Probing the polarized emission from SMC X-1: the brightest X-ray pulsar observed by IXPE

Recent observations of X-ray pulsars (XRPs) performed by the Imaging X-rayPolarimetry Explorer (IXPE) have made it possible to investigate the intricatedetails of these objects in a new way, thanks to the added value of X-raypolarimetry. Here we present the results of the IXPE observations of SMC X-1, amember of the small group of XRPs displaying super-orbital variability. SMC X-1was observed by IXPE three separate times during the high state of itssuper-orbital period. The observed luminosity in the 2-8 keV energy band of$L=2\times10^{38}$ erg/s makes SMC X-1 the brightest XRP ever observed by IXPE.We detect significant polarization in all three observations, with values ofthe phase-averaged polarization degree (PD) and polarization angle (PA) of$3.2\pm0.8$% and $97\deg\pm8\deg$ for Observation 1, $3.0\pm0.9$% and$90\deg\pm8\deg$ for Observation 2, and $5.5\pm1.1$% and $80\deg\pm6\deg$ forObservation 3, for the spectro-polarimetric analysis. The observed PD shows anincrease over time with decreasing luminosity, while the PA decreases indecrements of 10\deg. The phase-resolved spectro-polarimetric analysis revealssignificant detection of polarization in three out of seven phase bins, withthe PD ranging between 2% and 10%, and a corresponding range in the PA from$\sim$70\deg\ to $\sim$100\deg. The pulse-phase resolved PD displays anapparent anti-correlation with the flux. Using the rotating vector model, weobtain constraints on the pulsar's geometrical properties for the individualobservations. The position angle of the pulsar displays an evolution over timesupporting the idea that we observe changes related to different super-orbitalphases. Scattering in the wind of the precessing accretion disk may beresponsible for the behavior of the polarimetric properties observed during thehigh-state of SMC X-1's super-orbital period.

A new look at the extragalactic Very High Energy sky: searching for TeV-emitting candidates among the X-ray bright, non-Fermi detected blazar population

We present the results of a multi-wavelength study of blazars selected fromthe 5th ROMABZCAT catalog. We selected from this sample a subsample of 2435objects having at least one counterpart in one of the three main archival X-raycatalogs, which is, the fourth release of the XMM-Newton Survey ScienceCatalogue, the second release of the Chandra Source Catalog, and the secondSwift X-ray Point Source catalog of detections by Swift-XRT, or in the recentlyreleased eROSITA-DE Data Release 1 catalog. We first searched for differentmulti-wavelength trends between sources with a Gamma-ray counterpart in theFermi-LAT 14-year Source Catalog (4FGL-DR4) and sources lacking one. We findthat the non-4FGL sources are on average fainter both in the X-rays and in theradio with respect to the 4FGL-detected ones, but the two samples have similarX-ray-to-radio flux ratios, as well as synchrotron peak frequencies. We thenfocused on the 1007 non-Gamma-ray detected population, to determine if there isa sample of X-ray sources that could be TeV emitters. We find that a largenumber of sources, mostly BL Lacs or BL Lacs with host-galaxy contribution tothe spectral energy distribution, have large synchrotron peak frequency andX-ray to radio flux ratio, two properties that characterize the vast majorityof known TeV emitters. With respect to these known TeV emitters, our targetshave X-ray fluxes ~1 order of magnitude fainter. We then computed the 0.2-12keV and 20 GeV - 300 TeV fluxes for the known 5BZCAT TeV emitters, anddetermined the existence of a direct correlation between X-ray and TeV fluxesin the BL Lacs population. We used this trend to estimate the VHE flux of ourtargets, and found a promising sample of sources for follow-up observationswith current or future, more sensitive, Cherenkov telescopes, first andforemost the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory.

