Evoluzione temporale del sedime edilizio nella Versilia pre-alluvione 1996 in rapporto alle mappe di pericolosità idraulica e da frana mediante software GIS open source e open data

Settlement temporal evolution in Versilia up to the 1996 flood in relation to the hydraulic and landslide hazard maps using software open source and open data. The 19 June 1996 flood affected a heavily urbanized area: the study of the settlement distribution in areas characterized by a hydraulic or landslide hazard is mandatory in the prevention activity. In this work the diachronic evolution of the urbanization in some basins of the Versilia area (Tuscany) from 1950 to 1996 was analyzed. The study considers the temporal evolution of the urbanization in order to depict the settlement structure just before the 1996 flood, taking into account the hydraulic and landslide hazard maps produced by the local river basin authorities. In particular, the goal of this work is the identification of the periods characterized by a low or increased awareness in the importance of the hydraulic and landslide hazard cartography. The available data highlight a remarkable difference in the number of buildings constructed in areas characterized by a hydraulic and landslide hazard from 1850 to 1996. In fact, before the June 1996 flood, only the 6% of buildings were constructed in areas characterized by landslide hazard, while the 71% of buildings were constructed in areas characterized by hydraulic hazard. In particular, in the investigated period the number of buildings constructed in areas with landslide hazard seems to flatten out, while the number of buildings constructed in area with hydraulic hazard shows a significant increase between 1954 and 1978. After this period (until 1996) there is a decrease in the number of buildings constructed in areas affected by environmental hazards. However, this trend might not be due to an actual increase in the awareness to hydrological and landslide hazard, as suggested by the growth of the number of buildings constructed in areas characterized by the highest hazard level

High-resolution spatial analysis of temperature influence on the rainfall regime and extreme precipitation events in north-central Italy

In the last few years, several works have analyzed rainfall regime changes with the increase of temperature as a result of global warming. These changes, documented mainly in northern Europe, still need to be clarified in the Mediterra-nean area. Many studies have identified sometimes contradictory trends according to the type of data used, the meth-odology, and the daily or subdaily types of events. Therefore, an in-depth investigation of the Mediterranean area is required for the definition of more certain future scenarios. In this study, we examined a very large database including >1000 raingauges and thermometers in northern and cen-tral Italy to analyze the relationship between temperature and rainfall using the relation Clausius-Clapeyron. Further-more, we analyzed the relationship between temperature and extreme precipitation events (EPEs, defined as the events higher than the 95th percentile) calculating the temperature anomalies occurred during these events. This large database covers a low rainfall accumulation period (RAP) that allowed us to study the relationship between tem-perature and rainfall and to distinguish rapid from long events related to rainfall intensity. The results show different relationships between rainfall and temperature in relation to seasons, RAPs, rainfall inten-sity, and geographical factors. The high spatial density of the database made it possible to identify spatial clusters with homogenous characteristics mainly influenced by geographical factors. With an increase in temperature, the wet sea-son is characterized by a general increase in rainfall with a higher surge for intense and fast events. Instead, the dry season shows a general rainfall decrease for less intense and longer events, but an increase in rapid and more intensive rainfall events. This outcome has further implications involving a future decrease in water availability and an increase of the EPEs, causing an extremization of the climate during the dry season for northern and central Italy

H2O

INCIPIT. L’acqua ricopre circa il 70% del nostro pianeta, ma più del 97% si trova sotto forma di acqua salata (nei mari e negli oceani). Pertanto, solo il 2,5% delle risorse idriche globali è costituito da acque dolci realmente utilizzabili per scopi idropotabili. Di queste solo una piccola parte (1,2%) è data dalle acque superficiali (fiumi e laghi), mentre la maggior parte di tali risorse (circa 69%) è “intrappolata” nelle calotte di ghiaccio e nei ghiacciai. La restante parte (circa 30%) è custodita nelle falde acquifere sotterranee e rappresenta la componente invisibile, ma estremamente preziosa, delle riserve idriche del pianeta (Fig. 1). Le acque sotterranee circolano in alcuni tipi di rocce e di sedimenti, si muovono lentamente e sono più protette rispetto a quelle superficiali, esposte a fenomeni di inquinamento e molto più suscettibili alle crisi climatiche (condizioni di magra in carenza di precipitazioni, o alluvioni in caso di precipitazioni eccessive). Tra gli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile delle Nazioni Unite (Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs) il numero 6 è dedicato all’acqua, e in particolare all’accesso ad acqua pulita e sicura da parte di tutti gli abitanti del nostro Pianeta

