Optical sensing in urban areas by deployed telecommunication fiber networks

The telecommunication fiber network already deployed in urban areas provides an added value to the optical asset itself, allowing a smart monitoring of our cities in a large scale. It is possible to use deployed PON infrastructures for structural vibration and local seismologic perturbations monitoring. On the other hand, surveillance of the embedded network and real-time safety diagnostic is also possible. The invited talk will present different experimental demonstrations to show the sensing performance by exploiting deployed fiber links, assessing the compatibility with the optical data telecom traffic at very high rate

Covid-19 and ex-smokers: an underestimated prognostic factor?

Dear Editor, The recent and explosive worldwide outbreak of Covid-19 leads many scientists and clinicians to identify the most responsible triggering risk factors in individuals without comorbidities, as well as potential prognostic factors. A notable field of research has been conducted on the role of smoking, which has been initially hypothesized as being a protective factor for Covid-19...

DEMONSTRATION OF STRUCTURAL VIBRATION SENSING OVER A DEPLOYED PON INFRASTRUCTURE

We demonstrate the possibility of using a deployed Passive Optical Network (PON) infrastructure for structural vibration monitoring for smart city applications and simultaneously downstream 10Gbit NRZ transmission. The impact of PON trunk fibre backscattering noise on sensing system performance is experimentally assessed

Mass calibration and Relative Humidity compensation requirements for optical portable particulate matter monitors : the IMPASHS (Impact of smoke-free policies in EU Member States) WP2 preliminary results

Better knowledge of particulate matter (PM) concentrations needs portable, reliable, user friendly, low cost, real time mass analyzers of PM2.5 and PM10. Optical Particle Counters (OPC) measuring mass have manufacturer calibration specific gravity “K” factor referred to polystyrene latex particles which are completely different than those of the real world, therefore they require specific calibrations. Measurements are also subject to Relative Humidity (RH) heavy interference.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Passive smoking outdoors is harmful: it is time to take a step forward!

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The Italian research project ROAD-NGN ‘Optical frequency/wavelength division multiple access techniques for next generation networks'

The paper describes the activities of the Italian national research project ROAD-NGN ‘Optical frequency/wavelength division multiple access techniques for next generation networks’; the project aims to investigate and experiment new technological solutions to facilitate the migration of access systems from copper to optical fibre, and to help the integration with broadband wireless architectures, with particular interest for the backhauling of the fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. The approaches, based on the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques, can enable the unbundling of the local loop (ULL) and are upgradable toward very ultra wideband systems

Factors associated with a change in smoking habit during the first COVID-19 lockdown: an Italian cross-sectional study among ever-smokers

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown period lasted from March to May 2020, resulted in a highly stressful situation yielding different negative health consequences, including the worsening of smoking habit. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study on a convenient sample of 1013 Italian ever smokers aged 18 years or more was conducted. Data were derived from surveys compiled by three different groups of people: subjects belonging to Smoking Cessation Services, Healthcare Providers and Nursing Sciences' students. All institutions were from Northern Italy. The primary outcome self-reported worsening (relapse or increase) or improvement (quit or reduce) of smoking habit during lockdown period. Multiple unconditional (for worsening) and multinomial (for improving) logistic regressions were carried out. Results: Among 962 participants, 56.0% were ex-smokers. Overall, 13.2% of ex-smokers before lockdown reported relapsing and 32.7% of current smokers increasing cigarette intake. Among current smokers before lockdown, 10.1% quit smoking and 13.5% decreased cigarette intake. Out of 7 selected stressors related to COVID-19, four were significantly related to relapse (OR for the highest vs. the lowest tertile ranging between 2.24 and 3.62): fear of being infected and getting sick; fear of dying due to the virus; anxiety in listening to news of the epidemic; sense of powerlessness in protecting oneself from contagion. In addition to these stressors, even the other 3 stressors were related with increasing cigarette intensity (OR ranging between 1.90 and 4.18): sense of powerlessness in protecting loved ones from contagion; fear of losing loved ones due to virus; fear of infecting other. Conclusion: The lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with both self-reported relapse or increase smoking habit and also quitting or reduction of it

