L’evoluzione recente e i processi erosivi di alveo del Torrente Tiepido presso Maranello (Modena)

Vengono descritti i processi erosivi di alveo manifestatisi nel T. Tiepido presso Maranello (MO) al suo sbocco in pianura. Sono fornite indicazioni sugli aspetti geologici, vegetazionali e idrologici del bacino imbrifero e analizzati l'evoluzione quaternaria e i pesanti condizionamenti antropici subiti dal corso d'acqua in tempi recenti

Thalamocortical bistable switch as a theoretical model of fibromyalgia pathogenesis inferred from a literature survey

Fibromyalgia (FM) is an unsolved central pain processing disturbance. We aim to provide a unifying model for FM pathogenesis based on a loop network involving thalamocortical regions, i.e., the ventroposterior lateral thalamus (VPL), the somatosensory cortex (SC), and the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). The dynamics of the loop have been described by three differential equations having neuron mean firing rates as variables and containing Hill functions to model mutual interactions among the loop elements. A computational analysis conducted with MATLAB has shown a transition from monostability to bistability of the loop behavior for a weakening of GABAergic transmission between TRN and VPL. This involves the appearance of a high-firing-rate steady state, which becomes dominant and is assumed to represent pathogenic pain processing giving rise to chronic pain. Our model is consistent with a bulk of literature evidence, such as neuroimaging and pharmacological data collected on FM patients, and with correlations between FM and immunoendocrine conditions, such as stress, perimenopause, chronic inflammation, obesity, and chronic dizziness. The model suggests that critical targets for FM treatment are to be found among immunoendocrine pathways leading to GABA/glutamate imbalance having an impact on the thalamocortical system

Excursion to the valley of the Torrente Tiepido

The morphological evolution of the Torrent Tiepido (Province of Modena) is described. Following intense gravel excavation from its riverbed, this watercourse has been subject to accelerated erosion which has caused several problems to bridges and hydraulic structures. The remedial measures carried out in order to control this man-induced erosional process are discussed

Copper-Triggered Aggregation of Ubiquitin

Neurodegenerative disorders share common features comprising aggregation of misfolded proteins, failure of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and increased levels of metal ions in the brain. Protein aggregates within affected cells often contain ubiquitin, however no report has focused on the aggregation propensity of this protein. Recently it was shown that copper, differently from zinc, nickel, aluminum, or cadmium, compromises ubiquitin stability and binds to the N-terminus with 0.1 micromolar affinity. This paper addresses the role of copper upon ubiquitin aggregation. In water, incubation with Cu(II) leads to formation of spherical particles that can progress from dimers to larger conglomerates. These spherical oligomers are SDS-resistant and are destroyed upon Cu(II) chelation or reduction to Cu(I). In water/trifluoroethanol (80∶20, v/v), a mimic of the local decrease in dielectric constant experienced in proximity to a membrane surface, ubiquitin incubation with Cu(II) causes time-dependent changes in circular dichroism and Fourier-transform infrared spectra, indicative of increasing β-sheet content. Analysis by atomic force and transmission electron microscopy reveals, in the given order, formation of spherical particles consistent with the size of early oligomers detected by gel electrophoresis, clustering of these particles in straight and curved chains, formation of ring structures, growth of trigonal branches from the rings, coalescence of the trigonal branched structures in a network. Notably, none of these ubiquitin aggregates was positive to tests for amyloid and Cu(II) chelation or reduction produced aggregate disassembly. The early formed Cu(II)-stabilized spherical oligomers, when reconstituted in 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) liposomes and in POPC planar bilayers, form annular and pore-like structures, respectively, which are common to several neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion diseases, and have been proposed to be the primary toxic species. Susceptibility to aggregation of ubiquitin, as it emerges from the present study, may represent a potential risk factor for disease onset or progression while cells attempt to tag and process toxic substrates

