Testing the global capabilities of the Antelope software suite: fast location and Mb determination of teleseismic events using the ASAIN and GSN seismic networks

The Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, OGS) is running the Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network (ASAIN), made of 5 seismic stations located in the Scotia Sea region in Antarctica and in Argentina: data from these stations are transferred in real time to the OGS headquarters in Trieste (Italy) via satellite links. OGS is also running, in close cooperation with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Civil Defense, the North East (NI) Italy seismic network, making use of the Antelope commercial software suite from BRTT as the main acquisition system. As a test to check the global capabilities of Antelope, we set up an instance of Antelope acquiring data in real time from both the regional ASAIN seismic network in Antarctica and a subset of the Global Seismic Network (GSN) funded by the Incorporated Research Institution for Seismology (IRIS). The facilities of the IRIS Data Management System, and specifically the IRIS Data Management Center, were used for real time access to waveform required in this study. Preliminary results over 1 month period indicated that about 82% of the earthquakes with magnitude M>5.0 listed in the PDE catalogue of the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were also correctly detected by Antelope, with an average location error of 0.05 degrees and average body wave magnitude Mb estimation error below 0.1. The average time difference between event origin time and the actual time of event determination by Antelope was of about 45’: the comparison with 20’, the IASPEI91 P-wave travel time for 180 degrees distance, and 25’, the estimate of our test system data latency, indicate that Antelope is a serious candidate for regional and global early warning systems. Updated figures calculated over a longer period of time will be presented and discussed

The Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network - ASAIN Improving the instrumental coverage in Antarctica

Scientific investigations of the Scotia Sea region are crucial to understand the history of the Antarctic continent tectonic evolution and the influence of the aperture of the Drake passage in establishing the Circumpolar Antarctic Current, as stressed by many authors (e.g. Lodolo, 2008). The Scotia Sea occupies a roughly rectangular area of about 900.000 km . This area is limited on three sides by the Scotia Arc, formed by islands and oceanic ridges, which is a remnant of the mountain chain that joined the South American Andes to the Antarctic Peninsula. The western border is represented by the about 1000 km wide Drake passage, that separates today the Tierra del Fuego in South America from the Antarctic continent. A review of the tectonics and evolution of the Scotia Sea can be found in Barker, 2001. The start of the geophysical studies in this area dates back to several decades ago, but only after 1990 instrumental passive seismology started to be widely applied to investigate the crustal properties and the properties of the seismic sources responsible for the strong seismicity level observed along the Scotia plate boundaries. ASAIN started operation in 1992 when a temporary seismograph was installed at the Argentinean Base Esperanza. It grew quickly during the nineties and today five stations are operated in Antarctica and two in Tierra del Fuego. All the Antarctic stations transmit real-time data to the OGS and to the Instituto Antartico Argentino. Esperanza (ESPZ), Jubany (JUBA), San Martin (SMAI) and Orcadas(ORCD) stations also participate in the Virtual European Seismographic Broadband Network (VEBSN) transmitting real time data to the Orfeus Data Centre. On January 16 , 2009 BELA station was added to the network. It is operated at the southernmost Argentinean Base Belgrano II (77° 52' S, 34° 37' W ) located on a rocky outcrop (Nunatak Bertrab) on the Filchner barrier. Its inclusion in the VEBSN is also planned. ASAIN data real-time acquisition is performed using SCREAM software, but also Earthworm and Antelope software are being tested at the OGS Seismological Research Centre

Adult Learning Sign Language by combining video, interactivity and play in a 3D game platform

One in every six persons in the UK suffers a hearing loss, either as a condition they have been born with or a disorder they acquired during their life. 900,000 people in the UK are severely or profoundly deaf and based on a study by Action On Hearing Loss UK in 2013 only 17 percent of this population, can use the British Sign Language (BSL). That leaves a massive proportion of people with a hearing impediment who do not use sign language struggling in social interaction and suffering from emotional distress, and an even larger proportion of Hearing people who cannot communicate with those of the deaf community. This paper presents a theoretical framework for the design of interactive games to support learning BSL supporting the entire learning cycle, instruction, practice and assessment. It then describes the proposed design of a game based on this framework aiming to close the communication gap between able hearing people and people with a hearing impediment, by providing a tool that facilitates BSL learning targeting adult population. The paper concludes with the planning of a large scale study and directions for further development of this educational resource

