Search

The integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM), or Historic BIM (HBIM), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has assumed a crucial role not only in the management of smart cities or urban districts, as well as in the construction sector or infrastructures but also in the management, conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage. This integration opens up new opportunities for decision-makers to assess the impact of interventions on heritage sites, evaluate preservation strategies, and facilitate informed decision-making processes. This contribution presents and describes the open-source web platform developed within the Interreg MAIN10ANCE project. The project aims to promote a common methodology for the cooperation and collaboration of the various stakeholders involved in the restoration, management and maintenance activities of built and cultural heritage sites. This objective has been pursued by creating a BIM-GIS database, focused on the definition of planned maintenance activities, whose data has been made available to professionals and management bodies by means of a shared web platform, usable directly in situ on a tablet or portable devices. The paper highlights the key components of the web platform, including the BIM, GIS, and artifact Viewers, the Planner, and the overall Dashboard. The platform's multiscale and multi-source approach makes it extensible to various cultural assets, whether environmental, architectural, or movable. By integrating historical and geometric information and planning maintenance activities, the web platform thus supports public administrations and professionals, amending existing state-of-the-art solutions.

The investigation of submarine volcanoes and the tsunamigenic potential of possible movements on their flanks is arduous. In most cases, the lack of specific information about the eruptions’ history and their consequences does not allow a comprehensive analysis in terms of hazard. Nevertheless, useful clues on the possible occurrence of mass movements on seamounts can be obtained from a series of research fields. These account for morphological studies, observations of hydrothermal activity, collection of geophysical data (for example, detailed DEM, seismic profiles, magnetic data), etc. In this context, this study presents new bathymetric data of the Vavilov submarine volcano (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) and a detailed morphological analysis of the structure. The latter allows the identification of zones potentially prone to mass movements and the development of numerical scenarios to investigate the tsunami potential associated to these movements on the Vavilov flanks. Results prove that the waves generated by the mass displacements in the proposed scenarios (involving sliding volumes between 0.32 km3 and 1.7 km3) reach maximum values in the order of centimetres, not considering dispersive effects. Eventually, a scenario involving the partial collapse of the west flank of the Vavilov Seamount is simulated, although the occurrence of such an event in the past is still debated due to the uncertainties related to the origin and development of the volcano dome. In this scenario, water elevation as high as 10 m are found in large portions of the Tyrrhenian coasts: waves are large enough to emplace sizeable tsunami deposits onshore, that could have been preserved until today in some specific stretches of the coast and could be detected by a finalised geological search. This study belongs to a series of works devoted to the submarine structures of the Tyrrhenian Sea aiming to disclose the tsunamigenic potential of submarine mass movements on their flanks.

Human exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and their presence in indoor and working environments is recognized as a serious health risk, causing impairment of varying severity. Different detecting systems able to monitor VOCs are available in the market, however they have significant limitations for both sensitivity and chemical discrimination capability. During the last years we studied systematically the use of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy as an alternative, powerful tool for quantifying VOCs in air. We calibrated the method for a set of compounds (styrene, acetone, ethanol and isopropanol) by using both laboratory and portable infrared spectrometers. The aim was to develop a new, real time and highly sensitive sensor system for VOCs monitoring. In this paper, we improve the setup performance testing the feasibility of using a multipass cell with the aim of extending the sensitivity of this sensor system down to the part per milion (ppb) level. Considering that multipass cells are now available also for portable instruments, this study opens the road for the design of new high-resolution devices for environmental monitoring., 17 pages, 9 figures

The low crystallinity of arsenic (As) containing minerals such as arseniosiderite and yukonite has made a detailed understanding of their atomic structures elusive. X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to gain a detailed understanding of the short and medium-range structural features. High-resolution synchrotron powder diffraction data showed long-range order in arseniosiderite occurs along one direction. PDF data confirmed arseniosiderite has the same general structure as robertsite and mitridatite but with the layers occasionally shifted to disrupt long-range order. Use of small box and reverse Monte Carlo modeling of the PDF data gave the first complete set of atomic coordinates for arseniosiderite. TEM confirmed the degree of interlayer order is generally high. PDF and TEM data show that yukonite is a nano-sized analog of arseniosiderite which lacks any long-range order but is locally similar. The structural evolution of arseniosiderite from yukonite was observed for the first time in a natural specimen via TEM. PDF data on several yukonite samples reveal rather sudden drops in the degree of structural correlation as a function of distance. These drops occur from yukonite being composed of small layers made of integer numbers of large nonamers of edge-sharing FeO6 octahedra, as seen in arseniosiderite. However, these layers are 2 or 3 nonamers in width, with little structural correlation between layers. Thus our work provides a more complete nano/microscopic picture of the key structural features in these minerals found in mining ores and wastes around the world.

