Exploring Spatial-Temporal Variations of Public Discourse on Social Media: A Case Study on the First Wave of the Coronavirus Pandemic in Italy

This paper proposes a methodology for exploring how linguistic behaviour on social media can be used to explore societal reactions to important events such as those that transpired during the SARS CoV2 pandemic. In particular, where spatial and temporal aspects of events are important features. Our methodology consists of grounding spatial-temporal categories in tweet usage trends using time-series analysis and clustering. Salient terms in each category were then identified through qualitative comparative analysis based on scaled f-scores aggregated into hand-coded categories. To exemplify this approach, we conducted a case study on the first wave of the coronavirus in Italy. We used our proposed methodology to explore existing psychological observations which claimed that physical distance from events affects what is communicated about them. We confirmed these findings by showing that the epicentre of the disease and peripheral regions correspond to clear time-series clusters and that those living in the epicentre of the SARS CoV2 outbreak were more focused on solidarity and policy than those from more peripheral regions. Furthermore, we also found that temporal categories corresponded closely to policy changes during the handling of the pandemic

Choline-based eutectic mixtures as catalysts for effective synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO2

CO2 is a renewable, abundant and cheap C1-feedstock and its conversion to cyclic carbonates starting from epoxides has been widely explored in the last years. Nevertheless, conducting this reaction under mild and sustainable conditions is still a challenging task. Herein we present the use of choline-salt based eutectic mixtures as catalysts for the reaction of CO2 with epoxides to give cyclic carbonates. Choline chloride and choline iodide have been coupled with various hydrogen bond donors (HBDs), mainly cheap and bio-based carboxylic acids and polyols, to form two classes of eutectic mixtures. Very good yields were achieved under mild conditions (80 \u25e6C in 7\u201322 h) for various terminal epoxides, with both classes of catalysts. While a pressure of 0.4 MPa of CO2 is required to obtain appreciable conversions using choline chloride-based mixture, atmospheric pressure of CO2 (balloon) has been successfully used with choline iodide-based mixtures. Furthermore, the catalysts could be recycled without appreciable loss of the catalytic activity. The improved catalytic performance of both cholinebased eutectic mixtures is attributed to the synergistic activity of the halide, responsible for the opening of the epoxy-ring, and the HBD that has a role in the stabilization of the alkoxide intermediate

Early death in Munchausen Syndrome: a case report

This case contributes to raising awareness and understanding of the complex clinical presentations of Munchausen syndrome (MS). Education of staff to the seriousness and genuineness of this disorder should be implemented, especially in hospital units, in order to detect such complex clinical situations quickly and accurately, preventing iatrogenic risks

Simultaneous observation of ultrafast electron and proton beams in TNSA

The interaction of ultra-intense high-power lasers with solid-state targets has been largely studied for the past 20 years as a future compact proton and ion source. Indeed, the huge potential established on the target surface by the escaping electrons provides accelerating gradients of TV/m. This process, called target normal sheath acceleration, involves a large number of phenomena and is very difficult to study because of the picosecond scale dynamics. At the SPARC_LAB Test Facility, the high-power laser FLAME is employed in experiments with solid targets, aiming to study possible correlations between ballistic fast electrons and accelerated protons. In detail, we have installed in the interaction chamber two different diagnostics, each one devoted to characterizing one beam. The first relies on electro-optic sampling, and it has been adopted to completely characterize the ultrafast electron components. On the other hand, a time-of-flight detector, based on chemical-vapour-deposited diamond, has allowed us to retrieve the proton energy spectrum. In this work, we report preliminary studies about simultaneous temporal resolved measurements of both the first forerunner escaping electrons and the accelerated protons for different laser parameters

Advanced stabilization methods of plasma devices for plasma-based acceleration

Towards the next generation of compact plasma-based accelerators, useful in several fields, such as basic research, medicine and industrial applications, a great effort is required to control the plasma creation, the necessity of producing a time-jitter free channel, and its stability namely uniformity and reproducibility. In this Letter, we describe an experimental campaign adopting a gas-filled discharge-capillary where the plasma and its generation are stabilized by triggering its ignition with an external laser pulse or an innovative technique based on the primary dark current (DC) in the accelerating structure of a linear accelerator (LINAC). The results show an efficient stabilization of the discharge pulse and plasma density with both pre-ionizing methods turning the plasma device into a symmetrical stable accelerating environment, especially when the external voltage is lowered near the breakdown value of the gas. The development of tens of centimeter long capillaries is enabled and, in turn, longer acceleration lengths can be adopted in a wide range of plasma-based acceleration experiments

Cardiovascular risk factors, anxiety symptoms and inflammation markers: Evidence of association from a cross-sectional study

