SISTEMI DI APPROVVIGIONAMENTO IDRICO NEGLI INSEDIAMENTI PUNICO-ROMANI DELLA SARDEGNA: IL CASO DI NORA

The thesis has as object of analysis water supply systems in Punic-Roman settlement of Sardinia, with a particular attention to the ancient city of Nora. The work is structured along three main lines of research: the first covered this category of artifacts built in major ancient sites and within the Sardinia\u2019s territory (Cagliari, Tharros, Olbia, S. Antioco, Monte Sirai, Porto Torres, Neapolis, Fordongianus). The second, more specific, focused on the same systems built inside the site of Nora, providing a comprehensive picture of the main similarities and differences regarding building technology, architectural elements, materials of construction, chronologies of the 89 cisterns and 27 wells; in addition, this synthesis was completed with the data concerning the city aqueduct, which, starting from the Roman middle-imperial period, played an important role in city\u2019s water supply, fueling public facilities (baths and fountains), and maybe even some private houses. The third has focused on the possibility of using the element "water" by the ancient population, following a transversal and multi-disciplinary approach, which involved subjects such as geology, geomorphology, hydrogeology, climatology; based on the volumetric capacity of wells and cisterns, an attempt has been made to reconstruct the possibility of using the precious resource during the life of the city, referring to rainfall, to the underground aquifer and to demographics. The purpose of the research is, first, to give a full analysis of every building and technical aspects of Nora's water structures; secondly, to help understand specific urban, demographic, historical and social choices and developments, made by ancient population based on available water resources

Case a mare: problemi di ridocumentazione e scavo

Il contributo presenta le indagini archeologiche compiute nella citt\ue0 antica di Nora dall\u2019Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano nell\u2019area cosiddetta \u201cdelle case a mare\u201d, e pi\uf9 precisamente nel settore settentrionale di tale quartiere, denominato settore A. Innanzitutto, partendo dalla lettura dei diari originali dell\u2019allora soprintendente Gennaro Pesce, il quale per primo, negli anni \u201950, scav\uf2 quest\u2019area, si vogliono delineare le problematiche intercorse nel ridocumentare un\u2019area archeologica indagata con differenti metodologie di lavoro; successivamente, viene fornita una generale panoramica degli ambienti analizzati, concentrando l\u2019attenzione sulle preliminari operazioni di scavo e sugli aspetti planimetrici e architettonici delle evidenze archeologiche

The VELISAR initiative for the measurement of ground velocity in italian seismogenic areas

VELISAR (Ground VELocity in Italian Seismogenic Areas) is a scientific research initiative aimed at producing a map of the ground deformation over most of the seismogenic areas of Italy, using the space-based technique of multitemporal Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR). The ground velocities derived from InSAR data will be validated by means of ground based data obtained from GPS, optical leveling, seismological and neotectonic studies. The scope of the project is to produce a high-resolution ground deformation dataset useful to model the seismic cycle of strain accumulation and release at the scale of the single faults. The main objective of VELISAR is to produce maps of ground velocity with the following characteristics: - A ground resolution better than 100 m. - Average uncertainty of LoS velocity measurements smaller than 2 mm/yr . - Temporal coverage of at least 7 years. - Retrieval of East and Up components from ascending and descending LoS. VELISAR will exploit the potential of the long time series (1992-2000) of ERS InSAR data maintained in the ESA archives; over 4000 ERS images will have to be processed to accomplish its objectives. Presently, two InSAR techniques for the measurement of slow ground deformation are used in VELISAR: the Permanent Scatterers (PS) technique developed by the Politecnico of Milano (POLIMI), and the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) technique, developed by the Institute for Remote Sensing of Environment (IREA-CNR), in Napoli. The PS technique is applied by TRE preferably over areas characterised by diffuse temporal decorrelation due to, for instance, erodible lithologies, agricultural land use and strong vegetation cover. In these areas we expect to obtain good temporal coherence mainly on sparse point scatterers. The SBAS technique is applied by IREA and INGV mostly over areas where limited temporal decorrelation is expected: urban areas, scarcely vegetated areas. The ground resolution at which these data are originally processed is 80 m. An important goal of the VELISAR initiative is to disseminate the information on the InSAR-derived ground velocity measurements, to the scientific community and to the public in general. Such goal is accomplished through a dedicated web site, where the velocity maps of the italian seismogenic areas will be progressively published. We will present the initiative, its scope and objectives, the technical details and the data processing strategies, and some examples of ground velocity maps.PublishedVienna, Austriaope

The role of sentinel node tumor burden in modeling the prognosis of melanoma patients with positive sentinel node biopsy: an Italian melanoma intergroup study (N = 2,086)

Background The management of melanoma patients with metastatic melanoma in the sentinel nodes (SN) is evolving based on the results of trials questioning the impact of completion lymph node dissection (CLND) and demonstrating the efficacy of new adjuvant treatments. In this landscape, new prognostic tools for fine risk stratification are eagerly sought to optimize the therapeutic path of these patients. Methods A retrospective cohort of 2,086 patients treated with CLND after a positive SN biopsy in thirteen Italian Melanoma Centers was reviewed. Overall survival (OS) was the outcome of interest; included independent variables were the following: age, gender, primary melanoma site, Breslow thickness, ulceration, sentinel node tumor burden (SNTB), number of positive SN, non-sentinel lymph nodes (NSN) status. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results The 3-year, 5-year and 10-year OS rates were 79%, 70% and 54%, respectively. At univariate analysis, all variables, except for primary melanoma body site, were found to be statistically significant prognostic factors. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that older age (P < 0.0001), male gender (P = 0.04), increasing Breslow thickness (P < 0.0001), presence of ulceration (P = 0.004), SNTB size (P < 0.0001) and metastatic NSN (P < 0.0001) were independent negative predictors of OS. Conclusion The above results were utilized to build a nomogram in order to ease the practical implementation of our prognostic model, which might improve treatment personalization

Forecasting Bond Risk Premia Using Technical Analysis

This paper is selected as one of the Top Ten Paper in Forecasting in SSRN