Measurements of Particulate Matter from Electronic and Conventional Cigarettes: A Comparative Analysis of Methods

Due to the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes (ECs) and heated tobacco products (HTPs) as alternatives to conventional cigarettes (CCs), there is an increasing need to monitor the emissions of these new devices. ECs generate significant concentrations of second-hand aerosol (ECSHA), which is visible in dense clouds and can be smelled. Particulate matter (PM) is an important component of CC, HTP and EC aerosols, and Optical Particle Counters (OPCs) enable its real-time measurement, which is expressed either as the number of particles or as mass. This study specifically addresses the limitations associated with EC mass measurement using OPC technology and identifies the strict necessity of the measurement of a corresponding density (k factor) not only for each specific PM source but also for the desired PM size. Therefore, a standard measurement requires the simultaneous operation of the OPC equipment and a certified reference instrument. Four different OPCs were used. Crucially, this study also proves that this setup may be inapplicable because the extreme volatility of EC-generated aerosols makes it impractical to gauge the correct EC k factor

VLT-FORS1 Imaging Polarimetry of M83 (NGC 5236) - I. Search for Light Echoes from Historical Supernovae

We have used FORS1 at the ESO VLT to search for light echoes in imaging polarimetry from four historical supernovae in the face-on nearby spiral galaxy M83 (NGC 5236). No echoes were detected around our targets (SN 1923A, SN 1945B, SN 1950B and SN 1957D). This implies that the interstellar medium in their environs is rather tenuous (a few particles/cm^3), possibly as a result of previous supernova explosions that could have cleared the immediate vicinities of our targets. The merits and limitations of searching for light echoes in imaging polarimetry are discussed. From the photometry of the sources detected at the supernova locations, we estimate star cluster masses of 720, 400, 300 Mo for the cluster progenitors of SN 1957D, SN 1923A, and SN 1950B, respectively, and an upper limit of few tens of solar masses for SN 1945B.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (20 August 2005, v629). High-resolution version available at http://www.eso.org/~mromanie/m83_echoes.ps.g

Stopping Smoking Reduces Mortality in Low-Dose Computed Tomography Screening Participants

Abstract Introduction The National Lung Screening Trial has achieved a 7% reduction in total mortality with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening as compared with in the chest radiography arm. Other randomized trials are under way, comparing LDCT screening with no intervention. None of these studies was designed to investigate the impact of smoking habits on screening outcome. In the present study, we tested the effect of stopping smoking on the overall mortality of participants undergoing repeated LDCT screening for many years. Methods Between 2000 and 2010, 3381 smokers aged 50 years or older were enrolled in two LDCT screening programs. On the basis of the last follow-up information, subjects were divided into two groups: current smokers throughout the screening period and former smokers. Results With a median follow-up time of 9.7 years and a total of 32,857 person-years (PYs) of follow-up, a total of 151 deaths were observed in the group of 1797 current smokers (17,846 PYs) versus 109 among 1584 former smokers (15,011 PYs), corresponding to mortality rates of 8.46 and 7.26 for every 1000 PYs, respectively. Compared with current smokers, former smokers had an adjusted mortality hazard ratio of 0.61 (95% confidence interval: 0.44–0.83), with a 39% reduction in mortality. A similar reduction in mortality was observed in the subset of 712 late quitters, with a hazard ratio of 0.65 (95% confidence interval: 0.44–0.96). Conclusions Stopping smoking significantly reduces the overall mortality of smokers enrolled in LDCT screening programs. The beneficial effect of stopping smoking on total mortality appears to be threefold to fivefold greater than the one achieved by earlier detection in the National Lung Screening Trial