Search for anisotropic gravitational-wave backgrounds using data from Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo's first three observing runs

We report results from searches for anisotropic stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds using data from the first three observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. For the first time, we include Virgo data in our analysis and run our search with a new efficient pipeline called {\tt PyStoch} on data folded over one sidereal day. We use gravitational-wave radiometry (broadband and narrow band) to produce sky maps of stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds and to search for gravitational waves from point sources. A spherical harmonic decomposition method is employed to look for gravitational-wave emission from spatially-extended sources. Neither technique found eviden…

A G613A missense in the Hutchinson's progeria lamin A/C gene causes a lone, autosomal dominant atrioventricular block.

Background LMNA/C mutations have been linked to the premature aging syndrome Hutchinson’s progeria, dilated cardiomyopathy 1A, skeletal myopathies (such as the autosomal dominant variant of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder type 2B1, mandibuloacral dysplasia, autosomal dominant partial lipodystrophy, and axonal neuropathy. Atrioventricular block (AVB) can be associated with several cardiac disorders and it can also be a highly heritable, primitive disease. One of the most common pathologies associated with AVB is dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is characterized by cardiac dilatation and reduced systolic function. In this …

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in compensated cirrhosis with radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA): a prospective study

Abstract BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess the effectiveness and the safety of radio-frequency thermal ablation (RFTA) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or = 35 g/L, platelet count > or = 100.000/mmc, tumor size < or = 3 cm, complete response at 1 month and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging classification. Overall recurrence rates were 22, 38, and 44% at 12, 24, and 30 months, respectively. One procedure-related death occurred. The proportion of major complications after treatment was 3.9%. CONCLUSIONS: A complete response after RFTA significantly increases survival. The longest survival is obtained in the presence of HCC < or = 3 cm and of higher baseline albumin levels a…

Short period Lithium Niobate poling for nonlinear three waves interactions

Blue Emitting Organic Light Emitting Diodes

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) [1] can be fabricated on a range of materials such as glass, silicon or flexible plastic substrates. This can be exploited for the realization of integrated OLED-based fluorescence chemical sensors [2] and microfluidic systems [3] for application in areas such as biotechnology, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, public health and defense. These devices hold promises to be cost effective, ultra-compact (including the possibility to be fabricated into large bidimensional arrays), and capable to handle smaller sample volumes in order to achieve high throughput. Blue light is advantageous because it is strongly absorbed by most sensing molecules attached to bi…

How radical prostatectomy procedures have changed over the last 10 years in Italy: a comparative analysis based on more than 1500 patients participating in the MIRROR-SIU/LUNA and the Pros-IT CNR study

Purpose Therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer (PCa) have been evolving dramatically worldwide. The current article reports on the evolution of surgical management strategies for PCa in Italy. Methods The data from two independent Italian multicenter projects, the MIRROR-SIU/LUNA (started in 2007, holding data of 890 patients) and the Pros-IT-CNR project (started in 2014, with data of 692 patients), were compared. Differences in patients' characteristics were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify characteristics associated with robot-assisted (RA) procedure, nerve sparing (NS) approach, and lymph node dissection (LND). Results The two cohorts did not …

Design and realization of a portable continuous wave fNIRS

A design and implementation of a portable functional Near InfraRed Spectroscopy embedded system prototype is described. In this theoretical and experimental work, we present an embedded system hosting 64 LED sources and 128 Silicon PhotoMultiplier detectors (SiPM). The elementary part of the structure is a flexible probe “leaf” consisting of 16 SiPMs, 4 couples of LEDs, each operating at two wavelengths, and a temperature sensor. The hardware system is based on an ARM main microcontroller that allows to perform both the switching time of LEDs and the acquisition of the SiPM outputs. The performed preliminary experimental tests achieved very promising results, thus demonstrating the effectiv…

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts Detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3a

Abbott, R., et al. (LIGO and VIRGO Collaboration)

Weekly alternate intensive regimen FIrB/FOx in metastatic colorectal cancer patients: an update from clinical practice

Alessio Cortellini,1,2 Katia Cannita,1 Alessandro Parisi,1,2 Paola Lanfiuti Baldi,1 Olga Venditti,1 Carla D&amp;rsquo;Orazio,1,2 Antonella Dal Mas,3 Giuseppe Calvisi,3 Aldo V Giordano,4 Vincenzo Vicentini,5 Roberto Vicentini,5 Lara Felicioni,6 Antonio Marchetti,7 Fiamma Buttitta,6 Antonio Russo,8 Corrado Ficorella1,2 1Medical Oncology, St Salvatore Hospital, University of L&amp;rsquo;Aquila, L&amp;rsquo;Aquila, Italy; 2Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L&amp;rsquo;Aquila, L&amp;rsquo;Aquila, Italy; 3Department of Pathology, St Salvatore Hospital L&amp;rsquo;Aquila, L&amp;rsquo;Aquila, Italy; 4Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, St Salvatore Hos…

Co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Gamma variants in Italy, February and March 2021

Background Several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) have emerged through 2020 and 2021. There is need for tools to estimate the relative transmissibility of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 with respect to circulating strains. Aim We aimed to assess the prevalence of co-circulating VOC in Italy and estimate their relative transmissibility. Methods We conducted two genomic surveillance surveys on 18 February and 18 March 2021 across the whole Italian territory covering 3,243 clinical samples and developed a mathematical model that describes the dynamics of co-circulating strains. Results The Alpha variant was already dominant on 18 February in a majority of regions/autonomous provinces (…

Experimental investigation and characterization of innovative bifacial silicon solar cells

The interest towards bifacial PV technology has increased over the last years, due to its potential capability of obtaining higher efficiencies with respect to traditional monofacial cells. Thus, the aim of this work is to present an experimental investigation on an innovative photovoltaic technology, such as the bifacial solar cells based on monocrystalline substrate. This analysis is mainly based on the determination of the current density/voltage, power density/voltage, External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) and Laser Beam Induced Current (LBIC) characterization. Interesting results are presented and discussed, demonstrating that the bifacial silicon solar cells can be a very promising techno…