Integration of social aspects in decision support, based on life cycle thinking

Recently increasing attention has been paid to complementing environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with social aspects. The paper discusses the selection of social impacts and indicators from existing frameworks like Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA). Two ongoing case studies, addressing sustainability assessment within decision support, were considered: (1) Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Indonesia; and (2) Integrated Packaging Waste Management in Spain and Portugal (FENIX). The focus was put on social impacts occurring due to decisions within these systems, such as choice of technologies, practices or suppliers. Thus, decision makers—here understood as intended users of the studies’ results—are not consumers that buy (or do not buy) a product, such as in recent SLCA case-studies, but mainly institutions that decide about the design of the water or packaging waste management system. Therefore, in the FENIX project, a list of social impacts identified from literature was sent to the intended users to be ranked according to their priorities. Finally, the paper discusses to what extent the entire life cycle is reflected in SLCA impact categories and indicators, and explains how both life-cycle and on-site-related social impacts were chosen to be assessed. However, not all indicators in the two projects will assess all stages of the life cycle, because of their varying relevance in the different stages, data availability and practical interest of decision makers

Air Quality and Comfort Characterisation within an Electric Vehicle Cabin in Heating and Cooling Operations†

This work is aimed at the experimental characterisation of air quality and thermal profile within an electric vehicle cabin, measuring at the same time the HVAC system energy consumption. Pollutant concentrations in the vehicle cabin are measured by means of a low-cost system of sensors. The effects of the HVAC system configuration, such as fresh-air and recirculation mode, on cabin air quality, are discussed. It is shown that the PM concentrations observed in recirculation mode are lower than those in fresh-air mode, while VOC concentrations are generally higher in recirculation than in fresh-air mode. The energy consumption is compared in different configurations of the HVAC system. The novelty of this work is the combined measurement of important comfort parameters such as air temperature distribution and air quality within the vehicle, together with the real time energy consumption of the HVAC system. A wider concept of comfort is enabled, based on the use of low-cost sensors in the automotive field

The postpneumonectomy syndrome: clinical presentation and treatment

Background: Postpneumonectomy syndrome (PPS) is a rare complication after pneumonectomy. It consists of an excessive mediastinal shift resulting in compression and stretching of the tracheobronchial tree and the esophagus. The aim of this study was to give a comprehensive overview of diagnosis, variety of symptoms and evaluation of surgical treatment of PPS. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all our patients with PPS since 1994 with respect to symptomatology, treatment and outcome. Our results were compared with case reports and case series in the literature. Results: Six women with a median age of 56.5 years (range 49-65) developed PPS after pneumonectomy for the treatment of lung cancer. Four presented with a right PPS and two with a left PPS, respectively. Symptoms consisted of shortness of breath in all patients and dysphagia as well as heartburn in two patients. Correction of PPS required re-exploration of the pneumonectomy space, reposition of the mediastinum followed by the insertion of single silicone prosthesis in five patients or fixation of the mediastinum with a xenopericardial graft in one patient. We could observe an improvement of the FEV(1)/FVC ratio in all our patients and the clinical improvement of shortness of breath was better than we expected by changes of lung function. Four patients returned to their regular activities with a follow-up of four years. We found 73 cases of PPS in the literature, on the right side in 50 patients (68%) and on the left side in 23 patients (32%). Fifty-nine patients (81%) were treated surgically. Symptoms can be suspicious for cardiogenic origin and vary from heartburn to recurrent syncopes. Conclusion: PPS is rare and not predictable. It can occur after right or left pneumonectomy. Symptoms are manifold and result from a shift, leading to compression and stretching of the two conduits located within the mediastinum, the tracheobronchial tree and the esophagus and consists of shortness of breath, stridor and heartburn. Diagnosis must be made by exclusion. Implantation of prosthesis is the most commonly used and effective treatmen

