Le acque del Carso classico : Progetto Hydrokarst

Dopo quasi 200 anni dalle prime ricerche sul Timavo, prende il via il Progetto HYDROKARST nato dalle idee di ricercatori italiani e sloveni che da anni studiano insieme l\u2019idrogeologia carsica (www.hydrokarstproject.eu). Il progetto ha come obiettivo la gestione coordinata e la tutela dell\u2019acquifero transfrontaliero del Reka-Timavo attraverso l\u2019istituzionalizzazione di una rete di monitoraggio quantitativo e qualitativo delle acque ipogee e del territorio del Carso Classico. Il progetto si propone di garantire, attraverso delle partnership stabili, una gestione sostenibile della risorsa acqua rafforzando quella coesione territoriale transfrontaliera che deve portare alla redazione di protocolli congiunti per permettere di uniformare le metodologie di raccolta dati e la loro rappresentazione e codifica, primo passo per la definizione delle aree di salvaguardia delle sorgenti e dei pozzi captati a scopo idropotabile. Va ricordato che ad oggi, le acque del Reka-Timavo non sono legalmente tutelate, cosa che invece accade per quelle del fiume Isonzo-So\u10da. Il progetto \ue8 suddiviso in sette diversi Workpakages (WP). WP1: Progettazione e costruzione del quadro logico per la gestione del progetto. Monitoraggio coordinamento e rendicontazioni. WP2: Ideazione, preparazione e definizione dell\u2019idea progettuale. WP3: Raccolta ed elaborazione dei dati idrodinamici, idrochimici e biologici dell\u2019acquifero del Reka-Timavo. WP4: Vulnerabilit\ue0 degli acquiferi carsici e protocolli di individuazione delle aree di salvaguardia. Uso del suolo. Analisi della stabilit\ue0 della rete di distribuzione e delle necessit\ue0 di approvvigionamento idrico. WP5: Elaborazione della cartografia unificata del Carso Classico. WP6: Elaborazione di protocolli per la gestione condivisa delle risorse e delle riserve acquifere del Carso Classico. WP7: Piano di comunicazione. La fase di condivisione dati ha portato alla realizzazione di una base cartografica unificata e di una banca dati georeferenziata (GIS) di tutto il bacino del Carso Classico. Attraverso la raccolta dati prima, e l\u2019elaborazione poi, si \ue8 giunti alla definizione di un modello concettuale dell\u2019intero acquifero del Reka-Timavo. Buona parte di questi dati hanno successivamente permesso l\u2019elaborazione delle carte di vulnerabilit\ue0, a loro volta determinanti per la delimitazione delle aree di salvaguardia. Il monitoraggio della rete acquedottistica di distribuzione e la realizzazione di interventi per il risparmio idrico hanno permesso di promuovere progetti di minimizzazione delle perdite, ottimizzando tratti poco efficienti delle reti. Scopo ultimo del progetto era pertanto l\u2019elaborazione: \u2013 di accordi di cooperazione e di azioni per la promozione ed attuazione di sistemi per la riduzione delle emissioni inquinanti con particolare riferimento all\u2019acqua potabile; \u2013 di sistemi di intervento congiunti nelle situazioni di emergenza; \u2013 di strategie congiunte per prevenire e ridurre i rischi; \u2013 di