Variable stars in the open cluster NGC 6791 and its surrounding field

Aims: This work presents a high--precision variability survey in the field of the old, super metal-rich open cluster NGC 6791. Methods: The data sample consists of more than 75,000 high-precision CCD time series measurements in the V band obtained mainly at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, with additional data from S. Pedro Martir and Loiano observatories, over a time span of ten nights. The field covers an area of 42x28 arcmin^2. Results: We have discovered 260 new variables and re-determined periods and amplitudes of 70 known variable stars. By means of a photometric evaluation of the membership in NGC 6791, and a preliminary membership based on the proper motions, we give a full description of the variable content of the cluster and surrounding field in the range 16<V<23.5. Accurate periods can be given for the variables with P<4.0 d, while for ones with longer periods the limited time-baseline hampered precise determinations. We categorized the entire sample as follows: 6 pulsating, 3 irregular, 3 cataclysmic, 89 rotational variables and 61 eclipsing systems; moreover, we detected 168 candidate variables for which we cannot give a variability class since their periods are much longer than our time baseline. Conclusions: On the basis of photometric considerations, and of the positions of the stars with respect to the center of the cluster, we inferred that 11 new variable stars are likely members of the cluster, for 22 stars the membership is doubtful and 137 are likely non-members. We also detected an outburst of about 3 mag in the light curve of a very faint blue star belonging to the cluster and we suggest that this star could be a new U Gem (dwarf nova) cataclysmic variable.Comment: 24 pages, 19 Figures, A&A accepte

A Dynamic Bayesian Network for Mt. Etna Volcano State Assessment

Nowadays, the real-time monitoring of Mt. Etna volcano is mostly delegated to one or more human experts in volcanology, who interpret the data coming from different kind of monitoring networks. Among their duties, the evaluation of the volcano state is one of the most critical task for civil protection purposes. Unfortunately, the coupling of highly non-linear and complex volcanic dynamic processes leads to measurable effects that can show a large variety of different behaviors. Moreover, due to intrinsic uncertainties and possible failures in some recorded data the volcano state needs to be expressed in probabilistic terms, thus making the fast volcano state assessment sometimes impracticable for the personnel on duty at the 24h control room. With the aim of aiding the personnel on duty in volcano monitoring, here we present an expert system approach based on Bayesian networks to estimate automatically the ongoing volcano state from all the available different kind of measurements. A Bayesian network is a static probabilistic graphical model that represents a set of random variables and their conditional dependencies via a directed acyclic graph. We consider model variables both the measurements and the possible states of the volcano. In order to include the time in the model, we use a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) which relates variables to each other over adjacent time steps. The model output consists of an estimation of the probability distribution of the feasible volcano states. We build the model by considering the long record of data from 2011 to 2014 and we cross-validate it by considering 3 years for parameter estimation and 1 year for testing in simulated real-time mode

A real-time framework for fast data retrieval in an image database of volcano activity scenarios

Explosive Activity at Stromboli Volcano (Aeolian Islands) is continuously monitored by INGV-OE in order to analyze its eruptive dynamics and specific scenarios. In particular, the images acquired from thermal cameras represent a big collection of data. In order to extract useful information from thermal image sequences, we need an efficient way to explore and retrieve information from a huge amount of data. In this work, a novel framework capable of fast data retrieval, using the "metric space" concept, is shown. In the light of it, we implemented an indexing algorithm related to similarity laws. The focal point is finding objects of a set that are “close” in relation to a given query, according to a similarity criterion. In order to perform this task, we performed morphological image processing techniques to each video frame, in order to map the shape area of each explosion into a closed curve, representing the explosion contour itself. In order to constitute a metric space, we chose a certain number of features obtained from parameters related to this closed curve and used them as objects of this metric space where similarity can be evaluated, using an appropriate “metric” function to calculate the distances. Unfortunately, this approach has to deal with an intrinsic issue involving the complexity and the number of distance functions to be calculated on a large amount of data. To overcome this drawback, we used a novel abstract data structure called "K-Pole Tree", having the property of minimizing the number of distances to be calculated among objects. Our method allows for fast retrieval of similar objects using an euclidean distance function among the features of the metric space. Thus, we can cluster explosions related to different kinds of volcanic activity, using "pivot" items. For example, given a known image sequence related to a particular type of explosion, it is possible to quickly and easily find all the image sequences that contain only similar explosions. Our framework is able to both classify each new explosion and dynamically insert the corresponding object into our tree data structure. This approach is able to cluster the entire data space, ensuring that objects with similar features are grouped and classified together

Functional role of biofouling linked to aquaculture facilities in Mediterranean enclosed locations

Biofouling is generally considered a serious threat for human coastal activities such as aquaculture, and the ecological role of fouling organisms associated with fish-farm cages remains one of the most debated topics in the ecological field. However, although biofouling may cause significant problems related to human health, environmental impact and financial losses, in the past decade there has been an increasing interest in developing methods to promote the growth of biofouling on artificial structures as a strategy to mitigate human impacts and reduce the organic enrichment caused by net-cage fish farming. Here we investigated the filtration activity of biofouling assemblages colonizing artificial substrata located within a harbor. The main objective of the study was to determine if and how changes in composition and functioning of biofouling may be affected by hypoxic conditions that periodically occur within the port site selected for this study. To this purpose, artificial panels were used as biofouling collectors and were brought back to the laboratory seasonally where they were divided in 3 subgroups and acclimated at 3 different oxygen levels to mimic the naturally occurring oxygenic conditions. Clearance and respiration rates of each community were measured 6 and 24 h after the beginning of each treatment. Regardless of experimental conditions, performance of the communities was affected by the seasonality and the amount of biomass recruiting on the panels, mainly composed of crustaceans, ascidians, polychaetes, seaweeds and several introduced species. Our study demonstrated that, in particular cases, fouling assemblages linked to aquaculture facilities may contribute to reducing environmental impact and at the same time may serve as input for their re-use in different disciplines

