Sparse metapiles for shear wave attenuation in half-spaces

We show that shear waves traveling towards the surface of a half-space medium can be attenuated via buried one-dimensional arrays of resonators -- here called metapiles -- arranged according to sparse patterns around a site to be isolated. Our focus is on shear waves approaching the surface along a direction perpendicular to the surface itself. First, we illustrate the behavior of metapiles, both experimentally and numerically, using 3D printed resonators embedded in an acrylic plate. Then, via numerical simulations, we extend this idea to the case study of an idealized soil half-space, and elucidate the influence of various design parameters on wave attenuation. Results of this work demonstrate that significant wave attenuation can be achieved by installing sparse resonating piles around a selected site on the free surface of the medium, rather than placing resonators directly underneath that same site. This work might have implications in metamaterial-based wave attenuation applications across scales

AI-based component management system for structured content creation, annotation, and publication

Nowadays, the ever changing and growing amount of information, regulations, and data requires large organizations to describe on the web increasingly complex and interdependent business processes and services, ideally creating user-profiled content that is clear and up to date. To successfully achieve this goal, as off-the-shelf solutions are missing, institutions have to embark in a digital transformation process fully endorsed by governance, led by a multidisciplinary team of experts, and strongly integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. In this paper we describe how a content service platform, that integrates human processes and state-of-the-art AI services, was successfully employed in our institution (UniGe) to manage, and support a system of about 200 websites. Following a single-sourcing paradigm, its advent allowed for the decoupling of content and technology, preparing UniGe for the future needs of the semantic web

Confocal reflectance microscopy for determination of microbubble resonator thickness

Optical Micro Bubble Resonators (OMBR) are emerging as new type of sensors characterized by high Q-factor and embedded micro-fluidic. Sensitivity is related to cavity field penetration and, therefore, to the resonator thickness. At the state of the art, methods for OMBR's wall thickness evaluation rely only on a theoretical approach. The purpose of this study is to create a non-destructive method for measuring the shell thickness of a microbubble using reflectance confocal microscopy. The method was validated through measurements on etched capillaries with different thickness and finally it was applied on microbubble resonators

About the role of phase matching between a coated microsphere and a tapered fiber: experimental study

nombre de pages 10International audienceCoatings of spherical optical microresonators are widely employed for different applications. Here the effect of the thickness of a homogeneous coating layer on the coupling of light from a tapered fiber to a coated microsphere has been studied. Spherical silica microresonators were coated using a 70SiO2 - 30HfO2 glass doped with 0.3 mol% Er3+ ions. The coupling of a 1480 nm pump laser inside the sphere has been assessed using a tapered optical fiber and observing the 1530-1580 nm Er3+ emission outcoupled to the same tapered fiber. The measurements were done for different coating thicknesses and compared with theoretical calculations to understand the relationship of the detected signal with the whispering gallery mode electric field profiles

Protocole de fabrication par voie colloïdalede cristaux photoniques 3D

session 7 " Cristaux photoniques "National audienceNous présentons ici les détails d'un processus sol-gel utilisé pour synthétiser des sphères de silice, en portant une attention particulière aux conditions expérimentales permettant de contrôler leur taille. Nous avons élaboré un protocole dans le but d'obtenir des microsphères avec une faible dispersion, et démontré que de larges domaines cristallins ordonnés d'opale synthétique montrant une " stop band " peuvent être produits en quelques jours par déposition verticale et sédimentation assistée par évaporation. La microscopie électronique à balayage a été employée pour caractériser les échantillons. Des mesures de réflexion et transmission ont été effectuées pour mettre en évidence la haute qualité des opales réalisées

CT Images in Follicular Lymphoma: Changes after Treatment Are Predictive of Cardiac Toxicity in Patients Treated with Anthracycline-Based or R-B Regimens

