correct interpretation and the quantitative validation as proved by the comparison of the simulation results with the experimental data.

Silicon microstrips are widely used in nuclear physics experiments when high granularity and high resolution is required (e.g. particle-particle correlation). In addition microstrip detectors are used in the field of X-ray detection for position resolved X-ray spectroscopy. In the framework of the construction of a novel Femtoscope ARray for Correlation and Spectroscopy, named FARCOS, we are performing a thorough characterization of the silicon detector layers in terms of the efficiency and charge collection properties as a function of the point of incidence and type of interaction. We have experimental evidence—as previously observed also in the literature for other strip detectors—that inter-strip incidence alters the signal shape not only for the trivial charge division but also affecting the shape of the induced signal on neighbor strips. The phenomenon can be more or less pronounced depending on the energy and ion type but it is always present. In order to surgically probe the response of the inter-strip region we tested the detector both in back and in front injection with an infrared pulsed laser at two different wavelengths (705 nm and 904 nm). Depending on the side of interaction, on the position of incidence and on the absorption length, the shapes of the induced signals are significantly altered and signals of opposite polarity or bipolar signals arise. In order to get a complete picture of the physical phenomena at the basis of the aforementioned behavior we performed detailed 3D device simulations with a custom semi-analytical code and compared the results with the experimental data. The paper focuses on the description of the experimental measurements and their exhaustive description and interpretation.

International audience; The elliptic-flow ratio of neutrons with respect to protons or lightcomplex particles in reactions of heavy ions at pre-relativistic energieshas been proposed as an observable sensitive to the strength of thesymmetry term of the nuclear equation of state at supra-saturationdensities. In the ASY-EOS experiment at the GSI laboratory, flows ofneutrons and light charged particles were measured for 197Au+197Au,96Zr+96Zr and 96Ru+96Ru collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon with theLarge Area Neutron Detector LAND as part of a setup with severaladditional detection systems used for the event characterization. Flowresults obtained for the Au+Au system, in comparison with predictionsof the UrQMD transport model, confirm the moderately soft to lineardensity dependence of the symmetry energy deduced from the earlierFOPI-LAND data.

Silicon microstrips are widely used in nuclear physics experiments when high granularity and high resolution of the detection system is required, as, for example in particle-particle correlation measurements. In addition microstrip detectors are used in the field of X-ray detection for position resolved X-ray spectroscopy. In order to surgically probe the response of the interstrip region we tested the detector response matrix both in back and in front injection with an infrared pulsed laser at two different wavelengths (705 nm and 904 nm) in order to probe different ionization profiles. Depending on the side of interaction, on the position of incidence and on the absorption length, the shapes of the induced signals are significantly altered and signals of opposite polarity or bipolar signals arise. This phenomenon was already observed in the literature for other microstrip detectors but not analyzed in detail and no detailed laser mapping has been performed yet. In order to get a complete picture of the physical phenomena at the basis of the aforementioned behavior we performed detailed device simulations with a custom semi-analytical code and compared the experimental results with 3D simulations. The paper focuses on the description of the experimental measurements and their exhaustive interpretation.

A highly segmented Double-Sided Silicon Strip Detector has been characterized using mono-energetic pulsed beams of protons (1 and 3 MeV) and carbon (13 MeV). The detector was manufactured from a Neutron Transmutation Doped (NTD) silicon wafer yielding a bulk resistivity of 2.3 kOhm cm. In this work we show the interstrip effects caused by the beam striking only one strip and the beam on both the strip and the interstrip gap. The pre-amplified output waveforms of the strips on both detector sides have been digitized at 100 MS/s. Charge sharing, induced signal and charge loss have been investigated for different incident positions between adjacent strips, for beam entering from the junction side and the ohmic side, and as a function of the depletion voltage.

The construction of a new array to study femtoscopy and multi-particle correlations in heavy ion collisions at intermediate energies (E=20-1000 AMeV) has been started at the INFN. The project, named FARCOS (Femtoscope ARray for COrrelations and Spectroscopy) is aimed at developing of a detection system with high pixelation capabilities in order to perform precision measurements of particle correlations for nuclear dynamics and spectroscopy. We present first detection simulations for FARCOS and first results related to the commissioning of CsI(T1) crystals, an important detection stage of each telescope.

