Knowledge of HIV infection and ways of its transmission: a knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABP) survey among a sample of students at the “Magna Graecia”, University of Catanzaro

Background. Continuous spreading of HIV infection may be due to a lack of knowledge, especially among young people. Methods. We decided to assess  knowledge of HIV infection and risk factors in a sample of students at the “Magna Graecia” University of Catanzaro, using an anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire. Results. An anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire was administered in December 2015. Two hundred and sixty-six students responded (216 attending the medical school and 50 attending School of Law). Knowledge of HIV infection was scarce in a significant percentage of students who practice behaviours at risk for acquisition of HIV infection and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) in general. Conclusion. This study shows that preventative and informative campaigns are urgently needed in earlier stage of adolescence to avoid acquisition of HIV infection and other STD

Use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalised COVID-19 patients is associated with reduced mortality: Findings from the observational multicentre Italian CORIST study

Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was proposed as potential treatment for COVID-19. Objective: We set-up a multicenter Italian collaboration to investigate the relationship between HCQ therapy and COVID-19 in-hospital mortality. Methods: In a retrospective observational study, 3,451 unselected patients hospitalized in 33 clinical centers in Italy, from February 19, 2020 to May 23, 2020, with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, were analyzed. The primary end-point in a time-to event analysis was in-hospital death, comparing patients who received HCQ with patients who did not. We used multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression models with inverse probability for treatment weighting by propensity scores, with the addition of subgroup analyses. Results: Out of 3,451 COVID-19 patients, 76.3% received HCQ. Death rates (per 1,000 person-days) for patients receiving or not HCQ were 8.9 and 15.7, respectively. After adjustment for propensity scores, we found 30% lower risk of death in patients receiving HCQ (HR=0.70; 95%CI: 0.59 to 0.84; E-value=1.67). Secondary analyses yielded similar results. The inverse association of HCQ with inpatient mortality was particularly evident in patients having elevated C-reactive protein at entry. Conclusions: HCQ use was associated with a 30% lower risk of death in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Within the limits of an observational study and awaiting results from randomized controlled trials, these data do not discourage the use of HCQ in inpatients with COVID-19

Lopinavir/Ritonavir and Darunavir/Cobicistat in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Findings From the Multicenter Italian CORIST Study

Background: Protease inhibitors have been considered as possible therapeutic agents for COVID-19 patients. Objectives: To describe the association between lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) or darunavir/cobicistat (DRV/c) use and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. Study Design: Multicenter observational study of COVID-19 patients admitted in 33 Italian hospitals. Medications, preexisting conditions, clinical measures, and outcomes were extracted from medical records. Patients were retrospectively divided in three groups, according to use of LPV/r, DRV/c or none of them. Primary outcome in a time-to event analysis was death. We used Cox proportional-hazards models with inverse probability of treatment weighting by multinomial propensity scores. Results: Out of 3,451 patients, 33.3% LPV/r and 13.9% received DRV/c. Patients receiving LPV/r or DRV/c were more likely younger, men, had higher C-reactive protein levels while less likely had hypertension, cardiovascular, pulmonary or kidney disease. After adjustment for propensity scores, LPV/r use was not associated with mortality (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.13), whereas treatment with DRV/c was associated with a higher death risk (HR = 1.89, 1.53 to 2.34, E-value = 2.43). This increased risk was more marked in women, in elderly, in patients with higher severity of COVID-19 and in patients receiving other COVID-19 drugs. Conclusions: In a large cohort of Italian patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in a real-life setting, the use of LPV/r treatment did not change death rate, while DRV/c was associated with increased mortality. Within the limits of an observational study, these data do not support the use of LPV/r or DRV/c in COVID-19 patients

Higgs boson potential at colliders: status and perspectives

This document summarises the current theoretical and experimental status of the di-Higgs boson production searches, and of the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs boson self-coupling, with the wish to serve as a useful guide for the next years. The document discusses the theoretical status, including state-of-the-art predictions for di-Higgs cross sections, developments on the effective field theory approach, and studies on specific new physics scenarios that can show up in the di-Higgs final state. The status of di-Higgs searches and the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs self-coupling at the LHC are presented, with an overview of the relevant experimental techniques, and covering all the variety of relevant signatures. Finally, the capabilities of future colliders in determining the Higgs self-coupling are addressed, comparing the projected precision that can be obtained in such facilities. The work has started as the proceedings of the Di-Higgs workshop at Colliders, held at Fermilab from the 4th to the 9th of September 2018, but it went beyond the topics discussed at that workshop and included further developments