The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and cardiac extracellular volume (ECV) in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) treated with R-CHOP-like regimens or R-bendamustine. We included 80 patients with FL between the ages of 60 and 80 and, using computed tomography (CT) performed at onset and at the end of treatment, we assessed changes in EAT by measuring tissue density at the level of the cardiac apex, anterior interventricular sulcus and posterior interventricular sulcus of the heart. EAT is known to be associated with metabolic syndrome, increased calcium in the coronary arteries and therefore increased risk of coronary artery disease. We also evaluated changes in ECV, which can be used as an early imaging marker of cardiac fibrosis and thus myocardial damage. The R-CHOP-like regimen was associated with lower EAT values (p < 0.001), indicative of a less active metabolism and more adipose tissue, and an increase in ECV (p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients treated with anthracyclines and steroids (R-CHOP-like) there is a greater decrease in ejection fraction (EF p < 0.001) than in the R-B group. EAT and ECV may represent early biomarkers of cardiological damage, and this may be considered, to our knowledge, the first study investigating radiological and cardiological parameters in patients with FL

The ISTH DIC-score predicts early mortality in patients with non-promyelocitic acute myeloid leukemia

coagulation disorders frequently complicate the clinical course of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. this study examined the frequency and prognostic significance, with regards of early mortality, of the presence of overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) at AML diagnosis and its correlation with clinical and biological characteristics. a retrospective analysis of 351 newly diagnosed non-promyelocytic AML patients was conducted, utilizing the 2018 ISTH DIC-Score criteria to evaluate the presence of overt DIC at AML onset. the study cohort had a median age of 65 years with a predominance of male gender (59%). overt DIC was present in 21% of cases and was associated with advanced age, comorbidities, poor performance status, hyperleukocytosis, LDH levels, NPM1 mutations, expression of CD33 and CD4, and lack of expression of CD34. With a median follow-up of 72 months (3–147 months), the 6-year overall survival (OS) was 17.4%, with patients having overt DIC showing significantly poorer outcomes (7.2% compared to 20.3 % of those without DIC, p < 0.001). patients with overt DIC showed markedly high early mortality rates at 30 (42.5% vs 8 %), 60 (49.3% vs 16.9%), and 120 days (64.4% vs 25.6%) from disease onset. In multivariate analysis overt DIC retained its independent prognostic value for early mortality. In conclusion, the prevalence and clinical relevance of DIC in non-promyelocytic AML is not negligible, underlining its potential as an unfavorable prognostic marker. In newly diagnosed patients with AML, early recognition and measure to counteract coagulation disturbances might help mitigate the elevated mortality risk associated with DIC

L'aferesi terapeutica oggi

Nel 1914, Abel, insieme a Rowentree e Turner, ha introdotto il termine "plasmaferesi", il cui significato letterale è "sottrazione". La prima "plasmaferesi terapeutica" risale al 1952 in un paziente affetto da mieloma multiplo, ma, nel 1963, iniziarono le prime applicazioni cliniche per ridurre l'iperviscosità del sangue in pazienti affetti da paraproteinemia, ad opera di Salomon e Fahey. Nel tempo sono state introdotte tecniche sempre più specifiche e selettive, ampliando notevolmente le indicazioni cliniche (plasma-exchange, crioaferesi, leucoaferesi, trombocitoaferesi, linfocitoaferesi LDL aferesi). Le attuali indicazioni alla plasmaferesi vengono definite e periodicamente ristabilite da due associazioni scientifiche americane, l'American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) e l'American Society of Apheresis (ASFA), sulla base delle prove di efficacia del trattamento nelle malattie specifiche. Nel 1993 è stato costituito, nell'ambito della Società Italiana di Nefrologia, il gruppo di studio dell'aferesi terapeutica che ha il compito di sviluppare Linee Guida di riferimento per il trattamento con plasmaferesi. Il fine ultimo della terapia aferetica sarebbe quello di poter rimuovere dal circolo solo le sostanze patogene, ma l'utilizzo di tecniche di rimozione selettiva si accompagna in realtà non tanto a una maggiore capacità di estrazione della sostanza, bensì a una minore rimozione di componenti non patologiche, riducendo il rischio di infezioni, emorragie e reazioni allergiche. Tuttavia, la plasmaferesi potrebbe anche agire modulando il sistema immunitario oltre che rimuovendo le sostanze patogene. L'aferesi terapeutica è indicata in immunologia, dermatologia, ematologia, oncologia e nelle malattie dismetaboliche, neurologiche e renali ed è utilizzata anche nelle emergenze come tecnica di detossificazione sia endogena che esogena, in cui è necessaria la rimozione della sostanza patogena prima che si verifichi un danno d'organo irreversibile. La plasmaferesi terapeutica ha subito negli anni un cambiamento notevole conseguente allo sviluppo tecnologico delle apparecchiature e a un'espansione delle indicazioni. Infatti, l'innovazione tecnologica ha introdotto metodiche che permettono un trattamento più tollerabile e meno invasivo. Hemofenix utilizza la filtrazione mediante membrana attraverso un sistema di nanofiltrazione, il filtro ROSA. Hemofenix, permettendo di eseguire il trattamento con un singolo e piccolo ago e con un volume extracorporeo ridotto, circa 70 mL, potrebbe ridurre i rischi per il paziente, anche pediatrico. Ulteriori vantaggi potrebbero essere rappresentati dalla breve durata del trattamento e dalla mancata necessità di utilizzare il plasma come fluido di sostituzione, riducendo il rischio di infezioni e reazioni allergiche. Sicuramente, oltre alla sicurezza, dovrà essere valutata la reale efficacia in trial clinici randomizzati, confrontando questa metodica con le terapie aferetiche classiche

