A novel approach for designing the next generation of vertex detectors foresees to employ wafer-scale sensors that can be bent to truly cylindrical geometries after thinning them to thicknesses of ...20–40 μm. To solidify this concept, the feasibility of operating bent MAPS was demonstrated using 1.5cm×3cm ALPIDE chips. Already with their thickness of 50µm, they can be successfully bent to radii of about 2cm without any signs of mechanical or electrical damage. During a subsequent characterisation using a 5.4GeV electron beam, it was further confirmed that they preserve their full electrical functionality as well as particle detection performance.
In this article, the bending procedure and the setup used for characterisation are detailed. Furthermore, the analysis of the beam test, including the measurement of the detection efficiency as a function of beam position and local inclination angle, is discussed. The results show that the sensors maintain their excellent performance after bending to radii of 2cm, with detection efficiencies above 99.9% at typical operating conditions, paving the way towards a new class of detectors with unprecedented low material budget and ideal geometrical properties.
The exploration of the phase diagram of Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) is
carried out by studying ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. The energy
range covered by the CERN SPS ($\sqrt{s_{\rm ...\scriptscriptstyle{NN}}} \sim$
6-17 GeV) is ideal for the investigation of the region of the phase diagram
corresponding to finite baryochemical potential ($\mu_{\rm B}$), and has been
little explored up to now. We propose in this document a new experiment, NA60+,
that would address several observables which are fundamental for the
understanding of the phase transition from hadronic matter towards a
Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) at SPS energies. In particular, we propose to study,
as a function of the collision energy, the production of thermal dimuons from
the created system, from which one would obtain a caloric curve of the QCD
phase diagram that is sensitive to the order of the phase transition. In
addition, the measurement of a $\rho$-a$_1$ mixing contribution would provide
conclusive insights into the restoration of the chiral symmetry of QCD. In
parallel, studies of heavy quark and quarkonium production would also be
carried out, addressing the measurement of transport properties of the QGP and
the investigation of the onset of the deconfinement transition. The document
also defines an experimental set-up which couples a vertex telescope based on
monolithic active pixel sensors (MAPS) to a muon spectrometer with tracking
(GEM) and triggering (RPC) detectors within a large acceptance toroidal magnet.
Results of physics performance studies for most observables accessible to NA60+
are discussed, showing that the results of the experiment would lead to a
significant advance of our understanding of strong interaction physics. The
document has been submitted as an input to the European Particle Physics
Strategy Update 2018-2020 (http://europeanstrategyupdate.web.cern.ch/).
The exploration of the phase diagram of Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD) is carried out by studying ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. The energy range covered by the CERN SPS (\(\sqrt{s_{\rm ...\scriptscriptstyle{NN}}} \sim\) 6-17 GeV) is ideal for the investigation of the region of the phase diagram corresponding to finite baryochemical potential (\(\mu_{\rm B}\)), and has been little explored up to now. We propose in this document a new experiment, NA60+, that would address several observables which are fundamental for the understanding of the phase transition from hadronic matter towards a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) at SPS energies. In particular, we propose to study, as a function of the collision energy, the production of thermal dimuons from the created system, from which one would obtain a caloric curve of the QCD phase diagram that is sensitive to the order of the phase transition. In addition, the measurement of a \(\rho\)-a\(_1\) mixing contribution would provide conclusive insights into the restoration of the chiral symmetry of QCD. In parallel, studies of heavy quark and quarkonium production would also be carried out, addressing the measurement of transport properties of the QGP and the investigation of the onset of the deconfinement transition. The document also defines an experimental set-up which couples a vertex telescope based on monolithic active pixel sensors (MAPS) to a muon spectrometer with tracking (GEM) and triggering (RPC) detectors within a large acceptance toroidal magnet. Results of physics performance studies for most observables accessible to NA60+ are discussed, showing that the results of the experiment would lead to a significant advance of our understanding of strong interaction physics. The document has been submitted as an input to the European Particle Physics Strategy Update 2018-2020 (http://europeanstrategyupdate.web.cern.ch/).
