Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection by real time polymerase chain reaction using pooling strategy of nasal samples

COVID-19 is a life-threatening multisistemic infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Infection control relies on timely identification and isolation of infected people who can alberg the virus for up to 14 days, providing important opportunities for undetected transmission. This note describes the application of rRT-PCR test for simpler, faster and less invasive monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 infection using pooling strategy of samples. Seventeen positive patients were provided with sterile dry swabs and asked to self-collected 2 nasal specimens (#NS1 and #NS2). The #NS1 was individually placed in a single tube and the #NS2 was placed in another tube together with 19 NSs collected from 19 negative patients. Both tubes were then tested with conventional molecular rRT-PCR and the strength of pooling nasal testing was compared with the molecular test performed on the single NS of each positive patient. The pooling strategy detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA to a similar extent to the single test, even when Ct value is on average high (Ct 37-38), confirming that test sensibility is not substantially affected even if the pool contains only one low viral load positive sample. Furthermore, the pooling strategy have benefits for SARS-CoV-2 routinary monitoring of groups in regions with a low SARS-CoV-2 prevalenc

Back analysis of the 2014 San Leo Landslide using combined terrestrial laser scanning and 3D distinct element modelling

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00603-015-0763-5© 2015 Springer-Verlag Wien Landslides of the lateral spreading type, involving brittle geological units overlying ductile terrains, are a common occurrence in the sandstone and limestone plateaux of the northern Apennines of Italy. The edges of these plateaux are often the location of rapid landslide phenomena, such as rock slides, rock falls and topples. In this paper, we present a back analysis of a recent landslide (February 2014), involving the north-eastern sector of the San Leo rock slab (northern Apennines, Emilia-Romagna Region) which is a representative example of this type of phenomena. The aquifer hosted in the fractured slab, due to its relatively higher secondary permeability in comparison to the lower clayey units leads to the development of perennial and ephemeral springs at the contact between the two units. The related piping erosion phenomena, together with slope processes in the clay-shales have led to the progressive undermining of the slab, eventually predisposing large-scale landslides. Stability analyses were conducted coupling terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and distinct element methods (DEMs). TLS point clouds were analysed to determine the pre- and post-failure geometry, the extension of the detachment area and the joint network characteristics. The block dimensions in the landslide deposit were mapped and used to infer the spacing of the discontinuities for insertion into the numerical model. Three-dimensional distinct element simulations were conducted, with and without undermining of the rock slab. The analyses allowed an assessment of the role of the undermining, together with the presence of an almost vertical joint set, striking sub-parallel to the cliff orientation, on the development of the slope instability processes. Based on the TLS and on the numerical simulation results, an interpretation of the landslide mechanism is proposed

Seismic activity in the Pollino region (Basilicata-Calabria border)

The Pollino region and the whole Calabria-Lucania border are known for the absence of destructive (M>6) historical earthquakes. This lack of historical seismicity is noticeable in the analysis of Southern Apennines and Calabria earthquake history (Rovida et al., 2011). At the same time, paleoseismological studies found evidence for significant active faulting (Cinti et al., 1997; Michetti et al., 1997) pointing to the Pollino area as a seismic gap. Instrumental seismicity in the region is characterized by the occurrence of seismic sequences, one of the most significant in the last decades is the Mercure seismic sequence, Mw 5.6 in September 1998 (Brozzetti et al., 2008). For this reason, the sequence started in 2010 raised a big concern in the population and local authorities. INGV is following the evolution of the sequence since its beginning, in March 2010, increasing the seismic monitoring and planning several activities and projects. The area was proposed by INGV to DPC (Dipartimento di Protezione Civile nazionale) for inclusion in the projects to be carried out in the present INGV-DPC agreement. This project has just started and will try to provide better constraints to the active tectonics and fault identification of the region. In this paper we describe what INGV is doing to understand better the tectonics of the region using microseismicity, and try to offer some cue to the discussion about the seismogenic faults in the area.Published5-92T. Tettonica attivaN/A or not JCRope

Investigating the Origin of Seismic Swarms

According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Program, a seismic swarm is “a localized surge of earth- quakes, with no one shock being conspicuously larger than all other shocks of the swarm. They might occur in a variety of geologic environments and are not known to be indicative of any change in the long- term seismic risk of the region in which they occur” (http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/ Seismicitydescription_earthquakes.html). The definition reveals how little is actually known about seismic swarms. For example, could certain seismic settings be more prone to swarms? Could a fault zone prone to large energetic earthquakes release part of its stress through seismic swarms? Do swarms keep hazards in balance, or could their onset increase hazards? To gain insight into the nature of seismic swarms in nonvolcanic areas and to better understand their influence on seismic hazards, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) began a combined research project within the framework of the Network of European Research Infrastructures for Earthquake Risk Assessment and Mitigation (NERA; see http:// www.nera-eu.org/). The project focused on monitoring swarm activity occurring in the Pollino range in Southern Apennines, Italy.Published361-3721.1. TTC - Monitoraggio sismico del territorio nazionaleN/A or not JCRrestricte

