The Geographical Infomration System of CESIS Project

CE.S.I.S. project, promoted by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology and funded by Ministry of Instruction, University, and Scientific Research (MIUR) foresees the realization of a permanent seismic, accelerometric and geodetic network in Southern Italy, and the consequent realization of a Research Centre for seismology and seismic engineering.The Geographical Information System (SIT) is a main part of the CESIS Project, because it proposes to collect and to integrate cartographic and descriptive information for the analysis of the territorial, seismological and geological characteristics of South Italy. The SIT has a double role: first, it is a support in the activities of the technicians and researchers, especially in siting of both seismic and GPS stations; second, with its huge amount of geographic information, it renders the starting base for applications Gis-based in the seismology and for evaluation of the seismic risk

GEOSIS: dall’Earthquake Report al webGIS

Experience using ESRI Geodatabase allowed to centralize in one place the many spatial, geological and seismological data contained in the databases produced in recent years by INGV and other institutions. Inspired by the USGS reports made to characterize the most important earthquakes, it was thought to create synthesis and quick reference tools of this information in relation to a seismic event that occurred on Italian territory. The result is the idea of "framing" the location of an earthquake not only in its territorial context, but extending it to other useful information derived from INGV databases and studies. The aim of GEOSIS Earthquake Report is precisely to frame a seismic event in 5 topics into a A3 cartography report: territorial framework, seismic classification, seismic hazards, historical seismicity, recent seismic activity. The utility of Earthquake Report has been highlighted especially during a seismic emergency as a tool for quick summary and easy to read of the different seismological and seismotectonic characteristics of the area affected by the earthquake. Just at those situations, however, has been pointed out the weak point of this report: their static nature. In fact it is coming out of the need to have an application that could dynamically be updated during a seismic sequence and which provides the user the ability to create custom scenarios. It was then developed GEOSIS web, the evolution of GEOSIS Earthquake Reports on the Web. GEOSIS web turns the cartography report into a webGIS application that allows users to create the 5 default views, or create different scenarios with the layers of geographic database. In addition GEOSIS web is not centered on a single seismic event but it has the opportunity to manage the last 20 events recorded by the National Seismic Network with magnitude (ML) greater than or equal to 2.0, updated in near real time

GEOSIS web

Experience using ESRI Geodatabase allowed to centralize in one place the many spatial, geological and seismological data contained in the databases produced in recent years by INGV and other institutions. Inspired by the USGS reports made to characterize the most important earthquakes, it was thought to create synthesis and quick reference tools of this information in relation to a seismic event that occurred on Italian territory. The result is the idea of "framing" the location of an earthquake not only in its territorial context, but extending it to other useful information derived from INGV databases and studies. The aim of GEOSIS Earthquake Report is precisely to frame a seismic event in 5 topics into a A3 cartography report: territorial framework, seismic classification, seismic hazards, historical seismicity, recent seismic activity. The utility of Earthquake Report has been highlighted especially during a seismic emergency as a tool for quick summary and easy to read of the different seismological and seismotectonic characteristics of the area affected by the earthquake. Just at those situations, however, has been pointed out the weak point of this report: their static nature. In fact it is coming out of the need to have an application that could dynamically be updated during a seismic sequence and which provides the user the ability to create custom scenarios. It was then developed GEOSIS web, the evolution of GEOSIS Earthquake Reports on the Web. GEOSIS web turns the cartography report into a webGIS application that allows users to create the 5 default views, or create different scenarios with the layers of geographic database. In addition GEOSIS web is not centered on a single seismic event but it has the opportunity to manage the last 20 events recorded by the National Seismic Network with magnitude (ML) greater than or equal to 2.0, updated in near real time

A WEBGIS APPLICATION FOR VISUALIZATION AND DISSEMINATION OF ITALIAN SEISMICITY

The national seismic monitoring service is an advanced real-time analysis of seismic data managed by the Centro Nazionale Terremoti in Rome of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). The service provides a first location within a few seconds of any Italian earthquake and a definite location within few minute

INDIRECT SEARCH FOR NEUTRALINOS AT NEUTRINO TELESCOPES

Under the assumption that cold dark matter is composed (at least partially) of neutralinos, capture and pair annihilation of these particles in the sun and the earth are evaluated in the framework of the minimal SUSY extension of the standard model (MSSM), taking into account the effects due to the radiative corrections to the masses of the Higgs bosons. The flux of the neutrinos produced in the neutralino-neutralino annihilation and the relevant rate of the muons generated by neutrino conversion in the earth and crossing a detector upwardly are calculated. The present experimental limits from underground detectors are employed to set constraints on the MSSM parameters, and the capabilities of future neutrino telescopes to further explore regions in parameter space are analyzed

