Efficient Analysis for the Design Refinement of Large Multilayered Printed Reflectarrays

In this paper, we present an efficient numerical technique for the analysis of a reflectarray and its design refinement by the characterization of the “actual” influence of each radiating element when embedded in the antenna structure. The method makes use of the MLayAIM, a fast full-wave formulation suitable for the analysis of electrically large multilayered printed arrays which have one or more planar metallizations and vertical conductors. The low numerical complexity of the analysis method allows the development of a recursive procedure that, starting from the equivalent currents relevant to each cell of the reflectarray when this is immersed in the actual antenna layout, calculates the real phase-shift introduced by each radiating element and corrects its dimensions to better fit the antenna requirements

P-wave pi pi amplitude from dispersion relations

We solve the dispersion relation for the P-wave pi pi amplitude.We discuss the role of the left hand cut vs Castillejo-Dalitz-Dyson (CDD), pole contribution and compare the solution with a generic quark model description. We review the the generic properties of analytical partial wave scattering and production amplitudes and discuses their applicability and fits of experimental data.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, typos corrected, reference adde

Estimating annual groundwater recharge coefficient for karst aquifers of the southern Apennines (Italy)

Abstract. To assess the mean annual groundwater recharge of the karst aquifers in the southern Apennines (Italy), the estimation of the mean annual groundwater recharge coefficient (AGRC) was conducted by means of an integrated approach based on hydrogeological, hydrological, geomorphological, land use and soil cover analyses. Starting from the hydrological budget equation, the coefficient was conceived as the ratio between the net groundwater outflow and the precipitation minus actual evapotranspiration (P − ETR) for a karst aquifer. A large part of the southern Apennines, which is covered by a meteorological network containing 40 principal karst aquifers, was studied. Using precipitation and air temperature time series gathered through monitoring stations operating in the period 1926–2012, the mean annual P − ETR was estimated, and its distribution was modelled at a regional scale by considering the orographic barrier and rain shadow effects of the Apennine chain, as well as the altitudinal control. Four sample karst aquifers with available long spring discharge time series were identified for estimating the AGRC. The resulting values were correlated with other parameters that control groundwater recharge, such as the extension of outcropping karst rocks, morphological settings, land use and covering soil type. A multiple linear regression between the AGRC, lithology and the summit plateau and endorheic areas was found. This empirical model was used to assess the AGRC and mean annual groundwater recharge in other regional karst aquifers. The coefficient was calculated as ranging between 50 and 79%, thus being comparable with other similar estimations carried out for karst aquifers of European and Mediterranean countries. The mean annual groundwater recharge for karst aquifers of the southern Apennines was assessed by these characterizations and validated by a comparison with available groundwater outflow measurements. These results represent a deeper understanding of an aspect of groundwater hydrology in karst aquifers which is fundamental for the formulation of appropriate management models of groundwater resources at a regional scale, also taking into account mitigation strategies for climate change impacts. Finally, the proposed hydrological characterizations are also supposed to be useful for the assessment of mean annual runoff over carbonate mountains, which is another important topic concerning water management in the southern Apennines

Hydro-geomorphological modelling of ash-fall pyroclastic soils for debris flow initiation and groundwater recharge in Campania (southern Italy)

Carbonate mountain ranges surrounding volcanic centers in the Campania region of southern Italy are covered by discontinuous ash-fall pyroclastic deposits of variable thicknesses. The cover thickness and stratigraphy are relevant to hydrological controls on both rainfall-induced landslides and groundwater recharge. To improve understanding of the hydrologic regimes within the pyroclastic soil mantle, a hydrological monitoring station was installed upslope of a debris flow source area in the Sarno Mountains. Monitoring results demonstrate consistently unsaturated conditions, strong seasonal and inter-annual variations in pressure head, and delayed and damped dynamics at different depths related to rainfall and evapotranspiration patterns. Frequencies of recorded pressure head time series were analyzed to quantify the seasonal hydrological regime of the cover as a whole, as well as variations within individual soil horizons. For the whole ash-fall pyroclastic soil cover, variable seasonal frequencies of pressure head were recognized exceeding landslide alert and groundwater recharge threshold values. Analysis of frequencies for individual soil horizons showed a strongly delayed timing determining in winter and summer an opposite hydrological behavior between the shallowest and deepest soil horizons. A model that accounts for topographic variations in cover thickness and these hydrological regimes is proposed to quantify hydro-geomorphological controls on debris flows triggering and groundwater recharge. The model is based on the estimation of ash-fall pyroclastic soil thickness along slopes by the total thickness fallen in a given area and an inverse relationship with slope angle, allowing the assessment at the distributed scale over peri-volcanic mountainous areas. Moreover, it links the spatially variable thicknesses of ash-fall pyroclastic soils to the amount of soil water storage allowing the assessment of frequency of hydrological conditions leading to debris flow initiation and groundwater recharge

