The lava flow invasion hazard map at Mount Etna and methods for its dynamic update

This special issue of Annals of Geophysics contains seventeen peer-reviewed papers that cover a wide variety of topics related to the V3-LAVA Project funded by the Italian Dipartimento della Protezione Civile in the framework of the 2007– 2009 Agreement with the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The frequent eruptions of Mount Etna can produce lava flows that can cover distances long enough to invade vulnerable areas on the flanks of the volcano. These require improvements to our forecasting tools for the effective assessment of lava-flow hazards, to help the local authorities to make the necessary decisions during a volcanic eruption. The LAVA Project aims to develop, validate and unify methods for mapping the areas around Etna that are threatened by lava invasion within the next 50 years, and also within the immediate days after an eruption has begun. Both timescales of lava-hazard mapping call for estimations of the probabilities of vent openings – using geological evidence over the long-term, and monitoring data over the short-term

Use of aerosols in bronchiectasis patients

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease which recognises different etiologies, and characterised by persistent cough, bronchial hypersecretion, airway colonisation with Gram-negative pathogens; frequent infectious exacerbations; progressive lung function decline, and poor quality of life. Several therapeutic strategies are used for managing bronchiectasis, and nebulised medications are regarded with great and ever increasing interest because they allow the direct medication of targets airway structures, higher concentrations of the drug employed, and much less systemic effects. In general terms, the available therapeutic strategies lead to different results depending of whether bronchiectasis are related to cystic fibrosis or not. The effects of the main classes of drugs for aerosol delivery in bronchiectasis patients have been reviewed and updated. Further research is needed in order to ameliorate therapeutic interventions in bronchiectasis, both in terms of new molecules and aerosol formulations to use, and of systems able to optimize drug delivery and drug effectiveness

Costs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Italy: The SIRIO study (Social Impact of Respiratory Integrated Outcomes)

SummaryChronic respiratory diseases affect a large number of subjects in Italy and are characterized by high socio-health costs. The aim of the Social Impact of Respiratory Integrated Outcomes (SIRIO) study was to measure the health resources consumption and costs generated in 1 year by a population of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a real-life setting. This bottom-up, observational, prospective, multicentric study was based on the collection of demographic, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and outcome data from COPD patients who reported spontaneously to pneumological centers participating in the study, the corresponding economic outcomes being assessed at baseline and after a 1-year survey. A total of 748 COPD patients were enrolled, of whom 561 [408m, mean age 70.3 years (SD 9.2)] were defined as eligible by the Steering Committee. At the baseline visit, the severity of COPD (graded according to GOLD 2001 guidelines) was 24.2% mild COPD, 53.7% moderate and 16.8% severe. In the 12 months prior to enrollment, 63.8% visited a general practitioner (GP); 76.8% also consulted a national health service (NHS) specialist; 22.3% utilized Emergency Care and 33% were admitted to hospital, with a total of 5703 work days lost. At the end of the 1-year survey, the severity of COPD changed as follows: 27.5% mild COPD, 47.4% moderate and 19.4% severe. Requirement of health services dropped significantly: 57.4% visited the GP; 58.3% consulted an NHS specialist; 12.5% used Emergency Care and 18.4% were hospitalized. Compared to baseline, the mean total cost per patient decreased by 21.7% (p<0.002). In conclusion, a significant reduction in the use of health resources and thus of COPD-related costs (both direct and indirect costs) was observed during the study, likely due to a more appropriate care and management of COPD patients

Near-field distribution and propagation of scattering resonances in Vogel spiral arrays of dielectric nanopillars

In this work, we employ scanning near-field optical microscopy, full-vector finite difference time domain numerical simulations and fractional Fourier transformation to investigate the near-field and propagation behavior of the electromagnetic energy scattered at 1.56µm by dielectric arrays of silicon nitride nanopillars with chiral 1-Vogel spiral geometry. In particular, we experimentally study the spatial evolution of scattered radiation and demonstrate near-field coupling between adjacent nanopillars along the parastichies arms. Moreover, by measuring the spatial distribution of the scattered radiation at different heights from the array plane, we demonstrate a characteristic rotation of the scattered field pattern consistent with net transfer of orbital angular momentum in the Fresnel zone, within a few micrometers from the plane of the array. Our experimental results agree with the simulations we performed and may be of interest to nanophotonics applications

A MCh test pre-post esophageal acidification in detecting GER-related asthma.

Abstract The direct effect of gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) on lung function is still debated. Objective. To investigate the role of esophageal acidification in affecting airway response to MCh in GER-related versus atopic asthmatics and to assess specificity and sensitivity of events. Subjects. A total of 56 never-smoking, mild asthmatics: 27 non-atopic asthmatics and acid GER (GER+ve) and 29 atopic asthmatics without any GER (GER-ve). Methods. Each subject performed an MCh challenge in baseline (MCh(b)), and 30 minutes after an acid drink (125 mL at pH = 2; MCh(ac)), one day apart. PD(20)FEV(1) MCh(b) and MCh(ac) were compared by estimating the area under the ROC curve (AU-ROC). Results. GER+ve and GER-ve subjects (well matched in baseline) had a different duration of esophageal acid contact (24-hour monitoring; pH-24h AU(4)), and PD(20)FEV(1) MCh(ac) (both p < 0.001). AU-ROC was 86.3% (76% to 97%, 95%CI). Sensitivity and specificity of changes were 82.8% (72.9% to 92.7%, 95%CI) and 85.2% (75.9% to 94.5%, 95%CI), respectively. The difference in MCh threshold that maximized both the sensitivity and specificity level was 100 mu g. Conclusions. The esophageal acidification identified GER-related asthma with a good level of both sensitivity and specificity by enhancing the MCh response only in the presence of acid GER. Data are supporting the effectiveness of this procedure for clinical purposes

