Critical rainfall thresholds for triggering shallow landslides in the Serchio River Valley (Tuscany, Italy)

Abstract. The Serchio River Valley, in north-western Tuscany, is a well-known tourism area between the Apuan Alps and the Apennines. This area is frequently hit by heavy rainfall, which often triggers shallow landslides, debris flows and debris torrents, sometimes causing damage and death. The assessment of the rainfall thresholds for the initiation of shallow landslides is very important in order to improve forecasting and to arrange efficient alarm systems. With the aim of defining the critical rainfall thresholds for the Middle Serchio River Valley, a detailed analysis of the main rainstorm events was carried out. The hourly rainfall recorded by three rain gauges in the 1935–2010 interval was analysed and compared with the occurrence of shallow landslides. The rainfall thresholds were defined in terms of mean intensity I, rainfall duration D, and normalized using the mean annual precipitation. Some attempts were also carried out to analyze the role of rainfall prior to the damaging events. Finally, the rainfall threshold curves obtained for the study area were compared with the local, regional and global curves proposed by various authors. The results of this analysis suggest that in the study area landslide activity initiation requires a higher amount of rainfall and greater intensity than elsewhere

The effect of individual, group, and shared organizational identification on job satisfaction and collective actual turnover

Drawing on the Social Identity Approach principles, we explored the relationship between organizational identification (individual, group, and shared), job satisfaction, and collective actual turnover. We hypothesize that (a) shared identification moderates the within-person relationship between individual organizational identification and job satisfaction, namely, the effect is stronger for groups in which the level of shared organizational identification is higher; (b) group job satisfaction mediates the relationship between group organizational identification and collective actual turnover. This study was conducted in a large Italian firm (N = 1090; sale locations = 91). Data were collected using both surveys (e.g., job satisfaction) and archive data (collective actual turnover). By means of Bayesian Multilevel Structural Equation Models, we supported the moderating role played by shared organizational identification in the relationship between individual organizational identification and job satisfaction, while no evidence was found for the mediational hypothesis. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications for management

MIVIS image geocoding experience on merging position attitude system data and public domain GPS stream (ASI-GeoDAF)

The use of airborne scanners involves geo-referencing problems, which are difficult because of the need to know the exact platform position and attitude for each scan line. The errors of the onboard navigation system are normally corrected using ground control point on the image. This post-processing correction procedure is too long in case of multiple flight campaigns, and besides it implies the need to have available 1:10000 orthophotoimages or maps in digital format. To optimize the above procedure a new method to correct MIVIS navigational data in the post-processing phase has been implemented. The procedure takes into consideration the GPS stream in Rinex format of common knowledge and findable on the web, acquired at the ground stations of the Geodetic Data Archiving Facilities provided by ASI. The application of this correction entails the assumption that the environmental variables affecting both onboard and geodetic GPS equally affect the position measurements. The airborne data correction was carried out merging the two data sets (onboard and ground station GPS) to achieve a more precise aircraft trajectory. The present study compares the geo-coded images obtained by means of the two post-processing methods

Erodibilidade do solo nos tabuleiros costeiros.

Para determinar perdas de solo por erosão hídrica, em diferentes situações, são utilizados modelos de predição de erosão, como a Equação Universal de Perdas de Solo (EUPS). A aplicação destes modelos, no planejamento agrícola e ambiental, depende da determinação dos fatores da EUPS, dentre estes a erodibilidade (fator K). Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar a erodibilidade, para as principais classes de solos da região dos Tabuleiros Costeiros, em Aracruz (ES). O experimento foi instalado nos seguintes solos: Argissolo Amarelo textura média/argilosa (PA1), Plintossolo Háplico (FX) e Argissolo Amarelo moderadamente rochoso (PA2). Para o cálculo da erodibilidade, foram utilizados dados de erosividade e de perdas de solo de novembro de 1997 a maio de 2004. As coletas de perdas de solo foram realizadas para cada evento de chuva considerada erosiva. Os valores de erodibilidade foram 0,007 Mg h MJ-1 mm-1; 0,017 Mg h MJ-1 mm-1; e 0,0004 Mg h MJ-1 mm-1, para PA1, FX e PA2, respectivamente

MIVIS image geocoding experience on merging position attitude system data and public domain GPS stream (ASI-GeoDAF)

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Engineered Tumor-Targeted T Cells Mediate Enhanced Anti-Tumor Efficacy Both Directly and through Activation of the Endogenous Immune System.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has proven clinically beneficial against B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, suboptimal clinical outcomes have been associated with decreased expansion and persistence of adoptively transferred CAR T cells, antigen-negative relapses, and impairment by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Improvements in CAR T cell design are required to enhance clinical efficacy, as well as broaden the applicability of this technology. Here, we demonstrate that interleukin-18 (IL-18)-secreting CAR T cells exhibit enhanced in vivo expansion and persistence and significantly increase long-term survival in syngeneic mouse models of both hematological and solid malignancies. In addition, we demonstrate that IL-18-secreting CAR T cells are capable of modulating the tumor microenvironment, as well as enhancing an effective endogenous anti-tumor immune response. IL-18-secreting CAR T cells represent a promising strategy to enhance the clinical outcomes of adoptive T cell therapy

Growth of a sinkhole in a seismic zone of the northern Apennines (Italy)

Sinkhole collapse is a major hazard causing substantial social and economic losses. However, the surface deformations and sinkhole evolution are rarely recorded, as these sites are known mainly after a collapse, making the assessment of sinkhole-related hazard challenging. Furthermore, more than 40% of the sinkholes of Italy are in seismically hazardous zones; it remains unclear whether seismicity may trigger sinkhole collapse. Here we use a multidisciplinary data set of InSAR, surface mapping and historical records of sinkhole activity to show that the Prà di Lama lake is a long-lived sinkhole that was formed in an active fault zone and grew through several events of unrest characterized by episodic subsidence and lake-level changes. Moreover, InSAR shows that continuous aseismic subsidence at rates of up to 7.1mmyr-1occurred during 2003-2008, between events of unrest. Earthquakes on the major faults near the sinkhole do not trigger sinkhole activity but low-magnitude earthquakes at 4-12 km depth occurred during sinkhole unrest in 1996 and 2016. We interpret our observations as evidence of seismic creep at depth causing fracturing and ultimately leading to the formation and growth of the Prà di Lama sinkhole

"war to the knife" against thromboinflammation to protect endothelial function of COVID-19 patients

In this viewpoint, we summarize the relevance of thromboinflammation in COVID-19 and discuss potential mechanisms of endothelial injury as a key point for the development of lung and distant organ dysfunction, with a focus on direct viral infection and cytokine-mediated injury. Entanglement between inflammation and coagulation and resistance to heparin provide a rationale to consider other therapeutic approaches in order to preserve endothelial function and limit microthrombosis, especially in severe forms. These strategies include nebulized heparin, N-acetylcysteine, plasma exchange and/or fresh frozen plasma, plasma derivatives to increase the level of endogenous anticoagulants (tissue factor pathway inhibitor, activated protein C, thrombomodulin, antithrombin), dipyridamole, complement blockers, different types of stem cells, and extracellular vesicles. An integrated therapy including these drugs has the potential to improve outcomes in COVID-19