SEISMIC ANISOTROPY AND MICRO-SEISMICITY IN THE UPPER CRUST AT NORTH OF GUBBIO BASIN (CENTRAL ITALY): RELATION WITH THE SUBSURFACE GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURES AND THE ACTIVE STRESS FIELD

During the months of April and May 2010, a seismic sequence (here named “Pietralunga seismic sequence”) took place in the northeastern part of the Gubbio basin (Northern Apennines); this area is well known to be interested by a continuous background micro-seismic activity. The sequence was recorded both by the INGV National Seismic Network, and by the stations installed by the Project “AIRPLANE” (financially supported by MIUR-Italian Ministry of Education and Research) with the aim of investigating the seismogenetic processes in the Alto Tiberina Fault (ATF) system region. In this work we present the anisotropic results at four stations: ATFO, ATPC, ATPI, ATVO located around the northern termination of the Gubbio basin that well delimit both the seismic se- quence and the whole 2010 seismicity (about 2500 events). The study of seismic anisotropy has provided useful information for the interpretation and evaluation of the stress field and active crustal deformation. Seismic anisotropy can yield valuable information on upper crustal structure, fracture field, and presence of fluid-saturated rocks. Moreover, the large number of seismic waveforms recorded especially during the Pietralunga sequence allows us also to study the spatio-temporal changes of anisotropic parameters to better understand its evolution and the possible correlation to the presence and migration of fluids

Evaluation of Contrast Sensitivity, Chromatic Vision, and Reading Ability in Patients with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

Purpose. To compare contrast sensitivity, acquired color vision deficiency, and reading ability in patients with glaucoma at different stages of the disease and to establish correlations between visual field parameters and visual function scores. Methods. This prospective cross-sectional study included 121 glaucoma patients. Subjects with a diagnosis of chronic open angle glaucoma were recruited and classified according to Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson criteria. Patients with severe visual field defects were excluded because they were older, which could bias the interpretation of visual function tests. Contrast sensitivity was measured using the Pelli-Robson Chart and the CSV1000E test. Chromatic vision was evaluated using the Farnsworth-panel D15 and the L''Anthony D15 tests of Vision Color Recorder software. Reading ability was measured using Radner-Vissum test. Results. Contrast sensitivity (with photopic and mesopic luminance with glare) differed significantly between patients with early and moderate visual field defects (p < 0.05). Reading ability scores and results of the chromatic vision tests did not differ significantly between the two groups. Significant and moderate Spearman correlations between visual field indexes and contrast sensitivity tests were detected. Conclusions. Contrast sensitivity was significantly worse in patients with moderate glaucoma compared to those with early-stage glaucoma. Evaluation of visual function in clinical practice provides important information to address a glaucoma patient''s vision complaints

Considerations for the optimal management of antibiotic therapy in elderly patients

Objectives: To maximise efficacy and minimise toxicity, special considerations are required for antibiotic prescription in elderly patients. This review aims to provide practical suggestions for the optimal management of antibiotic therapy in elderly patients. Methods: This was a narrative review. A literature search of published articles in the last 15 years on antibiotics and elderly patients was performed using the Cochrane Library and PubMed electronic databases. The three priority areas were identified: (i) pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) for optimising dosage regimens and route of administration; (ii) antibiotic dosages in some special subpopulations; and (iii) treatment considerations relating to different antibiotic classes and their adverse events. Results: Clinicians should understand the altered PK/PD of drugs in this population owing to co-morbid conditions and normal physiological changes associated with ageing. The body of evidence justifies the need for individualised dose selection, especially in patients with impaired renal and liver function. Clinicians should be aware of the major drug–drug interactions commonly observed in the elderly as well as potential side effects. Conclusion: Antibiotic therapy in the elderly requires a comprehensive approach, including strategies to improve appropriate antibiotic prescribing, limit their use for uncomplicated infections and ensure the attainment of an optimal PK/PD target. To this purpose, further studies involving the elderly are needed to better understand the PK of antibiotics. Moreover, it is necessary to assess the role therapeutic drug monitoring in guiding antibiotic therapy in elderly patients in order to evaluate its impact on clinical outcome