The Legacy of Mercury Contamination from a Past Leather Manufacturer and Health Risk Assessment in an Urban Area (Pisa Municipality, Italy)

An abandoned open green space in the urban setting of the Municipality of Pisa (Tuscany, Italy) has been designed for renewal to foster the development of recreational activities and improve the lives of the surrounding communities. However, the geochemical site characterization revealed Pb, Cu, Zn and Hg concentrations in the soil exceeding the thresholds imposed by Italian regulations for residential use. Pb, Cu and Zn contents likely reflect the effects of urban vehicle traffic, while Hg contamination represents the legacy of a past artisanal tannery that used Hg(II)-chloride in leather processing in the mid-1900s. Mercury is widely distributed in the area, with the highest concentration in the uppermost soil layer, and reaching about 170 mg/kg in the common dandelion rhizosphere. Chemical extractions and thermal desorption experiments have indicated that most Hg is in the elemental free and matrix-bound fraction, with a possible minor amount (less than 4 wt%) of HgS and negligible methylated forms (0.1 wt%). The data suggest that soil processes could reduce Hg2+ to volatile Hg-0. Mercury in groundwater, hosted in a shallow aquitard in the area, was below 0.2 mu g/L. However, the presence of chloride in groundwater might result in the formation of Hg stable aqueous complexes, increasing Hg release from solids. Future water quality monitoring is hence recommended. The risk assessment highlighted that mercury in soil carries a risk of non-cancerous effects, in particular for children, posing the basis for management planning

Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater, Soil and the Food-Chain: Risk Management in a Densely Populated Area (Versilia Plain, Italy)

This study deals with arsenic distribution in groundwater, soil and edible vegetables in the densely populated area of the Versilia Plain (Tuscany region, Italy), addressing potential impacts on people’s health. The data revealed high As concentrations in some domestic irrigation wells, exceeding 1200 µg/L. The average As concentration in topsoil and subsoil was 39 and 46 mg/kg, respectively, with the highest concentration reaching about 200 mg/kg. Arsenic concentrates in plant roots compared with the edible parts; in tomato fruits, black cabbage leaves and edible leek parts As reached about 0.2 mg/kg, 0.4 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg, respectively. Geochemical and hydrostratigraphic data suggest that As in soils and alluvial sediments originated from mineralized and historical upstream mining areas. The exposure routes for both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessment here considered include soil ingestion, dermal absorption, soil dust inhalation and vegetable consumption. For non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects, the hazard was higher than the acceptance threshold. The calculated soil screening levels resulted even lower than the guideline soil-concentration imposed by Italian regulations, and this poses an issue on the actual meaning of arsenic regulatory thresholds

Context-dependent miR-204 and miR-211 affect the biological properties of amelanotic and melanotic melanoma cells

Despite increasing amounts of experimental evidence depicting the involvement of non-coding RNAs in cancer, the study of BRAFV600E-regulated genes has thus far focused mainly on protein-coding ones. Here, we identify and study the microRNAs that BRAFV600E regulates through the ERK pathway.By performing small RNA sequencing on A375 melanoma cells and a vemurafenib-resistant clone that was taken as negative control, we discover miR-204 and miR-211 as the miRNAs most induced by vemurafenib. We also demonstrate that, although belonging to the same family, these two miRNAs have distinctive features. miR-204 is under the control of STAT3 and its expression is induced in amelanotic melanoma cells, where it acts as an effector of vemurafenib's anti-motility activity by targeting AP1S2. Conversely, miR-211, a known transcriptional target of MITF, is induced in melanotic melanoma cells, where it targets EDEM1 and consequently impairs the degradation of TYROSINASE (TYR) through the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. In doing so, miR-211 serves as an effector of vemurafenib's pro-pigmentation activity. We also show that such an increase in pigmentation in turn represents an adaptive response that needs to be overcome using appropriate inhibitors in order to increase the efficacy of vemurafenib.In summary, we unveil the distinct and context-dependent activities exerted by miR-204 family members in melanoma cells. Our work challenges the widely accepted "same miRNA family = same function" rule and provides a rationale for a novel treatment strategy for melanotic melanomas that is based on the combination of ERK pathway inhibitors with pigmentation inhibitors