GTE. A new software for gravitational terrain effect computation: theory and performances

The computation of the vertical attraction due to the topographic masses, the so-called Terrain Correction, is a fundamental step in geodetic and geophysical applications: it is required in high-precision geoid estimation by means of the remove–restore technique and it is used to isolate the gravitational effect of anomalous masses in geophysical exploration. The increasing resolution of recently developed digital terrain models, the increasing number of observation points due to extensive use of airborne gravimetry in geophysical exploration and the increasing accuracy of gravity data represents nowadays major issues for the terrain correction computation. Classical methods such as prism or point masses approximations are indeed too slow while Fourier based techniques are usually too approximate for the required accuracy. In this work a new software, called Gravity Terrain Effects (GTE), developed to guarantee high accuracy and fast computation of terrain corrections is presented. GTE has been thought expressly for geophysical applications allowing the computation not only of the effect of topographic and bathymetric masses but also those due to sedimentary layers or to the Earth crust-mantle discontinuity (the so-called Moho). In the present contribution, after recalling the main classical algorithms for the computation of the terrain correction we summarize the basic theory of the software and its practical implementation. Some tests to prove its performances are also described showing GTE capability to compute high accurate terrain corrections in a very short time: results obtained for a real airborne survey with GTE ranges between few hours and few minutes, according to the GTE profile used, with differences with respect to both planar and spherical computations (performed by prism and tesseroid respectively) of the order of 0.02 mGal even when using fastest profiles

Deployment and design of multiantenna solutions for fixed WiMAX systems

WiMax has already attracted the attention of operators and manifacturing industries for its promise of large throughput and coverage in broadband wireless access. However, towards the goal of an efficient deployment of this technology, a thorough analysis of its performance in presence of frequency reuse under realistic traffic conditions is mandatory. In particular, an important performance limiting factor is the inter-cell interference, which has strong non-stationary features. This paper investigates the deployment of multi-antenna base stations and the related design of signal processing algorithms for interference mitigation, for the uplink of IEEE 802.16-2004 systems. Extensive numerical results for realistic interference models show the advantages of the proposed multi-antenna system

Resectable IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): In search for the proper treatment

Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer accounts for one third of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the time of initial diagnosis and presents with a wide range of clinical and pathological heterogeneity. To date, the combined multimodality approach involving both local and systemic control is the gold standard for these patients, since occult distant micrometastatic disease should always be suspected. With the rapid increase in treatment options, the need for an interdisciplinary discussion involving oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and radiologists has become essential. Surgery should be recommended to patients with non-bulky, discrete, or single-level N2 involvement and be included in the multimodality treatment. Resectable stage IIIA patients have been the subject of a number of clinical trials and retrospective analysis, discussing the efficiency and survival benefits on patients treated with the available therapeutic approaches. However, most of them have some limitations due to their retrospective nature, lack of exact pretreatment staging, and the involvement of heterogeneous populations leading to the awareness that each patient should undergo a tailored therapy in light of the nature of his tumor, its extension and his performance status

Towards a magnetoresistive platform for neural signal recording

A promising strategy to get deeper insight on brain functionalities relies on the investigation of neural activities at the cellular and sub-cellular level. In this framework, methods for recording neuron electrical activity have gained interest over the years. Main technological challenges are associated to finding highly sensitive detection schemes, providing considerable spatial and temporal resolution. Moreover, the possibility to perform non-invasive assays would constitute a noteworthy benefit. In this work, we present a magnetoresistive platform for the detection of the action potential propagation in neural cells. Such platform allows, in perspective, the in vitro recording of neural signals arising from single neurons, neural networks and brain slices

Totally laparoscopic, multi-stage, restorative proctocolectomy for inflammatory bowel diseases. A prospective study on safety, efficacy and long-term results

Background: Laparoscopic ileo-pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) has been reported as having low morbidity and several advantages. Aims: To evaluate safety, efficacy and long-term results of laparoscopic IPAA, performed in elective or emergency settings, in consecutive unselected IBD patients. Methods: All the patients received totally laparoscopic 2-stage (proctocolectomy and IPAA \u2013 stoma closure) or 3-stage (colectomy \u2013 proctectomy and IPAA \u2013 stoma closure) procedure according to their presentation. Results: From July 2007 to July 2016, 160 patients entered the study. 50.6% underwent a 3-stage procedure and 49.4% a 2-stage procedure. Mortality and morbidity were 0.6% and 24.6%. Conversion rate was 3.75%. 8.7% septic complications were associated with steroids and Infliximab treatment (p = 0.0001). 3-stage patients were younger (p = 0.0001), with shorter disease duration (p = 0.0001), minor ASA scores of 2 and 3 (p = 0.0007), lower inflammatory index and better nutritional status (p = 0.003 and 0.0001), fewer Clavien-Dindo's grade II complications (p = .0001), reduced rates of readmission and reoperation at 90 days (p = 0.03), and shorter hospitalization (p = .0001), but with similar pouch and IPAA leakage, compared to 2-stage patients. 8 years pouch failure and definitive ileostomy were 5.1% and 3.7%. Conclusion: A totally laparoscopic approach is safe and feasible, with very low mortality and morbidity rates and very low conversion rate, even in multi-stage procedures and high-risk patients

