Magma and fluid migration at Yellowstone Caldera in the last three decades inferred from InSAR, leveling and gravity measurements

We studied the Yellowstone caldera geological unrest between 1977 and 2010 by investigating temporal changes in differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), precise spirit leveling and gravity measurements. The analysis of the 1992–2010 displacement time series, retrieved by applying the SBAS InSAR technique, allowed the identification of three areas of deformation: (i) the Mallard Lake (ML) and Sour Creek (SC) resurgent domes, (ii) a region close to the Northern Caldera Rim (NCR), and (iii) the eastern Snake River Plain (SRP). While the eastern SRP shows a signal related to tectonic deformation, the other two regions are influenced by the caldera unrest. We removed the tectonic signal from the InSAR displacements, and we modeled the InSAR, leveling, and gravity measurements to retrieve the best fitting source parameters. Our findings confirmed the existence of different distinct sources, beneath the brittle-ductile transition zone, which have been intermittently active during the last three decades. Moreover, we interpreted our results in the light of existing seismic tomography studies. Concerning the SC dome, we highlighted the role of hydrothermal fluids as the driving force behind the 1977–1983 uplift; since 1983–1993 the deformation source transformed into a deeper one with a higher magmatic component. Furthermore, our results support the magmatic nature of the deformation source beneath ML dome for the overall investigated period. Finally, the uplift at NCR is interpreted as magma accumulation, while its subsidence could either be the result of fluids migration outside the caldera or the gravitational adjustment of the source from a spherical to a sill-like geometr

Organizational Features in the Management of Infrastructure Safety

The topic dealing with the infrastructure safety is one of the most relevant arguments in the governance of a geographical area where many structural systems have been built over time. Indeed, many structural systems often present safety or functionality critical issues and specific interventions are required to prevent undesirable social consequences. In this context, the stakeholders, i.e., public or private actors and institutions, are strongly involved in both the economic and administrative procedures. This contribution preliminarily provides some enhancements to improve the management of the infrastructures safety. Specifically, analyzing an Italian case study, the study proposes to adopt the remote sensing through satellite-based sensor technologies for an analysis at territorial scale. In this way, the territorial point of view on the critical issues affecting the infrastructures leads to involve the stakeholders to attain a wider degree of organization in the governance and management processes

On the Effects of Core Microstructure on Energy Absorbing Capabilities of Sandwich Panels Intended for Additive Manufacturing

Increasing transportation safety can be observed as one of the biggest engineering chal-lenges. This challenge often needs to be combined with the need to deliver engineering solutions that are able to lower the environmental impact of transportation, by reducing fuel consumption. Consequentially, these topics have attracted considerable research efforts. The present work aims to address the previously cited challenges by maximizing the energy absorption capabilities of hybrid aluminum/composite shock absorbers with minimal thickness and mass. This engineering solution makes it possible to lighten vehicles and reduce fuel consumption, without compromising safety, in terms of crashworthiness capabilities. A numerical sensitivity study is presented, where the absorbed energy/mass (AE/m) and the absorbed energy/total panel thickness (AE/Htot) ratios, as a consequence of low-velocity impact simulations performed on six different shock absorbers, are compared. These hybrid shock absorbers have been numerically designed by modifying the core thickness of two basic absorbers’ configurations, characterized, respectively, by a metallic lattice core, intended to be produced through additive manufacturing, and a standard metallic honeycomb core. This work provides interesting information for the development of shock absorbers, which should be further developed with an experimental approach. Indeed, it demonstrates that, by inte-grating composite skins with a very light core producible, by means of additive manufacturing ca-pabilities, it is possible to design shock absorbers with excellent performance, even for very thin configurations with 6 mm thickness, and to provide a significant increase in AE/m ratios when compared to the respective equal volume standard honeycomb core configurations. This difference between the AE/m ratios of configurations with different core designs increases with the growth in volume. In detail, for configurations with a total thickness of 6 mm, the AE/m increases in additive manufacturing configurations by approximately 93%; for those with a total thickness of 10 mm, the increase is 175%, and, finally, for those with a total thickness of 14 mm, the increase is 220%

