Optical dipole micro-trap for atoms based on crossed planar photonic waveguides

Optical dipole micro-traps for atoms based on constructive superposition of two-colour evanescent light waves, formed by corresponding optical modes of two crossed suspended photonic rib waveguides, are modelled. The main parameters of the traps for rubidium atoms, such as potential depth, tunnelling rates of atoms from the trap and coherence time of the trapped atoms are estimated. Applications of such traps for quantum memory and quantum logic devices are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figure

Regimes of Volcanic Activity at Mt. Etna in 2007-2009 inferred from Unsupervised Pattern Recognition on Volcanic Tremor Data

Mt Etna is a well monitored basaltic volcano for which high-quality, multidisciplinary data set are continuously available for around-the-clock surveillance. Particularly, volcano-seismic data sets cover decades long local recordings, temporally encompassing different styles of eruptive activity, from Strombolian eruptions to lava fountains and lava flows. Intense earthquakes swarms have often heralded effusive activity. However, from the seismic point of view, volcanic tremor has proved to be one of the most reliable indicators of impending eruptive activity. Indeed, changes in the volcano feeder show up in the signature of tremor, its spectral characteristics and source location. Some of us (Langer and Messina) have recently developed a new software for the classification of volcanic tremor data, combining Self Organizing Maps (also known as Kohonen Maps) along with Cluster and Fuzzy Analysis. This software allows us to analyse the background seismic radiation at permanent broadband stations located at various distance from the summit craters to identify transitions from pre-eruptive to eruptive activity. Throughout the analysis of the data flow, the software provides an unsupervised classification of the spectral characteristics (i.e., amplitude and frequency content) of the signal. The information embedded in the spectrum is interpreted to assign a specific state of the volcano. An application of this new software is proposed here on the eruptive events at Etna of 2007-2009, which consisted of 7 episodes of lava fountaining, periodic Strombolian activity at the summit craters, followed by lava emissions on the upper east flank of the volcano, with start on 13 May 2008 and end on 6 July 2009. In the study period the source of volcanic tremor was always shallow (less than 3 km) and within the volcano edifice. The upraise of magma to the surface was fast and associated with changes of volcanic tremor features, which covered time windows of variable duration from several hours to a few minutes. We discuss the possible reasons of such variability in the light of the characteristics of the overall seismicity preceding the eruptions in the study period, taking into account field observations and rheology of the ascending magma as well

A Software Package for Unsupervised Pattern Recognition and Synoptic Representation of Results: Application to Volcanic Tremor Data of Mt Etna

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has found broad applications in volcano observatories worldwide with the aim of reducing volcanic hazard. The need to process larger and larger quantity of data makes indeed AI techniques appealing for monitoring purposes. Tools based on Artificial Neural Networks and Support Vector Machine have proved to be particularly successful in the classification of seismic events and volcanic tremor changes heralding eruptive activity, such as paroxysmal explosions and lava fountaining at Stromboli and Mt Etna, Italy (e.g., Falsaperla et al., 1996; Langer et al., 2009). Moving on from the excellent results obtained from these applications, we present KKAnalysis, a MATLAB based software which combines several unsupervised pattern classification methods, exploiting routines of the SOM Toolbox 2 for MATLAB (http://www.cis.hut.fi/projects/somtoolbox). KKAnalysis is based on Self Organizing Maps (SOM) and clustering methods consisting of K-Means, Fuzzy C-Means, and a scheme based on a metrics accounting for correlation between components of the feature vector. We show examples of applications of this tool to volcanic tremor data recorded at Mt Etna between 2007 and 2009. This time span - during which Strombolian explosions, 7 episodes of lava fountaining and effusive activity occurred - is particularly interesting, as it encompassed different states of volcanic activity (i.e., non-eruptive, eruptive according to different styles) for the unsupervised classifier to identify, highlighting their development in time. Even subtle changes in the signal characteristics allow the unsupervised classifier to recognize features belonging to the different classes and stages of volcanic activity. A convenient color-code representation shows up the temporal development of the different classes of signal, making this method extremely helpful for monitoring purposes and surveillance. Though being developed for volcanic tremor classification, KKAnalysis is generally applicable to any type of physical or chemical pattern, provided that feature vectors are given in numerical form

Identification of activity regimes by unsupervised pattern classification of volcanic tremor data. Case studies from Mt. Etna

The monitoring of the seismic background signal – commonly referred to as volcanic tremor - has become a key tool for volcanic surveillance, particularly when field surveys are unsafe and/or visual observations are hampered by bad weather conditions. Indeed, it could be demonstrated that changes in the state of activity of the volcano show up in the volcanic tremor signature, such as amplitude and frequency content. Hence, the analysis of the characteristics of volcanic tremor leads us to pass from a mere monoparametric vision of the data to a multivariate one, which can be tackled with modern concepts of multivariate statistics. For this aim we present a recently developed software package which combines various concepts of unsupervised classification, in particular cluster analysis and Kohonen maps. Unsupervised classification is based on a suitable definition of similarity between patterns rather than on a-priori knowledge of their class membership. It aims at the identification of heterogeneities within a multivariate data set, thus permitting to focalize critical periods where significant changes in signal characteristics are encountered. The application of the software is demonstrated on sample sets derived from Mt. Etna during eruptions in 2001, 2006 and 2007-8

