Source and dynamics of a volcanic caldera unrest : Campi Flegrei, 1983–84

Acknowledgements We thank Tiziana Vanorio, Antonella Amoruso, Luca Crescentini, Nicholas Rawlinson, Yasuko Takei, and David Cornwell for the valuable suggestions regarding the methodology and interpretation. Reviews from Tim Greenfield and two anonymous reviewers helped improving both clarity of the manuscript and interpretation. The Royal Society of Edinburgh - Accademia dei Lincei Bilateral Agreement, the Santander Mobility Award of the College of Physical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, and the TIDES EU COST action granted L.D.S. travel grants for the realisation of this study. E.D.P. has been supported by the EPHESTO and KNOWAVES projects, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A New Ultrasonic Immersion Technique for the Evaluation of Damage Induced Anisotropy in Composite Materials

We present a theoretical and experimental approach for the characterization of the damage induced anisotropy superimposed to the constitutive anisotropy of fiber-reinforced composite materials. The proposed theoretical model has been developed in the framework of the Continuum Damage Mechanics theory and allows for determining a tensorial damage measure based on the change of the elastic moduli of the composite material. Moreover, the model is general since it is applicable independently of the fibers reinforcement nature, of the presence of cracks, interlaminar voids and delamination, of the geometry of this cracks, and from of failure mechanisms of the composite materials. We perform damage experiments by employing an innovative goniometric device designed and built at our laboratory (Laboratorio “M. Salvati”), and aimed at the mechanical characterization of materials. In particular, by rotating the sample into a water tank, we measure the ultrasonic “natural” velocities of the undamaged composite material along suitable propagation directions. This allow us for classifying the degree of symmetry of the material and for determining the elastic constants, also in highly anisotropic materials. Then we measure the ultrasonic velocities of the artificially damaged composite and we determine again the elastic moduli. The comparison between the elastic moduli of the damaged and the undamaged composite allows us for the characterization of the anisotropic tensorial damage measure

An effective numerical modelling strategy for FRCM strengthened curved masonry structures

Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) composites are currently considered a very effective solution for strengthening masonry constructions. However, the mechanical interactions governing the response and the strength of FRCM reinforced masonry structures are very complex, especially in the case of curved structures. Moreover, these interactions involve several interfaces between different materials. Thus, the development of accurate numerical models for curved FRCM reinforced masonry structures comes up against several difficulties, and models too complex for practical applications can be obtained. In addition, several mechanical parameters needed for the calculations are generally inaccessible by conventional experimental tests. Here, a suitable numerical modelling strategy for FRCM strengthened curved masonry structures is proposed to combine the accuracy in simulating the actual behaviour in terms of stiffness, strength and collapse mechanisms with a reasonable simplicity, making the proposed approach usable also by practitioners, by adopting commercial codes and at a moderate computational effort. The relatively small number of mechanical parameters characterizing the model can be determined by ordinary experimental tests on materials or by literature formulations. The proposed modelling strategy is validated with respect to experimental data found in literature concerning a FRCM reinforced masonry barrel vault, and then is employed for studying the seismic capacity of the vault through a pushover analysis. A broad sensitivity analysis sheds light on the effect of variations of the mechanical parameters on the predicted overall behaviour, showing the robustness of the results obtainable through the proposed approach concerning inaccuracies in the determination of the parameters often very difficult to determine by ordinary experimental tests on masonry structures.Funding: Financial support from ReLUIS (Italian Department of Civil Protection) and from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) in the framework of Project PRIN2020 #20209F3A37 is gratefully acknowledged

Aislamiento y caracterización microbiana (microbiológica y molecular) en la búsqueda de Bacillus a partir de bioinsumos comerciales y pruebas de antagonismo frente a hongos fitopatógenos.

La investigación está orientada al aislamiento y caracterización de la diversidad microbiana cultivable partiendo de bioinsumos comerciales, con el propósito de encontrar especies nativas de la bacteria Bacillus subtilis para ser confrontadas frente a fitopatógenos. Se realizó un proceso de aislamiento y purificación de los microorganismos, así como pruebas moleculares

Evaluación de la remoción de materia orgánica en aguas residuales salinas mediante la inoculación de microorganismos halotolerantes

Esta investigación pretende determinar la variabilidad de la tasa de remoción de DQO entre dos bacterias halotolerantes a diferentes concentraciones de sal en los reactores y establecer cuál resulta ser más eficiente en el proceso de degradación de materia orgánica. Las investigaciones acerca del tratamiento biológico de efluentes salinos se centran en la inoculación de microorganismos halófilos como una técnica experimental para el tratamiento de este tipo de agua residual en las industrias, ya que sin un efectivo tratamiento produce impactos ambientales negativos de gran magnitud

Bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw : a proposal for conservative treatment

The use of bisphosphonates (BPs) has proven effective in the treatment of bone-related diseases, despite the potential risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). So far, results for the treatment of ONJ have not been satisfactory. In our study, we have treated two patients diagnosed with ONJ. In addition to local treatments a hydrogel was applied, with promising results. The fistulae disappeared 2-3 weeks into the treatment. After a six-month follow-up period there has been no sign of recurrence. The extent of maxillary bone exposure has diminished notably, although not entirely disappeared. In all cases, the patients exhibit no other symptoms (they suffer from no pain or swelling or functional impotence). For this reason we believe this protocol might be useful in the case of patients who suffer from pain and fistulation secondary to BP-associated ONJ to improve the state of their lesions until definitive treatment can be undertaken. Although these findings are not conclusive, given that we are reporting data on two patients only, we believe that this might be an alternative treatment in refractory cases where other therapies are counter-indicated. A controlled randomized and prospective study would be required to confirm our findings

A mass threshold in the number density of passive galaxies at z∼\sim2

The process that quenched star formation in galaxies at intermediate and high redshift is still the subject of considerable debate. One way to investigate this puzzling issue is to study the number density of quiescent galaxies at z~2, and its dependence on mass. Here we present the results of a new study based on very deep Ks-band imaging (with the HAWK-I instrument on the VLT) of two HST CANDELS fields (the UKIDSS Ultra-deep survey (UDS) field and GOODS-South). The new HAWK-I data (taken as part of the HUGS VLT Large Program) reach detection limits of Ks>26 (AB mag). We select a sample of passively-evolving galaxies in the redshift range 1.4<z<2.5. Thanks to the depth and large area coverage of our imaging, we have been able to extend the selection of quiescent galaxies a magnitude fainter than previous analyses. Through extensive simulations we demonstrate, for the first time, that the observed turn-over in the number of quiescent galaxies at K>22 is real. This has enabled us to establish unambiguously that the number counts of quiescent galaxies at z~2 flatten and slightly decline at magnitudes fainter than Ks~22(AB mag.). We show that this trend corresponds to a stellar mass threshold $M_*10^{10.8}\,{\rm M_{\odot}}$ below which the mechanism that halts the star formation in high-redshift galaxies seems to be inefficient. Finally we compare the observed pBzK number counts with those of quiescent galaxies extracted from four different semi-analytic models. We find that none of the models provides a statistically acceptable description of the number density of quiescent galaxies at these redshifts. We conclude that the mass function of quiescent galaxies as a function of redshift continues to present a key and demanding challenge for proposed models of galaxy formation and evolution.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysic

Optimal Ki67 cut-off for luminal breast cancer prognostic evaluation: a large case series study with a long-term follow-up

Although Ki67 index suffers from poor reproducibility, it is one of the most important prognostic markers used by oncologists to select the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer patients. In this study, we aim to establish the optimal Ki67 cut-offs for stratifying patient prognosis and to create a comprehensive prognostic index for clinical applications. A mono-institutional cohort of 1.577 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative/ER+ breast cancer patients having complete clinical, histological, and follow-up data was collected. The 14 and 20 % Ki67 cut-offs were correlated to disease-free interval (DFI) and disease-specific survival (DSS). To create a comprehensive prognostic index, we used independent variables selected by uni/multivariate analyses. In terms of DFI and DSS, patients bearing tumors with Ki67 < 14 % proliferation index did not differ from those with Ki67 values between 14 and 20 %. Patients with tumor with Ki67 > 20 % showed the poorest prognosis. Moreover, to tumor size, the number of metastatic lymph nodes and Ki67 > 20 % was given a score value, varying depending on definite cut-offs and used to create a prognostic index, which was applied to the population. Patients with a prognostic index ≥3 were characterized by significant risk of relapse [DFI: Hazard Ratio (HR) = 4.74, p < 0.001] and death (DSS: HR = 5.03, p < 0.001). We confirm that the 20 % Ki67 cut-off is the best to stratify high-risk patients in luminal breast cancers, and we suggest to integrate it with other prognostic factors, to better stratify patients at risk of adverse outcome

Measurement of burnout: Factor structure, validity and reliability in Argentinean

