Geochemistry of fluids discharged over the seismic area of the Southern Apennines (Calabria region, Southern Italy): Implications for Fluid-Fault relationships

The first comprehensive geochemical data-set of the fluids circulating over a 14,000 km2-wide seismicprone area of the Southern Apennines, Calabria Region (Italy), is presented here. The geochemical investigations were carried out with the twofold aim of constraining the origin and interactions of the circulating fluids and to investigate possible relationships with local faults. Sixty samples of both thermal and cold waters were collected, from which the dissolved gases were extracted. The geochemical features of the water samples display different types and degrees of water–rock interactions, irrespective of the outlet temperature. The calculated equilibrium temperatures of the thermal waters (60–160 C) and the low heat flow of thewhole study area, are consistent with a heating process due to deep water circulation and rapid upflow through lithospheric structures. The composition of the dissolved gases reveals that crustal-originating gases (N2 and CO2-dominated) feed all the groundwaters. The 3He/4He ratios of the dissolved He, in the range of 0.03–0.22Rac for the thermal waters and 0.05–0.63Rac for the cold waters (Rac = He isotope ratio corrected for atmospheric contamination), are mainly the result of a two-component (radiogenic and atmospheric) mixing, although indications of mantle-derived He are found in some cold waters. As the study area had been hit by 18 of the most destructive earthquakes (magnitude ranging from 5.9 to 7.2) occurring over a 280-a time span (1626–1908) in the Southern Apennines, the reported results on the circulating fluids may represent the reference for a better inside knowledge of the fault-fluid relationships and for the development of long-term geochemical monitoring strategies for the area

HELIUM ISOTOPES AND TECTONICS IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Geodynamic evolution of southern Italy can be understood within the framework of the Mediterranean- Alpine System. Subduction of a plate along the Sicily- Calabrian forearc under the Tyrrhenian Sea has been suggested by many geophysicists, although it is not yet confirmed and remains somewhat controversial. Helium isotope ratios provide useful information on the geotectonic structure of the region. We report here the 3He/4He ratios of terrestrial gas samples from southern Italy. The observed 3He/4He ratios are relatively high in the Eolian volcanic arc region and low in the other areas. Dichotomous explanations are presented. Firstly volcanic arc-forearc hypothesis suggests the subduction along the Sicily-Calabrian forearc. Secondly horizontal transport hypothesis is described based on the relationship between the ratios and radial distance from the recent spreading basin in Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

Desempenho produtivo de ovinos deslanados da raça Santa Inês no Estado do Piauí.

Desempenho reprodutivo; Peso das matrizes; Peso das crias.bitstream/item/35788/1/Bol19.pd

Remote detection of fumarolic gas chemistry at Vulcano, Italy, using an FT-IR spectral radiometer

An infrared absorption spectroscopy remote sensing technique was used to determine the S02/HCl ratio in fumarolic plumes at Vulcano, Italy. The measurements were made from the southern crater rim of Fossa Grande Crater, about 400 m from the fumarolic area in the crater. Infrared absorption spectra of HCl and SO, were observed for four fumaroles a few tens of metres apart using the hot fumarolic surface as an infrared light source. The measured S02/HCl ratios in the FA, F47, FW and lower parti of the F21 fumaroles were 4.5-5.4, 3.5, 9.5-11.2 and 5.8 respectively. The S02/HCl ratio of the FA fumarole was higher than that of the gas collected directly in the fumarolic vent (S02/HCl ratio = 2.9), and was closer to the S~,,,,,,/HCl ratio (= 4.6) of the collected gas. Our results show that the SO,/HCl ratios of two fumaroles only a few tens of metres apart exhibits differences of about twofold. This suggests that this remote monitoring technique is capable of detecting spatial distribution in the S02/HCl ratios of volcanic plumes. Because temporal variations in S/Cl ratios can provide precursory signals for volcanic eruptions [l-31, this remote sensing technique can used efficiently for evaluation of volcanic activity

Effective Edge-Fault-Tolerant Single-Source Spanners via Best (or Good) Swap Edges

Computing \emph{all best swap edges} (ABSE) of a spanning tree $T$ of a given $n$-vertex and $m$-edge undirected and weighted graph $G$ means to select, for each edge $e$ of $T$, a corresponding non-tree edge $f$, in such a way that the tree obtained by replacing $e$ with $f$ enjoys some optimality criterion (which is naturally defined according to some objective function originally addressed by $T$). Solving efficiently an ABSE problem is by now a classic algorithmic issue, since it conveys a very successful way of coping with a (transient) \emph{edge failure} in tree-based communication networks: just replace the failing edge with its respective swap edge, so as that the connectivity is promptly reestablished by minimizing the rerouting and set-up costs. In this paper, we solve the ABSE problem for the case in which $T$ is a \emph{single-source shortest-path tree} of $G$, and our two selected swap criteria aim to minimize either the \emph{maximum} or the \emph{average stretch} in the swap tree of all the paths emanating from the source. Having these criteria in mind, the obtained structures can then be reviewed as \emph{edge-fault-tolerant single-source spanners}. For them, we propose two efficient algorithms running in $O(m n +n^2 \log n)$ and $O(m n \log \alpha(m,n))$ time, respectively, and we show that the guaranteed (either maximum or average, respectively) stretch factor is equal to 3, and this is tight. Moreover, for the maximum stretch, we also propose an almost linear $O(m \log \alpha(m,n))$ time algorithm computing a set of \emph{good} swap edges, each of which will guarantee a relative approximation factor on the maximum stretch of $3/2$ (tight) as opposed to that provided by the corresponding BSE. Surprisingly, no previous results were known for these two very natural swap problems.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, SIROCCO 201

