The issue of the number of species of inflammable air was debated particularly in the period The work of Henry Cavendish in and Alessandro Volta in in characterising two species of inflammable air set the stage for the work of other chemists, particularly in Paris, as they debated this question, mostly concerning heavy inflammable air. Different ways of generating gases were discovered up to , when the synthesis of water and the proposal of carbon as an element created a framework for the question to be answered.

In , Claude-Louis Berthollet reported the composition of heavy inflammable air and volatile alkali, while Philippe Gengembre analysed phosphorated hydrogen and hepatic air. In the end, it was the new chemical nomenclature of that spread their results widely. Evolution of knowledge of electricity and electrotherapeutics with special reference to x -rays and cancer. The first part of this article recounting the history of electricity and electrotherapeutics closed with contribution of Charles Coulomb , Lurgi Galvani , Pierre Bertholon and Jean-Paul Marat This second installment continues chronologically with the story with Alessandro Volta and ends with Lord Kelvin and James Cleark Maxwell By then, X-ray therapy and radium brachytherapy had replaced electrotherapy as the alternative to surgery in the treatment of cancer.

The feasibility of a fiber optic laser approach to relieving lymphedematous syndrome: Here we report a case of successful fiber optic laser treatment of lymphedema in a swollen arm post mastectomy. At the moment, this procedure has only anecdotal evidence to justify its use, but in our experience is a feasible, minimally invasive day-stay procedure which has been demonstrated to be safe and effective.

Further nonhomogeneous case pooling and follow-up would enable guidelines and definite surgical protocols for its use to be implemented. Churg—Strauss syndrome associated with antiphospholipid antibodies in a patient with recurrent myocardial and cerebral ischemia. We report on a case of Churg—Strauss syndrome CSS associated with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. The patient had a history of recurrent myocardial infarction and presented with acute ischemic cerebral disease.

Eosinophilia with typical lung and skin lesions led us to diagnose the patient with CCS. We hypothesize that the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies significantly contributed to the ischemic events. We suggest that the search for antiphospholipid antibodies should be included in the laboratory work-up in CSS patients and patients affected by primary systemic vasculitides in general. Moreover, anticoagulant treatment appears to be warranted in all CSS patients and antiphospholipid antibodies to counteract this thrombosis-favoring association.

Churg—Strauss syndrome, antiphospholipid antibodies, ischemic disease. Silver nanoparticle ink technology: Printed electronics will bring to the consumer level great breakthroughs and unique products in the near future, shifting the usual paradigm of electronic devices and circuit boards from hard boxes and rigid sheets into flexible thin layers and bringing disposable electronics, smart tags, and so on. The most promising tool to achieve the target depends upon the availability of nanotechnology-based functional inks.

A certain delay in the innovation-transfer process to the market is now being observed. Nevertheless, the most widely diffused product, settled technology, and the highest sales volumes are related to the silver nanoparticle-based ink market, representing the best example of commercial nanotechnology today. This is a compact review on synthesis routes, main properties, and practical applications. To reduce operative times and surgical complications in implant-based breast reconstruction, many authors advocate the use of exogenous material modified xenograft to support tissue regeneration.

Defibrotide in the treatment of hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Hepatic veno-occlusive disease VOD, also known as sinusoidal obstruction syndrome SOS, represents the most frequent complication in patients in early phase following hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation HSCT. Full Text Available Lights are essential for humans and other living creatures.

Without lights or lighting, surely it will be hard to do everything, especially in the afternoon or at night. As the development of civilization and technology, humans created artificial lighting. For the first time, it was only a substitute for natural light from the sun. After the natural lights from the sun can be replaced by artificial lighting from the lamp, the development of lighting is getting much complex ranging from technical to psychological things.

This relates to the increasing human activity in the room. The diversity of different activity requires different types of lighting methods. The development results not only about technical and psychological problems but also aesthetic elements. It's going to be a hot summer at CERN. At least in the Main Building, where from 13 July to 20 August an exhibition is being hosted on nuclear fusion, the energy of the Stars. Nuclear fusion is the engine driving the stars but also a potential source of energy for mankind.

The exhibition shows the different nuclear fusion techniques and research carried out on the subject in Europe. Paolo Sylos Labini, Il contributo di Roncaglia fornisce allo stesso tempo un racconto biografico e racconta la traiettoria intellettuale del suo collega italiano. In this article, Alessandro Roncaglia renders a careful and detailed intellectual tribute to the memory of Paolo Sylos Labini. This paper highlights, in equal measure, the contributions and achievements of the economist, as well as the qualities of the person and the impartial and engaged citizen Paolo Sylos Labini.

Bioelectric signals refer to studies that began with the discovery of electricity in living subjects envisioned by Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta in the seventeenth century Figure 1A and 1B and demonstrated by Carlo Matteucci and his followers in the nineteenth century. The scope of this article aims to explain the origin of the amplifiers used in electrophysiology, analyzing a scientific need of the time that led to the construction of ever more specialized equipment, supplying the technological shortcomings of the experimentation in physics and physiology, to in turn, laying the foundations of disciplines such as electrocardiography, neurosciences, electromyography and electrophysiology in general.

Both topics allow to understand the modernity as process of privatization of the body from the gestures of "ennoblement of the body" and of "pity for the body ". In silico panning for a non-competitive peptide inhibitor. Full Text Available Abstract Background Peptide ligands have tremendous therapeutic potential as efficacious drugs. Currently, more than 40 peptides are available in the market for a drug. However, since costly and time-consuming synthesis procedures represent a problem for high-throughput screening, novel procedures to reduce the time and labor involved in screening peptide ligands are required.

We propose the novel approach of 'in silico panning' which consists of a two-stage screening, involving affinity selection by docking simulation and evolution of the peptide ligand using genetic algorithms GAs. In silico panning was successfully applied to the selection of peptide inhibitor for water-soluble quinoprotein glucose dehydrogenase PQQGDH. Results The evolution of peptide ligands for a target enzyme was achieved by combining a docking simulation with evolution of the peptide ligand using genetic algorithms GAs, which mimic Darwinian evolution.

Designation of the target area as next to the substrate-binding site of the enzyme in the docking simulation enabled the selection of a non-competitive inhibitor. In all, four rounds of selection were carried out on the computer; the distribution of the docking energy decreased gradually for each generation and improvements in the docking energy were observed over the four rounds of selection.

PQQGDH activity, in terms of the Vmax value, was 3-fold lower than that of the wild-type enzyme in the presence of this peptide.

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The mechanism of the SERG blockage of the enzyme was identified as non-competitive inhibition. Conclusion We demonstrate an effective methodology of in silico panning for the selection of a non. This text intends to pinpoint the relationship between the psychosocial theory of social representations by Serge Moscovici and the social sciences, based on the characterization of this theory as an interpenetrative approach between psychology and sociology.

Firstly, the transit between psychology-social psychology and sociology will be briefly presented as one of the elements that explain the intertwining of the Theory of Social Representations TSR and social sciences. Next, it will be indicated how this intertwining is present in Moscovici's approach and how the TSR cannot escape it. The author's argument is that the relationship between these two fields is based on the conception of the social in Moscovici's thought, which does not neglect the importance of psychological aspects for social facts as well.

The text concludes with some examples of research works that illustrate this point of view. Standardization of splash device. The kinetic energy of rain measured with an optical disdrometer: An application to splash erosion. Atmospheric Research 96, Experimental comparison of some techniques for estimating natural raindrop size distribution on the south coast of the Caspian Sea, Iran.

