Virgo

A.4 Constraining the flux in the ND A.4.1 Neutrino-electron elastic scattering A.4.2 The low- method A.4.3 Coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering A.4.4 Beam e content A.5 Movable components of the ND and the DUNE-PRISM program A.5.1 Introduction to DUNE-PRISM A.5.2 LArTPC component in the DUNE ND: ArgonCube A.5.3 Multipurpose detector A.5.4 The DUNE-PRISM program A.6 Fixed on-axis component of the DUNE ND A.6.1 Motivation and introduction A.6.2 Three-dimensional projection scintillator tracker spectrometer A.7 Meeting the near detector requirements A.7.1 Overarching requirements A.7.2 Event rate and flux measurements A.7.3 Control of systematic errors B ND hall and construction C Computing roles and collaborative projects C.1 Roles C.2 Specific collaborative computing projects C.2.1 LArSoft for event reconstruction C.2.2 WLCG/OSG and the HEP Software Foundation C.2.3 Evaluations of other important infrastructure

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. DUNE is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. Central to achieving DUNE's physics program is a far detector that combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with sub-centimeter spatial resolution in its ability to image those events, allowing identification of the physics signatures among the numerous backgrounds. In the single-phase liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, ionization charges drift horizontally in the liquid argon under the influence of an electric field towards a vertical anode, where they are read out with fine granularity. A photon detection system supplements the TPC, directly enhancing physics capabilities for all three DUNE physics drivers and opening up prospects for further physics explorations. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. Volume IV presents an overview of the basic operating principles of a single-phase LArTPC, followed by a description of the DUNE implementation. Each of the subsystems is described in detail, connecting the high-level design requirements and decisions to the overriding physics goals of DUNE.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) may suffer from different painful stimuli, but the assessment of pain is difficult because most of them are almost sedated and unable to self-report. Thus, it is important to optimize evaluation of pain in these patients. The main aim of this study was to compare two commonly used scales for pain evaluation: Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) and Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS), in both conscious and unconscious patients. Secondary aims were (1) to identifying the most relevant parameters to determine pain scales changes during nursing procedures, (2) to compare both pain scales with visual analog scale (VAS), and (3) to identify the best combination of scales for evaluation of pain in patients unable to communicate. METHODS: In this observational study, 101 patients were evaluated for a total of 303 consecutive observations during 3 days after ICU admission. Measurements with both scales were obtained 1 min before, during, and 20 min after nursing procedures in both conscious (n.41) and unconscious (n.60) patients; furthermore, VAS was recorded when possible in conscious patients only. We calculated criterion and discriminant validity to both scales (Wilcoxon, Spearman rank correlation coefficients). The accuracy of individual scales was evaluated. The sensitivity and the specificity of CPOT and BPS scores were assessed. Kappa coefficients with the quadratic weight were used to reflect agreement between the two scales, and we calculated the effect size to identify the strength of a phenomenon. RESULTS: < 0.0001). The combination of BPS and CPOT resulted in better sensitivity 80.4 %. Facial expression was the main parameter to determine pain scales changes effect size = 1.4. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill mechanically ventilated patients, both CPOT and BPS can be used for assessment of pain intensity with different sensitivity and specificity. The combination of both BPS and CPOT might result in improved accuracy to detect pain compared to scales alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01669486.

Abstract. We present a new method for the automatic classification of Persistent Scatters Interferometry (PSI) time series based on a conditional sequence of statistical tests. Time series are classified into distinctive predefined target trends, such as uncorrelated, linear, quadratic, bilinear and discontinuous, that describe different styles of ground deformation. Our automatic analysis overcomes limits related to the visual classification of PSI time series, which cannot be carried out systematically for large datasets. The method has been tested with reference to landslides using PSI datasets covering the northern Apennines of Italy. The clear distinction between the relative frequency of uncorrelated, linear and non-linear time series with respect to mean velocity distribution suggests that different target trends are related to different physical processes that are likely to control slope movements. The spatial distribution of classified time series is also consistent with respect the known distribution of flat areas, slopes and landslides in the tests area. Classified time series enhances the radar interpretation of slope movements at the site scale, pointing out significant advantages in comparison with the conventional analysis based solely on the mean velocity. The test application also warns against potentially misleading classification outputs in case of datasets affected by systematic errors. Although the method was developed and tested to investigate landslides, it should be also useful for the analysis of other ground deformation processes such as subsidence, swelling/shrinkage of soils, or uplifts due to deep injections in reservoirs.

