Rapid Mapping of Landslides Induced by Heavy Rainfall in the Emilia-Romagna (Italy) Region in May 2023

Heavy rainfall is a major factor for landslide triggering. Here, we present an inventory of 47,523 landslides triggered by two precipitation episodes that occurred in May 2023 in the Emilia-Romagna and conterminous regions (Italy). The landslides are manually mapped from a visual interpretation of satellite images and are mainly triggered by the second rainfall episode (16–17 May 2023); the inventory is entirely original, and the mapping is supplemented with field surveys at a few selected locations. The main goal of this paper is to present the dataset and to investigate the landslide distribution with respect to triggering (precipitation) and predisposing (land use, lithology, slope and distance from roads) factors using a statistical approach. The landslides occurred more frequently on steeper slopes and for the land use categories of “bare rocks and badlands” and woodlands. A weaker positive correlation is found for the lithological classes: silty and flysch-like units are more prone to host slope movements. The inventory presented here provides a comprehensive picture of the slope movements triggered in the study area and represents one of the most numerous rainfall-induced landslide inventories on a global scale. We claim that the inventory can support the validation of automatic products and that our results on triggering and predisposing factors can be used for modeling landslide susceptibility and more broadly for hazard purposes

Analisi e modellazione dei fattori geologico-ambientali nella localizzazione dei siti industriali: il caso del bacino padano.

Il progetto di ricerca sviluppato nel corso del Dottorato ha l\u2019obiettivo di illustrare come una rigorosa analisi geologica consenta di identificare, valutare e mitigare gli effetti di eventi naturali estremi, che possono costituire un serio fattore di rischio per gli impianti industriali e le aree metropolitane; a tale scopo, sono state selezionate due aree campione localizzate all\u2019interno del bacino Padano, dove si sono condotte analisi geositologiche ed ambientali per caratterizzare le interazioni tra contesto naturale e impianto industriale: una discarica di rifiuti non pericolosi nel Comune di Cairo Montenotte (Sv) e l\u2019area urbana di Como. Nel caso di Cairo Montenotte, sono state condotte indagini geognostiche e geofisiche, prove in sito e di laboratorio e monitoraggio strumentale; altre indagini sperimentali sono state mirate alla caratterizzazione delle propriet\ue0 fisiche e meccaniche dei rifiuti, con particolare riferimento alla stabilit\ue0 e all\u2019evoluzione dei cedimenti del cumulo dei rifiuti. La citt\ue0 di Como sorge su sedimenti di origine palustre molto recenti e soggetti a subsidenza; l\u2019analisi di oltre 300 stratigrafie di sondaggio e delle prove geotecniche disponibili ha consentito di ricostruire l\u2019assetto stratigrafico del sottosuolo mediante profili geologico-tecnici; il continuo monitoraggio della rete piezometrica comunale e dei parametri idrologici del bacino lacustre ha permesso di caratterizzare la circolazione idrica sotterranea. Sono stati poi approfonditi alcuni aspetti relativi alla presenza di lineamenti strutturali di importanza regionale, in particolare il Retroscorrimento di Monte Olimpino e infine sono state condotte alcune elaborazioni per ricostruire l\u2019evoluzione paleo-ambientale dell\u2019area a partire dalla deglaciazione. The main goal of the project is to illustrate how the rigorous geological analysis allows to identify, assess, and mitigate extreme geological hazards, which might be a serious factor of environmental risk for the local industrial plants and large metropolitan areas. We selected 2 study areas in the Po Plain, a non-hazardous waste landfill located in Cairo Montenotte (Savona province), and the Como urban area. At these sites we perform several analysis in order to characterize the interactions between natural environment and industrial plants or critical facilities. In the Cairo Montenotte case, core drillings, geophysical analysis and laboratory tests were conducted; moreover, the physical and mechanical properties of the waste were analyzed, specifically concerning waste stability and landfill subsidence. The mutual impacts between the industrial waste treatment plant and the natural environment have been analyzed and assessed. The Como urban area lies on very recent palustrine sediments, an environment showing remarkable Holocene subsidence, and high potential for liquefaction and coastal flooding; the stratigraphic setting was reconstructed analyzing more than 300 borehole logs and geotechnical tests, and building new geological sections; wells monitoring allowed to characterize groundwater circulation. Some aspects related to the structural setting (e.g., Monte Olimpino Backthrust) and the Late Quaternary environmental evolution were also closely examined. The results of this comprehensive geological analysis have been used in order to assess the environmental impact of the new integrated defense system against floods, presently under construction along the Como lakeshore. This critical facility consists of rows of mobile gates which are intended to hydrologically isolate the town during events of very high level of the Lake Como. In both cases it is possible to show how a proper approach for the geological siting is a critical tool for A) ensuring the environmental safety of the local industrial plant or critical facility, and B) reducing the operational costs by preventing from repeated readjustment of the project due to poorly defined design parameters

Hydrogen peroxide-mediated killing of Caenorhabditis elegans by Enterococcus italicus and Lactococcus garvieae isolated from food

