BLUFF-BODIES VORTEX SHEDDING SUPRESSION BY DIRECT NUMERICAL SIMULATION

Vortex shedding is responsible for harmful vibrations on immersed structures and for increasing their drag coefficients. Thus vortex shedding suppression is highly interesting in order of decrease maintenance costs of standing structures and fuel costs on moving ones. Vortex shedding suppression is here achieved with the use of splitter plates by means of numerical simulations at a low Reynolds range, Re 100 and 160. For this purpose it has been used a high order finite difference method in association with a virtual boundary method, responsible for the obstacles representation. The use of this novel numerical method showed a great concordance with experimental results by means of low computational costs

The Use of a Plant-Based Biostimulant Improves Plant Performances and Fruit Quality in Tomato Plants Grown at Elevated Temperatures.

Abiotic stresses can cause a substantial decline in fruit quality due to negative impacts on plant growth, physiology and reproduction. The objective of this study was to verify if the use of a biostimulant based on plant and yeast extracts, rich in amino acids and that contains microelements (boron, zinc and manganese) can ensure good crop yield and quality in tomato plants grown at elevated temperatures (up to 42 C). We investigated physiological responses of four di↵erent tomato landraces that were cultivated under plastic tunnel and treated with the biostimulant CycoFlow. The application of the biostimulant stimulated growth (plants up to 48.5% taller) and number of fruits (up to 105.3%). In plants treated with the biostimulant, antioxidants contents were higher compared to non-treated plants, both in leaves and in fruits. In particular, the content of ascorbic acid increased after treatments with CycoFlow. For almost all the traits studied, the e↵ect of the biostimulant depended on the genotype it was applied on. Altogether, the use of the biostimulant on tomato plants led to better plant performances at elevated temperatures, that could be attributed also to a stronger antioxidant defence system, and to a better fruit nutritional quality

Reduced Deadtime and Higher Rate Photon-Counting Detection using a Multiplexed Detector Array

We present a scheme for a photon-counting detection system that can be operated at incident photon rates higher than otherwise possible by suppressing the effects of detector deadtime. The method uses an array of N detectors and a 1-by-N optical switch with a control circuit to direct input light to live detectors. Our calculations and models highlight the advantages of the technique. In particular, using this scheme, a group of N detectors provides an improvement in operation rate that can exceed the improvement that would be obtained by a single detector with deadtime reduced by 1/N, even if it were feasible to produce a single detector with such a large improvement in deadtime. We model the system for continuous and pulsed light sources, both of which are important for quantum metrology and quantum key distribution applications.Comment: 6 figure

Avalanche Photo-Detection for High Data Rate Applications

Avalanche photo detection is commonly used in applications which require single photon sensitivity. We examine the limits of using avalanche photo diodes (APD) for characterising photon statistics at high data rates. To identify the regime of linear APD operation we employ a ps-pulsed diode laser with variable repetition rates between 0.5MHz and 80MHz. We modify the mean optical power of the coherent pulses by applying different levels of well-calibrated attenuation. The linearity at high repetition rates is limited by the APD dead time and a non-linear response arises at higher photon-numbers due to multiphoton events. Assuming Poissonian input light statistics we ascertain the effective mean photon-number of the incident light with high accuracy. Time multiplexed detectors (TMD) allow to accomplish photon- number resolution by photon chopping. This detection setup extends the linear response function to higher photon-numbers and statistical methods may be used to compensate for non-linearity. We investigated this effect, compare it to the single APD case and show the validity of the convolution treatment in the TMD data analysis.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Has VZV epidemiology changed in Italy? Results of a seroprevalence study

The aim of the study was to evaluate if and how varicella prevalence has changed in Italy. In particular a seroprevalence study was performed, comparing it to similar surveys conducted in pre-immunization era. During 2013–2014, sera obtained from blood samples taken for diagnostic purposes or routine investigations were collected in collaboration with at least one laboratory/center for each region, following the approval of the Ethics Committee. Data were stratified by sex and age. All samples were processed in a national reference laboratory by an immunoassay with high sensitivity and specificity. Statutory notifications, national hospital discharge database and mortality data related to VZV infection were analyzed as well. A total of 3707 sera were collected and tested. In the studied period both incidence and hospitalization rates decreased and about 5 deaths per year have been registered. The seroprevalence decreased in the first year of life in subjects passively protected by their mother, followed by an increase in the following age classes. The overall antibody prevalence was 84%. The comparison with surveys conducted with the same methodology in 1996–1997 and 2003–2004 showed significant differences in age groups 1–19 y. The study confirms that in Italy VZV infection typically occurs in children. The impact of varicella on Italian population is changing. The comparison between studies performed in different periods shows a significant increase of seropositivity in age class 1–4 years, expression of vaccine interventions already adopted in some regions

A multivariable prognostic score to guide systemic therapy in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer: a retrospective study with an external evaluation

