Harvesting systems for steep terrain in the Italian Alps: state of the art and future prospects

Steep slope forest operations in Central Europe and in particular in the Alps are strongly related to the adoption of the cable-based harvesting system, even if innovative ground-based harvesting system, even if innovative ground-based harvesting systems have been proposed in the last years. In this context, the present works aim to acquire a thorough knowledge of yarding technologies used by the logging companies of the central Italian Alps, to evaluate their professionality in steep slope forest operations, and to predict the potential diffusion of innovative steep slope harvesting systems in the area. The results show a large number of logging companies (106) working with cable-based systems and in particular with four different standing skyline yarding technologies. The analysis of professionality in using cable cranes shows big differences between the companies. In particular, it identifies a consistent group of companies with a highly mechanized machinery fleet and high skills and experience in steep slope forest operations. These enterprises evidence a still limited potential diffusion of the innovative ground-based harvesting systems in the area, even if it is theoretically possible according to the GIS analysis of morphology and forest road networ

How Wood Fuels\u2019 Quality Relates to the Standards: A Class-Modelling Approach

The quality requirements of wood biofuels are regulated by a series of harmonized international standards. These standards define the technical parameter limits that influence the quality of solid biomass as a fuel. In 2014 the European reference standard for solid biofuel was replaced by the International ISO standard. In the case of wood chips, the main difference between the European and International standards is the definition of particle size distribution classes. In this context, this study analyses the quality of wood chips and its variation over the years according to the \u201cformer\u201d (EN 14691-4) and \u201cin force\u201d (ISO 17225-4) standards. A Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) model was built to predict the best quality of wood chips and to clarify the relationship between quality and standard parameters, time and changes in the standard regulations. The results show that, compared to the EN standards, classification with the ISO standards increases the samples belonging to the best quality classes and decreases the not classified samples. Furthermore, all the SIMCA models have a high sensitivity (>90%), reflect the differences introduced to the quality standards and are therefore suitable for monitoring the quality of wood chips and their changes

Determination of forest road surface roughness by kinect depth imaging

Roughness is a dynamic property of the gravel road surface that affects safety, ride comfort as well as vehicle tyre life and maintenance costs. A rapid survey of gravel road condition is fundamental for an effective maintenance planning and definition of the intervention priorities. Different non-contact techniques such as laser scanning, ultrasonic sensors and photogrammetry have recently been proposed to reconstruct three-dimensional topography of road surface and allow extraction of roughness metrics. The application of Microsoft Kinect\u2122 depth camera is proposed and discussed here for collection of 3D data sets from gravel roads, to be implemented in order to allow quantification of surface roughness. The objectives are to: i) verify the applicability of the Kinect sensor for characterization of different forest roads, ii) identify the appropriateness and potential of different roughness parameters and iii) analyse the correlation with vibrations recoded by 3-axis accelerometers installed on different vehicles. The test took advantage of the implementation of the Kinect depth camera for surface roughness determination of 4 different forest gravel roads and one well-maintained asphalt road as reference. Different vehicles (mountain bike, off-road motorcycle, ATV vehicle, 4WD car and compact crossover) were included in the experiment in order to verify the vibration intensity when travelling on different road surface conditions. Correlations between the extracted roughness parameters and vibration levels of the tested vehicles were then verified. Coefficients of determination of between 0.76 and 0.97 were detected between average surface roughness and standard deviation of relative accelerations, with higher values in the case of lighter vehicles

GIS applications in forest operations and road network planning: An overview over the last two decades

A systematic literature review was settled to investigate the application of GIS in terms of methods, complexity and accuracy to support decision on forestry operations and forest road network planning. A comprehensive search for relevant studies was performed to retrieve as many relevant international scientific publications dealing with forestry operations and forest road network planning in the period 1996\u20132015. The analysis was based on the development of a systematic literature review comprising three steps: \uf0de implementation of the database searches by well-defined search terms \uf0de identification of all the publications meeting the requirements of the search terms by abstract \uf0de choice of the most relevant publications analysis of the contents. In this review, \ubbGIS and forest operations\uab includes all the descriptors dealing with GIS ap- plied to support forest operations decision and analysis, while \ubbGIS and forest roads\uab includes all the papers dealing with the analysis, management and planning of forest road or forest road networks. A total of 372 references and 82 publications were selected for the analysis as they were clearly in conformity with the review topics (GIS applications in forest operations and road network planning). The analysis showed that GIS has also been applied successfully and unambiguously to har- vesting and transportation engineering in forest operations management. Further to the pre- vailing use concerning applications to support tactical planning, a significant number of recent publications have turned successfully to GIS applied at operational level. Again, despite the prevailing use concerning applications to support tactical planning, a significant number of recent publications have also turned successfully to GIS applied at operational level with the topics of Forest Operations Management in terms of optimization, productivity and safety analysis. By considering the recent evolution and improvement of GIS technology and the increasing availability of spatial data, as well their improvement in quality and resolution, the application of GIS in forest harvesting and transportation engineering as well as in forest operations management will expand in the near future

