Search

CRESST is a leading direct detection sub-$\mathrm{GeVc}^{-2}$ dark matter experiment. During its second phase, cryogenic bolometers were used to detect nuclear recoils off the $\mathrm{CaWO}_4$ target crystal nuclei. The previously established electromagnetic background model relies on secular equilibrium (SE) assumptions. In this work, a validation of SE is attempted by comparing two likelihood-based normalisation results using a recently developed spectral template normalisation method based on Bayesian likelihood. We find deviations from SE; further investigations are necessary to determine their origin., Part of special issue: ICRM-LLRMT22 8th International Conference on Radionuclide Metrology - Low Level Radioactivity Measurement and Techniques, 6 pages, 3 figures

The CUORE experiment is a ton-scale array of $$\hbox {TeO}_2$$ TeO 2 cryogenic bolometers located at the underground Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), in Italy. The CUORE detector consists of 988 crystals operated as source and detector at a base temperature of $$\sim 10$$ ∼ 10 mK. Such cryogenic temperature is reached and maintained by means of a custom built cryogen-free dilution cryostat, designed with the aim of minimizing the vibrational noise and the environmental radioactivity. The primary goal of CUORE is the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{130}\hbox {Te}$$ 130 Te , but thanks to its large target mass and ultra-low background it is suitable for the study of other rare processes as well, such as the neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{128}\hbox {Te}$$ 128 Te . This tellurium isotope is an attractive candidate for the search of this process, due to its high natural isotopic abundance of 31.75%. The transition energy at (866.7 ± 0.7) keV lies in a highly populated region of the energy spectrum, dominated by the contribution of the two-neutrino double beta decay of $$^{130}\hbox {Te}$$ 130 Te . As the first ton-scale infrastructure operating cryogenic $$\hbox {TeO}_2$$ TeO 2 bolometers in stable conditions, CUORE is able to achieve a factor $$>10$$ > 10 higher sensitivity to the neutrinoless double beta decay of this isotope with respect to past direct experiments.

A large repository of 441 rootstocks and other non-vinifera grape cultivars was established, beginning in 2013, by the University of Milan with the aim of collecting most of the genetic variability of Vitis species useful for rootstock genetic improvement. This kind of collection is the largest in Italy, with accessions from different donor institutes in California, Spain and Italy, and also encompassing progenies obtained by University of Milan breeding programs. A preliminary genetic characterization was performed, as is usually done for better management of grape germplasm. Eighty-six per cent of the accessions were evaluated by genotyping with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and also by phenotyping the sex of flowers. Twenty-two carefully selected and highly polymorphic SSR markers were used, out of 41 taken into consideration, which encompassed the nine markers applied internationally for V. vinifera genotyping and 26 VChr SSRs having a longer core tandem repeat. However, five of the 22 markers were shown to be critical when applied on a large scale for genotyping of non-vinifera plants and were subsequently discarded. SSR profile comparisons showed that more than a third of the accessions were redundant. Fewer than half were identified as true-to-type, and more than a third remained anonymous. These anonymous, as-yet uncharacterized genotypes represent a precious reservoir of genetic diversity. Analysis of the genetic structure revealed four main groups, with more than a third of genotypes classified as admixed. A genetic core collection able to capture the whole allelic variation was set up as a valuable starting point for both rootstock breeding and genome-wide association studies.

In this work, a first cryogenic characterization of a scintillating $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 single crystal is presented. The results achieved show that this material holds great potential as a target for direct dark matter search experiments. Three different detector modules obtained from one crystal grown at the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) have been tested to study different properties at cryogenic temperatures. Firstly, two 2.8 g twin crystals were used to build different detector modules which were operated in an above-ground laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) in Munich, Germany. The first detector module was used to study the scintillation properties of $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 at cryogenic temperatures. The second achieved an energy threshold of ($$213.02\pm 1.48$$ 213.02 ± 1.48 ) eV which allows setting a competitive limit on the spin-dependent dark matter particle-proton scattering cross section for dark matter particle masses between $$350\,\hbox {MeV/c}^{2}$$ 350 MeV/c 2 and $$1.50\,\hbox {GeV/c}^{2}$$ 1.50 GeV/c 2 . Secondly, a detector module with a 373 g $$\hbox {LiAlO}_{2}$$ LiAlO 2 crystal as the main absorber was tested in an underground facility at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS): from this measurement it was possible to determine the radiopurity of the crystal and study the feasibility of using this material as a neutron flux monitor for low-background experiments.

Among the meson decays, K → π ν ν ‾ are the cleanest environment, from the theoretical point of view, where to search for new physics effects. The NA62 Experiment at CERN SPS aims to measure the BR ( K + → π + ν ν ‾ ) with a 10% precision by the end of 2018. It has been commissioned with technical runs in 2014 and 2015, and some preliminary results of the detector performances and quality of data are here reported.

Cryogenic Rare Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers (CRESST) is a long-standing direct dark matter detection experiment with cryogenic detectors located at the underground facility Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. CRESST-III, the third generation of CRESST, was specifically designed to have a world-leading sensitivity for low-mass dark matter (DM) (less than 2 GeV/$$\hbox {c}^{2}$$c2) to probe the spin-independent DM-nucleus cross section. At present, a large part of the parameter space for spin-independent scattering off nuclei remains untested for dark matter particles with masses below few GeV/$$\hbox {c}^{2}$$c2 although many motivated theoretical models having been proposed. The CRESST-III experiment employs scintillating $$\hbox {CaWO}_{{4}}$$CaWO4 crystals of $$\sim$$∼ 25 g as target material for dark matter interactions operated as cryogenic scintillating calorimeters at $$\sim$$∼ 10 mK. CRESST-III first data taking was successfully completed in 2018, achieving an unprecedented energy threshold for nuclear recoils. This result extended the present sensitivity to DM particles as light as $$\sim$$∼ 160 MeV/$$\hbox {c}^{2}$$c2. In this paper, an overview of the CRESST-III detectors and results will be presented.

Primary tumor characteristics, which are readily available to all clinicians, may aid in selecting the optimal adjuvant therapy for patients with breast cancer (BC). Herein, we investigated the relationship between tumor size, hormone receptor and HER2 status, Ki67 and age with axillary lymph node metastases (ALNM) in early-BC patients. We analyzed data on consecutive 2600 early-BC cases collected in the registry of Fondazione IRCC Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy. Correlation between Ki67 and primary tumor size (T-size) was calculated by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Association of ALNM with Ki67 and other tumor characteristics was investigated by logistic regression. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated in all cases, and separately analyzed according to age, T-size and BC subtype. Large tumor size strongly associated to ALNM, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) for each 5-mm increase of 1.32 (95% CI 1.24–1.41), except for triple-negative BC (TNBC) cases. In tumors =10 mm, without lymphovascular invasion, representing the strongest predictor of ALNM (OR 6.09, 95% CI 4.93–7.53), Ki67 resulted particularly informative, with a fourfold increased odds of ALNM for values > 30%. These results raise the question whether axillary node status is redundant in cases with exceptionally good features, i.e., small tumors with low Ki67, or in those candidate to adjuvant systemic treatment/radiotherapy anyway including TNBC, and support the incorporation of primary BC tumor characteristics as stratification factors in ongoing trials aiming at de-escalating axillary surgical procedures.

In this work, we want to highlight the potential of lithium as a target for spin-dependent dark matter search in cryogenic experiments, with a special focus on the low-mass region of the parameter space. We operated a prototype detector module based on a $$\hbox {Li}_2\hbox {MoO}_4$$ target crystal in an above-ground laboratory. Despite the high background environment, the detector sets a competitive limit on spin-dependent interactions of dark matter particles with protons and neutrons for masses between $$0.8~\hbox {GeV/c}^2$$ and $$1.5~\hbox {GeV/c}^2$$ .

