Fire Characterization by Using an Original RST-Based Approach for Fire Radiative Power (FRP) Computation

Fire radiative power (FRP) is a basic parameter for fire characterization since it represents the heat emission rate of fires. Moreover, its temporal integration (fire radiative energy, FRE) is used as a proxy for estimating biomass burning and emissions. From satellite, FRP is generally computed by comparing the Medium InfraRed (MIR) signal of the fire pixel with the background value on the event image. Such an approach is possibly affected by some issues due to fire extent, clouds and smoke over the event area. The enlargement of the background window is the commonly used gimmick to face these issues. However, it may include unrepresentative signals of the fire pixel because of very different land use/cover. In this paper, the alternative Background Radiance Estimator by a Multi-temporal Approach (BREMA), based on the Robust Satellite Technique (RST), is proposed to characterize background and compute FRP. The approach is presented using data from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) onboard the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) platform. Moreover, BREMA is here combined with the RST-FIRES (RST for FIRES detection) technique for fire pixel identification and the -SEVIRI retrieval algorithm for transmittance evaluation. Results compared to the operational SEVIRI-based FRP-PIXEL product, although highly correlated in terms of background radiance (r2=0.95) and FRP values (r2=0.96), demonstrated a major capability of BREMA to estimate background radiances regardless of cloudiness or smoke presence during the event and independently on fire extent. The possible impact of the proposed approach on the estimates of CO2 emissions was also evaluated for comparison with the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED4s)

Botulinum toxin A treatment for primary hemifacial spasm - A 10-year multicenter study

BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin A (BTX) is the currently preferred symptomatic treatment for primary hemifacial spasm (HFS), but its long-term efficacy and safety are not known. OBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of BTX in the treatment of primary HFS. DESIGN: Retrospective review of medical records of the 1st and 10th years of treatment. SETTING: Outpatient clinics of 4 Italian university centers in the Italian Movement Disorders Study Group. PARTICIPANTS: A series of 65 patients with primary HFS who had received BTX injections regularly for at least 10 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean duration of improvement and quality of the effect induced by the preceding treatment (measured using a patient self-evaluation scale) and occurrence and duration of adverse effects in the 1st and 10th years of treatment. RESULTS: Using a mean BTX dose per treatment session similar to that used by others, we obtained a 95% response rate and an overall mean duration of improvement of 12.6 weeks during year 1. The effectiveness of BTX in relieving the symptoms of primary HFS, as measured by the response rate and average duration of improvement, remained unchanged in the 1st and 10th years. Patients needed statistically similar BTX doses in the 1st and 10th years. The rate of local adverse effects (including upper lid ptosis, facial weakness, and diplopia) diminished significantly in the 10th year of treatment. CONCLUSION: Treatment with BTX effectively induces sustained relief from symptoms of HFS in the long term, with only minimal and transient adverse reactions

Mt. Etna Paroxysms of February–April 2021 Monitored and Quantified through a Multi-Platform Satellite Observing System

On 16 February 2021, an eruptive paroxysm took place at Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy), after continuous Strombolian activity recorded at summit craters, which intensified in December 2020. This was the first of 17 short, but violent, eruptive events occurring during February–April 2021, mostly at a time interval of about 2–3 days between each other. The paroxysms produced lava fountains (up to 1000 m high), huge tephra columns (up to 10–11 km above sea level), lava and pyroclastic flows, expanding 2–4 km towards East and South. The last event, which was characterised by about 3 days of almost continuous eruptive activity (30 March–1 April), generated the most lasting lava fountain (8–9 h). During some paroxysms, volcanic ash led to the temporary closure of the Vincenzo Bellini Catania International Airport. Heavy ash falls then affected the areas surrounding the volcano, in some cases reaching zones located hundreds of kilometres away from the eruptive vent. In this study, we investigate the Mt. Etna paroxysms mentioned above through a multi-platform satellite system. Results retrieved from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI), starting from outputs of the Robust Satellite Techniques for Volcanoes (RSTVOLC), indicate that the 17th paroxysm (31 March–1 April) was the most powerful, with values of radiative power estimated around 14 GW. Moreover, by the analysis of SEVIRI data, we found that the 5th and 17th paroxysms were the most energetic. The Multispectral Instrument (MSI) and the Operational Land Imager (OLI), providing shortwave infrared (SWIR) data at 20/30 m spatial resolution, enabled an accurate localisation of active vents and the mapping of the areas inundated by lava flows. In addition, according to the Normalized Hotspot Indices (NHI) tool, the 1st and 3rd paroxysm (18 and 28 February) generated the largest thermal anomaly at Mt. Etna after June 2013, when Landsat-8 OLI data became available. Despite the impact of clouds/plumes, pixel saturation, and other factors (e.g., satellite viewing geometry) on thermal anomaly identification, the used multi-sensor approach allowed us to retrieve quantitative information about the 17 paroxysms occurring at Mt. Etna. This approach could support scientists in better interpreting changes in thermal activity, which could lead to future and more dangerous eruptions