In this study, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to assess the pathogenic potential of two species isolated from food, Enterococcus italicus and Lactococcus garvieae, for which few indications on pathogenicity are available. We identified the conditions under which E. italicus and L. garvieae are able to kill the nematode and suggest that the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by these two bacteria was involved in the death of C. elegans in our model system. The efficacy of E. italicus and L. garvieae to kill C. elegans differed, most likely related to each species' distinct ability to accumulate H2O2 (4.9 mM and 0.9–1.1 mM, respectively). Genome analysis of both species revealed that the genome of E. italicus contains a gene encoding a NADH oxidase which shows high amino acidic similarity with H2O2 -forming NOX-1 enzymes, while that of L. garvieae contains a gene codifying for a water-forming NADH-oxidase (NOX-2). Reverse transcriptase-PCR experiments carried out in presence of flavin adenine dinucleotide (50 mM) confirmed the presence of the two different genes and likely explains the different toxicity of E. italicus and L. garvieae against C. elegans in our study. The results obtained show for the first time the production of H2O2 in E. italicus and L. garvieae and indicate its toxic effect in the nematode C. elegans

Environmental effects caused by the Mw 7.7, September 19, 2022, Michoacán (Mexico)

This document presents a collection of Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEEs) triggered by the Mw 7.7 Michoacan earthquake occurred on 19 September 2022. Data derive from original field surveys, published reports and papers, and from a search for EEEs posted online in social media and other websites. For each site where an EEE has been documented, the following information are provided: - Latitude and longitude; - Distance from epicenter (km); - Locality, i.e., geographic place where the EEE occurred; - EEE type; - Description of the observed effect; - Local intensity assessed using the ESI-07 (Environmental Seismic Intensity) scale; - Photographic documentation; - Referenc

Exploring Amino Acid Auxotrophy in Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010

The acquisition and assimilation strategies followed by members of the infant gut microbiota to retrieve nitrogen from the gut lumen are still largely unknown. In particular, no information on these metabolic processes is available regarding bifidobacteria, which are among the first microbial colonizers of the human intestine. Here, evaluation of amino acid auxotrophy and prototrophy of Bifidobacterium bifidum, with particular emphasis on B. bifidum strain PRL2010 (LMG S-28692), revealed a putative auxotrophy for cysteine. In addition, we hypothesized that cysteine plays a role in the oxidative stress response in B. bifidum. The use of glutathione as an alternative reduced sulfur compound did not alleviate cysteine auxotrophy of this strain, though it was shown to stimulate expression of the genes involved in cysteine biosynthesis, reminiscent of oxidative stress response. When PRL2010 was grown on a medium containing complex substrates, such as whey proteins or casein hydrolysate, we noticed a distinct growth-promoting effect of these compounds. Transcriptional analysis involving B. bifidum PRL2010 cultivated on whey proteins or casein hydrolysate revealed that the biosynthetic pathways for cysteine and methionine are modulated by the presence of casein hydrolysate. Such findings support the notion that certain complex substrates may act as potential prebiotics for bifidobacteria in their ecological niche

Prophages of the genus Bifidobacterium as modulating agents of the infant gut microbiota

Phage predation is one of the key forces that shape genetic diversity in bacterial genomes. Phages are also believed to act as modulators of the microbiota composition and, consequently, as agents that drive bacterial speciation in complex bacterial communities. Very little is known about the occurrence and genetic variability of (pro)phages within the genus, a dominant bacterial group of the human infant microbiota. Here, we performed cataloguing of the predicted prophage sequences from the genomes of all currently recognized bifidobacterial type strains. We analysed their genetic diversity and deduced their evolutionary development, thereby highlighting an intriguing origin. Furthermore, we assessed infant gut microbiomes for the presence of (pro)phage sequences and found compelling evidence that these viral elements influence the composition of bifidobacterial communities in the infant gut microbiot

Roadmap on thermoelectricity

The increasing energy demand and the ever more pressing need for clean technologies of energy conversion pose one of the most urgent and complicated issues of our age. Thermoelectricity, namely the direct conversion of waste heat into electricity, is a promising technique based on a long-standing physical phenomenon, which still has not fully developed its potential, mainly due to the low efficiency of the process. In order to improve the thermoelectric performance, a huge effort is being made by physicists, materials scientists and engineers, with the primary aims of better understanding the fundamental issues ruling the improvement of the thermoelectric figure of merit, and finally building the most efficient thermoelectric devices. In this Roadmap an overview is given about the most recent experimental and computational results obtained within the Italian research community on the optimization of composition and morphology of some thermoelectric materials, as well as on the design of thermoelectric and hybrid thermoelectric/photovoltaic devices

Association of Mild Anemia with Cognitive, Functional, Mood and Quality of Life Outcomes in the Elderly: The “Health and Anemia” Study

