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Play behavior is common in a range of mammalian species and can have important influences on early development. We evaluated possible influences of social play on the development of behavior along the caution/boldness continuum in juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi). We disrupted juvenile squirrels engaged in play by walking toward them until their play interactions stopped. We used undisrupted juveniles and juveniles disrupted while not engaged in play as controls. Caution was measured with behavioral tests during which a human intruder walked toward a squirrel and recorded the distances at which the squirrel first noticed and then fled from the intruder. Rates of social play were lower and play bouts were shorter in play-disrupted juveniles than in undisrupted and nonplay-disrupted juveniles. The distances at which juveniles noticed and fled from an intruder increased across the developmental period in which play primarily occurs, suggesting increases in caution across this interval. Increases in the distances to notice and flee from an intruder did not differ between undisrupted and nonplay-disrupted juveniles, but were greater in these groups than in play-disrupted juveniles. These results are consistent with social play behavior contributing to the development of cautious responses in juvenile U. beldingi.

Play behavior is common in a range of mammalian species and can have important influences on early development. We evaluated possible influences of social play on the development of behavior along the caution/boldness continuum in juvenile Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi). We disrupted juvenile squirrels engaged in play by walking toward them until their play interactions stopped. We used undisrupted juveniles and juveniles disrupted while not engaged in play as controls. Caution was measured with behavioral tests during which a human intruder walked toward a squirrel and recorded the distances at which the squirrel first noticed and then fled from the intruder. Rates of social play were lower and play bouts were shorter in play-disrupted juveniles than in undisrupted and nonplay-disrupted juveniles. The distances at which juveniles noticed and fled from an intruder increased across the developmental period in which play primarily occurs, suggesting increases in caution across this interval. Increases in the distances to notice and flee from an intruder did not differ between undisrupted and nonplay-disrupted juveniles, but were greater in these groups than in play-disrupted juveniles. These results are consistent with social play behavior contributing to the development of cautious responses in juvenile U. beldingi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionNeonatal sepsis, classified into early-onset and late-onset based on symptom timing, poses significant risks of morbidity and mortality, especially in low birth weight infants. Effective clinical risk management protocols are crucial in reducing these risks.MethodsThis before-and-after study evaluated the impact of a newly implemented clinical risk management protocol in the Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Policlinico Hospital-University of Bari. The study included 399 neonates over three years, comparing pre- and post-protocol outcomes. Data collection focused on maternal and neonatal demographics, infection rates, and hospital stay lengths. Statistical analysis included t-tests, Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney tests, and logistic regression models.ResultsThe study found no significant differences in neonatal pathologies or demographics between pre- and post-protocol groups. However, post-protocol implementation showed a notable reduction in umbilical venous catheter (UVC) infections (p = 0.018) and improved hospital stay lengths. Blood and urine cultures did not show significant changes in microbial patterns post-protocol.DiscussionThe findings underscore the effectiveness of structured clinical risk management protocols in enhancing neonatal outcomes, particularly in reducing specific infection risks. Despite the study’s limitations, including its observational nature and sample size, the results advocate for broader adoption and further research on these protocols in diverse healthcare settings. The positive outcomes highlight the importance of continuous clinical risk management efforts in high-risk neonatal environments.

BackgroundIn the age of digitalization and big data, personal health information is a key resource for health care and clinical research. This study aimed to analyze the determinants and describe the measurement of the willingness to disclose personal health information.MethodsThe study conducted a systematic review of articles assessing willingness to share personal health information as a primary or secondary outcome. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis protocol. English and Italian peer-reviewed research articles were included with no restrictions for publication years. Findings were narratively synthesized.ResultsThe search strategy found 1,087 papers, 89 of which passed the screening for title and abstract and the full-text assessment.ConclusionNo validated measurement tool has been developed for willingness to share personal health information. The reviewed papers measured it through surveys, interviews, and questionnaires, which were mutually incomparable. The secondary use of data was the most important determinant of willingness to share, whereas clinical and socioeconomic variables had a slight effect. The main concern discouraging data sharing was privacy, although good data anonymization and the high perceived benefits of sharing may overcome this issue.

