New tools for scientific learning in the EduSeis project: the e-learning experiment

The Educational Seismological Project (EduSeis) is a scientific and educational project, the main aim of which is the development and implementation of new teaching methodologies in Earth Sciences, using seismology as a vehicle for scientific learning and awareness of earthquake risk. Within this framework, we have recently been experimenting with new learning and information approaches that are mainly aimed at a high school audience. In particular, we have designed, implemented and tested a model of an e-learning environment in a high school located in the surroundings of the Mt. Vesuvius volcano. The proposed e-learning model is built on the EduSeis concepts and educational materials (web-oriented), and is based on computer-supported collaborative learning. Ten teachers from different disciplines and fifty students at the ITIS «Majorana» technical high school (Naples) have been taking part in a cooperative e-learning experiment in which the students have been working in small groups (communities). The learning process is assisted and supervised by the teachers. The evaluation of the results from this cooperative e-learning experiment has provided useful insights into the content and didactic value of the EduSeis modules and activities. The use of network utilities and the «Learning Community» approach promoted the exchange of ideas and expertises between students and teachers and allowed a new approach to the seismology teaching through a multidisciplinary study

Spin-Electromagnetic Hydrodynamics and Magnetization Induced by Spin-Magnetic Interaction

The hydrodynamic model including the spin degree of freedom and the electromagnetic field was discussed. In this derivation, we applied electromagnetism for macroscopic medium proposed by Minkowski. For the equation of motion of spin, we assumed that the hydrodynamic representation of the Pauli equation is reproduced when the many-body effect is neglected. Then the spin-magnetic interaction in the Pauli equation was converted to a part of the magnetization. The fluid and spin stress tensors induced by the many-body effect were obtained by employing the algebraic positivity of the entropy production in the framework of the linear irreversible thermodynamics, including the mixing effect of the irreversible currents. We further constructed the constitutive equation of the polarization and the magnetization. Our polarization equation is more reasonable compared to another result obtained using electromagnetism for macroscopic medium proposed by de Groot-Mazur.Comment: 24 pages, no figure, the discussion for the modifed thermodynamic relation is added, several errors are corrected, accepted for publication in PR

Designing effective public participation

This paper reviews the various connections that can exist between the design of participatory processes and the different kind of results that they can entail. It details how effective participatory processes can be designed, whatever are the results that participation is deemed to elicit. It shows the main trends pertaining to design choicesand considers how to classify different arrangements in order to choose from among them. Then the paper deals with the main dilemmas that tend to arise when designing participatory processes. Thanks to this review, the paper argues that participatory processes tend to display a certain degree of ambivalence that cannot be completely overcome through the design choices

Short- and long-term outcomes after heart transplantation in cardiac sarcoidosis and giant-cell myocarditis : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Heart transplantation (HTx) is a valid therapeutic option for end-stage heart failure secondary to cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) or giant-cell myocarditis (GCM). However, post-HTx outcomes in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy (ICM) have been poorly investigated. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Science Citation Index, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, screened the gray literature, and contacted experts in the field. We included studies comparing post-HTx survival, acute cellular rejection, and disease recurrence in patients with and without ICM. Data were synthesized by a random-effects meta-analysis. We screened 11,933 articles, of which 14 were considered eligible. In a pooled analysis, post-HTx survival was higher in CS than non-CS patients after 1 year (risk ratio [RR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60-1.17; I-2 = 0%) and 5 years (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.52-0.91; I-2 = 0%), but statistically significant only after 5 years. During the first-year post-HTx, the risk of acute cellular rejection was similar for patients with and without CS, but after 5 years, it was lower in those with CS (RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.03-0.72; I-2 = 0%). No difference in post-HTx survival was observed between patients with and without GCM after 1 year (RR 1.16, 95% CI 0.05-2.28; I-2 = 0%) or 5 years (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.42-1.54; I-2 = 0%). During post-HTx follow-up, recurrence of CS and GCM occurred in 5% and 8% of patients, respectively. Post-HTx outcomes in patients with CS and GCM are comparable with cardiac recipients with other heart failure etiologies. Patients with ICM should not be disqualified from HTx. [GRAPHICS] .Peer reviewe

An advanced seismic network in the Southern Apennines (Italy) for seismicity investigations and experimentation with earthquake early warning.

