In order to implement a robust integrated tick and tick-borne disease control programme in Tanzania, based on ecological and epidemiological knowledge of ticks and their associated diseases, a ...national tick and sero-surveillance study was carried out in all 21 regions of the mainland, as well as on Mafia Island, between 1998 and 2001. The current distributions of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, R. pravus, Amblyomma variegatum, A. gemma, and A. lepidum are illustrated and discussed. Tick distribution maps were assessed using the Weights-of-Evidence method (WofE), and employing temperature, humidity, NDVI, rainfall, and land-cover predictive data. Ground-truthing was done to check correspondence both of the data employed in prediction with land-cover characteristics discerned in the field as well as of the surveyed and predicted tick distributions. Statistical methods were used to analyse associations of the tick species with their environment, cattle density, and other ticks. Except for R. appendiculatus, no appreciable changes were demonstrated in the predicted and observed tick distributions compared to the existing maps that originated in the 1950-1960s. Cattle density influenced the distribution of A. variegatum and, to a certain extent, of A. lepidum, but had no appreciable influence on the distribution of any of the other ticks discussed in this paper, neither did livestock movement. Distinct differences for environmental requirements where observed between different tick species within the same genus. The predictive maps of R. appendiculatus and R. pravus suggest their mutually exclusive distribution in Tanzania, and simultaneous statistical analysis showed R. pravus as a greater specialist. Of the three Amblyomma species, A. variegatum is the most catholic tick species in Tanzania, while both A. gemma and A. lepidum belong to the more specialized species. Despite dissimilar habitat preferences, all three Amblyomma spp. co-exist in central Tanzania, where very heterogeneous habitats may simultaneously satisfy the environmental requirements of all three species. The current study, conducted about 4 decades after the last major survey activities, has shown that changing livestock policies, unrestricted livestock movement and a continuous change in climatic/environmental conditions in Tanzania have brought about only limited changes in the distribution patterns of R. appendiculatus, R. pravus and the three Amblyomma species investigated. Whether this observation indicates a relative indifference of these ticks to environmental and/or climate changes allows room for speculation.
We consider Majorana lattices with two-site interactions consisting of a general function of the fermion bilinear. The models are exactly solvable in the limit of a large number of on-site fermions. ...The four-site chain exhibits a quantum phase transition controlled by the hopping parameters and manifests itself in a discontinuous entanglement entropy, obtained by constraining the one-sided modular Hamiltonian. Inspired by recent work within the AdS/CFT correspondence, we identify transitions between types of von Neumann operator algebras throughout the phase diagram. We find transitions of the form II_{1}↔III↔I_{∞} that reduce to II_{1}↔I_{∞} in the strongly interacting limit, where they connect nonfactorized and factorized ground states. Our results provide novel realizations of such transitions in a controlled many-body model.
We carried out a vibration study experiment on a masonry building in the town of Ariano Irpino, southern Italy, using six-channel stations equipped with three-component velocity-transducers and ...accelerometers and running in continuous modality from January 2006 to December 2007. The analysis of weak motions from several local earthquakes, together with the 3D numerical modelling of the structure, allowed us to identify the first three vibration modes of the target building. Therefore, we checked the validity of ambient noise data to determine the vibration frequencies of buildings. The analysis tools based on earthquake and ambient noise data were conventional, i.e. spectral ratios between homologous components of stations at high floors in the building with respect to a station installed at the basement, and single-station spectral ratios between horizontal and vertical components. The indications derived from earthquakes and ambient noise result in a satisfactory agreement for frequencies between 1 and 20 Hz when using recordings characterized by low levels of amplitude, both for cultural and meteorological noise. In contrast, when the wind speed increases (above 20 km/h, approximately) seismic noise shows an excess of horizontal vibrations at low frequencies (below 2 Hz). These extra-amplitudes are not related to the seismic input vertically incident to the basement, but are probably due to the lateral action of the wind on the building. In contrast anthropic activities do not affect considerably the trend of spectral ratios in the range of frequencies that include the first modes of vibration of the building, even at high noise level.
Objectives
To evaluate the potential of contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) for reducing the biopsy rate of screening recalls.
Methods
Recalled women were prospectively enrolled to undergo CEM ...alongside standard assessment (SA) through additional views, tomosynthesis, and/or ultrasound. Exclusion criteria were symptoms, implants, allergy to contrast agents, renal failure, and pregnancy. SA and CEM were independently evaluated by one of six radiologists, who recommended biopsy or 2-year follow-up. Biopsy rates according to SA or recombined CEM (rCEM) were compared with the McNemar’s test. Diagnostic performance was calculated considering lesions with available final histopathology.
Results
Between January 2019 and July 2021, 220 women were enrolled, 207 of them (median age 56.6 years) with 225 suspicious findings analysed. Three of 207 patients (1.4%) developed mild self-limiting adverse reactions to iodinated contrast agent. Overall, 135/225 findings were referred for biopsy, 90/225 by both SA and rCEM, 41/225 by SA alone and 4/225 by rCEM alone (2/4 being one DCIS and one invasive carcinoma). The rCEM biopsy rate (94/225, 41.8%, 95% CI 35.5–48.3%) was 16.4% lower (
p
< 0.001) than the SA biopsy rate (131/225, 58.2%, 95% CI 51.7–64.5%). Considering the 124/135 biopsies with final histopathology (44 benign, 80 malignant), rCEM showed a 93.8% sensitivity (95% CI 86.2–97.3%) and a 65.9% specificity (95% CI 51.1–78.1%), all 5 false negatives being ductal carcinoma in situ detectable as suspicious calcifications on low-energy images.
Conclusions
Compared to SA, the rCEM-based work-up would have avoided biopsy for 37/225 (16.4%) suspicious findings. Including low-energy images in interpretation provided optimal overall CEM sensitivity.
Key Points
•
The work-up of suspicious findings detected at mammographic breast cancer screening still leads to a high rate of unnecessary biopsies, involving between 2 and 6% of screened women.
•
In 207 recalled women with 225 suspicious findings, recombined images of contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) showed a 93.8% sensitivity and a 65.9% specificity, all 5 false negatives being ductal carcinoma in situ detectable on low-energy images as suspicious calcifications.
•
CEM could represent an easily available one-stop shop option for the morphofunctional assessment of screening recalls, potentially reducing the biopsy rate by 16.4%.
During the 2016–2017, a seismic sequence struck the Central Italy, involving four regions (Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio) and causing important damages and victims in inhabited areas such as ...Norcia and Amatrice towns. The strongest event of the seismic sequence was a Mw 6.5 event with epicenter at about 5 km far from the Norcia area, which is an intermontane basin prone to ground motion amplification. The historical town of Norcia and the surrounding hamlets were recently investigated by the microzonation activity, but information on the geometry and velocity are still partial considering the entire basin. Indeed, past studies aimed at reconstructing the elastic and geometrical properties focusing mainly on the northern part of the basin. Specifically in this paper, we integrated seismic and geological data to get a better knowledge of the properties of the Quaternary Norcia basin. A geological survey was carried out to provide a geological map and three geological cross-sections. We analyzed new seismic ambient vibrations data, collected by single-seismic stations, to infer the distribution of resonant frequency (f0) for the entire basin. We used passive arrays of seismic stations to better define the velocity profiles of the area. In the northern part of the basin, two 2D arrays with elliptical-like shapes were deployed showing strong discrepancies of the elastic soil properties in proximity of Norcia town. We found shear-wave velocities of the near-surface profile of about 300–400 and 500–800 m/s in presence of palustrine and alluvial fan deposits, respectively. Further, the values of f0 are abruptly varying from 0.5 Hz in the SW sector of Norcia village up to 2 Hz in its NE sector. Ambient vibration data reveal less pronounced variation of f0 in the southern part of the basin, with resonant values that are almost in the range 1–1.3 Hz. In the southern sector, a 1D array was arranged along a 5-km line and was analyzed by means of seismic noise cross-correlation analysis suggesting the presence of a deeper seismic contrast. The integration of geophysical and geological results has allowed to infer insights on the subsurface geometry of the basin.
•The distribution of resonant frequency and an updated geological map are presented for the Quaternary Norcia basin.•Strong discrepancies of the elastic soil properties in the area surrounding Norcia town.•Detection of a deeper seismic contrast (about 350–400 m deep) by cross-correlation array analysis.•A reconstruction of the subsurface structure of the basin is proposed.