El burnout representa uno de los daños de carácter laboral y psicosocial más importantes en el mundo actual. En el presente trabajo se analiza la estructura factorial, la validez y la confiabilidad de una medida de burnout en Argentina, compuesta por las escalas del Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) y la subescala de despersonalzación correspondiente al Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services. Se utilizó una muestra de 1903 trabajadores del sector público, privado y organizaciones sin fines de lucro. Para evaluar la estructura interna se pusieron a prueba un total de seis modelos. Los resultados obtenidos por medio de análisis factorial confirmatorio, indican que un modelo de dos factores correlacionados, compuesto por las dimensiones corazón del burnout (agotamiento y cinismo), es el que posee un mejor ajuste a los datos. Por su parte, los análisis de confiabilidad evidenciaron una consistencia interna aceptable, como así también una adecuada fiabilidad de constructo para los factores. Finalmente, se obtuvieron correlaciones significativas y en la dirección esperada entre los factores del burnout y medidas de engagement y afecto, proporcionando así evidencia externa de validez concurrente para los puntajes de la escala. Globalmente, los resultados son satisfactorios y avalan el uso del MBI-GS en el contexto argentino, aunque se requiere de nuevos estudios que examinen otras propiedades psicométricas relevantes. Se discuten las implicaciones de este trabajo para la evaluación y la investigación sobre burnout en Argentina.Over last decades increasing globalization,privatization and liberalization caused significant changes at work, including demands of learning new skills, the need to adopt new types of works, higher pressure of productivity and quality of work, and time pressure, which, in turn, increased rapidly work stress-related phenomenon such as burnout. To date, burnout has become one of the most active research areas in Occupational Health Psychology, spreading attention from researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Despite thousands of investigations on burnout, there is currently an on going debate surrounding its conceptualization and measurement, particularly the dimensions of burnout syndrome. In addition, although several studies have been conducted in Argentina, no study so far has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties of any measure of burnout that supports it use. Consequently, the current studysought to examine the internal structure, validityand reliability of a composite measure of bur-nout compounded by the three scales from Mas-lach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and the depersonalization subscale from Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services. A sample of 1903 Argentinean workers from public, private and non-profit sectors participated in the study. To ascertain the more appropriate factor structure of burnout several competing models were tested, specifically: (M1) A one-factor model that assumes burnout as a one-dimensional construct; (M2) A two-factor correlated model with only exhaustion and cynicism (core model); (M3) A two-factor correlated model with exhaustion and cynicism combined into a latent variable and professional inefficacy into another; (M4) A three-factor correlated model with cynicism and depersonalization collapsed into one factor (mental distance), exhaustion and professional inefficacy; (M5) A three-factor correlated model including exhaustion, cynicism and depersonalization; and (M6) A four-factor correlated model with exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalization and professional inefficacy as latent variables. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the two-factor correlated model including the core dimensions of burnout (exhaustion and cynicism) provided the best fit to the data. Reliability analyses demonstrated that both exhaustion and cynicism have good internal consistency and adequate construct reliability, which coefficient value supper .70. As expected, exhaustion and cynicism were significantly and negatively related with engagement and positive affect, and positively related with negative affect, supporting for concurrent validity. Overall, these results are in agreement with recent studies suggesting a more parsimonious conceptualization of burnout that includes only exhaustion and cynicism as more appropriate. We did not find support for professional inefficacy as a component of burnout. Thus, in accordance with some researchers, we suggest that professional inefficacy might bemore appropriately conceptualized as a predictor or a consequence –or even both- rather than as a component of burnout. However, due to cross- sectional design used in this study, longitudinal study to test such contention is needed. Furthermore, the current findings support the use of exhaustion and cynicism subscales of MBI-GS for assessing burnout in Argentina, making available a useful tool for practitioners and researchers interested in prevention and treatment of job burnout. Nonetheless, it would be worthwhile to conduct further research in order to examine additional relevant psychometric properties such as test-retest reliability and predictive, convergent and discriminant validity. In addition, it would be important for future research to test the invariance of the two-factor model across different occupations, which might strengthen the findings obtained herein and provide evidence that support the validity of conclusions based on comparison between occupational groups. Finally, future investigation should also investigate the robustness of MBI-GS against social desirability bias.Fil: Spontón, Carlos Luis. Universidad Siglo 21; ArgentinaFil: Trógolo, Mario Alberto. Universidad Siglo 21; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Castellano, Estanislao. Universidad Siglo 21; ArgentinaFil: Medrano, Leonardo Adrian. Asociación para el Avance de la Ciencia Psicológica; Argentina. Universidad Siglo 21; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología; Argentin