Many individuals with major depression disorder (MDD) who achieve remission of depressive symptoms, do not perceive themselves as fully recovered. This study explores whether clinical remission is related to functional remission and to patient's perception of recovery, as well as, which factors are associated with their functional and subjective remission. 148 patients with MDD in partial clinical remission were included. Demographics and clinical variables were collected through semi-structured interviews. Objective cognition was evaluated through a neuropsychological battery and subjective cognition through a specific questionnaire. The patient's psychosocial functioning and the perception of their remission were also assessed. Apart from descriptive analysis, Pearson correlations and backward stepwise regression models explored the relationship between demographic, clinical, and cognitive factors with patients' functional and self-perceived remission. From the whole sample, 57 patients (38.5%) were considered to achieve full clinical remission, 38 patients (25.7%) showed functional remission, and 55 patients (37.2%) perceived themselves as remitted. Depressive symptoms and objective and subjective executive function were the factors associated with psychosocial functioning. Besides, depressive symptoms, objective and subjective attention, and subjective executive function were the significant explanatory variables for self-perception of remission. The concept of full recovery from an episode of MDD should not only include the clinician's perspective but also the patient's psychosocial functioning along with their self-perceived remission. As residual depressive symptoms and cognition (objective and subjective) are factors with great contribution to a full recovery, clinicians should specifically address them when choosing therapeutic strategies.

Some evidence suggests that patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have better Theory of Mind (ToM) skills than patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (SCH). However, this difference is not consistently reported across studies, so rather than being global, it may be restricted to specific aspects of ToM. Our primary objective was to compare higher order ToM performance between BD and SCH patients using the Hinting Task (HT). Ninety-four remitted patients were recruited (BD = 47, SCH = 47). Intelligence quotient (IQ), attention, memory, executive functions, and processing speed were also assessed. Patients with BD performed better on the HT than patients with SCH, even when the analysis was adjusted for IQ and neurocognition (p < 0.001, eta(2)(p) = 0.144). Regression analysis in the total sample showed that a diagnosis of SCH and lower IQ were associated with lower HT scores (R-2 = 0.316, p < 0.001). In the BD group, verbal memory and processing speed were the main predictors of HT performance (R-2 = 0.344, p < 0.001). In the SCH group, no variable was significant in explaining HT performance. In the context of previous studies that found no significant differences in the most basic aspects of ToM (e.g., understand other people's thoughts/beliefs), our results suggest that differences between the two disorders might be limited to the more challenging aspects (e.g., understand the intended meaning of indirect requests). No causal inferences can be made in this cross-sectional study. However, regression analyses show that whereas in BD patients, ToM functioning would be partially modulated by neurocognitive performance, in SCH patients, it could be largely independent of the well-known neurocognitive impairment.

This study aimed to evaluate different n6:n3ratios on performance, serum biochemical variables, and egg quality in 81-week-old laying hens. A total of 224 laying hens, 81-week-old Hysex White, were utilized and distributed in a completely randomized design consisting of seven treatments and eight replications of four birds per cage, totaling 56 cages. The experimental treatments consisted of seven different n6:n3fatty acid ratios: 1.0:1.0, 2.0:1.0, 4.0:1.0, 8.0:1.0, 16.0:1.0, 32.0:1.0, and 64.0:1.0. For diet formulation, sunflower oil, rich in omega-6, and linseed oil, rich in omega-3, were used. Productive performance, egg quality and serum biochemical variables of laying hens were evaluated at the end of the cycle at 26, 27, and 28 days. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted and orthogonal contrasts were used to obtain the sum of squares of the treatment of the analysis of variance in polynomial regression effects. Egg quality variables did not vary significantly between the diets. Therefore, diet supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids at different ratios was possible without altering egg quality. The only exception was Haugh unit, which displayed a quadratic effect indicating that the best value was the n6:n3ratio of 32, according to data significance. It was concluded that an increase in n6:n3ratios decreases laying hens’ feed intake. The n6:n3 ratio of 34.64 provides greater eggs’ Haugh units, decreasing from that value on. The ratios of n6:n3 did not influence the hens’ serum biochemical variables.