The CRESST-III experiment searches for direct interactions of dark matter with ordinary matter. The main event signature would be a nuclear recoil inside one of the scintillating CaWO4 crystals. Operating the crystals as cryogenic calorimeters provides a phonon signal as measure of the deposited energy. The simultaneous readout of both signals is used to actively discriminate backgrounds. CRESST-III focuses on the sub-GeV/c2 mass region where the sensitivity is driven by the threshold. In the first data taking campaign of CRESST-III from 2016-2018 an unprecedented low threshold of 30.1 eV for nuclear recoils was obtained. In this contribution, we will report the status of the experiment and the latest results.

In the current direct dark matter search landscape, the leading experiments in the sub-GeV mass region mostly rely on cryogenic techniques which employ crystalline targets. One attractive type of crystals for these experiments is those containing lithium, due to the fact that $$^7\hbox {Li}$$7Li is an ideal candidate to study spin-dependent dark matter interactions in the low mass region. Furthermore, $$^6\hbox {Li}$$6Li can absorb neutrons, a challenging background for dark matter experiments, through a distinctive signature which allows the monitoring of the neutron flux directly on site. In this work, we show the results obtained with three different detectors based on $$\hbox {LiAlO}_2$$LiAlO2, a target crystal never used before in cryogenic experiments.

NaNet is a framework for the development of FPGA-based PCI Express (PCIe) Network Interface Cards (NICs) with real-time data transport architecture that can be effectively employed in TRIDAQ systems. Key features of the architecture are the flexibility in the configuration of the number and kind of the I/O channels, the hardware offloading of the network protocol stack, the stream processing capability, and the zero-copy CPU and GPU Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA). Three NIC designs have been developed with the NaNet framework: NaNet-1 and NaNet-10 for the CERN NA62 low level trigger and NaNet3 for the KM3NeT-IT underwater neutrino telescope DAQ system. We will focus our description on the NaNet-10 design, as it is the most complete of the three in terms of capabilities and integrated IPs of the framework.

The parallel computing power of commercial Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) is exploited to perform real-time ring fitting at the lowest trigger level using information coming from the Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector of the NA62 experiment at CERN. To this purpose, direct GPU communication with a custom FPGA-based board has been used to reduce the data transmission latency. The GPU-based trigger system is currently integrated in the experimental setup of the RICH detector of the NA62 experiment, in order to reconstruct ring-shaped hit patterns. The ring-fitting algorithm running on GPU is fed with raw RICH data only, with no information coming from other detectors, and is able to provide more complex trigger primitives with respect to the simple photodetector hit multiplicity, resulting in a higher selection efficiency. The performance of the system for multi-ring Cherenkov online reconstruction obtained during the NA62 physics run is presented.

Background. Labia minora hypertrophy is a congenital or acquired condition in which both labia minora (or more rarely only one) protrude beyond the edge of the labia majora. The authors present a surgical technique of volumetric reduction of hypertrophic labia minora, associated with lipofilling of the labia majora. Methods. Between 2005 and 2014, 27 patients underwent surgical reduction of labia minora, as described by Altier and Rouzier. The indications for surgical treatment varied and were as follows: interference with sexual intercourse; poor hygiene; difficulty wearing tight-fitting pants; difficulty while performing sporting activities such as cycling; aesthetic complaints. The surgical resection was associated with fat graft injection in labia majora in order to protect and cover the labia minora. The mean follow up was 1 year. Results. The labia majora, increased in volume and firmness, cover and protect the labia minora slightly hypertrophic or surgically reduced. All patients reported an improvement in comfort, aesthetic appearance, when wearing close-fitting clothes and an improvement in their sexuality. In one case we recorded a “recurrence”, with an increase of dimensions in width of labia minora, still lower than the preoperative situation but greater than the immediate postop. Conclusions. The reduction of labia minora hypertrophy with conservative techniques allows achieving excellent results in terms of aesthetics and functionality. The simple lipofilling of labia majora allows preserving and protecting the labia minora through a volumetric increase of the labia majora.

General-purpose computing on GPUs is emerging as a new paradigm in several fields of science, although so far applications have been tailored to employ GPUs as accelerators in offline computations. With the steady decrease of GPU latencies and the increase in link and memory throughputs, time is ripe for real-time applications using GPUs in high-energy physics data acquisition and trigger systems. We will discuss the use of online parallel computing on GPUs for synchronous low level trigger systems, focusing on tests performed on the trigger of the CERN NA62 experiment. Latencies of all components need analysing, networking being the most critical. To keep it under control, we envisioned NaNet, an FPGA-based PCIe Network Interface Card (NIC) enabling GPUDirect connection. Moreover, we discuss how specific trigger algorithms can be parallelised and thus benefit from a GPU implementation, in terms of increased execution speed. Such improvements are particularly relevant for the foreseen LHC luminosity upgrade where highly selective algorithms will be crucial to maintain sustainable trigger rates with very high pileup.

The original version of this article unfortunately contains mistakes.

The $K^+\rightarrow \pi^+ \nu \bar \nu$ decay is one of the theoretically cleanest meson decay where to look for indirect effects of new physics complementary to LHC searches. The NA62 experiment at CERN is designed to measure the branching ratio (BR) of this decay with 10\% precision. NA62 has been successfully launched in October 2014, took data in pilot runs in 2014 and 2015 reaching the final designed beam intensity. The NA62 experimental setup is illustrated and quality of data acquired in view of the final measurement is reported. The $K^+\rightarrow \pi^+ \nu \bar \nu$ decay is theoretically one of the cleanest meson decays and so a good place to look for indirect effects of new physics complementary to LHC searches. The NA62 experiment at CERN is designed to measure the branching ratio of this decay with 10\% precision. NA62 was commissioned in October 2014, took data in pilot runs in 2014 and 2015. The NA62 experimental setup is illustrated and data quality is reported. The K+→π+νν‾ decay is theoretically one of the cleanest meson decays and so a good place to look for indirect effects of new physics complementary to LHC searches. The NA62 experiment at CERN is designed to measure the branching ratio of this decay with 10% precision. NA62 was commissioned in October 2014, took data in pilot runs in 2014 and 2015. The NA62 experimental setup is illustrated and data quality is reported.

Background Achilles tendon ruptures are becoming more common. Complications after open or minimally invasive surgery are: recurrent rupture (2–8%), wound breakdown, deep infections, granuloma, and fistulas. The authors expose their experience with a personal technique. Materials In 8 patients with acute rupture of Achilles tendon the surgery was performed at least 25 days after trauma. Clinical exam and MR demonstrated in all case a total lesion of tendon. After a posterolateral skin incision the tendon stumps were debrided and suture in end-to-end fashion. A tendon flap was harvested from the proximal part of the tendon, in order to protect and reinforce the suture itself. A plaster cast was applied for 3 weeks and the patients started the rehabilitation protocol. Results After 4 months all patients returned to pre-injury daily activities. The mean follow up was 13 months (ranged between 6 and 24 months). No major complications occurred. Conclusion The posterolateral skin incision, not above the tendon, preserves the vascularity of the soft tissues, allows identifying and not accidentally injuring the sural nerve, and prevents the cutaneous scar is overlapped the tendon. In this way is favoured physiological tendon sliding. The preparation of the flap tendon does not weaken the overall strength of the tendon and protects the tendon suture. The tension on sutured stumps is less than being spread over a larger area. In our sample of 8 patients the absence of short-and long-term complications and the rapid functional recovery after surgery suggest that the technique used is safe and effective.

This project aims to exploit the parallel computing power of a commercial Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to implement fast pattern matching in the Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector for the level 0 (L0) trigger of the NA62 experiment. In this approach, the ring-fitting algorithm is seedless, being fed with raw RICH data, with no previous information on the ring position from other detectors. Moreover, since the L0 trigger is provided with a more elaborated information than a simple multiplicity number, it results in a higher selection power. Two methods have been studied in order to reduce the data transfer latency from the readout boards of the detector to the GPU, i.e., the use of a dedicated NIC device driver with very low latency and a direct data transfer protocol from a custom FPGA-based NIC to the GPU. The performance of the system, developed through the FPGA approach, for multi-ring Cherenkov online reconstruction obtained during the NA62 physics runs is presented.