The Positron Annihilation to Dark Matter Experiment (PADME) uses the positron beam of the DA
\Phi
Φ
NE Beam-Test Facility, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF) to search for a Dark Photon ...A’. The search technique studies the missing mass spectrum of single-photon final states in
e^+e^-\rightarrow A'\gamma
e
+
e
−
→
A
′
γ
annihilation in a positron-on-thin-target experiment. This approach facilitates searches for new particles such as long lived Axion-Like-Parti-cles, protophobic X bosons and Dark Higgs. This talk illustrated the scientific program of the experiment and its first physics results. In particular, the measurement of the cross-section of the SM process
e^+e^-\rightarrow \gamma\gamma
e
+
e
−
→
γ
γ
at
\sqrt{s}
s
=21 MeV was shown.
The Amphiteatrum Flavium in Rome (Italy) is one of the most known monument in the world. With the aim of understand the seismic response of the area where the Amphiteatrum Flavium is build and ...investigate possible soil-structure interactions, we performed a seismic experiment in 2014, based on ambient vibration (AMV) recordings. The measurements were performed at the original ground level, on the foundation and at different floors of the monument. Data were analyzed in terms of standard Fourier analysis (FAS) and horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique (H/V). Moreover, we performed an active P-wave seismic tomography analysis of the foundation materials to better understand their influence on the recorded signals. Our results point out that there is a strong temporal and spatial stability of the H/V curves, suggesting a uniform seismic response at the monument site. Conversely, spectral amplitudes of AMV show relevant temporal and spatial variability at the investigated site, due to the daily variations of AMV levels and to the low-pass filtering effect of the stiff Amphiteatrum Flavium foundation that strongly attenuates the signals for frequencies above 4 Hz, i.e. those mostly originated by traffic vibrations. Moreover, we observe that the main vibration frequencies of the super-structure are not present as energetic peaks in the spectra of the ground-motion recorded at its base.
This work focuses on site response analyses in the Amatrice area (Central Italy), taking advantage of the 3A temporary seismic network, installed after the first shock (MW 6.0) of the 2016–2017 ...seismic sequence, and of a detailed site characterization. Classical empirical methods are applied on seismic signals to evaluate their capabilities to infer site response parameters. For about one-third of the stations, the H/V method fails in estimating the empirical SSR amplification function, as a consequence of the vertical amplification. Although the majority of sites belong to the EC8-B soil category, all the empirical methods show great variability in the site responses. For this reason, to find common features among the sites we perform a cluster analysis on SSR functions finding 5 clusters characterized by three site parameters: VS,30, f0 and Af0 (i.e microtremor H/V amplitude at f0). This result seems promising for site response estimation in Central Italy from velocity profiles and noise measurements.
•Application of empirical methods, on earthquake and noise signals, to infer site parameters.•Comparable estimations of resonance frequencies obtained from different spectral techniques.•Identification of site proxies representative of the seismic site response of the stations.•Non-negligible amplification of the vertical component of the ground-motion.
On August 24, 2016, at 01:36 UTC a MW 6.0 earthquake struck an extensive area of the Central Apennines (Italy). It was followed by a large aftershock (MW 5.3, August 24, 02:33 UTC) and about 20 ...earthquakes with magnitude greater than 4.0, located between the towns of Norcia and Amatrice. Due to the mainshock magnitude and the widespread damaging level of buildings in the epicentral area, the Emersito task force has been mobilized by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The aim of Emersito is to carry out and coordinate the monitoring of local site effects, caused by geological and geomorphological settings. During the first days of the seismic emergency, Emersito installed a temporary seismic network for site effect studies at 4 municipalities close to the epicentral area (Amandola, Civitella del Tronto, Montereale and Capitignano), using 22 stations equipped with both velocimetric and accelerometric sensors. The selection of the sites where stations have been installed was mainly driven by the proximity to the epicentral area (without interfere with the rescue operation) and by peculiar geologic and geomorphologic settings (topographic irregularities, fault zones, alluvial plains).
Seismic noise recorded by broad‐band stations in the middle of and around the Colfiorito plain is analyzed in the frequency band 0.1 to 10 Hz. Small daily variations in noise amplitude are found, on ...the order of 2 for f > 1 Hz. In contrast, long‐term amplitude variations due to weather conditions are significant throughout the analyzed frequency band; for f < 1 Hz, the amplitude increase can be as large as a factor of 50. In the low‐frequency band, horizontal components vary much more than the vertical at both firm and soft sites. However, these noise variations at low frequencies do not contaminate significantly the 0.9‐Hz peak of the H/V spectral ratio that fits the fundamental eigenfrequency of the sedimentary fill of the basin, resonating during earthquakes. Correlating the long‐term variations of noise with different meteorological parameters, we find that wind speed best matches the low‐frequency noise disturbances.
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