The last strong earthquake that occurred in the southern Apennines, the Irpinia earthquake on 23 November 1980 (M 6.9), was characterized by a complex rupture mechanism that ruptured three different faults (Bernard and Zollo 1989). This earthquake was well studied, and the quantity of data available has allowed a very detailed definition of the geometry and mechanisms of faults activated during this seismic event (Westaway and Jackson 1987; Pantosti and Valensise 1990). Even more than 20 years after the main event, the seismotectonic environment that contains the fault system on which the 1980 earthquake occurred shows continued background seismic activity including moderate-sized events such as the 1996 (M 5.1), 1991 (M 5.1) and 1990 (M 5.4) events. Moreover, the locations of the microearthquakes (taken from the database of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV) define an epicentral area with a geometry and extent surprisingly similar to that of the 1980 earthquake and its aftershocks (figure 1A). These simple observations suggest that it may be possible to study the preparation cycles of strong earthquakes on active faults by studying the microseismicity between seismic events. With this in mind, a seismic network of large dynamic range was planned and is now in an advanced phase of completion in the southern Apennines. Called ISNet (Irpinia Seismic Network), it is equipped with sensors that can record high-quality seismic signals from both small-magnitude and strong earthquakes, from which it will be possible to retrieve information about the rupture process and try to understand the scaling relationships between small and large events. Due to its high density, wide dynamic range, and advanced data-acquisition and data-transmission technologies, the network is being upgraded to become the core infrastructure of a prototype system for seismic early warning and rapid post-event ground-shaking evaluation in the Campania region, which has seismic hazard that ranks among the highest in Italy (Cinti et al. 2004). ISNet will be devoted to real-time estimation of earthquake location and magnitude and to measuring peak ground-motion parameters so as to provide rapid ground-shaking maps for the whole of the Campania region. The information provided by ISNet during the first seconds of a potentially damaging seismic event can be used to activate several types of security measures, such as the shutdown of critical systems and lifelines (Iervolino et al. 2006). The implementation of a modern seismic network involves many different research and technological aspects related to the development of sophisticated data management and processing. The communication systems need to rapidly generate useful, robust, and secure alert notifications. Here we provide a general technical and seismological overview of ISNet's complex architecture and implementation.Published622-6344.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaJCR Journalreserve

Mielopatia cervicale da deposizione periodontoidea di pirofosfato di calcio = Compressive cervical myelopathy due to massive periodontoid calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition

A 77 year-old man suffering from psoriatic arthropathy presented with progressive myelopathy due to massive deposits of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals in peri-odontoid tissue. The magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomographic pictures of the involved site are shown and discussed. The clinical spectrum of crystal deposition disease involving the atlo-axial joint is briefly reviewed

Does the revised cardiac risk index predict cardiac complications following elective lung resection?

Background: Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) score and Thoracic Revised Cardiac Risk Index (ThRCRI) score were developed to predict the risks of postoperative major cardiac complications in generic surgical population and thoracic surgery respectively. This study aims to determine the accuracy of these scores in predicting the risk of developing cardiac complications including atrial arrhythmias after lung resection surgery in adults. Methods: We studied 703 patients undergoing lung resection surgery in a tertiary thoracic surgery centre. Observed outcome measures of postoperative cardiac morbidity and mortality were compared against those predicted by risk. Results: Postoperative major cardiac complications and supraventricular arrhythmias occurred in 4.8% of patients. Both index scores had poor discriminative ability for predicting postoperative cardiac complications with an area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.59 (95% CI 0.51-0.67) for the RCRI score and 0.57 (95% CI 0.49-0.66) for the ThRCRI score. Conclusions: In our cohort, RCRI and ThRCRI scores failed to accurately predict the risk of cardiac complications in patients undergoing elective resection of lung cancer. The British Thoracic Society (BTS) recommendation to seek a cardiology referral for all asymptomatic pre-operative lung resection patients with > 3 RCRI risk factors is thus unlikely to be of clinical benefit