First GPS-tracking of Cory’s shearwater in the Mediterranean Sea.

The behaviour and the ecology of seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters have been subject of numerous studies, often employing the most recent technologies to track birds during their foraging trips. Until now, however, big oceanic species have been preferred for these studies because of the dimensions and weight of the devices. New light GPS loggers (<9g) were used to track foraging trips of a medium-sized species, the Cory’s shearwater, for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. The tracks obtained in our study showed that Mediterranean Cory’s shearwaters alternatively used one of two different fishing areas. Various explanations could account for this difference; one of these could be that the two directions have a different relevance for the birds being for chick- and self-provisioning. This study provides new hypotheses concerning the behaviour of Cory’s shearwaters in the Mediterranean Sea, which is a different environment respect to previously studied oceans

Physical and Aerodynamic Characterization of Particle Clusters at Sakurajima Volcano (Japan)

The process of particle aggregation significantly affects ash settling dynamics associated with volcanic explosive eruptions. Several experiments have been carried out to investigate the physics of ash aggregation and dedicated numerical schemes have been developed to produce more accurate forecasting of ash dispersal and sedimentation. However, numerical description of particle aggregation is complicated by the lack of complete datasets on natural samples required for model validation and calibration. Here we present a first comprehensive dataset for the internal structure, aerodynamical properties (e.g., size, density, terminal velocity) and grain size of constituting particles of a variety of aggregate types collected in the natural laboratory of Sakurajima Volcano (Japan). Even though the described particle clusters represent the most common types of aggregates associated with ash-rich fallouts, they are of difficult characterization due to the very low potential of preservation in tephra-fallout deposits. Properties were, therefore, derived based on a combination of high-resolution-high-speed videos of tephra fallout, scanning electron microscope analysis of aggregates collected on adhesive paper and analysis of tephra samples collected in dedicated trays. Three main types of particle clusters were recognized and quantitively characterized: cored clusters (PC3), coated particles (PC2), and ash clusters (PC1) (in order of abundance). A wide range of terminal velocities (0.5–4&nbsp;m/s) has been observed for these aggregates, with most values varying between 1 and 2&nbsp;m/s, while aggregate size varies between 200 and 1,200&nbsp;µm. PC1, PC2, and PC3 have densities between 250 and 500, 1,500 and 2,000, and 500 and 1,500&nbsp;kg/m3, respectively. The size of the aggregate core, where present, varies between 200 and 750&nbsp;µm and increases with aggregate size. Grain size of tephra samples was deconvoluted into a fine and a coarse Gaussian subpopulation, well correlated with the grain size of shells and of the internal cores of aggregates, respectively. This aspect, together with the revealed abundance of PC3 aggregates, reconciles the presence of a large amount of fine ash (aggregate shells) with coarse ash (aggregate cores) and better explains the grain size distribution bimodality, the high settling velocity with respect to typical PC1 velocities and the low settling velocities of large aggregates with respect to typical PC2 velocity. Furthermore, ash forming the aggregates was shown to be always finer than 45&nbsp;µm, confirming the key role played by aggregation processes in fine ash deposition at Sakurajima

Ash-plume dynamics and eruption source parameters by infrasound and thermal imagery: The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption

During operational ash-cloud forecasting, prediction of ash concentration and total erupted mass directly depends on the determination of mass eruption rate (MER), which is typically inferred from plume height. Uncertainties for plume heights are large, especially for bent-over plumes in which the ascent dynamics are strongly affected by the surrounding wind field. Here we show how uncertainties can be reduced if MER is derived directly from geophysical observations of source dynamics. The combination of infrasound measurements and thermal camera imagery allows for the infrasonic type of source to be constrained (a dipole in this case) and for the plume exit velocity to be calculated (54–142 m/s) based on the acoustic signal recorded during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption from 4 to 21 May. Exit velocities are converted into MER using additional information on vent diameter (50±10 m) and mixture density (5.4±1.1 kg/m3), resulting in an average ∼9×105 kg/s MER during the considered period of the eruption. We validate our acoustic-derived MER by using independent measurements of plume heights (Icelandic Meteorological Office radar observations). Acoustically derived MER are converted into plume heights using field-based relationships and a 1D radially averaged buoyant plume theory model using a reconstructed total grain size distribution. We conclude that the use of infrasonic monitoring may lead to important understanding of the plume dynamics and allows for real-time determination of eruption source parameters. This could improve substantially the forecasting of volcano-related hazards, with important implications for civil aviation safety

