Array analysis of seismic noise at the Sos Enattos mine, the Italian candidate site for the Einstein Telescope

The area surrounding the dismissed mine of Sos Enattos (Sardinia, Italy) is the Italian candidate site for hosting Einstein Telescope (ET), the third-generation gravitational wave (GW) observatory. One of the goals of ET is to extend the sensitivity down to frequencies well below those currently achieved by GW detectors, i.e. down to 2 Hz. In the bandwidth [1,10] Hz, the seismic noise of anthropogenic origin is expected to represent the major perturbation to the operation of the infrastructure, and the site that will host the future detector must fulfill stringent requirements on seismic disturbances. In this paper we describe the operation of a temporary, 15-element, seismic array deployed in close proximity to the mine. Signals of anthropogenic origin have a transient nature, and their spectra are characterized by a wide spectral lobe spanning the [3,20] Hz frequency interval. Superimposed to this wide lobe are narrow spectral peaks within the [3,8] Hz frequency range. Results from slowness analyses suggest that the origin of these peaks is related to vehicle traffic along the main road running east of the mine. Exploiting the correlation properties of seismic noise, we derive a dispersion curve for Rayleigh waves, which is then inverted for a shallow velocity structure down to depths of ≈≈ 150 m. This data, which is consistent with that derived from analysis of a quarry blast, provide a first assessment of the elastic properties of the rock materials at the site candidate to hosting ET

Trasferimento di giochi di ruolo psico-pedagogici in contesti digitali

In materia di competenze chiave per l’educazione, la formazione e l’apprendimento permanente, l’attenzione si è spostata dalle hard skill, ovvero competenze relative a un determinato dominio di conoscenza, alle soft skill e numerose sono le ricerche empiriche che hanno accertato l’efficacia del role-playing in ambito formativo. Anche il mondo dell’e-learning si sta progressivamente avvicinando a tale ambito. Ci riferiamo in modo specifico alle simulazioni per l’apprendimento basate sulle tecniche del role-play per lo sviluppo di videogiochi che riproducono ambienti virtuali grafici per l’apprendimento delle soft skill: competenze trasversali espressione di un continuum rispetto alle sfere della vita personale, professionale e sociale (es. comunicazione, leadership, negoziazione). In un recente lavoro edito da Springer (Dell’Aquila et al., 2017) abbiamo presentato e proposto una serie di esperienze per l’utilizzo di nuove tecnologie all’interno di contesti educativi e per la formazione professionale delle soft skill, personalizzate per una vasta comunità di attori sociali, istituzionali e non, così da facilitare la trasferibilità dei comportamenti e delle competenze apprese nella realtà quotidiana. Tale esperienza è stata da un lato di impulso per la realizzazione di un MOOC che renda fruibile l’esperienza di tali applicazioni alla vasta comunità di professionisti quali pedagogisti, psicologi, formatori che possono avvalersi di attività per implementare percorsi personalizzati di apprendimento. Dall’altro ha condotto allo sviluppo di un nuovo progetto ACCORD che si pone come obiettivo la realizzazione di un serious game per la risoluzione di conflitti in ambito interculturale per gli insegnanti che consentirà verificarne tanto l’efficacia formativa quanto metodologica con una diversa competenza relazionale e in un diverso contesto di applicazione

Death due to external compression of the trachea in a patient with multinodular hemorrhagic goiter

In this paper we describe the case of an 81-year-old Caucasian female (142 cm tall, weighing 45 kg) who suffered from a multinodular goiter for approximately 40 years. Following the onset of a clinical condition characterized by acute respiratory failure, she was transported to the emergency room by ambulance, where she died within a few hours after admission. A recent cardiac examination showed the absence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, sinus tachycardia with a heart rate of 131 bpm, negative objectivity for signs of cardiocirculatory failure, a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg and modest exertional dyspnea. A recent hemochemical laboratory analysis showed a TSH value of 0.01microUI/mL, FT3 value of 4.76 pg/mL and FT4 value of 2.33 ng/mL, pointing to a pattern of hyperthyroidism, attributable to Basedow’s goiter. Autopsy showed some peculiarities, and we came across two extremely rare findings; the thyroid gland had reached a very large size in relation to the patient’s body mass (1510 g, in a patient of 142 cm and 45 kg), and the death of the patient was due to the development of a massive intra-thyroid hemorrhage that had caused acute external compression of the trachea. To the best of our knowledge this very rare event has not previously been reported in the international scientific literature

The troponin-I fast skeletal muscle is reliable marker for the determination of vitality in the suicide hanging

Troponin I (TnI) is the inhibitory subunit of the troponin complex in the sarcomeric thin filament of striated muscle and plays a central role in the calcium regulation of contraction and relaxation. Vertebrate TnI has evolved into three isoforms encoded by three homologous genes: TNNI1 for slow skeletal muscle TnI, TNNI2 for fast skeletal muscle TnI and TNNI3 for cardiac TnI, which are expressed under muscle type-specific and developmental regulations in both the atrium and ventricle of the heart. Skeletal muscle TnI (both sTnI iso-forms) have been proposed as a sensitive and fast fiber-specific serum marker of skeletal muscle damage; fsTnI concentration in increased peripheral blood when fast twitch fibers were damaged. In our study we investigate if the ‘Troponin I, fast skeletal muscle’ can also be used as a reliable diagnostic tool in forensic practice, to perform differential diagnosis about vitality in suicide by hanging and simulated hanging (suspension of the victim after murder). We selected 8 women and 13 men, mean age 52.2 years, who died from suicidal hanging. The ligature material used for hanging was soft material in 11 cases and hard material in 10 cases. We chose cases as a control group of adults (n = 10; six women, four men, mean age 47.3 years) that died from opioid overdose (n = 2), car accident (n = 3) and sudden cardiac death (n = 5). Those deaths were characterized by their rapidity. To test the Anti-Troponin I fast skeletal muscle Antibody (Abcam clone-134,838), we used a case of a subject who died of myocardial infarction (timing infarct dated to 24–36 h prior to death). The reactions to Troponin I (namely the amount and extent of marker depletion) was scored for each section from 0 to −3: 0 = no loss of staining; −1 = minimal decrease in staining, compared to normally stained tissue; −2 = clear decrease in staining with some positivity (brown color) remaining; and −3 = no positive (brown) staining. The set of results obtained leads us to believe that the use of this antibody (Anti-Troponin I fast skeletal muscle antibody) is very promising to be able to make a certain differential diagnosis between antemortem and postmortem hangings. It should be emphasized that the present study seems to open new and promising horizons in the possibility to discriminate between suicidal hanging and simulated hanging (suspension of the victim after murder)

Don’t Forget Rare Causes of Postpartum Headache! Cases Report and Literature Review

Headache is a common finding in the postpartum period, caused by a spectrum of different conditions. Most headaches in the postpartum period are self-limiting and benign in etiology, but there are some potentially serious causes to be considered. We disclose two cases of postpartum headache, initially considered as post-dural puncture headache (PDPH), that evolved into a harmful condition and showed that an expanded differential diagnosis for headache in the postpartum is mandatory, requiring a high level of attention from health professionals. In fact, a careful examination of the medical history, physical examination, and the recognition for the need for early neuroradiological imaging should increase diagnostic accuracy