The neuroprotective effect of estrogen pre-treatment in a model of neonatal hippocampal injury induced by trimethyltin

Due to the relevance of hippocampal dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders, which affect memory, cognitive abilities and behaviour, developmental studies may represent an important tool for the understanding of cellular and molecular phenomena underlying early hippocampal damage, as well as to study possible therapeutic interventions, which may modify the progression of neuronal death. Since many findings support the neuroprotective effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) administration in different neurodevelopmental models of brain injury [1, 2], the present study investigates the effects of E2-pre-treatment in a model of neonatal hippocampal injury obtained by Trimethyltin (TMT) administration (6,5 mg/kg), characterized by neuronal loss in CA1 and CA3 subfields, associated with astroglial and microglial activation [3, 4]. At P5 and P6 animals received two E2 doses (0.2 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle. At P7 they received a single dose of TMT (6,5 mg/kg i.p.) and were euthanised 7 days after treatment. Our data indicates that E2 administration significantly improves neuronal death in CA1, reduces the extent of microglial activation and restores TMT-induced reduction of both parvalbumin- and neuropeptide Y-expressing interneurons in the same hippocampal region. Our results add information on the role of in vivo E2 administration on mechanisms involved in neuroprotection and cellular plasticity in the developing brain

The Neuroprotective Effects of 17β-Estradiol Pretreatment in a Model of Neonatal Hippocampal Injury Induced by Trimethyltin

Hippocampal dysfunction plays a central role in neurodevelopmental disorders, resulting in severe impairment of cognitive abilities, including memory and learning. On this basis, developmental studies represent an important tool both to understanding the cellular and molecular phenomena underlying early hippocampal damage and to study possible therapeutic interventions, that may modify the progression of neuronal death. Given the modulatory role played by 17β-estradiol (E2) on hippocampal functions and its neuroprotective properties, the present study investigates the effects of pretreatment with E2 in a model of neonatal hippocampal injury obtained by trimethyltin (TMT) administration, characterized by neuronal loss in CA1 and CA3 subfields and astroglial and microglial activation. At post-natal days (P)5 and P6 animals received E2 administration (0.2 mg/kg/die i.p.) or vehicle. At P7 they received a single dose of TMT (6.5 mg/kg i.p.) and were sacrificed 72 h (P10) or 7 days after TMT treatment (P14). Our findings indicate that pretreatment with E2 exerts a protective effect against hippocampal damage induced by TMT administration early in development, reducing the extent of neuronal death in the CA1 subfield, inducing the activation of genes involved in neuroprotection, lowering the neuroinflammatory response and restoring neuropeptide Y- and parvalbumin- expression, which is impaired in the early phases of TMT-induced damage. Our data support the efficacy of estrogen-based neuroprotective approaches to counteract early occurring hippocampal damage in the developing hippocampus

A machine-learning based bio-psycho-social model for the prediction of non-obstructive and obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Mechanisms of myocardial ischemia in obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interplay between clinical, functional, biological and psycho-social features, are still far to be fully elucidated. Objectives: To develop a machine-learning (ML) model for the supervised prediction of obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Methods: From the EVA study, we analysed adults hospitalized for IHD undergoing conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Non-obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis < 50% in one or more vessels. Baseline clinical and psycho-socio-cultural characteristics were used for computing a Rockwood and Mitnitski frailty index, and a gender score according to GENESIS-PRAXY methodology. Serum concentration of inflammatory cytokines was measured with a multiplex flow cytometry assay. Through an XGBoost classifier combined with an explainable artificial intelligence tool (SHAP), we identified the most influential features in discriminating obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Results: Among the overall EVA cohort (n = 509), 311 individuals (mean age 67 ± 11 years, 38% females; 67% obstructive CAD) with complete data were analysed. The ML-based model (83% accuracy and 87% precision) showed that while obstructive CAD was associated with higher frailty index, older age and a cytokine signature characterized by IL-1β, IL-12p70 and IL-33, non-obstructive CAD was associated with a higher gender score (i.e., social characteristics traditionally ascribed to women) and with a cytokine signature characterized by IL-18, IL-8, IL-23. Conclusions: Integrating clinical, biological, and psycho-social features, we have optimized a sex- and gender-unbiased model that discriminates obstructive and non-obstructive CAD. Further mechanistic studies will shed light on the biological plausibility of these associations. Clinical trial registration: NCT02737982

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P < 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P < 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P < 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe

Probing effective field theory operators in the associated production of top quarks with a Z boson in multilepton final states at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe