Unmodelled magnetic contributions in satellite-based models

Additional file 6: Figure C4. Structure of the dependence of Swarm C dX residuals on IMF B y and B z according to the different IMF polarity sectors. Colour scale is given in arbitrary units (a.u.)

Statistical analysis of geomagnetic field intensity differences between ASM and VFM instruments onboard Swarm constellation

From the very first measurements made by the magnetometers onboard Swarm satellites launched by European Space Agency (ESA) in late 2013, it emerged a discrepancy between scalar and vector measurements. An accurate analysis of this phenomenon brought to build an empirical model of the disturbance, highly correlated with the Sun incidence angle, and to correct vector data accordingly. The empirical model adopted by ESA results in a significant decrease in the amplitude of the disturbance affecting VFM measurements so greatly improving the vector magnetic data quality. This study is focused on the characterization of the difference between magnetic field intensity measured by the absolute scalar magnetometer (ASM) and that reconstructed using the vector field magnetometer (VFM) installed on Swarm constellation. Applying empirical mode decomposition method, we find the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) associated with ASM–VFM total intensity differences obtained with data both uncorrected and corrected for the disturbance correlated with the Sun incidence angle. Surprisingly, no differences are found in the nature of the IMFs embedded in the analyzed signals, being these IMFs characterized by the same dominant periodicities before and after correction. The effect of correction manifests in the decrease in the energy associated with some IMFs contributing to corrected data. Some IMFs identified by analyzing the ASM–VFM intensity discrepancy are characterized by the same dominant periodicities of those obtained by analyzing the temperature fluctuations of the VFM electronic unit. Thus, the disturbance correlated with the Sun incidence angle could be still present in the corrected magnetic data. Furthermore, the ASM–VFM total intensity difference and the VFM electronic unit temperature display a maximal shared information with a time delay that depends on local time. Taken together, these findings may help to relate the features of the observed VFM–ASM total intensity difference to the physical characteristics of the real disturbance thus contributing to improve the empirical model proposed for the correction of data

Can Twitter be a source of information on allergy? Correlation of pollen counts with tweets reporting symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and names of antihistamine drugs

Pollen forecasts are in use everywhere to inform therapeutic decisions for patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC). We exploited data derived from Twitter in order to identify tweets reporting a combination of symptoms consistent with a case definition of ARC and those reporting the name of an antihistamine drug. In order to increase the sensitivity of the system, we applied an algorithm aimed at automatically identifying jargon expressions related to medical terms. We compared weekly Twitter trends with National Allergy Bureau weekly pollen counts derived from US stations, and found a high correlation of the sum of the total pollen counts from each stations with tweets reporting ARC symptoms (Pearson's correlation coefficient: 0.95) and with tweets reporting antihistamine drug names (Pearson's correlation coefficient: 0.93). Longitude and latitude of the pollen stations affected the strength of the correlation. Twitter and other social networks may play a role in allergic disease surveillance and in signaling drug consumptions trends

Observations of high-latitude geomagnetic field fluctuations during St. Patrick's Day storm: Swarm and SuperDARN measurements

The aim of this work is to study the properties of the magnetic field's fluctuations produced by ionospheric and magnetospheric electric currents during the St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm (17 March 2015). We analyse the scaling features of the external contribution to the horizontal geomagnetic field recorded simultaneously by the three satellites of the Swarm constellation during a period of 13 days (13–25 March 2015). We examine the different latitudinal structure of the geomagnetic field fluctuations and analyse the dynamical changes in the magnetic field scaling features during the development of the geomagnetic storm. Analysis reveals consistent patterns in the scaling properties of magnetic fluctuations and striking changes between the situation before the storm, during the main phase and recovery phase. We discuss these dynamical changes in relation to those of the overall ionospheric polar convection and potential structures as reconstructed using SuperDARN data. Our findings suggest that distinct turbulent regimes characterised the mesoscale magnetic field's fluctuations and that some factors, which are known to influence large-scale fluctuations, have also an influence on mesoscale fluctuations. The obtained results are an example of the capability of geomagnetic field fluctuations data to provide new insights about ionospheric dynamics and ionosphere–magnetosphere coupling. At the same time, these results could open doors for development of new applications where the dynamical changes in the scaling features of the magnetic fluctuations are used as local indicators of magnetospheric conditions

Severe pertussis infection in infants less than 6 months of age: clinical manifestations and molecular characterization

We conducted a study to determine the main traits of pertussis among unimmunized infants less than 6 months of age. From August 2012 to March 2015, 141 nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) were collected from infants with respiratory symptoms attending 2 major hospitals in Rome. Clinical data were recorded and analyzed. Lab-confirmation was performed by culture and realtime PCR. B. pertussis virulence-associated genes (ptxP, ptxA and prn), together with multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), were also investigated by the sequence-based analysis on the DNAs extracted from positive samples. Antibiotic susceptibility with Etest was defined on 18 viable B. pertussis isolates. Samples from 73 infants resulted positives for B. pertussis. The median age of the patients was 45 d (range 7–165); 21 infants were treated with macrolides before hospital admission. Cough was reported for a median of 10 d before admission and 18 d after hospital discharge among infected infants, 84% of whom showed paroxysmal cough. No resistance to macrolides was detected. Molecular analysis identified MT27 as the predominant MLVA profile, combined with ptxP3-ptxA1-prn2 associated virulence genes. Although our data may not be generalized to the whole country, they provide evidence of disease severity among infants not vaccinated against pertussis. Moreover, genetically related B. pertussis strains, comprising allelic variants of virulence associated genes, were identified