Magnetic control of DTT alternative plasma configurations

One of the main challenges concerning next generation tokamaks (such as DEMO) will be the development of a heat and power exhaust system able to withstand the large loads expected in the divertor region. A dedicated Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility has been proposed in the EUROfusion Roadmap, with the aim of testing unconventional solutions, such as advanced magnetic configurations and liquid metal divertors. Magnetic control of alternative plasma configurations, such as the X-Divertor, will play a key role in the solution of the heat exhaust and yet can be a challenging point, due to increased sensitivity introduced by secondary x-points. To overcome the complications introduced by secondary x-points in advanced plasma shapes, magnetic control in DTT is achieved by resolving to the eXtreme Shape Controller, in order to control both the plasma shape and the secondary x-point position

Salivary cytokines and airways disease severity in patients with cystic fibrosis

About 50% of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have sinonasal complications, which include inferior turbinate hypertrophy (NTH) and/or nasal polyposis (NP), and different degrees of lung disease, which represents the main cause of mortality. Monitoring of sinonasal disease requires complex instrumental procedures, while monitoring of lung inflammation requires invasive collection of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between salivary cytokines levels and CF-related airway diseases. Salivary biochemical parameters and cytokines, i.e., interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), were analyzed in resting saliva from healthy subjects and patients with CF. Patients with CF showed significantly higher levels of salivary chloride, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α and lower calcium levels than healthy subjects. Among patients with CF, IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly higher in patients with NTH, while TNF-α was significantly lower in patients with NP. A decreasing trend of TNF-α in patients with severe lung disease was also observed. On the other hand, we did not find significant correlation between cytokine levels and Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Stenotrophomonas maltophilia colonization. These preliminary results suggest that salivary IL-6 and IL-8 levels increase during the acute phase of sinonasal disease (i.e., NTH), while the end stages of pulmonary disease and sinonasal disease (i.e., NP) show decreased TNF-α level

Systemic approach to the management of infrastructure safety: Organizational items

This study deals with the organizational items within a systemic approach finalized to make the safety management of road infrastructures more sustainable at a scale of territory. In fact, the infrastructure safety is a very relevant topic in many states with structural systems built some decades ago. Beyond the inherent structural problems, other items are worthy to be investigated, such as, social, economic and organizational aspects. With this aim, the study describes a systemic approach finalized to make all the public and private stakeholders active actors in the management process by improving the organizational items: interaction and mode of governance. In detail, regarding a case study in an Italian region, the authors propose to take on the satellite-based information to investigate the structural safety problems of the infrastructures at a scale of territory. Along this issue, risk or alert maps are properly defined. Successively, useful suggestions are discussed with the focus to increase the interactions between the different actors for a better management of the safety. The recommendations are able to improve the governance mode and decision process with a more all-inclusive level of organization

Il delitto di diffusione illecita di immagini o video sessualmente espliciti ex art. 612-ter c.p. e i profili più critici

The paper analyses the nature of the new crime of “revenge porn”, introduced by the “Codice Rosso” (Law n. 69/2019), focusing especially on what constitutes the crime and the mens rea of the offence

Ricchezza e complessità come indici di sospetto: brevi riflessioni in margine alla lotta alla criminalità economica

L’evoluzione subita dalla criminalità economica nel corso degli anni risente dell’operare di molteplici fattori. Uno degli aspetti più interessanti e logicamente prioritari nell’esame dell’iter richiamato attiene alla trasformazione socio-culturale dell’atteggiamento della società nei confronti del ‘povero’. Fino all’incirca al secondo dopoguerra, infatti, la condizione economica disagiata era considerata indicativa di pericolosità sociale, in ragione della limitatezza di risorse e del basso grado culturale del ‘disadattato’. Secondo il sentire comune dell’epoca la povertà era sintomo di propensione al crimine; da qui una derivata normazione tesa al controllo ed al contenimento del rischio. (… segue …