Effect of COVID-19 isolation measures on physical activity of children and their parents, and role of the family environment: a cross-sectional study

Background. The rigorous isolation measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic seriously impacted children’s lifestyles. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to collect and analyze information about physical activity habits of children and their parents during the social distancing period resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods. An online questionnaire was administered to 363 families (507 children aged 5-13) recruited by convenience sampling, asking for physical activity type and frequency before, during, and after the lockdown period (9th March - May 3rd 2020), education, outdoor spaces, and children’s weight gain perception. Results. Results show a remarkable decrease in children’s physical activity during lockdown (88.9 vs 39.8% active children) associated with older age and low availability of outdoor spaces (p<0.001). Parents’ physical activity was related to educational level, and a slight but significant correlation between parents’ education and children’s physical activity was found, especially with father’s university degree (p<0.05). Active mothers significantly influenced children’s physical activity during the lockdown, especially if not engaged in smart working. The return to an active lifestyle by children did not reach previous levels (75.9% active children) and was directly related to parent’s physical activity. Finally, the risk of weight gain was lower in active children during the lockdown (OR = 0.46; p<0.001). Conclusions. This work highlights the importance of physical activity during a pandemic event to prevent the risk of gaining weight, and underlines the relevance of the entire family system as a source of promotion of healthy behaviors in children

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) effect on the growth of Solanum lycopersicum cv. Roma plants

This study shows the direct effect of atmospheric particulate matter on plant growth. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants were grown for 18. d directly on PM10 collected on quartz fiber filters. Organic and elemental carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contents were analyzed on all the tested filters. The toxicity indicators (i.e., seed germination, root elongation, shoot and/or fresh root weight, chlorophyll and carotenoids content) were quantified to study the negative and/or positive effects in the plants via root uptake. Substantial differences were found in the growth of the root apparatus with respect to that of the control plants. A 17-58% decrease of primary root elongation, a large amount of secondary roots and a decrease in shoot (32%) and root (53-70%) weights were found. Quantitative analysis of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) indicated that an oxidative burst in response to abiotic stress occurred in roots directly grown on PM10, and this detrimental effect was also confirmed by the findings on the chlorophyll content and chlorophyll-to-carotenoid ratio

Inferences on physico-chemical conditions and gas-water interaction by new quantitative approaches: The case of Panarea (Italy)

We have developed two new quantitative approaches to calculate temperatures in hydrothermal reservoirs by using the CO2-CH4-CO-H2 gaseous system and to model selective dissolution of CO2-H2S-N2-CH4-He-Ne mixtures in fresh and/or air saturated seawater. The anomalous outgassing starting November 2003 from the submarine exhalative system offshore Panarea island (Italy), was the occasion to apply such approaches to the extensive collection of volcanic gases. Gas geothermometry suggest the presence of a deep geothermal system at temperature up to 350°C and about 12 mol% CO2 in the vapor, which feeds the submarine emissions. Based on the fractional dissolution model, the rising geothermal vapor interacts with air-saturated seawater at low depths, dissolving 30-40% CO2 and even more H2S, modifying the pH of the aqueous solution and stripping the dissolved atmospheric volatiles (N2, Ne). Interaction of the liquid phase of the thermal fluids with country rocks, as well extensive mixing with seawater, have been also recognized and quantified. The measured output of hydrothermal fluids from Panarea exhalative field [1] accounts for the involvement of volatiles from an active degassing magma, nonetheless the climax of the investigated phenomenon is probably overcome and the system is new tending towards a steady-state. Our quantitative approaches allow us to monitor the geochemical indicators of the geothermal physico-chemical conditions and their potential evolution towards phreatic events or massive gas releases, which certainly are the main hazards to be expected in the area. The event at Panarea has in fact highlighted how hydrothermal systems can exhibit dramatic and sudden changes of their physico-chemical conditions and rate of fluid release, as a response to variable activity of feeding magmatic systems

The Benthic Boundary Layer: geochemical and oceanographic data from the GEOSTAR-2 observatory

Geochemical and oceanographic data, acquired throughout 6 months by the GEOSTAR-2 benthic observatory in southern Tyrrhenian Sea, evidenced ocean-lithosphere interactions in the 1900-m deep Benthic Boundary Layer (BBL), distinguishing two water masses with different origin and, possibly, benthic residence time. Gas concentration, helium isotopic ratios, radioactivity, temperature, salinity and vertical component of the current converged towards the indication of a BBL characterised by a colder and fresher western water (WW), which is episodically displaced by the cascading of the warmer and saltier Eastern Overflow Water (EOW). The benthic WW has higher concentration of geochemical tracers diffusing from the seafloor sediments. The data set shows the potential of long-term, continuous and multiparametric monitoring in providing unique information which cannot be acquired by traditional, short-term or single-sensor investigations