GEOMATICS IN BRIDGE STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING, INTEGRATING TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING TECHNIQUES AND GEOTECHNICAL INSPECTIONS ON A HIGH VALUE CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. The paper presents preliminary findings from a research study designed to assess the health status of a medieval bridge built on 1500 under the Medici dynasty over the river Sieve, close to Florence. The structure, a two span stone bridge with a main central pillar, experienced some restructuring interventions from 1555 to the present. The left span has been closed for some decades, and for many years the water has been allowed to float under it in case of severe flood only. At the beginning of year 2000 the left span has been opened to the regular flux of water. After opening, a maelstrom has been noticed as permanently present at the main pier's basis highlighting the presence of a fracture in the concrete base around the central pile of the bridge. In order to investigate structural health and to assess bridge's stability structural inspections and hydraulic surveys have been carried out. This manuscript reports Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) survey results. Surface comparisons to identify anomalies and defromations have been carried out by exploiting Two TLS campaigns that were performed within a 6 years time span.</p

WELFARE, PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITATIVE TRAITS OF EGG IN LAYING HENS REARED UNDER DIFFERENT REARING SYSTEMS

The welfare, production performance and some qualitative characteristics of eggs obtained under three different rearing systems (conventional, organic and organic-plus) were compared. Three homogeneous groups, each of 120 White Leghorn hens, fed the same diets, were assigned to different rearing systems and data were recorded for 1 year. The welfare indicators were the following: first impact, behavioural patterns, tonic immobility and plumage status. Productive performance was recorded (% deposition; egg weight) and some qualitative traits (Haugh index, yolk colour, yolk, albumen and egg shell weight) were evaluated. Well-being was greatly affected by rearing system. The best welfare status was observed in hens of the organic-plus group, whereas the worst was in the conventional group (caged hens). Caged hens showed little interest or fear of observers, at times they had high tonic immobility and some aggressive pecking; the status of their plumage was very poor. On the contrary, caged hens produced more eggs, even if their qualitative traits (Haugh index and yolk colour) were worse than the organicplus eggs. The intense motor activity of organic hens and the concurrent intake of grass reduced their productive level; further egg deposition seemed more affected by seasonal variation

High Accuracy Field Mappings with a Laser Monitored Travelling Mole

The LEP Spectrometer is an alternative method adopted to predict the LEP beam Energy. A bending magnet is flanked on either side by tgree beam position monitors /BPM) used to determine thedeflection angle of the beam. In order to reach the desired accuracy on the beam energy a relative precision of a few 10-5 on the magnetic field intefral is necessary. The magnet is a full-iron core dipole, 5.75 m long, of the MBI type used in the LEP injection region. It has been specially designed in order to have high field uniformity

Outcomes of the 9th EGU Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Storms (2007)

No abstract available

Has Xylella fastidiosa &quot;chosen&quot; olive trees to establish in the Mediterranean basin?

<p>Severe decline of olive trees was observed in the Lecce province, Apulia (Italy), and received the name ‘complesso del disseccamento rapido dell’olivo’ (olive rapid decline complex). Affected plants showed leaf scorch symptoms and dieback of twigs, branches and even of the whole plant. Similar symptoms, unusual for the area, have also been observed in other Apulian localities (Cerignola, Foggia, Canosa di Puglia, and Andria). Three fungal species were associated with the symptoms: Phaeoacremonium aleophilum, Neofusicoccum parvum, and Pleurostomophora richardsiae. The latter is the first report of this fungal species infecting olives. In the Lecce province, the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa also was detected from affected olive trees. Xylella fastidiosa is a quarantine agent in Europe that had been previously reported in the Mediterranean region, but did not spread probably because of the lack of a vector. Present findings suggest that this fundamental condition has now been met.</p