Italian networking of public experimental sites working on Organic Farming: an experience of networking in research

Research in organic farming, especially with an agro-ecological approach, is strictly linked to local conditions and interactions among several variables. The paper will present an example of a process developed in the Italian context to integrate and harmonize research in organic farming from different research stations, with different local conditions. Collecting similar and comparable data from different research stations participating in the network can have an interesting impact in results of organic farming experiments, due to high number and variability of data. ARSIA Toscana, with the aim of creating an Italian National Network of public experimental stations working in organic farming, involved FIRAB as a facilitator of the participatory process. The proposed process follows two parallel paths: individual questionnaire to single experimental sites to know the specific activities in place on organic farming and a series of meetings with direct involvement and exchange among researchers and policy makers from different regions to comment results of the questionnaire and future development of organic research in public experimental stations. The main outcome of the process has been the choice of a specific transversal topic to build the network: the development of synthetic agro-environmental indicators

Health Hazard From Endogenous Gas Emissions In Alban Hills (Rome, Italy)

The quiescent volcano of Alban Hills, near Rome, is characterized by strong emission of endogenous gas (mostly CO2 with minor H2S) from zones where excavation removed the superficial impervious cover. These gases –denser than air- accumulate in morphological depressions and many lethal accidents to animals and also to one person have occurred in the last years. At Cava dei Selci and Solforata sites, the CO2 flux has been estimated to 95 and 200 tons/day respectively from 0,6 and 5 hectares. Dangerous accidental gas blowouts also occurred from boreholes that reached gas pressurized shallow aquifers. In order to evaluate the gas hazard, several geochemical surveys were performed to estimate the CO2 and H2S soil flux and air concentration. In the urbanized area of Vigna Fiorita, dangerous indoor conditions were found with [CO2] up to 10 % and [H2S] up to 30 ppm and lethal indoor [CO2] (up to 22%) persisted within a non-ventilated house. Results will help in suggesting appropriate prevention measures to be adopted by residents. An important discovery was found measuring CO2 and H2S air concentration (by TDL at 30 cm from the ground). In periods of very low or no wind (generally in night-time) lethal concentrations were reached by H2S (up to 400 ppm), whereas [CO2] remained at tolerable values. These data indicate that the many animal deaths occurred in these years and previously attributed to CO2 where instead caused by H2S and a specific study on the health effects of this gas on man and on different animal species is presently under progress. Alban Hills test site provides useful methodological indications on how to assess the insidious hazard associated to soil gas release in inhabited zones of quiescent or recent volcanoes

Chronology of the 2007 eruption of Stromboli and the activity 1 of the Scientific Synthesis Group

On 27 February 2007, at 12.49 GMT, a new eruption of Stromboli took place with the effusion of a 15 lava flow from a fracture cutting the flank of the NE cone, which rapidly reached the sea. The eruption 16 had been heralded by an increase in the amplitude of tremor and flank movement since at least the 14th 17 of February. Short-term precursors were an increase in the rate of occurrence of small landslides within 18 the “Sciara del Fuoco” scar on the North-western flank of the volcano. A new effusive vent opened at 19 18.30 GMT on the Sciara del Fuoco at an height of 400 m asl. The new lava emission caused the 20 sudden termination of the summit flow and initiated a period of non-stationary lava outpouring which 21 ended on 2 April, 2007. The eruption has been characterized by a rapid decrease in the eruption rate after the first days and subsequently by episodic pulse increases. On the 15th 22 of March, the increase in 23 lava outpouring, monitored by a thermal camera, heralded by 9 minutes the occurrence of a violent 24 paroxysmal explosion with the formation of an impulsive eruption column and the emission of small 25 pumices mingled with black scoriae. The pumice had a bulk composition similar to that of the lava and 26 of the black scoriae, but with a distinct lower content of phenocrysts. A similar feature has been 27 repeateadly observed during the major explosive paroxysms of Stromboli. Short term precursors of the 28 paroxysm were recorded by strainmeter and tiltmeter stations. The volcano monitoring activity has 29 been made by a joint team of researchers from the INGV sections of Catania, Napoli, Palermo and 30 Rome, along with researchers from the University of Florence, Pisa, Roma Tre, and Palermo. The 31 scientific activity was coordinated by a Synthesis Group made up by the responsibles of the different 32 monitoring techniques of INGV and Universities and by the volcanic experts of Commissione Nazionale Grandi Rischi of the Prime Minister Office (Civil Protection Department). 33 The group made a 34 daily evaluation of the state of the volcano and transmitted its recommendations to the Civil Protection 35 Department (DPC). Several prevention measures were adopted by DPC, the main of which were the 36 evacuation of the coast zone when strong acceleration of the Sciara del Fuoco slope motion (occurred 37 twice) could led to a dangerous tsunami by flank collapse (as last occurred on 30 December 2002) and 38 four days before the 15 March paroxysm when access was prohibited to the part of the volcano above 39 290m as