Amphiboles are essential components of the continental crust and subduction zones showing anomalous anisotropic conductivity. Rock properties depend on the physical properties of their constituent minerals, which in turn depend on the crystal phonon and electron density of states. Here, to address the atomic-scale mechanism of the peculiar rock conductivity, we applied in situ temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy, sensitive to both phonon and electron states, to Fe2+-rich amphiboles. The observed anisotropic resonance Raman scattering at elevated temperatures, in combination with density-functional-theory modelling, reveals a direction-dependent formation of mobile polarons associated with coupled FeO6 phonons and electron transitions. Hence, temperature-activated electron-phonon excitations in hydrous iron-bearing chain and layered silicates are the atomistic source of anisotropic lithospheric conductivity. Furthermore, reversible delocalization of H+ occurs at similar temperatures even in a reducing atmosphere. The occurrence of either type of charge carriers does not require initial mixed-valence state of iron or high oxygen fugacity in the system. Amphiboles are hydrous silicates occurring in many rock types in the continental crust and subduction zones. Here, in situ Raman spectroscopy of grunerite reveals temperature-activated electron-phonon excitations that provide an atomistic insight into the role of amphiboles in the anisotropic lithospheric conductivity.

Background and aim of the work: Even though vaccination is easy to access in Europe, it has been facing several outbreaks caused by vaccine preventable diseases. Trying to balance the right to health of the community with individual self-determination, in Italy was mandate vaccination for ten vaccine preventable diseases in 2017. The project “Sportello Vaccinale” provided a counseling service to parents in kindergarten of Palermo. The main objective of the study was to investigate knowledge and compliance on vaccination by children’s parents after the implementation of mandatory vaccination. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among parents accessing to the “Sportello Vaccinale” using a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 34 items divided into three sections: socio-demographic data; knowledge and attitude on mandatory vaccination using Health Belief Model (HBM); Health Literacy (HL) level. Results: A total of 95 questionnaires were garnered in the kindergartens from respondents with a mean age of 36 (±SD=6) years. The respondents who delayed hexavalent or Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella (MMRV) vaccinations were 8 (8%) and the more frequent cause was fear of adverse reaction (87%). The sample had more often high level of health literacy (37%), and 55% had higher HBM score. The factor significantly associated with higher HBM score was the age of respondents (OR= 1.14, p=0.006) after controlling for other variables. Conclusions: Consent to vaccination practice was widely represented, but the results of the study highlighted the need for parents to have more information and more time devoted to the practice of vaccination counseling. Implementing counseling activities at school or at the vaccination service, could support an aware decision process of the parents on vaccination topic.

Background and aim of the work: In response to the alarming reduction of vaccination coverage rates, Italian Ministry of Health approved the law number 119/2017, which has extended the number of mandatory vaccinations, for school attendance, from four to ten. The present study aims to evaluate accesses to the vaccination services of the Palermo Local Health Unit (LHU) and the variation of the vaccination coverage rates for hexavalent and measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccines, after the implementation of the law 119/2017. Methods: An extent of opening hours and an involvement of other health-care professionals in the vaccination services of the Palermo LHU have been adopted to manage the excess of accesses after the introduction of 119/2017 law and to limit the discomfort of general population. Vaccination accesses and coverage rates were calculated from the electronic immunization registers. Results: An overall increase of about 15% of single vaccination accesses was observed in the three semester after the introduction of the law in the LHU of Palermo. A peak of 35,516 accesses was observed during the second semester of 2017 (+ 30% compared to the same semesters of 2016 and 2018). From 2016 to 2018, coverage rates for full hexavalent cycle and first dose of MMRV, at 24 and 36 months, and for full MMRV cycle and fourth dose of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis (DTPa+IPV), among 6 years old children, showed considerable increases. Conclusions: Law 199/2017 demonstrated a high efficacy in increase vaccination coverage rates also in Sicily. The synergy established between the LHU and the University of Palermo allowed an excellent management of the accesses to vaccination services, making it possible to respond to the public health needs of the general population.

