819 research outputs found
Multi-function ESD protection circuit for UHF RFID devices in CMOS technology
The design and implementation of an electrostatic discharge protection
suitable for UHF RFID devices in CMOS technology is presented. The
circuit implements three fundamental functions for the RF interface:
power limiting, backscatter modulation and electrostatic discharge
protection. Since all functions are achieved by the same MOS device
the additional shunt capacitance at the RF inputs is limited.
Therefore the maximum reading distance of the RFID device is
improved without sacrificing the electrostatic protection level
Circuit models for next generation fusion devices
Questo lavoro propone modelli circuitali di tipo innovativo per gli iniettori di particelle neutre delle macchine da fusione, con tensione di accelerazione ben al di là di quelle attualmente in uso. Si tratta di un campo che ha attirato sinora scarsa attenzione in letteratura, benché il salto tecnologico richiesto dall’ambizioso progetto ITER richieda un pari sviluppo degli strumenti di modellistica. Delle soluzioni proposte viene presentata una validazione per confronto con misure sperimentali, assieme a simulazioni di sistema per l’ottimizzazione tanto del funzionamento normale quanto dei dispositivi passivi di protezione
Association between outdoor traffic air pollutants and spread of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Modena, Northern Italy
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Italy was the first European country severely affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, especially during the first wave in the North of the country. In particular, Modena is a city of Emilia-Romagna which is a region entirely included in the Po valley, one of European areas characterized by the heaviest air pollution levels due also to its orography. Previous studies yielded at a regional level suggested that higher air pollutant levels may increase both SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. METHODS: In this study, we further investigated the association between air pollutant exposure and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 using data collected from Modena municipality in the period February 2020-April 2021. We used traffic pollutant levels collected from an urban air quality monitoring station in the period January 2020-January 2021, including particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx), benzene, and black carbon (BC). We used a random-effects linear regression model within panel data analysis over the study period and we computed beta correlation coefficients (beta) with 95% confidence interval-CI between mean daily pollutant concentrations and SARS-CoV-2 daily positive cases diagnosed in Modena. RESULTS:We found a positive correlation between all traffic pollutants and SARS-CoV-2 cases, namely for PM10 beta was 1.23 (95%CI 1.00-1.46), lower for NOx (beta=0.66, 95%CI 0.56-0.75), and higher for NO2 (beta=1.95, 95%CI 1.59-2.31), benzene (beta=41.41, 95%CI 36.23-46.59), and BC (beta=5.95, 95%CI 1.19-10.72). CONCLUSIONS:Notwithstanding the limitations of use of aggregated data and potential the residual confounding, these findings seem to support the hypothesis that high levels of air pollution may favor the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection, or alternatively that they reflect a higher mobility and number of social contacts that favor the spread of the infection. KEYWORDS: Air pollution, Traffic-related, Infectious diseases, Environmental epidemiology, Exposure assessmen
Micro–scale simulation of atmospheric emissions from power–plant stacks in the Po Valley
The atmospheric dispersion of the NOX plume that will be emitted from a new power–plant, at present under installation, was simulated at micro–scale with Micro–Swift–Spray (MSS) Model. The plant will be constructed in a residential urban area in the town of Modena (Po Valley, Northern Italy), where low wind speeds and thermal inversions are quite frequent. Simulation results point out a different behavior of urban canopy in influencing the 3D dispersion patterns among urban obstacles, according to atmospheric mixing conditions: in case of moderate wind events, urban canyon phenomena may occur with a consequent increasing of NOX concentration gradients among buildings, while with low winds the near–field influence of the buildings emphasizes pollutant accumulation. The MSS simulated NOX concentrations result always much lower than the regulatory limits for air quality. The comparison of simulation results with measured concentration data for NOX shows the importance of micro–scale dispersion modeling to perform an accurate and reliable assessment of meteorological condition effects on pollutant distribution, and the ability of MSS in providing reliable simulations of atmospheric dispersion
The tectonic puzzle of the Messina area (Southern Italy): Insights from new seismic reflection data
The Messina Strait, that separates peninsular Italy from Sicily, is one of the most seismically active areas of
the Mediterranean. The structure and seismotectonic setting of the region are poorly understood, although
the area is highly populated and important infrastructures are planned there. New seismic reflection data
have identified a number of faults, as well as a crustal scale NE-trending anticline few km north of the strait.
