Ambiente e salute a Gela: stato delle conoscenze e prospettive di studio

The high environmental risk area of Gela, Niscemi and Butera includes the Gela Reclamation Site of National Interest (Gela RSNI). If compared to the other sites of national interest, the Gela RSNI is a case in which many important data on environmental matrices and health outcome are available. However these data do not cover all matrices nor the entire risk area, but are mainly limited to the industrial site. These data are also underutilised, almost never integrated, and a clear example of the lacking of coordination and connection between environment and health data collection and management. In Gela there is an important industrial site whose activities have caused over the years a progressive contamination of several environmental matrices, and extremely high levels of chemical toxic, persistent and bio-accumulative pollutants have been found. In this same area, several epidemiological population health studies have been carried out showing a presence of health outcomes higher than in neighbouring areas and in regional data. Most environmental and health data cannot be compared since their respective survey and monitoring systems are planned upon specific regulations having different goals. A local system to assess the relation between environmental pollution and population health is therefore urgently needed to provide risk managers with ad-hoc tools to improve environmental protection and prevent further risks for Gela\u27s population. In this framework, a multidisciplinary working group has been established to study present pollution-exposure-effect data, transform them into a knowledge system, and complete present knowledge on the cycle of pollutants, from migration in the environment to health impact. Workshops were organised in October 2007 and March 2008 in Rome, and in June 2008 in Gela.L\u27area ad alto rischio di crisi ambientale di Gela, Niscemi e Butera include il Sito di Interesse Nazionale per la bonifica di Gela, SIN. A confronto con gli altri, il SIN di Gela ? caratterizzato da ampia disponibilit? di dati di buona qualit? su diverse matrici ambientali e numerosi esiti sanitari. Tuttavia questi dati non coprono tutte le matrici e gli esiti, e sono spesso lacunosi nelle aree esterne al SIN ma interne all\u27area ad alto rischio, che include gli abitati. Inoltre, questi dati sono spesso sottoutilizzati, risulta carente il collegamento tra i due settori ambiente e salute ed un coordinamento organico. Nell\u27area di Gela ? presente un importante polo industriale la cui attivit? ha comportato nel corso degli anni una progressiva contaminazione di diverse matrici ambientali, nelle quali sono stati rilevati livelli estremamente elevati di inquinanti chimici con caratteristiche di tossicit?, persistenza e bioaccumulo. Nella stessa area sono stati effettuati diversi studi epidemiologici sullo stato di salute della popolazione che hanno evidenziato la presenza di patologie in eccesso rispetto alle aree limitrofe e alla regione. La maggior parte dei dati ambientali e sanitari non sono correlabili perch? i sistemi di rilevamento e monitoraggio sono stati pianificati sulla base di normative specifiche con obiettivi differenti. Risulta quindi urgente costruire un sistema locale in grado di valutare l\u27associazione tra l\u27inquinamento ambientale e lo stato di salute della popolazione per poter offrire strumenti mirati ai gestori del rischio per migliorare la protezione ambientale e prevenire ulteriori rischi per la popolazione gelese. In tale contesto, al fine di studiare e sistematizzare le conoscenze attuali sulla concatenazione inquinamento-esposizione-effetto e con l\u27obiettivo di integrare le conoscenze sul ciclo degli inquinanti, dalla migrazione nell\u27ambiente agli effetti sulla salute, ? stato istituto un gruppo di lavoro multidisciplinare per l\u27area di Gela. I seminari si sono svolti a ottobre 2007 e marzo 2008 a Roma e a giugno 2008 a Gela

Analysis of GNSS data at the Moon for the LuGRE project

The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) aims at testing positioning and navigation at the Moon by using Earth Global Navigation Satellite Systems. Within this framework, to support the scientific mission definition and to process on-ground the data that will be collected, a proper GNSS software receiver is needed, implementing advanced signal processing algorithms that enable it to work in the Moon scenario. This paper discusses the issues and potentialities, presenting the preliminary results of the simulation of the Moon environment, as far as the navigation tasks are concerned

Health Impact Assessment Practice and Potential for Integration within Environmental Impact and Strategic Environmental Assessments in Italy

Avoiding or minimizing potential environmental impact is the driving idea behind protecting a population\u27s health via Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs). However, both are often carried out without any systematic approach. This paper describes the findings of a review of HIA, EIA and SEA experiences carried out by the authors, who act as institutional competent subjects at the national and regional levels in Italy. The analysis of how health is tackled in EIA and SEA procedures could support the definition of a protocol for the integration of HIA with EIA and SEA. Although EIA and SEA approaches include the aim of protecting health, significant technical and methodological gaps are present when assessing health systematically, and their basic principles regarding assessment are unsatisfactory for promoting and addressing healthcare concepts stated by the WHO. HIA is still poorly integrated into the decision-making process, screening and monitoring phases are only occasionally implemented, and operational details are not well-defined. The collaborative approach of institutions involved in environment and health is a core element in a systematic advancement toward supporting effective decisions and effective protection of the environment and health. At the Italian national level, the definition of guidelines and tools for HIA, also in relation with EIA and SEA, is of great interest

Diophantine approximations and convergence of series in Banach spaces

n this paper we give a new proof of a known diophantine approximation result, then we apply this to prove convergence of a class of series in a Banach space, whose terms are defined recursively

Sulle serie il cui termine generale è definito per ricorrenza

In this paper we prove some theorems that emphasize properties of the series whose terms are defined recursively. Suitable examples and counter-examples complete the theory

Uniforme distribuzione ed applicazioni ad una classe di serie ricorrenti

In this paper we investigate the uniform distribution in [0,T] (T ∊ R+- Q) of a suitable sequence. Then we give an interesting application to the study of a class of series whose terms are defined recursively

Synchronization analysis of language and physiology in human dyads

Extrait du corpus d'Orléans, réalisé dans le cadre de l'Enquête SocioLinguistique à Orléans à la fin des années 1960.Témoin : mère consultante (naissance : aucun renseignement) Enseignement : aucun renseignement Profession : aucun renseignement INSEE aucun renseignement Echelle AM : aucun renseignement Famille : aucun renseignement, sauf fils de 12 ans Enregistrement : présentation du problème Transcription : - Problème : cherche orientation pour fils ne réussissant pas à l'école Lieu : au cabinet du témoin Acoustique : assez bonneenregistrement : présentation du problèm

Synchronization analysis of language and physiology in human dyads

We studied the synchronization dynamics of a therapist and patient during a psychotherapy session. This investigation was developed in order to explore a new possible perspective and methodology for studying the expression of emotions. More specifically, literature concerning synchronization of in-session non-verbal variables emphasises its positive correlation with empathy and therapeutic outcomes. We compared the dynamics of galvanic skin response (GSR) and linguistic prosody, chosen as indicators of emotional expression in different domains. We studied their synchronization through complementary methodologies: Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Markov Transition Matrix (MTM) and Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis (CRQA). We investigated the nonlinearity of GSR in terms of self-similarity and power-law, as emerged in autocorrelation functions and signal variations. We considered time-lagged correlations as a measure of dynamical systems' memory. This article concludes by highlighting the importance of a deeper study of all variables related to the psychotherapeutic process and their synchronization in order to extend our knowledge of general human dynamics.</p