Comparison between IRI and preliminary Swarm Langmuir probe measurements during the St. Patrick storm period

Preliminary Swarm Langmuir probe measurements recorded during March 2015, a period of time including the St. Patrick storm, are considered. Specifically, six time periods are identified: two quiet periods before the onset of the storm, two periods including the main phase of the storm, and two periods during the recovery phase of the storm. Swarm electron density values are then compared with the corresponding output given by the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model, according to its three different options for modelling the topside ionosphere. Since the Swarm electron density measurements are still undergoing a thorough validation, a comparison with IRI in terms of absolute values would have not been appropriate. Hence, the similarity of trends embedded in the Swarm and IRI time series is investigated in terms of Pearson correlation coefficient. The analysis shows that the electron density representations made by Swarm and IRI are different for both quiet and disturbed periods, independently of the chosen topside model option. Main differences between trends modelled by IRI and those observed by Swarm emerge, especially at equatorial latitudes, and at northern high latitudes, during the main and recovery phases of the storm. Moreover, very low values of electron density, even lower than 2 × 10^4 cm−3, were simultaneously recorded in the evening sector by Swarm satellites at equatorial latitudes during quiet periods, and at magnetic latitudes of about ±60° during disturbed periods. The obtained results are an example of the capability of Swarm data to generate an additional valuable dataset to properly model the topside ionosphere

Cortical spreading depression as a target for anti-migraine agents

Spreading depression (SD) is a slowly propagating wave of neuronal and glial depolarization lasting a few minutes, that can develop within the cerebral cortex or other brain areas after electrical, mechanical or chemical depolarizing stimulations. Cortical SD (CSD) is considered the neurophysiological correlate of migraine aura. It is characterized by massive increases in both extracellular K+ and glutamate, as well as rises in intracellular Na+ and Ca2+. These ionic shifts produce slow direct current (DC) potential shifts that can be recorded extracellularly. Moreover, CSD is associated with changes in cortical parenchymal blood flow. CSD has been shown to be a common therapeutic target for currently prescribed migraine prophylactic drugs. Yet, no effects have been observed for the antiepileptic drugs carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine, consistent with their lack of efficacy on migraine. Some molecules of interest for migraine have been tested for their effect on CSD. Specifically, blocking CSD may play an enabling role for novel benzopyran derivative tonabersat in preventing migraine with aura. Additionally, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists have been recently reported to inhibit CSD, suggesting the contribution of CGRP receptor activation to the initiation and maintenance of CSD not only at the classic vascular sites, but also at a central neuronal level. Understanding what may be lying behind this contribution, would add further insights into the mechanisms of actions for “gepants”, which may be pivotal for the effectiveness of these drugs as anti-migraine agents. CSD models are useful tools for testing current and novel prophylactic drugs, providing knowledge on mechanisms of action relevant for migraine

Comparison of Quality of Internet Pages on Human Papillomavirus Immunization in Italian and in English

Purpose: Information available on the Internet about immunizations may influence parents' perception about human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization and their attitude toward vaccinating their daughters. We hypothesized that the quality of information on HPV available on the Internet may vary with language and with the level of knowledge of parents. To this end we compared the quality of a sample of Web pages in Italian with a sample of Web pages in English. Methods: Five reviewers assessed the quality of Web pages retrieved with popular search engines using criteria adapted from the Good Information Practice Essential Criteria for Vaccine Safety Web Sites recommended by the World Health Organization. Quality of Web pages was assessed in the domains of accessibility, credibility, content, and design. Scores in these domains were compared through nonparametric statistical tests. Results: We retrieved and reviewed 74 Web sites in Italian and 117 in English. Most retrieved Web pages (33.5%) were from private agencies. Median scores were higher in Web pages in English compared with those in Italian in the domain of accessibility (p < .01), credibility (p < .01), and content (p < .01). The highest credibility and content scores were those of Web pages from governmental agencies or universities. Accessibility scores were positively associated with content scores (p < .01) and with credibility scores (p < .01). A total of 16.2% of Web pages in Italian opposed HPV immunization compared with 6.0% of those in English (p < .05). Conclusions: Quality of information and number of Web pages opposing HPV immunization may vary with the Web site language. High-quality Web pages on HPV, especially from public health agencies and universities, should be easily accessible and retrievable with common Web search engines. (C) 2010 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved

Digital Twin in Naval Environment

A naval vessel is usually engaged in demanding operations that take place in a multifaceted environment. This requires a solid design of the ship as a platform and a prompt decision-making response. To support both the design and operation phases, digital tools and techniques have been widely implemented, along with a significant number of sensors and probes installed onboard. All of these features pave the way for the development of a Digital Twin model, which will be beneficial for the naval sector. In this work, relevant applications and a use case have been presented and discussed, with the goal of highlighting the added value and critical issues in the perspective of gathering them in a Digital Twin environment. The steps required to develop a shared reference digital architecture have been identified, as well as the gaps that need to be filled