The persistent open-vent degassing of Mt. Etna is often punctuated by months-long paroxysmal sequences characterized by episodes of violent Strombolian to lava fountaining activity. Understanding these gas-fueled transitions from quiescence to eruption requires routine measurement of gas fluxes. Here, we report SO2 flux measurements, obtained from a permanent UV camera system, collected over a two-year-long period spanning two paroxysmal sequences of Etna’s New South East Crater (NSEC) in December 2020/April 2021 and May/October 2021. In both cases, SO2 flux increased from ≤ 3250 Mg/day during “ordinary” activity to ≥ 4200 Mg/day. We interpret these distinct SO2 degassing regimes in light of seismic and thermal observations and drawing on numerical simulations of sulfur degassing constrained by parental melt sulfur contents in Etna’s hawaiites. We find that initiation of a paroxysmal sequence results from an approximate doubling of the time-averaged rate of magma supply (and degassing) above the sulfur exsolution level (∼150 MPa pressure), to >4 m3/s. This corroborates recent models that argue for the triggering of paroxysmal sequences by escalating supply of volatile-rich magma to a reservoir ∼3–4 km below the summit region. The non-stationary nature of magma flow and volcanic degassing we identify highlights the need for sustained surveillance to characterize long-term atmospheric budgets of volcanic volatiles.

BackgroundA subgroup of IPF patients can meet IPAF criteria (features suggesting an underlying autoimmune process without fulfilling established criteria for a CTD). This study was aimed to evaluate whether IPAF/IPF patients compared to IPF patients differ in clinical profile, prognosis and disease course.MethodsThis is a retrospective, single center, case–control study. We evaluated 360 consecutive IPF patients (Forlì Hospital, between 1/1/2002 and 28/12/2016) and compared characteristics and outcome of IPAF/IPF to IPF.ResultsTwenty-two (6%) patients met IPAF criteria. IPAF/IPF patients compared to IPF were more frequently females (N = 9/22, 40.9% vs. N = 68/338, 20.1%, p = 0.02), suffered more frequently from gastroesophageal reflux (54.5% vs. 28.4%, p = 0.01), and showed a higher prevalence of arthralgias (86.4% vs. 4.8%, p

Improving volcanic gas monitoring techniques is central to better understanding open-vent, persistently degassing volcanoes. SO2 cameras are increasingly used in volcanic gas studies, but observations are commonly limited to one single camera alone viewing the volcanic plume from a specific viewing direction. Here, we report on high frequency (0.5 Hz) systematic measurements of the SO2 flux at Stromboli, covering a 1-year long observation period (June 2017-June 2018), obtained from two permanent SO2 cameras using the same automated algorithm, but imaging the plume from two different viewing directions. Our aim is to experimentally validate the robustness of automatic SO2 camera for volcano monitoring and to demonstrate the advantage of using two co-exposed SO2 camera stations to better capturing degassing dynamics at open-vent volcanoes. The SO2 flux time-series derived from the two SO2 camera stations exhibit good match, demonstrating the robustness of the automatic SO2 camera method. Our high-temporal resolution SO2 records resolve individual Strombolian explosions as transient, repetitive gas bursts produced by the sudden release of over pressurized gas pockets and scoriae. Calculations show that explosive degassing activity accounts for ∼10% of the total SO2 emission budget (dominated by passive degassing) during mild regular open-vent activity. We show that the temporal variations of the explosive SO2 flux go in tandem with changes in total SO2 flux and VLP seismicity, implicating some commonality in the source processes controlling passive degassing and explosive activity. We exploited the spatial resolution of SO2 camera to discriminate degassing at two distinct regions of the crater area, and to minimize biases due by the station position respect to the target plume. We find that the SO2 fluxes from southwest-central (SWCC) and northeast (NEC) crater areas oscillate coherently but those from the NEC are more sensitive to the changes in the volcanic intensity. We interpret this as due to preferential gas/magma channeling into the structurally weaker north-eastern portion of the crater terrace in response to increasing supply rate of buoyant, bubble-rich magma in the shallow plumbing system.