Hydrological sciences Journal 58, Effect of raindrop splash and transversal width on soil erosion: Laboratory flume experiments and analysis with the Hairsine-Rose model. Journal of Hydrology , A new splash cup to measure the kinetic energy of rainfall. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science , Physical activity and self-esteem: The findings indicated that PA was directly and indirectly associated with SE. Accordingly, regular PA should be promoted, in particular, among adults reporting lower SE.

At the end of the Meeting, the participants have reached to the consensus on the summary and recommendations, which consists of the following items; 1 We find no new evidence that would change or violate the conclusion of SERG -2 that alpha-mode failure is not risk significant. Full Text Available Resumo: O papel do governador ilustrado D.

Full Text Available Based on the exploration of three approaches to crossbreeding in the colonial history of Latin America: Thus, the exercise proposed here is historiographical in nature since the immediate object of analysis is the three texts mentioned above. Nevertheless, the horizon on which the questions are formulated are the terms of the explanations themselves. The specific objectives are: Starting from there, the focus is placed on two main points: Research on flame retardation of wool fibers.

Flame retardant, vinyl phosphonate oligomer, was uniformly impregnated in wool fibers, and by irradiating low energy electron beam or cobalt gamma ray, the flame retardation of fabrics was attempted, as the results, the following knowledges were obtained. At the rate of sticking of flame retardant lower than that in cotton fabrics, sufficient flame retarding property can be given.

The flame retarding property withstands 30 times of washing. The lowering of strength due to the processing hardly arose. For the flame retardation, gamma-ray was more effective than electron beam. Since the accidents of burning clothes have occurred frequently, their flame retardation has been demanded. So far the flame retardation of cotton fabrics has been advanced, but this time the research on the flame retardation of wool fabrics was carried out by the same method.

The experimental method is explained. As for the performance of the processed fabrics, the rate of sticking of the flame retardant, the efficiency of utilization, the flame retarding property, the endurance in washing and the tensile and tearing strength were examined. Theory and Experiment on Radiative Shocks. The current generation of high-energy-density research facilities has enabled the beginnings of experimental studies of radiation hydrodynamic systems, common in astrophysics but difficult to produce in the laboratory. Radiative shock experiments specifically have been a topic of increasing effort in recent years.

Our group and collaborators [1] have emphasized the radiographic observation of structure in radiative shocks. The talk will summarize these experiments and their results. Interpreting these and other experiments is hampered by the limited range of assumptions used in published theories, and by the limitations in readily available simulation tools. This has motivated an examination of radiative shock theory [2]. The talk will summarize the key issues and present results for specific cases. Moving up a register, we added Avatar but only the 2D version is available , Lucky Luke, and Invictus, the story of how South Africa won the World Cup, the rugby version.

The full list can be consulted at: We remind you t The World is Yours: How can a new economic paradigm be pursued that is more sustainable? Balinese reflections on modernity and identity in the twentieth century Dick van der Meij Margaret Jolly. Exchange, desire, violence H. A medical anthropology of colonial and post-colonial Cambodia Vivek Neelakantan Daromir Rudnyckyj, Spiritual economies: H Macdonald eds, Personal names in Asia: History, culture and identity Rosemary Gianno.

The image that most people have of CERN is of its enormous accelerators and their capacity to accelerate particles to extremely high energies. But thanks to some cutting-edge studies on beam dynamics and radiofrequency technology, along with innovative construction techniques, teams at CERN have now created the first module of a brand-new accelerator, which will be just 2 metres long.

The potential uses of this miniature accelerator will include deployment in hospitals for the production of medical isotopes and the treatment of cancer. Serge Mathot, in charge of the construction of the "mini-RFQ", pictured with the first of the four modules that will make up the miniature accelerator. The miniature accelerator consists of a radiofrequency quadrupole RFQ , a component found at the start of all proton accelerator chains around the world, from the smallest to the largest.

The LHC is designed to produce very high-intensity beams Sleep and its importance in adolescence and in common adolescent somatic and psychiatric conditions. Restoring sleep is strongly associated with a better physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being. By contrast, poor or disordered sleep is related to impairment of cognitive and psychological functioning and worsened physical health.

These associations are well documented not only in adults but also in children and adolescents. Importantly, adolescence is hallmarked by dramatic maturational changes in sleep and its neurobiological regulation, hormonal status, and many psychosocial and physical processes. Thus, the role of sleep in mental and physical health during adolescence and in adolescent patients is complex. However, it has so far received little attention. This review first presents contemporary views about the complex neurobiology of sleep and its functions with important implications for adolescence.

It is concluded that poor or altered sleep in adolescent patients may trigger and maintain many psychiatric and physical disorders or combinations of these conditions, which presumably hinder recovery and may cross into later stages of life. Therefore, timely diagnosis and management of sleep problems appear critical for growth and development in adolescent patients. Perceived parenting styles differ between genders but not between elite athletes and controls.

For adolescent elite athletes, parental financial and emotional support is crucial. However, parents of elite athletes may be critical and demanding. Moreover, there is evidence that girls report more favorable perceived parenting styles compared with boys. The aim of the present study was to investigate perceived parenting styles among female and male adolescent elite athletes and controls. We sampled adolescent elite athletes females, males and controls females, 37 males. Participants completed a questionnaire to assess perceived parenting styles support, commendation, reproach, restriction, inconsistency.

Results showed that parenting styles did not differ between athletes and controls, except for restriction, for which athletes reported lower levels. Female adolescents had higher scores for positive and lower scores for negative perceived parenting styles.

Music after the rain. The group Home Cooking left to right: The audience rocked to music from eight different groups until the early hours. About a thousand people flocked to CERN to hear what the best of its musical talents had to offer. The evening was very nearly a wash-out, though. After a week of scorching hot temperatures, the heavens suddenly opened and the rain didn't stop until a few minutes before the first act came on stage.

Thanks to this narrow escape, the organisers can boast a year run of rain-free Hardronic festivals. All the different musical styles were given a warm reception, from traditional Russian folk Dans le cadre du suivi du programme ELEC Experience with DPP-4 inhibitors in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes fasting during Ramadan.

A large proportion of Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus T2DM elect to fast during the holy month of Ramadan. For these patients hypo- and hyperglycemia constitute two major complications associated with the profound changes in food pattern during the Ramadan fast, and efficacious treatment options with a low risk of hypoglycemia are therefore needed to manage their T2DM as effectively and safely as possible. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 DPP-4 inhibitors modulate insulin and glucagon secretion in a glucose-dependent manner, and consequently a low propensity of hypoglycemia has consistently been reported across different patient populations with these agents.

The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available evidence and potential role of DPP-4 inhibitors in the management of patients with T2DM fasting during Ramadan whose diabetes is treated with oral antidiabetic drugs, and to discuss the mechanistic basis for their beneficial effects in this setting.

Para tanto, parte-se do debate sobre o conceito de trabalho, a fim de melhor definir em que consiste sua precariedade. Robert Castel e Serge Paugam. Today, the fleet comprises vehicles capable of running with petrol or natural gas. A new awareness campaign has therefore been launched.

