SNOWFALL ANALYSIS OVER PENINSULAR ITALY IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYNOPTIC CIRCULATION: FIRST RESULTS

The time series of snow data for a sample of Italian meteorological stations have been analyzed taking into account, for the time series, an acceptable continuity and quality of meteorological data. The data set is that of the Italian Meteorological Service (UGM), and refer to the period 1982–2004. The Slovenian station of Kredarica, located in the Julian Alps, has been added for convenience. The study is composed of two different parts: - Climatologic analysis of the snow parameters during the last 20 years. In particular, the height of the fresh snow and the number of days with permanence of snow at the ground have been analyzed. - Evidence of the synoptic situations in which snowfalls are observed with at least a thickness of 10 cm in at least a third of the total number of analyzed stations in Central, Southern and insular Ital

Energy bursts in fiber bundle models of composite materials

As a model of composite materials, a bundle of many fibers with stochastically distributed breaking thresholds for the individual fibers is considered. The bundle is loaded until complete failure to capture the failure scenario of composite materials under external load. The fibers are assumed to share the load equally, and to obey Hookean elasticity right up to the breaking point. We determine the distribution of bursts in which an amount of energy $E$ is released. The energy distribution follows asymptotically a universal power law $E^{-5/2}$, for any statistical distribution of fiber strengths. A similar power law dependence is found in some experimental acoustic emission studies of loaded composite materials.Comment: 5 pages, 4 fig

SNOWFALL ANALYSIS OVER PENINSULAR ITALY IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SYNOPTIC CIRCULATION: FIRST RESULTS

The time series of snow data for a sample of Italian meteorological stations have been analyzed taking into account, for the time series, an acceptable continuity and quality of meteorological data. The data set is that of the Italian Meteorological Service (UGM), and refer to the period 1982–2004. The Slovenian station of Kredarica, located in the Julian Alps, has been added for convenience. The study is composed of two different parts: - Climatologic analysis of the snow parameters during the last 20 years. In particular, the height of the fresh snow and the number of days with permanence of snow at the ground have been analyzed. - Evidence of the synoptic situations in which snowfalls are observed with at least a thickness of 10 cm in at least a third of the total number of analyzed stations in Central, Southern and insular Ital

The new educational project Televascular Games during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic

Objective: To report methodology and first-year results of a new educational project called Televascular Games,” which took place during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: Complex aneurysmal aortic disease was discussed during a 2-hour competition webinar, according to three modalities. (1) Planning case competition (PCC): Two to four preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans of an already performed selected case were submitted for the competition. CTA scans were uploaded anonymously, without any reference to the center or the surgeon who performed the case. The competitor had to prepare a presentation of how he or she would have diagnosed, sized, planned, treated, and followed up the case, of the medical therapy and of the bail-out maneuvers. (2) Challenging case competition (CCC): The competitor elaborates a presentation of an already treated case concerning an aortic topic and discusses sizing, planning, treatment, possible bail-out maneuvers and obtained results. For the CCC and PCC, the competitors with the best score were preselected to present and discuss their plan during the webinars. (3) Quiz competition: Two to six CTA scans of already performed selected aortic cases were submitted for the competition. A quiz with multiple choice questions was answered by the competitors. The top four competitors were selected for the webinars and then they discussed the cases during the webinar. Finally, at the end of the case discussion, the effective case resolution and follow-up were shown. A final winner was voted via televoting, based on six preestablished criteria. The project was endorsed by different national and international societies. Results: Between October 2020 and December 2021, there were 12 Italian and 1 international webinars with 1695 participants overall (mean, 130; range, 86-177). Competitors were 54 years of age (mean, 27 years; range, 22-38 years). Two editions were CCCs, two quiz competitions, and nine PCCs. The reliability of the interobserver sizing of competitors was κ = 0.43 and κ = 0.62 for the proximal and distal sealing measurements respectively and very good (κ = 0.88-0.95) in the evaluation of orientation of the vessels, presence of angulations, calcifications, and thrombus. The sizing discrepancy resulted in a significant variability of the planning (κ = 0.45). The project ranked 9.6 on a 10-point rating scale by all the participants and competitors. Conclusions: The formula of gaming and collegial discussion of aortic cases herein reported has proved valid and attractive during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic period. The variability of the results on sizing and planning suggested to confer with a second opinion, especially for less experienced surgeons