Among naturally produced polymers, bacterial cellulose is receiving enormous attention due to remarkable properties, making it suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. However, the low yield, the instability of microbial strains and the limited knowledge of the mechanisms regulating the metabolism of producer strains, limit the large-scale production of bacterial cellulose. In this study, Komagataeibacter xylinus K2G30 was adapted in mannitol based medium, a carbon source that is also available in agri-food wastes. K. xylinus K2G30 was continuously cultured by replacing glucose with mannitol (2% w/v) for 210 days. After a starting lag-phase, in which no changes were observed in the utilization of mannitol and in bacterial cellulose production (cycles 1–25), a constant improvement of the phenotypic performances was observed from cycle 26 to cycle 30, accompanied by an increase in mannitol consumption. At cycle 30, the end-point of the experiment, bacterial cellulose yield increased by 38% in comparision compared to cycle 1. Furthermore, considering the mannitol metabolic pathway, D-fructose is an intermediate in the bioconversion of mannitol to glucose. Based on this consideration, K. xylinus K2G30 was tested in fructose-based medium, obtaining the same trend of bacterial cellulose production observed in mannitol medium. The adaptive laboratory evolution approach used in this study was suitable for the phenotypic improvement of K. xylinus K2G30 in bacterial cellulose production. Metabolic versatility of the strain was confirmed by the increase in bacterial cellulose production from D-fructose-based medium. Moreover, the adaptation on mannitol did not occur at the expense of glucose, confirming the versatility of K2G30 in producing bacterial cellulose from different carbon sources. Results of this study contribute to the knowledge for designing new strategies, as an alternative to the genetic engineering approach, for bacterial cellulose production.

BackgroundAlthough surgery is essential in healthcare, a significant number of patients suffer unfair harm while undergoing surgery. Many of these originate from failures in non-technical aspects, especially communication among operators. A surgical safety checklist is a simple tool that helps to reduce surgical adverse events, but even if it is fast to fill out, its compilation is often neglected by the healthcare workers because of unprepared cultural background. The present study aims to value the efficacy of a free intervention, such as a short training about risk management and safety checklist, to improve checklist adherence.MethodsIn March 2019, the medical and nursing staff of the General Surgical Unit attended a two-lesson theoretical training concerning surgical safety and risk management tools such as the surgical safety checklist. The authors compared the completeness of the surgical checklists after and before the training, considering the same period (2 months) for both groups.ResultThe surgical safety checklists were present in 198 cases (70.97%) before the intervention and 231 cases (96.25%) after that. After the training, the compilation adherence increased for every different type of healthcare worker of the unit (surgeons, nurses, anesthetists, and scrab nurses). Furthermore, a longer hospitalization was associated with a higher surgical checklist adherence by the operators.ConclusionsThe results showed that a free and simple intervention, such as a two-lesson training, significantly stimulated the correct use of the surgical safety checklist. Moreover, the checklist adherence increased even for the operators who did not attend the training, maybe because of the positive influence of the colleagues' positive behaviors. As the results were promising with only two theoretical lessons, much more can be done to build a new safety culture in healthcare.

The “DOLPHINS” project started in 2018 under a collaboration between three partners: CNH Industrial Iveco (CHNi), RADA (an informatics company), and the Chemistry Department of the University of Turin. The project’s main aim was to establish a predictive maintenance method in real-time at a pilot plant (CNHi Iveco, Brescia, Italy). This project currently allows maintenance technicians to intervene on machinery preventively, avoiding breakdowns or stops in the production process. For this purpose, several predictive maintenance models were tested starting from databases on programmable logic controllers (PLCs) already available, thus taking advantage of Machine Learning techniques without investing additional resources in purchasing or installing new sensors. The instrumentation and PLCs related to the truck sides’ paneling phase were considered at the beginning of the project. The instrumentation under evaluation was equipped with sensors already connected to PLCs (only on/off switches, i.e., neither analog sensors nor continuous measurements are available, and the data are in sparse binary format) so that the data provided by PLCs were acquired in a binary way before being processed by multivariate data analysis (MDA) models. Several MDA approaches were tested (e.g., PCA, PLS-DA, SVM, XGBoost, and SIMCA) and validated in the plant (in terms of repeated double cross-validation strategies). The optimal approach currently used involves combining PCA and SIMCA models, whose performances are continuously monitored, and the various models are updated and tested weekly. Tuning the time range predictions enabled the shop floor and the maintenance operators to achieve sensitivity and specificity values higher than 90%, but the performance results are constantly improved since new data are collected daily. Furthermore, the information on where to carry out intervention is provided to the maintenance technicians between 30 min and 3 h before the breakdown.

