[en] Abstract only

[en] The clinical, diagnostic and anatomo-pathologic aspects of syringo-hydromyelic syndrome are described in six calves. The animals were submitted because of inability to rise since birth. At physical examination, calves appeared bright, alert, and in good condition; they were recumbent and, despite repeated attempts to stand up, were unable to. When forced to move, they showed a characteristic posterior bunny-hopping. Radiographically, one calf presented emivertebrae. The myelography was performed. In five calves a swelling was observed in lumbar spinal cord. At postmortem examination the main lesions were confined to the lumbar spinal cord with cystic cavities. The histological diagnosis were: syringo-hydromyelia in four calves; syringomyelia in one calf; syringomyelia and hydromyelia, simultaneously, in one calf

[en] This paper summarizes the relevance of neutrinoless Double Beta Decay for neutrino physics and the implications of this phenomenon for crucial aspects of particle and astroparticle physics. After discussing general experimental concepts, like the different proposed technological approaches and the sensitivity, the present experimental situation is reviewed. The future searches are then described, providing an organic presentation which picks up similarities and differences. As a conclusion, we try to envisage what we expect round the corner and at a longer time scale. (author)

[en] The fine structure of beta emission (BEFS) due to the interference with the scattered waves from neighboring atoms, analogous to EXAFS, is known to produce oscillations in the Kurie plot. Here we suggest the use of BEFS for characterizing the lattice environment of β-emitting defects located at a distance from the crystal surface not exceeding the mean free path of β-electrons. Examples of defective structures in semiconductors whose atomic arrangement could be conveniently studied with BEFS are tritium-passivated dangling bonds, β-radioactive ions implanted in the crystal lattice or segregated at extended defects such as dislocations, grain boundaries or radiation damage. Also ¹⁴C-doped diamond-like materials and other exotic carbon forms, as well as the atomic environment of ions in metal alloys could be good candidate for BEFS. In this work we have calculated the fractional BEFS modulation for ¹⁸⁷Re in its ordinary hcp crystal lattice for which experimental data by Cosulich et al. are available. The good correspondence between theory and experiment permits to conclude that BEFS experiments at low temperature are accessible to the present bolometric detection techniques and can provide an expedient method, as compared to EXAFS, for an accurate structural assessment of extended defects in solids

[en] Status of art on phonon mediated particle detection with dielectric absorbers is reported. The results and the techniques which could lead to start soon pilot experiments in dark matter search, double beta decay search and x-ray astrophysics are described. (author)

[en] Ganglioside GM1, ³H-labeled in the sphingosine or terminal galactose moiety was injected into mice and its metabolic fate in the liver was followed. After administration of sphingosine-labeled GM1 all major liver gangliosides (GM3, GM2, GM1, GD1a-NeuAc, NeuG1) became radioactive, the radioactivity residing in all cases on the sphingosine moiety. The specific radioactivity was highest on GM1, followed by GM2, GM3 and GD1a-NeuAc, NeuG1. Several neutral glycosphingolipids and sphingomyelin were also formed. After administration of galactose-labelled GM1 the only radioactive gangliosides present in the liver were GM1 and GD1a-NeuAc, NeuG1, both carrying the radioactivity on the terminal galactose residue, with no formation of labelled neutral glycosphingolipids. Subcellular studies gave clear evidence that GM1, after being taken up by the liver, was mainly degraded to GM2, GM3 and neutral glycosphingolipids at the level of lysosomes. A part of it was sialylated to more complex gangliosides and some of its metabolic by-products were used for the biosynthesis of other sphingolipid species, likely at the level of the Golgi apparatus. All this suggests that exogenous GM1 is introduced in the metabolic routes of endogenous gangliosides and of other sphingolipids, which are operating in the liver

[en] After selection of low l/f noise GaAs MESFETS a pre-amplifier for cryogenic detectors was developed. It operates at 1 Kelvin, has a voltage gain of 50, and a bandwidth of 8 Mhz at 100 kHz. It is used to amplify the signal of bolometric detectors avoiding microphonics and RFI energy pick-up which heats detector up. It will also be used for rise time studies on fast detectors

[en] After a short introduction on Double Beta Decay (DBD), general features of a bolometric experiment to search for neutrinoless Double Beta Decay (0ν-DBD) of ¹³⁰Te are outlined. The appeal of ¹³⁰Te as a DBD emitter is emphasized. After a brief description of the now closed Mi-DBD experiment, the CUORICINO experiment, an expansion of Mi-DBD, is presented and the first experimental results are given, together with a discussion on the background issues and the consequent sensitivity. CUORE experiment, a new generation 0ν-DBD search, is proposed on the basis of the experience and information gathered with the realization and running of Mi-DBD and CUORICINO. The CUORE structure is presented and the ultimate sensitivity to Majorana neutrino mass is discussed. In case of inverse neutrino mass hierarchy, the CUORE discovery potential is shown to be large. (author)

[en] Cultured HeLa cells were incubated with pyrene-GM1/³H-radiolabeled GM1 ganglioside (1:4 M/M) mixtures for various times. The process of association of pyrene-GM1 with cells was qualitatively and quantitatively the same as that of ³H-GM1. The pyrene-GM1 and ³H-GM1 proportions in the various forms of association with cells were similar to that of the starting ganglioside mixture. After 2-h incubation, the association of ganglioside with cells was well established whereas almost no metabolic processing had occurred. During a 24-h incubation, pyrene- and ³H-GM1 underwent similar metabolic processing and gave rise to catabolic (GM2 and GM3) and anabolic (GDla) derivatives. Fluorescence spectroscopy experiments carried out with the excimer formation technique on subcellular fractions containing plasma membranes showed that exogenous ganglioside was, in part, associated with the cells in a micellar form removable by trypsin treatment, and in part inserted in a seemingly molecular dispersion. Addition of Ca²⁺ salts caused aggregation of the ganglioside, as indicated by the increase of the excimer:monomer fluorescence ratio. The phenomenon was Ca²⁺ concentration dependent (maximum at 10 mM), and subsequent addition of EDTA has no effect. The saccharide portion of exogenously incorporated pyrene-GM1 was available to interact with external ligands, as shown by its ability to bind cholera toxin whose addition reduced the collision rate among the ganglioside lipid moieties

[en] Cuoricino is a Double Beta Decay experiment operating deep underground, in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy; at a depth of about 3500 m.w.e. The search for the 0νββ of ¹³⁰Te is carried out with the bolometric technique and an upper limit of 3x10²⁴ y (at 90%C.L.) is set for this process. Cuoricino represents not only the most sensitive DBD Experiment presently operating but also a prototype for a next generation experiment, CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events). The expected performance and sensitivity, based on Monte Carlo simulations and extrapolations of the present Cuoricino results, indicate that CUORE will be able to test the 0.02-0.05 eV region for the effective neutrino mass, having a high discovery potential in the inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern