Early-Middle Pleistocene benthic turnover and oxygen isotope stratigraphy from the Central Mediterranean (Valle di Manche, Crotone Basin, Italy): data and trends

Ostracod faunal turnover and oxygen isotope data (foraminifera) along the Valle di Manche (VdM) section are herein compiled. Specifically, the material reported in this work includes quantitative palaeoecological data and patterns of ostracod fauna framed within a high-resolution oxygen isotope stratigraphy (δ18O) from Uvigerina peregrina. In addition, the multivariate ostracod faunal stratigraphic trend (nMDS axis-1 sample score) is calibrated using bathymetric distributions of extant molluscs sampled from the same stratigraphic intervals along the VdM section. Data and analyses support the research article “Dynamics of benthic marine communities across the Early-Middle Pleistocene boundary in the Mediterranean region (Valle di Manche, Southern Italy): biotic and stratigraphic implications” Rossi et al. [1]

energy label directive current limitations and guidelines for the improvement

Abstract Energy label is an important strategy to save energy in the household appliances sector. There are many publications related to standards and labels but little information about their potentialities and limits. Although successful standards and labels have been launched in many Countries, their implementation does not have a unique structure, the same energy policy framework and citizens awareness. This study aims to perform an analysis of principal aspects related to Energy Label framework to understand its main potentialities and limitations. Possible strategies to overcome these limits and suggestions to increase its effectiveness are also proposed

virtual eco design how to use virtual prototyping to develop energy labelling compliant products

Abstract The paper defines a framework called virtual eco-design aiming to support designers and engineers in the development of sustainable energy-related products. Virtual prototyping is used to perform energy consumption tests according with ecodesign and energy label regulations. The goal is to build a knowledge-based repository in which virtual tests are stored and classified to create eco-knowledge. Induction hob has been analysed to verify the applicability of the approach and the integration in a traditional product development process. Results highlight how the proposed methodology increases company eco-knowledge providing a tangible support in the definition of energy-label compliant products

Productivity and Keynes’s 15-Hour Work Week Prediction for 2030: An Alternative, Macroeconomic Analysis for the United States

This paper analyses Keynes’s 1930 prediction that technical advances would cut people’s working week to 15 h by 2030 and investigates why actual working hours are significantly higher in the United States. Elaborating on Keynes’s forecast to provide a general productivity formula while keeping its simplicity, we ran tests on macro-data from 1929 to 2019 and on estimates for 2030, demonstrating that productivity is surprisingly still insufficient to allow for a reduction in working hours across the US economy. This finding represents a substantial contribution to the literature, which has mostly explained long working hours by means of new consumer needs. Even by using microdata, we show that consumption does not explain the stickiness of working hours to the bottom. Hence, this paper combines a macroeconomic, logical-analytical approach based on historical time series with rigorously constructed time series at the microeconomic level. Finally, we also provide policies to narrow the productivity differential to Keynes’s prediction for 2030 while fostering work-life balance and sustainable growth. To understand long working hours in the US despite technical advances—this being one of our main findings—productivity remains crucial

A new strategy for the estimation of plume height from clast dispersal in various atmospheric and eruptive conditions

Plume height is an important parameter routinely used to characterize and classify explosive eruptions. Though the strategies to estimate key eruption source parameters such as erupted volume and mass flow rate have evolved over the past few decades, the determination of plume height of past eruptions is still mostly based on empirical approaches that do not account for the new developments in plume modelling based on the interaction of plume and wind. Here we present a revised strategy for the retrieval of plume height from field data that accounts for key aspects of plume dynamics and particle sedimentation, which include: i) the effect of wind advection on the buoyant plume, ii) a new parameterization of the gravitational spreading of the umbrella cloud for distances smaller than the radius of the plume, iii) the effect of particle shape on particle sedimentation, iv) the effect of different atmospheric profiles in different climate zones, v) three-dimensional wind, temperature and pressure data, and vi) topography. In particular, as wind can affect the dynamics and height of the plume, new computed sedimentation patterns are more complex and result in non-linear relationships between downwind and crosswind deposition. Our method is tested against observations of the 2011 eruption of Shinmoedake (Japan), the 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens (USA), and the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo (Philippines). These are well-constrained examples of small, intermediate, and high intensity eruptions, respectively. Intensity scenarios are introduced to account for the non-unique relation between plume height and particle sedimentation resulting from wind advection of volcanic plumes. We further demonstrate that needle-like and disk-like particle shapes can have downwind distances 36 to 70% larger than the equivalent spheres. In addition, we find that the effect of latitude on the determination of plume height is more significant for low and intermediate intensity scenarios with a discrepancy between 7 and 20%

Dynamic analysis of ash aggregates revealed through HS-HR imaging at Sakurajima volcano (Japan)