It is true that filli Full Text Available Cultures of microorganisms were isolated from endosphere of Lake Baikal littoral zone plants: Morphology and biochemical properties of isolated bacteria were studied. For the majority of the endophytic bacterial cultures cellulolitic and proteolytic activity has been shown, which necessary for the effective colonization of plant tissue. For many cultures revealed ability in varying degrees to form a biofilm to improve survival in a vegetative organism.

Their potencial role in adaptation of plant-hosts under conditions of climat Baikal region was shown. In particular, 9 of cultures demonstrated ability to act as nitrogen retainer. The vast majority of bacterial cultures did not have phytotoxicity or demonstrated its low level, reflecting and minimum negative effects of them on plant. Moreover, culture with encryption P3, isolated from Plantago major in August, showed a stimulatory effect in experiments on phytotoxicity.

Raimond have built an extremely successful research group since then. Raimond has made seminal contributions to the development of cavity QED experiments, in particular involving circular Rydberg atoms interacting with very high-Q superc Structure and expression of an unusually acidic matrix protein of pearl oyster shells. We report identification and characterization of the unusually acidic molluscan shell matrix protein Aspein, which may have important roles in calcium carbonate biomineralization.

The Aspein gene aspein encodes a sequence of amino acids, including a high proportion of Asp The main body of Aspein is occupied by Asp sequences punctuated with Ser-Gly dipeptides. RT-PCR demonstrated that the transcript of aspein is expressed at the outer edge of the mantle, corresponding to the calcitic prismatic layer, but not at the inner part of the mantle, corresponding to the aragonitic nacreous layer.

Our findings and previous in vitro experiments taken together suggest that Aspein is responsible for directed formation of calcite in the shell of the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata. Charles Zeanah is the Mary K. He is the Editor of Handbook of Infant Mental Health 3 rd edition considered as the state of the art textbook and standard reference in the field of Infant Mental Health. Full Text Available The present article emphasizes the instability of the Sociology presence in Brazilian high school and places the situation of the subject in Distrito Federal scope.

Both the official documents and the teachers of the subject agree that it is a dynamic knowledge, as well as flexible and practical, that prepares the pupils for the entire exercise of their citizenship. The theory of the social representations served as an orientation to the theoretical and methodological development, in which Serge Moscovici and Willem Doise were the principal representatives. The latter developed a social perspective to the studies of social representations: Full Text Available Proteoglycans PGs are glycosylated proteins of biological importance at cell surfaces, in the extracellular matrix, and in the circulation.

PGs are produced and modified by glycosaminoglycan GAG chains in the secretory pathway of animal cells. The most common GAG attachment site is a serine residue followed by a glycine - ser-gly -, from which a linker tetrasaccharide extends and may continue as a heparan sulfate, a heparin, a chondroitin sulfate, or a dermatan sulfate GAG chain.

Which type of GAG chain becomes attached to the linker tetrasaccharide is influenced by the structure of the protein core, modifications occurring to the linker tetrasaccharide itself, and the biochemical environment of the Golgi apparatus, where GAG polymerization and modification by sulfation and epimerization take place. The same cell type may produce different GAG chains that vary, depending on the extent of epimerization and sulfation. However, it is not known to what extent these differences are caused by compartmental segregation of protein cores en route through the secretory pathway or by differential recruitment of modifying enzymes during synthesis of different PGs.

The topic of this review is how different aspects of protein structure, cellular biochemistry, and compartmentalization may influence GAG synthesis. Stress modulation of cognitive and affective processes. This review summarizes the major discussion points of a symposium on stress modulation of cognitive and affective processes, which was held during the workshop on the neurobiology of stress Boulder, CO, USA.

The four discussants addressed a number of specific cognitive and affective factors that are modulated by exposure to acute or repeated stress. Dr David Morilak discussed the effects of various repeated stress situations on cognitive flexibility, as assessed with a rodent model of attentional set-shifting task, and how performance on slightly different aspects of this test is modulated by different prefrontal regions through monoaminergic neurotransmission.

Dr Serge Campeau summarized the findings of several studies exploring a number of factors and brain regions that regulate habituation of various autonomic and neuroendocrine responses to repeated audiogenic stress exposures. Dr Kerry Ressler discussed a body of work exploring the modulation and extinction of fear memories in rodents and humans, especially focusing on the role of key neurotransmitter systems including excitatory amino acids and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

Dr Israel Liberzon presented recent results on human decision-making processes in response to exogenous glucocorticoid hormone administration.

Il cuore del saggio si incentra sull'analisi comparativa tra la versione daveroniana e l'ipotesto manzoniano, con particolare attenzione alle scaturigini del comico. When the parody of Promessi Sposi was sent to press, Guido da Verona did not imagine he was committing the crime of lese-majesty with regard to the Manzonian totem, nor that it would be blacklisted by the Fascist regime.

This paper shows that, based on the analysis of the manuscript, the author's intention was not satirical, but a playful parody. It is a comparative analysis between the da Verona version and the Manzonian hypertext, with particular attention placed on the origin of the comic. Besides highlighting the traits that characterize the text brimming with linguistic wit by da Verona, the paper describes the comedic strategies used by the author based on the characters and situations, as well as in the discourse itself.

The analysis shows how the comic meaning and the breaking of logical and temporal links crack the orderly vision of the world and the language carefully. CERN has received the following two letters that we want to share with you. We wish our Ecuadorian friends a prompt recovery and keep them in our thoughts! Rather slowly, but full of hope, our people are overcoming this difficult situation. Contributions from different sources abroad, like CERN's, combined with the rapid and generous local intervention, have greatly helped the affected communities cope with the most urgent needs in order to restart their lives.

Once again, I express my Association of body composition with sarcopenic obesity in elderly women. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and its association with obesity and sarcopenia in elderly Brazilian women. Two hundred and seventy-two sedentary women with a mean age of Obesity was determined by both body mass index and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry DXA evaluations.

Sarcopenic obesity diagnosis was established from the ratio between fat-free mass and body surface area as obtained by DXA. In contrast, sarcopenia was significantly related to sarcopenic obesity P Le Cascine di Firenze: The area was outside the city walls, isolated by a dense network of canals, streams and ponds, and characterized by thick, spontaneous, riparian woodlands.

Today, it is the largest public park in Florence, with a total of Ha, including the various sports instalments, roads, avenues and squares which alternate with large woodland areas. In an inventory was taken of the entire arboreal and shrubby vegetation of the park from a pathological, forestry and botanical point of view, following an agreement between the Municipality of Florence and the University of Florence.

Based on the material and information gathered from the study, it is possible to outline a rather broad picture of the vegetative situation which can then be used to predict evolutionary trends. Technology in precision viticulture: Precision viticulture aims to maximize the oenological potential of vineyards. This is especially true in regions where the high quality standards of wine production justify the adoption of site-specific management practices to simultaneously increase both quality and yield.

The introduction of new technologies for supporting vineyard management allows the efficiency and quality of production to be improved and, at the same time, reduces the environmental impact. The rapid evolution of information communication technologies and geographical science offers enormous potential for the development of optimized solutions for distributed information for precision viticulture.

Recent technological developments have allowed useful tools to be elaborated that help in the monitoring and control of many aspects of vine growth.

Precision viticulture thus seeks to exploit the widest range of available observations to describe the vineyard spatial variability with high resolution, and provide recommendations to improve management efficiency in terms of quality, production, and sustainability. This review presents a brief outline of state of the art of technologies in precision viticulture.