On the Neutralino as Dark Matter Candidate - I. Relic Abundance

The neutralino relic abundance is evaluated for a wide range of the neutralino mass, ${\rm 20\ GeV} \leq m_\chi \leq {\rm 1\ TeV}$, by taking into account the full set of final states in the neutralino-neutralino annihilation. The analysis is performed in the Minimal SuSy Standard Model; it is not restricted by stringent GUT assumptions but only constrained by present experimental bounds. We also discuss phenomenological aspects which are employed in the companion paper (II. Direct Detection) where the chances for a successful search for dark matter neutralino are investigated.Comment: (10 pages plain TeX, 8 figures not included, available from the authors) DFTT-37/9

The effect of offering different numbers of colorectal cancer screening test options in a decision aid: a pilot randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Decision aids can improve decision making processes, but the amount and type of information that they should attempt to communicate is controversial. We sought to compare, in a pilot randomized trial, two colorectal cancer (CRC) screening decision aids that differed in the number of screening options presented. METHODS: Adults ages 48–75 not currently up to date with screening were recruited from the community and randomized to view one of two versions of our previously tested CRC screening decision aid. The first version included five screening options: fecal occult blood test (FOBT), sigmoidoscopy, a combination of FOBT and sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and barium enema. The second discussed only the two most frequently selected screening options, FOBT and colonoscopy. Main outcomes were differences in screening interest and test preferences between groups after decision aid viewing. Patient test preference was elicited first without any associated out-of-pocket costs (OPC), and then with the following costs: FOBT-$10, sigmoidoscopy-$50, barium enema-$50, and colonoscopy-$200. RESULTS: 62 adults participated: 25 viewed the 5-option decision aid, and 37 viewed the 2-option version. Mean age was 54 (range 48–72), 58% were women, 71% were White, 24% African-American; 58% had completed at least a 4-year college degree. Comparing participants that viewed the 5-option version with participants who viewed the 2-option version, there were no differences in screening interest after viewing (1.8 vs. 1.9, t-test p = 0.76). Those viewing the 2-option version were somewhat more likely to choose colonoscopy than those viewing the 5-option version when no out of pocket costs were assumed (68% vs. 46%, p = 0.11), but not when such costs were imposed (41% vs. 42%, p = 1.00). CONCLUSION: The number of screening options available does not appear to have a large effect on interest in colorectal cancer screening. The effect of offering differing numbers of options may affect test choice when out-of-pocket costs are not considered

IL BLOG INGVTERREMOTI: UN NUOVO STRUMENTO DI COMUNICAZIONE PER MIGLIORARE L’INFORMAZIONE SUI TERREMOTI DURANTE LA SEQUENZA SISMICA NELLA PIANURA PADANA