Localizzazione probabilistica 3D (NonLinLoc) applicata all’area calabro-peloritana

Sono presentati e discussi i risultati preliminari relativi ad una ri-localizzazione probabilistica non-lineare 3D dei terremoti dell’area compresa tra il Tirreno meridionale e l’Arco Calabro-Peloritano (Italia meridionale). Scopo del lavoro è dimostrare che l’applicazione di un’approccio probabilistico non-lineare nella localizzazione dei terremoti può fornire dei risultati più accurati ai fini della sorveglianza, ovviando al problema degli outlier, rispetto alle tecniche di localizzazione lineari (e.g. Hypoellipse), che minimizzano simultaneamente tutti i residui tra fasi osservate e calcolate. Il programma utilizzato è NonLinLoc [Lomax, et al., 2000; Lomax, et al., 2001; Lomax, 2005; http://www.alomax.net/nlloc; NonLinLoc di seguito] il quale permette di effettuare un’efficiente ricerca globale dello spazio dei parametri ipocentrali (coordinate spaziali e tempo origine) ottenendo una stima della funzione densità di probabilità (pdf, probability density function) a posteriori. La pdf fornisce una descrizione completa della localizzazione e delle sue incertezze; il campionamento dello spazio dei parametri ipocentrali è stato fatto mediante la tecnica Oct-tree nella regione compresa tra 37.75 e 39.40 N in latitudine e tra 14.80 e 16.80 E in longitudine, e utilizzando tutti gli eventi con profondità H ≤30 km. La struttura dell’Oct-tree è stata imposta in 100,000 celle ed un insieme di queste celle viene poi salvata in modo da poter rappresentare graficamente la pdf mediante nubi di punti a diversa densità. Il dataset utilizzato per le nostre analisi è composto da 1,304 terremoti, di 1.0<M<4.3, registrati nel periodo compreso tra il 1994 e il 2006; il modello di velocità 3D adottato è stato ottenuto da Barberi et al., 2008 [poster presentato a questo convegno] invertendo lo stesso dataset, mediante l’utilizzo del software TomoDD. I risultati ottenuti sono stati confrontati sia con le localizzazioni 1D (Hypoellipse) che con quelle 3D. Si evidenzia una maggiore clusterizzazione degli eventi e, soprattutto, un evidente miglioramento della qualità delle localizzazioni utilizzando il modello di velocità crostale 3D. Per cui riteniamo che, l’applicazione del metodo probabilistico associato ad un buon modello di velocità 3D, può essere utilizzato ai fini di sorveglianza

Localizzazione probabilistica 3D (NonLinLoc) applicata all’area calabro-peloritana