It is divided in two sections, the first focusing on monitoring technologies such as geolocating and remote and proximal sensing; the second focuses on variable-rate technologies and the new agricultural robots. Election of the Executive Committee: After the elections to the Staff Council in November, the results of which were published in the previous issue of Echo, the newly elected Staff Council convened on Tuesday, 3 December for the first time.

He wished goodbye to the 16 outgoing delegates and once again reminded all of us how much Philippe Defert, Vice-President of the Association, who passed away last September, is missed by all friends of the Staff Association. This was the last meeting for Marcel Aymon, a member of the Staff Council since and the Executive Committee since , a record!

The President praised the dedication and seriousness with which, as secretary, Vice-Pr Diagnosis and management of xerostomia and hyposalivation. Xerostomia, the subjective complaint of dry mouth, and hyposalivation remain a significant burden for many individuals. Diagnosis of xerostomia and salivary gland hypofunction is dependent upon a careful and detailed history and thorough oral examination.

There exist many options for treatment and symptom management: Brain activity modification produced by a single radioelectric asymmetric brain stimulation pulse: Radioelectric asymmetric brain stimulation technology with its treatment protocols has shown efficacy in various psychiatric disorders. The aim of this work was to highlight the mechanisms by which these positive effects are achieved. The current study was conducted to determine whether a single millisecond radioelectric asymmetric conveyor REAC brain stimulation pulse BSP, applied to the ear, can effect a modification of brain activity that is detectable using functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI.

The fMRI results indicate that the average variation in task-induced encephalic activation patterns is lower in subjects following the single REAC pulse. These initial results open new perspectives into the understanding of the effects of weak and brief radio pulses upon brain activity, and provide the basis for further indepth studies using REAC-BSP and fMRI. During , if all goes as planned, five experiments will be completed: Preliminary results, along with an overview of present and future LMM capabilities will be presented; this includes details on the planned data imaging processing and storage system, along with the confocal upgrade to the core microscope.

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Alessandro Grattoni and Giancarlo Canavese. Preliminary pilot fMRI study of neuropostural optimization with a noninvasive asymmetric radioelectric brain stimulation protocol in functional dysmetria. This study assessed changes in functional dysmetria FD and in brain activation observable by functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI during a leg flexion-extension motor task following brain stimulation with a single radioelectric asymmetric conveyer REAC pulse, according to the precisely defined neuropostural optimization NPO protocol.

The motor task consisted of a flexion-extension movement of the legs with the knees bent. A single millisecond REAC-NPO treatment alleviated FD, as evidenced by patellar asymmetry during a sit-up motion, and modulated activity patterns in the brain, particularly in the cerebellum, during the performance of the motor task. Activity in brain areas involved in motor control and coordination, including the cerebellum, is altered by administration of a REAC-NPO treatment and this effect is accompanied by an alleviation of FD. Being the first Echo of the year, your Staff Council delegates should like to seize this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones, a happy new year!

According to the Staff Association SA statutes, an election was held on December 8, where a new team and President were elected for a term of two years. Following his election, Alessandro Raimondo, the incoming Staff Association President, thanked the outgoing team and particularly the outgoing President, Michel Goossens, for his work and dedication to CERN and its staff.

It goes without saying that the Association will work with this new team of Directors in a spirit of collaboration, cordial understanding and mutual respect, as it did with previous management. The Staff Association should like to wish the departing Endoscopic endonasal approach for the treatment of a large clival giant cell tumor complicated by an intraoperative internal carotid artery rupture.


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Giant cell tumors GCTs are primary bone neoplasms that rarely involve the skull base. These lesions are usually locally aggressive and require complete removal, including the surrounding apparently healthy bone, to provide the best chance of cure. GCTs, as well as other lesions located in the clivus, can nowadays be treated by a minimally invasive fully endoscopic extended endonasal approach. This approach ensures a more direct route to the craniovertebral junction than other possible approaches transfacial, extended lateral, and posterolateral approaches.

The case reported is a clival GCT operated on by an extended endonasal approach that provides another contribution on how to address one of the most feared complications attributed to this approach: At the Bottom of the Garden: The Caffeaus of Villa Albani. Built in by the architect Carlo Marchionni, possibly to a design by the client, the antiquarian Cardinal Alessandro Albani, this is a caffeaus or coffee house, to offer a rough translation featuring an eleven-bay semi-circular portico of Doric order.

The taking of coffee after dinner had become a popular pastime and some, who could afford it, built special pavilions in their gardens for this purpose. Pope Benedict XIV, for instance, had a caffeaus built in his garden at the Quirinal Palace some twenty years earlier, where he could withdraw from the formalities of courtly life. For Cardinal Albani, the caffeaus also served as an extension to his Casino, where his vast collection of sculptures, busts and basins was displayed.

With the aid of his librarian, the German scholar and writer Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Albani displayed his immense and unique collection of art and antiquities in a way that served to underline his own scholarship, wealth and position of affinity with Rome. The Villa and its splendours were not to be missed by the Grand Tourists. This paper will situate this exceptional pavilion in the wider context of his Villa, whose gardens and buildings today lie in various stages of disrepair and are closed to the public, except by private invitation. Due to her high exemplary virtues, she is frequently represented in figurative arts, as well as in literature, where biblical memory meets poetic invention.

So far, this subject gives the opportunity to structure a didactic project, relying music, considered as a point of departure, with historical, artistic and literary disciplines. A historical outline of the evolution of electrophysiology from the eighteenth century is shortly presented. Topics concerning the so called animal electricity starting from the observations on descharges of Torpedo fish until Bolognese Galvani's researches on the frogs are exposed. The points of view of their oppositionists also are examined. The condition is satisfied in the presence of an arbitrary small energy gap induced by proximity of a three-dimensional p-wave superconductor, provided that the normal spectrum has an odd number of Fermi points in each half of the Brillouin zone each spin component counts separately.

The signature triality of Majorana -Weyl spacetimes. The Higher dimensional Majorana -Weyl spacetimes present space-time dualities which are induced by the Spin 8 triality automorphisms. Different signature versions of theories such as dimensional SYM's superstrings, five-branes, F-theory, are shown to be interconnected via the S 3 permutation group. Bilinear and trilinear invariants under spacetime triality are introduced and their possible relevance in building models possessing a space-versus-time exchange symmetry is discussed.

We consider both velocity-dependent and velocity-independent contributions to spin-dependent SD and spin-independent SI nuclear scattering including one-loop corrections of WIMPless dark matter, in the case where the dark matter candidate is a Majorana fermion. We find that spin-independent scattering arises only from the mixing of exotic squarks or from velocity-dependent terms.

Genesis of unified models from Majorana -Weyl fields. It is proposed that all forms of interaction arise from elementary interactions between Weyl- Majorana fields. Weak interactions due to the high masses of the intermediate bosons are practically identical to the elementary interactions. Strong and electromagnetic interactions arise at larger distance, where dynamic determines both masses and symmetry. In the frame of these ideas, Pati-Salam and Fritzsch-Minkowski type of unified models are constructed starting from eight Weyl- Majorana fields.

Fractional charges for quarks, integer charges for lepton and regularization of q. Probing lepton number violation via Majorana neutrinos at hadron supercolliders. The possibility of discovering heavy Majorana neutrinos and lepton number violation via the like sign dilepton signal at hadron supercolliders is investigated. The cross-sections for the production of these neutrinos singly as well as in pairs are computed both in three and four generations scenarios within the framework of the gauge group SU 2 L x U 1 Y and the dominant processes are identified.

