Class A predictions of damage level in an historical fortress induced by twin tunnelling

Tunnelling below historical city centres requires the accurate analysis of the impact of construction works on cultural heritage monuments, which need to be preserved from any possible damage. In this paper, the undercrossing of an historical masonry structure in the city of Florence (Italy), the Fortezza da Basso, by two tunnels of the new high-speed railway underground line is analysed. The interaction problem is studied by a 3D class-A finite element numerical model. Advanced constitutive laws are adopted to describe the key features of the mechanical behaviour of both soil layers and masonry structures. The results of the analyses show that the excavation process is likely to induce a negligible to slight damage in the historical fortress when a typical surface volume loss of 0.5% is considered in greenfield conditions

Does ergometric stress test induce a procoagulative condition in patients with previous myocardial infarction

A regularly scheduled physical training program seems to have antithrombotic effects. Moreover, the hemostatic changes occurring in patients with coronary artery disease during acute exercise have not been clearly elucidated. Since stress testing is routinely performed in clinical cardiology, it would be helpful to assess whether patients with coronary artery disease are exposed to acute coronary thrombosis during or soon after sustained physical exercise. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of acute physical exercise (stress test by bicycle ergometer) on blood coagulation in a group of patients with previous myocardial infarction, and to determine whether the antithrombotic therapy commonly administered favorably influences hemostatic equilibrium. Our results suggest that exercise testing is not harmful to patients with previous myocardial infarction in regard to hemostasis and fibrinolysis and that antithrombotic therapy reduces postexercise increase in platelets

The social cost of chronic kidney disease in Italy

This study aims to estimate the mean annual social cost per patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by stages 4 and 5 pre-dialyses and cost components in Italy. The multicenter cross-sectional study included all adult outpatients in charge of the 14 main Nephrology Centers of Tuscany Region during 7 weeks from 2012 to 2013. Direct medical costs have been estimated using tariffs for laboratory tests, diagnostic exams, visits, hospitalization and prices for drugs. Non-medical costs included expenses of low-protein special foods, travel, and formal and informal care. Patients' and caregivers' losses of productivity have been estimated as indirect costs using the human capital approach. Costs have been expressed in Euros (2016). Totals of 279 patients in stage 4 and 205 patients in stage 5 have been enrolled. The estimated mean annual social cost of a patient with CKD were a,notsign7422 (+/- a,notsign6255) for stage 4 and a,notsign8971 (+/- a,notsign6503) for stage 5 (p < 0.05). Direct medical costs were higher in stage 5 as compared to stage 4; direct non-medical costs and indirect costs accounted, respectively, for 41 and 5 % of the total social cost of CKD stage 4 and for 33 and 9 % of CKD stage 5. In Italy, the overall annual social cost of CKD was a,notsign1,809,552,398 representing 0.11 % of the Gross Domestic Product. Direct non-medical costs and indirect costs were weighted on the social cost of CKD almost as much as the direct medical cost. Patients, their families and the productivity system sustain the burden of the disease almost as much as the healthcare system. © 2016, The Author(s)

"Il Museo in tasca": un'applicazione per scoprire le collezioni naturalistiche dei Fisiocritici tramite dispositivi mobili

“Il Museo in tasca” is a free application for smartphones and tablets conceived by Fondazione Musei Senesi to increase access to six museums in Siena province. Accademia dei Fisiocritici contributed to the project by assembling information on its Museum of Natural History in a “virtual pocket guide”, available for download from March 2016. This application is useful for planning visits, finding one’s way around the ancient building and learning more about the exhibits, since showcases contain limited information. The Museum chose to maintain the way objects were displayed in the XIX century, a choice that limits the amount of information that can be transmitted. The application has four sections: “Museum” describes the location and history of the Siena Academy of Sciences; “Themes” indicates the main disciplines (geology and palaeontology, zoology and anatomy) and provides general information on the types and origins of collections; “Objects” describes certain items or collections in detail and explains their scientific value; “Localities” illustrates their provenance: major fossil-bearing outcrops, mining districts or areas of faunistic value. Each section contains texts (available in Italian, English and Chinese), photo galleries and video clips

Analisi delle condizioni di stabilità della spalla destra della diga di Ridracoli alla luce degli sviluppi tecnici e normativi

Nel presente studio si analizza la stabilità della spalla destra della diga ad arco-gravità di Ridracoli nei con-fronti di possibili cinematismi lungo le discontinuità della roccia di fondazione. Prove di taglio in sito realizza-te durante la costruzione della diga evidenziano la presenza di alcuni livelli marnosi laminati, con parametri di resistenza particolarmente scadenti, all’interno dell’ammasso roccioso fittamente stratificato. Per consolidare l’ammasso, durante le fasi di scavo propedeutiche alla realizzazione della diga, furono posti in opera numerosi tiranti di ancoraggio. Le analisi sono svolte secondo il metodo all’equilibrio limite tridimensionale e delineano un possibile cinemati-smo di collasso fortemente condizionato dalla direzione di spinta della diga per effetto arco. L’azione sismica è stata considerata per mezzo di analisi pseudo-statiche, a partire da uno specifico studio sismotettonico dell’area, che delinea un aumentato quadro di pericolosità sismica rispetto alla situazione progettuale

Differences between a deciduous and a conifer tree species in gaseous and particulate emissions from biomass burning

In the Mediterranean ecosystem, wildfires are very frequent and the predicted future with a probable increase of fires could drastically modify the vegetation scenarios. Vegetation fires are an important source of gases and primary emissions of fine carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere. In this paper, we present gaseous and particulate emissions data from the combustion of different plant tissues (needles/leaves, branches and needle/leaf litter), obtained from one conifer (Pinus halepensis) and one deciduous broadleaf tree (Quercus pubescens). Both species are commonly found throughout the Mediterranean area, often subject to wildfires. Experiments were carried out in a combustion chamber continuously sampling emissions throughout the different phases of a fire (pre-ignition, flaming and smoldering). We identified and quantified 83 volatile organic compounds including important carcinogens that can affect human health. CO and CO2 were the main gaseous species emitted, benzene and toluene were the dominant aromatic hydrocarbons, methyl-vinyl-ketone and methyl-ethyl-ketone were the most abundant measured oxygenated volatile organic compounds. CO2 and methane emissions peaked during the flaming phase, while the peak of CO emissions occurred during the smoldering phase. Overall, needle/leaf combustion released a greater amount of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere than the combustion of branches and litter. There were few differences between emissions from the combustion of the two tree species, except for some compounds. The combustion of P. halepensis released a great amount of monoterpenes as α-pinene, β-pinene, p-cymene, sabinene, 3-carene, terpinolene and camphene that are not emitted from the combustion of Q. pubescens. The combustion of branches showed the longest duration of flaming and peak of temperature. Data presented appear crucial for modeling with the intent of understanding the loss of C during different phases of fire and how different typologies of biomass can affect wildfires and their speciation emissions profile. © 2017 Elsevier Lt