BackgroundThe progesterone receptor (PR) is variably expressed in most meningiomas and was found to have prognostic significance. However, the correlation with patient age, tumor location, time to recurrence, and pattern of regrowth has scarcely been discussed.MethodsA surgical series of 300 patients with meningiomas is reviewed. The PR expression was classified as: 0. absent; 1. low (5 years (p = 0.036).ConclusionThe higher PR expression in medial skull base meningiomas, the significant correlation with the time to recurrence, the lack of difference of PR expression between premenopausal and postmenopausal women and between local-peripheral versus multicentric-diffuse recurrences are the most relevant unreported findings of this study. The rate of PR expression must be included in the routine pathological diagnosis of meningiomas because of its prognostic significance.

Introduction: Pre-surgical mapping is clinically essential in the surgical management of brain tumors to preserve functions. A common technique to localize eloquent areas is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In tumors involving the peri-rolandic regions, the finger tapping task (FTT) is typically administered to delineate the functional activation of hand-knob area. However, its selectivity may be limited. Thus, here, a novel cue-induced fMRI task was tested, the visual-triggered finger movement task (VFMT), aimed at eliciting a more accurate functional cortical mapping of the hand region as compared with FTT.Method: Twenty patients with glioma in the peri-rolandic regions underwent pre-operative mapping performing both FTT and VFMT. The fMRI data were analyzed for surgical procedures. When the craniotomy allowed to expose the motor cortex, the correspondence with intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES) was evaluated through sensitivity and specificity (mean sites = 11) calculated as percentage of true-positive and true-negative rates, respectively.Results: Both at group level and at single-subject level, differences among the tasks emerged in the functional representation of the hand-knob. Compared with FTT, VFMT showed a well-localized activation within the hand motor area and a less widespread activation in associative regions. Intraoperative DES confirmed the greater specificity (97%) and sensitivity (100%) of the VFMT in determining motor eloquent areas.Conclusion: The study provides a novel, external-triggered fMRI task for pre-surgical motor mapping. Compared with the traditional FTT, the new VFMT may have potential implications in clinical fMRI and surgical management due to its focal identification of the hand-knob region and good correspondence to intraoperative DES.

Introduction: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary tumor of the liver, and the recurrence after hepatic resection (HR), the only curative therapy, is linked with a worse prognosis. Systemic chemotherapy (SC) and liver loco-regional treatments, like trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) or radio embolization (TARE), have been employed for the treatment of unresectable intrahepatic metastasis (IM) with benefit on overall survival (OS), but SC has a limited effect on peritoneal metastasis (PM). In the last years, novel treatments like electrochemotherapy (ECT) with bleomycine (BLM) for IM and cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS and HIPEC) for PM have been applied in small series but with encouraging results. We hereby describe the first synchronous application of ECT and CRS and HIPEC for the treatment of a patient with IM and PM from CCA.Case Description: A 47-year-old male patient with CCA underwent HR followed by adjuvant SC. After 14 months, for the occurrence of IM, the patient underwent a second HR and SC. Nonetheless, a new recurrence occurred and a third attempt of HR was proposed. Due to the intraoperative finding of unresectable IM with PM, no resective procedure was performed and the patient was referred to our center. CRS and HIPEC with cisplatin and mitomycin for PM and ECT with BLM on a bulky metastasis of the hepatic hilum were performed after 38 months from the first HR. The length of hospital stay was 19 days. At the computed tomography (CT) performed 11 days after treatment complete necrosis of the treated IM was detected.Results: CT scan after 3 and 6 months and magnetic resonance after 9 months were performed. Necrosis of the treated IM nor PM but progression of the residual liver lesions was observed. After 3 months, the patient received SC and underwent TACE after 8 months and TARE after 9 months for the residual liver metastases. At 14 months from CRS and HIPEC, the patient is alive, in good condition, and with stability of the disease.Conclusions: The association of ECT and CRS and HIPEC could be safe and effective for the treatment of unresectable recurrent intrahepatic CCA with PM.

