Ugo Spirito e la riforma penale italiana

Il tormentato interesse di Ugo Spirito per il diritto penale costituiva da sempre una costante, un punto di riferimento, - o, per meglio dire, di orientamento decisivo - per i suoi totalizzanti itinerari speculativi. La riflessione penalistica, per quell'eminente filosofo, era un fatto centrale, una scelta ineludibile. Come tale, essa continuava a costituire una sorta di fiume carsico che nel dipanarsi del suo pensiero, nel susseguirsi delle opere date alle stampe, periodicamente riaffiorava

The evolution of the number density of compact galaxies

We compare the number density of compact (small size) massive galaxies at low and high redshift using our Padova Millennium Galaxy and Group Catalogue (PM2GC) at z=0.03-0.11 and the CANDELS results from Barro et al. (2013) at z=1-2. The number density of local compact galaxies with luminosity weighted (LW) ages compatible with being already passive at high redshift is compared with the density of compact passive galaxies observed at high-z. Our results place an upper limit of a factor ~2 to the evolution of the number density and are inconsistent with a significant size evolution for most of the compact galaxies observed at high-z. The evolution may be instead significant (up to a factor 5) for the most extreme, ultracompact galaxies. Considering all compact galaxies, regardless of LW age and star formation activity, a minority of local compact galaxies (<=1/3) might have formed at z<1. Finally, we show that the secular decrease of the galaxy stellar mass due to simple stellar evolution may in some cases be a non-negligible factor in the context of the evolution of the mass-size relation, and we caution that passive evolution in mass should be taken into account when comparing samples at different redshifts.Comment: ApJ in pres

On the Use of Wavelet Transform for Quench Precursors Characterisation in the LHC Superconducting Dipole Magnets

Premature training quenches are caused by transient energy released within the magnet coil while it is energized. Signals recorded across the so-called quench antenna carry information about these disturbances. A new method for identifying and characterizing those events is proposed, which applies the wavelet transform approach to the recorded signals. Such an approach takes into account the time of occurrence as well as frequency content of the events. The choice of the optimal mother wavelet is discussed, and the results obtained from the application of the method to actual signals are given. The criteria to recognize the interesting events are presented as well as the methodology to classify their global behavior

Application of a prioritisation scheme for seismic intervention in schools buildings in Italy

A risk management framework has recently been developed to assign priorities for the rehabilitation of school buildings in Italy, and to give timescales within which retrofit or demolition must take place. Since it is not practical to carry out a detailed assessment of the 60,000 Italian state and public schools, the framework is a multiple-level procedure which aims to identify the highest-risk buildings based on filters of increasing detail, and reduces the size of the building inventory at each step. The first risk ranking is based on a strength deficit, which measures the difference between the current design forces defined for the building site and an estimation of the level of seismic resistance which was required at the time of design. The second ranking is based on lateral strength calculations that are already available for a large portion of the Italian masonry building stock, and that are obtained from a survey form that is familiar to Italian engineers. Finally, a simplified displacement-based methodology is used to give a more accurate assessment of seismic risk based on a limited amount of geometrical and material data. The final assessment leads to a capacity ratio and a risk rating, which are used within a transparent procedure to assign priorities for seismic intervention, and timescales within which detailed assessment leading to retrofit or demolition must take place. The first step of the methodology has been applied herein to the school building stock within two Regions in Italy and preliminary results are presented

Activation of monocytes and cytokine production in patients with peripheral atherosclerosis obliterans

BACKGROUND: Arterial peripheral disease is a condition caused by the blocked blood flow resulting from arterial cholesterol deposits within the arms, legs and aorta. Studies have shown that macrophages in atherosclerotic plaque are highly activated, which makes these cells important antigen-presenting cells that develop a specific immune response, in which LDLox is the inducing antigen. As functional changes of cells which participate in the atherogenesis process may occur in the peripheral blood, the objectives of the present study were to evaluate plasma levels of anti-inflammatory and inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IFN-γ, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10 and TGF-β in patients with peripheral arteriosclerosis obliterans, to assess the monocyte activation level in peripheral blood through the ability of these cells to release hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and to develop fungicidal activity against Candida albicans (C. albicans) in vitro. METHODS: TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β from plasma of patients were detected by ELISA. Monocyte cultures activated in vitro with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were evaluated by fungicidal activity against C. albicans by culture plating and Colony Forming Unit (CFU) recovery, and by H(2)O(2 )production. RESULTS: Plasma levels of all cytokines were significantly higher in patients compared to those detected in control subjects. Control group monocytes did not release substantial levels of H(2)O(2 )in vitro, but these levels were significantly increased after activation with IFN-γ and TNF-α. Monocytes of patients, before and after activation, responded less than those of control subjects. Similar results were found when fungicidal activity was evaluated. The results seen in patients were always significantly smaller than among control subjects. Conclusions: The results revealed an unresponsiveness of patient monocytes in vitro probably due to the high activation process occurring in vivo as corroborated by high plasma cytokine levels