Engineering geological 3D modeling and geotechnical characterization in the framework of technical rules for geotechnical design: the case study of the Nola’s logistic plant (southern Italy)

model is an essential step to optimize costs of the construction and limit risks from failure or damage due to unforeseen ground conditions. The modeling of ground conditions is a challenging issue to be tackled especially in the case of geological units with complex geometries and spatially variable geotechnical properties. In such a direction, coupled geological and geotechnical criteria are usually adopted to define engineering geological units. These concepts are considered by the current technical rules for geotechnical design such as the Eurocode 7 and in the national regulations which have followed it, known in Italy as “Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni (NTC).” Notwithstanding this advanced regulatory framework, no comprehensive indications on methodological approaches were given for the 3D engineering geological modeling and geotechnical characterization of a design and construction site. In this paper, the case study of the highly heterogeneous and heteropic pyroclastic-alluvial stratigraphic setting of the Nola plain (Campania, southern Italy) characterizing the site of the Nola’s logistic plant is dealt with. The approaches are based on the engineering geological modeling analysis of a high number of stratigraphic, laboratory and in situ geotechnical data, collected for the design of the plant, and the use of a specialized modeling software providing advanced capabilities in spatial modeling of geological and geotechnical information, as well as in their visual representation. The results obtained, including also the analysis of statistical variability of geotechnical properties and the identification of representative geotechnical values, can be potentially considered a methodological approach, consistent with the current technical rules for geotechnical design as well as with fundamental concepts of engineering geological modeling and mapping

Modified BMIA/CAG method for the electromagnetic analysis of large-scale problems of random rough surface scattering

An efficient technique based on two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and linear interpolation is presented for the evaluation of the scattering by a rough terrain surface which is of interest in remote-sensing applications characterized by a very large correlation length. Such technique, where introduced in a BMIA/CAG method, can reduce the computation time appreciably

Coupled decadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation, regional rainfall and karst spring discharges in the Campania region (southern Italy)

Abstract. Thus far, studies on climate change have focused mainly on the variability of the atmospheric and surface components of the hydrologic cycle, investigating the impact of this variability on the environment, especially with respect to the risks of desertification, droughts and floods. Conversely, the impacts of climate change on the recharge of aquifers and on the variability of groundwater flow have been less investigated, especially in Mediterranean karst areas whose water supply systems depend heavily upon groundwater exploitation. In this paper, long-term climatic variability and its influence on groundwater recharge were analysed by examining decadal patterns of precipitation, air temperature and spring discharges in the Campania region (southern Italy), coupled with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The time series of precipitation and air temperature were gathered over 90 yr, from 1921 to 2010, using 18 rain gauges and 9 air temperature stations with the most continuous functioning. The time series of the winter NAO index and of the discharges of 3 karst springs, selected from those feeding the major aqueducts systems, were collected for the same period. Regional normalised indexes of the precipitation, air temperature and karst spring discharges were calculated, and different methods were applied to analyse the related time series, including long-term trend analysis using smoothing numerical techniques, cross-correlation and Fourier analysis. The investigation of the normalised indexes highlighted the existence of long-term complex periodicities, from 2 to more than 30 yr, with differences in average values of up to approximately ±30% for precipitation and karst spring discharges, which were both strongly correlated with the winter NAO index. Although the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) had already been demonstrated in the long-term precipitation and streamflow patterns of different European countries and Mediterranean areas, the results of this study allow for the establishment of a link between a large-scale atmospheric cycle and the groundwater recharge of carbonate karst aquifers. Consequently, the winter NAO index could also be considered as a proxy to forecast the decadal variability of groundwater flow in Mediterranean karst areas

Hydrological control of soil thickness spatial variability on the initiation of rainfall-induced shallow landslides using a three-dimensional model

