The ATLAS collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has endorsed the resistive-strip micromegas technology for the high luminosity upgrade of the first muon station in the high-rapidity ...region, the so called “New Small Wheel” project. It requires detectors with a spatial resolution of ∼100μm, fully efficient up to a particle rate of ∼20kHz/cm2. In order to demonstrate that the resistive-strip micromegas technology fulfils these requirements, small resistive bulk micromegas have been studied with radioactive sources and with high energy beams. The micromegas chambers were operated with an Ar+7%CO2 gas mixture and read out using the APV25 chip. Results on the detection efficiency and the position resolution are presented for track impact angles from 0° to 40°. A position reconstruction method has been developed for inclined tracks, called the “micro-TPC method”. A description of the method along with performance studies is presented. In addition, the impact of the unavoidable presence of pillars and the relative alignment of readout and resistive strips on the micromegas performance has been quantified. In view of the fact that the micromegas detectors will also contribute to the trigger in ATLAS their time response has been studied.
A full-size prototype of a Micromegas precision tracking chamber for the upgrade of the ATLAS detector at the LHC Collider has been built between October 2015 and April 2016. This paper describes in ...detail the procedures followed in the construction of the components of the chamber in various INFN laboratories and the final assembly in the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF). In addition, the results of the chamber exposure to a particle beam at SPS/H8 at CERN in June 2016 are presented. The performances obtained in the construction and the results of the test beam are compared with the requirements set in order to sustain the high radiation levels expected during the data-taking of the LHC in the next years.
A full-size prototype of a Micromegas precision tracking chamber for the upgrade of the ATLAS detector at the LHC Collider has been built between October 2015 and April 2016. This paper describes in ...detail the procedures used in constructing the single modules of the chamber in various INFN laboratories and the final assembly at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF). Results of the chamber exposure to the CERN SPS/H8 beam line in June 2016 are also presented. The performances achieved in the construction and the results of the test beam are compared with the requirements, which are imposed by the severe environment during the data-taking of the LHC foreseen for the next years.
Antipsychotic drugs (APs) are increasingly used to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. However, their safety and tolerability profiles, when used in a developmental ...age context, show different characteristics from the ones observed in adult patients. Treatment with APs in pediatric patients is often long-term. However, the tolerability data regarding these patients mostly derive from short-term studies.
Starting from April 2017, for a 1-year period, patients between 4 and 18 years of age followed by five units of developmental age neuropsychiatry, who initiated a treatment with at least an AP (ATC class N05A) were included into the study. Patient-related data have been collected at baseline and regularly thereafter, as allowed by the clinical routine. Changes to continuous variables over time have been analyzed using a linear mixed model in subsamples of our population treated with risperidone or aripiprazole.
During the observation period, 158 patients were initially enrolled, but only 116 completed 12 months of therapy with an AP. Risperidone was the most used AP (
= 52) followed by aripiprazole (
= 44) and olanzapine (
= 7). For both the aripiprazole and risperidone groups, the mean body mass index (BMI) (
< 0.001 for both groups) and heart rate (
= 0.026 for aripiprazole group and
< 0.001 for the risperidone one) values significantly increased over time. The mean prolactin concentration value significantly increased over time only in the risperidone group (
= 0.04). Eighty-six patients experienced at least one adverse drug reaction (ADR), accounting for a total of 238 specific reactions, with the most frequent being weight gain (
= 34), increased serum prolactin levels (
= 21), hyperphagia (
= 20), and hypercholesterolemia (
= 14). Among these, only 24 ADRs were classifiable as serious.
The results of this study confirm that risperidone and aripiprazole are relatively well-tolerated therapeutic options for the treatment of a variety of psychiatric disorders in pediatric patients. However, in findings such as statistically significant increments of BMI and heart rate mean values, the variations over time in prolactin levels observed with risperidone and the differences between the two drugs remark the necessity of systematic monitoring.
The frequency of cranial autonomic symptoms in children affected by primary headaches is uncertain. The aim of our study was to estimate the frequency of symptoms in pediatric headaches and correlate ...it with main migraine characteristics. A questionnaire investigating the presence of cranial autonomic symptoms was administered to all children with primary headache for 2 years. A total of 230 children with primary headache (105 males, 125 females) were included. Two hundred two children were affected by migraine and 28 (12.2%) by other primary headaches. Cranial autonomic symptoms were significantly complained by migraineurs (55% vs 17.8%) (P < .001) and by children with higher frequency of migraine attacks (odds ratio = 2.6, confidence interval = 1.4-4.7, P = .001). Our findings show that cranial autonomic symptoms are rather common during pediatric migraine attacks. The association between cranial autonomic symptoms and higher frequency of attacks might suggest the role of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex in migraine pathophysiology.