Characterization of the Hamamatsu R11265-103-M64 multi-anode photomultiplier tube

The aim of this paper is to fully characterize the new multi-anode photomultiplier tube R11265-103-M64, produced by Hamamatsu. Its high effective active area (77%), its pixel size, the low dark signal rate and the capability to detect single photon signals make this tube suitable for an application in high energy physics, such as for RICH detectors. Four tubes and two different bias voltage dividers have been tested. The results of a standard characterization of the gain and the anode uniformity, the dark signal rate, the cross-talk and the device behaviour as a function of temperature have been studied. The behaviour of the tube is studied in a longitudinal magnetic field up to 100 Gauss. Shields made of a high permeability material are also investigated. The deterioration of the device performance due to long time operation at intense light exposure is studied. A quantitative analysis of the variation of the gain and the dark signals rate due to the aging is described.Comment: 22 page

Sistema roça sem queimar como modelo alternativo de manejo agroflorestal.

O sistema Roça Sem Queimar ? RSQ, que consiste na implantação de cultivos sem a utilização do fogo no preparo de área, vem sendo apoiado desde o ano de 2000 por instituições como o Sindicato dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras Rurais de Medicilândia - STTR, no estado do Pará. Atualmente o STTR desenvolve com apoio do Ministério do Meio Ambiente (MMA) o Projeto Roça Sem Queimar III, iniciado em 2011 e que possui como beneficiários 38 agricultores familiares do município de Medicilândia e 21 de Brasil Novo. Com o objetivo de analisar os fatores que contribuem para a adoção do sistema roça sem queimar, os resultados produzidos e as contribuições do Projeto para as mudanças, realizou-se entrevistas com 35 agricultores de Medicilândia durante o mês de abril de 2013. Os resultados apontaram que o uso do sistema tradicional de preparo de área, corte e queima, vem reduzindo devido aos impactos ambientais que causa. Aliado a outros fatores, essa redução vem contribuindo para o aumento na utilização do sistema RSQ. Os entrevistados destacam que tal sistema ?dá certo? e tem proporcionado mudanças ao solo, à produção, à saúde e ao meio ambiente. Portanto, mudanças vêm ocorrendo ao longo da trajetória e os impactos do uso de técnicas tradicionais são percebidas pelos agricultores, que tem buscado modelos alternativos

ATR-FTIR chemical screening for adulterants and sugar characterisation in honeys

The search for improvements in honey analysis is an important topic due to the relevance that adulterations and variations of sugar composition have in this food. Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is a reliable and fast analytical instrumentation for analysis of liquids, semi-solids and solids, which is currently used in food chemistry for qualitative and quantitative investigations. This work is aimed to build a fast analytical method, using ATR-FTIR and Partial Least Square (PLS) chemometric tool, to quantitative determination of glucose, fructose and sucrose present in honeys. We analyzed 25 honeys from Trentino and Sicily and a significant spectral range from the whole ATR-FTIR spectra were selected. Then a PLS multivariate calibration model was built by using mixtures of glucose, fructose and sucrose at various concentration. Samples for cross-validation were selected, thereby allowing quantitative evaluation of glucose, fructose and sucrose in all samples. Furthermore, a representative number of honeys were mixed with common adulterant syrups to simulate adulteration procedures and to verify the reliability of the ATR-FTIR technique in recognizing them. Preliminary results revealed not only the quantitative reliability of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in the evaluation of sugars in honeys, but also its ability in recognizing honey adulteration

Impact of the First Powering Cycles on the LHC Superconducting Dipole Coil Geometry

The impact of the first powering cycles on the LHC superconducting dipoles coil geometry has been investigated. Dedicated magnetic measurements have been performed to estimate the changes in the geometric component of the harmonics, caused by the last highest Lorentz force the coil has ever experienced. Several magnets have been powered at increasing current steps while the field quality has been measured to quantify the changes in geometry. The effect of the thermal cycles has been also considered as well as the systematic differences between measurements before and after the quench training. The reconstruction of the coil geometry variations is discussed in terms of continuous modes of deformation as well as single block displacements

Analytical Model of Thermo-electrical Behaviour in Superconducting Resistive Core Cables

High field superconducting Nb$_{3}$Sn accelerators magnets above 14 T, for future High Energy Physics applications, call for improvements in the design of the protection system against resistive transitions. The longitudinal quench propagation velocity (vq) is one of the parameters defining the requirements of the protection. Up to now vq has been always considered as a physical parameter defined by the operating conditions (the bath temperature, cooling conditions, the magnetic field and the over all current density) and the type of superconductor and stabilizer used. It is possible to enhance the quench propagation velocity by segregating a percent of the stabilizer into the core, although keeping the total amount constant and tuning the contact resistance between the superconducting strands and the core. Analytical model and computer simulations are presented to explain the phenomenon. The consequences with respect to minimum quench energy are evidenced and the strategy to optimize the cable designed is discussed