Calibration of spectra in presence of non-stationary background using unsupervised physics-informed deep learning

: Calibration is a key part of the development of a diagnostic. Standard approaches require the setting up of dedicated experiments under controlled conditions in order to find the calibration function that allows one to evaluate the desired information from the raw measurements. Sometimes, such controlled experiments are not possible to perform, and alternative approaches are required. Most of them aim at extracting information by looking at the theoretical expectations, requiring a lot of dedicated work and usually involving that the outputs are extremely dependent on some external factors, such as the scientist experience. This work presents a possible methodology to calibrate data or, more generally, to extract the information from the raw measurements by using a new unsupervised physics-informed deep learning methodology. The algorithm allows to automatically process the data and evaluate the searched information without the need for a supervised training by looking at the theoretical expectations. The method is examined in synthetic cases with increasing difficulties to test its potentialities, and it has been found that such an approach can also be used in very complex behaviours, where human-drive results may have huge uncertainties. Moreover, also an experimental test has been performed to validate its capabilities, but also highlight the limits of this method, which, of course, requires particular attention and a good knowledge of the analysed phenomena. The results are extremely interesting, and this methodology is believed to be applied to several cases where classic calibration and supervised approaches are not accessible

Screening for Infectious diseases among newly arrived migrants. experiences and practices in non-EU countries of the Mediterranean basin and Black Sea

Changing migration dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea and differences in infectious diseases (ID) burden between the countries of origin have raised questions whether public health actions are needed to avoid the transmission of ID. Screening newly arrived migrants for ID is one health monitoring option, offering opportunities for prevention, early detection and treatment. The authors conducted a survey among country experts in non-European Union countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea, in order to explore current ID screening practices and policies for newly arrived migrants. The association between the existence of guidelines and the proportion of refugees in the population was also estimated. Eighteen country experts responded (90%) out of the 20 invited. Eleven countries (61%) implemented screening programmes and six (38%) had national guidelines. Screening was performed most often for tuberculosis at the holding level. A higher proportion of refugees in the population was associated with the existence of guidelines for screening (p = 0.05). Fourteen experts (88%) considered screening among migrants useful. The results show that screening for ID in newly arrived migrants is relevant for non-EU countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Common guidelines could be promoted focusing on both individual and public health benefits of screening programmesChanging migration dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea and differences in infectious diseases (ID) burden between the countries of origin have raised questions whether public health actions are needed to avoid the transmission of ID. Screening newly arrived migrants for ID is one health monitoring option, offering opportunities for prevention, early detection and treatment. The authors conducted a survey among country experts in non-European Union countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea, in order to explore current ID screening practices and policies for newly arrived migrants. The association between the existence of guidelines and the proportion of refugees in the population was also estimated. Eighteen country experts responded (90%) out of the 20 invited. Eleven countries (61%) implemented screening programmes and six (38%) had national guidelines. Screening was performed most often for tuberculosis at the holding level. A higher proportion of refugees in the population was associated with the existence of guidelines for screening (p = 0.05). Fourteen experts (88%) considered screening among migrants useful. The results show that screening for ID in newly arrived migrants is relevant for non-EU countries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Common guidelines could be promoted focusing on both individual and public health benefits of screening programmes

Alternative Detection of n = 1 Modes Slowing Down on ASDEX Upgrade

Disruptions in tokamaks are very often associated with the slowing down of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities and their subsequent locking to the wall. To improve the understanding of the chain of events ending with a disruption, a statistically robust and physically based criterion has been devised to track the slowing down of modes with toroidal mode numbers n = 1 and mostly poloidal mode numberm= 2, providing an alternative and earlier detection tool compared to simple threshold based indicators. A database of 370 discharges of axially symmetric divertor experiment—upgrade (AUG) has been studied and results compared with other indicators used in real time. The estimator is based on a weighted average value of the fast Fourier transform of the perturbed radial n = 1 magnetic field, caused by the rotation of the modes. The use of a carrier sinusoidal wave helps alleviating the spurious influence of non-sinusoidal magnetic perturbations induced by other instabilities like Edge localized modes (ELMs). The indicator constitutes a good candidate for further studies including machine learning approaches for mitigation and avoidance since, by deploying it systematically to evaluate the time instance for the expected locking, multi-machine databases can be populated. Furthermore, it can be thought as a contribution to a wider approach to dynamically tracking the chain of events leading to disruptions

Biological risk in Italian prisons: data analysis from the second to the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe management of COVID-19 in Italian prisons triggered considerable concern at the beginning of the pandemic due to numerous riots which resulted in inmate deaths, damages and prison breaks. The aim of this study is to shed some light, through analysis of the infection and relevant disease parameters, on the period spanning from the second to the fourth wave of the outbreak in Italy's prisons. MethodsReproductive number (Rt) and Hospitalisation were calculated through a Eulerian approach applied to differential equations derived from compartmental models. Comparison between trends was performed through paired t-test and linear regression analyses. ResultsThe infection trends (prevalence and Rt) show a high correlation between the prison population and the external community. Both the indices appear to be lagging 1 week in prison. The prisoners' Rt values are not statistically different from those of the general population. The hospitalisation trend of inmates strongly correlates with the external population's, with a delay of 2 weeks. The magnitude of hospitalisations in prison is less than in the external community for the period analysed. ConclusionsThe comparison with the external community revealed that in prison the infection prevalence was greater, although Rt values showed no significant difference, and the hospitalisation rate was lower. These results suggest that the consistent monitoring of inmates results in a higher infection prevalence while a wide vaccination campaign leads to a lower hospitalisation rate. All three indices demonstrate a lag of 1 or 2 weeks in prison. This delay could represent a useful time-window to strengthen planned countermeasures