Background: In early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer, escalation or de-escalation of systemic therapy is a controversial topic. As an aid to treatment decisions, we aimed to develop a prognostic assay that integrates multiple data types for predicting survival outcome in patients with newly diagnosed HER2-positive breast cancer. Methods: We derived a combined prognostic model using retrospective clinical–pathological data on stromal tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, PAM50 subtypes, and expression of 55 genes obtained from patients who participated in the Short-HER phase 3 trial. The trial enrolled patients with newly diagnosed, node-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer or, if node negative, with at least one risk factor (ie, tumour size >2 cm, histological grade 3, lymphovascular invasion, Ki67 >20%, age ≤35 years, or hormone receptor negativity), and randomly assigned them to adjuvant anthracycline plus taxane-based combinations with either 9 weeks or 1 year of trastuzumab. Trastuzumab was administered intravenously every 3 weeks (8 mg/kg loading dose at first cycle, and 6 mg/kg thereafter) for 18 doses or weekly (4 mg/kg loading dose in the first week, and 2 mg/kg thereafter) for 9 weeks, starting concomitantly with the first taxane dose. Median follow-up was 91·4 months (IQR 75·1–105·6). The primary objective of our study was to derive and evaluate a combined prognostic score associated with distant metastasis-free survival (the time between randomisation and distant recurrence or death before recurrence), an exploratory endpoint in Short-HER. Patient samples in the training dataset were split into a training set (n=290) and a testing set (n=145), balancing for event and treatment group. The training set was further stratified into 100 iterations of Monte-Carlo cross validation (MCCV). Cox proportional hazard models were fit to MCCV training samples using Elastic-Net. A maximum of 92 features were assessed. The final prognostic model was evaluated in an independent combined dataset of 267 patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer treated with different neoadjuvant and adjuvant anti-HER2-based combinations and from four other studies (PAMELA, CHER-LOB, Hospital Clinic, and Padova) with disease-free survival outcome data. Findings: From Short-HER, data from 435 (35%) of 1254 patients for tumour size (T1 vs rest), nodal status (N0 vs rest), number of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (continuous variable), subtype (HER2-enriched and basal-like vs rest), and 13 genes composed the final model (named HER2DX). HER2DX was significantly associated with distant metastasis-free survival as a continuous variable (p<0·0001). HER2DX median score for quartiles 1–2 was identified as the cutoff to identify low-risk patients; and the score that distinguished quartile 3 from quartile 4 was the cutoff to distinguish medium-risk and high-risk populations. The 5-year distant metastasis-free survival of the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk populations were 98·1% (95% CI 96·3–99·9), 88·9% (83·2–95·0), and 73·9% (66·0–82·7), respectively (low-risk vs high-risk hazard ratio [HR] 0·04, 95% CI 0·0–0·1, p<0·0001). In the evaluation cohort, HER2DX was significantly associated with disease-free survival as a continuous variable (HR 2·77, 95% CI 1·4–5·6, p=0·0040) and as group categories (low-risk vs high-risk HR 0·27, 0·1–0·7, p=0·005). 5-year disease-free survival in the HER2DX low-risk group was 93·5% (89·0–98·3%) and in the high-risk group was 81·1% (71·5–92·1). Interpretation: The HER2DX combined prognostic score identifies patients with early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer who might be candidates for escalated or de-escalated systemic treatment. Future clinical validation of HER2DX seems warranted to establish its use in different scenarios, especially in the neoadjuvant setting. Funding: Instituto Salud Carlos III, Save the Mama, Pas a Pas, Fundación Científica, Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer, Fundación SEOM, National Institutes of Health, Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Veneto Institute of Oncology, and Italian Association for Cancer Research

SNP of Aromatase Predict Long-term Survival and Aromatase Inhibitor Toxicity in Patients with Early Breast Cancer: A Biomarker Analysis of the GIM4 and GIM5 Trials

Purpose: In estrogen receptor–positive (ERþ) breast cancer, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the aromatase gene might affect aromatase inhibitors (AI) metabolism and efficacy. Here, we assessed the impact of SNP on prognosis and toxicity of patients receiving adjuvant letrozole. Experimental Design: We enrolled 886 postmenopausal patients in the study. They were treated with letrozole for 2 to 5 years after taking tamoxifen for 2 to 6 years, continuing until they completed 5 to 10 years of therapy. Germline DNA was genotyped for SNP rs4646, rs10046, rs749292, and rs727479. Log-rank test and Cox model were used for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Cumulative incidence (CI) of breast cancer metastasis was assessed through competing risk analysis, with contralateral breast cancer, second malignancies and non-breast cancer death as competing events. CI of skeletal and cardiovascular events were assessed using DFS events as competing events. Subdistribution HR (sHR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated through Fine-Gray method. Results: No SNP was associated with DFS. Variants rs10046 [sHR 2.03, (1.04–2.94)], rs749292 [sHR 2.11, (1.12–3.94)], and rs727479 [sHR 2.62, (1.17–5.83)] were associated with breast cancer metastasis. Three groups were identified on the basis of the number of these variants (0, 1, >1). Variant-based groups were associated with breast cancer metastasis (10-year CI 2.5%, 7.6%, 10.7%, P 1⁄4 0.035) and OS (10-year estimates 96.5%, 93.0%, 89.6%, P 1⁄4 0.030). Co-occurrence of rs10046 and rs749292 was negatively associated with 10-year CI of skeletal events (3.2% vs. 10%, P 1⁄4 0.033). A similar association emerged between rs727479 and cardiovascular events (0.3% vs. 2.1%, P 1⁄4 0.026). Conclusions: SNP of aromatase gene predict risk of metastasis and AI-related toxicity in ERþ early breast cancer, opening an opportunity for better treatment individualization