Sono presentati e discussi i risultati preliminari relativi ad una ri-localizzazione probabilistica non-lineare 3D dei terremoti dell’area compresa tra il Tirreno meridionale e l’Arco Calabro-Peloritano (Italia meridionale). Scopo del lavoro è dimostrare che l’applicazione di un’approccio probabilistico non-lineare nella localizzazione dei terremoti può fornire dei risultati più accurati ai fini della sorveglianza, ovviando al problema degli outlier, rispetto alle tecniche di localizzazione lineari (e.g. Hypoellipse), che minimizzano simultaneamente tutti i residui tra fasi osservate e calcolate. Il programma utilizzato è NonLinLoc [Lomax, et al., 2000; Lomax, et al., 2001; Lomax, 2005; http://www.alomax.net/nlloc; NonLinLoc di seguito] il quale permette di effettuare un’efficiente ricerca globale dello spazio dei parametri ipocentrali (coordinate spaziali e tempo origine) ottenendo una stima della funzione densità di probabilità (pdf, probability density function) a posteriori. La pdf fornisce una descrizione completa della localizzazione e delle sue incertezze; il campionamento dello spazio dei parametri ipocentrali è stato fatto mediante la tecnica Oct-tree nella regione compresa tra 37.75 e 39.40 N in latitudine e tra 14.80 e 16.80 E in longitudine, e utilizzando tutti gli eventi con profondità H ≤30 km. La struttura dell’Oct-tree è stata imposta in 100,000 celle ed un insieme di queste celle viene poi salvata in modo da poter rappresentare graficamente la pdf mediante nubi di punti a diversa densità. Il dataset utilizzato per le nostre analisi è composto da 1,304 terremoti, di 1.0<M<4.3, registrati nel periodo compreso tra il 1994 e il 2006; il modello di velocità 3D adottato è stato ottenuto da Barberi et al., 2008 [poster presentato a questo convegno] invertendo lo stesso dataset, mediante l’utilizzo del software TomoDD. I risultati ottenuti sono stati confrontati sia con le localizzazioni 1D (Hypoellipse) che con quelle 3D. Si evidenzia una maggiore clusterizzazione degli eventi e, soprattutto, un evidente miglioramento della qualità delle localizzazioni utilizzando il modello di velocità crostale 3D. Per cui riteniamo che, l’applicazione del metodo probabilistico associato ad un buon modello di velocità 3D, può essere utilizzato ai fini di sorveglianza

Seismic location improvements from an OBS/H temporary network in Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

We present the first investigation performed on the seismicity of Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, off-shore Sicily with the contribution of data from broad-band ocean bottom seismometers and hydrophones (OBS/H). Offshore data were recorded during the TYrrhenian Deep sea Experiment (TYDE) from December 2000 to May 2001 in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Hypocenter locations of a cluster of 53 seismic events occurred in March 2001 in north-eastern Sicily were estimated by the integration of land (permanent network) and offshore (temporary network) data and compared with locations estimated from land data only. The scatter of the cluster was evaluated by dispersion parameters. The off-shore data significantly reduced the scatter of the swarm hypocenters also restricting the depth range of the cluster. Moreover, space trends of the event distribution originally shown by the land data were only partially confirmed by the land-sea joint data. In order to assess the efficiency in terms of hypocenter mislocations in the subject area, of a land-sea integrated network with respect to a land-based network, we performed simulations by assuming a grid distribution of earthquakes and a recent local 3D velocity model, computing synthetic arrival times of body waves to the stations of both network configurations (integrated and land-based) perturbing the computed times and relocating earthquakes by inversion. The results of the synthetic tests demonstrated that the presence of sea bottom stations in the Tyrrhenian basin can reduce the mislocations of large magnitude and/or superficial earthquakes in the southernmost Calabria and Messina Strait and of low magnitude and/or deep earthquakes in north-eastern Sicily. The major accuracy of synthetic earthquake locations obtained including OBS/H data provides an additional support to the interpretation of the cluster occurred in March 2001 and to the opportunity of long-term installation of an off-shore network like TYDE in the study region