​​​​​​​Late Paleocene deposition of an organic-rich sedimentary facies on the continental shelf and slope of New Zealand and eastern Australia has been linked to short-lived climatic cooling and terrestrial denudation following sea level fall. Recent studies confirm that the organic matter in this facies, termed “Waipawa organofacies”, is primarily of terrestrial origin, with a minor marine component. It is also unusually enriched in 13C. In this study we address the cause of this enrichment. For Waipawa organofacies and its bounding facies in the Taylor White section, Hawke's Bay, paired palynofacies and carbon isotope analysis of heavy liquid-separated density fractions indicate that the heaviest δ13C values are associated with degraded phytoclasts (woody plant matter) and that the 13C enrichment may be partly due to lignin degradation. Compound-specific stable carbon isotope analyses of samples from the Taylor White and mid-Waipara (Canterbury) sections display similar trends and further reveal a residual 13C enrichment of ∼ 2.5 ‰ in higher plant biomarkers (long chain n-alkanes and fatty acids) and a ∼ 2 ‰–5 ‰ change in subordinate marine biomarkers. Using the relationship between atmospheric CO2 and C3 plant tissue δ13C values, we determine that the 3 ‰ increase in terrestrial δ13C may represent a ∼ 35 % decrease in atmospheric CO2.Refined age control for Waipawa organofacies indicates that deposition occurred between 59.2 and 58.5 Ma, which coincides with an interval of carbonate dissolution in the deep sea that is associated with a Paleocene oxygen isotope maximum (POIM, 59.7–58.1 Ma) and the onset of the Paleocene carbon isotope maximum (PCIM, 59.3–57.4 Ma). This association suggests that Waipawa deposition occurred during a time of cool climatic conditions and increased carbon burial. This relationship is further supported by published TEX86-based sea surface temperatures that indicate a pronounced regional cooling during deposition. We suggest that reduced greenhouse gas emissions from volcanism and accelerated carbon burial, due to tectonic factors, resulted in short-lived global cooling, growth of ephemeral ice sheets and a global fall in sea level. Accompanying erosion and carbonate dissolution in deep-sea sediment archives may have hidden the evidence of this “hypothermal” event until now.

Barbara Fiori,1–3,* Tiziana D’Inzeo,2,3,* Brunella Posteraro,4,5 Giulia Menchinelli,3 Flora Marzia Liotti,3 Giulia De Angelis,2,3 Flavio De Maio,3 Massimo Fantoni,6,7 Rita Murri,6,7 Giancarlo Scoppettuolo,6 Giulio Ventura,6 Mario Tumbarello,6,7 Francesco Pennestrì,4 Francesco Taccari,7 Maurizio Sanguinetti,2,3 Teresa Spanu2,31Scuola Provinciale Superiore di Sanità Claudiana, Bolzano, Italy; 2Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Dipartimento di Scienze di Laboratorio e Infettivologiche, Rome, Italy; 3Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Istituto di Microbiologia, Rome, Italy; 4Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Dipartimento di Scienze Gastroenterologiche, Endocrino-Metaboliche e Nefro-Urologiche, Rome, Italy; 5Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Rome, Istituto di Patologia e Semeiotica Medica, Rome, Italy; 6Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, UOC Malattie Infettive, Rome, Italy; 7Istituto di Malattie Infettive, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workObjectives: To describe a rapid workflow based on the direct detection of Escherichia coli (Ec) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) producing CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and/or carbapenemases (eg, KPC, VIM) from blood cultures (BCs) and the infectious disease (ID) consulting for timely appropriate antimicrobial therapy.Methods: This observational, retrospective study included adult patients with a first episode of Ec or Kp bloodstream infection (BSI) in a large Italian university hospital, where an inpatient ID consultation team (IDCT) has been operational. Results from the BCs tested for detecting blaCTX-M, blaKPC, blaNDM, blaOXA-48-like, and blaVIM genes by the eazyplex®, SuperBug CRE assay in Ec and Kp organisms had been notified for antimicrobial therapy consulting.Results: In 321 BSI episodes studied, we found that 151 (47.0%) of Ec or Kp organisms harbored blaCTX-M and/or blaKPC and/or blaVIM (meantime from BC collection: 18.5h). Empirical antimicrobial treatment was appropriate in 21.8% (33/151) of BSIs, namely 5.9% (3/51) of BSIs caused by KPC/VIM producers and 30.0% (30/100) of BSIs caused by CTX-M producers. After notification of results, the IDCT modified antimicrobial therapy (mean time from BC collection: 20h) such that the proportion of appropriate treatments increased to 84.8% (128/151) of BSIs, namely 70.6% (36/51) of BSIs caused by KPC/VIM producers and 92.0% (92/100) of BSIs caused by CTX-M producers.Conclusion: Our study shows that a rapid diagnostic-driven clinical strategy allowed for early prescription of potentially effective antimicrobial therapy in BSIs caused by CTX-M ESBL- and/or KPC/VIM carbapenemase-producing Ec and Kp organisms.Keywords: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, bloodstream infection, drug resistance, targeted therapy, infectious disease consultation