Gratings with an aperiodic basis: single-mode emission in multi-wavelength lasers

We propose a new class of gratings having multiple spatial frequencies. Their design relies on the use of small aperiodic grating sequences as unit cells whose repetition forms a superlattice. The superlattice provides well-defined Fourier components, while the choice of the unit cell structure enables the selection, modulation or suppression of certain Fourier components. Using these gratings to provide distributed feedback in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers, we demonstrate simultaneous lasing on multiple well-defined and isolated longitudinal modes, each one having a sidemode suppression ratio of about 20 dB.United States. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (MURI 67N-1069926)Harvard University (Nanoscale Systems and Engineering Center)United States. Air Force (‘Deterministic Aperiodic Structures for Onchip Nanophotonic and Nanoplasmonic Device Applications’ under award no. FA9550-10-1- 0019)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF CAREER Award ECCS-0846651)Georgia Institute of Technology (Steve W. Chaddick Endowed Chair of OptoElectronics

Changes in total IgE plasma concentration measured at the third month during anti-IgE treatment predict future exacerbation rates in difficult-to-treat atopic asthma: a pilot study.

Abstract In severe, difficult-to-treat atopic asthma with sensitization to perennial allergens, monoclonal antibodies directed against immunoglobulin E (IgE) are recognized to be clinically effective. Omalizumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody, selectively binds to the high-affinity C-epsilon 3 site of human IgE and inhibits the inflammatory cascade in response to antigenic stimuli. Currently, no indicator is available for predicting patients' responsiveness to long-term omalizumab treatment. This study aims to assess the relationship between early changes in plasma IgE concentration and major outcome variables over a 12-month course of omalizumab. METHODS: Twenty-three nonsmoking, severe asthmatics (14 females; mean age 47.3 years \ub1 12.0 SD; mean BMI 25.8 kg/m(2) \ub1 9.6 SD) sensitized to perennial allergens and unresponsive to high doses of common therapies were evaluated during a 12-month period of omalizumab treatment. Variables included total IgE plasma concentrations, Forced Expiratory Volume 1 second (FEV(1)) symptom complaints (Asthma Control Test (ACT) score), number of emergency visits, hospitalizations, and exacerbations. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare changes observed after the 1-year omalizumab treatment versus baseline. Statistical modelization was used to determine possible relationships between changes in outcomes after 12 months and early changes in plasma IgE (after 3 months of treatment). RESULTS: The number of emergency visits, hospitalizations, and exacerbations decreased (p < .004, p < .001, and p < .001, respectively) over the 12-months. In contrast, FEV(1) and ACT score substantially increased (both p < .001); the ACT score reaching maximum after only 3 months. The S model showed the best fit and proved the strict relationship between the increase in IgE after 3 months and the exacerbation rate over the 1-year survey (threshold value of 65250 IU/ml, p < .001). The improvement in FEV(1) was independent of the increase in IgE. CONCLUSIONS: When confirmed on a larger population, early changes in IgE may be used as a predictor of future responders to omalizumab in terms of exacerbation rate, thus minimizing the economic burden of anti-IgE therapy

Comprehensive effects of supplemented essential amino acids in patients with severe COPD and sarcopenia

Aim. Aim of the study was to investigate whether or not oral supplementation of essential amino acids (EAAs) may improve body composition, muscle metabolism, physical activity, cognitive function, and health status in a population of subjects with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sarcopenia. Methods. Thirty-two patients (25 males) (FEV1/FVC &lt;40% predicted), age 75±7 years, were randomised (n=16 in both groups) to receive 4 gr/bid EAAs or placebo according to a double-blind design. When entered the study (T0), after four (T4), and after twelve (T12) weeks of treatments, body weight, fat free-mass (FFM), plasma lactate concentration (μmol/l), arterial PaCO2 and PaO2, physical activity (n° steps/day), cognitive function (Mini Mental State Examination; MMSE), health status (St.George's Respiratory Questionnaire; SGRQ) were measured. Results. EAAs supplemented, but not patients assuming placebo, progressively improved all baseline variables overtime. In particular, at T12 of EAAs supplementation, body weight (BW) increased by 6 Kg (p=0.002), FFM by 3.6 Kg (p=0.05), plasma lactate decreased from 1.6 μmol/l to 1.3 μmol/l (p=0.023), PaO2 increased by 4.6 mmHg (p=0.01), physical activity increased by 80% (p=0.01). Moreover, the score for cognitive dysfunction improved from 19.1 scores to 20.8 (p=0.011), while the SRGQ score also improved from 72.3 to 69.6 even though this trend did not reach the statistical significance. Conclusions. A three-month EAAs supplementation may have comprehensive effects on nutritional status; muscle energy metabolism; blood oxygen tension, physical autonomy; cognitive function, and perception of health status in patients with severe COPD and secondary sarcopenia

Raman Amplifier Based on Amorphous Silicon Nanoparticles

The observation of stimulated Raman scattering in amorphous silicon nanoparticles embedded in Si-rich nitride/silicon superlattice structures (SRN/Si-SLs) is reported. Using a 1427 nm continuous-wavelength pump laser, an amplification of Stokes signal up to 0.9 dB/cm at 1540.6 nm and a significant reduction in threshold power of about 40% with respect to silicon are experimentally demonstrated. Our results indicate that amorphous silicon nanoparticles are a great promise for Si-based Raman lasers