Despite being an old molecule, capsaicin is still a hot topic in the scientific community, and the development of new capsaicinoids is a promising pharmacological approach in the management of skin ...disorders related to inflammation and pruritus. Here we report the synthesis and the evaluation of capsaicin soft drugs that undergo deactivation by the hydrolyzing activity of skin esterases. The implanting of an ester group in the lipophilic moiety of capsaicinoids by the Passerini multicomponent reaction affords both agonists and antagonists that retain transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel (TRPV1) modulating activity and, at the same time, are susceptible to hydrolysis. The most promising antagonist identified shows in vivo anti-nociceptive activity on pruritus and hyperalgesia without producing hyperthermia, thus validating it as novel treatment for dermatological conditions that implicate TRPV1 channel dysfunction.
Few studies have investigated the independent health effects of different size fractions of particulate matter (PM) in multiple locations, especially in Europe.
We estimated the short-term effects of ...PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10), ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), and between 2.5 and 10 μm (PM2.5-10) on all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in 10 European Mediterranean metropolitan areas within the MED-PARTICLES project.
We analyzed data from each city using Poisson regression models, and combined city-specific estimates to derive overall effect estimates. We evaluated the sensitivity of our estimates to co-pollutant exposures and city-specific model choice, and investigated effect modification by age, sex, and season. We applied distributed lag and threshold models to investigate temporal patterns of associations.
A 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 0.55% (95% CI: 0.27, 0.84%) increase in all-cause mortality (0-1 day cumulative lag), and a 1.91% increase (95% CI: 0.71, 3.12%) in respiratory mortality (0-5 day lag). In general, associations were stronger for cardiovascular and respiratory mortality than all-cause mortality, during warm versus cold months, and among those ≥ 75 versus < 75 years of age. Associations with PM2.5-10 were positive but not statistically significant in most analyses, whereas associations with PM10 seemed to be driven by PM2.5.
We found evidence of adverse effects of PM2.5 on mortality outcomes in the European Mediterranean region. Associations with PM2.5-10 were positive but smaller in magnitude. Associations were stronger for respiratory mortality when cumulative exposures were lagged over 0-5 days, and were modified by season and age.
Evidence on the short-term effects of fine and coarse particles on morbidity in Europe is scarce and inconsistent.
We aimed to estimate the association between daily concentrations of fine and coarse ...particles with hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions in eight Southern European cities, within the MED-PARTICLES project.
City-specific Poisson models were fitted to estimate associations of daily concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), ≤ 10 μm (PM10), and their difference (PM2.5-10) with daily counts of emergency hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. We derived pooled estimates from random-effects meta-analysis and evaluated the robustness of results to co-pollutant exposure adjustment and model specification. Pooled concentration-response curves were estimated using a meta-smoothing approach.
We found significant associations between all PM fractions and cardiovascular admissions. Increases of 10 μg/m3 in PM2.5, 6.3 μg/m3 in PM2.5-10, and 14.4 μg/m3 in PM10 (lag 0-1 days) were associated with increases in cardiovascular admissions of 0.51% (95% CI: 0.12, 0.90%), 0.46% (95% CI: 0.10, 0.82%), and 0.53% (95% CI: 0.06, 1.00%), respectively. Stronger associations were estimated for respiratory hospitalizations, ranging from 1.15% (95% CI: 0.21, 2.11%) for PM10 to 1.36% (95% CI: 0.23, 2.49) for PM2.5 (lag 0-5 days).
PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 were positively associated with cardiovascular and respiratory admissions in eight Mediterranean cities. Information on the short-term effects of different PM fractions on morbidity in Southern Europe will be useful to inform European policies on air quality standards.
We investigated the short-term effects of particles with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5μm (PM2.5), between 2.5 and 10μm (PM2.5–10) and less than 10μm (PM10) on deaths from diabetes, cardiac and ...cerebrovascular causes, lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 10 European Mediterranean metropolitan areas participating in the MED-PARTICLES project during 2001–2010.
In the first stage of the analysis, data from each city were analyzed separately using Poisson regression models, whereas in the second stage, the city-specific air pollution estimates were combined to obtain overall estimates. We investigated the effects following immediate (lags 0–1), delayed (lags 2–5) and prolonged exposure (lags 0–5) and effect modification patterns by season. We evaluated the sensitivity of our results to co-pollutant exposures or city-specific model choice. We applied threshold models to investigate the pattern of selected associations.