Avance de los Servicios Sanitarios Básicos (SSB) en relación a los Objetivos del Milenio en la Cuenca Matanza Riachuelo

El presente estudio se sitúa en la Cuenca Matanza - Riachuelo (CMR), una de las más pobladas y degradadas de Argentina. La misma incluye a una parte de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) y una totalidad de 14 municipios, la mayoría de ellos del Área Metropolitana del Gran Buenos Aires, que presentan una gran desigualdad en cuanto a la provisión de servicios sanitarios básicos (SSB). Esta problemática, sumada al altísimo grado de contaminación industrial y cloacal de los ríos Matanza y Riachuelo, a la inadecuada disposición de los residuos sólidos y a las inundaciones periódicas de la zona, afecta la calidad de vida de la población. Se plantea como objetivo del trabajo el análisis del avance de los SSB en el ámbito de la CMR y la observancia del grado de cumplimiento de los Objetivos del Milenio (Declaración del Milenio, Cumbre del Milenio de las Naciones Unidas, septiembre de 2000). El análisis de los Censos 2001 y 2010 respecto de densidad poblacional y cobertura de redes de servicios sanitarios básicos, permite establecer que no se perciben grandes diferencias en cuanto a la evolución espacio-temporal en el período analizado, existiendo una tendencia en avanzar en primer lugar con redes de agua potable y luego con redes de desagüe cloacal, y frente a la degradación ambiental que sufre la cuenca, esto no ayuda a mejorar la situación socio-ambiental. También se observa un mayor incremento en porcentaje de cobertura de agua potable de red respecto de red cloacal en el período inter-censal. Por otra parte, se visualiza una expansión de población y de SSB, desde el AMBA hacia el interior; es decir, los municipios más cercanos a la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires son los que cuentan con mejor cobertura de servicios, como Lomas de Zamora y Avellaneda, y los más lejanos, como por ejemplo La Matanza, Cañuelas y Ezeiza, tienen muy bajo grado de cobertura de SSB.Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - Facultad de Ingenierí

Avance de los Servicios Sanitarios Básicos (SSB) en relación a los Objetivos del Milenio en la Cuenca Matanza Riachuelo

El presente estudio se sitúa en la Cuenca Matanza - Riachuelo (CMR), una de las más pobladas y degradadas de Argentina. La misma incluye a una parte de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) y una totalidad de 14 municipios, la mayoría de ellos del Área Metropolitana del Gran Buenos Aires, que presentan una gran desigualdad en cuanto a la provisión de servicios sanitarios básicos (SSB). Esta problemática, sumada al altísimo grado de contaminación industrial y cloacal de los ríos Matanza y Riachuelo, a la inadecuada disposición de los residuos sólidos y a las inundaciones periódicas de la zona, afecta la calidad de vida de la población. Se plantea como objetivo del trabajo el análisis del avance de los SSB en el ámbito de la CMR y la observancia del grado de cumplimiento de los Objetivos del Milenio (Declaración del Milenio, Cumbre del Milenio de las Naciones Unidas, septiembre de 2000). El análisis de los Censos 2001 y 2010 respecto de densidad poblacional y cobertura de redes de servicios sanitarios básicos, permite establecer que no se perciben grandes diferencias en cuanto a la evolución espacio-temporal en el período analizado, existiendo una tendencia en avanzar en primer lugar con redes de agua potable y luego con redes de desagüe cloacal, y frente a la degradación ambiental que sufre la cuenca, esto no ayuda a mejorar la situación socio-ambiental. También se observa un mayor incremento en porcentaje de cobertura de agua potable de red respecto de red cloacal en el período inter-censal. Por otra parte, se visualiza una expansión de población y de SSB, desde el AMBA hacia el interior; es decir, los municipios más cercanos a la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires son los que cuentan con mejor cobertura de servicios, como Lomas de Zamora y Avellaneda, y los más lejanos, como por ejemplo La Matanza, Cañuelas y Ezeiza, tienen muy bajo grado de cobertura de SSB.Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) - Facultad de Ingenierí