Introduction Anxiety disorders and Cardiovascular (CV) diseases, among the most common disorders in Western World, are often comorbid. A chronic systemic inflammatory state might be a shared underlining pathophysiological mechanism. Aims To investigate the association between anxiety symptoms, CV risks factors and inflammatory markers in an outpatient sample. Methods Cross-sectional study. Inclusion criteria: outpatients aged ≥40 years, attending colonoscopy after positive faecal occult blood test, negative medical history for cancer. Collected data: blood pressure, glycaemia, lipid profile, waist circumference, BMI, PCR (C Reactive Protein), LPS (bacterial Lipopolysaccharide). Psychometric tests: HADS, TCI, IMSA, SF36. Statistical analysis performed with STATA13. Results Fifty four patients enrolled (27 males, 27 females). Sixteen patients (30.19%) were positive for anxiety symptoms. Thirty-three patients (61.11%) had hypertension, 14 (25.93%) hyperglycaemia and 64.81% were overweight, with frank obesity (BMI≥ 30) in 11 subjects (20.37%). Anxiety symptoms were associated with low hematic HDL values (OR = 0.01; P = 0.01) and high concentration of triglycerides (OR = 0.023; P = 0.02) at the multiple regression model. At the univariate logistic analysis, anxiety was associated with LPS (OR = 1.06; P = 0.04). Conclusions Further evidence over the epidemiological link between common mental disorders and CV diseases was collected, with possible hints on pathophysiology and causative mechanisms related to inflammation. The importance of screening for anxiety and depression in medical populations is confirmed. Suggestions on future availability of screening tools based on inflammatory-related indicators should be the focus of future research

How are personality traits and physical activity involved in colorectal carcinogenesis? A cross-sectional study on patients undergoing colonoscopy

Introduction Inflammatory state of the large bowel is a key factor for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). It has multifactorial aetiology, including psychological determinants. Physical activity may have a protective function against CRC via anti-inflammatory properties; on the contrary, personality traits correlate with an unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle. Objective To measure the association between personality traits, lifestyle and colonoscopy outcome. Methods Cross sectional study. Patients undergoing colonoscopy aged 40 or more, with a negative history for cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, were enrolled. Data collected: colonoscopy outcome, smoke, alcohol, physical activity, presence/absence of Metabolic Syndrome, personality traits assessed by the Temperament & Character Inventory (TCI). Results In a sample of 53 subjects (females = 24, 45.3%), the mean age was 60.66 ± 9.08. At least one adenoma was found to 23 patients (43.3%). Twenty patients were smokers (37.74%), 36 (67.92%) drank alcohol at least weekly; approximately 60% reported regular physical activity. At the multivariate regression, the outcome was associated to: TCI Self Transcendence domain (ST) (OR = 1.36, P = 0.04) and physical activity (OR = 0.14, P = 0.03). Conclusion People with ST's characteristic personality traits and sedentary life style are more likely to have precancerous colorectal lesions. This confirms the protective role of physical activity, and suggests to further explore the role of personality in cancerogenesis

An Italian observational study on subclinical cardiovascular risk factors and depressive symptomatology. A suggestion for the potential utility of a sinergic cardio-psychiatric perspective

Introduction Growing evidence has been collected over the complex, intertwined pathophysiological connection among subclinical cardiovascular (CV) disease, i.e. atherosclerosis, systemic low pro-inflammatory states and psychiatric disorders/symptomatology (anxiety, depression), with controversial results. Aim Aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between subclinical CV risk factors (atherosclerosis), depressive symptoms, and inflammation. Methods Cross-sectional study. Inclusion criteria: outpatients aged ≥40 years, attending colonoscopy after positive faecal occult blood test, negative medical history for cancer. Collected data: blood pressure, glycaemia, lipid profile, waist circumference, BMI, PCR (C reactive protein), LPS (bacterial lipopolysaccharide), ultrasound carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT). Psychometric tests: HADS, TCI, IMSA, SF36. Statistical analysis performed with STATA13. Results The 54 patients enrolled were equally distributed by gender. CV risk factors were common in the study population, with 33 patients (61.11%) with hypertension, 14 (25.93%) with hyperglycaemia, 20 (37.4%) with hypertriglyceridemia, 19 (35.19%) with low HDL and 64.81% with overweight. High levels of PCR were found in 24 subjects (44.44%). Right c-IMT was increased in 26.41% of the sample, and 11.32% had an atheromatous plaque. Left c-IMT was increased in 24.53% of patients, with a plaque in 7.55% of them. Clinically relevant depressive symptoms were found in the 18.87% of the sample and were statistically significantly associated with PCR (OR = 28.63; P = 0.01). Conclusions Evidence contributing to the so-called “inflammation theory” of depression and supporting the association between mood and CV disorders was here collected, supporting the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of such conditions, assuming a clinically-translated PNEI (psycho-neuro-endocrino-immunological) perspective