IR-based satellite and radar rainfall estimates of convective storms over northern Italy

Convective precipitation events in northern Italy during 1996 and 1997 are analysed using two infrared-based geosynchronous satellite rainfall estimation methods to verify the level of applicability of the techniques for operational applications in the area, their quantitative results, and relative performances. The Negri–Adler–Wetzel (NAW) and the convective stratiform technique (CST) are applied to METEOSAT's thermal infrared (IR) data. C-band radar reflectivity fields detail the vertical and horizontal structure of the cloud systems, and radar rainfall data are retrieved. Satellite rain areas are checked against simultaneous radar rainfall retrievals through a contingency analysis procedure. A semi-quantitative analysis is presented. Positive brightness temperature differences between water vapour and thermal IR channels are also examined and related to the storms' development stage and rainrate. Results show that NAW and CST perform reasonably in delimiting rain areas during active convection and care should be used in the initial and final development stage when statistical parameters lose most of their significance. NAW tends to overestimate rainfall while CST approaches more closely radar measurements. Most common errors arise from considering only portions of the storm, contamination from cold non-precipitating cloud, and merging of two or more cloud masses of independent origin. Operational applications, though not completely quantitative, are also possible, including positive values of the difference between water vapour and IR brightness temperature

Correction: Groundwater circulation and earthquake-related changes in hydrogeological karst environments: a case study of the Sibillini Mountains (central Italy) involving artificial tracers

The original version of this article was revised due to a retrospective Open Access order

Protocollo di valutazione infettivologica pre-trapianto

Lo screening pre-trapianto dei potenziali candidati a un trapianto d\u2019organo \ue8 parte essenziale del trapianto di organi solidi. Obiettivi dello screening pre-trapianto sono: 1. identificazione di condizioni che controindicano il trapianto; 2. identificazione e trattamento di infezioni attive pre-trapianto; 3. definizione del livello di rischio infettivo e impostazione di strategie preventive post-trapianto. Nonostante vi sia un generale accordo sulle indagini di screening da effettuare, vi sono alcune variazioni tra i diversi centri. Allo scopo di armonizzare lo screening infettivologico pre-trapianto, viene schematicamente riportato, alla luce dell\u2019esperienza personale e dei dati di letteratura, lo stato dell\u2019arte inerente lo screening infettivologico pre-trapianto