The suppression of the Standard model background by suitable kinematical cuts is also discussed. Majorana edge States in atomic wires coupled by pair hopping. We present evidence for Majorana edge states in a number conserving theory describing a system of spinless fermions on two wires that are coupled by pair hopping. Our analysis is based on a combination of a qualitative low energy approach and numerical techniques using the density matrix renormalization group. In addition, we discuss an experimental realization of pair-hopping interactions in cold atom gases confined in optical lattices.

Decoherence patterns of topological qubits from Majorana modes. We investigate the decoherence patterns of topological qubits in contact with the environment using a novel way of deriving the open system dynamics, rather than using the Feynman—Vernon approach. Each topological qubit is made up of two Majorana modes of a 1D Kitaev chain. These two Majorana modes interact with the environment in an incoherent way which yields peculiar decoherence patterns of the topological qubit. We find atypical patterns of quantum decoherence.

In contrast to the case for non-topological qubits—which always decohere completely in all Ohmic-like environments—topological qubits decohere completely in Ohmic and sub-Ohmic environments but not in super-Ohmic ones. Moreover, we find that the fermion parities of the topological qubits, though they cannot prevent the qubit states from exhibiting decoherence in sub-Ohmic environments, can prevent thermalization turning the state into a Gibbs state.

We also study the cases in which each Majorana mode can couple to different Ohmic-like environments, and the time dependence of concurrence for two topological qubits. Nuclear structure calculations have been carried out for the case of an experimentally interesting nucleus 48 Ti in the framework of a renormalized proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation. Therefore, searches for this LNV process can only rely on the presence of certain physics beyond the trivial extension of the standard model by inclusion of massive Majorana neutrinos. CP violation with Majorana neutrinos in K meson decays.

This decay violates Lepton Number by two units and occurs only if there are Majorana particles that mediate the transition. Even though the absolute rate is highly suppressed by current bounds, we search for Majorana neutrino scenarios where the CP asymmetry arising from the lepton sector could be sizeable.

The full decay, however, may be difficult to detect not only because of the suppression caused by the heavy-to-light lepton mixing, but also because of the long lifetime of the heavy neutrino, which would induce large space separation between the two vertices where the charge leptons are produced.

This particular problem should be less serious in heavier meson decays, as they involve heavier neutrinos with shorter lifetimes. Majorana zero modes in Dirac semimetal Josephson junctions. We have realized proximity-induced superconductivity in a Dirac semimetal and revealed the topological nature of the superconductivity by the observation of Majorana zero modes. As a Dirac semimetal, Bi0.

Electronic transport measurements on Hall-bars fabricated out of Bi0. In perpendicular magnetic fields, we see Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations that indicate very low carrier densities. The low Fermi energy and protection against backscattering in our Dirac semimetal Josephson junctions provide favorable conditions for a large contribution of Majorana zero modes to the supercurrent. In radiofrequency irradiation experiments, we indeed observe these Majorana zero modes in Nb-Bi0. Majorana neutrino masses and the neutrinoless double-beta decay. Neutrinoless double-beta decay is forbidden in the Standard Model of electroweak and strong interaction but allowed in most Grand Unified Theories GUTs.

Only if the neutrino is a Majorana particle identical with its antiparticle and if it has a mass is neutrinoless double-beta decay allowed. Apart from one claim that the neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76 Ge is measured, one has only upper limits for this transition probability. But even the upper limits allow one to give upper limits for the electron Majorana neutrino mass and upper limits for parameters of GUTs and the minimal R-parity-violating supersymmetric model.

One further can give lower limits for the vector boson mediating mainly the right-handed weak interaction and the heavy mainly right-handed Majorana neutrino in left-right symmetric GUTs. For that, one has to assume that the specific mechanism is the leading one for neutrinoless double-beta decay and one has to be able to calculate reliably the corresponding nuclear matrix elements. In the present work, one discusses the accuracy of the present status of calculating of the nuclear matrix elements and the corresponding limits of GUTs and supersymmetric parameters.

In addition, the atmospheric neutrino oscillation experiments imply that at least one neutrino has a mass greater than about 50 meV. The Majorana Experiment expects to probe an effective neutrino mass near this critical value. Each crystal will be electronically segmented and each segment fitted with pulse-shape analysis electronics. The half-life sensitivity is estimated to be 4.

Contrary to Dirac particles, Majorana -particle propagators are shown to differ from the simple linear gamma mu p submu, structure. Furthermore, neither Majorana particles, nor their antiparticles can be associated with a well defined arrow of time. The second part of the lecture notes is devoted to massive gravitino. Spacetime structure of massive Majorana particles and massive gravitino. The latter is distributed uniformly, i. From that we draw the conclusion that the massive gravitino should be interpreted as a particle of multiple spin.

The surviving tau-neutrino flux is calculated using transport equations including Majorana neutrino production and decay. Quantum resistor-capacitor circuit with Majorana fermion modes in a chiral topological superconductor. We investigate the mesoscopic resistor-capacitor circuit consisting of a quantum dot coupled to spatially separated Majorana fermion modes in a chiral topological superconductor. We find substantially enhanced relaxation resistance due to the nature of Majorana fermions, which are their own antiparticles and are composed of particle and hole excitations in the same abundance.

Further, if only a single Majorana mode is involved, the zero-frequency relaxation resistance is completely suppressed due to a destructive interference. As a result, the Majorana mode opens an exotic dissipative channel on a superconductor which is typically regarded as dissipationless due to its finite superconducting gap. Dynamic current susceptibility as a probe of Majorana bound states in nanowire-based Josephson junctions. We theoretically study a Josephson junction based on a semiconducting nanowire subject to a time-dependent flux bias.

We establish a general density-matrix approach for the dynamical response of the Majorana junction and calculate the resulting flux-dependent susceptibility using both microscopic and effective low-energy descriptions for the nanowire. We find that the diagonal component of the susceptibility, associated with the dynamics of the Majorana state populations, dominates over the standard Kubo contribution for a wide range of experimentally relevant parameters.

The diagonal term, explored, in this Rapid Communication, in the context of Majorana physics, allows probing accurately the presence of Majorana bound states in the junction. Two little known anomalies hint to phenomena beyond current theory. Majorana experiments were never repeated by the international scientific community. Instead his results were dismissed on theoretical claims: Results are positive, provided that shielding is interpreted as scattering rather than absorption of gravity by moon H.

Munera, Physics Essays 24, , Surprisingly, the pendulum was perturbed by the eclipse, condition repeated once again in a solar eclipse, also partial in Paris. During the past sixty years, paraconical, torsion and Foucault pendula, and other mechanical devices, have been used to dis confirm Allais effect, but the results are not conclusive thus far.

A book edited by this author Should the laws of gravitation be revised? Apeiron describes some of those observations. Various unexpected effects, some of them torsional, appear both near the optical shadow, and far away. Rotation of moon may induce. Quantum Transport in Indium Antimonide Nanowires: Investigating building blocks for Majorana devices.

Recently ideas to engineer Majorana fermions in the solid state have been developed. These Majoranas , quasiparticles that are their own antiparticle, have received much attention, as they are expected to fulfill non-Abelian exchange statistics and could potentially function as fault-tolerant quantum. Can neutrino-electron scattering tell us whether neutrinos are Dirac or Majorana particles? There has recently been interest in the possibility that neutrino-electron scattering experiments could determine whether neutrinos are Dirac or Majorana particles by providing information on their electromagnetic structure.

