Catching geomorphological response to volcanic activity on steep slope volcanoes using multi-platform remote sensing

The geomorphological evolution of the volcanic Island of Stromboli (Italy) between July 2010 and June 2019 has been reconstructed by using multi-temporal, multi-platform remote sensing data. Digital elevation models (DEMs) from PLÉIADES-1 tri-stereo images and from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) acquisitions allowed for topographic changes estimation. Data were comprised of high-spatial-resolution (QUICKBIRD) and moderate spatial resolution (SENTINEL-2) satellite images that allowed for the mapping of areas that were affected by major lithological and morphological changes. PLÉIADES tri-stereo and LiDAR DEMs have been quantitatively and qualitatively compared and, although there are artefacts in the smaller structures (e.g., ridges and valleys), there is still a clear consistency between the two DEMs for the larger structures (as the main valleys and ridges). The period between July 2010 and May 2012 showed only minor changes consisting of volcanoclastic sedimentation and some overflows outside the crater. Otherwise, between May 2012 and May 2017, large topographic changes occurred that were related to the emplacement of the 2014 lava flow in the NE part of the Sciara del Fuoco and to the accumulation of a volcaniclastic wedge in the central part of the Sciara del Fuoco. Between 2017 and 2019, minor changes were again detected due to small accumulation next to the crater terrace and the erosion in lower Sciara del Fuoco.Publishedid 4385V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttiviJCR Journa

New statistical RI index allow to better track the dynamics of COVID-19 outbreak in Italy

COVID-19 pandemic in Italy displayed a spatial distribution that made the tracking of its time course quite difficult. The most relevant anomaly was the marked spatial heterogeneity of COVID-19 diffusion. Lombardia region accounted for around 60% of fatal cases (while hosting 15% of Italian population). Moreover, 86% of fatalities concentrated in four Northern Italy regions. The ‘explosive’ outbreak of COVID-19 in Lombardia at the very beginning of pandemic fatally biased the R-like statistics routinely used to control the disease dynamics. To (at least partially) overcome this bias, we propose a new index RI = dH/dI (daily derivative ratio of H and I, given H = Healed and I = Infected), corresponding to the ratio between healed and infected patients relative daily changes. The proposed index is less flawed than R by the uncertainty related to the estimated number of infected persons and allows to follow (and possibly forecast) epidemic dynamics in a largely model-independent way. To analyze the dynamics of the epidemic, starting from the beginning of the virus spreading—when data are insufficient to make an estimate by adopting SIR model—a "sigmoidal family with delay" logistic model was introduced. That approach allowed in estimating the epidemic peak using the few data gathered even before mid-March. Based on this analysis, the peak was correctly predicted to occur by end of April. Analytical methodology of the dynamics of the epidemic we are proposing herein aims to forecast the time and intensity of the epidemic peak (forward prediction), while allowing identifying the (more likely) beginning of the epidemic (backward prediction). In addition, we established a relationship between hospitalization in intensive care units (ICU) versus deaths daily rates by avoiding the necessity to rely on precise estimates of the infected fraction of the population The joint evolution of the above parameters over time allows for a trustworthy and unbiased estimation of the dynamics of the epidemic, allowing us to clearly detect the qualitatively different character of the ‘so-called’ second wave with respect to the previous epidemic peak

Shifts in the eruptive styles at Stromboli in 2010-2014 revealed by ground-based InSAR data

Ground-Based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (GBInSAR) is an efficient technique for capturing short, subtle episodes of conduit pressurization in open vent volcanoes like Stromboli (Italy), because it can detect very shallow magma storage, which is difficult to identify using other methods. This technique allows the user to choose the optimal radar location for measuring the most significant deformation signal, provides an exceptional geometrical resolution, and allows for continuous monitoring of the deformation. Here, we present and model ground displacements collected at Stromboli by GBInSAR from January 2010 to August 2014. During this period, the volcano experienced several episodes of intense volcanic activity, culminated in the effusive flank eruption of August 2014. Modelling of the deformation allowed us to estimate a source depth of 482 ± 46 m a.s.l. The cumulative volume change was 4.7 ± 2.6 × 10(5) m(3). The strain energy of the source was evaluated 3-5 times higher than the surface energy needed to open the 6-7 August eruptive fissure. The analysis proposed here can help forecast shifts in the eruptive style and especially the onset of flank eruptions at Stromboli and at similar volcanic systems (e.g. Etna, Piton de La Fournaise, Kilauea)

Review of ten years of volcano deformations recorded by the ground-based InSAR monitoring system at Stromboli volcano: a tool to mitigate volcano flank dynamics and intense volcanic activity