Spatial systems appear to exhibit often a complex pattern of socio-economic development, in terms of (un)employment, income, mobility, ethnic composition, and urbanisation rates. Their evolution is co-determined by such factors as: market proximity, labour and housing market developments, public amenities, use of and access to transport systems, socio-economic composition of the population, etc. In addition, a sine qua non for sustaining urban economic growth is the local or regional presence of individual and collective cognitive assets that favour knowledge acquisition and transfer, education, innovation, and creativity. In this context, social capital and spatial accessibility are critical factors. The present paper aims to provide an operational framework for mapping out and understanding the mechanisms which drive spatial systems from the perspective of the resilience of urban areas, in the light of their social capital in combination with accessibility. Particular attention is therefore given to the essential role of social capital and transport accessibility in shaping both the economic development of cities and the spatial pattern in the evolution of cities, in terms of, inter alia, education, age, ethnic composition, (un)employment, and socio-economic poverty. For our quantitative analysis of the Swedish urban system, a quantile regression model is introduced and applied in order to study which urban-economic factors in Sweden determine the different levels of social capital, which are seen here as the fundamental component of the resilience capacity of urban areas.

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. Volume III of this TDR describes how the activities required to design, construct, fabricate, install, and commission the DUNE far detector modules are organized and managed. This volume details the organizational structures that will carry out and/or oversee the planned far detector activities safely, successfully, on time, and on budget. It presents overviews of the facilities, supporting infrastructure, and detectors for context, and it outlines the project-related functions and methodologies used by the DUNE technical coordination organization, focusing on the areas of integration engineering, technical reviews, quality assurance and control, and safety oversight. Because of its more advanced stage of development, functional examples presented in this volume focus primarily on the single-phase (SP) detector module.

Abstract\nMonolithic fused silica suspensions are needed to reduce the suspension thermal noise level in future, ground-based gravitational waves interferometric detectors. We present the status of the monolithic suspension system which will be employed for the test masses of the Virgo+ detector. Two fully monolithic suspensions have been realized using a spare Virgo mirror, so the assembling pipeline was checked ; moreover, a very reliable recovery procedure was developed, to allow an efficient and fast (about a week) suspension repairing in case of wires failure. The performances of a full scale prototype of the last suspension stage, suspending an aluminum dummy mass, were tested and the mechanical behaviour of the suspension is currently studied in vacuum. The obtained results, crucial to finalize the design of the silica suspension elements for the advanced version of the interferometer, are reported.

We discuss the efficient computation of performance, reliability, and availability measures for Markov chains; these metrics — and the ones obtained by combining them, are often called performability measures.&#13;\nWe show that this computational problem can be recasted as the evaluation of a bilinear form induced by appropriate matrix functions, and thus solved by leveraging the fast methods available for this task.&#13;\nWe provide a comprehensive analysis of the theory required to translate the problem from the language of Markov chains to the one of matrix functions. The advantages of this new formulation are discussed, and it is shown that this setting allows to easily study the sensitivities of the measures with respect to the model parameters.&#13;\nNumerical experiments confirm the effectiveness of our approach; the tests we have run show that we can outperform the solvers available in state of the art commercial packages on a representative set of large scale examples.

The antiproliferative effect of the naturally occurring polyphenol chlorogenic acid (CGA) was evaluated in combination with either cisplatin or oxaliplatin in human cervical carcinoma cell lines that were either sensitive (A431) or resistant to cisplatin (A431Pt), in order to provide evidence to overcome drug resistance. Cytotoxicity of platinating drugs (IC50 - 10(-6) - 10(-5) M) was enhanced by 1-2 orders of magnitude by increasing incubation times (1, 4, and 24 hours) in the two cell lines. CGA treatment presented low cytotoxicity per se (IC50 ~ 10(-4) M at 24 h) if compared with platinum drugs and its activity was similar in A431Pt cells and in their sensitive A431 counterpart. The combination of the platinating drugs with CGA (10(-6) - 10(-4) M) indicated variable effects on cytotoxicity, ranging from potentiation to various degrees of antagonism (in A431 cells) and no effect (in A431Pt cells). In order to explain the different cytotoxic activity elicited by oxaliplatin and cisplatin in association with CGA, the possible presence of chemical interactions was investigated by HPLC analysis. The drug association with CGA caused evident changes in their chromatographic profile, suggesting occurrence of in vitro chemical interactions.