Double-difference tomography at Mt. Etna volcano

Double-difference tomography at Mt Etna volcano was realized by using the tomographic algorithm developped by Monteiller et al. (2005), in which the travel-time computation was performed using a finite-difference solution of the Eikonal equation (Podvin and Lecomte, 1991) and a posteriori ray-tracing. The inverse problem was solved using a probabilistic approach (Tarantola and Valette, 1982). The optimal a priori information (correlation length and a priori model variance) was found experimentally by performing tomographies for correlation lengths and variances varying in large intervals. This probabilistic approach allowed us to use a sech pdf for representing errors in differential times. Data were travel-times and time delays provided by a set of 329 earthquakes, well-recorded by the INGV-CT seismic network (50 stations) on the Mt Etna volcano during the seismo-volcanic crisis occurring between October 2002 and January 2003. Checkerboard tests realized with this geometry and earthquake pairs showed that the model can be correctly reconstructed in a significant area around Mt Etna volcano. Results of the P and S-wave double-difference tomography clearly evidenced two concentric features: a fast central cylindrical core, probably of intrusive origin, surrounded by a slow annealed body, which could be related to partial melting

Double-difference tomography at Mt Etna volcano: Preliminary results

We performed a preliminary double-difference tomographic study using earthquake data recorded by the INGV-Catania seismic network during the large seismic and eruptive crisis of 2002-2003 at Mt Etna volcano. Compared to previous models, first results presented from the inversion of travel-time differences, tend to show an increase in the velocity contrast between the fast core and the slow periphery of the volcano

Implicating factors in the increase in cases of central precocious puberty (CPP) during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experience of a tertiary centre of pediatric endocrinology and review of the literature

Sexual development is a complex mechanism activated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Over the last one hundred years there has been a decline in the age at puberty onset in industrialised countries. Some Italian studies showed an increase in diagnoses of Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is thus supposed that in this period there was an increased impact of factors that can influence pubertal development. Our retrospective monocentric study aimed to confirm the existence of this phenomenon and analysed possible related factors. We retrospectively evaluated clinical, laboratory, radiological and ultrasound (US) data of 154 girls referred to our Tertiary Centre of Paediatric Endocrinology from January 2019 to April 2021 for different forms of Precocious Puberty. We subdivided the cases into subgroups according to the final diagnosis: CPP, Early Puberty (EP), isolated thelarche and isolated pubarche. The observation period was subdivided into: Period 1, before lockdown (1 January 2019 - 8 March 2020) and Period 2, lockdown and the following months (9 March 2020 - 30 April 2021). Period 2 was further divided into "restrictive lockdown period" (Period 2.1) (March 2020 - 14 June 2020, in which the schools were closed) and "less restrictive lockdown period" (Period 2.2) (15 June 2020 - 30 April 2021). We analysed data regarding the use of electronic devices before and during lockdown in a group of girls with CPP diagnosed in Period 2 and we compared the data with that of a control group. Our data show an increase in the number of new diagnoses of CPP during lockdown and in the following months, compared with the previous period. We also detected a higher use of PCs and smartphones in girls with CPP diagnosed in Period 2, compared with the control group. The percentage of the presence of endometrial rhyme detected during the pelvic ultrasound was higher in girls with CPP in Period 2, compared with the previous period. Based on our data we assume there was an environmental effect on pubertal timing that calls our attention to factors such as food, use of electronic devices and stress. We will need further studies to better understand this data

Albumin and fibronectin adsorption on treated titanium surfaces for osseointegration: An advanced investigation

Protein adsorption has a central role in the outcome of implants. However, there is no consensus about the impact of the different surface properties on the material-protein interactions. Here, the adsorption of albumin and fibmnectin in near-physiological concentration is investigated on three differently treated titanium-based surfaces and compared after a thorough characterization. The different titanium surfaces have very different surface properties, in particular regarding roughness, oxide porosity, wettability, surface energy, and zeta potential, which are all known to deeply affect protein adsorption. By merging several characterization techniques, some conventional and some innovative, it was possible to discriminate the effect of surface properties on different aspects of protein adsorption. Despite forming a continuous layer on all samples, the amount of proteins bound to the surface is mainly due to surface roughness and topography, which can overcome the effect of wettability and surface energy. On the other hand, the secondary structure of albumin and fibmnectin and their orientation are determined by the hydroxyl groups exposed on the surfaces, depending on their surface concentration and acidic reactivity in the former, and the surface zeta potential in the latter