Fatty images of the heart: spectrum of normal and pathological findings at computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Ectopic cardiac fatty images are not rarely detected incidentally at computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance, either in exams focused on the heart as in general thoracic imaging evaluations. A correct interpretation of these findings is essential in order to recognize their normal or pathological meaning, focusing on the eventually associated clinical implications. The development of techniques such as computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance allowed a detailed detection and evaluation of adipose tissue within the heart. This pictorial review illustrates the most common characteristics of cardiac fatty images at computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance, in a spectrum of normal and pathological conditions ranging from physiological adipose images to diseases presenting with cardiac fatty foci. Physiologic intramyocardial adipose tissue may normally be present in healthy adults, being not related to cardiac affections and without any clinical consequence. However cardiac fatty images may also be the expression of various diseases, comprehending arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, post-myocardial infarction lipomatous metaplasia, dilated cardiomyopathy and lipomatous hypertrophy of the inter-atrial septum. Fatty neoplasms of the heart as lipoma and liposarcoma are also described

Assessing the Reliability of a New One-Line Model for Predicting Shoreline Evolution with Impoundment Field Experiment Data

The advancement of knowledge in the field of coastal morphodynamics is currently highly relevant, as it provides valuable insights into the complex and dynamic nature of coastal systems and helps coastal engineers and researchers to better understand and manage the risks associated with coastal hazards. Managing and protecting coastal areas requires accurate measurements and the availability of reliable numerical models for predicting shoreline evolution. The present study focuses on verifying the reliability of a recent one-line model: the General Shoreline beach (GSb) model. The numerical simulations were performed using wave data observed by the Acoustic Wave and Current profiler and the Channel Coast Observatory buoy. The numerical results were compared with high-resolution shoreline data collected from an ARGUS monitoring station during the impoundment experiment conducted in Milford-on-Sea, UK. The numerical results demonstrated that the GSb model accurately predicts shoreline evolution, particularly for mixed beaches. The findings of the present study also show the effectiveness of the GSb online numerical model in predicting day-to-day changes in shoreline dynamics caused by wave attack. The high-resolution dataset of the ARGUS observations combined with wave data collected during the field experiment could be valuable resources for coastal researchers to further evaluate and improve numerical models of coastal morphodynamics

Unexplained cardiac arrest after near drowning in a young experienced swimmer: insight from cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) is a well-established noninvasive imaging modality in clinical cardiology. Its ability to provide tissue characterization make it well suited for the study of patients with cardiac diseases. We describe a multi-modality imaging evaluation of a 45-year-old man who experienced a near drowning event during swimming. We underline the unique capability of tissue characterization provided by cMRI, which allowed detection of subtle, clinically unrecognizable myocardial damage for understanding the causes of sudden cardiac arrest and also showed the small damages caused by cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Improvement of a coastal vulnerability index and its application along the Calabria Coastline, Italy

The present paper further develops a coastal vulnerability index formulation (CVI) previously proposed by the authors by integrating a new variable and redefining three variables to improve the suitability of the index for low-lying coasts. Eleven variables are divided into three typological groups: geological, hydro-physical process and vegetation. The geological variables are: geomorphology, shoreline erosion/accretion rates, coastal slope, emerged beach width, and dune. The hydro-physical process group includes: river discharge, sea-level change, mean significant wave height and mean tide range. The vegetation variables are: vegetation behind the back-beach and coverage of Posidonia oceanica. The index was applied to a stretch of the Ionian coast in the province of Crotone in the Calabria region (Southern Italy), and a vulnerability map was produced. A geography information system (GIS) platform was used to better process the data. For the case study area, the most influential variables are shoreline erosion/accretion rates, coastal slope, emerged beach width, dune, vegetation behind the back-beach, and coverage of Posidonia oceanica. The most vulnerable transects are those near urban areas characterized by the absence of dunes and vegetation. Statistical and sensitivity analyses were performed, and the proposed CVI was compared with the previous formulation proposed by the authors and with two other CVI methods present in the literature

