Satellite experiments for gamma-ray and cosmic-ray detection employ plastic scintillators to discriminate charged from neutral particles in order to correctly identify gamma-rays and charged nuclei. ...The High Energy Cosmic Radiation Detection (HERD) facility will be among these experiments, to be installed onboard the future Chinese Space Station (CSS), to detect cosmic-rays and gamma-rays up to TeV energies. The plastic scintillator detector (PSD) will consist of scintillator tiles or bars coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). To discriminate gamma-rays from charged particles and measure the ion charge up to iron nuclei a wide dynamic range is required, from few tens up to thousands of photoelectrons. We have equipped a plastic scintillator tile prototype with SiPMs produced by Hamamatsu and AdvanSiD and coupled their analog signals to the DT5550W board based on the CITIROC ASIC, produced by CAEN SpA. The CITIROC ASIC allows both the formation of a fast trigger with a configurable threshold and the digitization of analog waveforms after a preamplification and shaping stage along two paths with different gain settings. The performance of our prototype will be shown.
A light tracker based on scintillating fibers with SiPM readout Mazziotta, M.N.; Altomare, C.; Bissaldi, E. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
09/2022, Letnik:
1039
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We have developed a novel light tracker based on plastic scintillating fiber arrays readout with Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). The tracker consists of multiple planes, with the fibers in each ...plane oriented perpendicularly to those in the adjacent plane, in order to allow 3D track reconstruction. The fibers in each plane have round cross sections, with a diameter of 500μm, and are arranged in two staggered layers in a close-packed configuration. The fibers are readout by means of SiPM arrays with a 250μm strip pitch placed at one of their ends. Scintillating fibers allow a reduced material budget while providing a good spatial resolution and a fast response. This design is therefore suitable to track low-energy particles, such as the lowest energy cosmic rays or the electrons produced in Compton scatterings of gamma rays with energies down to 100 keV. We have built a detector prototype, equipped with Hamamatsu 128-channel SiPM arrays, readout with 32-channel PETIROC2A front-end ASICs. These ASICs are controlled by a custom data acquisition system board equipped with Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA with self-triggering capabilities. The prototype has been tested with particle beams, cosmic rays and radioactive sources. The tracker design will be presented and performance of the prototype will be discussed.
A compact, light scintillating fiber tracker with SiPM readout Pillera, R.; Altomare, C.; Bissaldi, E. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
March 2023, 2023-03-00, Letnik:
1048
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We present the concept of a novel compact and light tracker based on arrays of plastic scintillating fibers readout with Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). The tracker will be composed of multiple ...planes, with the fibers in each plane oriented perpendicularly to those in the adjacent planes. Each plane will consist of two staggered layers of fibers, having a round cross section with 500 μm diameter and arranged in a close packed configuration. Scintillation photons produced in the fibers will be collected by SiPM arrays with 250 μm strip pitch located at one end of the fibers. This configuration will ensure an accurate spatial resolution and a fast response, while keeping a reduced material budget. Hence, this detector will be suitable to track low energy particles and will be able to efficiently detect the Compton scattered electrons produced by gamma rays with energies down to 100 keV. We built a reduced scale tracker prototype, using Hamamatsu 128 channel SiPM arrays and 32 channel PETIROC2A front end ASICs readout. The latter are controlled by a custom data acquisition board with self triggering capabilities. We tested this prototype with cosmic rays, radioactive sources and accelerated particle beams.
These studies were undertaken to evaluate in humans the possible physiological role of prostaglandins of the E series (PGE) in modulating insulin release and to assess whether endogenous PGE ...synthesis may account for the biphasic pattern of insulin secretion. We used a square-wave glucose stimulation previously determined to give maximal biphasic insulin release. Infusion of lysine acetylsalicylate to block the synthesis of endogenous PGE increased by twofold total insulin response to glucose and also converted insulin release to a multiphasic pattern. The infusion of exogenous PGE1 (0.2 microgram X kg-1 X min-1) or PGE2 (10 micrograms/min) in addition to lysine acetylsalicylate restored the typical biphasic pattern of insulin release and also decreased total insulin release to values similar to those of control studies. Infusion of either PGE1 or PGE2 in the absence of lysine acetylsalicylate reset insulin secretion to a lower level without altering the kinetics of release. On the basis of these results, it is hypothesized that endogenous PGE released in response to glucose stimulation exert an inhibiting effect on insulin release that becomes biphasic in appearance.
Non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (Type II) is characterized by the loss of the acute insulin response to glucose. Met-enkephalin, catecholamines and prostaglandin E (PGE) have all been ...reported to inhibit the acute insulin response to glucose in normal humans. To evaluate the hypothesis that an increased sensitivity to these endogenous substances may play a role in defective insulin secretion in diabetes, we evaluated the effects of three blocking drugs upon the impaired insulin response to glucose in Type II diabetic subjects, as well as glucose-induced insulin secretion in normal humans. In diabetics, acute insulin responses to glucose were significantly increased by all the agents tested (naloxone, phentolamine and lysine acetylsalicylate), but only the cyclooxygenase inhibitor significantly augmented second phase insulin secretion and glucose disappearance rates. The combined infusion of the three agents caused a striking increase of the acute insulin response to glucose (response before: 3 +/- 2 uU/ml; after: 22 +/- 6 uU/ml, p less than 0.01). This was accompanied by a ninefold augmentation of the second phase of insulin secretion which was the result of a synergistic interaction between the three drugs (response significantly higher than the sum of single effects). In normals, insulin responses to glucose were also significantly increased by the combined infusions of the drugs, but to a significantly lesser extent than that of diabetics. This different degree of insulin potentiation between normals and diabetics under the infusion of the three agents persisted even when the prestimulus glucose level of normals was matched to that of diabetics by a glucose infusion.
