A methodology to improve public transport system

The quality of pedestrian routes of access to public transport system (PTS) is an important aspect for the choice of transport mode, that can be evaluated also using some indicators as accessibility, comfort, frequency, etc... The policies for urban sustainable mobility must reflect the design and management of mass transit systems, but also the judgment of users in term of quality and perception of PTS. The purpose is reassess slow mobility encouraging the intermodal mobility between pedestrian and public transport. So the walking can be considered as alternative mode of urban transport and a moment of break from the chaos of modern life. It’s role should be considered as an important element for a new model of structuring the city. Using Geomatics it has developed a methodology for the assessment of accessibility to the PTS, that takes into account the quality of pedestrian path to reach the bus stop. Distance between bus-stops, human energy expended to reach the stops of the PTS etc.. are some elements analyzed in this study. The qualitative and quantitative data of the pedestrian network access have been managed in a Geographic Information System (GIS), proving a valuable tool that can handle a large amount of spatial and heterogeneous data. The results can be of support both at the planning /strategic level that also to the users, if inserted in the context of Web-GIS, making it competitive the integration between pedestrian mobility and PTS

New mobility strategies for the development of tourism in Sicily

Tourism and Transport is a well established and inseparable pair. An areas can increase the tourism in potentially own economy. This requires suitable accommodation and adequate transportation system. A positive synergy effects are induced to increase of the site. Transport is an important growth area for tourism and as a result. A better functioning of transport facilitates access to sites, decreases the cost of transport and increases tourist flows. In Sicily there are a wealth of artistic, archaeological and natural sites, generating a tourist flows during the year. Despite this, the network of connections and services is precarious. Residents and visitors are inaccessible to certain geographical areas. Often airport nodes are isolated for tourist as residents and connections to main destinations are by road transport, because rail is not competitive. Congestion of the main arteries increase negative externalities related to road transport and for tourists increases the negative perception of the journey. In this paper we propose guidelines for sustainable tourism, by analyzing the supply of mobility. The case study examines the reality of the stretch of waterfront in Western Sicily (Palermo to Trapani), introducing a faster shipping service to facilitate accessibility to tourist sites along the coast, with a network of connections that includes airports nodes

Full integration of geomorphological, geotechnical, A-DInSAR and damage data for detailed geometric-kinematic features of a slow-moving landslide in urban area

AbstractThe reconnaissance, mapping and analysis of kinematic features of slow-moving landslides evolving along medium-deep sliding surfaces in urban areas can be a difficult task due to the presence and interactions of/with anthropic structures/infrastructures and human activities that can conceal morphological signs of landslide activity. The paper presents an integrated approach to investigate the boundaries, type of movement, kinematics and interactions (in terms of damage severity distribution) with the built environment of a roto-translational slow-moving landslide affecting the historic centre of Lungro town (Calabria region, southern Italy). For this purpose, ancillary multi-source data (e.g. geological-geomorphological features and geotechnical properties of geomaterials), both conventional inclinometer monitoring and innovative non-invasive remote sensing (i.e. A-DInSAR) displacement data were jointly analyzed and interpreted to derive the A-DInSAR-geotechnical velocity (DGV) map of the landslide. This result was then cross-compared with detailed information available on the visible effects (i.e. crack pattern and width) on the exposed buildings along with possible conditioning factors to displacement evolution (i.e. remedial works, sub-services, etc.). The full integration of multi-source data available at the slope scale, by maximizing each contribution, provided a comprehensive outline of kinematic-geometric landslide features that were used to investigate the damage distribution and to detect, if any, anomalous locations of damage severity and relative possible causes. This knowledge can be used to manage landslide risk in the short term and, in particular, is propaedeutic to set up an advanced coupled geotechnical-structural model to simulate both the landslide displacements and the behavior of interacting buildings and, therefore, to implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies over medium/long period

Accessibility urban and central business

The structures and facilities of large dimensions, such as shopping malls centers and leisure facilities are an important component in the expansion of contemporary cities and urban planning. Urban planning and transport have to be involved in the strategic role of policy related to business planning, this is the aim the city has to requalify the suburbs and large marginal areas. This study analyzes the characteristics and the dynamics that influence the mobility demand and the impact that these greet attractors have on mobility itself

Adiabatic dynamics in open quantum critical many-body systems

The purpose of this work is to understand the effect of an external environment on the adiabatic dynamics of a quantum critical system. By means of scaling arguments we derive a general expression for the density of excitations produced in the quench as a function of its velocity and of the temperature of the bath. We corroborate the scaling analysis by explicitly solving the case of a one-dimensional quantum Ising model coupled to an Ohmic bath.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; revised version to be published in Phys. Rev. Let

Heterogeneous Catalytic Approaches in C-H Activation Reactions

This review summarizes the development of user-friendly, recyclable and easily separable heterogeneous catalysts for C–H activation during the last decade until December 2015

Neuropathology of the Guillain-Mollaret Triangle (Dentato-Rubro-Olivary Network) in Sudden Unexplained Perinatal Death and SIDS

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible alterations of the triangle of Guillain and Mollaret (G-Mt), a neuronal brainstem/cerebellum network (from the dentate nucleus to red nucleus and inferior olivary nucleus) already known for its involvement in the pathogenesis of the palatal myoclonus, in sudden unexplained perinatal and infant death. In 44 cases of perinatal and infant death victims, aged from 26 gestational weeks to 10 months of life, we investigated, besides the histological morphology of the three nuclei, the c-fos and apoptotic expression, as well as the possible effects elicited by maternal cigarette smoking

Hernia of Foramen of Morgagni in Adult: Case Report of Laparoscopic Repair

The videolaparoscopic repair of a diaphragmatic hernia of Morgagni by external knot tying technique is described. A 69-year-old woman with subocclusive symptoms by intrathoracic migration of abdominal viscera had an immediate and complete postoperative recovery. The hernial sac was not excised. A four-year follow-up shows no hernia recurrence. This case indicated that the laparoscopic approach can be considered a suitable and safe procedure for treatment of Morgagni's hernia

BDP/formoterol MART asthma exacerbation benefit increases with blood eosinophil level

A number of studies have evaluated the effectiveness of a “Maintenance And Reliever Therapy” (MART) regimen combining in a single inhaler the rapid-acting, long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) formoterol fumarate (FF) with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) in asthma. Such a regimen is now established for the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma in adolescents and adults in many guidelines. Furthermore, rescue short-acting β2-agonists (SABAs) are no longer recommended as sole therapy even for patients with mild asthma, and an ICS/FF combination used as needed is the preferred reliever therapy