BACKGROUND: In the elderly persons, hemoglobin concentrations slightly below the lower limit of normal are common, but scant evidence is available on their relationship with significant health indicators. The objective of the present study was to cross-sectionally investigate the association of mild grade anemia with cognitive, functional, mood, and quality of life (QoL) variables in community-dwelling elderly persons. METHODS: Among the 4,068 eligible individuals aged 65-84 years, all persons with mild anemia (n = 170) and a randomly selected sample of non-anemic controls (n = 547) were included in the study. Anemia was defined according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and mild grade anemia was defined as a hemoglobin concentration between 10.0 and 11.9 g/dL in women and between 10.0 and 12.9 g/dL in men. Cognition and functional status were assessed using measures of selective attention, episodic memory, cognitive flexibility and instrumental and basic activities of daily living. Mood and QoL were evaluated by means of the Geriatric Depression Scale-10, the Short-Form health survey (SF-12), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia. RESULTS: In univariate analyses, mild anemic elderly persons had significantly worse results on almost all cognitive, functional, mood, and QoL measures. In multivariable logistic regressions, after adjustment for a large number of demographic and clinical confounders, mild anemia remained significantly associated with measures of selective attention and disease-specific QoL (all fully adjusted p<.046). When the lower limit of normal hemoglobin concentration according to WHO criteria was raised to define anemia (+0.2 g/dL), differences between mild anemic and non anemic elderly persons tended to increase on almost every variable. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectionally, mild grade anemia was independently associated with worse selective attention performance and disease-specific QoL ratings

Pediatric trauma and emergency surgery: an international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: In contrast to adults, the situation for pediatric trauma care from an international point of view and the global management of severely injured children remain rather unclear. The current study investigates structural management of pediatric trauma in centers of different trauma levels as well as experiences with pediatric trauma management around the world. Methods: A web-survey had been distributed to the global mailing list of the World Society of Emergency Surgery from 10/2021-03/2022, investigating characteristics of respondents and affiliated hospitals, case-load of pediatric trauma patients, capacities and infrastructure for critical care in children, trauma team composition, clinical work-up and individual experiences with pediatric trauma management in response to patients´ age. The collaboration group was subdivided regarding sizes of affiliated hospitals to allow comparisons concerning hospital volumes. Comparable results were conducted to statistical analysis. Results: A total of 133 participants from 34 countries, i.e. 5 continents responded to the survey. They were most commonly affiliated with larger hospitals (&gt; 500 beds in 72.9%) and with level I or II trauma centers (82.0%), respectively. 74.4% of hospitals offer unrestricted pediatric medical care, but only 63.2% and 42.9% of the participants had sufficient experiences with trauma care in children ≤ 10 and ≤ 5&nbsp;years of age (p = 0.0014). This situation is aggravated in participants from smaller hospitals (p &lt; 0.01). With regard to hospital size (≤ 500 versus &gt; 500 in-hospital beds), larger hospitals were more likely affiliated with advanced trauma centers, more elaborated pediatric intensive care infrastructure (p &lt; 0.0001), treated children at all ages more frequently (p = 0.0938) and have higher case-loads of severely injured children &lt; 12&nbsp;years of age (p = 0.0009). Therefore, the majority of larger hospitals reserve either pediatric surgery departments or board-certified pediatric surgeons (p &lt; 0.0001) and in-hospital trauma management is conducted more multi-disciplinarily. However, the majority of respondents does not feel prepared for treatment of severe pediatric trauma and call for special educational and practical training courses (overall: 80.2% and 64.3%, respectively). Conclusions: Multi-professional management of pediatric trauma and individual experiences with severely injured children depend on volumes, level of trauma centers and infrastructure of the hospital. However, respondents from hospitals at all levels of trauma care complain about an alarming lack of knowledge on pediatric trauma management

How future surgery will benefit from SARS-COV-2-related measures: a SPIGC survey conveying the perspective of Italian surgeons

COVID-19 negatively affected surgical activity, but the potential benefits resulting from adopted measures remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in surgical activity and potential benefit from COVID-19 measures in perspective of Italian surgeons on behalf of SPIGC. A nationwide online survey on surgical practice before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic was conducted in March-April 2022 (NCT:05323851). Effects of COVID-19 hospital-related measures on surgical patients' management and personal professional development across surgical specialties were explored. Data on demographics, pre-operative/peri-operative/post-operative management, and professional development were collected. Outcomes were matched with the corresponding volume. Four hundred and seventy-three respondents were included in final analysis across 14 surgical specialties. Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, application of telematic consultations (4.1% vs. 21.6%; p &lt; 0.0001) and diagnostic evaluations (16.4% vs. 42.2%; p &lt; 0.0001) increased. Elective surgical activities significantly reduced and surgeons opted more frequently for conservative management with a possible indication for elective (26.3% vs. 35.7%; p &lt; 0.0001) or urgent (20.4% vs. 38.5%; p &lt; 0.0001) surgery. All new COVID-related measures are perceived to be maintained in the future. Surgeons' personal education online increased from 12.6% (pre-COVID) to 86.6% (post-COVID; p &lt; 0.0001). Online educational activities are considered a beneficial effect from COVID pandemic (56.4%). COVID-19 had a great impact on surgical specialties, with significant reduction of operation volume. However, some forced changes turned out to be benefits. Isolation measures pushed the use of telemedicine and telemetric devices for outpatient practice and favored communication for educational purposes and surgeon-patient/family communication. From the Italian surgeons' perspective, COVID-related measures will continue to influence future surgical clinical practice