Género, salud mental y terapia ocupacional: algunas reflexiones sobre la influencia de la historia de las mujeres y la perspectiva de género en nuestras prácticas

This work presents some reflections on the issue of gender in mental health and occupational therapy practices of two historical situations showing two different but related practices: on one hand aspects linked to the performance of women in the public domain and on the other hand, stand out the implication of gender relations in such action. This paper intent to analyze the impact of those representations of gender in the field of mental health and its relationship with the current practices of occupational therapy. It presents the constituent elements of the concept of gender to identify care logic aimed at responding to the issue of mental health, reproducing the structure of power and domination of gender relations. Intents to include gender mainstreaming in occupational therapy practices wherever instrument interventions, strategies, or devices in health, bearing in mind that the tension between the practice of occupational therapy and the gender system constraints, is always in relation with the particular process of subjectivation of each of the subjects with which intervenes.Se presentan algunas reflexiones sobre la problemática de género en las prácticas de salud mental y de Terapia Ocupacional a partir de dos situaciones históricas que muestran, por un lado aspectos vinculados con la actuación de las mujeres en el ámbito público, y por otro destacan la implicancia de las relaciones de género en dichas actuaciones. El objetivo es analizar el impacto de las representaciones de género en el campo de la salud mental y su relación con las prácticas actuales de la Terapia Ocupacional. Se presentan los elementos constitutivos del concepto de género para identificar las lógicas asistenciales destinadas a dar respuesta a la problemática de salud mental, que reproducen el entramado de poder y dominación característico de las relaciones de género. Se propone incluir la perspectiva de género en las prácticas de la Terapia Ocupacional cada vez que se instrumenten intervenciones, estrategias o dispositivos en salud; teniendo presente que la tensión entre la práctica de la Terapia Ocupacional y los condicionamientos del sistema de género, está siempre en relación al proceso particular de subjetivación de cada uno de los sujetos con los que se interviene

Concomitant Renal Artery and Aortic Aneurysm: Is Endovascular Surgery the Correct Approach?

Our case illustrates the concomitant presence of a giant aneurysm of the left renal artery at the ostium and an abdominal aortic aneurysm, in presence of a complex aortic anatomy. Type of approach and timing of the treatment is still not well established for the rare coexistence of these 2 pathologies. In case of surgical high-risk patients, endovascular therapy is considered now the best choice to exclude arterial and aortic aneurysms although there are chances to do further interventions in the follow-up. For this reason, we simultaneously treated both the aneurysms through an embolization with plugs and coils of renal aneurysm and endovascular exclusion of aortic aneurysm; in the follow-up, renal function of the patient worsened until hemodialysis and we saw the reperfusion of renal aneurysm and the onset of endoleak I type A from above the aortic and renal aneurysm and B from iliac legs of the previous endograft. We performed a parallel graft technique on visceral vessels to exclude the refilling of both aneurysms and preserve visceral vascularization. Follow-up at 12 months showed the complete exclusion of the aneurysms and the patency of stents in celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery

2023 Update on Sepsis and Septic Shock in Adult Patients: Management in the Emergency Department

Background: Sepsis/septic shock is a life-threatening and time-dependent condition that requires timely management to reduce mortality. This review aims to update physicians with regard to the main pillars of treatment for this insidious condition. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched from inception with special attention paid to November 2021–January 2023. Results: The management of sepsis/septic shock is challenging and involves different pathophysiological aspects, encompassing empirical antimicrobial treatment (which is promptly administered after microbial tests), fluid (crystalloids) replacement (to be established according to fluid tolerance and fluid responsiveness), and vasoactive agents (e.g., norepinephrine (NE)), which are employed to maintain mean arterial pressure above 65 mmHg and reduce the risk of fluid overload. In cases of refractory shock, vasopressin (rather than epinephrine) should be combined with NE to reach an acceptable level of pressure control. If mechanical ventilation is indicated, the tidal volume should be reduced from 10 to 6 mL/kg. Heparin is administered to prevent venous thromboembolism, and glycemic control is recommended. The efficacy of other treatments (e.g., proton-pump inhibitors, sodium bicarbonate, etc.) is largely debated, and such treatments might be used on a case-to-case basis. Conclusions: The management of sepsis/septic shock has significantly progressed in the last few years. Improving knowledge of the main therapeutic cornerstones of this challenging condition is crucial to achieve better patient outcomes