First Simultaneous Measurement of Differential Muon-Neutrino Charged-Current Cross Sections on Argon for Final States with and without Protons Using MicroBooNE Data.

We report the first double-differential neutrino-argon cross section measurement made simultaneously for final states with and without protons for the inclusive muon neutrino charged-current interaction channel. The proton kinematics of this channel are further explored with a differential cross section measurement as a function of the leading proton's kinetic energy that extends across the detection threshold. These measurements use data collected with the MicroBooNE detector from 6.4×10^{20} protons on target from the Fermilab booster neutrino beam with a mean neutrino energy of ∼0.8 GeV. Extensive data-driven model validation utilizing the conditional constraint formalism is employed. This motivates enlarging the uncertainties with an empirical reweighting approach to minimize the possibility of extracting biased cross section results. The extracted nominal flux-averaged cross sections are compared to widely used event generator predictions revealing severe mismodeling of final states without protons for muon neutrino charged-current interactions, possibly from insufficient treatment of final state interactions. These measurements provide a wealth of new information useful for improving event generators which will enhance the sensitivity of precision measurements in neutrino experiments.

First Search for Dark-Trident Processes Using the MicroBooNE Detector.

We present a first search for dark-trident scattering in a neutrino beam using a dataset corresponding to 7.2×10^{20} protons on target taken with the MicroBooNE detector at Fermilab. Proton interactions in the neutrino target at the main injector produce π^{0} and η mesons, which could decay into dark-matter (DM) particles mediated via a dark photon A^{'}. A convolutional neural network is trained to identify interactions of the DM particles in the liquid-argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) exploiting its imagelike reconstruction capability. In the absence of a DM signal, we provide limits at the 90% confidence level on the squared kinematic mixing parameter ϵ^{2} as a function of the dark-photon mass in the range 10≤M_{A^{'}}≤400 MeV. The limits cover previously unconstrained parameter space for the production of fermion or scalar DM particles χ for two benchmark models with mass ratios M_{χ}/M_{A^{'}}=0.6 and 2 and for dark fine-structure constants 0.1≤α_{D}≤1.

Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons in Electron-Positron and Neutral-Pion Final States with the MicroBooNE Detector.

We present the first search for heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) decaying into νe^{+}e^{-} or νπ^{0} final states in a liquid-argon time projection chamber using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector. The data were recorded synchronously with the NuMI neutrino beam from Fermilab's main injector corresponding to a total exposure of 7.01×10^{20} protons on target. We set upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the mixing parameter |U_{µ4}|^{2} in the mass ranges 10≤m_{HNL}≤150 MeV for the νe^{+}e^{-} channel and 150≤m_{HNL}≤245 MeV for the νπ^{0} channel, assuming |U_{e4}|^{2}=|U_{τ4}|^{2}=0. These limits represent the most stringent constraints in the mass range 35

Inventory of landslides triggered by an extreme rainfall event in Marche-Umbria, Italy, on 15 September 2022.

Systematic and timely documentation of triggered (i.e. event) landslides is fundamental to build extensive datasets worldwide that may help define and/or validate trends in response to climate change. More in general, preparation of landslide inventories is a crucial activity since it provides the basic data for any subsequent analysis. In this work we present an event landslide inventory map (E-LIM) that was prepared through a systematic reconnaissance field survey in about 1 month after an extreme rainfall event hit an area of about 5000 km2 in the Marche-Umbria regions (central Italy). The inventory reports evidence of 1687 triggered landslides in an area of ~550 km2. All slope failures were classified according to type of movement and involved material, and documented with field pictures, wherever possible. The database of the inventory described in this paper as well as the collection of selected field pictures associated with each feature is publicly available at figshare.

Two statistical regimes in the transition to filamentation.

We experimentally investigate fluctuations in the spectrum of ultrashort laser pulses propagating in air, close to the critical power for filamentation. Increasing the laser peak power broadens the spectrum while the beam approaches the filamentation regime. We identify two regimes for this transition: In the center of the spectrum, the output spectral intensity increases continuously. In contrast, on the edges of the spectrum the transition implies a bimodal probability distribution function for intermediate incident pulse energies, where a high-intensity mode appears and grows at the expense of the original low-intensity mode. We argue that this dual behavior prevents the definition of a univoquial threshold for filamentation, shedding a new light on the long-standing lack of explicit definition of the boundary of the filamentation regime.

An Advanced Surgical Dressing for High-risk Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery: a Case-control Study.