Spatial multi-criteria decision process to define maintenance priorities of forest road network: an application in the Italian Alpine region

The combination of GIS tools and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques is used to develop a Decision Support System to rank the maintenance priorities of a forest road network according to the actual conditions and needs. The decision-making process is divided into 4 stages. The first stage fixes the objectives of the analysis as the minimization of the sediment production from road surface and the maximization of the social value of the road. The second stage defines the hierarchical structure of the decision problem. At this stage the set of factors (criteria) to maximize each objective and the evaluation methods are defined. At the third stage AHP analysis is applied using a specific application running on ArcGIS, to calculate the evaluation layer that represents the importance of each road according to the set objectives. The values of the evaluation layer are used at the fourth stage to rank the maintenance interventions according to the given benefit. The methodology has been tested in a forest road network with an extension of 107.8 km including in the analysis the real budget constraints and maintenance costs. The results show that the integrated use of GIS and AHP analysis represents a valuable tool to rate the importance of the forest road network for the management of a mountain territory and to define priorities among maintenance operations of the road network, in order to maximize the overall benefit with limited economic resource

DETERMINATION OF THE FOREST ROAD NETWORK INFLUENCE ON THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR FIREWOOD PRODUCTION BY DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION

In this study a Discrete-event simulation (D-es) has been developed to analyze the wood supply chain for firewood production in a mountain area in North-eastern Italy. The D-es is applied in the modeling of extraction (Full Tree System), processing of roundwood into wood assortments (cross-cut and sorting), offroad and on-road transport. In order to estimate the productivity functions and parameters, field studies were conducted to gather data about the different operations linked in the model. Also a GIS network analysis was developed to integrate the spatial information onthe covered distance to the D-es model for each of the supposed Scenarios. The results indicats that an increment of 5 m ha-1 of the forest road network could significantly increase the productivity of the wood supply chain up to 2%

Productivity and quality performance of an innovative firewood processor

The growing interest about wood as fuel regards not only wood chips and pellets but also firewood, especially in mountain and rural areas where domestic heating plants are widely used. Due to the increased demand for firewood, harvesting activities have extended on broadleaved high forests as well as coppice. As a consequence, the diameter of logs has increased requiring larger and larger splitting machines; nowadays it is not uncommon to find on the market splitters able to process logs with diameter up to 50-60 cm. In order to increase the productivity, the effort of machine producers is directed to obtain the complete splitting of the log into firewood in only one step using multiple ways splitting knives. This technical solution may cause some drawbacks especially when the splitting knives are not properly adapted to the log diameter; it happens that the size of firewood is not homogeneous and splinters are produced, which requires using screens to separate them from the main product. In order to evaluate the work quality of a firewood processor, equipped with multiple ways splitting knives, an experimental test has been carried out using a machine in which the log diameter is automatically detected through a laser device; according to the log diameter the multiple ways splitting knives (formed by fixed and mobile knives, the latter hydraulically operated) is properly set up to obtain regularly sized firewood. Furthermore the log is automatically centred on the splitting knife set-up. The results of the experimental test showed that the firewood processor is able to produce firewood with homogeneous size and with a low production of splinters, regardless of log diameter

Modelling noise propagation generated by forest operations: a case study in Southern Italy

Noise is defined as an undesired sound that constitutes an unwarranted disturbance potentiality modifying animal behaviour or normal functioning. Forest operations commonly involve the use of equipment and machines that can produce noise and be a potential permanent or temporary disturbance for the wildlife. This study simulates noise propagation in a natural area generated during coppice stand harvesting by direct field noise measurements and the application of a specific GIS model. Two working phases were investigated: felling and yarding operations. Two potential systems were analyzed for the yarding operations: a) yarding by mobile cable yarder and b) skidding by tractor with a three point log grapple. The results are reported in terms of excess noise area for the third-octave bandwidths with the centre in 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz. Felling by chainsaws presented the largest area where noise exceeds the ambient natural noise, while in the case of yarding, mobile cable yarding operations presented a smaller area of excess noise than skidding by tractor

Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) for the assessment of bone strength in most of bone affecting conditions in developmental age: a review.