► Hot water dips (HWD) at 53–56°C for 60–30s reduced decay in cold quarantined ‘Tarocco’ oranges. ► HWD did not adversely affect fruit quality traits. ► Decay control by HWD, was transitory and was ...related to changes of epicuticular wax during fruit storage. ► TBZ at 300mg/L and 53–56°C resulted in a long lasting effect and was as effective as TBZ at 1000mg/L and 20°C. ► All TBZ treatments resulted in similar residues in fruit.
This study investigated the effects of brief hot water and thiabendazole (TBZ) postharvest dip treatments on ultrastructural changes of fruit epicuticular wax (ECW), TBZ residues, decay development and quality traits of ‘Tarocco’ oranges Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbek subjected to cold quarantine, subsequent simulated transport and shelf-life. Commercially mature fruit were submerged in water at 20°C (control fruit) or TBZ at 1000mg/L and 20°C for 60s, or in hot water without or with TBZ at 300mg/L and 53, 56, or 59°C for 60, 30, and 15s respectively. Following treatments, fruit were stored for 3 weeks at 1°C (simulated quarantine conditions for fruit disinfestations against Mediterranean fruit fly, Medfly), followed by 4 days at 3°C (simulated long distance transport), and finally kept at 20°C for 3 days (shelf-life, SL). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of ‘Tarocco’ orange surface showed that the typical wax platelets, lifting around edges of wax plates and areas free of epicuticular wax (ECW), that disappeared after hot water dips at 53–59°C for 60–15s, become visible again after storage for 21 days at 1°C (quarantine conditions), and changes involving the appearance of rough ultrastructure, presence large curled plates, fissured wax crusts, and areas with ECW deficiencies, became much more pronounced after shelf-life. These occurrences were related to the transient effect of hot water treatment in decay control. Conversely, treatments with 300mg/L TBZ 53°C for 60s or 56°C for 30s effectively reduced decay after quarantine. These treatments were as effective as standard treatment with 1000mg/L TBZ at 20°C and produced similar TBZ residue levels in fruit, without impairing fruit quality traits such as visual appearance, weight loss, compression test, sensory attributes, juice color parameters (a*, b*, h, L*, and Chroma), and juice chemical characteristics (soluble solids content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, glucose, sucrose, citric acid, total phenols, total anthocyanins, and total antioxidant activity).
In January 2019, Italy banned the sale of plastic cotton buds, which is one of the most abundant litter items entering the sea and then washing ashore. However, since the ban came into force, no ...studies have been carried out to assess whether the measure has actually led to the reduction of plastic cotton buds accumulating on Italian coasts. Here we aim at evaluating the effectiveness of the ban in reducing the amount of cotton buds reaching sandy beaches of the Tyrrhenian coast. Specifically, we monitored the accumulation of beach litter for one year since the ban came into force. By surveying eight coastal sites from winter 2019 to winter 2020, we collected a total of 52,824 items mostly constituted by plastic debris (97.6%). We found that cotton buds were the most abundant item (42.3% of total litter), followed by plastic (28.5%) and polystyrene (5.43%) fragments. Our preliminary assessment suggests that the ban has so far not led to a sensible reduction in the amount of cotton buds entering the marine ecosystem. This was to be expected since implementation strategies are still lacking (i.e. no economic sanctions can be imposed in case of non-compliance) and bans are differently implemented among countries facing the Mediterranean Sea, calling for law enforcement and implementation at the national and international levels.
•97.6% of the 52,849 collected beach litter items were made of plastic.•Cotton buds, plastic and polystyrene pieces were the most abundant items.•The abundance of beach litter varied seasonally and across sites.•The ban on plastic cotton buds did not reduce their amount on Tyrrhenian coasts.
Microbial spoilage is one of the main factors affecting the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to off-flavor, fermented aroma, and tissue decay. The knowledge of microbial growth ...kinetics is essential for estimating a correct risk assessment associated with consuming raw vegetables and better managing the development of spoilage microorganisms. This study shows, for the first time, that only a part of total microbial community, originally present on fresh harvested female zucchini flowers, was able to adapt itself to refrigerated conditions. Through the study of microbial growth kinetics it was possible to isolate forty-four strains belonging to twenty-two species of the genera Acinetobacter, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Erwinia, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Pseudoclavibacter, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Staphylococcus, and Weissella, suggesting Enterobacteriaceae as potentially responsible for pistil spoilage.
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