Quantum Holographic Encoding in a Two-dimensional Electron Gas

The advent of bottom-up atomic manipulation heralded a new horizon for attainable information density, as it allowed a bit of information to be represented by a single atom. The discrete spacing between atoms in condensed matter has thus set a rigid limit on the maximum possible information density. While modern technologies are still far from this scale, all theoretical downscaling of devices terminates at this spatial limit. Here, however, we break this barrier with electronic quantum encoding scaled to subatomic densities. We use atomic manipulation to first construct open nanostructures--"molecular holograms"--which in turn concentrate information into a medium free of lattice constraints: the quantum states of a two-dimensional degenerate Fermi gas of electrons. The information embedded in the holograms is transcoded at even smaller length scales into an atomically uniform area of a copper surface, where it is densely projected into both two spatial degrees of freedom and a third holographic dimension mapped to energy. In analogy to optical volume holography, this requires precise amplitude and phase engineering of electron wavefunctions to assemble pages of information volumetrically. This data is read out by mapping the energy-resolved electron density of states with a scanning tunnelling microscope. As the projection and readout are both extremely near-field, and because we use native quantum states rather than an external beam, we are not limited by lensing or collimation and can create electronically projected objects with features as small as ~0.3 nm. These techniques reach unprecedented densities exceeding 20 bits/nm2 and place tens of bits into a single fermionic state.Comment: Published online 25 January 2009 in Nature Nanotechnology; 12 page manuscript (including 4 figures) + 2 page supplement (including 1 figure); supplementary movie available at http://mota.stanford.ed

SEISMIC SWARM vs MAINSHOCK‐AFTERSHOCKS SEQUENCE: REFINED HYPOCENTERS LOCATIONS AT THE APENNINES‐CALABRIAN ARC BOUNDARY (SOUTHERN ITALY)

In the last years the Apennines-Calabrian arc boundary has been affected by intense seismicity concentrated in the Pollino mountain region. The Pollino is located at the northernmost edge of the Calabrian Arc, the last remnant of subduction along the Africa- Eurasian boundary. The area is subject to Northeast- Southwest extension, which results in a complex system of normal faults striking Northwest-Southeast, nearly parallel to the Apenninic mountain range. The Italian Seismic Network between 2010 and 2014 detected more than 5500 earthquakes in the area (Italian Seismological Instrumental and Parametric Data- Base; http:// iside .rm .ingv .it). In 2010 and 2011 the earthquake rate has been variable, with increasing and decreasing phases and maximum magnitudes below M=4. On May 28th 2012, a shallow event with local magnitude of 4.3 struck, about 5 kilometers east of the previous swarm. The seismic activity remained concentrated in the M=4.3 source region until early August. At that time seismicity jumped back westward to the previous area, with several earthquakes of magnitude larger than 3, culminating with a M=5.0 earthquake on 25 October 2012. The seismic rate remained high for some months, but aftershock magnitudes did not exceed magnitude 3.7. The seismic rate then suddenly decreased at the beginning of 2013 and stayed quite low for the rest of the year up to the beginning of 2014. During these years several temporary seismic stations were deployed in the area, improving the detecting threshold of the Italian Seismic Network and giving us the opportunity to refine the location of the earthquakes hypocenters. A combined dataset, including three-component seismic waveforms recorded by both permanent and temporary stations, has been analyzed in order to obtain an appropriate 1-D and 3D velocity model for earthquake location in the study area. Here we describe the main seismological characteristics of this seismic sequence and, relying on refined earthquakes location, we make inferences on the geometry of the fault system responsible for the two strongest shocks. Swarm activity seems to occur on a diffuse crustal volume more than on fault planes. To yield a better understanding of the origin of the ongoing seismic activity in the Pollino area, using thousand of seismograms, we analyze vp and vp/vs models and anisotropic parameters in the crust. The main goal of this study is to increase the understanding of the physical mechanisms behind the seismic swarm and its influence on the seismic hazard of the Apennines- Calabrian arc boundary region.EAEE - ESCPublishedIstanbul - August 24-29 20142T. Tettonica attivaope

The 2012 Emilia seismic sequence (Northern Italy): Imaging the thrust fault system by accurate aftershock location

Starting from late May 2012, the Emilia region (Northern Italy) was severely shaken by an intense seismic sequence, originated from a ML 5.9 earthquake on May 20th, at a hypocentral depth of 6.3 km, with thrusttype focal mechanism. In the following days, the seismic rate remained high, counting 50 ML ≥ 2.0 earthquakes a day, on average. Seismicity spreads along a 30 km east–west elongated area, in the Po river alluvial plain, in the nearby of the cities Ferrara and Modena. Nine days after the first shock, another destructive thrust-type earthquake (ML 5.8) hit the area to the west, causing further damage and fatalities. Aftershocks following this second destructive event extended along the same east-westerly trend for further 20 km to the west, thus illuminating an area of about 50 km in length, on thewhole. After the first shock struck, on May 20th, a dense network of temporary seismic stations, in addition to the permanent ones, was deployed in the meizoseismal area, leading to a sensible improvement of the earthquake monitoring capability there. A combined dataset, including threecomponent seismic waveforms recorded by both permanent and temporary stations, has been analyzed in order to obtain an appropriate 1-D velocity model for earthquake location in the study area. Here we describe the main seismological characteristics of this seismic sequence and, relying on refined earthquakes location, we make inferences on the geometry of the thrust system responsible for the two strongest shocks