Short communication: Recognising the perils of landslide-generated tsunamis in the Asia–Pacific region

© 2019, Springer Nature B.V. Two recent tsunamis in Indonesia highlight the importance of submarine landslides. Although both events had different origins (volcanic, seismic), submarine landsliding was probably the key component in tsunamigenesis. While a few recent submarine landslide-generated tsunamis have been discussed in the literature, these types of events have not been seriously scrutinised by geoscientists or hazard modellers. This is most likely because of both a lack of awareness and also the common perception that such events are too remote a possibility to be of major concern. However, by catching us off-guard, these two Indonesian events have brought slope-failure tsunamigenesis into sharper focus. It is hoped that this will stimulate greater scholarship on the issue of slope-failure tsunamigenesis worldwide, with an aim to better understanding event characteristics, probabilities, and ultimately better inform existing risk reduction strategies

Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami, January 2022: globally the most significant opportunity to observe an explosive and tsunamigenic submarine eruption since AD 1883 Krakatau

January 2022 witnessed the violent eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai submarine volcano in the South Pacific. With a volcanic explosivity index possibly equivalent to VEI 5, this represents the largest seaborne eruption for nearly one and a half centuries since Indonesia’s cataclysmic explosion of Krakatau in AD 1883. The Tongan eruption remarkably produced ocean-wide tsunamis, never documented before in the Pacific instrumental record. Volcanically generated tsunamis have been referred to as a ‘blind spot’ in our understanding of tsunami hazards, particularly in the Pacific Ocean. This event therefore presents a unique opportunity for investigating the multiple processes contributing to volcanic tsunamigenesis. It is argued that, although challenges exist, integrating theoretical, observational, field and modelling techniques offers the best approach to improving volcanic tsunami hazard assessment across Oceania

Mechanical Properties of Robocast Glass Scaffolds Assessed through Micro-CT-Based Finite Element Models

In this study, the mechanical properties of two classes of robocast glass scaffolds are obtained through Computed micro-Tomography (micro-CT) based Finite Element Modeling (FEM) with the specific purpose to explicitly account for the geometrical defects introduced during manufacturing. Both classes demonstrate a fiber distribution along two perpendicular directions on parallel layers with a (Formula presented.) tilting between two adjacent layers. The crack pattern identified upon compression loading is consistent with that found in experimental studies available in literature. The finite element models have demonstrated that the effect of imperfections on elastic and strength properties may be substantial, depending on the specific type of defect identified in the scaffolds. In particular, micro-porosity, fiber length interruption and fiber detaching were found as key factors. The micro-pores act as stress concentrators promoting fracture initiation and propagation, while fiber detachment reduces the scaffold properties substantially along the direction perpendicular to the fiber plane

Computational models for the simulation of the elastic and fracture properties of highly porous 3D-printed hydroxyapatite scaffolds

Bone scaffolding is a promising approach for the treatment of critical-size bone defects. Hydroxyapatite can be used to produce highly porous scaffolds as it mimics the mineralized part of bone tissue, but its intrinsic brittleness limits its usage. Among 3D printing techniques, vat photopolymerization allows for the best printing resolution for ceramic materials. In this study, we implemented a Computed micro-Tomography based Finite Element Model of a hydroxyapatite porous scaffold fabricated by vat photopolymerization. We used the model in order to predict the elastic and fracture properties of the scaffold. From the stress–strain diagram of a simulated compression test, we computed the stiffness and the strength of the scaffolds. We found that three morphometric features substantially affect the crack pattern. In particular, the crack propagation is not only dependent on the trabecular thickness but also depends on the slenderness and orientation of the trabeculae with respect to the load. The results found in this study can be used for the design of ceramic scaffolds with heterogeneous pore distribution in order to tailor and predict the compressive strength

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antifungal Drugs: Another Tool to Improve Patient Outcome?

