2,641 research outputs found
The interplay between voluntary vaccination and reduction of risky behavior: a general behavior-implicit SIR model for vaccine preventable infections
The onset in the last 15 years of behavioral epidemiology has opened many new avenues for epidemiological modelers. In this manuscript we first review two classes of behavioral epidemiology models for vaccine preventable diseases, namely behaviour-implicit SIR models with prevalence-dependent vaccination (at birth and among older individuals), and prevalence-dependent contact rate.
Subsequently, we briefly propose a general framework of behavior–dependent nonlinear and linear Forces of Infection (FoI) valid for a vast family of infectious diseases, and including delays and ‘epidemic memory’ effects.
Finally and mainly, we develop a new general behavioral SIR model. This model combines the two aforementioned types of behavioral phenomena, previously considered only separately, into a single unified model for behavioral responses. The resulting model allows to develop a general phenomenological theory of the effects of behavioral responses within SIR models for endemic infections. In particular, the model allows to complete the picture about the complicate interplay between different behavioral responses acting on different epidemiological parameters in triggering sustained oscillations of vaccine coverage, risky behavior, and infection prevalence
Simulation and tools for the IDEA detector concept
IDEA (Innovative Detector for an Electron-positron Accelerator) is an innovative general-purpose detector concept, designed to study electron-positron collisions at future e+e− circular colliders (i.e., FCC-ee). The IDEA detector con- sists of a silicon vertex detector, a very large and very light drift chamber surrounded by a layer of silicon detectors, a super-thin low-mass superconducting magnet, a pre- shower detector, a dual-readout calorimeter, and muon chambers inside the return joke of the magnet. The research and development conducted in the laboratory and the data taken from the various test beams to measure the performance of the prototypes of the various subdetectors must be accompanied by a verification that these performances are adequate to satisfy the extensive physics program of FCC-ee. The IDEA description was then implemented in a detailed simulation with Geant4 but also in a quick simulation with Delphes. This report describes the state of the simulations and the results of studies obtained in the context of physics analyses for FCC-ee. New algorithms for τ identification and electron energy regression in the calorimeter are also being developed with innovative machine learning methods which will be included in the global reconstruction of the particle flow event
Aids and surgery
HIV constitutes one of the most difficult challenges facing the healthcare profession today. It is estimated that HIV infects over 40 million people in the world and 14 million have died from the disease so far. The objective of the study was to evaluate the outcome of treatment of HIV-related surgical conditions, estimating the morbidity and mortality of surgical intervention cross infection risks to surgical equipes and analysing preventive strategies to HIV perioperative transmission
The Interval Kicking Program (IKP) as a Reprogramming Technique for the Soccer Player in an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Rehabilitation: A Technical Report
Introduction. We can state as technical-athletic gestural movements that we might call clinical (pivoting, cutting maneuvers, sidestep cuts, changes of direction) associated with ACL injuries. Objective. This technical report was conducted to research methods of reprogramming basic technical skills in the soccer player after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery. Technical report results. The Interval Kicking Program (IKP) is a model proposed as a neuromotor remodelling of basic gestures and techniques after an ACL injury in soccer player. The teaching progression is ordered regarding the diversified techniques of passing and receiving the ball. The volume, intensity, and progression steps are governed by 1) clinical status (i.e., type of injury, conservative/surgical treatment type, type of sport), 2) performance status, and 3) objective evaluative analysis of periodic follow-ups. The steps provid-ed by the IKP can be 15 and end with the introduction of the player into technical drills with the presence of opponents the first sessions include about 30 minutes of sport-specific, low-intensity exercises, while in the last ones, the volume remains constant, but the intensity and technical complexity of the movements increase. Conclusions. In this technical report, we have highlighted how IKP can be a teaching model for reprogramming basic technical skills in the soccer player after injury. It remains fair to point out how aberrant technical movement partners, side-to-side asymmetries, and postur-al dysfunction are predictive of the risk of compliance and second injury. Further studies and insights are needed to customize the reprogramming of the soccer player’s gestural movements during return to play. © 2023, EDRA S.p.A. All rights reserved
UGC 3995: A Close Pair of Spiral Galaxies
UGC 3995 is a close pair of spiral galaxies whose eastern component hosts a
Seyfert 2 nucleus. We present a detailed analysis of this system using long
slit spectroscopy and narrow (\ha + \nii) as well as broad band (B, R) imaging
and an archive WFPC2 image. The component galaxies reveal surprisingly small
signs of interaction considering their spatial proximity and almost identical
recession velocities, as the bright filament is probably an optical illusion
due to the superposition of the bar of the Seyfert galaxy and of the spiral
arms of the companion. The broad band morphology, a B--R color map, and a
continuum-subtracted \ha + \nii image demonstrate that the western component
UGC 3995B is in front of the Seyfert-hosting component UGC 3995A, partly
obscuring its western side. The small radial velocity difference leaves the
relative motion of the two galaxies largely unconstrained. The observed lack of
major tidal deformations, along with some morphological peculiarities, suggests
that the galaxies are proximate in space but may have recently approached each
other on the plane of the sky. The geometry of the system and the radial
velocity curve at P. A. = 106 suggest that the encounter may be retrograde or,
alternatively, prograde before perigalacticon. The partial overlap of the two
galaxies allows us to estimate the optical thickness of the disk of component
B. We derive an extinction = 0.18 visual magnitudes in the infra-arms parts of
the foreground galaxy disk, and >= 1-1.5 visual magnitudes in correspondence of
the spiral arms.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal (June 1999
issue
Il ruolo degli effetti di sito sulla risposta strutturale degli edifici nella conca aquilana
Il terremoto de L’Aquila del 6 aprile 2009 è stato significativamente caratterizzato dagli effetti di sito, evidenziati sia dalla variabilità delle registrazioni accelerometriche in zona near fault che dalla disuniforme distribuzione del danno rilevato. In particolare, nel quartiere aquilano di Pettino, in corrispondenza di un complesso residenziale composto da sette edifici della stessa tipologia strutturale, è stato osservato un danneggiamento molto diversificato.