Rupture of Splenic Artery Aneurysm in Patient with ACTN2 Mutation

Here, we report a case of splenic artery aneurysm rupture in a patient with known heterozygosity mutation of the ACTN2 gene (variant c.971G > A p.Arg324Gln). The patient came to our emergency department with epigastric pain radiating to the lumbar area, with an absence of peritonism signs. An abdominal computed tomography angiography showed a ruptured huge (5 cm) splenic artery aneurysm. Therefore, the patient underwent emergency endovascular coil embolization with complete aneurysm exclusion. The postoperative course was uneventful, until postoperative day five when the patient developed a symptomatic supraventricular tachycardia in the absence of echocardiographic alterations. The signs and symptoms disappeared after three days of medical management. The patient was discharged on the 14th postoperative day in good clinical condition under verapamil and anti-platelet therapy. Although ACTN2 mutation was associated with cardiac and peripheral vascular disease occurrence, to the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first report of a visceral (splenic) aneurysm directly linked with this rare mutation

Mortality impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak by sex and age: rapid mortality surveillance system, Italy, 1 February to 18 April 2020.

Data from the rapid mortality surveillance system in 19 major Italian cities were used to carry out a timely assessment of the health impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. By 18 April, a + 45% excess in mortality was observed, with a higher impact in the north of the country (+ 76%). The excess was greatest among men, with an increasing trend by age. Surveillance data can be used to evaluate the lockdown and re-opening phases

Development and performance testing of a miniaturized multi-sensor system combining MOX and PID for potential UAV application in TIC, VOC and CWA dispersion scenarios

The development of a tool to reduce the exposure of personnel in case of inten- tional or accidental toxic chemicals dispersion scenarios opens the field to new operational perspectives in the domain of operator safety and of critical infrastructure monitoring. The use of two sensors with different operating principles, metal oxide and photo-ionization detector, allows to confirm the presence of specific classes of chemicals in a contaminated area. All instruments are expected to be integrated into the payload of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and used for different purposes such as critical infrastructure surveillance focused on the volatile organic chemical and chemical warfare agents (CWA) detection and the post-incident of contamination level monitoring. In this paper, the authors presented the hardware set-up implemented and the test realized with CWAs simulants and will discuss the results obtained presenting advantages and disadvantages of this system in an application such as a UAV for the detection of chemical substances

A point-of-care test for facing the burden of undiagnosed celiac disease in the Mediterranean area: a pragmatic design study

BACKGROUND: We aimed at assessing the factors that can influence results of the dissemination of an already validated, new generation commercial Point-of-Care Test (POCT) for detecting celiac disease (CD), in the Mediterranean area, when used in settings where it was designed to be administered, especially in countries with poor resources. METHODS: Pragmatic study design. Family pediatricians at their offices in Italy, nurses and pediatricians in Slovenia and Turkey at pediatricians', schools and university primary care centers looked for CD in 3,559 (1-14 yrs), 1,480 (14-23 yrs) and 771 (1-18 yrs) asymptomatic subjects, respectively. A new generation POCT detecting IgA-tissue antitransglutaminase antibodies and IgA deficiency in a finger-tip blood drop was used. Subjects who tested positive and those suspected of having CD were referred to a Celiac Centre to undergo further investigations in order to confirm CD diagnosis. POCT Positive Predictive Value (PPV) at tertiary care (with Negative Predictive Value) and in primary care settings, and POCT and CD rates per thousand in primary care were estimated. RESULTS: At tertiary care setting, PPV of the POCT and 95% CI were 89.5 (81.3-94.3) and 90 (56-98.5) with Negative Predictive Value 98.5 (94.2-99.6) and 98.7% (92-99.8) in children and adults, respectively. In primary care settings of different countries where POCT was performed by a different number of personnel, PPV ranged from 16 to 33% and the CD and POCT rates per thousand ranged from 4.77 to 1.3 and from 31.18 to 2.59, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Interpretation of POCT results by different personnel may influence the performance of POC but dissemination of POCT is an urgent priority to be implemented among people of countries with limited resources, such as rural populations and school children

Temporal dynamics in total excess mortality and COVID-19 deaths in Italian cities.

BACKGROUND: Standardized mortality surveillance data, capable of detecting variations in total mortality at population level and not only among the infected, provide an unbiased insight into the impact of epidemics, like COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease). We analysed the temporal trend in total excess mortality and deaths among positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 by geographical area (north and centre-south), age and sex, taking into account the deficit in mortality in previous months. METHODS: Data from the Italian rapid mortality surveillance system was used to quantify excess deaths during the epidemic, to estimate the mortality deficit during the previous months and to compare total excess mortality with deaths among positive cases of SARS-CoV-2. Data were stratified by geographical area (north vs centre and south), age and sex. RESULTS: COVID-19 had a greater impact in northern Italian cities among subjects aged 75-84 and 85+ years. COVID-19 deaths accounted for half of total excess mortality in both areas, with differences by age: almost all excess deaths were from COVID-19 among adults, while among the elderly only one third of the excess was coded as COVID-19. When taking into account the mortality deficit in the pre-pandemic period, different trends were observed by area: all excess mortality during COVID-19 was explained by deficit mortality in the centre and south, while only a 16% overlap was estimated in northern cities, with quotas decreasing by age, from 67% in the 15-64 years old to 1% only among subjects 85+ years old. CONCLUSIONS: An underestimation of COVID-19 deaths is particularly evident among the elderly. When quantifying the burden in mortality related to COVID-19, it is important to consider seasonal dynamics in mortality. Surveillance data provides an impartial indicator for monitoring the following phases of the epidemic, and may help in the evaluation of mitigation measures adopted

Publisher Correction to: Temporal dynamics in total excess mortality and COVID-19 deaths in Italian cities.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article