CREATION OF A SCORE FOR QUANTIFICATION OF COLOPROCTOLOGICAL AND AUTONOMIC SYMPTOMS IN INTESTINAL ENDOMETRIOSIS

Transient grating spectroscopy on a DyCo5 thin film with femtosecond extreme ultraviolet pulses

Territory, Terrain, and Human Rights: Jurisdiction and Border Control Under the European Convention on Human Rights

In recent years, European states have become creative in developing strategies to curtail international migration while escaping their obligations under human rights law. These strategies aim at stopping migrants before they can enter a state’s jurisdiction, under the argument that states are not bound to their obligations while operating outside their jurisdictional boundaries. This article adopts a geographic perspective to examine the concept of jurisdiction under the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and particularly its nexus with territory. During the last decade, the ECtHR has interpreted jurisdiction to encompass situations where states apprehend migrants outside their borders, thus extending jurisdiction to extraterritorial operations. However, states can circumvent this by manipulating the territorial organisations of their borders to prevent migrants from reaching their territory without directly apprehending them. These strategies include agreements with countries of transit along with other, specific interventions. I take the case of N.D. and N.T. v. Spain as an example of this trend, and of the ECtHR’s failure to make European states accountable. As a solution, I argue that jurisdiction should be interpreted to encompass territoriality as one of its components, and under a definition of territory informed by geographic research, and distinct from its conventional definition under international law.

Time lapses between distribution of influenza vaccines to health authorities and their administration by General Practitioners (GPs) to older adults: a retrospective study over five influenza seasons in Italy

Delays in influenza vaccine delivery and administration can hinder vaccine coverage and protection. This study examines the differentials in distributing and administering adjuvanted trivalent (aTIV) and quadrivalent influenza vaccines (aQIV) to older adults in Italy’s primary care setting and its potential impact on hospitalization risk over 5 epidemic seasons. Using a primary care database, individuals aged ≥ 65 years were selected. The proportion of vaccine distribution to regional authorities and subsequent administration by GPs was estimated using census data. Using quantile (median) regression, we examined the relationship between velocities of vaccine distribution and administration (doses/week) and the incidence of hospitalizations. Over the 5 influenza seasons, the velocity of distribution and administration of aTIV/aQIV ranged 341–833 and 152–270 median doses/week; no trend was yielded for the difference between these velocities ( p  = 0.189) or vaccine coverage ( p  = 0.142). An association was observed for each differential dose/week between distributed and administered vaccines and all-cause hospitalizations with a 10% increase in 2017–2018, 54% in 2018–2019, and 12% in 2020–2021 season. These findings highlight the importance of minimizing the time lapse between vaccine distribution and administration to mitigate the impact of influenza and address factors that contribute to vaccination barriers.

A CFD-based framework to evaluate surgical alternatives in cerebral aneurysms

Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations on patient-specific geometries may guide the choice between alternative surgical interventions, especially in the case on non-conventional treatments. We propose and formalise a CFD-based framework to evaluate alternative surgical interventions. It provides surgeons with the CFD analyses of different surgical options, so that they may decide the best strategy based on quantitative haemodynamic parameters for each surgical alternative. The proposed framework is largely automatised and, when it necessarily requires the intervention of a human operator due to the patient-specific nature, this intervention is well-formalised to reduce inter-operator variability and guarantee reproducibility. To provide preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of the framework, we present its application to complex Intracranial Aneurysms (IAs), which involve less than 5% of brain aneurysms, but are usually at a high risk of rupture and often show unexpected response to therapy. Complex IAs include aneurysms that cannot be treated with conventional therapies, such as neck clipping, sac coiling or stenting, while instead their treatment requires the sacrifice of the parent artery. In particular, we refer to a giant cavernous sinus aneurysm inside the left internal carotid artery. Results show the ability of the framework to provide haemodynamic quantitative evaluations, which can be useful additional information for the neurosurgeon towards optimal surgical planning.

Energy-efficient control in multi-stage production lines with parallel machine workstations and production constraints

Nowadays, the growing interest in industry for enhancing manufacturing processes sustainability is a major trend. One of the most supported strategies to increase the energy-efficiency of manufacturing activities is the control of machine state towards the optimum trade-off between production rate and energy demand. This method is referred to as energy-efficient control and it triggers machines in a standby state with low power request. In this article, multi-stage production lines composed of identical parallel machine workstations are the systems of interest, and the energy-efficient control policies make use of buffer level information. Each machine can be switched off instantaneously and switched on with a stochastic startup time. Problem objective is to minimize the energy demand while ensuring production constraints. This article proposes a novel approach to solve the problem at hand. An exact model for two-stage system is formulated using a Markov Decision Process to be solved with a linear programming methodology. A novel technique, namely the Backward-Recursive approach, is used to address systems with more than two stages. Numerical experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Satellite DNA supports the monophyly of Lacertibaenia (Amphisbaenia and Lacertidae) in squamate phylogeny

Protocols for X-ray transient grating pump / optical probe experiments at X-ray Free Electron Lasers