A Real-Time Space Debris Detection System for BIRALES

The ever increasing satellite population in near-Earth orbit has made the monitoring and tracking of cooperative and non-cooperative objects ever more important. Non-cooperative objects, or space debris, pose a threat to existing and future satellites as they cannot avoid potential collisions. Furthermore, the orbit of the smaller debris is often not actively monitored. As the population grows, the risk of a collision increases. Thus, various institutions around the world have been upgrading their space detection capabilities in order to better monitor the objects orbiting Earth down to a few centimetres in diameter. One of the latest such systems is the BIstatic RAdar for LEo Survey (BIRALES) space debris detection system based in Italy. The BIRALES system is a bistatic radar composed of a radio transmitter in Sardinia and the Medicina Northern Cross radio telescope near Bologna as the receiver. The backend of this system includes a digital beamformer able to synthetize 32 beams covering the instrument's Field of View (FoV). As a high-velocity object transits, its Doppler shift signature (or track) can be measured. Whilst a number of streak detection algorithms have been proposed for optical telescopes, the number of detection algorithms for high-speed objects for bistatic radars is limited. This work describes the detection algorithm used in the BIRALES space debris detection pipeline. The detection algorithm takes the beamformed, channelized data as input. Firstly, the data undergoes a number of pre-processing stages before the potential space debris candidates are identified. Secondly, the candidates are validated against a number of criteria in order to improve the detection quality. The algorithm was designed to process the incoming data across 32 beams in real-time. Initial validation results on known objects are positive and the system has been shown to reliably determine orbiting objects with minimal false positives

Which Is The More Advisable Treatment For RecurrentInflammatory Pseudotumour Of The Liver? A Case Report.

In this report the authors describe the case of a recurrency of a liver pseudotumor previously described from the same authors,characterised by an hepatic mass in a woman aged 62. The infiltrative pattern of the mass at the US scan suggested amalignant hepatic neoplasm. The histologic examination of the needle biopsy of the liver suggested the diagnosis of aninflammatory lesion of the liver having the features of an inflammatory pseudotumour. The diagnostic and therapeuticimplications of this rare pathology are here considere

Tunnelling-induced displacements and damage on framed structures. Comparison between numerical models

The paper focuses on the response of framed structures to tunnel excavation in sand. Standard 3D Finite Element analyses, in which the structural elements are explicitly detailed, as well as simplified equivalent beam models were adopted to simulate the influence of the frame and that of the masonry infills. Both approaches well captured the main soil-structure interaction mechanisms. The presence of stiff masonry infills was found to reduce the angular distortions of the frame bays and, as such, to reduce the tunnelling induced damage. For the first time, insights into the efficiency of two-stage models implementing equivalent Timoshenko beams for framed buildings are given

Finite Element modelling of tunnelling-induced displacements on framed structures

The construction of tunnels in urban areas inevitably entails the interaction with existing structures. While the effect of tunnel excavation on masonry structures has been thoroughly studied, the response of framed buildings has not been widely investigated in the past. In this paper, a parametric study of the response to tunnelling of reinforced concrete framed structures founded on strip footings is carried out using the Finite Element method. The foundations and the structural members of the building are modelled with a sufficient detail and a realistic contact law is employed to simulate the interaction between the foundation and the adjacent soil. Results are summarised in terms of deflection ratios and modification factors for horizontal strains. It is shown that the structural stiffness, mainly provided by the foundation, on average reduces the differential settlements and the horizontal displacements of the frame as compared to greenfield conditions. However, in contrast with what discussed in previously published papers, while the deflection ratio in sagging reduces as the number of floors becomes larger, it increases in hogging, which always occurs at the ends of the foundation. This evidence appears to be related to the non-uniform contact pressure at the soil-foundation interface and to the peculiar load distribution associated to the frame geometry

An equivalent beam approach for assessing tunnelling-induced distortions of frames with infills

This paper presents an approach to evaluate the response of low- and medium-rise frames with continuous foundations, either with or without infills, to tunnelling employing an equivalent beam with a behaviour dominated by shear deformations. Simplified soil-structure interaction models, consisting of a beam resting on an elastic continuum half-space, are compared against advanced three-dimensional analyses in which the tunnel, the soil, and the building are explicitly modelled. In the simplified approach, the frame is schematised as a Timoshenko beam and reliable procedures to estimate both bending and shear stiffness are discussed. In the refined modelling strategy, an advanced elastoplastic constitute law is employed, capable of reproducing fairly well the soil response to the excavation for increasing values of volume loss, while the full geometry of the structure is considered. First, the results of the proposed numerical approaches are compared in terms of tunnelling-induced foundation displacements, bay deformations and maximum tensile strains in the infills. Then, for the infill panels, the reliability of estimating the maximum tensile strain from the angular distortion of the frame bays is assessed. Finally, a meta-model is proposed to predict the maximum angular distortion based on greenfield settlements, eccentricity, and relative soil-structure stiffness