The Italian open data meteorological portal: MISTRAL

AbstractAt the national level, in Italy, observational and forecast data are collected by various public bodies and are often kept in various small, heterogeneous and non‐interoperable repositories, released under different licenses, thus limiting the usability for external users. In this context, MISTRAL (the Meteo Italian SupercompuTing PoRtAL) was launched as the first Italian meteorological open data portal, with the aim of promoting the reuse of meteorological data sets available at national level coverage. The MISTRAL portal provides (and archives) meteorological data from various observation networks, both public and private, and forecast data that are generated and post‐processed within the Consortium for Small‐scale Modeling‐Limited Area Model Italia (COSMO‐LAMI) agreement using high performance computing (HPC) facilities. Also incorporated is the Italy Flash Flood use case, implemented with the collaboration of European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which exploits cutting edge advances in HPC‐based post‐processing of ensemble precipitation forecasts, for different model resolutions, and applies those to deliver novel blended‐resolution forecasts specifically for Italy. Finally, in addition to providing architectures for the acquisition and display of observational data, MISTRAL also delivers an interactive system for visualizing forecast data of different resolutions as superimposed multi‐layer maps

HyPer-QuarCh II: a laboratory-scale device for hydrogen isotopes permeation experiments

In a D-T fusion reactor, the correct estimation of the tritium inventory and permeation fluxes towards the coolant and to the external environment is a crucial issue for the reactor licensing. Within this frame, a fast and reliable sensor for the online measurement of hydrogen isotopes concentration in the breeder is therefore necessary. At ENEA Brasimone research centre, Italy, the development, qualification and characterization of hydrogen isotopes permeation sensors (HPS) were carried out since the early 2000s. A new experimental laboratory-scale device, named Hyper-Quarch II (Hydrogen Permeation Quartz Chamber), was developed on the basis of the experience gained in the past experimental campaigns. This device is characterised by an upgraded test section in quartz and new instrumentation equipment, and will be used to test advanced hydrogen permeation sensor in both gas phase and in stagnant LiPb eutectic alloy (15.7 at.% Li). Hydrogen or deuterium will be adopted instead of tritium to simulate the operative conditions of the Water-Cooled Lithium-Lead (WCLL) Test Blanket Module of ITER and the WCLL Breeding Blanket of the European DEMO reactor. Moreover, the upgrade was performed to also allow the measurement of the Sieverts’ constant of hydrogen or deuterium solubilised in the LiPb with absorption or desorption techniques in a temperature range from 300 to 550∘C and pressure range 0.1 to 100 hPa

Performance Assessment of a Single-Phase PM Synchronous Motor for Small Fan Appliances

In the paper a non-linear mathematical model for the performance assessment and the design improvement of small single-phase PM synchronous motor is proposed. The calculation of the model parameters is carried out by 2D FEM analyses suitably corrected to take also into account of the 3D effects. The procedure implemented in a numerical code allows to investigate significant design aspects related to a motor configuration adopted for small fan appliances

Field study on an intranasal vaccination protocol in veal calves farms

The field trial involved 2,136 animals reared in a veal calves operation located in the Po Valley. Calves were randomly allocated in two groups (A and B). Group A (1,087 calves) was immunized with a live-combo vaccine to BRS and PI-3 viruses (Rispoval RS+PI3 IntraNasal - Zoetis) administered intranasally 10 days post-arrival, in single dose. Group B (1,049 calves) was kept as control, unvaccinated. The animals were followed during the whole fattening period to detect morbidity and mortality rates, the main performances and the quantity of antibiotics for the treatment of infectious diseases, mainly respiratory ones. At the end of the fattening period among the groups A and B, two subgroups (A1 and B1), each of 50 calves were constituted. These animals were followed at the slaughterhouse at detecting and scoring lung lesions (mean lung lesions score). The statistical analysis showed a significant reduction of the mean lung lesion score in vaccinated animals (subgroup A1) in comparison to the controls, kept unvaccinated (subgroup B1). The mean mortality rates were 5.89% in group A vs 6.50% in group B and the morbidity rates were 4,62 in group A vs 6.16 in group B. The mean values regarding the performances detected in group A vs group B were not statistically significant. Regarding the antibiotic use, the vaccinated group showed a reduction of 9% of daily antibiotic treatments in comparison to the control one. This field trial showed that the efficacy of vaccination to control respiratory diseases and to reduce antibiotic use during the growing period in veal calves operation. By and large the adoption of a vaccination protocol to control respiratory diseases by using an early mucosal immunization should be considered a pivotal tool to improve animal health and reduction of antibiotic use in white veal calves operations. However, further studies are necessary to improve vaccination protocols specifically devoted to control respiratory diseases in this kind of bovine meat industry

Peri-Operative Management of Patients Undergoing Fenestrated-Branched Endovascular Repair for Juxtarenal, Pararenal and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms : Preventing, Recognizing and Treating Complications to Improve Clinical Outcomes

The advent and refinement of complex endovascular techniques in the last two decades has revolutionized the field of vascular surgery. This has allowed an effective minimally invasive treatment of extensive disease involving the pararenal and the thoracoabdominal aorta. Fenestrated-branched EVAR (F/BEVAR) now represents a feasible technical solution to address these complex diseases, moving the proximal sealing zone above the renal-visceral vessels take-off and preserving their patency. The aim of this paper was to provide a narrative review on the peri-operative management of patients undergoing F/BEVAR procedures for juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (JAAA), pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (PRAA) or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurism (TAAA). It will focus on how to prevent, diagnose, and manage the complications ensuing from these complex interventions, in order to improve clinical outcomes. Indeed, F/BEVAR remains a technically, physiologically, and mentally demanding procedure. Intraoperative adverse events often require prolonged or additional procedures and complications may significantly impact a patient's quality of life, health status, and overall cost of care. The presence of standardized preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative pathways of care, together with surgeons and teams with significant experience in aortic surgery, should be considered as crucial points to improve clinical outcomes. Aggressive prevention, prompt diagnosis and timely rescue of any major adverse events following the procedure remain paramount clinical needs

The FARCOS project — Status and perspective

Nuclear matter under extreme conditions can be studied in the laboratory with heavy-ion collisions. In this case one can indeed vary the incident energy and explore different impact parameter and rapidity regions to access densities that extend above and below saturation. This opportunity allows one to learn about the nuclear equation of state and its implications in astrophysics phenomena such as supernovae explosions and neutron stars properties. All these phenomena involve time scales that need to be accessed with two- and multi-particle correlation measurements. In this contribution a brief report of the FARCOS array will be presented. In particular, tests with alpha sources and beams and preliminary results from a recent experiment INKIISSY performed using a FARCOS prototype made of four telescopes will be presented