Durante una sequenza sismica è estremamente importante che la popolazione colpita dai terremoti abbia un’informazione tempestiva e continua sull’attività sismica in corso. Si genera un grande bisogno di informazione e di conoscenza da parte dei cittadini sulle caratteristiche del fenomeno fisico, sulle sue cause e i suoi effetti, sui risultati degli studi preliminari, su quanto si può fare per evitare situazioni di rischio, sulle iniziative messe in campo per gestire e superare l’emergenza. Questo bisogno è particolarmente rilevante in occasione di sequenze sismiche di lunga durata e che hanno un certo livello di complessità. Anche in occasione della sequenza simica attivatasi con il terremoto del 20 maggio 2012 (ore 02:03 UTC, ML 5.9) nella Pianura Padana, l’esigenza di avere informazioni si è resa evidente. Ne è testimonianza l’enorme numero di visitatori e contatti ricevuti all’Home Page dell’INGV (http://www.ingv.it) con circa 610.000 visitatori il 20 maggio e circa 930.000 il 29 maggio, ma anche le centinaia di telefonate ed e-mail arrivati all’Istituto. Altra testimonianza la mole di tweet (interazione degli utenti con il canale INGVterremoti su Twitter) relativi al terremoto che circolavano già dagli istanti successivi alla scossa del 20 maggio e successivamente per tutta la sequenza. Anche durante la sequenza del 2009 a L’Aquila si era verificata una situazione simile. Infatti, nei giorni successivi all’evento del 6 aprile 2009, grazie anche alla presenza del Centro Operativo Emergenza Sismica a L’Aquila (Moretti et al., 2011), abbiamo capito che la richiesta, da parte delle autorità pubbliche e locali e dei cittadini, di informazioni complete e autorevoli, era più elevata di quanto si pensasse. In particolare, nelle situazioni di emergenza del 2009 e ancor più del 2012, oltre alle informazioni classiche sui siti web, molte persone hanno cercato informazioni e aggiornamenti sui siti dei social media grazie anche alla diffusione di nuovi dispositivi tecnologici quali cellulari, smartphone, tablet e notebook ultra-portatili. Per rispondere a tale esigenza, pochi giorni dopo i primi eventi di maggio 2012 in Emilia Romagna (20 maggio 2012 ore 02:03 UTC, ML 5.9, 29 maggio 2012 ore 07:00, ML 5.8; ore 10:55 ML 5.3; 11:00 ML 5.2) si è deciso di realizzare e aprire un nuovo canale informativo chiamato INGVterremoti, un blog, (http://ingvterremoti.wordpress.com), attraverso il quale sono stati pubblicati tantissimi aggiornamenti e approfondimenti scientifici sulla sequenza sismica in corso, contemporaneamente alle informazioni fornite in tempo quasi reale attraverso i siti web istituzionali dell’INGV. Scopo principale del blog è stato quello di raccogliere in unico ambiente web tutta l’informazione prodotta dai vari canali e siti web dell’INGV, sia orientati al pubblico che agli addetti ai lavori. Il blog ha quindi aggregato il più possibile i vari aggiornamenti dai siti istituzionali come l’Home Page INGV (www.ingv.it), la pagina del Centro Nazionale Terremoti (http://cnt.rm.ingv.it) e il database Iside (http://iside.rm.ingv.it) che forniscono informazioni sui terremoti recenti e notizie più specifiche e dettagliate sui terremoti storici (http://cpti11.mi.ingv.it) e sulla pericolosità sismica (http://zonesismiche.mi.ingv.it). Inoltre il blog ha affiancato ai siti tradizionali anche l’informazione proveniente dai canali sviluppati sul WEB 2.0 che negli ultimi due anni sono stati realizzati dall’INGV con la denominazione comune di INGVterremoti. Tra il 2009 e il 2011, l’INGV infatti ha iniziato a testare diversi social media, come YouTube, Twitter, Facebook e sviluppato un’applicazione per iPhone, per rilasciare informazioni sui terremoti in tempo quasi reale ed inserendo approfondimenti sulla pericolosità sismica e in generale sui terremoti. I social media hanno dimostrato di essere molto importanti per le informazioni in caso di crisi (Bruns et al, 2012; Earle et al., 2011), infatti per tutti questi nuovi canali di comunicazione, abbiamo osservato aumenti significativi del numero di visualizzazioni e di download in corrispondenza di eventi sismici risentiti dalla popolazione (Amato et al., 2012; Nostro et al., 2012). Sia i siti che i canali raggiungono centinaia di migliaia o milioni di contatti nel caso di forti terremoti: le persone possono trovare molte notizie specifiche sui singoli terremoti, sulla storia sismica, ma durante questa emergenza è apparso evidente come non fosse ancora disponibile un canale di informazione dove la gente potesse trovare aggiornamenti in tempi rapidi e spiegazioni sulle attività in corso, con un linguaggio semplice ed efficace. Fornire notizie tempestive è particolarmente importante nel caso di sequenze sismiche che durano diverse settimane e sono caratterizzati da diverse scosse con magnitudo maggiore di 5.0, come nel caso dei terremoti della Pianura Padana. Contemporaneamente alla gestione dell’emergenza, abbiamo lavorato per fornire un’informazione scientificamente valida, costantemente aggiornata relativa a tutta l’area interessata dalla sequenza, anche al fine di contrastare la cattiva informazione e combattere le voci, le dicerie, i rumors

The treatment of skin ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis

Systemic Sclerosis (Ssc) is a complex disease of the connective tissue, characterized by progressive thickening and fibrosis of the skin and the internal organs and by diffused damage of the microvascular system. The fibrosis ones of the skin associated to the characteristic vascular alterations lead to the genesis of ulcers, more or less extended, often multiple, peripheral localization, chronic course, painful, able to influence patient's quality of life. Indeed, immunity reactivity, the thinning and the loss of elasticity of the skin, the peripheral neurological damage and the eventual drug assumption that can reduce regenerative/reparative abilities, can easy chronicizzate an ulcer and become infected complicating still more the patient disease, rendering more difficult the cure often, ulcer evolves to gangrene, and in some cases, in amputation too. For all these reasons, we have begun to study ulcers therapy (local and systemic), considering this activity it leave integrating of the charitable distance of the sclerodermico patient, putting to point on strategy both diagnostic and therapeutic, but above all with the primary scope, if possible, is to prevent ulcers, in contrary case, to alleviate the pain and to render the quality of the life of the patient better