Thickness and stratigraphic settings of soils covering slopes potentially control susceptibility to initiation of rainfall-induced shallow landslides due to their local effect on slope hydrological response. Notwithstanding the relevance of the assessment of hazard to shallow landsliding at a distributed scale by approaches based on a coupled modelling of slope hydrological response and slope stability, the spatial variability of soil thickness and stratigraphic settings are factors poorly considered in the literature. Under these premises, this paper advances the well-known case study of rainfall-induced shallow landslides involving ash-fall pyroclastic soils covering the peri-Vesuvian mountains (Campania, southern Italy). In such a unique geomorphological setting, the soil covering is formed by alternating loose ash-fall pyroclastic deposits and paleosols, with high contrasts in hydraulic conductivity and total thickness decreasing as the slope angle increases, thus leading to the establishment of lateral flow and an increase of pore water pressure in localised sectors of the slope where soil horizon thickness is less. In particular, we investigate the effects, on hillslope hydrological regime and slope stability, of irregular bedrock topography, spatial variability of soil thickness and vertical hydraulic heterogeneity of soil horizons, by using a coupled three-dimensional hydrological and a probabilistic infinite slope stability model. The modelling is applied on a sample mountain catchment, located on Sarno Mountains (Campania, southern Italy), and calibrated using physics-based rainfall thresholds derived from the literature. The results obtained under five simulated constant rainfall intensities (2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mm h−1) show an increase of soil pressure head and major failure probability corresponding to stratigraphic and morphological discontinuities, where a soil thickness reduction occurs. The outcomes obtained from modelling match the hypothesis of the formation of lateral throughflow due to the effect of intense rainfall, which leads to the increase of soil water pressure head and water content, up to values of near-saturation, in narrow zones of the slope, such as those of downslope reduction of total soil thickness and pinching out of soil horizons. The approach proposed can be conceived as a further advance in the comprehension of slope hydrological processes at a detailed scale and their effects on slope stability under given rainfall and antecedent soil hydrological conditions, therefore in predicting the most susceptible areas to initiation of rainfall-induced shallow landslides and the related I-D rainfall thresholds. Results obtained demonstrate the occurrence of a slope hydrological response depending on the spatial variability of soil thickness and leading to focus slope instability in specific slope sectors. The approach proposed is conceived to be potentially exportable to other slope environments for which a spatial modelling of soil thickness would be possible

Seasonal and event-based hydrological and slope stability modeling of pyroclastic fall deposits covering slopes in Campania (Southern Italy)

The pyroclastic fall deposits mantling mountain slopes in the Campania region (Southern Italy) represent one of the most studied geomorphological frameworks of the world regarding rainfall-induced debris flows threating urban areas. The proposed study focused on advancing knowledge about the hydrological response of pyroclastic fall coverings from the seasonal to event-based time scales, leading to the initiation of slope instability. The study was based on two consequential tasks. The first was the analysis of a six-year monitoring of soil pressure head carried out in a sample area of the Sarno Mountains, located above a debris flow initiation zone. The second was based on coupled hydrological and slope stability modeling performed on the physical models of slopes, which were reconstructed by empirical correlations between the slope angle, total thickness, and stratigraphic settings of pyroclastic fall deposits mantling slopes. The results obtained were: (a) The understanding of a soil pressure head regime of the volcaniclastic soil mantle, always ranging in unsaturated conditions and characterized by a strong seasonal variability depending on precipitation patterns and the life cycle of deciduous chestnut forest; and (b) the reconstruction through a deterministic approach of seasonal intensity-duration rainfall thresholds related to different morphological conditions

Prospective study on nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel in advanced breast cancer. Clinical results and biological observations in taxane-pretreated patients

Background: There is a deep need to improve the care of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, since even today it remains an incurable disease. Taxanes are considered the most effective cytotoxic drugs for the treatment of MBC, both in monotherapy and in combined schedules, but the need for synthetic solvents contributes to the severe toxicities and may have a negative impact on the efficacy. Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (Nab-paclitaxel) is a colloidal suspension of paclitaxel and human serum albumin initially developed to avoid the toxicities associated with conventional taxanes. Patients and methods: The aim of this prospective, single-center open-label, noncomparative study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel in MBC patients pretreated with taxanes. The patients were treated with nab-paclitaxel as a single agent, 260 mg/m2 on day 1 of each 3-week cycle or 125 mg/m2 weekly. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). Secondary objectives were duration of response, clinical benefit rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and safety. Results: A total of 42 patients (median age 48 years, median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0, triple-negative MBC 19%, all pretreated with a taxane-based therapy, mainly in advanced disease) were enrolled in the study. The ORR was 23.8%, including one complete response (2.4%) and nine partial responses (21.4%); the disease control rate was 50%. The median duration of response was 7.2 months. After a median follow-up of 9 months, the median PFS was 4.6 months. ORR and PFS were similar irrespective of the previous chemotherapy lines, metastatic sites, and biomolecular expression. Nab-paclitaxel was well tolerated, and the most frequent treatment-related toxicities were mild to moderate (grades 1–2). Conclusion: This real-life study shows that nab-paclitaxel has a significant antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients pretreated with taxanes and experiencing a treatment failure after at least one line of chemotherapy