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the relationship among adequate dose, serum concentration and clinical outcome in a non-selected group of hospitalized patients receiving antifungals. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study performed between March 2015 and June 2015. Dosage of antifungals was considered adequate according to the IDSA guidelines, whereas trough serum concentrations (determined with HPLC) were considered adequate as follows: fluconazole > 11\ua0\ub5g/ml, echinocandins > 1\ua0\ub5g/ml, voriconazole 1\u20135.5\ua0\ub5g/ml and posaconazole > 0.7\ua0\ub5g/ml. Results: During the study period, 84 patients (65.4% male, 59.6\ua0years) received antifungals for prophylaxis (40.4%), targeted (31.0%) and empirical therapy (28.6%). The most frequent drug was micafungin (28/84; 33.3%) followed by fluconazole (23/84; 27.4%), voriconazole (15/84; 17.9%), anidulafungin (8/84; 9.5%), posaconazole (7/84; 8.3%) and caspofungin (3/84; 3.6%). Considerable interindividual variability was observed for all antifungals with a large proportion of the patients (64.3%) not attaining adequate trough serum concentrations, despite receiving an adequate antifungal dose. Attaining the on-target serum antifungal level was significantly associated with a favorable clinical outcome (OR = 0.02; 95% CI 0.01\u20130.64; p = 0.03), whereas the administration of an adequate antifungal dosage was not. Conclusions: With the standard antifungal dosage, a considerable proportion of patients have low drug concentrations, which are associated with poor clinical outcome

The effect of boldness on decision-making in barnacle geese is group-size-dependent

In group-living species, decisions made by individuals may result in collective behaviours. A central question in understanding collective behaviours is how individual variation in phenotype affects collective behaviours. However, how the personality of individuals affects collective decisions in groups remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of boldness on the decision-making process in different-sized groups of barnacle geese. Naive barnacle geese, differing in boldness score, were introduced in a labyrinth in groups with either one or three informed demonstrators. The demonstrators possessed information about the route through the labyrinth. In pairs, the probability of choosing a route prior to the informed demonstrator increased with increasing boldness score: bolder individuals decided more often for themselves where to go compared with shyer individuals, whereas shyer individuals waited more often for the demonstrators to decide and followed this information. In groups of four individuals, however, there was no effect of boldness on decision-making, suggesting that individual differences were less important with increasing group size. Our experimental results show that personality is important in collective decisions in pairs of barnacle geese, and suggest that bolder individuals have a greater influence over the outcome of decisions in groups

Health-related quality of life in psoriasis: an analysis of Psocare project patients

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, immune-mediated skin disorder that may be complicated by psoriatic arthritis in up to one-third of patients. Psoriasis treatments are increasingly effective, yet more expensive, thus requiring rational decision-making on interventional priorities. The ability to perform cost-utility analyses is hindered by the lack of algorithms that allow the inference of utility measures, like QALY, from specific dermatological health-related qualityof- life (HR-QoL) measures (e.g. Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]). This study aimed to assess whether psoriasisrelated HR-QoL data (DLQI) could be used to obtain utility measures for use in economic analyses

Patterns of Sedentary Behavior and Mortality in U.S. Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Cohort Study

Background: Excessive sedentary time is ubiquitous in Western societies. Previous studies have relied on self-reporting to evaluate the total volume of sedentary time as a prognostic risk factor for mortality and have not examined whether the manner in which sedentary time is accrued (in short or long bouts) carries prognostic relevance. Objective: To examine the association between objectively measured sedentary behavior (its total volume and accrual in prolonged, uninterrupted bouts) and all-cause mortality. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Contiguous United States. Participants: 7985 black and white adults aged 45 years or older. Measurements: Sedentary time was measured using a hip-mounted accelerometer. Prolonged, uninterrupted sedentariness was expressed as mean sedentary bout length. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated comparing quartiles 2 through 4 to quartile 1 for each exposure (quartile cut points: 689.7, 746.5, and 799.4 min/d for total sedentary time; 7.7, 9.6, and 12.4 min/bout for sedentary bout duration) in models that included moderate to vigorous physical activity. Results: Over a median follow-up of 4.0 years, 340 participants died. In multivariable-adjusted models, greater total sedentary time (HR, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.74 to 2.02]; HR, 1.61 [CI, 0.99 to 2.63]; and HR, 2.63 [CI, 1.60 to 4.30]; P for trend < 0.001) and longer sedentary bout duration (HR, 1.03 [CI, 0.67 to 1.60]; HR, 1.22 [CI, 0.80 to 1.85]; and HR, 1.96 [CI, 1.31 to 2.93]; P for trend < 0.001) were both associated with a higher risk for all-cause mortality. Evaluation of their joint association showed that participants classified as high for both sedentary characteristics (high sedentary time [≥12.5 h/d] and high bout duration [≥10 min/bout]) had the greatest risk for death. Limitation: Participants may not be representative of the general U.S. population. Conclusion: Both the total volume of sedentary time and its accrual in prolonged, uninterrupted bouts are associated with all-cause mortality, suggesting that physical activity guidelines should target reducing and interrupting sedentary time to reduce risk for death