A moda e as mulheres : as pr\ue1ticas de costura e o trabalho feminino no brasil nos anos 1950 e 1960

A constru\ue7\ue3o dos aprendizados femininos com os tecidos, linhas e m\ue1quinas de costura, \ue9 analisada neste texto por meio das informa\ue7\uf5es disseminadas por dois g\ueaneros textuais diversos na transmiss\ue3o de conhecimentos. O primeiro \ue9 o curso de corte e costura intitulado M\ue9todo Vogue associado \ue0 Escola de Corte e Costura S\ue3o Paulo e de autoria de Antonio Campagnolli, que mesmo com lacunas documentais sobre a totalidade de publica\ue7\uf5es, est\ue1 no volume analisado em sua d\ue9cima nona edi\ue7\ue3o. Este material did\ue1tico instrumentalizou milhares de mulheres \ue0 pr\ue1tica do corte e costura com seus volumes de cursos por correspond\ueancia que, juntamente ao Instituto Universal Brasileiro, dinamizou o ensino com a sua propaga\ue7\ue3o ao interior do pa\ueds por meio dos Correios. O segundo \ue9 Jornal das Mo\ue7as, uma revista carioca produzida pela Editora Jornal das Mo\ue7as Ltda. Um peri\uf3dico semanal circulado entre os anos de 1914 a 1961 e que em suas p\ue1ginas jovens e senhoras encontravam orienta\ue7\uf5es sobre moda, beleza, costura, casa, culin\ue1ria e cuidados com os filhos. Ambas as fontes s\ue3o suportes na compreens\ue3o da rela\ue7\ue3o feminina com a pr\ue1tica de corte e costura e neste intuito circunscrevemos a an\ue1lise aos anos 1950 e 1960, pelos investimentos presentes neste per\uedodo na divulga\ue7\ue3o do ensino desse of\uedcio. Com o objetivo de compreender as concep\ue7\uf5es que nesse per\uedodo relacionaram o ensino do corte e costura \ue0s mulheres, o texto \ue9 dividido em tr\ueas partes que exploram o corte e costura associado \ue0 imagem feminina, sua difus\ue3o midi\ue1tica e sua contribui\ue7\ue3o para a educa\ue7\ue3o e para o trabalho feminino profissional e dom\ue9stico

Leishmania infantum Seroprevalence in Cats From Touristic Areas of Italy and Greece

Leishmaniosis by Leishmania infantum is a major zoonotic Vector-Borne Disease (VBD) in terms of geographic distribution, pathogenicity and zoonotic potential. While dogs are the main reservoir of L. infantum, the infection in cats is poorly understood although increasingly reported from enzootic and non-enzootic areas. The Mediterranean basin is a key area for leishmaniosis and includes touristic spots that require continuous surveillance for VBDs in consideration of the growing tendency of tourists to travel with their pets. This study evaluated L. infantum seroprevalence in cats living in selected touristic localities of Italy and Greece. A total of 269 cat serum samples from three Sites i.e., 76, 40, and 153 from Adriatic Coast of Abruzzo, Italy (Site A), Giglio Island, Tuscany, Italy (Site B), and Mykonos Island, Greece (Site C), respectively, were included in the survey. Sera samples were subjected to an indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay for the detection of anti-L. infantum specific IgG. Associations between possible risk factors and seropositivity to L. infantum were statistically evaluated. Antibodies against L. infantum were detected in eight out of 269 (3.0%) cats tested i.e., 4/76 (5.3%), 1/40 (2.5%), and 3/153 (2.0%), from sites A, B, and C, respectively. A statistical association between anti-L. infantum antibodies and cohabitation with dogs was shown. This study indicates that feline populations living in the examined Italian and Greek touristic areas are exposed to L. infantum and that they may contribute to the circulation of L. infantum, enhancing the risk of infection for dogs and humans