Background: Several studies suggested cross talk among components of hemostasis, inflammation, and immunity pathways in the pathogenesis, neurodegeneration, and occurrence of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in multiple sclerosis (MS).Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the combined contribution of the hemostasis inhibitor protein C (PC) and chemokine C-C motif ligand 18 (CCL18) levels to brain atrophy in MS and to identify disease-relevant correlations among circulating levels of hemostasis inhibitors, chemokines, and adhesion molecules, particularly in CMB occurrence in MS.Methods: Plasma levels of hemostasis inhibitors (ADAMTS13, PC, and PAI1), CCL18, and soluble adhesion molecules (sNCAM, sICAM1, sVCAM1, and sVAP1) were evaluated by multiplex in 138 MS patients [85 relapsing-remitting (RR-MS) and 53 progressive (P-MS)] and 42 healthy individuals (HI) who underwent 3-T MRI exams. Association of protein levels with MRI outcomes was performed by regression analysis. Correlations among protein levels were assessed by partial correlation and Pearson's correlation.Results: In all patients, regression analysis showed that higher PC levels were associated with lower brain volumes, including the brain parenchyma (p = 0.002), gray matter (p < 0.001), cortex (p = 0.001), deep gray matter (p = 0.001), and thalamus (p = 0.001). These associations were detectable in RR-MS but not in P-MS patients. Higher CCL18 levels were associated with higher T2-lesion volumes in all MS patients (p = 0.03) and in the P-MS (p = 0.003). In the P-MS, higher CCL18 levels were also associated with lower volumes of the gray matter (p = 0.024), cortex (p = 0.043), deep gray matter (p = 0.029), and thalamus (p = 0.022). PC-CCL18 and CCL18-PAI1 levels were positively correlated in both MS and HI, PC–sVAP1 and PAI1–sVCAM1 only in MS, and PC–sICAM1 and PC–sNCAM only in HI. In MS patients with CMBs (n = 12), CCL18–PAI1 and PAI1–sVCAM1 levels were better correlated than those in MS patients without CMBs, and a novel ADAMTS13–sVAP1 level correlation (r = 0.78, p = 0.003) was observed.Conclusions: Differences between clinical phenotype groups in association of PC and CCL18 circulating levels with MRI outcomes might be related to different aspects of neurodegeneration. Disease-related pathway dysregulation is supported by several protein level correlation differences between MS patients and HI. The integrated analysis of plasma proteins and MRI measures provide evidence for new relationships among hemostasis, inflammation, and immunity pathways, relevant for MS and for the occurrence of CMBs.

Long-range, high-altitude Unoccupied Aerial System (UAS) operations now enable in-situ measurements of volcanic gas chemistry at globally-significant active volcanoes. However, the extreme environments encountered within volcanic plumes present significant challenges for both air frame development and in-flight control. As part of a multi-disciplinary field deployment in May 2019, we flew fixed wing UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) over Manam volcano, Papua New Guinea, to measure real-time gas concentrations within the volcanic plume. By integrating aerial gas measurements with ground- and satellite-based sensors, our aim was to collect data that would constrain the emission rate of environmentally-important volcanic gases, such as carbon dioxide, whilst providing critical insight into the state of the subsurface volcanic system. Here, we present a detailed analysis of three BVLOS flights into the plume of Manam volcano and discuss the challenges involved in operating in highly turbulent volcanic plumes. Specifically, we report a detailed description of the system, including ground and air components, and flight plans. We present logged flight data for two successful flights to evaluate the aircraft performance under the atmospheric conditions experienced during plume traverses. Further, by reconstructing the sequence of events that led to the failure of the third flight, we identify a number of lessons learned and propose appropriate recommendations to reduce risk in future flight operations.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is an influential yet controversial agricultural plant with a very long and prominent history of recreational, medicinal, and industrial usages. Given the importance of this species, we deepened some of the main challenges—along with potential solutions—behind the breeding of new cannabis cultivars. One of the main issues that should be fixed before starting new breeding programs is the uncertain taxonomic classification of the two main taxa (e.g., indica and sativa) of the Cannabis genus. We tried therefore to examine this topic from a molecular perspective through the use of DNA barcoding. Our findings seem to support a unique species system (C. sativa) based on two subspecies: C. sativa subsp. sativa and C. sativa subsp. indica. The second key issue in a breeding program is related to the dioecy behavior of this species and to the comprehension of those molecular mechanisms underlying flower development, the main cannabis product. Given the role of MADS box genes in flower identity, we analyzed and reorganized all the genomic and transcriptomic data available for homeotic genes, trying to decipher the applicability of the ABCDE model in Cannabis. Finally, reviewing the limits of the conventional breeding methods traditionally applied for developing new varieties, we proposed a new breeding scheme for the constitution of F1 hybrids, without ignoring the indisputable contribution offered by genomics. In this sense, in parallel, we resumed the main advances in the genomic field of this species and, ascertained the lack of a robust set of SNP markers, provided a discriminant and polymorphic panel of SSR markers as a valuable tool for future marker assisted breeding programs.