We try to explain why studies of neutrino electromagnetic structure actually cannot distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos. Chiral Majorana fermion modes regulated by a scanning tunneling microscope tip. We propose a strategy to regulate the phase of the chiral Majorana state by coupling with a scanning tunneling microscope tip in a system consisting of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator coupled with a superconductor. The perfect crossed Andreev reflection, by which a Cooper pair can be split into two electrons going into different terminals completely, leads to a pumping current and distinct quantized resistances.

These findings may provide a signature of Majorana fermions and pave a feasible avenue to regulate the phase of the Majorana state. Currently, it is unknown if this decay process occurs; however, observation of such a decay process would show that lepton number is violated, confirm that neutrinos are Majorana particles, and yield information on the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. With current experimental results indicating a half-life greater than 2 x years for this decay, the minimization of background events is of critical importance.

Here, we present both the hardware and software of the trigger card system, which provides a common clock to all digitizers and the muon veto system, thereby enabling the rejection of background events through coincidence testing. Current experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the distributed clock to be within two clock pulses 20 ns across all system components. A test system is used to validate the data acquisition system. Utilizing time correlation, coincidence testing is able to reject multi-detector events that may.

University College Cork

Majorana neutrinos in a warped 5D standard model. We consider neutrino oscillations and neutrinoless double beta decay in a five dimensional standard model with warped geometry. Although the see-saw mechanism in its simplest form cannot be implemented because of the warped geometry, the bulk standard model neutrinos can acquire the desired Majorana masses from dimension five interactions.

We discuss how large mixings can arise, why the large mixing angle MSW solution for solar neutrinos is favored, and provide estimates for the mixing angle U e3. Implications for neutrinoless double beta decay are also discussed. Geometric phase of neutrinos: Differences between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos. We analyze the non-cyclic geometric phase for neutrinos. We find that the geometric phase and the total phase associated to the mixing phenomenon provide a theoretical tool to distinguish between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos.

Our results hold for neutrinos propagating in vacuum and through the matter. We feed the values of the experimental parameters in our formulas in order to make contact with experiments. Although it remains an open question how the geometric phase of neutrinos could be detected, our theoretical results may open new scenarios in the investigation of the neutrino nature. In addition, heavy right-handed Majorana neutrino states N arise naturally within LR symmetric model.

The N s could be partners of light neutrino states, related to their non-zero masses through the see-saw mechanism. It is shown that their decay signals can be identified with a small background. Neutrino Majorana masses from string theory instanton effects. Finding a plausible origin for right-handed neutrino Majorana masses in semirealistic compactifications of string theory remains one of the most difficult problems in string phenomenology. We argue that right-handed neutrino Majorana masses are induced by non-perturbative instanton effects in certain classes of string compactifications in which the U 1 B-L gauge boson has a Stueckelberg mass.

This mass term may be quite large since this is not a gauge instanton and Re U is not directly related to SM gauge couplings. Thus the size of the induced right-handed neutrino masses could be a few orders of magnitude below the string scale, as phenomenologically required. Since the final state neutrino escapes detection, one cannot tell whether this process violates lepton number, what would indicate a Majorana character for the intermediate sterile neutrino. Our study shows that when the sterile neutrino mixings with electrons and muons are different enough, one can still discriminate between the Dirac and Majorana character of this intermediate neutrino by simply counting and comparing the above decay rates.

Majorana fermion representation and disorder. Many interesting phenomena in quantum physics arise through the quantum mechanical interaction of a large number of particles. In most cases describing the relevant physical properties is extremely difficult, because the complexity of the system increases exponentially with the number of interacting particles and solving the underlying Schroedinger equation becomes impossible. Nevertheless, our understanding of complex phenomena has progressed through some groundbreaking discoveries in the history of condensed matter physics.

Examples include the development of Landau's theory of Fermi liquids, the BCS theory of superconductivity, the theory of superfluidity and the theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect. In all these cases a theoretical understanding was achieved with so-called quasi-particles. Instead of explaining a phenomenon through the behavior of fundamental particles, such as electrons, the corresponding properties can be described by the simple behavior of quasi-particles, which are themselves a result of the complex collective interaction.

One of the rare examples, where a strongly correlated quantum mechanical problem can be solved analytical, is the Kitaev model. It describes interacting spins on a honeycomb lattice and exhibits a spin liquid ground state. Here the solution was achieved by means of certain quasi-particles, called Majorana fermions. However, it has not been possible to clearly identify such a spin liquid experimentally, because its defining feature is the absence of any conventional order, in particular magnetic order.

In contrast, the observation of quasiparticle excitations may hint at the nature of the ground state. But also a definite detection of Majorana fermions in any kind of system remains one of the outstanding issues in modern condensed matter physics. Therefore this thesis is devoted to the question how such quasiparticles may be found experimentally. For this reason we study the influence of disorder on the states.

Quantum effects on Higgs-boson production and decay due to Majorana neutrinos. We analyze the phenomenological implications for new electroweak physics in the Higgs sector in the framework of SU 2 L x U 1 Y theories that naturally predict heavy Majorana neutrinos. It turns out that these are extremely small in three-generation models. On the other hand, the sizeable quantum corrections generated by a conventional fourth generation with a Dirac neutrino may be screened considerably in the presence of a Majorana degree of freedom. The Majorana experiment is a proposed HPGe detector array that will primarily search for neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter.

It will rely on pulse-shape discrimination and crystal segmentation to suppress backgrounds following careful materials selection. A critical aspect of the design phase of Majorana is a reliable simulation of the detector response, pulse formation, and its radioactive backgrounds. We are developing an adaptable and complete simulation based on GEANT 4 to address these requirements and the requirements of a modern, large collaboration experiment. The salient aspects of the simulation are presented. The Majorana experiment is presented in a parallel poster by Kareem Kazkaz.

On the possibilities of distinguishing Dirac from Majorana neutrinos. The problem if existing neutrinos are Dirac or Majorana particles is considered in a very pedagogical way. Next we describe the properties of neutrinos in the cases when their interactions are given by the standard model and by its extensions massive neutrinos, right-handed currents, electromagnetic neutrino interaction, interaction with scalar particles. Various processes where the different nature of neutrinos could in principle be visible are reviewed. We clear up misunderstandings which have appeared in last suggestions how to distinguish both types of neutrinos.

Transport through interacting quantum dots with Majorana fermions or phonons. Recent advances in the search for Majorana fermions within condensed matter systems inspired the first part of the thesis. These hypothetical particles which are their own antiparticles are predicted to arise in the form of quasi-particle excitations called Majorana bound states at the surface of engineered condensed matter systems. An experimental detection is challenging since their defining property also implies that they possess no charge, no energy and no spin.

This significantly reduces the possibilities to interact with them and get a proof of their existence from a measurement. The most promising experimental results are based on transport measurements where current-voltage-characteristics play the role of a spectroscopy signal. In this thesis, we investigate a single electron transistor setup which hosts a spatially separated pair of Majorana fermions with respect to their influence on its transport characteristics. We focus on a master equation approach including sequential and cotunneling contributions.

