Abstract
At Mount Etna volcano, the focus point of persistent tectonic extension is represented by the Summit Craters. A muographic telescope has been installed at the base of the North-East Crater ...from August 2017 to October 2019, with the specific aim to find time related variations in the density of volcanic edifice. The results are significant, since the elaborated images show the opening and evolution of different tectonic elements; in 2017, a cavity was detected months before the collapse of the crater floor and in 2018 a set of underground fractures was identified, at the tip of which, in June 2019, a new eruptive vent started its explosive activity, still going on (February, 2020). Although this is the pilot experiment of the project, the results confirm that muography could be a turning point in the comprehension of the plumbing system of the volcano and a fundamental step forward to do mid-term (weeks/months) predictions of eruptions. We are confident that an increment in the number of telescopes could lead to the realization of a monitoring system, which would keep under control the evolution of the internal dynamic of the uppermost section of the feeding system of an active volcano such as Mount Etna.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
After a successful data taking period at the CERN LHC by the major physics experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb) since 2009, a long-term plan is already envisaged to fully exploit the vast physics ...potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) within the next two decades. The CERN accelerator complex will undergo a series of upgrades leading ultimately to increase both the collision energy and the luminosity, thus maximizing the amount of data delivered to all experiments. As a consequence, the experiments have also to cope with very high detector occupancies and operate in the hard radiation environment caused by a huge multiplicity of particles produced in each beam crossing. In parallel to the accelerator upgrades, the LHC experiments are planning various upgrades to their detector, trigger, and data acquisition systems. The main motivation for the upgrades is to extend and to improve their physics programme also in the increasingly challenging LHC environment. In this paper a general overview of the upgrade programme of the major experiments at LHC will be given, with some additional details concerning specifications and physics programme of new detector subsystems.
Natriuretic peptide-guided (NP-guided) treatment of heart failure has been tested against standard clinically guided care in multiple studies, but findings have been limited by study size. We sought ...to perform an individual patient data meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of NP-guided treatment of heart failure on all-cause mortality.
Eligible randomized clinical trials were identified from searches of Medline and EMBASE databases and the Cochrane Clinical Trials Register. The primary pre-specified outcome, all-cause mortality was tested using a Cox proportional hazards regression model that included study of origin, age (<75 or ≥75 years), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, ≤45 or >45%) as covariates. Secondary endpoints included heart failure or cardiovascular hospitalization. Of 11 eligible studies, 9 provided individual patient data and 2 aggregate data. For the primary endpoint individual data from 2000 patients were included, 994 randomized to clinically guided care and 1006 to NP-guided care. All-cause mortality was significantly reduced by NP-guided treatment hazard ratio = 0.62 (0.45-0.86); P = 0.004 with no heterogeneity between studies or interaction with LVEF. The survival benefit from NP-guided therapy was seen in younger (<75 years) patients 0.62 (0.45-0.85); P = 0.004 but not older (≥75 years) patients 0.98 (0.75-1.27); P = 0.96. Hospitalization due to heart failure 0.80 (0.67-0.94); P = 0.009 or cardiovascular disease 0.82 (0.67-0.99); P = 0.048 was significantly lower in NP-guided patients with no heterogeneity between studies and no interaction with age or LVEF.
Natriuretic peptide-guided treatment of heart failure reduces all-cause mortality in patients aged <75 years and overall reduces heart failure and cardiovascular hospitalization.
This paper describes the results of GEANT4 simulations for a prototype of detection module designed as a basic element of a low-cost, reconfigurable, modular mini-array for detection of cosmic rays. ...The basic layout of each individual module is based on a 400 cm2 scintillator tile, optically coupled to a Wavelength Shifter (WLS) bar and a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) for light collection and readout. The array will include about 50 modules in its final stage, to be employed in various geometrical configurations. GEANT4 simulations of the transport of optical photons inside the detector are here reported, with the aim of estimating the key parameters contributing to the photon collection efficiency and compare different solutions.
Background:
The Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease – Heart Failure (NAT:PD-HF) was developed to identify and triage palliative care needs in patients with chronic heart failure. A Dutch ...version is currently lacking.
Aims:
The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a Dutch NAT:PD-HF in chronic heart failure outpatients; and to gain preliminary data regarding the effect of the NAT:PD-HF on palliative care referral, symptoms, health status, care dependency, caregiver burden and advance directives.
Methods:
A mixed methods study including 23 outpatients with advanced chronic heart failure and 20 family caregivers was performed. Nurses conducted patient consultations using a Dutch translation of the NAT:PD-HF and rated acceptability. Before this visit and 4 months later, symptoms, health status, performance status, care dependency, caregiver burden and recorded advance directives were assessed. A focus group with participating nurses discussed barriers and facilitators towards palliative care needs assessment.
Results:
Acceptability was rated as 7 (interquartile range 6–7 points) on a 10-point scale. All patients had palliative care needs. In 48% actions were taken, including two patients referred to palliative care. Symptoms, performance status, care dependency, caregiver burden and advance directives were unchanged at 4 months, while health status deteriorated in patients completing follow-up (n=17). Barriers towards palliative care needs assessment included feeling uncomfortable to initiate discussions and concerns about the ability to address palliative care needs.
Conclusions:
The NAT:PD-HF identified palliative care needs in all participants, and triggered action to address these in half. However, training in palliative care communication skills as well as palliative care interventions should accompany the introduction of a palliative care needs assessment tool.
Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR):
5616. http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=5616
The eruption of the Hunga-Tonga volcano in the South Pacific Ocean on January 15, 2022, at about 4:15 UTC, generated a violent explosion, which created atmospheric pressure disturbances in the form ...of Rayleigh-Lamb waves detected all over the globe. Here we discuss the observation of the Hunga-Tonga shock-wave performed at the Ny-Ålesund Research Station on the Spitsbergen island, by the detectors of the PolarquEEEst experiment and their ancillary sensors. Online pressure data as well as the results of dedicated offline analysis are presented and discussed in details. Results include wave arrival times, wave amplitude measurements and wave velocity calculation. We observed five passages of the shock wave with a significance larger than 3 Formula: see text and an amplitude up to 1 hPa. The average propagation velocity resulted to be (308 ± 0.6) m/s. Possible effects of the atmospheric pressure variation associated with the shock-wave multiple passages on the cosmic-ray rate at ground level are also investigated. We did not find any significant evidence of this effect.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
After its successful campaign of measurements beyond the Polar Arctic Circle, the PolarquEEEst experiment measured the cosmic charged particle rate at sea level in a latitude interval ...between 35
$$^{\circ }$$
∘
N and 82
$$^{\circ }$$
∘
N. In this paper, these measurements are described and the corresponding results are discussed.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The Muon Portal Project has built a prototype of a real size detector (6m×3m×7 m) for the inspection of containers by muon tomography. This technique may provide 2D and 3D images of the interior of a ...container, to identify the presence of high-Z materials. In the present Project, 4800 extruded scintillator strips were arranged such as to cover four X–Y detection planes (6m×3 m), two placed above and two below the container to be inspected. Silicon photomultipliers were used as photosensors, to collect the light transported by Wave Length Shifter (WLS) fibres embedded in the scintillator strips. First tomographic images are here presented.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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