interventi per il risparmio idrico, l\u2019efficienza nella gestione della rete idrica ed il miglioramento della qualit\ue0 dell\u2019acqua potabile. Skoraj dvesto let po prvih raziskavah reke Timave so italijanski in slovenski raziskovalci, ki \u17ee ve\u10d let skupaj preu\u10dujejo kra\u161ko hidrogeologijo, oblikovali Projekt HYDROKARST (www.hydrokarst-project.eu). Cilj projekta je koordinirano upravljanje in za\u161\u10dita \u10dezmejnega vodonosnika Reka-Timava z institucionalizacijo omre\u17eja za koli\u10dinsko in kakovostno spremljanje podzemnih voda na obmo\u10dju klasi\u10dnega Krasa. Namen projekta je, da se z vzpostavitvijo stalnega partnerstva zagotovi trajnostno upravljanje vodnega vira, \u10dezmejna teritorialna kohezija in priprava skupnih strokovnih podlag, ki bodo omogo\u10dale poenotenje metodologij zbiranja, prikazovanja in kodifikacije podatkov, kar je prvi korak v smeri definicije za\u161\u10ditenih obmo\u10dij izvirov in zajemali\u161\u10d pitne vode. Naj spomnimo, da vse do dana\u161njih dni vodonosnik Reka-Timava ni bil dele\u17een nikakr\u161ne pravne za\u161\u10dite \u2013 v nasprotju na primer s So\u10do (Isonzo). Projekt sestavlja sedem razli\u10dnih delovnih sklopov (WP): WP1: Oblikovanje \u201cstoritvenega sistema\u201d in priprava logi\u10dnega okvira za upravljanje projekta. Spremljanje projekta, koordiniranje in finan\u10dno poro\u10danje. WP2: Oblikovanje, priprava in dolo\u10ditev projektne ideje. WP3: Meritve in obdelava hidrodinami\u10dnih podatkov vodonosnika Reka-Timava. WP4: Ranljivost kra\u161kih vodonosnikov in protokoli za dolo\u10ditev vodovarstvenih obmo\u10dij. Raba tal. Analiza stabilnosti distribucijskegaomre\u17eja in potreb po vodni preskrbi. WP5: Priprava skupnih kartografskih prikazov mati\u10dnega Krasa. WP6: Priprava protokolov za skupno upravljanje virov in zalog mati\u10dnega Krasa. WP7: Komunikacijska kampanja o razvoju projekta in dose\u17eenih ciljih. Faza izmenjave podatkov je omogo\u10dila vzpostavitev enotnih kartografskih podlag in enotne georeferencirane podatkovne baze (GIS) za celotno obmo\u10dje mati\u10dnega Krasa. Z zbiranjem in obdelavo podatkov smo izdelali konceptualni model celotnega vodonosnika Reka-Timava. Ti podatki so nadalje omogo\u10dili izdelavo kart ranljivosti, ki so bistvenega pomena za dolo\u10ditev vodovarstvenih obmo\u10dij. Spremljanje distribucijskega vodovodnega omre\u17eja in izvajanje ukrepov za var\u10devanje z vodo je omogo\u10dilo implementacijo projektov za zmanj\u161anje izgub z izbolj\u161avami na neu\u10dinkovitih delih omre\u17eja. Kon\u10dni cilj projekta je torej: \u2013 sklenitev protokolov o sodelovanju in dolo\u10ditev ukrepov promocije in uresni\u10denja sistemov za zmanj\u161anje onesna\u17eevalnih emisij, predvsem tistih, ki se nana\u161ajo na pitno vodo; \u2013 razvoj sistemov skupnega poseganja v nujnih primerih; \u2013 oblikovanje skupnih strategij za prepre\u10devanje in zmanj\u161evanje tveganj; \u2013 promocija posegov za var\u10devanje z vodo, u\u10dinkovito upravljanje vodovodnega omre\u17eja in izbolj\u161anje kakovosti pitne vode