Cenozoic evolution of the Antarctic ice sheets is thought to be driven primarily by long-term changes in radiative forcing, but the tectonic evolution of Antarctica may also have played a substantive role. While deep-sea foraminiferal oxygen isotope records provide a combined measure of global continental ice volume and ocean temperature, they do not provide direct insights into non-radiative influences on Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics. Here we present an Antarctic compilation of Cenozoic upper-ocean temperature for the Ross Sea and offshore Wilkes Land, generated by membrane lipid distributions from archaea. We find trends of ocean temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen isotopes largely co-vary. However, this relationship is less clear for the late Oligocene, when high-latitude cooling occurred despite interpretation of oxygen isotopes suggesting global warming and ice-volume loss. We propose this retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet occurred in response to a tectonically driven marine transgression, with warm surface waters precluding marine-based ice-sheet growth. Marine ice-sheet expansion occurred only when ocean temperatures further cooled during the Oligocene–Miocene transition, with cold orbital conditions and low atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our results support a threshold response to atmospheric carbon dioxide, below which Antarctica’s marine ice sheets grow, and above which ocean warming exacerbates their retreat.

Weather and the susceptibility of children to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection is still a debated question and currently a hot topic, particularly in view of important decisions regarding opening schools. Therefore, we performed this prospective analysis of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in children with known household exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 and compared their IgG status with the other adults exposed to the index case in the same household. A total of 30 families with a documented COVID‐19 index case were included. A total of 44 out of 80 household contacts (55%) of index patients had anti SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies. In particular, 16/27 (59,3%) adult partners had IgG antibodies compared with 28/53 (52,3%) of pediatric contacts (p > .05). Among the pediatric population, children ≥5 years of age had a similar probability of having SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies (21/39, 53.8%) compared to those less than 5 years old (7/14, 50%) (p > .05). Adult partners and children also had a similar probability of having SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies. Interestingly, 10/28 (35.7%) of children and 5/27 (18.5%) of adults with SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies were previously diagnosed as COVID‐19 cases. Our study shows evidence of a high rate of IgG antibodies in children exposed to SARS‐CoV‐2. This report has public health implications, highlighting the need to establish appropriate guidelines for school openings and other social activities related to childhood.

Background. Quality improvement is an increasingly recognized approach to maximize service effectiveness and minimize costs in public health. However, the Italian law never provided for the institutional accreditation of vaccination services. Furthermore, a recently approved law added six more compulsory vaccinations to the original four, which has led to a considerable increase in vaccination efforts, without any previous resources evaluation. The aim of the study was to investigate structural, organizational and managerial characteristics of the Italian vaccination services, in order to suggest the adoption of adequate quality standards. Study design. A survey involving the representatives of the Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces was performed between September 2017 and September 2018. Methods. An online questionnaire, including 26 items, designed to evaluate the structural, organizational and managerial characteristics of vaccination services was administered. The correlation between the number of vaccination centres and the coverage for each region was used to evaluate the performance of the vaccination services. Results. Respondents from seven Regions, totaling >15,000,000 inhabitants, answered the questionnaire. Overall, each vaccination service was potentially accessed by an average of 519 children aged zero to 24 months, with a β-coefficient of-0.87 (p = 0.01) for infant vaccination coverage in 2016. Eighty-five percent of vaccination services were provided with architectural features to accommodate the disabled but only 49% provided reserved parking lots. An average of 0.4 physicians and 0.6 other healthcare workers per 10,000 inhabitants were employed in vaccination services, with complete computerization in 74% of them. Conclusions. The inverse relation between vaccination services' spatial accessibility and vaccination coverage suggests that distance and accessibility of vaccination services should be considered in planning. This survey constitutes a baseline data for Italian vaccination services that could be useful for decision makers in establishing minimum requirements to provide high-quality preventive healthcare services.