Higgs boson potential at colliders: Status and perspectives

This document summarises the current theoretical and experimental status of the di-Higgs boson production searches, and of the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs boson self-coupling, with the wish to serve as a useful guide for the next years. The document discusses the theoretical status, including state-of-the-art predictions for di-Higgs cross sections, developments on the effective field theory approach, and studies on specific new physics scenarios that can show up in the di-Higgs final state. The status of di-Higgs searches and the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs self-coupling at the LHC are presented, with an overview of the relevant experimental techniques, and covering all the variety of relevant signatures. Finally, the capabilities of future colliders in determining the Higgs self-coupling are addressed, comparing the projected precision that can be obtained in such facilities. The work has started as the proceedings of the Di-Higgs workshop at Colliders, held at Fermilab from the 4th to the 9th of September 2018, but it went beyond the topics discussed at that workshop and included further developments. FERMILAB-CONF-19-468-E-T, LHCHXSWG-2019-00

Higgs boson potential at colliders: status and perspectives / Working Paper

This document summarises the current theoretical and experimental status of the di-Higgs boson production searches, and of the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs boson self-coupling, with the wish to serve as a useful guide for the next years. The document discusses the theoretical status, including state-of-the-art predictions for di-Higgs cross sections, developments on the effective field theory approach, and studies on specific new physics scenarios that can show up in the di-Higgs final state. The status of di-Higgs searches and the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs self-coupling at the LHC are presented, with an overview of the relevant experimental techniques, and covering all the variety of relevant signatures. Finally, the capabilities of future colliders in determining the Higgs self-coupling are addressed, comparing the projected precision that can be obtained in such facilities. The work has started as the proceedings of the Di-Higgs workshop at Colliders, held at Fermilab from the 4th to the 9th of September 2018, but it went beyond the topics discussed at that workshop and included further developments

Effetto dell’abbandono di aree agroforestali sui servizi ecosistemici in ambiente mediterraneo

ASPETTI CHIAVE: • variazioni spazio-temporali delle principali componenti idrologiche dovute all’abbandono di aree agricole. • impatto del cambio di uso del suolo osservato sui servizi ecosistemici offerti da un ambiente agroforestale mediterraneo. • analisi di futuri scenari di cambio di uso del suolo

How effective is information on soil-landscape units for determining spatio-temporal variability of near-surface soil moisture?

In the last decades, a growing interest in fostering advanced interdisciplinary studies is leading to the establishment of observatories in pilot catchments for long-term monitoring of hydrological variables and fluxes. Nevertheless prior to sensor network installation, this investment necessitates preliminary surveys on key-variables such as near-surface soil moisture in order to prevent risks of erronously distributing sensors by missing sufficient spatial information for understanding hydrological processes within land-atmosphere interactions. The availability of maps describing areas with similar morphological, topographical, soil and vegetation characteristics enable preliminary surveys to be organized for capturing spatio-temporal variability of soil moisture as best as possible. The soil-landscape classification can be considered as an interesting approach for grouping mapping units with similar hydrological behavior. We therefore assume soil-landscape units as “hydrotopes” or “hydrological similar units”. Six transects were established along two hillsides of the Upper Alento River catchment (southern Italy) which is a proper candidate to become a Critical Zone Observatory. Specifically, in this paper we use a soil-landscape map to infer spatial and temporal dynamics of soil moisture measured along these transects, whereas quantitative analyses were obtained by using multivariate techniques. The effectiveness of available information on soil-landscape mapping units is evaluated with respect to different observed patterns of soil moisture: wetter- and drier-than average observation points belong to agricultural and forested hillslopes, respectively. Soil texture and topographical controlling factors, especially clay content and slope gradient, are found to explain approximately 70% of the spatial variability of soil moisture in the forested hillslopes. The spatial organization explained by the environmental controlling factors decreases to 45% in the cases of the agricultural hillslopes mainly due to perturbations induced by grazing and tillage practices

Temperature-corrected calibration of GS3 dielectric sensors.

Water is a key factor for life and for sustaining food, feed, and biomass for energy production in today’s bio-based economies but, in the coming decades, projected changes in the water cycle will be the main drivers in shaping our environment and its ecosystems. Whereas the water cycle will be strongly affected by climate change, the extent and impact on ecosystems’ functioning and services are only roughly known. Increasing hydroclimatic extreme events, such as floods and droughts, may lead to severe ecological, economic, and societal impacts. There is currently a need to establish a network of hydrological observatories in Europe that allows testing of hydrologic hypotheses. At present, we lack concerted and dedicated action in the field of hydrology neither in Europe nor worldwide for making hydrological data accessible to the research community and in designing cross-catchment experiments (Vereecken et al., 2015; Blöschl, 2017; Bogena et al., 2018; Vereecken et al., 2022). The 8th Galileo Conference is therefore centered on the following scientific sessions and relevant content: 1) Innovative geophysical sensing methods in hydrological and critical zone research 2) Environmental monitoring and modeling with the support of UAS and satellites 3) Data assimilation, artificial intelligence, and hydrological observations 4) Using O-H stable isotopes for studying hydrological process understanding and the history of flowing waters 5) Quantifying regional hydrological change impacts 6) Big data science in hydrological researc