Changes in metabolic and functional activity of platelets stored as platelet concentrates in plastic bags highly permeable to gases were investigated. The following parameters were measured daily: pH, pO2, pCO2, HCO3, glucose, lactic acid, lactic dehydrogenase, cellular ATP and platelet aggregation induced by different agents (collagen and ADP). As indexes of lipid peroxidative damage, the cellular levels of conjugated dienes, malonyldialdehyde and some antioxidant molecules such as coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E were determined. A marked increase in pO2, conjugated dienes, malonyldialdehyde, lactic acid and lactic dehydrogenase activity was observed during the preservation. Platelet ATP content was unmodified and a remarkable decrease in platelet aggregability was found. pCO2, cyclooxygenase activity, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, bicarbonate and glucose showed a rapid fall. Our data seem to indicate a preservation of platelet metabolic activity and a correlation between increased lipid peroxidation and functional impairement.

Abstract Specific memory B cells and antibodies are reliable read-out of vaccine efficacy. We analyzed these biomarkers after one and two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine. The second dose significantly increases the level of highly-specific memory B cells and antibodies. Two months after the second dose, specific antibody levels decline, but highly specific memory B cells continue to increase thus predicting a sustained protection from COVID-19. Graphical Abstract

In this work, a new g-C3N4-based Z-scheme with γ-Fe2O3 and β-Ag2Se both n-type semiconductors, and graphite to favor electron exchange is presented. The composite material was studied by XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, TEM, XPS, TGA, DSC and TOF-SIMS, and the ability of this photocatalytic system to act as a photo-reductant was assessed using crystal violet (CV+) dye. Solar light driven photo-reduction of CV+ in the presence of tri-sodium citrate evidenced a synergistic enhancement of the activity of the composite toward reduction, with ∼20 times higher conversion rates per unit of surface area than those of g-C3N4. Photo-oxidation experiments under Xe lamp irradiation in the presence of H2O2 also showed that the AgFeCN composite featured a higher activity (∼8×) than g-C3N4. This Z-scheme may deserve further study as a photo-reductant to obtain hydrogen or hydrogenated compounds. Moreover, the use of CV+ may represent a facile procedure that can aid in the selection of new photocatalysts to be used in hydrogen production.

We give an extension of Benford's law (first digit problem) by using the concept of conditional density, introduced by Fuchs and Letta. The main tool is the notion of <i>regular</i> subset of integers.

A carbon nitrogen film was formed by chemical vapor deposition on a brass sheet starting from cyanurate of melamine as a precursor, at a temperature of 600 °C. The film was easily detached, and thoroughly characterized by means of various techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis and infrared spectroscopies, and scanning and transmission microscopy. The material exhibited a layered structure, with many particles of zinc and copper compounds embedded on the surface. The band gap was found to be 2.06 eV, much lower than that of conventional g-C3N4, with values between 3.0 and 2.7 eV. The formula is close to that of C3N, also known as bidimensional polyaniline.

Background: Cockroaches are the pest of major concern for the disinfestation programs of the sanitary system in Italy. Hygienic-sanitary interest is linked to the role of mechanical vectors of pathogens and to their allergological potential. Sticky traps are the best tool to monitor the presence of these insects and several types of them are available on the market. In most of the cases the traps are not indicated for a given species, but, instead, generically for cockroaches. Domestic cockroaches differ in morphology, size and habits. Consequently, the effectiveness of the trap can change in relation to the target species. Materials and methods: In this study three of the most employed traps in Italy were compared: the INDIA trap with and without its attractant tablet (hereafter mentioned as INDIA-A and INDIA-E, respectively), the ZAPI Simply trap and the CATCHMASTER Spider & Insect Glue trap. We chose the four most common species of cockroach (Blattodea) in Italy, Blatta orientalis (L.), Periplaneta americana (L.) (Blattidae), Blattella germanica (L.) and Supella longipalpa (F.) (Blattellidae). Each species of cockroach was tested separately inside arenas containing one of the traps. Each test (one species with one kind of trap) was replicated five times. Results and discussion: The INDIA-A trap collected more cockroaches of every species, followed by the INDIA-E. The ZAPI trap caught less specimens of each species in respect to the INDIA traps, with the only exception of B. orientalis, for which the ZAPI trap caught more than the INDIA-E. The CATCHMASTER trap performed significantly less for all the species. B. orientalis was the species most abundantly caught by all traps, followed by B. germanica, S. longipalpa and P. americana. No significant difference was observed in the catch according to the developmental stage. In general, there was no particular predisposition of any trap to catch a particular species. Conclusions: It is not possible to indicate a model of trap for each species of cockroach, but it is clear that different traps have different performances in terms of attractiveness and capture. Therefore, the choice of the trap affects the results of the monitoring, and as consequence, the evaluation of the infesting population of the pest.

