Transferability of ASTM/NIST alanine–polyethylene recipe at ISS

Abstract Alanine–polyethylene solid state dosimeters were prepared at Istituto Superiore di Sanita (ISS) following the recipe proposed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with the goal of testing its transferability. Dosimeters were prepared using 95% alanine and 5% polyethylene, by weight. They are rugged and of increased sensitivity, repeatability and reproducibility as respect to the ISS alanine-paraffin pellets. Reproducibility of about 1% was obtained at 10 Gy and at 3 Gy if one single pellet or a stack of five dosimeters were used, respectively.

Terahertz four-wire waveguides for broadband signal processing and multiplexing

In this work, we introduce a versatile metal-wire waveguide geometry, namely a four-wire waveguide, which is capable of sustaining two independent and orthogonally polarized fundamental modes, thus acting as a broadband polarization-division multiplexer. By integrating multiscale-structured grooves into the wires of such a waveguide, we demonstrate the independent manipulation of polarization-division terahertz signals.

Silicon metasurfaces with tunable electromagnetic resonances for nonlinear optical conversion

Dielectric metasurfaces sustain electromagnetic modes which can be exploited to enhance nonlinear frequency-conversion processes such as third-harmonic generation. In this work we employ electron-beam lithography to fabricate silicon metasurfaces supporting electromagnetic resonances with different quality factors (Q), ruled by the geometry. This allows to investigate the trade-off between resonant enhancement and matching the spectral bandwidth of the ultrafast excitation source. Both experiments and simulations indicate that higher values of Q do not a priori bring about a stronger third-harmonic generation, which correlates to the spectral overlap between the metasurface resonance and th…

Frequency tunable polarization and intermodal modulation instability in high birefringence holey fiber

International audience; We present an experimental analysis of polarization and intermodal noise-seeded parametric amplification, in which dispersion is phase matched by group velocity mismatch between either polarization or spatial modes in birefringent holey fiber with elliptical core composed of a triple defect. By injecting quasi-CW intense linearly polarized pump pulses either parallel or at 45 degrees with respect to the fiber polarization axes, we observed the simultaneous generation of polarization or intermodal modulation instability sidebands. Furthermore, by shifting the pump wavelength from 532 to 625 nm, we observed a shift of polarization sidebands from 3 to 8 THz, whereas int…

Tunable Optical Antennas Using Vanadium Dioxide Metal-Insulator Phase Transitions

Here, we investigate the possibility of exploiting the insulator-to-metal transition in vanadium dioxide (VO2) to tune and optically control the resonances of dipole nanoantennas in the visible near-infrared region. We compare the results obtained in the case of antennas completely made by VO2 with those of previous works and highlight the key role of the substrate to perform dynamical tuning. We also present a highly efficient configuration composed of dipole gold antenna loaded with VO2 and give some general guidelines to optimally exploit phase transitions to tune nanodevices.

Upwards - Vertical extensions of masonry built heritage for sustainable and antifragile urban densification

Abstract Urban densification represents one of the biggest universal challenges of contemporary cities: the increase of urban population requires new spaces to accommodate the growing demand for housing, working and tertiary activities. However, the land available for new constructions in highly urbanized areas is very limited. In this framework, the vertical extension of existing buildings is the most sustainable strategy and fascinating. Masonry structures , constituting a major part of the built stock in the historical city centres of several European countries, are particularly suitable for vertical addition of extra-floors, since they generally exhibit an adequate overstrength for bear…

Observation of Frequency Tunable Cross-Phase Modulation Instabilities in Highly Birefringent Photonic Crystal Fiber

We observed frequency tunable modulation instability owing to cross-phase modulation in normal group velocity dispersion regime of a birefringent holey fiber. Sideband shifts were 3-8 THz for polarization and 30-60 THz for modal instabilities.

Metronomic chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer patients in the real world practice: Final results of the VICTOR-6 study

Abstract Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) refers to the minimum biologically effective dose of a chemotherapy agent given as a continuous dosing regimen, with no prolonged drug-free breaks, that leads to antitumor activity. Aim of the present study is to describe the use of mCHT in a retrospective cohort of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients in order to collect data regarding the different types and regimens of drugs employed, their efficacy and safety. Between January 2011 and December 2016, data of 584 metastatic breast cancer patients treated with mCHT were collected. The use of VRL-based regimens increased during the time of observation (2011: 16.8% - 2016: 29.8%), as well as CTX-bas…

Distinct HR expression patterns significantly affect the clinical behavior of metastatic HER2+ breast cancer and degree of benefit from novel anti-HER2 agents in the real world setting

We analyzed data from 738 HER2‐positive metastatic breast cancer (mbc) patients treated with pertuzumab‐based regimens and/or T‐DM1 at 45 Italian centers. Outcomes were explored in relation to tumor subtype assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The median progression‐free survival at first‐line (mPFS1) was 12 months. Pertuzumab as first‐line conferred longer mPFS1 compared to other first‐line treatments (16 vs. 9 months, p = 0.0001), regardless of IHC subtype. Median PFS in second‐line (mPFS2) was 7 months, with no difference by IHC subtype, but it was more favorable with T‐DM1 compared to other agents (7 vs. 6 months, p = 0.03). There was no PFS2 gain in patients with tumors expressing b…

Terahertz polarization-division multiplexing within a four-wire waveguide

We demonstrate a new metal-wire waveguide topology, namely a four-wire waveguide, which simultaneously acts as a broadband terahertz polarization-division multiplexer and as a novel platform to realize the independent manipulation of polarization-division multiplexed terahertz signals.

Italian consensus guidelines for chronic pancreatitis