Introduction. The 2017-2019 Italian National Vaccination Plan promotes the improvement of knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers about vaccine prevention, in order to spread a vaccination culture among general population. Similarly to the General Practitioner, the Pharmacist represents a fundamental forefront for both patients and healthy people, also in promoting vaccine acceptance. This research aims to analyze knowledge and attitudes about vaccines of Community Pharmacists and to evaluate the burden of vaccination counselling during their work activities. Material and methods. A standardized, self-administered and previously validated questionnaire, including 5 sections and 28 items, was submitted to a sample of Community Pharmacists working in Western Sicily. The survey was carried out through an online questionnaire, that investigated socio-demographic data, knowledge and attitudes towards vaccination and the role of the Pharmacist as vaccination counselor during his work. Results. A total of 120 Pharmacists were surveyed. 99.2% of them were definitely agreed with the Regional Vaccination Schedule. A large majority (n = 114, or 95%) were fully vaccinated and have vaccinated, or would vaccinate in future, their children. According to Community Pharmacists interviewed, at least 90% of clients asked for further explanations about vaccination, and the citizens' trust towards vaccination increased (30%) or remained stable (54.2%) over time in the last 5 years. Finally, as reported by interviewed Pharmacists, a correct counselling provided by General Practitioners (GPs) and Family Pediatricians was the main boost in increasing vaccination confidence, instead of mass-media and web misinformation that has led to skepticisms among general population. Conclusions. The study demonstrated the key role of the Community Pharmacist for their consumers in vaccination counselling. In future, a strong collaboration between Community Pharmacists and all the actors promoting vaccination themes (GPs, family Pediatricians, public health workers) will be essential, as well as a uniform and standardized University training on vaccination themes for all these categories.

The main purpose of the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) is to study alternative solutions to mitigate the issue of power exhaust under integrated physics and technical conditions relevant for ITER and DEMO. In this framework, the conceptual design of the beamline for the DTT Neutral Beam Heating system is here summarized, with a particular focus on the technical solutions adopted to fulfill the requirements and maximize beamline performances. The proposed system features a beamline providing deuterium neutrals (D0) with an energy of 510 keV and an injected power of 10 MW. Various design options were considered, and a comprehensive set of simulations was carried out using several physics and engineering codes to drive the choice of the most suitable design options and optimize them, aiming at finding a good compromise among different design requirements. These simulations mainly regard the efficiency of the main processes, the optics of the beam, the physics reactions along the beamline (stripping, charge-exchange and ionization), the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the acceleration grids and the coupling between the beam and the plasma in the tokamak chamber. This paper describes the design of the main components of the injector for the DTT NBI system, i.e. ion source, accelerator, beam line components and vacuum vessel, explaining the motivations for the main design choices.

A patient with COVID-19-related severe respiratory failure, with insufficient response to an antiretroviral therapy, hydroxychloroquine and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) antagonist therapy, presented a prompt resolution of the respiratory function and improvement in the radiological picture after baricitinib at an oral dose of 4 mg per day for 2 weeks.

In this work, we present the analytical expression for the second order divergence in the third order DC response of a cold semiconductor, which can be probed by different electric field setups. Results from this expression were then compared, for the response of the gapped graphene monolayer, with numerical results from a velocity gauge calculation of the third order conductivity. The good agreement between the two validates our analytical expression., 8 pages, 4 figures