Political conversations on Twitter in a disruptive scenario: The role of "party evangelists" during the 2015 Spanish general elections

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Communication Review on 2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10714421.2019.1599642"[EN] During election campaigns, candidates, parties, and media share their relevance on Twitter with a group of especially active users, aligned with a particular party. This paper introduces the profile of ¿party evangelists,¿ and explores the activity and effects these users had on the general political conversation during the 2015 Spanish general election. On that occasion, the electoral expectations were uncertain for the two major parties (PP and PSOE) because of the rise of two emerging parties that were disrupting the political status quo (Podemos and Ciudadanos). This was an ideal situation to assess the differences between the evangelists of established and emerging parties. The paper evaluates two aspects of the political conversation based on a corpus of 8.9 million tweets: the retweet- ing effectiveness, and the sentiment analysis of the overall conver- sation. We found that one of the emerging party¿s evangelists dominated message dissemination to a much greater extent.The present research was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad [CSO2013-43960-R] [CSO2016-77331-C2-1-R]. The present research was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spain, under Grants CSO2013-43960-R ("2015-2016 Spanish political parties' online campaign strategies") and CSO2016-77331-C2-1-R ("Strategies, agendas and discourse in electoral cybercampaigns: media and citizens"). This work was possible thanks to help received from Emilio Giner in his task of extracting the corpus of tweets and from assistance provided by Mike Thelwall and David Vilares in the use of the SentiStrength application. 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Consensus document on Lipoprotein(a) from the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis (SISA)

Aims: In view of the consolidating evidence on the causal role of Lp(a) in cardiovascular disease, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis (SISA) has assembled a consensus on Lp(a) genetics and epidemiology, together with recommendations for its measurement and current and emerging therapeutic approaches to reduce its plasma levels. Data on the Italian population are also provided. Data synthesis: Lp(a) is constituted by one apo(a) molecule and a lipoprotein closely resembling to a low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Its similarity with an LDL, together with its ability to carry oxidized phospholipids are considered the two main features making Lp(a) harmful for cardiovascular health. Plasma Lp(a) concentrations vary over about 1000 folds in humans and are genetically determined, thus they are quite stable in any individual. Mendelian Randomization studies have suggested a causal role of Lp(a) in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and aortic valve stenosis and observational studies indicate a linear direct correlation between cardiovascular disease and Lp(a) plasma levels. Lp(a) measurement is strongly recommended once in a patient's lifetime, particularly in FH subjects, but also as part of the initial lipid screening to assess cardiovascular risk. The apo(a) size polymorphism represents a challenge for Lp(a) measurement in plasma, but new strategies are overcoming these difficulties. A reduction of Lp(a) levels can be currently attained only by plasma apheresis and, moderately, with PCSK9 inhibitor treatment. Conclusions: Awaiting the approval of selective Lp(a)-lowering drugs, an intensive management of the other risk factors for individuals with elevated Lp(a) levels is strongly recommended

Propagación de la recarga inducida por una crecida del río Ebro en el acuífero aluvial urbano de Zaragoza (España).

En este artículo se estudia desde un punto de vista cuantitativo la recarga del acuífero aluvial urbano de Zaragoza inducida por una crecida del río Ebro.Mediante la implementación de un modelo numérico de flujo se ha simulado la propagación de la crecida por el acuífero aluvial. Los resultados obtenidos muestran una dinámica de la recarga estrechamente ligada a la anisotropía de la transmisividad y las relaciones río-acuífero previas a la crecida. En general se produce un avance del frente de la recarga rápido, velocidades de 35-45 m·h-1 en las primeras 20 horas. Posteriormente, dicho frente experimenta una importante deceleración con velocidades muy bajas entorno al inicio de la curva de decrecida del río Ebro. El alcance de la recarga es de 1.000 m en zonas fuertemente efluentes previamente a la crecida y de 2.000-2.500 m en otras zonas. This paper studies the recharge induced by a flood event in the alluvial urban aquifer of Zaragoza from a quantitative point of view. Thanks to the implementation of a groundwater flow numerical model, the propagation of the recharge front through the alluvial aquifer has been simulated. The results obtained have shown a propagation of the recharge front through the aquifer driven by the transmissivity field and the existent river-aquifer regime prior to the flood event. In general, the recharge front has a 35-45 m·h-1 displacement in the first 20 hours. Subsequently, the front decelerates to almost zero velocity at the flood peak. Finally, it is concluded that the recharge front reaches 1,000 m in previous river effluent zones and 2,000- 2,500 m in other zones