These features are interpreted as due to active right-lateral transpression along the north-eastern Sicilian
offshore, coexisting with extensional and right-lateral transtensional tectonics in the southern Messina
Strait. This complex tectonic network appears to be controlled by independent and overlapping tectonic
settings, due to the presence of a diffuse transfer zone between the SE-ward retreating Calabria subduction
zone relative to slab advance in the western Sicilian side
A new software toolkit for optical apportionment of carbonaceous aerosol
Instruments measuring aerosol light absorption, such as the Aethalometer and the Multi-Wavelength Absorbance Analyzer (MWAA), have been extensively used to characterize optical absorption of atmospheric particulate matter. Data retrieved with such instruments can be analysed with mathematical models to apportion different aerosol sources (Aethalometer model) and components (MWAA model). In this work we present an upgrade to the MWAA optical apportionment model. In addition to the apportionment of the absorption coefficient b abs in its components (black carbon and brown carbon) and sources (fossil fuels and wood burning), the extended model allows for the retrieval of the absorption Ångström exponent of each component and source, thereby avoiding initial assumptions regarding these parameters. We also present a new open-source software toolkit, the MWAA model toolkit (MWAA_MT), written in both Python and R, that performs the entire apportionment procedure
GWAS-associated Variants, Non-genetic Factors, and Transient Transcriptome in Multiple Sclerosis Etiopathogenesis: a Colocalization Analysis [preprint]
A clinically actionable understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology goes through GWAS interpretation, prompting research on new gene regulatory models. Our previous works on these topics suggested a stochastic etiologic model where small-scale random perturbations could eventually reach a threshold for MS onset and progression. A new sequencing technology has mapped the transient transcriptome (TT), including intergenic RNAs, and antisense intronic RNAs. Through a rigorous colocalization analysis, here we show that genomic regions coding for the TT were significantly enriched for both MS-associated GWAS variants, and DNA binding sites for molecular transducers mediating putative, non-genetic, etiopathogenetic factors for MS (e.g., vitamin D deficiency, Epstein Barr virus latent infection, B cell dysfunction). These results suggest a model whereby TT-coding regions are hotspots of convergence between genetic ad non-genetic factors of risk/protection for MS (and plausibly for other complex disorders). Our colocalization analysis also provides a freely available data resource at www.mscoloc.com for future research on transcriptional regulation in MS
The Bortoluzzi Mud Volcano (Ionian Sea, Italy) and its potential for tracking the seismic cycle of active faults
The Ionian Sea in southern Italy is at the center
of active interaction and convergence between the Eurasian
and African–Adriatic plates in the Mediterranean. This area
is seismically active with instrumentally and/or historically
recorded Mw > 7:0 earthquakes, and it is affected by recently
discovered long strike-slip faults across the active Calabrian
accretionary wedge. Many mud volcanoes occur on
top of the wedge. A recently discovered one (called the Bortoluzzi
Mud Volcano or BMV) was surveyed during the Seismofaults
2017 cruise (May 2017). Bathymetric backscatter
surveys, seismic reflection profiles, geochemical and earthquake
data, and a gravity core are used here to geologically,
geochemically, and geophysically characterize this structure.
The BMV is a circular feature ' 22m high and ' 1100m in
diameter with steep slopes (up to a dip of 22 ). It sits atop
the Calabrian accretionary wedge and a system of flowerlike
oblique-slip faults that are probably seismically active as
demonstrated by earthquake hypocentral and focal data. Geochemistry
of water samples from the seawater column on top
of the BMV shows a significant contamination of the bottom
waters from saline (evaporite-type) CH4-dominated crustalderived
fluids similar to the fluids collected from a mud volcano
located on the Calabria mainland over the same accretionary
wedge. These results attest to the occurrence of open
crustal pathways for fluids through the BMV down to at least
the Messinian evaporites at about 3000 m. This evidence
is also substantiated by helium isotope ratios and by comparison
and contrast with different geochemical data from
three seawater columns located over other active faults in the
Ionian Sea area. One conclusion is that the BMV may be
useful for tracking the seismic cycle of active faults through
geochemical monitoring. Due to the widespread diffusion of
mud volcanoes in seismically active settings, this study contributes
to indicating a future path for the use of mud volcanoes
in the monitoring and mitigation of natural hazards.Published1-233SR TERREMOTI - Attività dei CentriJCR Journa
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