Near‐fault ground motion records often present impulsive signals, characterized by a large amplitude in the velocity wavefield and by the energy concentrated in a short time window as compared to the ...total earthquake duration. This pulse‐like behavior is ascribed to the directivity of the seismic rupture, and it requires a stronger demand to the buildings not predicted by the classical design spectra. In this work we investigate the pulse occurrence and duration in near‐fault synthetic seismograms generated from an ensemble of k−2 source models. We exploited the fault geometry of the Mw = 6.3, 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, which represents a typical example of normal‐fault earthquake for which several records in the fault vicinity are available for comparison with synthetics. We show that impulsive records are sensitive to the rupture velocity, to the hypocenter depth, and to the station location, whether it is on the hanging wall or on the footwall. The pulse duration was also shown to be proportional to the risetime, and it scales with the source‐receiver distance and inversely with the rupture velocity. We model these results as an effect of the coupled along‐strike and updip directivity.
Key Points
Near‐source ground motion presents directive impulsive signals occurring on average at ~12% of receivers around the source
Pulse occurrence and duration are enhanced on the footwall of the fault, as compared to the hanging wall
Pulse occurrence and duration mainly depend on the rupture speed, average risetime, and hypocenter depth
Purpose
Preliminary data suggested that bone mineral density (BMD) in transgender adults before initiating gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is lower when compared to cisgender controls. In ...this study, we analyzed bone metabolism in a sample of transgender adults before GAHT, and its possible correlation with biochemical profile, body composition and lifestyle habits (i.e., tobacco smoke and physical activity).
Methods
Medical data, smoking habits, phospho-calcic and hormonal blood tests and densitometric parameters were collected in a sample of 125 transgender adults, 78 Assigned Females At Birth (AFAB) and 47 Assigned Males At Birth (AMAB) before GAHT initiation and 146 cisgender controls (57 females and 89 males) matched by sex assigned at birth and age. 55 transgender and 46 cisgender controls also underwent a complete body composition evaluation and assessment of physical activity using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
Results
14.3% of transgender and 6.2% of cisgender sample, respectively, had z-score values < -2 (
p
= 0.04). We observed only lower vitamin D values in transgender sample regarding biochemical/hormonal profile. AFAB transgender people had more total fat mass, while AMAB transgender individuals had reduced total lean mass as compared to cisgender people (53.94 ± 7.74 vs 58.38 ± 6.91,
p
< 0.05). AFAB transgender adults were more likely to be active smokers and tend to spend more time indoor. Fat Mass Index (FMI) was correlated with lumbar and femur BMD both in transgender individuals, while no correlations were found between lean mass parameters and BMD in AMAB transgender people.
Conclusions
Body composition and lifestyle factors could contribute to low BMD in transgender adults before GAHT.
Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread parasitic diseases in Sardinia, the second largest Mediterranean island where almost 3,558,000 milk sheep were raised extensively. The aim of ...this survey was to evaluate the level of farmers’ knowledge on CE transmission, focusing on the role of human to facilitate the persistence of this zoonosis in Sardinia after 14 years after the last campaign against CE. The other goal of the survey is to update on presence of Echinococcus granulosus in its definitive hosts through three ELISA coproantigen tests. An interview was carried out with 172 farmers. The questionnaire was designed to include possible factors associated with the transmission of Echinococcosis: ownership and number of dogs, the use of anthelmintic drugs against dog cestode, frequency of anthelmintic treatment in dogs, home slaughtering and offal disposal. Individual faecal samples were retrieved from 300 dogs, and after a preliminary macroscopic examination to discover adult worms and/or proglottids, was submitted to copromicroscopic examination. Coproantigens were then extracted according to the protocol described by Allan et al. (1992), and subsequently stored at −20°C until use.
Faecal soluble antigens from E. granulosus were detected using three different ELISA coproantigen assays: (a) the commercially produced Chekit Echinotest (Bommeli, Bern, CH) based on polyclonal antibodies against adult excretory/secretory (E/S) antigens; (b) a sandwich ELISA that uses rabbit polyclonal antibodies against adult E/S antigens and biotinylated monoclonal antibody EmA9 produced against adult Echinococcus multilocularis somatic extract (Malgor et al., 1997); and (c) a sandwich assay that uses monoclonal antibody EgC3 produced by immunization with adult E. granulosus E/S products (Casaravilla et al., 2005).