On Formulae for Wave Transmission at Submerged and Low-Crested Breakwaters

Submerged and low-crested breakwaters are nearshore barriers with an underwater or slightly emergent crest, designed to reduce the energy of wave attacks and, consequently, to protect the coast from erosion and flooding. Their performance in reducing the wave energy can be evaluated by the value of the wave transmission coefficient, which thus requires accurate prediction. In the last few decades, several experimental investigations allowed the development of several formulae to predict this coefficient that agreed well within the given range of validity. In the present study, a comprehensive review of the existing formulae has been reported and the influence of input design variables has been highlighted. Moreover, an extensive set of experimental data has been collected and critically examined and re-analyzed to obtain a homogenous up-to-date database. Special attention has been addressed to the assessment of the reliability of each existing formula for and to evaluate its performance beyond the validity limits for which it was developed

Use of Nanosilica for Increasing Dune Erosion Resistance during a Sea Storm

none6siopenLeone, E.; Kobayashi, N.; Francone, A.; De Bartolo, S.; Strafella, D.; D’Alessandro, F.; Tomasicchio, G.R.,Leone, E.; Kobayashi, N.; Francone, A.; De Bartolo, S.; Strafella, D.; D’Alessandro, F.; Tomasicchio, G. R

Direct Scaling of Measure on Vortex Shedding through a Flapping Flag Device in the Open Channel around a Cylinder at Re ∼ 10^3: Taylor’s Law Approach.

none8noThe problem of vortex shedding, which occurs when an obstacle is placed in a regular flow, is governed by Reynolds and Strouhal numbers, known by dimensional analysis. The present work aims to propose a thin films-based device, consisting of an elastic piezoelectric flapping flag clamped at one end, in order to determine the frequency of vortex shedding downstream an obstacle for a flow field at Reynolds number Re∼103 in the open channel. For these values, Strouhal number obtained in such way is in accordance with the results known in literature. Moreover, the development of the voltage over time, generated by the flapping flag under the load due to flow field, shows a highly fluctuating behavior and satisfies Taylor’s law, observed in several complex systems. This provided useful information about the flow field through the constitutive law of the device.openSamuele De Bartolo, Massimo De Vittorio, Antonio Francone, Francesco Guido, Elisa Leone, Vincenzo Mariano Mastronardi, Andrea Notaro, Giuseppe Roberto TomasicchioDE BARTOLO, Samuele; DE VITTORIO, Massimo; Francone, Antonio; Guido, Francesco; Leone, Elisa; Mariano Mastronardi, Vincenzo; Notaro, Andrea; Tomasicchio, Giusepp

numerical modelling of breaker depth index

The breaker depth index, γb, is commonly used to determine the wave height to water depth ratio where the wave will break (Horikawa, 1988). In the present study, γb has been calculated using a fully nonlinear Boussinesq Type Equations (BTE) wave model with implemented BCI (Breaking Celerity Index). The BCI is a phase-resolving type breaking criterion for calculating the incipient wave breaking conditions (D’Alessandro and Tomasicchio, 2008). The model suitability in predicting γb has been verified against physical data from an experimental investigation conducted with incident regular waves propagating along uniform 1:20 and 1:50 slope beaches (G.V. dos Reis, 1992), and estimates of γb from five existing empirical formulae (Battjes, 1974; Ostendorf and Madsen, 1979; Singamsetti and Wind, 1980; Smith and Kraus, 1990; Goda, 2010). The comparisons showed that BCI presents a better agreement with the physical data with respect to the other investigated formulae in determining the value of γb, independently from the breaker type. In addition, the verification of the BCI in determining γb has been extended to the observed data from a large-scale laboratory experiment on wave hydrodynamics performed over a fixed-bed barred beach (Tomasicchio and Sancho, 2002)

general model for estimation of longshore transport at shingle mixed beaches

In the present study, the accuracy of the GLT model (Tomasicchio et al., 2013) has been verified for the estimation of the Longshore Transport (LT) at shingle/mixed beaches. In order to verify the suitability of the GLT model in determining LT estimates at shingle beaches, without any further calibration, the comparison between the LT predictions and observations from two field data sets (Chadwick, 1989; Nicholls and Wright, 1991) has been considered. The comparison showed that the GLT predicted LT rates within a factor of 2 of the observed values. The predictive capability of the GLT has been also verified against an alternative general formula for the LT estimation at shingle beaches (Van Rijn, 2014). In addition, the suitability of the GLT model, even for the mixed beach case, has been assessed by means of the comparison between the LT prediction and the observation from a field experiment on a mixed sand and gravel beach at Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand (Komar, 2010)