La nota riporta i risultati di una serie di analisi di risposta sismica locale 1D, condotte in corrispondenza di alcuni degli edifici del quartiere, per i quali si disponeva di indagini geotecniche di dettaglio, finalizzate a valutare l’influenza degli effetti di sito sulla risposta delle strutture. I risultati delle analisi condotte in condizioni di campo libero hanno mostrato significative amplificazioni del moto proprio in corrispondenza delle frequenze fondamentali del moto di input. Le analisi del sistema sottosuolo-edificio, condotte mediante l’utilizzo di un codice con formulazione a masse concentrate hanno inoltre consentito di verificare l’incidenza dell’interazione inerziale sul moto in superficie, nonché di riprodurre in forma semplificata il meccanismo di piano soffice osservato
Globular Clusters in Dense Clusters of Galaxies
Deep imaging data from the Keck II telescope are employed to study the
globular cluster (GC) populations in the cores of six rich Abell clusters. The
sample includes A754, A1644, A2124, A2147, A2151, and A2152, and spans the
redshift range z = 0.035-0.066. The clusters also range in morphology from
spiral-rich, irregular systems to centrally concentrated cD clusters rich in
early-type galaxies. Globular cluster specific frequencies S_N and luminosity
function dispersions are measured for a total of 9 galaxies in six central
fields. The measured values of S_N for the six brightest cluster galaxies
(BCGs) are all higher than typical values for giant ellipticals, in accord with
the known S_N-density correlations. The three non-BCGs analyzed also have
elevated values of S_N, confirming that central location is a primary factor.
The number of GCs per unit mass for these fields are consistent with those
found in an earlier sample, giving further evidence that GC number scales with
mass and that the S_N variations are due to a deficit of halo light, i.e., S_N
reflects mass-to-light ratio.
The discussion builds on an earlier suggestion that the GCs (both metal rich
and metal poor) around the central cluster galaxies were assembled at early
times, and that star formation halted prematurely in the central galaxies at
the epoch of cluster collapse. This is consistent with recent simulations of
BCG/cluster formation. The subsequent addition of luminous material through
cluster dynamical evolution can cause S_N to decrease, and we may be seeing the
first evidence of this. Finally, the GC luminosity function measurements are
used to constrain the relative distances of the three clusters that make up the
Hercules supercluster.Comment: Uses emulateapj.sty (included); 17 pages with 9 included PostScript
figures. Figures 1-6 are separate GIF images (so 15 figures total) available
from http://astro.caltech.edu/~jpb/clusters -- the full PostScript version of
the paper (20 pages; 2.2 Mb compressed) incorporating Figures 1-6 can also be
grabbed from this URL. Accepted for publication in A
Spatio-temporal Bounded Noises, and transitions induced by them in solutions of real Ginzburg-Landau model
In this work, we introduce two spatio-temporal colored bounded noises, based
on the zero-dimensional Cai-Lin and Tsallis-Borland noises. We then study and
characterize the dependence of the defined bounded noises on both a temporal
correlation parameter and on a spatial coupling parameter . The
boundedness of these noises has some consequences on their equilibrium
distributions. Indeed in some cases varying may induce a transition
of the distribution of the noise from bimodality to unimodality. With the aim
to study the role played by bounded noises on nonlinear dynamical systems, we
investigate the behavior of the real Ginzburg-Landau time-varying model
additively perturbed by such noises. The observed phase transitions
phenomenology is quite different from the one observed when the perturbations
are unbounded. In particular, we observed an inverse "order-to-disorder"
transition, and a re-entrant transition, with dependence on the specific type
of bounded noise.Comment: 12 (main text)+5 (supplementary) page
Using flaming as an alternative method to vine suckering.
Suckering is the process of removing the suckers that grapevine trunks put out in the
spring. Suckering by hand is costly and time consuming and requires constant bending down, getting
up and making repetitive motions. The mechanical removal of suckers with rotating scourges can
damage the vine plants. Chemical suckering is a limiting factor for wine grape growers interested in
sustainable and/or organic agriculture. The aim of this research was to test flaming as an alternative
method to vine suckering. A three-year experiment was conducted on a 10-year-old Sangiovese
vine (775 Paulsen rootstock). The treatments consisted of flame suckering at different phenological
stages, hand-suckering and a no-suckered control. Data on the number of suckers, grape yield
components, and grape composition were collected and analysed. The results showed that flaming
significantly reduced the initial number of suckers. This effect on the suckers was highest when
the main productive shoots of the vines were at the 18-19 BBCH growth stage. Flame-suckering
did not affect grape yield components and grape composition. Future studies could investigate the
simultaneous use of flaming for both suckering and weed control
Energy and environmental aspects of mobile communication systems
The reduction of the energy consumptions of a Telecommunication Power System
represents one of the critical factors of the telecommunication technologies,
both to allow a sizeable saving of economic resources and to realize
"sustainable" development actions. The consumption of about one hundred base
stations for mobile phones were monitored for a total of over one thousand
days, in order to study the energy consumption in relation to the
environmental, electric and logistics parameters of the stations themselves. It
was possible to survey, then, the role of the mobile communication systems in
the general national energy framework and to plot the best areas of
intervention for saving energy and improving the environmental impact, showing
the role played by air conditioning and transmission equipments. Finally, new
transmission algorithms and the use of renewable energy based techniques have
been tested.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
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