We investigated the merits of different event parameters in the identification of Light Charged Particles (LCPs) with CsI(Tl) scintillators read out by photodiodes at high incident energy (400 MeV/u). This investigation is made possible by digital signal processing the output signals. As in the conventional analogue case, the digitized signals allow the discrimination of light charged particles by computing the fast and slow components. In addition other identification parameters as the rise time of the output pulses of the CsI(Tl) come out nearly for free. Aim of this paper is the investigation of novel identification plots and the probe of their merits, in particular at relativistic energies. When the energies of the light charged particles exceed those corresponding to their ranges in CsI(Tl), the points related to the punching-through particles gather in the corresponding scatter plots giving rise to a cusp. The punch-through energies provide a complete set of data for the energy calibration of the reaction products stopped in the CsI(Tl). The obtained results suggest that at relativistic beam energies the energy vs. rise time computation provide an efficient figure for the discrimination in charge and mass of LCPs.

We are currently developing a novel detection system, named FARCOS (Femtoscope Array for Correlation and Spectroscopy) and featuring high angular and energy resolution and able to reconstruct particle's momentum at high precision for different physical cases in multi-fragmentation nuclear physics experiments. Performing a Pulse Shape Analysis on signals coming from the ΔE stages -Double Sided Silicon Strip Detectors (DSSSDs) - we aim at identifying in charge and mass even particles stopping in the first detection layer. In the framework of the full characterization of the DSSSD response in terms of both the linearity of the amplitude response and of the efficiency and collection properties as a function of the point of incidence, we got evidences of significant alterations of the signals shape in case of particle injection in the inter-strip region. Such an effect, which depends also on the type and energy of the impinging particle, cannot be ascribed only to a mere charge division, especially in case of signals with “wrong” polarity, but to more complex phenomena - for instance charge induction on neighbor strips. In this work we present the results of the qualification campaign carried out exploiting the monochromatic pulsed proton beam facility available at LaBeC of INFN - Sezione di Firenze, focusing the attention on the aforementioned “inter-strip effect”. We interpreted the measurements also with the aid of dedicated 3D simulations performed with a custom semi-analytical code, which gives a better insight on the physics occurring in the device. The impact of the “inter-strip effect” on particle identification scatter plots is also discussed.

In May 2011 the Joint British Diabetes Societies (JBDS) published new guidance for managing adult diabetic ketoacidosis. We developed a JBDS-based protocol that measured and treated capillary ketonaemia (not blood glucose) hourly with i.v. 0.1 IU insulin/kg/hour increased by 1 IU/hour if the ketone reduction was

International audience; We are currently developing a novel detection system featuring high angular and energy resolution and able to reconstruct the particles momentum at high precision for different physical cases in multi-fragmentation nuclear physics experiments, based on Double Sided Silicon Strip Detectors as ΔE stages aimed at performing also pulse shape analysis for fragments stopping therein. We carried out a detailed qualification of the performance of the strip detectors. In order to provide the detector response matrix we used a pulsed monoenergetic proton beam. The paper reviews the pulsed proton beam facility of the LaBeC of INFN - Sezione di Firenze and present the results of the characterization of the DSSSD prototypes with the pulsed proton beam. In particular we will discuss the amplitude and time response mapping and we will present the analysis of the dependence of the signal shape as a function of the position of interaction.

In the framework of multi-fragmentation experiments the evolution towards two- (or more) particle correlations with stable and radioactive beams calls for the development of a novel detection system featuring high angular and energy resolution and able to reconstruct the particles momentum at high precision. The proposed detection system, named FARCOS (Femtoscopy ARray for COrrelations and Spectroscopy) will be beneficial for different physical cases. To this aim we are building a prototype detection system featuring four telescopes. Each telescope features an active area of 6.4 cm × 6.4 cm and is composed of three detection stages. The first ΔE stage is a Double Sided Silicon Strip Detector (DSSSD), 300 μm thick, featuring 32 × 32 strips. The second ΔE stage is again a DSSSD, 1500 μm thick, featuring 32 × 32 strips. The third stage, acting as calorimeter, is composed by four CsI(Tl) crystals with an active area of 3.2 cm × 3.2 cm and an absorption length of 6 cm forming a 2 × 2 matrix. The scintillators are readout by a Silicon photodiode 300 μm thick. The paper presents the relevant features of FARCOS and the expected performance of the silicon detection layers, with a special focus on the requirements of the frontend electronics for the DSSSD and the qualification of the DSSSD. In addition we report the first results of the preliminary on-beam tests. © 2012 IEEE.

The design of modern multi-detector arrays for Intermediate Energy Nuclear Physics experiments has to face the problem of the improvement of the Charge and Mass Identification of Heavy and Light Charged Products. Most of the detector arrays developed for the identification of mass and atomic number of the emitted fragments, use detection units composed by thin silicon detectors and by thick scintillator crystals read-out by photodiodes. The light output of the CsI(TI) crystal can be modeled - at least in a given energy range - with a combination of two exponential functions with different time constants. The possibility of storing the digitized waveforms allows performing further off-line analyses. In the present work we determine - by direct least-square fitting of the base-line subtracted output waveforms - the four-vector defining the light output ( τ ƒ , τ s , h ƒ , h s ). In this way it is possible to provide an experimental determination of the scintillator parameters for a wide energy range and for different particle types. The proposed method has been applied to the waveforms acquired with the CHIMERA 4π detector array during runs at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud Superconducting Cyclotron in Catania, Italy with different beam/target pairs. In this paper we present the results obtained with a 21.5 MeV/u 20Ne beam bombarding a 12C target.

We report the results obtained by applying digital pulse shape acquisition and digital signal processing to the signals from CsI(Tl) scintillators read out by photodiodes at high incident energy (400 MeV/u). The digitized signals allows the discrimination of light charged particles by computing the Fast and Slow components and the Rise Time of the output pulses of the CsI(Tl). When the energies of the light charged particles exceed those corresponding to their ranges in CsI(Tl), the points related to the punching-through particles gather in the corresponding scatter plots giving rise to a cusp. The punching-through points are used as energy calibration points for the reaction products stopped in the CsI(Tl). The obtained results suggest that at relativistic beam energies it is possible to perform efficient discrimination in charge and mass of light charged particles by using the energy vs. rise time computation. © 2011 IEEE.

Teachers are searching for new venues through which they may meet stringent professional development requirements. Under competitive funding from NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Office of Education and the NASA Explorer Schools Project, U.S. Satellite Laboratory, Inc. created a series of live, online, interactive short-courses. In this case study, a mixed methods analysis of a variety of data sources reveals that diverse educators from a variety of classroom contexts view the short-courses as a useful professional development tool, both as a vehicle for a teacher’s own professional growth and for classroom applications. Teachers were particularly interested in the ability to participate in a collaborative community of practice with other educators, instructors, and scientists from across the country, and they found the flexible design of the professional development to be useful. This short-course design offers promise for future professional development opportunities.

CHIMERA is the only 4 pi-multidetector, used in intermediate nuclear physics experiments, able to perform mass identification of the reaction products. To this purpose, it employs time of flight measurements done with traditional time to digital converters. In order to improve the resolution in mass identification, we have applied digital signal processing to time of flight measurements. This paper presents the methodology for data analysis, the adopted algorithms and the results obtained at different sampling frequencies (mass identification up to A = 33 for the reaction products produced by a 20.5 MeV/u 20Ne beam on 27Al target).

In order to simplify the electronic chain with respect to the traditional one, we decided to apply Digital Pulse Shape Acquisition (DPSA) to collect signals from the ΔE and E stages of a monolithic silicon detector telescope, directly from the preamplifier. The collected pulse shapes are digitally processed in order to obtain the physical observables. To verify the device capability of position measurement we have bombarded the 16 strips in different points along the vertical position as well as in some points from the centre of the strip. The position information has been deduced from the signal induced on different strips by the charge collected in the E stage of the telescope. In order to explain the behavior of the induction signals, a basic model of charge generation in the monolithic telescope and of the induction for different irradiation is presented.

We applied the digital pulse shape acquisition to the read out of the anode pads of the focal plane detector of the MAGNEX spectrometer in order to measure the position coordinates using digital signal processing.

The digital pulse shape data acquisition (DAQ) system used by the large area telescopes of the 4pi-multidetector CHIMERA requires transferring large amount of data to the computer. This is necessary so that the same information can be extracted from the detector pulses as in previous analog based systems. To overcome this problem, we have used a sampling ADC-board equipped with two TigerSHARC digital signal processors. The board receives the data and reconstructs the event parameters online. The data volume is significantly reduced by transmitting to the DAQ only the reconstructed event parameters

The capability of digital pulse shape technique to acquire data from Si-CsI(TI) detection cells has been already demonstrated. We have now applied this technique to the Focal Plane Detector of MAGNEX Spectrometer in order to measure the position coordinates using digital signal processing. This contribution presents the preliminary results.

In view of performing time measurements via digital pulse shape acquisition, we have designed, built and tested a simple VME-board, able to virtually increase up to 1.6 GHz the sampling frequency of a 100 MHz analog to digital converter, without affecting its resolution. Particular care has been devoted to the codes necessary for managing the data and for the pulse height and time calibration of the board-SADC ensemble