Radon mapping in Piedmont (North-West Italy): a radio-geo-lithological approach

Background: In this work a radon mapping method implemented in Piedmont, an Italian Region in the Northern part of the country, is presented and discussed. Methods: The method is based on a "mixed approach", combining together an experimental approach, based on a large set of experimental radon measurements performed with nuclear track detectors, and an empirical model, based on the geo-lithological characteristics of soils and rocks. This approach was named as "radio-geo-lithological" because the identification of geo-lithological units was defined considering not only the usual geological classification of the territory but also the radioactivity content of the most widespread rocks and soils of Piedmont. Results and Conclusion: This method allowed to classification of all municipalities of Piedmont (1181), thus permitting the identification of the Radon Priority Areas, a provision required by the new Italian law (Legislative Decree 101/2020), implementing the European Basic Safety Standards (Euratom Directive 59/2013)

European Atlas of Natural Radiation

Natural ionizing radiation is considered as the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world population. The human population is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation from several natural sources that can be classified into two broad categories: high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and radioactive nuclides generated during the formation of the Earth and still present in the Earth’s crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium and thorium radioactive families together with potassium. In most circumstances, radon, a noble gas produced in the radioactive decay of uranium, is the most important contributor to the total dose. This Atlas aims to present the current state of knowledge of natural radioactivity, by giving general background information, and describing its various sources. This reference material is complemented by a collection of maps of Europe displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It is a compilation of contributions and reviews received from more than 80 experts in their field: they come from universities, research centres, national and European authorities and international organizations. This Atlas provides reference material and makes harmonized datasets available to the scientific community and national competent authorities. In parallel, this Atlas may serve as a tool for the public to: • familiarize itself with natural radioactivity; • be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources; • have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor; • and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence to better understand the latter.JRC.G.10-Knowledge for Nuclear Security and Safet

European Atlas of Natural Radiation

Natural ionizing radiation is considered as the largest contributor to the collective effective dose received by the world population. The human population is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation from several natural sources that can be classified into two broad categories: high-energy cosmic rays incident on the Earth’s atmosphere and releasing secondary radiation (cosmic contribution); and radioactive nuclides generated during the formation of the Earth and still present in the Earth’s crust (terrestrial contribution). Terrestrial radioactivity is mostly produced by the uranium and thorium radioactive families together with potassium. In most circumstances, radon, a noble gas produced in the radioactive decay of uranium, is the most important contributor to the total dose.This Atlas aims to present the current state of knowledge of natural radioactivity, by giving general background information, and describing its various sources. This reference material is complemented by a collection of maps of Europe displaying the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources. It is a compilation of contributions and reviews received from more than 80 experts in their field: they come from universities, research centres, national and European authorities and international organizations.This Atlas provides reference material and makes harmonized datasets available to the scientific community and national competent authorities. In parallel, this Atlas may serve as a tool for the public to: • familiarize itself with natural radioactivity;• be informed about the levels of natural radioactivity caused by different sources;• have a more balanced view of the annual dose received by the world population, to which natural radioactivity is the largest contributor;• and make direct comparisons between doses from natural sources of ionizing radiation and those from man-made (artificial) ones, hence to better understand the latter.Additional information at: https://remon.jrc.ec.europa.eu/About/Atlas-of-Natural-Radiatio

STRATIGRAFIA SEQUENZIALE DELLA SUCCESSIONE OLIGO-MIOCENICA DELLE LANGHE, BACINO TERZIARIO LIGURE-PIEMONTESE

The Piedmont Tertiary Basin (PTB) is bounded southwards and westwards by the Western Alps, and northwards by the north-western end of the Apennines. It develops internally to a south-dipping suture zone, on a basement consisting of allochthonous alpine and apenninic units. The PTB history began at the end of the Eocene and has continued through the Oligocene, under mainly extensional tectonics conditions, and the Miocene, in a regime dominated by prevailing compressive phases. The PTB is filled by a more than 4,000 m thick succession of siliciclastic sediments. In the Langhe region, three groups of depositional sequences were recognized, bottom to top. Group A consists of continental to coastal conglomerates, shallow water sandstones and hemipelagic mudstones with thickness ranging from a few tens of metres to more than 600 m. Two depositional sequences (Early Oligocene; locally Late Eocene?) characterize this group. Group B is represented by six depositional sequences (B1 to B6; Late Oligocene-Burdigalian), each consisting of turbiditic sandstones and subordinate resedimented conglomerates in the lower part, and of hemipelagic mudstones with intercalated thin-bedded turbidites in the upper part. Total thickness of group B may be over 1,000 m. Group C shows six depositional sequences (C1 to C6; Late Burdigalian-Early Tortonian), consisting of turbidite systems, with sandstone/mudstone ratio from >>1 to 1, at the depocentres, and of mudstones on the slopes bounding the basin. Total thickness may be over 2,000 m. Synsedimentary tectonic activity is indicated by the following: a) angular unconformities, at the passage B1-B2 and at the lower boundary of sequence B5/B6; b) onlap of turbiditic sandstones on slightly folded mudstones (B1-B2 and B2-B3 sequence boundaries); c) vertical and lateral evolution of the facies which differs from that ofthe models proposed for eustatically controlled sequences (C1, C2 and C5). On the basis of biostratigraphic data, C1-C2 and C2-C3 boundaries correlate respectively with the 16.5 and 15.5 MA sequence boundaries of Haq et al. (1988). It is possible that the boundary between group A sequences and sequence B1 corresponds to their 30.0 MA boundary. B4-B5 sequence boundary, characterized by t long hiatus, probably correlates with the events dated 22.0/21.0 MA. By taking into account: a) the forementioned correlations; b) the stratigraphic setting and number of sequence boundaries between the 3O.O MA, 22.0/21.0 MA and 16.5 MA boundaries; c) the stratigraphic setting of the three sequence boundaries above the 15.5 MA boundary (all of Serravallian age), it is possibleto correlate the observed depositional sequences with the third order global cycles of Haq et al. (1988). Therefore, the global eustatic signal has not been obliterated in the studied area, in spite of the intense synsedimentary tectonic activity

Il volontariato nelle cure palliative: religiosit\ue0, rappresentazioni esplicite della morte e implicite di Dio tra deumanizzazione e burnout

In Italy, volunteering is a social activity whose importance is constantly growing. The research on volunteering in the field of palliative care is showing how this kind of intervention may strongly support families and professional caregivers. However, only a small number of studies has directly analyzed these informal caregivers who dedicate their time to dying persons and their relatives. This study aims at investigating psychological variables that are relevant in the voluntary activities of palliative care. A questionnaire was administered to 71 volunteers from important organizations in Northern Italy, which perform support activities in families, in daily care centers or hospices. The questionnaire assessed their death anxiety levels, representations of death, coping strategies, levels of burnout and stress, and dehumanization of patients. Furthermore, 52 volunteers completed an implicit association task aimed at assessing whether God was more strongly associated with Abstraction or with Reality

Nuovi dialoghi tra teatro e neuroscienze

Atti del Convegno internazionale "Dialoghi tra Teatro e Neuroscienze", 201