Segregation of Citrus Tristeza Virus Strains Evidenced by Double Stranded RNA (dsRNA) Analysis

A field isolate of citrus tristeza virus (CTV), T-385, was separated from other virus and virus-like diseases by aphid transmission to Mexican lime seedlings. This isolate did not cause decline of sweet orange on sour orange rootstock under field conditions and it induced mild vein clearing and an inconspicuous stem pitting on Mexican lime. Two months after aphid transmission, one of the infected lime seedlings was used as an inoculum source to graft-inoculate 40 citron plants. Two years later, the citron plants were analysed individually for dsRNA content and up to 23 different electrophoretic profiles were found. DsRNA analysis has been repeated three times through the year and the individual patterns remained unchanged. Thirteen of these CTV sub-isolates were graft-transmitted to sweet orange seedlings and the corresponding dsRNA profiles were identical to those previously obtained from citron. All these subisolates induced mild symptoms of Mexican lime similar to those of the original isolate (T-385). These results substantiate that several CTV strains can infect a single citrus plant

Considerations for the optimal management of antibiotic therapy in elderly patients

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Mutation profile of BBS genes in patients with Bardet-Biedl syndrome : An Italian study

Background: Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare inherited multisystemic disorder with autosomal recessive or complex digenic triallelic inheritance. There is currently no treatment for BBS, but some morbidities can be managed. Accurate molecular diagnosis is often crucial for the definition of appropriate patient management and for the development of a potential personalized therapy. Methods: We developed a next-generation-sequencing (NGS) protocol for the screening of the 18 most frequently mutated genes to define the genotype and clarify the mutation spectrum of a cohort of 20 BBS Italian patients. Results: We defined the causative variants in 60% of patients; four of those are novel. 33% of patients also harboured variants in additional gene/s, suggesting possible oligogenic inheritance. To explore the function of different genes, we looked for correlations between genotype and phenotype in our cohort. Hypogonadism was more frequently detected in patients with variants in BBSome proteins, while renal abnormalities in patients with variations in BBSome chaperonin genes. Conclusions: NGS is a powerful tool that can help understanding BBS patients' phenotype through the identification of mutations that could explain differences in phenotype severity and could provide insights for the development of targeted therapy. Furthermore, our results support the existence of additional BBS loci yet to be identified

Same Not the Same: Thermally Driven Transformation of Nickel Phosphinate-Bipyridine One-Dimensional Chains into Three-Dimensional Coordination Polymers

Three one-dimensional nickel coordination polymers (CPs) based on P,P′-diphenylethylenediphosphinic acid and three different bis-pyridine coligands, namely, 4,4′-bipyridine (bipy), 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpy-ane), and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (bpy-ene), were prepared in mild hydrothermal conditions from water solutions containing the dissolved reagents. The CPs have the formula [Ni(H2O)4(bipy)·pc2p]n (1), [Ni(H2O)4(bpy-ane)·pc2p]n (2), and [Ni(H2O)4(bpy-ene)·pc2p]n (3), and their structural features were investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction, UV–vis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, and magnetic measurements. They are constituted of infinite Ni(H2O)4(bis-pyridine) one-dimensional rows connected, through hydrogen bonds, with the phosphinic acids placed among adjacent rows. Although the formulas and the structural topologies of the three compounds are almost identical, they behave in different manners upon heating. Compound 1 yields an amorphous phase when water molecules are thermally removed, whereas compound 3 undergoes interesting phase transformations derived from the connection of Ni atoms with the phosphinates oxygen atoms, increasing the dimensionality to three-dimensional and maintaining crystallinity. The behavior of compound 2 has some analogies to that of 3, although a complete structural characterization was not performed because of a significant crystallinity loss of the heated phase. The structural features were studied by means of a combination of variable temperature single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The reason for these different behaviors was ascribed to both the length and the flexibility degree of the nitrogenated coligands

In-depth study of moderately young but extremely red, very dusty substellar companion HD206893B

Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Reproduced with permission from Astronomy & Astrophysics. © 2018 ESO.The substellar companion HD206893b has recently been discovered by direct imaging of its disc-bearing host star with the SPHERE instrument. We investigate the atypical properties of the companion, which has the reddest near-infrared colours among all known substellar objects, either orbiting a star or isolated, and we provide a comprehensive characterisation of the host star-disc-companion system. We conducted a follow-up of the companion with adaptive optics imaging and spectro-imaging with SPHERE, and a multiinstrument follow-up of its host star. We obtain a R=30 spectrum from 0.95 to 1.64 micron of the companion and additional photometry at 2.11 and 2.25 micron. We carried out extensive atmosphere model fitting for the companions and the host star in order to derive their age, mass, and metallicity. We found no additional companion in the system in spite of exquisite observing conditions resulting in sensitivity to 6MJup (2MJup) at 0.5" for an age of 300 Myr (50 Myr). We detect orbital motion over more than one year and characterise the possible Keplerian orbits. We constrain the age of the system to a minimum of 50 Myr and a maximum of 700 Myr, and determine that the host-star metallicity is nearly solar. The comparison of the companion spectrum and photometry to model atmospheres indicates that the companion is an extremely dusty late L dwarf, with an intermediate gravity (log g 4.5-5.0) which is compatible with the independent age estimate of the system. Though our best fit corresponds to a brown dwarf of 15-30 MJup aged 100-300 Myr, our analysis is also compatible with a range of masses and ages going from a 50 Myr 12MJup planetary-mass object to a 50 MJup Hyades-age brown dwarf...Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

SVCEval-RA: an evaluation framework for adaptive scalable video streaming

[EN] Multimedia content adaption strategies are becoming increasingly important for effective video streaming over the actual heterogeneous networks. Thus, evaluation frameworks for adaptive video play an important role in the designing and deploying process of adaptive multimedia streaming systems. This paper describes a novel simulation framework for rate-adaptive video transmission using the Scalable Video Coding standard (H.264/SVC). Our approach uses feedback information about the available bandwidth to allow the video source to select the most suitable combination of SVC layers for the transmission of a video sequence. The proposed solution has been integrated into the network simulator NS-2 in order to support realistic network simulations. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed solution we perform a simulation study where a video sequence was transmitted over a three network scenarios. The experimental results show that the Adaptive SVC scheme implemented in our framework provides an efficient alternative that helps to avoid an increase in the network congestion in resource-constrained networks. Improvements in video quality, in terms of PSNR (Peak Signal to Noise Ratio) and SSIM (Structural Similarity Index) are also obtained.Castellanos Hernández, WE.; Guerri Cebollada, JC.; Arce Vila, P. (2017). SVCEval-RA: an evaluation framework for adaptive scalable video streaming. Multimedia Tools and Applications. 76(1):437-461. doi:10.1007/s11042-015-3046-yS437461761Akhshabi S, Begen AC, Dovrolis C (2011) An experimental evaluation of rate-adaptation algorithms in adaptive streaming over HTTP. In: Proceedings of the second annual ACM conference on Multimedia systems. ACM, pp 157–168Alabdulkarim MN, Rikli N-E (2012) QoS Provisioning for H.264/SVC Streams over Ad-Hoc ZigBee Networks Using Cross-Layer Design. 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Nucleotide sequence and genome organization of Dweet mottle virus and its relationship to members of the family Betaflexiviridae

The nucleotide sequence of Dweet mottle virus (DMV) was determined and compared to sequences of members of the families Alphaflexiviridae and Betaflexiviridae. The DMV genome has 8,747 nucleotides (nt) excluding the 3′ poly-(A) tail. DMV genomic RNA contains three putative open reading frames (ORFs) and untranslated regions of 73 nt at the 5′ and 541 nt at 3′ termini. ORF1 potentially encoding a 227.48-kDa polyprotein, which has methyltransferase, oxygenase, endopeptidase, helicase, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) domains. ORF2 encodes a movement protein of 40.25 kDa, while ORF3 encodes a coat protein of 40.69 kDa. Protein database searches showed 98–99% matches of DMV ORFs with citrus leaf blotch virus (CLBV) sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on the RdRP core domain revealed that DMV is closely related to CLBV as a member of the genus Citrivirus. DMV did not satisfy the molecular criteria for demarcation of an independent species within the genus Citrivirus, family Betaflexiviridae, and hence, DMV can be considered a CLBV isolate