AbstractStromboli volcano (Southern Italy) is one of the most monitored volcano in the world with a surveillance network that includes a permanently sited ground-based SAR interferometer (GBInSAR). This work is the review of the GBInSAR data gained from the last decade of monitoring activity. The analysis of the entire dataset of GBInSAR measurements allowed the assessment of the deformation field of the northern part of the summit crater area and the Sciara del Fuoco depression. In detail, the main displacements recognized can be related to different factors: 1) the inflation/deflation respectively immediately before and after each new effusive event; 2) the bulging of localized sectors of the volcano involved in the vent opening; 3) the gravitational sliding of the Sciara del Fuoco infill; 4) the movement of lava flows. Accelerations in this sector are related to sheet intrusions, while the possibility of vent opening, associated with small sliding, or catastrophic flank failure are related to highly overpressurized sheets, able to produce high displacement rate in the Sciara del Fuoco.In the summit crater area, the increases in the displacement rate are related to the pressurization of the shallow conduit system, as the consequence of the variation in the magma level (magmastatic pressure) or to the lateral magma migration (lateral conduit expansion or dike intrusion) in response to the increase of the overpressure component. Fluctuations in the displacement rate in the summit crater area can be related to the magma overturning within the conduit, with the increases in displacement rate during the upwelling of less dense magma, while displacement rate decreases as the degassed magma column is pushed out from the conduit (lava flows or overflows). Instead, the decrease in the displacement rate without coeval lava outpouring could be related to the sink of the degassed magma due to density contrast between the gas-poor and the gas-charged magmas. Using the displacement rate in the summit crater area as a proxy for the variation in the pressure condition in conduit (both magmastatic and overpressure components), thresholds for the crises characterized by the occurrence of overflows (eventually associated with major explosions) and flank effusions (eventually associated with paroxysmal explosions) are identified. Small conduit overpressure will produce overflows (sometimes associated with crater-rim collapses), while large magma overpressure will laterally expand the conduit forming NE-SW striking sheets, feeding eruptive vents at the base of the summit crater area and within the Sciara del Fuoco, generating conditions of instability that can evolve into catastrophic collapse of the instable flank

Age- and sex-related variations in platelet count in Italy: a proposal of reference ranges based on 40987 subjects' data

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although several studies demonstrated that platelet count is higher in women, decreases with age, and is influenced by genetic background, most clinical laboratories still use the reference interval 150-400×10(9) platelets/L for all subjects. The present study was to identify age- and sex-specific reference intervals for platelet count. METHODS: We analysed electronic records of subjects enrolled in three population-based studies that investigated inhabitants of seven Italian areas including six geographic isolates. After exclusion of patients with malignancies, liver diseases, or inherited thrombocytopenias, which could affect platelet count, reference intervals were estimated from 40,987 subjects with the non parametric method computing the 2.5° and 97.5° percentiles. RESULTS: Platelet count was similar in men and women until the age of 14, but subsequently women had steadily more platelets than men. The number of platelets decreases quickly in childhood, stabilizes in adulthood, and further decreases in oldness. The final result of this phenomenon is that platelet count in old age was reduced by 35% in men and by 25% in women compared with early infancy. Based on these findings, we estimated reference intervals for platelet count ×10(9)/L in children (176-452), adult men (141-362), adult women (156-405), old men (122-350) and, old women (140-379). Moreover, we calculated an extended reference interval that takes into account the differences in platelet count observed in different geographic areas. CONCLUSIONS: The age-, sex-, and origin-related variability of platelet count is very wide, and the patient-adapted reference intervals we propose change the thresholds for diagnosing both thrombocytopenia and thrombocytosis in Italy

Use of PSInSAR data to map highly compressible soil layers

A new approach to the use of Persistent Scatterers (PS) Interferometry data in the reconstruction of the extension of compressible geological bodies is presented. The methodology was applied in the test area of the Tiber River delta (Italy), characterized by the presence of two large marshy zones, known as the Maccarese and Ostia Antica ponds. PSInSARâ\u84¢ data, derived from ERS1/2, ENVISAT and RADARSAT-1 images, and spanning a time interval between 1992 and 2006 were used to verify the possibility to reconstruct the spatial distribution of the peat levels inside the Maccarese and Ostia Antica ponds. Borehole information was analyzed to calibrate the InSAR data and the deformation rates were used to hypothesize the presence of a thick compressible layer where geological information is lacking. Variations in deformation rates registered by the single PS were assumed to be representative of a variation in the stratigraphic asset. The obtained results demonstrate that this approach could be satisfactorily used to investigate wide areas in a short time, reducing the number of boreholes to drill, and it could be a complementary technique to obtain information about the 2D geometry of specific geological levels

Ruolo della riabilitazione Kabat nella paralisi del nervo facciale: studio randomizzato su casi severi di paralisi di Bell