Oncological breast surgeries, classified as breast conserving surgery, oncoplastic surgery, and mastectomies (standard or with tissue sparing and reconstruction), are burdened with an overall complication rate up to 33%. Aquacel Ag Surgical is a combined hydrofiber-hydrocolloids dressing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of surgical site complications in patients presenting with three or more risk factors (or two, of which at least one classified as "high risk"), undergoing breast cancer surgery with/without reconstruction, comparing advanced (Aquacel Ag Surgical) with traditional dressing. METHODS: This is a retrospective, monocentric, case-control study based at the breast unit of the Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital of Turin, Italy. Forty-two patients who underwent breast surgeries and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled, from February 1 to July 31, 2018. The primary endpoint was comparing the incidence of surgical site complications (skin alterations, infection, and wound dehiscence) in the two groups. The secondary endpoints were evaluating patient's quality of life, aesthetic outcomes, and compliance to the dressings. RESULTS: The distribution of risk factors at the baseline between the two groups was balanced, without statistically significant differences. Wound complications' incidence at 1 week was lower in the advanced dressing group (P = 0.015). On the bivariate descriptive analysis, advanced dressing proved to be easier to remove for the operator (P = 0.026). The aesthetic outcomes vouched for better scores in the advanced dressing group. CONCLUSION: In the presented study Aquacel Ag Surgical dressing reduces surgical site complications in the first week after surgery in patients affected by three or more risk factors (or two with at least one classified as "high risk").

Search for Lepton Number and Flavor Violation in K

Searches for the lepton number violating K^{+}→π^{-}µ^{+}e^{+} decay and the lepton flavor violating K^{+}→π^{+}µ^{-}e^{+} and π^{0}→µ^{-}e^{+} decays are reported using data collected by the NA62 experiment at CERN in 2017-2018. No evidence for these decays is found and upper limits of the branching ratios are obtained at 90% confidence level: B(K^{+}→π^{-}µ^{+}e^{+})<4.2×10^{-11}, B(K^{+}→π^{+}µ^{-}e^{+})<6.6×10^{-11} and B(π^{0}→µ^{-}e^{+})<3.2×10^{-10}. These results improve by 1 order of magnitude over previous results for these decay modes.

Separatrix crossing and symmetry breaking in NLSE-like systems due to forcing and damping.

We theoretically and experimentally examine the effect of forcing and damping on systems that can be described by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE), by making use of the phase-space predictions of the three-wave truncation. In the latter, the spectrum is truncated to only the fundamental frequency and the upper and lower sidebands. Our experiments are performed on deep water waves, which are better described by the higher-order NLSE, the Dysthe equation. We therefore extend our analysis to this system. However, our conclusions are general for NLSE systems. By means of experimentally obtained phase-space trajectories, we demonstrate that forcing and damping cause a separatrix crossing during the evolution. When the system is damped, it is pulled outside the separatrix, which in the real space corresponds to a phase-shift of the envelope and therefore doubles the period of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou recurrence cycle. When the system is forced by the wind, it is pulled inside the separatrix, lifting the phase-shift. Furthermore, we observe a growth and decay cycle for modulated plane waves that are conventionally considered stable. Finally, we give a theoretical demonstration that forcing the NLSE system can induce symmetry breaking during the evolution.

The Reduction of Methane Production in the In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation of Different Substrates is Linked with the Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil.

There is interest in identifying natural products capable of manipulating rumen microbial activity to develop new feed additives for ruminant nutrition as a strategy to reduce methane. Two trials were performed using the in vitro gas production technique to evaluate the interaction of substrate (n = 5) and additive (n = 6, increasing doses: 0, 0.3, 3, 30, and 300 µL/L of essential oils-EO-of Lippia turbinata or Tagetes minuta, and monensin at 1.87 mg/L). The two EO utilized were selected because they differ markedly in their chemical composition, especially in the proportion of oxygenated compounds. For both EO, the interaction between the substrate and additive was significant for all variables; however, the interaction behaved differently for the two EO. Within each substrate, the response was dose-dependent, without effects at a low level of EO and a negative outcome at the highest dose. The intermediate dose (30 µL/L) inhibited methane with a slight reduction on substrate digestibility, with L. turbinata being more effective than T. minuta. It is concluded that the effectiveness of the EO to reduce methane production depends on interactions between the substrate that is fermented and the additive dose that generates different characteristics within the incubation medium (e.g., pH); and thus, the chemical nature of the compounds of the EO modulates the magnitude of this response.

Single-spectrum prediction of kurtosis of water waves in a nonconservative model.

We study statistical properties after a sudden episode of wind for water waves propagating in one direction. A wave with random initial conditions is propagated using a forced-damped higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equation. During the wind episode, the wave action increases, the spectrum broadens, the spectral mean shifts up, and the Benjamin-Feir index (BFI) and the kurtosis increase. Conversely, after the wind episode, the opposite occurs for each quantity. The kurtosis of the wave height distribution is considered the main parameter that can indicate whether rogue waves are likely to occur in a sea state, and the BFI is often mentioned as a means to predict the kurtosis. However, we find that while there is indeed a quadratic relation between these two, this relationship is dependent on the details of the forcing and damping. Instead, a simple and robust quadratic relation does exist between the kurtosis and the bandwidth. This could allow for a single-spectrum assessment of the likelihood of rogue waves in a given sea state. In addition, as the kurtosis depends strongly on the damping and forcing coefficients, by combining the bandwidth measurement with the damping coefficient, the evolution of the kurtosis after the wind episode can be predicted.