Sustainability transition in industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing with the triple-layered business model canvas

Sustainability transition is becoming increasingly relevant at a manufacturing level, especially for resource- and energy-intensive industries. In addition, the 4.0 industry paradigm opens new opportunities in terms of sustainable development. The aim of this research is to analyze the introduction of sustainability in the corporate value proposition, through the evolution from a traditional to a sustainable business model. The business model innovation will be investigated in the case of a ceramic tile producer in the district of Sassuolo, Italy. The company has introduced several sustainability practices over the years and, through investments in Industry 4.0 technologies, is able to conduct impact assessments of its production process. The applied tool for the business model transition will be the Triple-Layered Business Model Canvas by Joyce and Paquin. The results illustrate the new company's sustainable value proposition, considering all three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy, and society. Despite the limitations resulting from the individual case study, the findings can be easily adapted to other ceramic tile companies in the sector. Besides, the paper could inspire other manufacturing companies in the drafting of a sustainable business model. The paper explores the still limited literature on the application of sustainable business models in operational scenarios

Interannual analysis of high spatially-resolved δ18O and δ2H data in precipitation across North-East Italy

Stable water isotopes are widely-used tracers to investigate hydrological processes occurring in the atmosphere and to determine the geospatial origin of water, i.e. to acquire useful information about the hydrological cycles over catchment basins and to find the origin of water recharging rivers, aquifers, and springs. Mapping the isotopic composition of precipitation provides hydrological and climate information at regional and global scales. However, the isotopic composition of precipitation is usually analyzed at large scales with a limited spatial resolution. In Italy, a few studies mapped the oxygen stable isotopes using annually-averaged data, not accounting for the strong seasonality of the isotopic composition linked to climatic and weather factors. To partially fill this gap, the present study proposes a detailed analysis of more than 2250 isotope data (δ18O, δ2H, and deuterium excess) related to precipitations collected in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region (Italy) with monthly or seasonal frequency in 36 sites between 1984 and 2015. The FVG region lies at the north-eastern end of Italy, bordering Austria in the North and Slovenia in the East, and extends over ~7.9·103 km2. From a hydrogeological point of view, FVG is an interesting case study. Large highly-permeable carbonate aquifers are present in the Alps and Prealps, while the southern part of the region is characterized by an alluvial plain, split by the spring belt into two sectors: the High Plain in the North, characterized by an highly-permeable unconfined aquifer, and the Low Plain in the South, characterized by a system of confined and artesian aquifers. All the aquifers are recharged by the effective precipitations which in the FVG exhibits among the highest annual precipitation rates in Italy (with peaks >3000 mm/year). For the present research, the isotopic data were used: (i) to analyze the spatial and seasonal variability of isotopic composition; (ii) to relate water isotopes with orography and weather parameters collected from meteorological stations as well as using ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis; (iii) to reconstruct the local meteoric water lines across the FVG at annual and seasonal bases; (iv) to quantify interannual trends and analyze their spatial distribution; and (iv) to model the spatial distribution of isotope content in precipitation and create annual and seasonal maps

Prevention of fecal-orally transmitted diseases in travelers through an oral anticholeric vaccine (WC/rBS)

Introduction. Estimate the efficacy of oral anticholeric vaccine Dukoral® in subjects travelling to high-risk areas for traveler?s diarrhoea and cholera. Methods. The study involved subjects of both genders who planned to travel to high-risk areas for traveler?s diarrhoea and cholera. Immunization with oral anticholeric vaccine Dukoral® was offered to each one of them. Upon returning, all the participants in the study were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 40 close-ended questions mainly concerning: personal and health data, characteristics (length, destination, reason) of the travel, onset of gastrointestinal symptoms, data relating to the assumption of anti- choleric vaccine and possible adverse reactions. Results. 296 questionnaires have been collected. Mean age was 38.2 years (55.4% males and 44.6% females). Mean travel length was 22.2 days. Reasons for the travel: 66.8% tourism and 33.2% work-cooperation. Most frequent destination was Africa (48.1%), followed by Asia (32.1%) and Central South- America (17.8%). 199 subjects (67.2%) properly executed vac- cination with Dukoral®. The diarrhoea affected 14.1% of vacci- nated subjects and 20.6% of non vaccinated ones. The following cohorts showed statistically significant differences in incidence of diarrhoea: inf. 35 years old age (13.7% vs. 27.1%), travel for work-cooperation (14.1% vs. 35%) and travel length > 28 days (12.1% vs. 40%). No serious adverse events were reported fol- lowing vaccination. Discussion. Oral Anticholeric vaccine proved to be effective and safe in preventing fecal-oral diseases in travelers exposed to high risk conditions

T.E.A. Study: three-day ertapenem versus three-day Ampicillin-Sulbactam.

Background: Intra-abdominal infections are one of the most common infections encountered by a general surgeon. However, despite this prevalence, standardized guidelines outlining the proper use of antibiotic therapy are poorly defined due to a lack of clinical trials investigating the ideal duration of antibiotic treatment. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of a three-day treatment regimen of Ampicillin-Sulbactam to that of a three-day regimen of Ertapenem in patients with localized peritonitis ranging from mild to moderate severity. Methods: This study is a prospective, multi-center, randomized investigation performed in the Department of General, Emergency, and Transplant Surgery of St. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital in Bologna, Italy. Discrete data were analyzed using the Chi-squared and Fisher exact tests. Differences between the two study groups were considered statistically significant for p-values less than 0.05. Results: 71 patients were treated with Ertapenem and 71 patients were treated with Ampicillin-Sulbactam. The two groups were comparable in terms of age and gender as well as the site of abdominal infection. Post-operative infection was identified in 12 patients: 10 with wound infections and 2 with intra-abdominal infections. In the Ertapenem group, 69 of the 71 patients (97%) were treated successfully, while the therapy failed in 2 cases (3%). Therapy failures were more frequent in the Unasyn group, amounting to 10 of 71 cases (p = 0.03). Conclusion: According to these preliminary findings, the authors conclude that a three-day Ertapenem treatment regimen is the most effective antibiotic therapy for patients with localized intra-abdominal infections ranging from mild to moderate severity

New collagen matrix to avoid the reduction of keratinized tissue during guided bone regeneration in postextraction sites.

Abstract For decades, there has been an ongoing controversy regarding the need for an "adequate" width of keratinized gingiva/mucosa to preserve periodontal and implant health. Today, the presence of a certain width of keratinized tissue is recommended for achieving long-term periodontal and implant success, and therefore, a new collagen matrix has been developed to enhance the width of keratinized gingiva/mucosa. During postextraction socket preservation, guided bone regeneration techniques require complete coverage of the barrier membrane to reduce the risk of infection, occasionally causing a reduction of the width of keratinized tissue. Using the new collagen matrix, it is possible to leave the membrane intentionally uncovered, without suturing the surgical flap above it, to avoid the reduction of such tissue

Stochastic hydrogeology's biggest hurdles analyzed and its big blind spot

This paper considers questions related to the adoption of stochastic methods in hydrogeology. It looks at factors affecting the adoption of stochastic methods including environmental regulations, financial incentives, higher education, and the collective feedback loop involving these factors. We begin by evaluating two previous paper series appearing in the stochastic hydrogeology literature, one in 2004 and one in 2016, and identifying the current thinking on the topic, including the perceived data needs of stochastic methods, the attitude in regulations and the court system regarding stochastic methods, education of the workforce, and the availability of software tools needed for implementing stochastic methods in practice. Comparing the state of adoption in hydrogeology to petroleum reservoir engineering allowed us to identify quantitative metrics on which to base our analysis. For impediments to the adoption of stochastic hydrology, we identified external factors as well as self-inflicted wounds. What emerges is a picture much broader than current views. Financial incentives and regulations play a major role in stalling adoption. Stochastic hydrology's blind spot is in confusing between uncertainty with risk and ignoring uncertainty. We show that stochastic hydrogeology comfortably focused on risk while ignoring uncertainty, to its own detriment and to the detriment of its potential clients. The imbalance between the treatment on risk on one hand and uncertainty on the other is shown to be common to multiple disciplines in hydrology that interface with risk and uncertainty.</p

Perceiving Physical Equation by Observing Visual Scenarios

Inferring universal laws of the environment is an important ability of human intelligence as well as a symbol of general AI. In this paper, we take a step toward this goal such that we introduce a new challenging problem of inferring invariant physical equation from visual scenarios. For instance, teaching a machine to automatically derive the gravitational acceleration formula by watching a free-falling object. To tackle this challenge, we present a novel pipeline comprised of an Observer Engine and a Physicist Engine by respectively imitating the actions of an observer and a physicist in the real world. Generally, the Observer Engine watches the visual scenarios and then extracting the physical properties of objects. The Physicist Engine analyses these data and then summarizing the inherent laws of object dynamics. Specifically, the learned laws are expressed by mathematical equations such that they are more interpretable than the results given by common probabilistic models. Experiments on synthetic videos have shown that our pipeline is able to discover physical equations on various physical worlds with different visual appearances.Comment: NIPS 2018 Workshop on Modeling the Physical Worl