La terapia della paralisi di Bell, incentrata su farmaci steroidei e/o antivirali, può ancora far esitare nei soggetti affetti sequele disfiguranti per un recupero incompleto. Le diverse procedure riabilitative non si sono dimostrate al giorno d'oggi in grado di giocare un ruolo favorevole in questo senso. Scopo di questo lavoro è stato quello di mettere a confronto i risultati funzionali di pazienti affetti da forme severe di paralisi di Bell, quando trattati con solo cortisone con quelli nei quali al cortisone è stata affiancata una terapia riabilitativa secondo Kabat. Lo studio prospettico ha incluso 94 soggetti con paralisi di Bell di grado IV e V secondo House-Brackmann (HB) a loro volta suddivisi in due gruppi: (a) trattato con terapia steroidea; (b) trattato con terapia steroidea e riabilitazione Kabat. Il trattamento medico è consistito di 60 mg di prednisolone al giorno per 15 giorni; la terapia riabilitativa è consistita nel trattamento di facilitazione neuromuscolare propiocettiva secondo Kabat. Percentuale, grado e tempi di recupero sono stati comparati utilizzando l'analisi statistica Mann-Whitney e il test di regressione logistica multivariata (Ward test). I pazienti Kabat (gruppo b) hanno avuto 20 volte di più la possibilità di migliorare di 3 o più gradi HB (OR = 17,73, 95% IC = 5,72 a 54,98, p < 0,001) rispetto a quelli di gruppo a. La velocità media di recupero nel gruppo b è risultata la metà di quella registrata nel gruppo a. Nessuna differenza è stata invece riscontrata sull'incidenza di sincinesie. Si può dunque concludere che la terapia steroidea permette un migliore e più rapido recupero dei casi severi di paralisi di Bell, quando associata a terapia riabilitativa Kabat

Genetic Variability of AdeRS Two-Component System Associated with Tigecycline Resistance in XDR-Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates

The emergence of tigecycline resistance has increased in the last years. Although tigecycline-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were described all over the world, few reports regarding the molecular basis of this resistance are available. It has been recognized that the overexpression of AdeABC efflux pump is related to the tigecycline-resistant phenotype. In 37 clinical A. baumannii isolates we first determined the tigecycline-resistant phenotype and then, within a selected group, we analyzed the sequence of the adeRS operon, which is involved in the expression of the AdeABC efflux pump. Nucleotide sequence analysis of adeR and adeS showed the presence of 5 and 16 alleles, respectively. These results expose a high genetic variability in both genes, the adeS gene being more susceptible to genetic variation. The presence of 2 AdeR and 2 AdeS new variants were reported. Two of the new AdeRS variants were present in the intermediate and the resistant tigecycline A. baumannii isolates, suggesting a putative role in the development of the observed phenotype. More studies need to be addressed to determine the role of the genetic variability observed in the adeRS operon.Fil: Montaña, Sabrina Daiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Vilacoba, Elisabet. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Traglia, German Matias. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Almuzara, Marisa. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos ; ArgentinaFil: Pennini, M.. Stamboulian Laboratorio. Unidad Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, A.. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Fundación Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Sucari, A.. Stamboulian Laboratorio. Unidad Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Centron, Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Ramirez, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentin

From hot rocks to glowing avalanches: Numerical modelling of gravity-induced pyroclastic density currents and hazard maps at the Stromboli volcano (Italy)

Gravity-induced pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) can be produced by the collapse of volcanic crater rims or due to the gravitational instability of materials deposited in proximal areas during explosive activity. These types of PDCs, which are also known as “glowing avalanches”, have been directly observed, and their deposits have been widely identified on the flanks of several volcanoes that are fed by mafic to intermediatemagmas. In this research, the suitability of landslide numerical models for simulating gravity-induced PDCs to provide hazard assessmentswas tested. This work also presents the results of a back-analysis of three events that occurred in 1906, 1930 and 1944 at the Stromboli volcano by applying a depth-averaged 3Dnumerical code named DAN-3D. The model assumes a frictional internal rheology and a variable basal rheology (i.e., frictional, Voellmy and plastic). The numerical modelling was able to reproduce the gravity-induced PDCs' extension and deposit thicknesses to an order ofmagnitude of that reported in the literature. The best resultswhen comparedwith field datawere obtained using a Voellmymodelwith a frictional coefficient of f=0.19 and a turbulence parameter ξ=1000 m s−1. The results highlight the suitability of this numerical code,which is generally used for landslides, to reproduce the destructive potential of these events in volcanic environments and to obtain information on hazards connected with explosive-related, mass-wasting phenomena in Stromboli Island and at volcanic systems characterized by similar phenomena.Published93-1065V. Dinamica dei processi eruttivi e post-eruttiviJCR Journa