For a 10μg/m3 increase in two days' PM2.5 exposure there was a 1.23% (95% confidence interval (95% CI): −1.63%, 4.17%) increase in diabetes deaths, while six days' exposure statistically significantly increased cardiac deaths by 1.33% (95% CI: 0.27, 2.40%), COPD deaths by 2.53% (95% CI: −0.01%, 5.14%) and LRTI deaths by 1.37% (95% CI: −1.94%, 4.78%). PM2.5 results were robust to co-pollutant adjustments and alternative modeling approaches. Stronger effects were observed in the warm season. Coarse particles displayed positive, even if not statistically significant, associations with mortality due to diabetes and cardiac causes that were more variable depending on exposure period, co-pollutant and seasonality adjustment.
Our findings provide support for positive associations between PM2.5 and mortality due to diabetes, cardiac causes, COPD, and to a lesser degree to cerebrovascular causes, in the European Mediterranean region, which seem to drive the particles short-term health effects.
•We investigated particles' effects on cause-specific mortality in 10 European areas.•PM2.5 exposure was related to deaths due to diabetes, cardiac causes and COPD.•Associations were stronger during the hot period of the year.•Associations with coarse particles were weaker and more variable.
Previous studies reported significant variability of air pollutants across Europe with the lowest concentrations generally found in Northern Europe and the highest in Southern European countries. ...Within the MED-PARTICLES project the spatial and temporal variations of long-term PM and gaseous pollutants data were investigated in traffic and urban background sites across Southern Europe. The highest PM levels were observed in Greece and Italy (Athens, Thessaloniki, Turin and Rome) while all traffic sites showed high NO2 levels, frequently exceeding the established limit value. High PM2.5/PM10 ratios were calculated indicating that fine particles comprise a large fraction of PM10, with the highest values found in the urban background sites. It seems that although in traffic sites the concentrations of both PM2.5 and PM10 are significantly higher than those registered in urban background sites, the coarse fraction PM2.5–10 is more important at the traffic sites. This fact is probably due to the high levels of resuspended road dust in sites highly affected by traffic, a phenomenon particularly relevant for Mediterranean countries. The long-term trends of air pollutants revealed a significant decrease of the concentration levels for PM, SO2 and CO while for NO2 no clear trend or slightly increasing trends were observed. This reduction could be attributed to the effectiveness of abatement measures and strategies and also to meteorological conditions and to the economic crisis that affected Southern Europe.
•The air pollutant long-term trends revealed significant decrease for PM, SO2 and CO•For NO2 no clear trend or slightly increasing trends were observed•The coarse fraction, PM2.5-10 is important in the Mediterranean Basin•The origin of air pollution in southern Europe is rather local than regional
Performance degradations of Silicon Photonics (SP) high speed photodetector represent a major issue for the reliability of these devices. An explanation of these degradations is presented based on ...both electrical characterization and device modelling. The observed degradations of both dark current and responsivity can indeed be modeled by a single carrier lifetime degradation, attributed to an increase of the surface recombination rate, impacting an unexpected large contribution of diffusion in the photocurrent. The results obtained with this model are experimentally confirmed by extracting the activation energy of the dark current, before and after stress. The improved physical understanding of the degradation is expected to lead to shorter test protocols for SP devices.
Background: Several studies have provided evidence of a strong association between asthma and allergic or nonallergic rhinitis, leading to the hypothesis that allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma ...represent a continuum of the same disease.
Aim: The aims of our study were: (i) to measure the comorbidity of AR and asthma and asthma‐like symptoms and (ii) to assess whether asthma, AR, and their coexistence share a common pattern of individual risk factors.
Methods: The subjects are participants from the Italian multicentre, cross‐sectional survey on respiratory symptoms in the young adult general population (Italian Study of Asthma in Young Adults, ISAYA). The relationship between individual risk factors and asthma, AR and their coexistence, was studied by means of a multinomial logistic regression.
Results: About 60% of asthmatics reported AR. On the other hand, subjects with AR presented an eightfold risk of having asthma compared to subjects without AR. Age was negatively associated with asthma OR = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82–0.96, AR (OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86–0.98), and asthma associated with AR (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.79–0.88). The risk of AR without asthma was significantly higher in the upper social classes (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.08–1.39). Active current smoking exposure was positively associated with asthma alone (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09–1.41) and negatively associated with AR with (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54–0.88) or without (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.69–0.84) asthma.
Conclusions: Asthma and AR coexist in a substantial percentage of patients; bronchial asthma and AR, when associated, seem to share the same risk factors as AR alone while asthma without AR seems to be a different condition, at least with respect to some relevant risk factors.
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