An analysis of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) traffic collisions in the Belluno province, eastern Italian Alps

Data of roe deer traffic collisions from 1989 to 2004 in the Belluno province were analyzed to describe patterns of road kills by zone, season and sex and to compare resulting annual trends and sex ratios with those estimated for roe deer population. The province was divided in 2 districts on the base of differences in climate, landscape and roe deer population status. Pearson's simple correlation was used to investigate the associations, in the two districts, among road kills data, year, population density, traffic index, and snow depth. Bonferroni's confidential intervals to 95% of significance were used to compare the monthly distributions of collisions between sexes and between districts. In conclusion, the analysis of car accidents may not reflect population trends and sex ratios when traffic rates change and when different ecological factors, others from deer density, influence the probability of deer to incur in a car accident. In addition, differences of accident probability between sexes and months can be found in areas with different landscapes, climates and population structures. These factors should be evaluated in order to manage accident risk and to understand the potential of car accidents records as a tool for monitoring population status

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) damages to mountain grassland. A case study in the Belluno province, eastern Italian Alps

Five alpine pastures (34±14ha) of the Belluno province, patchily damaged by wild boar, were chosen to investigate on main environmental parameters that might influence the rooting sites selection. Eighty damage sites were examined. For each damage surrounding type of grassland and distance from woodland were recorded and mapped using a G.I.S. software. Proportional availability (% of total pasture surface) of grassland types (rough grass, rich grass, degraded, shrubs and trees) and classes of distance from woodland (120m), and the respective use (% of total damage events) were estimated and compared with Chi-square test. A selection index was calculated as use/availability and Bonferroni confidence intervals (95%) were used to test significance. Degraded pastures and areas closer to woodland blocks were preferred. A vegetational analysis inside and outside the damaged areas showed a reduction in frequency of species producing bulbs and rhizomes, and in Poaceae as respect to other families of lower forage value. Future studies should investigate the role of different root forms, and invertebrate richness, on rooting site selection. Longer term studies are also needed to better define the evolution of pasture botanical composition of damaged areas

Risk assessment of a bulk cryogenic tank: Beyond the Leak-Before-Break criterion

International audienceThe increase in the size and production capacity of air separation plants has boosted the need of developing methodologies to properly assess the risk related to major releases of liquefied gas. In this respect, the Leak-Before-Break (LBB) assessment is currently adopted to demonstrate the safety of the structures containing liquefied gas, under the assumption that the tank is always operated in nominal conditions. This assumption is questioned in this paper, which proposes a new methodology for the assessment of the risks related to cryogenic tank catastrophic rupture. The methodology provides a comprehensive understanding of the issues associated to the worst case rupture scenario: from the investigation of the causes of the undesirable operating conditions up to the analysis of the associated structural consequences, within a probabilistic framewo

A reinforcement learning framework for optimal operation and maintenance of power grids

International audienc

Vulnerable personality and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy consequent to emotional stressful events: a clinical case report

Introduction: Although the onset of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) can be triggered by an acute, intense emotional stress, the exact pathogenic mechanisms still remain undefined. Presentation: A 58-year-old female was sent by ambulance to the Emergency Department (ED) for chest pain and ST elevations on ECG. Her chest pain began 3 hours before on admission after a domestic argument. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed severe systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 20%. Cardiac catheterization revealed no significant coronary artery disease. The left ventriculogram showed apical ballooning with hyperdynamic proximal segments. A diagnosis of Takotsubo Cardiomyophaty (TTC) was made according to the Mayo Clinic 2008 criteria. The patient evolved with improvement of her condition and, therefore, was discharged from the hospital. Follow-up echocardiogram seven days later showed normal LV size and function with ejection fraction (EF) of 43%. Paykel Life Stress Event Scale identified as emotional trigger a domestic argument occurred 3 hours before symptom onset. History showed a major life stress event, death of a loved one, six months before symptoms. The patient underwent psychological assessment after hospital discharge by Emotional Regulation Questionnaire and BDI showing high suppression/ low reappraisal profile and moderate depression. Conclusion: This case highlights the hypothesis of a possible link between cognitive emotional processing and vulnerability to Takotsubo syndrome

Weight loss and clinical characteristics of young adults patients seeking treatment at medical centers: Data from the QUOVADIS Study

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical characteristics, attrition, weight loss, and psychological changes of obese young adults and obese adults seeking treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1530 individuals seeking treatment in 18 Italian medical centers were evaluated. 382 cases (25%) were classified as young adults (age≤35 years), 1148 (75%) as adults (>35 years). Psychological distress, binge eating, body uneasiness, and attitude towards eating were evaluated, at baseline and after a 12-month weight-loss program, together with BMI changes. Weight-loss expectations and primary motivation for seeking treatment were also recorded. RESULTS: At baseline, young adults reported significantly higher BMI at age 20, weight loss expectations and body uneasiness scores than adults. A significantly higher percentage of young adults also reported improving appearance as primary reason for seeking treatment. The attrition rate was significantly larger in young adults. Among completers, the mean percent weight loss at 12 months and improvement of psychosocial variables were significantly higher in young adults than in adults. By intention to treat, BMI changes were no longer significant between groups. DISCUSSION: Obese young adults lose more weight and considerably improve psychological distress, but show a higher attrition rate after 12 months of continuous care in a real world medical setting

Automating Integration of Heterogeneous COTS Components

Abstract. Mismatches make COTS components difficult to be incorporated. In this paper, an approach is presented to eliminate mismatches among COTS components, which can truly consider COTS components as black boxes. In the approach, only the assembly description of components is required, based on which adaptors for resolving mismatches can be generated automatically. This paper also described an agent-based GUI implementation of the approach.