BackgroundPostural control disturbances are one of the important causes of disability in stroke patients affecting balance and mobility. The impairment of sensory input integration from visual, somatosensory and vestibular systems contributes to postural control disorders in post-stroke patients. Robot-assisted gait training may be considered a valuable tool in improving gait and postural control abnormalities.ObjectiveThe primary aim of the study was to compare the effects of robot-assisted stair climbing training against sensory integration balance training on static and dynamic balance in chronic stroke patients. The secondary aims were to compare the training effects on sensory integration processes and mobility.MethodsThis single-blind, randomized, controlled trial involved 32 chronic stroke outpatients with postural instability. The experimental group (EG, n = 16) received robot-assisted stair climbing training. The control group (n = 16) received sensory integration balance training. Training protocols lasted for 5 weeks (50 min/session, two sessions/week). Before, after, and at 1-month follow-up, a blinded rater evaluated patients using a comprehensive test battery. Primary outcome: Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Secondary outcomes:10-meter walking test, 6-min walking test, Dynamic gait index (DGI), stair climbing test (SCT) up and down, the Time Up and Go, and length of sway and sway area of the Center of Pressure (CoP) assessed using the stabilometric assessment.ResultsThere was a non-significant main effect of group on primary and secondary outcomes. A significant Time × Group interaction was measured on 6-min walking test (p = 0.013) and on posturographic outcomes (p = 0.005). Post hoc within-group analysis showed only in the EG a significant reduction of sway area and the CoP length on compliant surface in the eyes-closed and dome conditions.ConclusionPostural control disorders in patients with chronic stroke may be ameliorated by robot-assisted stair climbing training and sensory integration balance training. The robot-assisted stair climbing training contributed to improving sensorimotor integration processes on compliant surfaces. Clinical trial registration (NCT03566901).

The persistent open-vent activity of basaltic volcanoes is periodically interrupted by spectacular but hazardous paroxysmal explosions. The rapid transition from quiescence to explosive eruption poses a significant challenge for volcanic hazard assessment and mitigation, and improving our understanding of the processes that trigger these paroxysmal events is critical. Although magmatic gas is unquestionably the driver, direct measurements of a paroxysm's gas flux budget have remained challenging, to date. A particularly violent paroxysmal sequence took place on Etna on December 2015, intermittently involving all summit craters, especially the Voragine (VOR) that had previously displayed no activity for several years. Here, we characterize the volcano's SO2 degassing budget prior to, during and after this paroxysmal sequence, using ground-based (UV-Camera) and satellite (OMI) observations, complemented with ground- and space-borne thermal measurements. We make use of the high spatial resolution of UV-cameras to resolve SO2 emissions from the erupting VOR crater for the first time, and to characterize temporal switches in degassing activity from VOR to the nearby New Southeast Crater (NSEC). Our data show that onset of paroxysmal activity on December 3–5 was marked by visible escalation in VOR SO2 fluxes (4,700–8,900 tons/day), in satellite-derived thermal emissions (2,000 MW vs. ~2–11 MW in July-November 2015), and in OMI-derived daily SO2 masses (5.4 ± 0.7 to 10.0 ± 1.3 kilotonnes, kt; 0.5 kt was the average in the pre-eruptive period). Switch in volcanic activity from VOR to NSEC on December 6 was detected by increasing SO2 fluxes at the NSEC crater, and by decaying SO2 emissions at VOR, until activity termination on December 19. Taken together, our observations infer the total degassed SO2 mass for the entire VOR paroxysmal sequence at 21,000 ± 2,730 t, corresponding to complete degassing of ~1.9 ± 0.3 Mm3 of magma, or significantly less than the measured erupted magma volumes (5.1–12 Mm3). From this mismatch we propose that only a small fraction of the erupted magma was actually emplaced in the shallow plumbing system during (or shortly prior) the paroxysmal sequence. Rather, the majority of the erupted magma was likely stored conduit magma, having gone through extensive degassing for days to weeks prior to the paroxysm.