Heat shock protein 70 serum levels differ significantly in patients with chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Members of the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family play an important role in assisting protein folding, preventing protein aggregation and transport of proteins across membranes under physiological conditions. Following environmental (i.e., irradiation, chemotherapy), physiological (i.e., cell growth, differentiation), and pathophysiological (i.e., inflammation, tumorigenesis) stress, the synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) is highly up-regulated, whereas protein synthesis in general is reduced. In contrast to normal cells, many tumor entities including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) overexpress HSP70, the major-stress-inducible member of the HSP70 family, present it on their cell surface and secrete it into the extracellular milieu. Herein, the prognostic relevance of serum HSP70 levels in patients with chronic hepatitis (CH; n&thinsp;=&thinsp;50), liver cirrhosis (LC; n&thinsp;=&thinsp;46), and HCC (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;47) was analyzed. Similar to other tumor entities, HSP70 is also present on the surface of primary HCC cells. The staining intensity of intracellular HSP70 in HCC tissue is stronger compared to control and cirrhotic liver sections. HSP70 serum levels in all HCC patients were significantly higher compared to a control group without liver disease (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;40). No significant age- and gender-related differences in HSP70 serum levels were observed in male and female healthy human volunteers (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;86). Patients with CH (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;50) revealed significantly higher HSP70 serum levels compared to the control group, however, these values were significantly lower than those of HCC patients (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;47). Furthermore, a subgroup of patients with LC who subsequently developed HCC (LC-HCC, n&thinsp;=&thinsp;13) revealed higher HSP70 serum levels than patients with LC (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;46, p&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.05). These data indicate that serum HSP70 levels are consecutively increased in patients with CH, LC and liver carcinomas and thus might have a prognostic value

Free Flaps for Advanced Oral Cancer in the Older Old and Oldest Old : A Retrospective Multi-Institutional Study

Introduction: Surgery followed by adjuvant therapy represents the most adequate treatment for advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Free flaps are considered the best reconstructive option after major oral surgery. In the last decades, OSCC has increased in the elderly due to an augmented life span. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of microvascular surgery in patients older than 75 years, focusing on clinical and surgical prognosticators. Methods: "Older old" (aged &gt;= 75) and "oldest old" (&gt;85) patients who underwent microvascular reconstruction for OSCC from 2002 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated in three referral Head and Neck Departments. Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were collected and analyzed. Pre-operative assessment was performed by ASA and ACE-27 scores. Complications were grouped as medical or surgical, an d major or minor according to the Clavien-Dindo scale. Results: Eighty-four patients (72 "older old" and 12 "oldest old") were treated with a free flap success rate of 94.1%. Thirty-seven (44.7%) and nine (10.7%) patients had minor and major medical complications, respectively; 18 (21.4%) and 17 (20.2%) had minor and major surgical complications, respectively. Twenty-one (25%) patients had both medical and surgical complications (with a statistically significant association, p = 0.018). Overall, 52 (61.9%) patients had at least one complication: ASA score, diabetes mellitus, and duration of general anesthesia (DGA) significantly impacted the complication rate at multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Our data confirm the feasibility of free flaps for OSCC reconstruction in appropriately selected elderly patients. Pre-operative assessment and aggressive management of glycemia in patients with diabetes is mandatory. DGA should be reduced as much as possible to prevent post-surgical complications. Comprehensive geriatric assessment is of paramount importance in this subset of patients

Liraglutide Reduces Carotid Intima-Media Thickness by Reducing Small Dense Low-Density Lipoproteins in a Real-World Setting of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Novel Anti-Atherogenic Effect

Introduction: Liraglutide has several non-glycemic effects, including those on plasma lipids and lipoproteins, contributing to its cardiovascular benefit; however, the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated a novel anti-atherogenic effect of liraglutide in a real-world prospective study on patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Sixty-two patients with T2DM (31 men, 31 women; mean age ± standard deviation 61 ± 9&nbsp;years) naïve to incretin-based therapies were treated with liraglutide (1.2&nbsp;mg/day) as add-on therapy to metformin (1500–3000&nbsp;mg/day) for 4&nbsp;months. Laboratory analyses included the assessment of lipoprotein subclass profile by gel electrophoresis (Lipoprint; Quantimetrix Corp., Redondo Beach, CA, USA). Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) was assessed by Doppler ultrasonography. Statistical analyses included the paired t test, Spearman correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results: The addition of liraglutide to metformin monotherapy resulted in significant reductions in fasting glycemia, hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, as well as in cIMT. There was an increase in the large LDL-1 subfraction, with a concomitant reduction in atherogenic small dense LDL-3 and LDL-4 subfractions. Correlation analysis revealed a significant association between changes in cIMT and changes in small dense LDL-3 subfraction (r = 0.501; p &lt; 0.0001). Multivariate analysis, including all of the measured anthropometric and laboratory parameters, revealed that only changes in the small dense LDL-3 subfraction were independent predictors of changes in cIMT (p &lt; 0.0001). Conclusion: Our findings are the first to show that the vascular benefit of liraglutide in patients with T2DM is associated with reductions in atherogenic small dense LDL. This effect is independent of glycemic control and body weight reduction and may represent one of the key mechanisms by which liraglutide is able to reduce cardiovascular events. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01715428