ACUTE LEUKEMIA AND LATENT TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION IN ITALY: QUANTIFERON-TB TEST SCREENING IN A LOW TUBERCULOSIS INCIDENCE COUNTRY

background: identification of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a critical step of tuberculosis surveillance, especially in low-incidence countries. however, it is limited to situations with a higher probability of developing active disease, e.g., patients with hematological malignancies. according to guidelines, in TB non-endemic countries, no clear screening program is established at diagnosis for patients with acute leukemia (AL). the primary endpoint of this study was to establish the prevalence of LTBI in patients with a diagnosis of AL using quanti FERON (QFT)-TB. Secondarily, radiological and clinical features driving the increased risk of LTBI were evaluated. methods: QFT-TB screening was performed before induction or consolidation in all patients with AL (myeloid and lymphoid) treated at our Institution between october 2019 and august 2023. results: we accrued 62 patients, of whom 7 (11,3%) tested positive, without any symptoms or signs of active TB, and 2 (3,2%) resulted as indeterminate. all positive patients started prophylaxis with isoniazid 300 mg daily, while patients whose test was indeterminate did not receive any prophylaxis. active TB was excluded by imaging, as well as microscopic, cultural, and molecular examination on bronchoalveolar lavage if signs of any infection were detected. during the 46 months of observation, no patients developed TB reactivation. conclusions: despite the low sample size, 1/10 of our patients had prior TB exposure, hinting that LTBI could be more common than expected in italy. this finding suggests implementing TB screening in the pre-treatment setting, particularly at a time when more active treatments are becoming available also for patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy

Metodo e sistema di user-centered design per strutturazione ed aggiornamento automatico di contenuti informativi

Il brevetto, frutto di un lavoro interdisciplinare di design e data science, descrive un metodo di user centered design che riorganizza contenuti testuali complessi, per fornire all\u2019utente le sole informazioni che riguardano il suo caso specifico, in forma chiara, sintetica e organizzata secondo l\u2019ordine di fruizione. Produce un corpus di testi strutturati, che mantiene automaticamente aggiornati siti web e app, migliorandone enormemente efficacia ed efficienza. Particolarmente adatto a pubbliche amministrazioni ed enti complessi che debbano presentare i propri servizi agli utenti, si fonda sull'analisi dei processi e sulla profilazione degli utenti in funzione delle possibili posture nei confronti dei servizi erogati. Il risultato \ue8 un corpus di testi riusabili, strutturati, e interconnessi, che descrivono le informazioni secondo un approccio di design incentrato sull'utente