Risk factors and indicators of severe systemic insect sting reactions

Hymenoptera venom allergy ranks among the top three causes of anaphylaxis worldwide, and approximately one-quarter of sting-induced reactions are classified as severe. Fatal sting reactions are exceedingly rare, but certain factors may entail a considerably higher risk. Delayed administration of epinephrine and upright posture are situational risk factors which may determine an unfavorable outcome of the acute anaphylactic episode and should be addressed during individual patient education. Systemic mastocytosis and senior age are major, unmodifiable long-term risk factors and thus reinforce the indication for venom immunotherapy. Vespid venom allergy and male sex likewise augment the risk of severe or even fatal reactions. Further studies are required to assess the impact of specific cardiovascular comorbidities. Available data regarding potential effects of beta-blockers and/or ACE inhibitors in coexisting venom allergy are inconclusive and do not justify recommendations to discontinue guideline-directed antihypertensive treatment. The absence of urticaria/angioedema during sting-induced anaphylaxis is indicative of a severe reaction, serum tryptase elevation, and mast cell clonality. Determination of basal serum tryptase levels is an established diagnostic tool for risk assessment in Hymenoptera venom-allergic patients. Measurement of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase activity represents a complementary approach but is not available for routine diagnostic use

SARS-CoV-2 has been circulating in northern Italy since december 2019: evidence from environmental monitoring

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease COVID-19, a public health emergency worldwide, and Italy is among the most severely affected countries. The first autochthonous Italian case of COVID-19 was documented on February 21, 2020. We investigated the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Italy earlier than that date, by analysing 40 composite influent wastewater samples collected - in the framework of other wastewater-based epidemiology projects - between October 2019 and February 2020 from five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in three cities and regions in northern Italy (Milan/Lombardy, Turin/Piedmont and Bologna/Emilia Romagna). Twenty-four additional samples collected in the same WWTPs between September 2018 and June 2019 (i.e. long before the onset of the epidemic) were included as ‘blank’ samples. Viral concentration was performed according to the standard World Health Organization procedure for poliovirus sewage surveillance, with modifications. Molecular analysis was undertaken with both nested RT-PCR and real-rime RT-PCR assays. A total of 15 positive samples were confirmed by both methods. The earliest dates back to 18 December 2019 in Milan and Turin and 29 January 2020 in Bologna. Virus concentration in the samples ranged from below the limit of detection (LOD) to 5.6 × 104 genome copies (g.c.)/L, and most of the samples (23 out of 26) were below the limit of quantification of PCR. Our results demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 was already circulating in northern Italy at the end of 2019. Moreover, it was circulating in different geographic regions simultaneously, which changes our previous understanding of the geographical circulation of the virus in Italy. Our study highlights the importance of environmental surveillance as an early warning system, to monitor the levels of virus circulating in the population and identify outbreaks even before cases are notified to the healthcare system

First detection of SARS-CoV-2 in untreated wastewaters in Italy

Several studies have demonstrated the advantages of environmental surveillance through the monitoring of sewage for the assessment of viruses circulating in a given community (wastewater-based epidemiology, WBE). During the COVID-19 public health emergency, many reports have described the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stools from COVID-19 patients, and a few studies reported the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewaters worldwide. Italy is among the world's worst-affected countries in the COVID-19 pandemic, but so far there are no studies assessing the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in Italian wastewaters. To this aim, twelve influent sewage samples, collected between February and April 2020 from Wastewater Treatment Plants in Milan and Rome, were tested adapting, for concentration, the standard WHO procedure for Poliovirus surveillance. Molecular analysis was undertaken with three nested protocols, including a newly designed SARS-CoV-2 specific primer set. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection was accomplished in volumes of 250 ml of wastewaters collected in areas of high (Milan) and low (Rome) epidemic circulation, according to clinical data. Overall, 6 out of 12 samples were positive. One of the positive results was obtained in a Milan wastewater sample collected a few days after the first notified Italian case of autochthonous SARS-CoV-2. The study confirms that WBE has the potential to be applied to SARS-CoV-2 as a sensitive tool to study spatial and temporal trends of virus circulation in the population