Rita Murri,1 Marta Camici,1 Brunella Posteraro,2 Francesca Giovannenze,1 Francesco Taccari,1 Giulio Ventura,1 Giancarlo Scoppettuolo,1 Maurizio Sanguinetti,3 Roberto Cauda,1 Massimo Fantoni1 1Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy; 2Institute of Medical Pathology and Semeiotics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy; 3Institute of Microbiology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy Objectives: To assess the performance of the (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) detection assay in a large cohort of patients with suspected candidemia who were admitted to non-intensive care unit hospital wards. Methods: This observational, retrospective cohort study was conducted in a 1,100-bed university hospital in Rome, where an infectious disease consultation team has been operational. Two groups of patients were included in the analysis: Group 1, patients with Candida bloodstream infection (BSI) who had at least one BDG test performed ±48 hours from the first positive blood culture (Candida BSI Group) and Group 2, patients with risk factors for candidemia who had at least one BDG test but had negative blood cultures (Control Group). Both Group 1 and Group 2 did not receive prior antifungal therapy. Different BDG cutoff values were considered: 80, 200, 300, 400, and ≥500 pg/mL. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated. Results: A total of 1,296 patients were studied. Of them, 100 patients (candidemic) were in Group 1 and the remaining 1,196 patients (controls) were in Group 2. There were no differences in demographic characteristics between patients of the two groups. According to the above cutoff values, sensitivity (%) and specificity (%) of the BDG assay ranged from 91 to 60.7 and 87.7 to 97.8, respectively, whereas the PPV (%) and NPV (%) ranged from 38.2 to 68.3 and 99.1 to 97.0, respectively. Conclusion: Serum BDG has a very high NPV in a population with~10% prevalence of candidemia. This NPV may support decisions to discontinue antifungal therapy in those patients who were empirically treated because of the suspect of candidemia. Keywords: β-glucan, candidemia, Candida, bloodstream infections, antimicrobial stewardship, diagnostic biomarkers

There is a lack of evidence about the possible role of the family environment in the occurrence of the bullying phenomenon among school-age children. We carried out a systematic review of the literature to investigate the positive and negative family determinants associated with the bullying phenomenon. Potential classes of determinants-e.g. interparental conflict and/or parenting behaviours-were studied by searching peer-reviewed literature published between the January 2008 and December 2018 on PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS and ISI Web of Science. At the end of the eligibility process, only 3 studies met all the inclusion criteria, and were then included in the narrative synthesis. Mother destructive profile and excessive infant crying resulted significantly associated with child emotional insecurity and conduct/mood problems at the age of 5-6 years, respectively. Moreover, a decrease of medically unexplained symptoms in adolescent was observed after a one-year family functioning therapy. This body of evidences should raise the interest of the researchers in order to invest in depth the family unit impact on the bullying phenomenon in school environment.

Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its effect among schoolchildren. In the same context, the SINPHONIE (School indoor pollution and health: Observatory network in Europe) conducted a study to collect data and determine the distribution of several indoor air pollutants (IAPs), physical and thermal parameters and their association with eye, skin, upper-, lower respiratory and systemic disorder symptoms during the previous three months. Finally, data from 115 schools in 54 European cities from 23 countries was collected and included 5175 schoolchildren using a harmonized and standardized protocol. The association between exposures and the health outcomes were examined using logistic regression models on individual indoor air pollutants (IAPs); a VOC (volatile organic compound) score defined as the sum of the number of pollutants to which the children were highly exposed (concentration > median of the distribution) in classroom was also introduced to evaluate the multiexposure – outcome association, while adjusting for several confounding factors. Schoolchildren exposed to above or equal median concentration of PM2.5, benzene, limonene, ozone and radon were at significantly higher odds of suffering from upper, lower airways, eye and systemic disorders. Increased odds were also observed for any symptom (sick school syndrome) among schoolchildren exposed to concentrations of limonene and ozone above median values. Furthermore, the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders significantly increased with the VOCs score. Results also showed that increased ventilation rate was significantly associated with decreased odds of suffering from eye, skin disorders whereas similar association was observed between temperature and upper airways symptoms. The present study provides evidence that exposure to IAPs in schools is associated with allergic and respiratory symptoms in children. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.

In this paper we theoretically describe the absorption of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) single layer. We develop the necessary formalism and present an efficient method for solving the Wannier equation for excitons. We give predictions for the absorption of hBN on quartz and on graphite. We compare our predictions with recently published results [Elias {\it et al.}, Nat. Comm. {\bf 10}, 2639 (2019)] for a monolayer of hBN on graphite. The spontaneous radiative lifetime of excitons in hBN is also computed. We argue that the optical properties of hBN in the ultraviolet are very useful for the study of peptides and other biomolecules., 14 pages

