Early warning system for the prevention and control of unauthorized accesses to air navigation services infrastructures

Early warning systems are fundamental instruments for the management of critical situations since they are able to signal in advance any anomaly with respect to ordinary situations. The purpose of this paper is to present an early warning system, based on artificial neural networks, for the prevention and control of unauthorized accesses to the air navigation services infrastructure in Italy

La gestione nelle imprese familiari: il caso Strega Alberti Benevento s.p.a.

L'elaborato è svolto affrontando i due argomenti relativi alle imprese familiari e al controllo di gestione analizzando come il sistema di controllo venga affrontato nelle imprese familiari utilizzando come caso pratico quello della Strega Alberti Benevento s.p.a

BWR Instability Analysis by Coupled 3D Neutron-Kinetic and Thermal-Hydraulic Codes

The main aim of this thesis is to contribute to the study of the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) instability phenomena. The RELAP5-MOD3.3 thermal-hydraulic system code and the PARCS-2.4, 3D neutron kinetic code, were coupled to simulate BWR transients. Different algorithms were used to calculate the decay ratio (DR) and the natural frequency (NF) from the power oscillation signals obtained from the transient calculations, as two typical parameters used to provide a quantitative description of instabilities. The validation of a code model set up for the Peach Bottom-2 BWR plant is performed against Low-Flow Stability Tests (LFST). The thesis has the following organisation. Chapter 1 deals with general aspects, starting with the present level of the Light Water Reactor (LWR) development, addressing the specific problem of instability in BWRs and finally analysing the issue of the current tools to investigate the phenomenon. Chapter 2 describes the LFST performed in the Peach Bottom BWR, the perturbations events studied and the methodology adopted to perform them. Chapter 3 presents the codes and the methodology utilized to perform the calculations and the analyses of the events. In Chapter 4, results considering steady state and transient reactor conditions will be presented and discussed. Finally, Chapter 5 describes the obtained conclusions and the contributions of this work to study of BWR stability

Risk-based tunnel design for consequences of road accidents. The role of tunnel lenght

Tunnel extension is an under-analysed variable in road tunnel accidents despite being a dimensioning parameter for the purposes of users’ safety according to Directive 2004/54/EC. Recent studies have shown a correlation between the tunnel length and consequences of accidents. The analysis of fire events which occurred in tunnels indicates that in many cases fires are triggered by road accidents. By analysing the road accidents in Italy, the study aims to assess the relative risk of accidents with serious consequences for different classes of road tunnels. The second objective was to assess, using a vehicle type (or size) approach, the corresponding probability of accidents involving vehicles or trucks and special vehicles resulting in serious consequences (domino effect). We analysed the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) dataset on tunnel accidents which occurred between 2018 and 2020 on Italian public roads, involving at least one vehicle. Of these, we extracted tunnel accidents, classified by tunnel length and estimated the corresponding probability of serious consequences. The analysis identified 1,885 case studies of tunnel accidents that occurred in approximately 265 long tunnels and 450 short tunnels and underpasses. Compared with “controls”, “size” was found to be more than double in long tunnels where the related probability of serious accident consequences exceeded 50% more than those of short tunnels. We found that the related probability associated with serious accident consequences in tunnels over 500 m in length was higher than in short tunnels, except for trucks and special vehicles. Road accidents and research on risk evaluation of the effects associated with long and short tunnels are rare. The study aims to fill these gaps

Analyses of instability events in the Peach Bottom-2 BWR using thermal-hydraulic and 3D neutron kinetic coupled codes technique

Boiling water reactor (BWR) instabilities may occur when, starting from a stable operating condition, changes in system parameters bring the reactor towards an unstable region. In order to design more stable and safer core configurations, experimental and theoretical studies about BWR stability have been performed to characterise the phenomenon and to predict the conditions for its occurrence. In this work, contributions to the study of BWR instability phenomena are presented. The RELAP5/MOD3.3 thermal-hydraulic (TH) system code and the PARCS-2.4 3D neutron kinetic (NK) code were coupled to simulate BWR transients. Different algorithms were used to calculate the decay ratio (DR) and the natural frequency (NF) from the power oscillation predicted by the transient calculations as two typical parameters used to provide a quantitative description of instabilities. The validation of the code model set up for the Peach Bottom Unit 2 BWR plant is performed against low-flow stability tests (LFSTs). The four series of LFST have been performed during the first quarter of 1977 at the end of cycle 2 in Pennsylvania. The tests were intended to measure the reactor core stability margins at the limiting conditions used in design and safety analyses

Risk based tunnel design by vehicle involved in road crashes. Models and tunnel length

Between 2018 and 2020, in the approximately 2,600 km of Italian road tunnels, 2,899 people were injured and 60 died in 1,885 road accidents. The accident frequency was lower than on open roads, while the injury/fatality rate was higher. Using the recursive partitioning and regression trees method (rpart), we developed two accident models useful for predicting the probability of involvement of "vehicle type" in short and long tunnels. Variables such as the type of accident, the circumstances, the type of road, the carriageway, the time of the accident, the journey purpose (whether work-related or not), and the length of the tunnel defined the nodes and paths of the regression tree associated with a vehicle type involved. The “road type” was the best predictors for short tunnels while the “journey purpose” was the best predictor for long tunnels. The most important result of the study refers to the similarity between the probability of an accident in short and long tunnels for a specific segment of road users: commuting and non-commuting car drivers and drivers of heavy goods vehicles on-duty. The study showed that this road user segment in short tunnels has an accident probability half that observed in long tunnels

Pushing the Limits of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry: Beyond Fungal Species Identification

Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI–TOF) is a powerful analytical tool that has revolutionized microbial identification. Routinely used for bacterial identification, MALDI-TOF has recently been applied to both yeast and filamentous fungi, confirming its pivotal role in the rapid and reliable diagnosis of infections. Subspecies-level identification holds an important role in epidemiological investigations aimed at tracing virulent or drug resistant clones. This review focuses on present and future applications of this versatile tool in the clinical mycology laboratory

Genetic modification of a carcinoma with IL-4 gene increase the influx of dendridic cells relative to other cytokines

Tumor cells genetically modified with certain cytokine genes gain immunogenic properties that allow the development of systemic anti-tumor immunity. Whether different cytokines may influence infiltration of transduced tumors by dendritic cells (DC) has not been investigated. Therefore, we analyzed the C26 murine colon carcinoma genetically modified to release interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-12, granulocyte colony-stimulating-factor (CSF) or granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF for immunostaining with the monoclonal antibody NDLC145 recognizing the DEC205 determinant which, on tumor sections, is virtually restricted to DC. Infiltrating leukocytes were also characterized for expression of co-stimulatory molecules like CD54, CD86 and major histocompatibility complex class II. The intratumoral DC content was dependent on the type of transduced cytokines with C26/IL-4 being the most abundant in DEC205+ cells. The effect of IL-4 in recruiting DC did not depend on the type of tumor since it was confirmed in the TSA mammary carcinoma. In comparison with C26/GM-CSF, C26/IL-4 had more B7.2+ cells but less Ia+ cells. Furthermore, the hypertrophic skin overlaying tumors producing GM-CSF showed numerous Langerhans cells stained by NDLC145 and the draining lymph nodes showed abundance and paucity of DC in C26/GM-CSF and C26/IL-4, respectively. When injected into the ear pinna, C26/GM-CSF stimulated, whereas C26/IL-4 inhibited DC-mediated priming of delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction by 2,4-dinitro-1-fluorobenzene. These findings prove that transduced cytokines differently influence DC recruitment at the tumor site and DC function in nearby tissues. Along with the other leukocytes and their secondary produced cytokines, DC create an environment in which T cells can be differently modulated. Such a phenomenon may have implications on genetic modification of tumor cells to be used as cancer vaccin

Avidities of human monoclonal antibodies derived from an adult immunized with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine

Plant based vaccines provide an instructive opportunity for immunologists. We have developed a plantbasedoral vaccine against verocytotoxin–producing E. coli (VTEC) in piglets (Rossi et. al 2014). Weengineered two independent lines of Nicotiana tabacum plants for the seed-specific expression of VTECantigens, represented by the major subunit FedA of the F18 adhesive fimbriae and the B-subunit of VT2etoxin respectively (Rossi et. al. 2013). Edible vaccines in particular are of interest as they are able tostimulate the mucosal immune system to produce secretory IgA (S-IgA) at mucosal surfaces and,potentially IgG in the blood. The quality of the antibodies, such as avidity, should be considered inevaluating the efficacy of these vaccines. To develop this area, we determined avidity (strength ofantibody-antigen binding) of IgG to the capsule of another mucosal pathogen, Streptococcuspneumoniae. Using pneumococcal capsule-specific IgG human monoclonal antibodies (hMAb) clonedfrom single cells of a subject immunized with pneumococcal vaccine, we defined serotypes specificityand the avidity of these antibodies with ammonium thiocyanate (0, 4M, 2M, 1M 0.5M 0.025M)dissociation. IgG with lower avidity to the capsule are dissociated at lower NH4SCN levels, whereas IgGwith higher affinity require higher levels. We identified a range of avidities for 11 hMAB’s (range X-YMNH4SCN). We will evaluate the avidity of antibodies after immunization with edible vaccines againstVTEC strain in piglets about which little in known, but as demonstrated in Granoff et al. the high-avidityantibodies are required in generating a more effective vaccine

Avidities of human monoclonal antibodies derived from an adult immunized with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine

Plant based vaccines provide an instructive opportunity for immunologists. We have developed a plantbasedoral vaccine against verocytotoxin–producing E. coli (VTEC) in piglets (Rossi et. al 2014). Weengineered two independent lines of Nicotiana tabacum plants for the seed-specific expression of VTECantigens, represented by the major subunit FedA of the F18 adhesive fimbriae and the B-subunit of VT2etoxin respectively (Rossi et. al. 2013). Edible vaccines in particular are of interest as they are able tostimulate the mucosal immune system to produce secretory IgA (S-IgA) at mucosal surfaces and,potentially IgG in the blood. The quality of the antibodies, such as avidity, should be considered inevaluating the efficacy of these vaccines. To develop this area, we determined avidity (strength ofantibody-antigen binding) of IgG to the capsule of another mucosal pathogen, Streptococcuspneumoniae. Using pneumococcal capsule-specific IgG human monoclonal antibodies (hMAb) clonedfrom single cells of a subject immunized with pneumococcal vaccine, we defined serotypes specificityand the avidity of these antibodies with ammonium thiocyanate (0, 4M, 2M, 1M 0.5M 0.025M)dissociation. IgG with lower avidity to the capsule are dissociated at lower NH4SCN levels, whereas IgGwith higher affinity require higher levels. We identified a range of avidities for 11 hMAB’s (range X-YMNH4SCN). We will evaluate the avidity of antibodies after immunization with edible vaccines againstVTEC strain in piglets about which little in known, but as demonstrated in Granoff et al. the high-avidityantibodies are required in generating a more effective vaccine