Peripheral quantitative computed tomography provides an automatical scan analysis of trabecular and cortical bone compartments, calculating not only their bone mineral density (BMD), but also bone geometrical parameters, such as marrow and cortical Cross-Sectional Area (CSA), Cortical Thickness (CoTh), both periosteal and endosteal circumference, as well as biomechanical parameters like Cross-Sectional Moment of Inertia (CSMI), a measure of bending, polar moment of inertia, indicating bone strength in torsion, and Strength Strain Index (SSI). Also CSA of muscle and fat can be extracted. Muscles, which are thought to stimulate bones to adapt their geometry and mineral content, are determinant to preserve or increase bone strength; thus, pQCT provides an evaluation of the functional ‘muscle-bone unit’, defined as BMC/muscle CSA ratio. This functional approach to bone densitometry can establish if bone strength is normally adapted to the muscle force, and if muscle force is adequate for body size, providing more detailed insights to targeted strategies for the prevention and treatment of bone fragility. The present paper offers an extensive review of technical features of pQCT and its possible clinical application in the diagnostic of bone status as well as in the monitoring of the skeleton’s health follow-up

Morphological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical identification of cardiac lymphatic vessels and their functional role in cardiomyopathies

Il sistema linfatico consiste in una fitta rete di capillari e vasi che vanno a formare un circolo aperto e monodirezionale parallelo a quello sanguigno. Tra le sue più importanti funzioni figurano l’assorbimento degli acidi grassi ed il mantenimento dell’omeostasi tissutale mediante drenaggio di liquidi e proteine plasmatiche fuoriuscite dai capillari sanguigni nei tessuti. Il circolo linfatico, attraverso le stazioni linfonodali, svolge anche un ruolo determinante nel trasporto delle cellule immunitarie, garantendo la sorveglianza immunologica e permettendo alle cellule immunitarie di raggiungere velocemente il sito di danno. Lo studio della circolazione linfatica è sempre più importante in oncologia, visto il suo coinvolgimento nei meccanismi di migrazione delle cellule neoplastiche che portano allo sviluppo di metastasi. Lo studio dei vasi linfatici è stato per lungo tempo ostacolato dalla difficoltà nella loro identificazione e distinzione dai vasi sanguigni. La recente scoperta di marcatori come Podoplanina (PDPN), “lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1” (Lyve-1) e “Prospero- related homeobox 1”(Prox-1), che sono espressi specificamente in cellule endoteliali linfatiche, ha notevolmente favorito il loro studio istologico in tutti i distretti dell’organismo, compreso il cuore. Infatti, anche se la prima descrizione dei vasi linfatici nel cuore risale a circa tre secoli fa, solo di recente è stato rivalutato il loro ruolo sia nel mantenimento dell’omeostasi del tessuto interstiziale che in condizioni patologiche. Restano ancora da chiarire i meccanismi che regolano la linfangiogenesi a livello cardiaco ed i fattori di crescita coinvolti. Il più rilevante sistema di regolazione della linfangiogenesi si sviluppa sull’asse VEGF-C/VEGFR-3, ma anche altri fattori di crescita si sono dimostrati capaci di stimolare la crescita di vasi linfatici. Ad esempio il “Plateled derived growth factor” (PDGF) è un fattore di crescita da tempo conosciuto per la sua azione pro-angiogenica e il suo coinvolgimento nei meccanismi di reclutamento di cellule vascolari murali come i periciti. Recentemente è stata provata la sua importanza anche nell’induzione della linfangiogenesi tumorale. La prima fase di questo lavoro consiste nella caratterizzazione immunofenotipica, strutturale ed ultrastrutturale dei vasi linfatici in diversi organi umani e murini. Sezioni istologiche, ottenute sia da campioni autoptici umani che da organi isolati da modelli sperimentali, sono state analizzate tramite tecnica immunoistochimica in fluorescenza per verificare l’espressione dei più importanti markers linfatici. I markers risultati più specifici e maggiormente espressi sono quindi stati selezionati per valutare fenotipo, densità e distribuzione del sistema linfatico. La distribuzione dei vasi linfatici nel cuore umano e murino risulta simile. Questi si concentrano principalmente nelle regioni subepicardiche e negli spazi interstiziali che circondano arterie e vene. Un piccolo numero di capillari linfatici si ritrova nelle parti più profonde del muscolo cardiaco tra i cardiomiociti. La successiva analisi mediante microscopia elettronica ci ha permesso di analizzare le caratteristiche ultrastrutturali associate ai vasi linfatici, non facilmente rilevabili con altre metodiche. I vasi linfatici mostrano una parete molto sottile rispetto ai vasi sanguigni, una