Abstract Gravity solutions holographically dual to strongly coupled Quark‐Gluon Plasmas with non‐zero quark density are reviewed. They are motivated by the urgency of finding novel tools to explore the phase diagram of QCD‐like theories at finite chemical potential. After presenting the solutions and their regime of validity, some of their physical properties are discussed.

Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti are two synanthropic, anthropophilic container-breeding mosquitoes. These species are very annoying, but are also vectors of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika, and Usutu viruses, and other pathogens. Because these mosquitoes breed very close to humans, cheap homemade methods, as alternatives to commercial insecticides, could be important for their control. Coffee being a very common beverage, the grounds extracted from used coffee capsules have been tested for their larvicidal efficacy. The grounds were extracted with either 30 ml or 70 ml of 65-70 °C water. The content of one capsule was used as a unit dose to treat the quantity of water contained in a medium sized flowerpot tray. The test provided a clear indication that at this dosage, the used coffee capsules were completely ineffective at killing the larvae of Aedes species, so this method cannot be suggested to control these mosquitoes.

Abstract Geothermal resources represent a valuable option to reduce fossil fuel-based power production because they feature an unmatched capacity factor among other renewable energy sources (RES). Geothermal resource availability reduces with the temperature. Therefore, developing cost-effective solutions to exploit low-temperature geothermal energy is mandatory to expand technology utilization. The standard solution for converting low-temperature thermal sources into power is organic rankine cycles (ORCs). ORC basic layout (subcritical) is well-known, but the more advanced alternatives, such as transcritical and two-pressure level cycles, are much less widespread, and it is unclear whether the higher efficiency justifies the higher capital cost. The paper focuses on the exploitation with ORC of geothermal resources (hot water) with a temperature lower than 200 °C and mass flow rates between 200 and 1400 m3/h for a target power production ranging from 3 to 30 MW. The paper compares three ORC layouts, subcritical, transcritical, and two pressure-level, from thermodynamic and economic points of view to map the most cost-effective solutions in the investigated size ranges. The techno-economic comparison considers the impact of the operating conditions and fluid on the machine's expected performance and the heat exchangers' size. As expected, more complicated layouts yield higher conversion efficiencies, with the two pressure-level cycles achieving the highest power output for the same geothermal source conditions. However, the economic analysis showed that the most efficient solutions are not always preferable when considering the cost-efficiency tradeoff.

C. taylorii (Chrysophaeum taylorii) Lewis and Bryan (Pelagophyceae) are benthic mucilage-producing microalgae recently recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, where its summer blooms are having detrimental effects on benthic communities, fisheries and tourism, especially along the Sardinian coasts (western Mediterranean Sea).Although few informations on the bloom dynamics of this microalga are available in literature jet, recent studies have hypothesized that sea water temperature plays a major role in determining the distribution and abundance of C. taylorii.The goal of this pilot study was to verify the above-mentioned statement providing experimental evidence for it.To this purpose, C. taylorii presence and abundance were investigated along a temperature gradient near the powerhouse of Torre Valdaliga (Latium coasts), where a stream of hot water is continuously pumped out from the powerhouse into the sea.The obtained data showed that C. taylorii abundance was significantly higher in the study sites nearer to the powerhouse and a positive correlation between water temperature and cell densities was found, thus confirming that water temperature is one of the environmental variables directly influencing the bloom dynamics of this microalga in the Mediterranean Sea.

C. taylorii (Chrysophaeum taylorii) Lewis and Bryan (Pelagophyceae) are benthic mucilage-producing microalgae recently recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, where its summer blooms are having detrimental effects on benthic communities, fisheries and tourism, especially along the Sardinian coasts (western Mediterranean Sea). Although few informations on the bloom dynamics of this microalga are available in literature jet, recent studies have hypothesized that sea water temperature plays a major role in determining the distribution and abundance of C. taylorii. The goal of this pilot study was to verify the above-mentioned statement providing experimental evidence for it. To this purpose, C. taylorii presence and abundance were investigated along a temperature gradient near the powerhouse of Torre Valdaliga (Latium coasts), where a stream of hot water is continuously pumped out from the powerhouse into the sea. The obtained data showed that C. taylorii abundance was significantly higher in the study sites nearer to the powerhouse and a positive correlation between water temperature and cell densities was found, thus confirming that water temperature is one of the environmental variables directly influencing the bloom dynamics of this microalga in the Mediterranean Sea.