The 1st EuNetAir Air Quality Joint Intercomparison Exercise organized in Aveiro (Portugal) from 13th–27th October 2014, focused on the evaluation and assessment of environmental gas, particulate ...matter (PM) and meteorological microsensors, versus standard air quality reference methods through an experimental urban air quality monitoring campaign. The IDAD-Institute of Environment and Development Air Quality Mobile Laboratory was placed at an urban traffic location in the city centre of Aveiro to conduct continuous measurements with standard equipment and reference analysers for CO, NOx, O3, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation and precipitation.
The comparison of the sensor data generated by different microsensor-systems installed side-by-side with reference analysers, contributes to the assessment of the performance and the accuracy of microsensor-systems in a real-world context, and supports their calibration and further development.
The overall performance of the sensors in terms of their statistical metrics and measurement profile indicates significant differences in the results depending on the platform and on the sensors considered. In terms of pollutants, some promising results were observed for O3 (r2: 0.12–0.77), CO (r2: 0.53–0.87), and NO2 (r2: 0.02–0.89). For PM (r2: 0.07–0.36) and SO2 (r2: 0.09–0.20) the results show a poor performance with low correlation coefficients between the reference and microsensor measurements. These field observations under specific environmental conditions suggest that the relevant microsensor platforms, if supported by the proper post processing and data modelling tools, have enormous potential for new strategies in air quality control.
•Several air quality microsensors were tested against reference methods.•Significant differences in the results depending on the platform and on the sensors.•Promising results were observed for O3, CO and NO2 sensors.•The sensors can improve spatiotemporal resolution of data to complement existing air quality monitoring networks.
The aim of the present study was to verify the validity of diagnostic criteria developed by the NDDG for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in old age. One hundred and fifty-one ambulatory old ...(range: 66-77 years) subjects (group A) underwent OGTT showing the following results: 33% normal, 12% non-diagnostic, 23% impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 32% diabetic-type tolerance (DT). In addition, 84 subjects (group B) selected from 1978 to 1982 (42 aged 51-60 years, 30 aged 61-70, and 12 aged 71-80) with abnormalities of glucose tolerance during OGTT (IGT or DT) were asked to control their fasting plasma glucose every month during 1984. In group B a significant correlation between DT and subsequent development of fasting hyperglycemia was observed only in the subjects of the 6th and 7th decades of age. On the contrary, no subjects aged 71-80 years developed fasting hyperglycemia. The authors suggest that a high prevalence of abnormalities in glucose tolerance according to NDDG exists in old age which cannot be considered evidence of a true diabetes mellitus being unpredictive of a progression towards fasting hyperglycemia.
Oxygen-release capacity of the red blood cells was investigated in non-acidotic insulin-dependent diabetics before and after the achievement of strict metabolic control with the aid of the artificial ...pancreas. P50std (oxygen tension at 50% oxygen saturation) values were low in basal condition and returned to normal after the 24-h treatment period. No significant changes were observed in the content of red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate nor in the acid-base balance. Only the labile form of glycosylated hemoglobin showed significant decreases after treatment. These results suggest that insulin-dependent diabetics may have a state of relative tissue hypoxia which can be easily overcome by the achievement of strict metabolic control.
In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, a number of government agencies, academic institutions, consultants, and nonprofit organizations conducted lab- and field-based research to ...understand the toxic effects of the oil. Lab testing was performed with a variety of fish, birds, turtles, and vertebrate cell lines (as well as invertebrates); field biologists conducted observations on fish, birds, turtles, and marine mammals; and epidemiologists carried out observational studies in humans. Eight years after the spill, scientists and resource managers held a workshop to summarize the similarities and differences in the effects of DWH oil on vertebrate taxa and to identify remaining gaps in our understanding of oil toxicity in wildlife and humans, building upon the cross-taxonomic synthesis initiated during the Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Across the studies, consistency was found in the types of toxic response observed in the different organisms. Impairment of stress responses and adrenal gland function, cardiotoxicity, immune system dysfunction, disruption of blood cells and their function, effects on locomotion, and oxidative damage were observed across taxa. This consistency suggests conservation in the mechanisms of action and disease pathogenesis. From a toxicological perspective, a logical progression of impacts was noted: from molecular and cellular effects that manifest as organ dysfunction, to systemic effects that compromise fitness, growth, reproductive potential, and survival. From a clinical perspective, adverse health effects from DWH oil spill exposure formed a suite of signs/symptomatic responses that at the highest doses/concentrations resulted in multi-organ system failure.
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