After deducing all relevant rates we solve the system numerically over a broad parameter regime. For some limits, we also elaborate analytical solutions. In comparison with collaboratively worked out other methods we provide a broad understanding of the setup and make a proposal how our results could be used as a detection scheme for Majorana fermions. The second part of the thesis investigates the spinless Anderson-Holstein model which is the minimal model for molecular transport.

It models a molecule with electronic and vibronic degrees of freedom which is placed between metallic leads at different chemical potentials to investigate again its transport properties. Also here we intended to gain access to a broad parameter regime and successfully extended the numerical ''iterative summation of path-integrals'' scheme to this model. It is based on a real-time path-integral approach in combination with the nonequilibrium Keldysh.

It is crucial for the experiment to understand the performance of the HPGe crystals. A variety of crystal properties are being investigated, including basic properties such as energy resolution, efficiency, uniformity, capacitance, leakage current and crystal axis orientation, as well as more sophisticated properties, e. In this talk, we will present our measurements that characterize the HPGe crystals. We will also discuss the our simulation package for the detector characterization setup, and show that additional information can be extracted from data-simulation comparisons.

Since the option of a ep collider operating with the 3 TeV proton booster has been considered.

VIII Annual Graduate Studies Conference in Italian Studies

Frustration-free Hamiltonians supporting Majorana zero edge modes. A one-dimensional fermionic system, such as a superconducting wire, may host Majorana zero-energy edge modes MZMs at its edges when it is in the topological phase. MZMs provide a path to realising fault-tolerant quantum computation, and so are the focus of intense experimental and theoretical studies. However, given a Hamiltonian, determining whether MZMs exist is a daunting task as it relies on knowing the spectral properties of the Hamiltonian in the thermodynamic limit.

The Kitaev chain is a paradigmatic non-interacting model that supports MZMs and the Hamiltonian can be fully diagonalised. However, for interacting models, the situation is far more complex. Here we consider a different classification of models, namely, ones with frustration-free Hamiltonians. Within this class of models, interacting and non-interacting systems are treated on an equal footing, and we identify exactly which Hamiltonians can realise MZMs. The observation of this rare decay would indicate that the neutrino is its own antiparticle, demonstrate that lepton number is not conserved, and provide information on the absolute mass scale of the neutrino.

The array will be situated in a low-background environment and surrounded by passive and active shielding. Here we describe the science goals of the Demonstrator and the details of its design. Massive Majorana neutrinos in pre-bounce supernovae. The currently accepted models of supernova collapse rely on the standard electroweak theory and massless left-handed neutrinos. We consider the effect of massive right-handed Majorana neutrinos on this scenario. In order that they do not upset the agreement of the usual treatment with observation, we require that in the pre-bounce stage either a these neutrinos are trapped or b if they free stream they do not change the electron fraction to the extent that the explosion is prevented.

From these constraints, we obtain upper and lower bounds on the right-handed interaction strengths as a function of the neutrino mass which can be translated to bounds on the right-handed gauge boson mass. Topological superfluids with finite-momentum pairing and Majorana fermions.

Majorana fermions MFs , quantum particles that are their own antiparticles, are not only of fundamental importance in elementary particle physics and dark matter, but also building blocks for fault-tolerant quantum computation. Recently MFs have been intensively studied in solid state and cold atomic systems.

These studies are generally based on superconducting pairing with zero total momentum. Here we show that MFs can exist in certain types of gapped FF states, yielding a new quantum matter: We demonstrate the existence of such topological FF superfluids and the associated MFs using spin-orbit-coupled degenerate Fermi gases and derive their parameter regions.

One of the cornerstones for topological quantum computations is the Majorana zero mode, which has been intensively searched in fractional quantum Hall systems and topological superconductors. Several recent works suggest that such an exotic mode can also exist in a one-dimensional 1D interacting double-wire setup even without long-range superconductivity. A notable instability in these proposals comes from interchannel single-particle tunneling that spoils the topological ground state degeneracy.

Here we show that a 1D Dirac semimetal DSM nanowire is an ideal number-conserving platform to realize such Majorana physics. By inserting magnetic flux, a DSM nanowire is driven into a 1D crystalline-symmetry-protected semimetallic phase. Interaction enables the emergence of boundary Majorana zero modes, which is robust as a result of crystalline symmetry protection. We also explore several experimental consequences of Majorana signals. Perhaps the most commonly studied model is the type-I seesaw mechanism.

This model introduces a new neutrino with a Majorana nature and an unknown mass. Sphaleron-induced baryon-number nonconservation and a constraint on Majorana neutrino masses. We point out that the baryon-number asymmetry in the Universe is erased by the sphaleron effect just below the electroweak phase transition irrespective of the primordial baryon- and lepton-number asymmetry, if there exists a Majorana -type interaction.

The observation of this decay would provide critical insight into our understanding of neutrinos, yielding definitive evidence that neutrinos are Majorana particles and providing information on the absolute mass of neutrinos. The goal of our R and D program has been to demonstrate the feasibility of all components of Majorana and to provide an integrated evaluation framework, allowing for optimization of these components in terms of background, background suppression, and signal detection efficiency and acceptance.

This report covers work carried out by Majorana collaboration members at the University of Washington as part of the overall Majorana collaboration activities. Specifically the Majorana group at the University of Washington was involved in moving forward on demonstrating technology for clean large-scale cryostats and mounting the HPGe crystals in low-mass holders. The UW activities included assistance in the procurement and assembly of an electroforming system for large size cryostats, and design and fabrication of prototype crystal mounting hardware.

Large impedances and Majorana bound states in superconducting circuits. Superconducting circuits offer the opportunity to study quantum mechanics on mesoscopic scales unimpeded by dissipation. This fact and the nonlinearity of the Josephson inductance make it possible to use superconducting circuits as artificial atoms whose long-lived states can be selectively addressed and studied. This implies charge fluctuations below the single Cooper-pair limit via flux-charge duality.

The localization of charge leads to a strong susceptibility to interactions with charges in the environment which has motivated the search for schemes to decouple charges from their environment. This thesis is concerned with theoretical challenges arising from two complementary approaches to this problem: In recent years, the decoupling of charges from the environment through reactive large impedances, so-called ''superinductances'' L, has attracted much interest.

Although there exists a well-established formalism for the quantization of superconducting circuits in terms of node fluxes, this formalism is ill-suited for the description of fast flux transport with localized charges in large-impedance environments. In particular, the nonlinear capacitive behavior of phase slip junctions cannot be modeled in a straightforward way using node fluxes. Renormalization group evolution of neutrino parameters in presence of seesaw threshold effects and Majorana phases. We find that the Majorana phases play an important role in the RGE running of these mixing patterns along with the seesaw threshold corrections.

We present a comparative study of the RGE of all these mixing scenarios both with and without Majorana CP phases when seesaw threshold corrections are taken into consideration. We also calculate the order of effective Majorana mass and Jarlskog Invariant for each scenario under consideration.

Lezioni di analisi matematica. Fate of Majorana fermions and Chern numbers after a quantum quench. In the sequence of quenches to either nontopological phases or other topological phases, we study the stability of Majorana fermions at the edges of a two-dimensional topological superconductor with spin-orbit coupling and in the presence of a Zeeman term.

Both instantaneous and slow quenches are considered. In the case of instantaneous quenches, the Majorana modes generally decay, but for a finite system there is a revival time that scales to infinity as the system size grows. Exceptions to this decaying behavior are found in some cases due to the presence of edge states with the same momentum in the final state. Quenches to a topological Z 2 phase reveal some robustness of the Majorana fermions in the sense that even though the survival probability of the Majorana state is small, it does not vanish.