This paper concerns the design of three different electrochemical generators of nonsteady current: two generate a pulsating direct current, the third generates an irregular alternating current. The (Fe|NaBrO3(aq.)+H2SO4(aq.)|Pt) generator induces an alternating current in a secondary circuit connected to a transformer. The influence of electrode size and external resistance on current oscillation parameters and on power is shown. The shape of current oscillation in the generators (Fe|NaBrO3(aq.)+H2SO4(aq.)|Pt), (Zn/ZnSO4(aq.)||NaBrO3(aq.)+H2SO4(aq.)|Fe) and (Fe|NaBrO3(aq.) +H2SO4(aq.)|Fe) are also shown and the working of the three generators is explained.

Cutaneous facial defects repaired with perforator or fasciocutaneous flaps do not always give optimal aesthetic results due to excess bulk and colour mismatch. The authors present their experience in reconstruction of cutaneous facial defects with skin-grafted free muscle flaps.From May 2004 to May 2006, 9 serratus anterior, 2 gracilis and 1 vastus lateralis skin-grafted free muscle flaps were used on 12 patients, after cancer excision in 11 cases and after hardware exposure in 1 case. Full thickness skin grafts were taken from the supraclavicular skin in 3 cases, from the groin in 1 case and from the muscle donor site in 8.No major complications were observed. Results were excellent in terms of contour and colour match. In the elderly, FTSGs taken from the muscle harvesting incision seem to eventually make a good colour match with the facial skin. No relevant donor site morbidity was observed with the muscles used in this series.In the search for good aesthetic results in facial skin reconstruction, skin-grafted muscle flaps permit optimal contour and colour match to be achieved with little donor site morbidity and a shorter operating time.

Summary Background Scalp reconstruction after wide tumor excision is particularly challenging. Free tissue transfers, local flaps, or skin grafts can be used but present some disadvantages especially with old patients with local advanced cancers, systemic diseases and in patients with a prior history of recurring scalp skin cancers in which the risk of burying a recurring tumor with a flap is likely. The Authors expose their early experience with Integra ® dermal regeneration template for scalp reconstruction after scalp tumor excision. Methods Eight patients with primary or secondary scalp tumor underwent a first surgical procedure under local anaesthesia for tumor removal and Integra ® positioning followed by a second operation performed three weeks later to reconstruct the defect by removing the superficial silicon layer of Integra ® and by covering the defect with a split thickness skin graft. The average surface area of the defect was 143.27 cm 2 . The average operating time was 30.4 minutes for the first operation and 45.6 minutes for the second operation. In six cases Integra ® was grafted as a classic full-thickness skin graft. In the remaining two cases the Integra ® template was meshed. The artificial derma was attached to the edge of the wound by either sutures or staples. Results There was a full graft take on all cases. The mean follow-up was 24 months. In two cases we were able to detect early tumor recurrence two months after the operation. Satisfactory cosmetic and functional results were obtained in all patients. Conclusions In the scalp defect reconstructions after tumor excision, Integra ® allows to obtain a thicker and more durable coverage than skin graft on the skull, allowing to detect a tumor recurrence earlier than a flap reconstruction with no risk of burying an eventual underlying residual tumor. These operations are performed under local anaesthesia and are therefore suitable for elderly patients.

Peripheral nerve tumors are rare clinical entities that can present with mild symptoms and no neurological deficit. The authors describe one case of asymptomatic schwannoma of the ulnar nerve in a 64-year-old man. The mass was associated with mild and sporadic discomfort due to the mass size; the clinical neurological examination was not conclusive, with Tinel's sign negative; surgery confirmed the nervous origin of the tumor and the histopathologic exam confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. These tumors are difficult to diagnose clinically and have often been confused with other benign tumors such as lipomas, hemangiomas, synovial cysts, neurofibromas, etc. Clinical care is important to prevent, during the surgery, the unfortunate resection of the nerve; all too frequently this diagnosis is made intraoperatively or postoperatively with the potential to compromise the outcome of the treatment. An appropriate degree of awareness is necessary for the inclusion of peripheral nerve tumors as a differential diagnosis of an upper extremity mass.

Surgical treatment of pharyngostomes in irradiated patients. Our experience with musculocutaneous pectoralis major flap and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Cordova A, Corradino B, Pirrello R, Di Lorenzo S, Dispenza C, Moschella F. Source Dipratimento di Discipline Chirurgiche ed Oncologiche, Divisione di Chirurgia Plastica e Ricostruttiva, Facolta di Medicina, Universita di Palermo, Palermo, Italy. chirplas@unipa.it Abstract CONCLUSION: Our experience confirms that pectoralis major flap is the first-choice technique for repairing recurrent hypopharyngeal fistulae in previously irradiated patients in whom microsurgical techniques are not indicated, and that hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to solve this complex pathology. OBJECTIVES: A pharyngostome is a complication encountered when performing surgical operations on pharyngolaryngeal structures. The authors present their experience of treating recurrent complex pharyngostomes in previously irradiated patients in poor physical health. These patients need a simple, safe reconstruction with a low incidence of postoperative complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A pedicled pectoralis major flap was used for reconstruction: the skin side of the flap was used to restore the continuity of the pharyngeal mucosa, while the muscle was used to reconstruct the intermediate layer. The skin layer was completed by means of a free skin graft. In all cases, surgical treatment was combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy before and after the operation. RESULTS: A total of 10 patients, all of whom had previously undergone surgery and radiotherapy, had recurring or pluri-recurring pharyngostomes. All patients (8 males, 2 females; age range 52-80 years) had previously been affected by carcinoma of the pharyngolaryngeal region. All underwent major local Ablation together with radical neck dissection and radiotherapy. In all cases there was mucosa on the posterior wall; a musculocutaneous pectoralis major flap was used in all cases for reconstruction

The ~150 km wide Holden crater lies in an area characterized by high density of valley networks implying conditions conducive to forming of water-related environments. We undertook geological mapping and a stratigraphic survey in order to probe the evolution of water-related landforms and their paleoenvironmental implications. Our investigations lead us to propose that the Holden area was subjected to a ``wet'' lacustrine phase of Hesperian age and an ``icy'' phase during the Amazonian. Deltaic, coastal, and lacustrine environments occurred during the ``wet'' phase, some displaying a cyclic depositional pattern presumably related to autogenic processes. Water was delivered to the basin by the Uzboi Vallis and by surface runoff channels from a series of drainage basins along the crater walls. Fan delta geometries and coastal onlap enabled estimation of major water levels. Two levels of major stand of the water have been recognized, possibly reflecting allogenic controls. Geologic units related to this ``wet'' lacustrine phase were subsequently eroded by glacial abrasion and plucking and were disconformably overlain by glacial deposits of Amazonian age, defining an ``icy'' phase. These features are consistent with a warm-based glacier entering the Holden crater through the wide Uzboi Vallis to form a proglacial lake in the central part of the crater. Changes in sedimentary units reflect changes of depositional environments probably connected with climatic variation.

Spontaneous oscillations have been found by us in the potential value (vs. a saturated calomel electrode) of an iron electrode in bromate/sulphuric acid media in open electric circuit conditions. We ascribe them to a spontaneous alternance of corrosion and passivation states. Both bromate and H + reductions, in the corrosion state, lead to an increase in the pH value near to the iron surface and to the precipitation of a passivating film of oxide or salt on the electrode surface. The prevalence of H + influx from the bulk of the solution on its disappearance during the passivation state leads to such a low value of pH as to allow the dissolution of the passivating film, and the phenomenon starts again. We have studied the influence of stirring, of the size of the iron electrode surface, and of the bromate and sulphuric acid concentrations on the oscillations.

Spontaneous potential oscillations occur during iron corrosion by bromate in sulphuric acid medium . Bromate reduction leads to the precipitation of a passivating film due to a pH increase, whilst a successive pH decrease du to H+ diffusion leads to film dissolution.

Preliminary clinical results with an association of high doses of vincamine and chlordiazepoxide in subjects with recurrent depression are presented. It is felt that vincamine has a clinically appreciable psychoactive action.