Questionnaire results reveal that on all farms home-slaughtering was done, and offal was used as dog meal raw (17%) or after boiling (37%), discarded in the trash (23%), or buried superficially (15%). Most farmers (69%) declared to deworm their dogs, but only 10% used cestodicidal drugs. The coprological survey of 300 farm dogs using sedimentation, flotation and three different coproantigen (CA) ELISAs resulted in a faecal prevalence of 8.3% for taeniid eggs, while the CA tests gave prevalences of 3% (Chekit Echinotest, Bommeli), 6% (EmA9 sandwich ELISA) and 10% (EgC3 sandwich ELISA). Our results show that this is not only an educational problem, but also an economic one, stressing the need that future control plans should follow an integrative approach including veterinary and medical services, farmers, breeders’ associations and the Government.
In this article, friction stir welded T-joints of innovative dissimilar aluminum alloys have been produced and tested with the aim to investigate the feasibility of using this joining technique, in ...this configuration, in the aerospace field with the final aim to save weight. The introduction of both this new welding technique and innovative alloys, such as AA 2198 and AA 6056, could allow making lighter and stronger structures. Some experiments, carried out previously, have shown that the fixturing device, the tool geometry, and the tilt angle play a significant role in the joint soundness. A wide experimental characterization has been carried out on FSW T-joints of AA 6056 T4 extrudes to AA 2198 T3 rolled plates. The results attained allow to put in evidence some critical issues on the investigated configuration and can be considered as a further acquired knowledge in the understanding and the design of friction stir processes.
In the Mediterranean basin, one of the most important agents of myiasis is
Oestrus ovis
Linnaeus 1758 (Diptera, Oestridae). Herein, we report a rare case of nasal myiasis with a secondary infection ...complication in a patient from northern Italy who had been visiting Corsica. A healthy, 39-year-old Italian woman spent 2 weeks of vacation in Corsica in June 2018. During her stay, she suddenly felt a foreign body inside her nose, followed by cough, pain, burning at the pharyngeal level, cephalalgia, and nasal congestion with secretions from the nostrils. The clinical examination showed a hyperemic and irritated mucosa and endoscopic examination of the patient’s nose and right maxillary sinus revealed three tiny mobile larvae, morphologically and molecular identified as L1 instar larvae of
Oestrus ovis
. The patient’s infestation was probably imported from Corsica, as Mediterranean islands are ideal geographical areas for the development of
O. ovis
, and the timing of infestation match with the period of
O. ovis
larviposition
.
Although rhinomyiasis is rare, it should be considered in people returning from abroad presenting with an acute-onset and foreign body sensation in the nose.
Infections by gastrointestinal nematodes negatively affect small ruminant health and at the same time cause substantial economic losses worldwide. Because resistance to conventional anthelmintic ...compounds is growing, target studies evaluating the effectiveness of alternative ingredients of botanical origin on gastrointestinal nematodes are needed. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro anthelmintic activity of Ruta chalepensis L. extracts on the third-stage larvae of sheep gastrointestinal nematodes. A methanol extract showed the highest anthelmintic activity, with an EC50 = 0.10 ± 0.06 mg/ml after 96 h, while the essential oil had an EC50 = 1.45 ± 1.22 mg/ml after 48 h. Moreover, three secondary metabolites of the essential oil, i.e. 2-decanone, 2-nonanone and 2-undecanone, showed EC50 values of 0.07 ± 0.06, 0.25 ± 0.29 and 0.88 ± 0.73 mg/ml at 24 h, respectively. The present study indicated that the R. chalepensis methanol extract, the essential oil and its metabolites 2-decanone, 2-nonanone and 2-undecanone showed promising anthelmintic activity on gastrointestinal nematodes.