If the pairing is not aligned with the spin-orbit Rashba coupling, it is found that the Majorana fermions are fairly robust with a finite survival probability. It is also shown that the Chern number remains invariant after the quench, until the propagation of the mode along the transverse direction reaches the middle point, beyond which the Chern number fluctuates between increasing values. The effect of varying the rate of change in slow quenches is also analyzed. It is found that the defect production is nonuniversal and does not follow the Kibble-Zurek scaling with the quench rate, as obtained before for other systems with topological edge states.

Decaying spectral oscillations in a Majorana wire with finite coherence length. Motivated by recent experiments, we investigate the excitation energy of a proximitized Rashba wire in the presence of a position dependent pairing. In particular, we focus on the spectroscopic pattern produced by the overlap between two Majorana bound states that appear for values of the Zeeman field smaller than the value necessary for reaching the bulk topological superconducting phase.

The two Majorana bound states can arise because locally the wire is in the topological regime. We find three parameter ranges with different spectral properties: Interestingly, all these cases have already been observed experimentally. Moreover, since an increment of the magnetic field implies the increase of the distance between the Majorana bound states, the amplitude of the energy oscillations, when present, gets reduced.

The existence of the different Majorana scenarios crucially relies on the fact that the two Majorana bound states have distinct k -space structures. We develop analytical models that clearly explain the microscopic origin of the predicted behavior. Is neutrino produced in standard weak interactions a Dirac or Majorana particle?

This work considers the following problem: It is concluded that only Dirac neutrinos but not Majorana neutrinos can be produced in these interactions. It means that this neutrino will be produced in another type of interaction. His research interests include the role of literature in documenting important historical events, particularly the role of creative non-fiction in the years of democratic transition in Eastern and Central Europe and the non-fiction work of Italian novelist Erri De Luca.

Fondamenti etico-politici del cinema di Gianni Celati tra Antonioni e Visconti. Celati figurainfatti come regista di quattro documentari usciti tra il e il Visioni di case che crollano e DiolKadd. Vita, diari e riprese in un villaggio del Senegal Questo intervento si concentra sulle premesse etico-politiche del Celati film-maker: Due sono le aree di studio privilegiate: In tale periodo ha approfondito il romanzo Sciascia, Celati, Tondelli ed il cinema contemporanei Antonioni, Sorrentino, Garrone.

The Dialogue Between Human Sciences: Antonio Lunardi Room 2. Dopo il caso sui generis delle Operette morali leopardiane, il dialogo continua ad essere presente in varie forme anche nel Novecento: I suoi principali interessi di ricerca vertono sulla letteratura italiana del Novecento, la letteratura comparata e la filosofia.

Un altare per la madre: Thus, he feels a dangerous identification with the dead mother and he risks to be unable to transcend that situation: What Camon can do is to find, in his own cultural world, a way to neutralize the dangerous flow of time and to metaphorize the painful reality, as both the ritual and the writing do. His research fields are anthropology of writing, anthropology of literature, autobiography, memory and ritual.

He is also Editor in Chief of Primapersona. Percorsi autobiografici, journal published by the Archivio Diaristico Nazionale, with which he collaborates since In the light of such a line of thought, this paper aims to show how Levi faces the extreme environment of the concentration camp: The anthropological connotation of Levi's inquiring outlook on the condition of people in Auschwitz leads to ethical considerations that are valid for mankind in general, both inside and outside the Lager, and pertain to showing what human beings never cease to be capable of, be it good or evil.

Awareness of this anthropological limit, which is inherent to mankind, is the necessary premise for a fuller understanding of humanity. Sara Boezio - University of Warwick. According to the polymath Max Nordau, literature has a massive influence on life and is to be considered one of the primary sources of the degenerative process characterising the culture of the second half of the 19th century, as he claims in his book Degeneration, published in German Entartung in and translated into Italian in The feeling of bewilderment stemming from the decline of philosophical systems like Positivism faced by the Western society is deemed, in his personal interpretation of the Darwinian evolutionistic paradigm, a sign of the degeneration of the entire European society.

Nordau is also strongly influenced by the research about men of genius carried out by the Italian physician and anthropologist Cesare Lombroso who is also the dedicatee of Degeneration. While this process was global to Europe, I explore and highlight its peculiarities in the Italian context, by looking at the role as a mediator played by Nordau.

The analysis takes into consideration both novels and literary reviews in order to compare the praxis and the theory of Italian writers and critics. Her interests were concentrated on Renaissance literature and on the relationship between poetry and figurative arts; she studied particularly the poems of the painter-poet Bronzino.

Sara Boezio also has a vivid interest for questions in literary theory and cognitive poetics. In particular her interests lie in how the cognitive science can influence and contribute to studies in literature. She investigates how, when sociology and psychology were just beginning to come to light, intellectuals tried to answer the question about the origin of creativity by putting together the intuitions both of literary scholars and of scientists. Women in Public and Private Sphere Chair: Dr Silvia Ross Room 2.

This paper explores the authority of the celebrity Anglophone travel writer in fashioning an image of Italy, as compared to the little known Italian authorship. Underpinned by mobility studies, travel writing and post-colonial theory, my paper will further examine the question of cultural knowledge of the Other through language acquisition. Essentially operating within early nineteenth-century Italian space, both authors embody a dichotomous gaze on Italy, from within Italy, and without.

Her thesis, Italian Vistas: Mobilities, Texts and Intertexts of Nineteenth-Century Italian and Anglophone Women Travel Writers, is a comparative, cross-cultural project, which analyses little known Italian travel texts, as compared to celebrity Anglophone authorship on Italy during the post-Napoleonic epoch. The recipient of an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship in , she hopes to publish a monograph based on her research. Depicting the Maternal Bond: This paper will focus on an analysis of the representation of the wet nurse in the Birth of the Virgin scene, and its didactic role to instruct future generations of female family members of their duties as Florentine women.

It will be demonstrated that the wet nurse acts within this image as a personification of a female member of the Tornabuoni family of child-bearing age, namely Giovanna degli Albizzi, the daughter-in-law of the family patriarch who had recently died in childbirth attempting to produce a second son for her husband. A number of elements of the fresco will be analysed to support this thesis, including an examination of the necklace worn by the wet nurse, which appears to be markedly similar to a necklace worn by Giovanna in a number of other scenes and images in which she appears.

No other representation of a female servant in this cycle wears such a pendant. This raises the question as to why Giovanni, who carefully devised the extensive programme for each of these episodes, would choose to have the woman in question depicted wearing this distinctive piece of Tornabuoni jewellery. The second aspect of the scene to be explored is the interaction between the wet nurse and the swaddled child.

Through consultation of various sources of law, proceedings documents and legal journals, I focus on what happened at crucial moments in the life of a woman, such as marriage or at the time of widowhood, and therefore inheritance, in the Papal State in the period between the Restoration and the Pisanelli Code The Papal State, as well as the Italian peninsula as a whole, was characterized by a strong cultural and economic backwardness.

The woman, regardless of her social class, was juridically unable; she could not undertake any major act of civil life without the consent of her father, her husband or a court. Besides, during the nineteenth century, women in the Papal States, as in other areas, experienced a loss of status: