Modelling disaster risk reduction: decoding social-ecological interactions to foster transformative adaptation

Questa ricerca intende contribuire alla discussione sulla riduzione del rischio disastri (DRR), esplorando come le comunità locali dovrebbero adattarsi ai pericoli che le circondano. La prima parte riporta la teoria della panarchia alle dinamiche del rischio. Il modello teorico che ne deriva, la Panarchia Sociale-Ecologica, descrive le condizioni di rischio e permette di riconoscere i nuclei del DRR: la resilienza ai disastri e la sostenibilità ambientale. Il modello fornisce le basi per lo sviluppo di una Valutazione Combinata di Resilienza e Sostenibilità, concentrata sul rischio inondazione alla scala comunale. La seconda parte svolge un’analisi quantitativa attraverso indicatori, che identificano e caratterizzano i livelli di resilienza e sostenibilità. La terza parte impiega strumenti qualitativi (questionari) per raccogliere le percezioni delle comunità locali sui rischi presenti nei loro Comuni. L’analisi è stata applicata a due casi studio, la Regione Marche (Italia) e l’Hokkaidō (Giappone). I risultati mostrano il ruolo delle inondazioni nel determinare la resilienza locale, e degli impatti antropici per la sostenibilità. Le criticità maggiori sono concentrate nelle aree montane/collinari. Allo stesso tempo, aspetti di welfare e sicurezza sociale risultano fondamentali per formare la resilienza, così come la presenza di vegetazione lo è per la sostenibilità. Inoltre, emerge una sostanziale differenza fra misurazione e percezione di resilienza e sostenibilità, generalmente in senso peggiorativo. In generale, ulteriori sforzi dovrebbero essere diretti alle aree interne, benché la regione intera gioverebbe del consolidamento della resilienza locale. Inoltre, le comunità sembrano molto sensibili ai temi ambientali, per cui potrebbero appoggiare sforzi per aumentare la sostenibilità. Infine, questi studi possono contribuire alle strategie DRR, per promuovere l’adattamento trasformativo delle comunità locali, reso urgente dall’esasperazione degli eventi estremi.This research intends to contribute to the discussion on disaster risk reduction (DRR), investigating the question of how local communities should adjust to the surrounding threats. The first part adapted the panarchy heuristics to risk dynamics. The drawn theoretical model, the Social-Ecological Panarchy, could describe the conditions of risk and allow to recognise the two cores of DRR: disaster resilience and environmental sustainability. The model supported the development of a Combined Assessment of Resilience and Sustainability, focused on flood risk at the Municipal scale. The second part of the research performed a quantitative analysis through numerical indicators, that identified and characterised the levels of resilience and sustainability. The third part of the research employed qualitative tools (questionnaires) to gather the thoughts of local communities on the risks affecting their Municipalities. The analysis was applied to two case studies, Marche Region (Italy) and Hokkaidō (Japan). Results evidenced the role of flood events in determining the resilience capacities of local communities, and of the anthropic impacts for defining their sustainability. Most critical issues lied in the mountainous/hill areas. At the same time, social welfare and protection appeared pivotal in building local resilience, while the presence of vegetation shaped sustainability. Besides, a substantial mismatch emerged between assessed and perceived conditions of resilience and sustainability, generally in negative terms. Overall, it appeared that further efforts should be tailored to the innermost areas, though the overall region might benefit from consolidated resilience. At the same time, local populations seemed highly responsive to environmental issues, possibly endorsing the enhancement of sustainability. Eventually, these insights might inform risk reduction strategies, to foster a transformative adaptation of local communities, urged by exacerbating disruptive threats

L’evoluzione del contagio in relazione ai territori delle Marche

This chapter discusses the trend of contagion during the first wave of Covid-19 in the Marche Region, in relation to the specific demographic, socio-cultural and economic characteristics of the territory. In particular, the following aspects were taken into consideration: I) location of the main aggregative events that may have contributed to the spread of the virus, II) distribution and evolution of the infection, III) estimate of mortality attributable to the virus, IV) structure of the population by age group and aging index, V) structure of the social-health assistance system, VI) levels of NO2 and PM10 pollution, VII) production system and intra- and extra-regional commuting regimen. Results underline the significant influence of territorial and social dynamics in the spread of Covid-19 in the Marche Region

Azimuthal anisotropy of charged jet production in root s(NN)=2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions

We present measurements of the azimuthal dependence of charged jet production in central and semi-central root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions with respect to the second harmonic event plane, quantified as nu(ch)(2) (jet). Jet finding is performed employing the anti-k(T) algorithm with a resolution parameter R = 0.2 using charged tracks from the ALICE tracking system. The contribution of the azimuthal anisotropy of the underlying event is taken into account event-by-event. The remaining (statistical) region-to-region fluctuations are removed on an ensemble basis by unfolding the jet spectra for different event plane orientations independently. Significant non-zero nu(ch)(2) (jet) is observed in semi-central collisions (30-50% centrality) for 20 <p(T)(ch) (jet) <90 GeV/c. The azimuthal dependence of the charged jet production is similar to the dependence observed for jets comprising both charged and neutral fragments, and compatible with measurements of the nu(2) of single charged particles at high p(T). Good agreement between the data and predictions from JEWEL, an event generator simulating parton shower evolution in the presence of a dense QCD medium, is found in semi-central collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe

Event-shape engineering for inclusive spectra and elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV

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Performance of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC

ALICE is the heavy-ion experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The experiment continuously took data during the first physics campaign of the machine from fall 2009 until early 2013, using proton and lead-ion beams. In this paper we describe the running environment and the data handling procedures, and discuss the performance of the ALICE detectors and analysis methods for various physics observables

Pseudorapidity and transverse-momentum distributions of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The pseudorapidity (eta) and transverse-momentum (p(T)) distributions of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions are measured at the centre-of-mass energy root s = 13 TeV. The pseudorapidity distribution in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1.8 is reported for inelastic events and for events with at least one charged particle in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1. The pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in the pseudorapidity region vertical bar eta vertical bar <0.5 is 5.31 +/- 0.18 and 6.46 +/- 0.19 for the two event classes, respectively. The transverse-momentum distribution of charged particles is measured in the range 0.15 <p(T) <20 GeV/c and vertical bar eta vertical bar <0.8 for events with at least one charged particle in vertical bar eta vertical bar <1. The evolution of the transverse momentum spectra of charged particles is also investigated as a function of event multiplicity. The results are compared with calculations from PYTHIA and EPOS Monte Carlo generators. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Elliptic flow of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76TeV

The elliptic flow, v(2), of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at forward rapidity (2.5 <y <4) is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)= 2.76TeVwith the ALICE detector at the LHC. The scalar product, two- and four-particle Q cumulants and Lee-Yang zeros methods are used. The dependence of the v(2) of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays on the collision centrality, in the range 0-40%, and on transverse momentum, p(T), is studied in the interval 3 <p(T)<10 GeV/c. A positive v(2) is observed with the scalar product and two-particle Q cumulants in semi-central collisions (10-20% and 20-40% centrality classes) for the p(T) interval from 3 to about 5GeV/c with a significance larger than 3 sigma, based on the combination of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The v(2) magnitude tends to decrease towards more central collisions and with increasing pT. It becomes compatible with zero in the interval 6 <p(T)<10 GeV/c. The results are compared to models describing the interaction of heavy quarks and open heavy-flavour hadrons with the high-density medium formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Centrality evolution of the charged-particle pseudorapidity density over a broad pseudorapidity range in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76TeV

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