In this work a new remotely-triggered drug delivery system based on PEG-PLGA_Au nanocomposite is proposed. Due to the optical properties of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), the nanovector allows ...on-demand control of the dose, the timing and the duration of the drug release, upon irradiation with red laser light. The Au NPs are synthesized by laser ablation and subsequently embedded into the PEG-PLGA copolymer via a modified emulsion-diffusion method, devised in such a way that both Au NPs and silibinin (SLB), a flavonolignan with promising anti-neoplastic effects, can be co-loaded into the polymeric system in a single step procedure. A combination of analytical techniques including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), static and dynamic light scattering (SLS, DLS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning/transmission electron microscopies (SEM/STEM/TEM), have been used to study the structural and morphological properties of the nanocomposite. The loading efficiency and the drug content, evaluated by UV-vis absorption optical spectroscopy, are 89% and 8.8%, respectively. Upon laser irradiation the system releases the encapsulated drug with a higher efficiency (∼10%) than that without irradiation. This behaviour indicates that our nanoplatform is responsive to light and it could be considered a promising new type of light-activated drug delivery carrier applicable to the biomedical field.
The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), is a relevant species in waste and pest management, but is also of forensic and medical importance. A scanning electron ...microscopy (SEM) investigation of the antennae of both sexes of H. illucens is presented here for the first time. The antenna is composed of three regions: the scape, the pedicel, and the flagellum. The first two regions are single segments, whereas the third region, the longest one, is composed of eight flagellomeres. The scape and pedicel have microtrichia, chaetic sensilla, and rounded perforations. The flagellum is covered by different microtrichia, the morphology of which is described in detail. Two types of sensory pit are found on flagellomeres 1 to 6. An oval depression with trichoid sensilla extends from flagellomeres 4 to 6. On both sides of flagellomere 8 is a lanceolate depression covered by hair-like microtrichia. Morphometric and morphological analyses revealed some sex-related differences. The results of the SEM investigations are compared with those obtained on other species of the family Stratiomyidae and other brachyceran Diptera. The possible role of sensilla in sensory perception is also discussed in comparison with nondipteran species.
Objectives
To describe the ophthalmological characteristics in a Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) cohort and to evaluate how therapeutic advances have changed the course of the uveitis.
Methods
...Analysis of a retrospective cohort study of consecutive JIA pediatric patients including JIA-associated uveitis (JIA-U) and comparison with a previous study in the same uveitis center assessed before the wide-spread of biological therapy.
Results
The total of 49 JIA patients were analyzed, of whom 18 JIA-U, compared with a JIA-U past cohort of 66 patients. Systemic corticosteroids were used significantly less in the current JIA-U group (
p
= 0.008) than in the past one. JIA-U present cohort was on therapy more frequently with conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) than the past group (
p
= 0.039), mostly treated with methotrexate (93.3%). Furthermore, a larger use of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) was described in the current JIA-U group (
p
= 0.005) also associated with csDMARDs (
p
= 0.003). Adalimumab was used more (72.7%) in the present JIA-U cohort compared to a larger treatment with infliximab (61.5%) in the past (
p
= 0.005). Higher number of uveitis recurrences was observed in the previous cohort compared to the current one (
p
= 0.005). Fewer complications were described in this study than in the previous: posterior synechiae (
p
= 0.007), cataract (
p
< 0.001), band keratopathy (
p
< 0.001), and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) (
p
= 0.047).
Conclusion
Current therapies reduced the uveitis recurrences and ocular complications including cataract due also to the lower use of corticosteroids. The new close collaboration with the pediatric rheumatologic center in the same University has contributed to the care improvement and decrease of uveitis complications.
Pigs are an important reservoir of
Toxoplasma gondii
, and pork meat is considered one of the main sources of human infection. The present survey assesses the prevalence of
T. gondii
in organically ...reared pigs in Sardinia found on the island using various diagnostic methods. Firstly, a seroepidemiological survey was carried out on 63 farms, examining individual blood samples from 414 adult pigs. Secondly, a biomolecular investigation carried out on another 62 farms, examining the brain samples from 107 adult pigs. The seroprevalence detected for
T. gondii
at the farm level was 85.7% (54 out of the 63 pig farms examined). However, the prevalence rate in the investigated pigs was 51.7% (214 positives out of 414 examined). A total of 54.8% (34/62) of the monitored pig farms were found to be positive by PCR. The presence of
T. gondii
DNA in individual brain samples was detected in 47.7% (51/107) of the examined animals. The high prevalence of
T. gondii
found is alarming and suggests that pigs reared on organic farms should be considered as a significant source of infection for humans in the areas investigated.
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