Understanding the trigger mechanisms of phreatic eruptions is key to mitigating the effects of these hazardous but poorly forecastable volcanic events. It has recently been established that high-rate volcanic gas observations are potentially very suitable to identifying the source processes driving phreatic eruptions, and to eventually detecting precursory changes prior to individual phreatic blasts. In February-May 2017, we deployed a Multi-GAS instrument to continuously monitor gas concentrations in the crater lake plume of Rincón de la Vieja, a remote and poorly monitored active volcano in Costa Rica, site of frequent phreatic/phreatomagmatic eruptions. Forty-two phreatic/phreatomagmatic eruptions were seismically recorded during our investigated period, 9 of which were also recorded for gas by the Multi-GAS. To the best of our knowledge, these represent the first instrumentally measured gas compositions during individual phreatic/phreatomagmatic explosions at an active volcano. Our results show that during background quiescent degassing the Rincón de la Vieja crater lake plume was characterized by high CO2/SO2 ratios of 64 ± 59 and H2S/SO2 ratios of 0.57 ± 0.20. This composition is interpreted as reflecting hydrothermal (re)processing of magma-sourced gas in the sub-limnic environment. Phreatic blasts were recorded by the Multi-GAS as brief (1–2 min long) pulses of elevated gas mixing ratios (up to ~52 ppmv SO2 and >3,000 ppmv CO2), or more than an order of magnitude higher than during background degassing (~1 ppmv SO2 and ~450 ppmv CO2). During the phreatic eruption(s), the H2S/SO2 ratio was systematically lower (

BackgroundFactor XII (FXII) activation initiates the intrinsic (contact) coagulation pathway. It has been recently suggested that FXII could act as an autoimmunity mediator in multiple sclerosis (MS). FXII depositions nearby dentritic cells were detected in the central nervous system of MS patients and increased FXII activity has been reported in plasma of relapsing remitting and secondary progressive MS patients. FXII inhibition has been proposed to treat MS.ObjectiveTo investigate in MS patients multiple FXII-related variables, including the circulating amount of protein, its pro-coagulant function, and their variation over time. To explore kinetic activation features of FXII in thrombin generation (TG).MethodsIn plasma from 74 MS patients and 49 healthy subjects (HS), FXII procoagulant activity (FXII:c) and FXII protein (FXII:Ag) levels were assessed. Their ratio (FXII:ratio) values were derived. Intrinsic TG was evaluated by different triggers.ResultsHigher FXII:Ag levels (p = 0.003) and lower FXII:ratio (p

Lung tumors are often associated with a poor prognosis although different schedules and treatment modalities have been extensively tested in the clinical practice. The complexity of this disease and the use of combined therapeutic approaches have been investigated and the use of high dose-rates is emerging as effective strategy. Technological improvements of clinical linear accelerators allow combining high dose-rate and a more conformal dose delivery with accurate imaging modalities pre- and during therapy. This paper aims at reporting the state of the art and future direction in the use of radiobiological models and radiobiological-based optimizations in the clinical practice for the treatment of lung cancer. To address this issue, a search was carried out on PubMed database to identify potential papers reporting tumor control probability and normal tissue complication probability for lung tumors. Full articles were retrieved when the abstract was considered relevant, and only papers published in English language were considered. The bibliographies of retrieved papers were also searched and relevant articles included. At the state of the art, dose–response relationships have been reported in literature for local tumor control and survival in stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Due to the lack of published radiobiological models for SBRT, several authors used dose constraints and models derived for conventional fractionation schemes. Recently, several radiobiological models and parameters for SBRT have been published and could be used in prospective trials although external validations are recommended to improve the robustness of model predictive capability. Moreover, radiobiological-based functions have been used within treatment planning systems for plan optimization but the advantages of using this strategy in the clinical practice are still under discussion. Future research should be directed toward combined regimens, in order to potentially improve both local tumor control and survival. Indeed, accurate knowledge of the relevant parameters describing tumor biology and normal tissue response is mandatory to correctly address this issue. In this context, the role of medical physicists and the AAPM in the development of radiobiological models is crucial for the progress of developing specific tool for radiobiological-based optimization treatment planning.