membrana basale assente o discontinua e frequenti interruzioni del monostrato endoteliale, conosciute come fenestrature. Un'ulteriore conferma della natura linfatica dei vasi analizzati è stata ottenuta tramite tecnica Immunogold con anticorpi specifici per il Lyve-1. Le tecniche precedentemente descritte ci hanno permesso di ottenere informazioni esclusivamente bidimensionali, mentre l’architettura vascolare all’interno dell’organo è tridimensionale. Per superare questo limite tecnico è stato quindi messa a punto una nuova tecnica, denominata micro-linfangiografia in fluorescenza. In seguito all’iniezione di due traccianti fluorescenti, l’intero spessore del ventricolo di ratto viene analizzato al microscopio confocale. La tecnica permette di ottenere ricostruzioni tridimensionali della rete di vasi linfatici all’interno dell’organo. Nella fase successiva del lavoro sono stati valutati gli aspetti funzionali del sistema linfatico cardiaco. Il tessuto cardiaco è stato analizzato sia nelle condizioni normali, sia nelle condizioni conseguenti allo sviluppo di diverse cardiomiopatie. Ognuna delle cardiomiopatie analizzate è scatenata da un diverso agente eziologico. Nella cardiomiopatia ipertrofica ostruttiva (HOCM) è la mutazione di geni codificanti per proteine sarcomeriche a determinare lo sviluppo di ipertrofia settale accompagnata da disfunzione diastolica. Il danno ischemico è invece la causa scatenante della più comune cardiomiopatia di origine estrinseca, ovvero l’infarto del miocardio (MI). La cardiotossicità risulta infine tra i principali effetti avversi conseguenti al trattamento con diversi farmaci antitumorali come Doxorubicina e Imatinib . Il primo farmaco fa parte della famiglia delle antracicline, e come tale determina un effetto cardiotossico ampiamenente studiato e conosciuto. L’Imatinib è invece un inibitore dei recettori tirosina-chinasici (TKI) e rappresenta uno dei più grandi successi della medicina per quel che riguarda la cura delle neoplasie, approvato per il trattamento della leucemia mieloide cronica e dei tumori gastrointestinali. Tra i principali target dell’IM figurano recettori di grande importanza per la regolazione dell’angiogenesi nonché della linfangiogenesi, come il c-kit, il PDGFR e il VEGFR-3. Lo studio di campioni derivanti da miectomie chirurgiche di pazienti affetti da HCM ha messo in evidenza una forte risposta linfangiogenica all’interno dell’organo. I risultati dell’analisi immunoistochimica indicano una sensibile riduzione del numero di capillari sanguigni, in termini di densità (numero di vasi per unità di area analizzata). Questa alterazione del letto vascolare sanguigno risulta semplice da giustificare se si tiene conto di quelle che sono le principali caratteristiche istomorfologiche della malattia, ovvero la fibrosi interstiziale, l’aumento della dimensione dei miociti ed il loro disarray. Il comportamento del sistema linfatico ha però un andamento completamente diverso. Si osserva un aumento marcato della densità dei vasi linfatici sia a livello dello spesso strato di tessuto fibrotico presente nel versante subendocardico, sia a livello dei tessuti muscolari cardiaci più profondi. L’aumento in termini di densità è accompagnato da un altrettanto marcato incremento dell’indice proliferativo che è stato misurato andando a quantificare i livelli di espressione nucleare di proteine specifiche del ciclo cellulare e della mitosi. Nella risposta dell’organo ad un insulto ischemico come l’infarto, è stato osservato un significativo aumento del numero dei vasi linfatici. Questo aumento risulta differito rispetto alla risposta angiogenica e funzionalmente associato alle diverse fasi di maturazione della cicatrice fibrotica. Anche nella cardiotossicità indotta da DOXO si registra un aumento di densità della componente linfatica associata alla marcata deposizione di collagene tipica di questa cardiopatia. Un comportamento completamente diverso si osserva invece nella cardiotossicità indotta da IM. Il cuore degli animali trattati con il farmaco mostra, in associazione ad una forte riduzione dei vasi linfatici, un aumento nel contenuto relativo di acqua. Il trattamento con il farmaco è quindi in grado di alterare la funzione di drenaggio del miocardio contribuendo allo sviluppo della disfunzione dell’organo. A livello ultrastrutturale, abbiamo inoltre potuto documentare in microscopia elettronica un’estesa compromissione dei mitocondri nei vasi sanguigni e linfatici. In conclusione i dati ottenuti dimostrano che, in ognuna delle condizioni patologiche analizzate, il sistema linfatico risulta importante nella risposta del cuore ai diversi insulti subiti ed assume un ruolo determinante per il suo rimodellamento. L’interferenza nei meccanismi linfangiogenici può determinare un’alterazione dell’omeostasi tissutale e quindi contribuire negativamente allo sviluppo di cardiopati