Ash aggregation processes during explosive eruptions can effectively influence volcanic plume dispersal and ash sedimentation. Recently, dedicated experiments have been carried out and numerical models have been developed in order to produce reliable forecasting of the ash dispersals. However, including ash aggregation processes in numerical simulations is to date a problematic task for volcanologists, because of the lack of solid field-based datasets required to scale, validate and calibrate models. A field-based dynamical investigation of ash aggregates collected at Sakurajima (Japan) with a High-Speed, High- Resolution camera is here presented. Three main types of ash aggregates are recognized to occur into all the examined samples (Single Particles, Coated Particles, Cored Clusters). Using image analysis techniques, clusters were characterized in terms of average dimension, grain size and shape features of the aggregating ash, pointing out important differences between the different cluster types. Dynamical analysis of falling aggregates allowed a significant set of measurements of terminal velocity, bulk density, and size of a large number of observed falling aggregates to be collected. The resulting data reveal the strong influence of aggregation processes in controlling ash deposition processes at Sakurajima

Shaken Baby Syndrome: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features in Abusive Head Trauma

In the context of child abuse spectrum, abusive head trauma (AHT) represents the leading cause of fatal head injuries in children less than 2 years of age. Immature brain is characterized by high water content, partially myelinated neurons, and prominent subarachnoid space, thus being susceptible of devastating damage as consequence of acceleration–deceleration and rotational forces developed by violent shaking mechanism. Diagnosis of AHT is not straightforward and represents a medical, forensic, and social challenge, based on a multidisciplinary approach. Beside a detailed anamnesis, neuroimaging is essential to identify signs suggestive of AHT, often in absence of external detectable lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents the radiation-free modality of choice to investigate the most typical findings in AHT, such as subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhage, and hypoxic-ischemic damage and it also allows to detect more subtle signs as parenchymal lacerations, cranio-cervical junction, and spinal injuries. This paper is intended to review the main MRI findings of AHT in the central nervous system of infants, with a specific focus on both hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic injuries caused by the pathological mechanisms of shaking. Furthermore, this review provides a brief overview about the most appropriate and feasible MRI protocol to help neuroradiologists identifying AHT in clinical practice

Mass flux decay timescales of volcanic particles due to aeolian processes in the Argentinian Patagonia steppe

We investigate the timescales of the horizontal mass flux decay of wind remobilised volcanic particles in Argentina, associated with the tephra-fallout deposit produced by the 2011–2012 Cordón Caulle (Chile) eruption. Particle removal processes are controlled by complex interactions of meteorological conditions, surface properties and particle depletion with time. We find that ash remobilisation follows a two-phase exponential decay with specific timescales for the initial input of fresh ash (1–74 days) and the following soil stabilisation processes (3–52 months). The characteristic timescales as a function of particle size shows two minimum values, identified for sizes around 2 and 19–37 μm, suggesting that these size-range particles are remobilised more easily, due to the interaction between saltation and suspension-induced processes. We find that in volcanic regions, characterised by a sudden release and a subsequent depletion of particles, the availability of wind-erodible particles plays a major role due to compaction and removal of fine particles. We propose, therefore, a simple and reproducible empirical model to describe the mass flux decay of remobilised ash in a supply-limited environment. This methodology represents an innovative approach to link field measurements of multi-sized and supply-limited deposits with saltation erosion theory.The authors are grateful to Paul Jarvis for his comments and corrections of a previous version of this manuscript as well as his insightful discussions. Sampling collection is part of the National Soil Research Program of INTA. This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (#200021 – 163152).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Students with Learning Disabilities at University. Design of a Protocol for Usability of Teaching and Individual Study

The Learning Disabilities (LD) creates a real difficulty in the study, because they assume the evolution of certain prerequisites and involve a number of functions that impact against the decoding of the alphabetic code. By definition they have an evolutionary nature, ie they vary with the age of the person. This article explores the characteristics of LD in adulthood and the impact with theuniversity teaching. It presents the results of an interdisciplinary project in progress (educational,medical and engineering area) at University of Florence, suitable to provide a procedural protocol for the usability of teaching in university and to support individual study. The purpose of project is to design of a protocol for usability of teaching and individual study, even at university level as indicated by the recent Italian legislation (Law 170/2010)

Analysis of drought conditions and their effects on Lake Trasimeno (Central Italy) levels

An analysis of drought conditions on the Lake Trasimeno area (Umbria, Central Italy) and of their influence on the lake levels is presented. Lake Trasimeno is one of the largest Italian lakes, and its economic and environmental importance is very high. The analysis of temperature data (1963-2014) shows that annual temperature is increasing – in accordance with what is known for Central Italy and the Mediterranean area – with a significant gradient of about 0.023°C/ year. No significant annual and seasonal rainfall trends were observed over the Lake Trasimeno catchment. The power spectrum analysis of rainfall and lake level fluctuations shows that both periodograms have high statistical confidence levels (>99%) for annual and semi-annual cycles. The annual cycles of the periodogram of lake level fluctuations show a higher statistical confidence level than semi-annual cycles. Some other cycles such as the El-Niño Southern oscillation, North Atlantic oscillation, and solar activity are highlighted, with significance levels lower than that of annual and semi-annual cycles. The standardized precipitation (SPI) and standardized reconnaissance drought indices, at different time scales, show that frequency and duration of extreme and severe droughts have increased in the last 25 years. A significant relationship between 12-month SPI and 12-month standardized lake levels fluctuations was obtained for the 1989-2014 period, indicating that SPI12 can be a useful indicator to represent drought severity for systems such as the Lake Trasimeno by considering lake level fluctuations rather than lake levels