INTRODUZIONE Circa il 20% degli Operatori Sanitari (OS) contrae annualmente una patologia da virus influenzale e la vaccinazione stagionale è fortemente raccomandata quale migliore strategia di prevenzione tra gli OS. Diverse iniziative sono state messe in atto a livello nazionale per incrementare le scarse coperture vaccinali antinfluenzali evidenziate tra gli OS. In questo studio viene analizzato il trend di adesione vaccinale degli OS operanti presso l’Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria (AOU) Policlinico di Palermo nelle ultime otto stagioni vaccinali, valutando l’impatto di differenti strategie comunicative ed informative messe in atto nel corso delle ultime tre stagioni vaccinali (2015/2016 - 2016/2017 - 2017/2018) MATERIALI E METODI Gli OS aderenti alla vaccinazione antinfluenzale hanno compilato un questionario validato ed autosomministrato al termine della seduta vaccinale. Contestualmente, è stato predisposto un modulo di dissenso informato per tutti gli OS che non hanno aderito alla vaccinazione antinfluenzale, compilabile sulla pagina personale (intranet) del portale Web Aziendale. Nelle ultime tre stagioni vaccinali sono state messe in atto diverse iniziative atte a promuovere l’adesione alla vaccinazione antinfluenzale degli OS tra cui: creazione di pagine web (internet e social media) dedicate alla campagna vaccinale, creazione di locandine, slogan e hashtag anche in formato cartaceo da utilizzare per promuovere la vaccinazione, settimana di vaccinazione “on site” nei reparti, formazione preliminare degli OS operanti nei reparti a maggiore rischio (UTI, UTIN, Oncologia, Ginecologia, etc...) RISULTATI La copertura vaccinale è salita progressivamente da un valore medio del 5 (dalla stagione 2010/2011 alla 2014/2015) al 27% nell’ultima stagione 2017/2018 (chi-square for trend: 857, p

N/A

The CUORE experiment, a ton-scale cryogenic bolometer array, recently began operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The array represents a significant advancement in this technology, and in this work we apply it for the first time to a high-sensitivity search for a lepton-number-violating process: ^{130}Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO_{2} exposure of 86.3 kg yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of (7.7±0.5) keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of (0.014±0.002) counts/(keV kg yr), we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)1.3×10^{25} yr (90% C.L.); the median statistical sensitivity of this search is 7.0×10^{24} yr. Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)1.5×10^{25} yr (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date on this decay. Interpreting this result as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, we find m_{ββ}(110-520) meV, where the range reflects the nuclear matrix element estimates employed.

We describe in detail the methods used to obtain the lower bound on the lifetime of neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay in Te130 and the associated limit on the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino using the CUORE-0 detector. CUORE-0 is a bolometric detector array located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that was designed to validate the background reduction techniques developed for CUORE, a next-generation experiment scheduled to come online in 2016. CUORE-0 is also a competitive 0νββ decay search in its own right and functions as a platform to further develop the analysis tools and procedures to be used in CUORE. These include data collection, event selection and processing, as well as an evaluation of signal efficiency. In particular, we describe the amplitude evaluation, thermal gain stabilization, energy calibration methods, and the analysis event selection used to create our final 0νββ search spectrum. We define our high level analysis procedures, with emphasis on the new insights gained and challenges encountered. We outline in detail our fitting methods near the hypothesized 0νββ decay peak and catalog the main sources of systematic uncertainty. Finally, we derive the 0νββ decay half-life limits previously reported for CUORE-0, T1/20ν>2.7×1024yr, and in combination with the Cuoricino limit, T1/20ν>4.0×1024yr.

We investigated the oxidation behaviour of a synthetic potassic-ferro-richterite up to 750 °C by using simultaneous X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction experiments with synchrotron radiation. From the X-ray diffraction results, we observed an abrupt decrease of cell dimensions at ∼335 °C accompanied by an anomalous increase in the monoclinic cell angle β. From the analysis of the XANES spectra at the iron K-edge, we observed that the structural shrinkage is due to the iron oxidation process, coupled to hydrogen loss, occurring at ∼315 °C, slightly before the cell contraction. Combining these results with previous studies performed on similar samples by single-crystal structure refinement, Mössbauer, high temperature-Fourier transform IR and Raman spectroscopies, we show that the temperature evolution in Fe-Amphiboles is a multi-step process. Following the iron oxidation driven by temperature, the structural dynamics in this double-chain silicate is ruled by local strains in the ribbon of iron-filled octahedra, mainly due to the contraction of the M(1) site.