INGV Broad Band Ocean Bottom Seismometers deployed in the Ionian Sea

In May 2007, within the monitoring activities carried out in cooperation with the Italian National Civil Protection Department (DPC) and European NERIES project (activity NA6), INGV has deployed three Broad Band Ocean Bottom Seismometers in the southern Ionian Sea at 3500/4000 meters of depth. The OBS’s are equipped with a Nanometrics Trillium 120p seismometer, a Cox-Webb Differential Pressure Gauge and a 21 bits SEND Geolon-MLS digitizer. The three OBS’s, entirely developed at the Gibilmanna Geophysical Observatory of the INGV National Earthquake Center (CNT), are part of a pool of eight ready to deploy instruments and they are the first Italian OBS’s taking part in a long term experiment: two of them will be recovered by February 2008, whereas the third, in the deep Ionian Sea, will be replaced every year, until May 2010, to accomplish the continuous long-term seismic monitoring task of the EU NERIES project. The area selected for the deployment is a region of high scientific interest for several reasons: i) there are no seismological data on the structure of the Ionian lithosphere; ii) the level and features of the seismicity of the area between the Hyblean-Malta fault system and the accretionary prism of the Calabrian Arc are unknown. This experiment allows us to test the pressure waves detection system that will be implemented in the Tsunami Warning System INGV is developing within the IOC-UNESCO “NEAMTWS” (North-East Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas Tsunami Warning System). In this poster we describe the technical features and the performance of the OBS’s, the deployment campaign, and some seismic data recorded

Changes in attitude towards LAI antipsychotic maintenance treatment: A two-year follow-up study.

AbstractBackground:To present real-world evidence on the effects of switching from oral to long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic maintenance treatment (AMT) in a sample of clinically stable patients with schizophrenia, with regard to subjective experience of treatment, attitude towards drug and quality of life.Methods:50 clinically stable adult schizophrenic outpatients were recruited. At the time of enrolment (T0), all patients were under a stabilized therapy with a single oral second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) and were switched to the equivalent maintenance regimen with the long-acting formulation of the same antipsychotic. 43 patients completed the 24-month prospective, longitudinal, open-label, observational study. Participants were assessed at baseline (T0), after 12 (T1) and 24 months (T2), using psychometric scales (PANSS, YMRS and MDRS) and patient-reported outcome measures (SWN-K, DAI-10 and SF-36).Results:The switch to LAI-AMT was associated with a significant clinical improvement at T1 and T2 compared to baseline (T0). All of the psychometric indexes, as well as patients' subjective experience of treatment (SWN-K), and quality of life (SF-36) showed a significant improvement after one year of LAI-AMT, with stable results after two years. Patients' attitude towards drug (DAI-10) increased throughout the follow-up period, with a further improvement during the second year.Conclusions:The switch to LAI-AMT may help to address the subjective core of an optimal recovery in stabilized schizophrenic patients. A sustained improvement in patients' attitude towards drug may help to achieve patient's compliance. The size of this study needs to be expanded to produce more solid and generalizable results

MICROTREMOR MEASUREMENTS IN PALERMO, ITALY: A COMPARISON WITH MACROSEISMIC INTENSITY AND EARTHQUAKE GROUND MOTION

The city of Palermo is an appropriate test site where the efficiency of microtremors in predicting ground motion properties during earthquakes can be checked. Palermo is a densely populated city with important historical heritage and was object of previous studies. Areas of local amplification of damage were identified in downtown Palermo using historical macroseismic data. Moreover, aftershocks of the September 6, 2002, earthquake (Mw 5.9, 40 km offshore) provided a dataset of seismograms that quantify spatial variations of ground motion. The availability of more than 2000 boreholes in the city allowed a reconstruction of the 3D structure of surface geology, indicating that all the higher damage zones correspond to sediment-filled valleys. The high variability of the surface geology is mostly due to the presence of two filled river-beds of about 150 m width. In the framework of the SESAME project (Seismic EffectS assessment using Ambient Exctations, funded by the European Union), 90 microtremor measurements were performed across several profiles crossing the soft sediment bodies. The measurement points were intensified close to the valley edges (every 20 m), according to our geological reconstruction. H/V spectral ratio on ambient noise (HVSR) show significant variations along each profile: as soon as the transition stiff to soft is crossed, a typical spectral peak exceeding a factor of 3 in amplitude appears in the HVSR. The peak falls between 1 and 2 Hz and, along each profile, the peak disappears as soon as the other edge of the valley is crossed. These results indicate that microtremors are sensitive to the presence of large impedance contrasts of deep soft soil, at least in the Palermo area, with an important implication: the HVSR method seems to be able to recognize conditions potentially favourable to the occurrence of higher damage even when local geological characters are masked by the urban growth. However, we were not able to establish a quantitative correlation between microtremor properties and ground motion (or damage) amplification

Quality of residential facilities in Italy: satisfaction and quality of life of residents with schizophrenia spectrum~disorders

Background Recovery and human rights promotion for people with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSDs) is fundamental to provide good care in Residential Facilities (RFs). However, there is a concern about rehabilitation ethos in RFs. This study aimed to investigate the care quality of Italian RFs, the quality of life (QoL) and care experience of residents with SSD. Methods Fourty-eight RFs were assessed using a quality assessment tool (QuIRC-SA) and 161 residents with SSD were enrolled. Seventeen RFs provided high intensity rehabilitation (SRP1), 15 medium intensity (SRP2), and 16 medium-low level support (SRP3). Staff-rated tools measured psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial functioning; user-rated tools assessed QoL and satisfaction with services. RFs comparisons were made using ANOVA and Chi-squared. Results Over two-thirds patients (41.5 y.o., SD 9.7) were male. Seventy-six were recruited from SRP1 services, 48 from SRP2, and 27 from SRP3. The lowest QuIRC-SA scoring was Recovery Based Practice (45.8%), and the highest was promotion of Human Rights (58.4%). SRP2 had the lowest QuIRC-SA ratings and SRP3 the highest. Residents had similar psychopathology (p = 0.140) and functioning (p = 0.537). SRP3 residents were more employed (18.9%) than SRP1 (7.9%) or SRP2 (2.2%) ones, and had less severe negative symptoms (p = 0.016) and better QoL (p = 0.020) than SRP2 residents. There were no differences in the RF therapeutic milieu and their satisfaction with care. Conclusions Residents of the lowest supported RFs in Italy had less severe negative symptoms, better QoL and more employment than others. The lowest ratings for Recovery Based Practice across all RFs suggest more work is needed to improve recovery

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions

INGV Broad Band Ocean Bottom Seismometers deployed in the Ionian Sea

In May 2007, within the monitoring activities carried out in cooperation with the Italian National Civil Protection Department (DPC) and European NERIES project (activity NA6), INGV has deployed three Broad Band Ocean Bottom Seismometers in the southern Ionian Sea at 3500/4000 meters of depth. The OBS’s are equipped with a Nanometrics Trillium 120p seismometer, a Cox-Webb Differential Pressure Gauge and a 21 bits SEND Geolon-MLS digitizer. The three OBS’s, entirely developed at the Gibilmanna Geophysical Observatory of the INGV National Earthquake Center (CNT), are part of a pool of eight ready to deploy instruments and they are the first Italian OBS’s taking part in a long term experiment: two of them will be recovered by February 2008, whereas the third, in the deep Ionian Sea, will be replaced every year, until May 2010, to accomplish the continuous long-term seismic monitoring task of the EU NERIES project. The area selected for the deployment is a region of high scientific interest for several reasons: i) there are no seismological data on the structure of the Ionian lithosphere; ii) the level and features of the seismicity of the area between the Hyblean-Malta fault system and the accretionary prism of the Calabrian Arc are unknown. This experiment allows us to test the pressure waves detection system that will be implemented in the Tsunami Warning System INGV is developing within the IOC-UNESCO “NEAMTWS” (North-East Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas Tsunami Warning System). In this poster we describe the technical features and the performance of the OBS’s, the deployment campaign, and some seismic data recorded.PublishedVienna2.5. Laboratorio per lo sviluppo di sistemi di rilevamento sottomariniope