Vulnerability Mapping of an Apulian Deep Carbonate Aquifer Using GIS

Computer techniques such as Geographic Information Systems are applied to the evaluation of the vulnerability of a deep carbonate aquifer. The study area, of about 150 km2, is located in the low Murgia Plateau (Apulia) and characterized by Mesozoic limestone and dolomite rocks of several thousand meters thickness. A wide and thick aquifer resides in these carbonate rocks. Its groundwater flows toward the sea mainly under pressure and with maximum piezometric level of about 200 m a.s.l.. Due to their high quality, the water resources of this aquifer are particularly valuable for the local communities and therefore must be protected from pollution and inappropriate use. The vulnerability map of the aquifer is an indispensable tool for the effective management of groundwater resources and to support environmental planning. Several approaches have been proposed by different authors to evaluate intrinsic vulnerability. Most of the methods for detailed vulnerability mapping are based on the integrated analysis of several variables using different algorithms. Geographic Information Systems are advanced computer tools for the analysis of georeferenced data in 2D and 3D and can be effectively applied to the implementation of evaluation models. In this study the SINTACS evaluation method was implemented in a GIS and a digital vulnerability map produced. The different data taken into consideration in this analysis, such as depth to water, actual infiltration, pollution attenuation capacity of unsaturated zone, land cover, hydrogeological features of saturated aquifer, hydraulic conductivity, terrain slope, geology and geological structures, were georeferenced and converted into digital form. Each variable corresponds to a separate data layer made of graphic and attribute data. The computerized multilayer analysis performed by the GIS is time effective and leads to more comprehensive and accurate results with better spatial resolution

Vulnerability Mapping of an Apulian Deep Carbonate Aquifer Using GIS

Computer techniques such as Geographic Information Systems are applied to the evaluation of the vulnerability of a deep carbonate aquifer. The study area, of about 150 km2, is located in the low Murgia Plateau (Apulia) and characterized by Mesozoic limestone and dolomite rocks of several thousand meters thickness. A wide and thick aquifer resides in these carbonate rocks. Its groundwater flows toward the sea mainly under pressure and with maximum piezometric level of about 200 m a.s.l.. Due to their high quality, the water resources of this aquifer are particularly valuable for the local communities and therefore must be protected from pollution and inappropriate use. The vulnerability map of the aquifer is an indispensable tool for the effective management of groundwater resources and to support environmental planning. Several approaches have been proposed by different authors to evaluate intrinsic vulnerability. Most of the methods for detailed vulnerability mapping are based on the integrated analysis of several variables using different algorithms. Geographic Information Systems are advanced computer tools for the analysis of georeferenced data in 2D and 3D and can be effectively applied to the implementation of evaluation models. In this study the SINTACS evaluation method was implemented in a GIS and a digital vulnerability map produced. The different data taken into consideration in this analysis, such as depth to water, actual infiltration, pollution attenuation capacity of unsaturated zone, land cover, hydrogeological features of saturated aquifer, hydraulic conductivity, terrain slope, geology and geological structures, were georeferenced and converted into digital form. Each variable corresponds to a separate data layer made of graphic and attribute data. The computerized multilayer analysis performed by the GIS is time effective and leads to more comprehensive and accurate results with better spatial resolution

Vulnerability Mapping of Carbonate Aquifer using Geografic Information Systems

Computer techniques such as Geographic Information Systems are applied to the evaluation of the vulnerability of a deep carbonate aquifer. The study area is located in the low Murgia Plateau (Apulia) and characterized by Mesozoic limestone and dolomite rocks of several thousand meters thickness. A wide and thick aquifer resides in these carbonate rocks. Its groundwater flows toward the sea mainly under pressure. Due to their high quality, the water resources of this aquifer are particularly valuable for the local communities and therefore must be protected from pollution and inappropriate use. The vulnerability map of the aquifer is an indispensable tool for the effective management of water resources and to support environmental planning. Geographic Information Systems can be effectively applied to the implementation of vulnerability models. In this study the SINTACS evaluation method was implemented in a GIS and a digital vulnerability map produced. The computerized multilayer analysis performed by the GIS is time effective and leads to more comprehensive and accurate results with better spatial resolution

L'acquifero superficiale del territorio di Brindisi: dati geoidrologici diretti e immagini radar da satellite

A free shallow aquifer is present in the Pleistocene marine terrace deposits that widely outcrops in the Brindisi district. These deposits overlay impermeable clay and calcarenite of 'Fossa bradanica' sedimentary cycle, and Mesozoic carbonate rocks of 'Calcare di Altamura' formation. In the latter a regional karsic aquifer is present. The geological analysis was carried out also using stratigraphic data from drilled holes. Those data highlight a local high variability of aquifer and impermeable clay thickness, with a mean value of 14 m and 22 m respectively. On line with the results of hydrologic accounting, particular attention was paid to the recognition of local water loss toward the karsic aquifer. A hydrogeologic study of a sample area southward with respect to Brindisi, based on detailed field survey, highlights low values of aquifer permeability, with mean value of 7,5 x 10-5 m/s. The permeability of the clay deposits underlying the aquifer is too high to avoid any water infiltration (mean value of 3 x 10-7 m/s). The water table is locally influenced by hydrographic pattern. If we consider piezometric regimen it has a month minimum in the summer end and a month maximum in March or April, with a delay of 2-3 months with respect to month extreme rainfall. The analysis of a multitemporal satellite radar image provided useful information about the water content changes of the shallow aquifer. The color hue differences shown in the color composite image of three images acquired in different season, are strictly correlated to the changes in soil moisture content. Besides, structural lineaments were recognized in that image, along which water infiltration is likely. The applicability of remotely sensed data in this kind of study is also proved by the analysis of images acquired by an infra-red videocamera

Studio delle caratteristiche morfoevolutive del fondovalle del F. Basento fra Pisticci e la foce, finalizzato all'ottimizzazione dell'intervento antropico

An analysis is made of the evolutionary features of the Basento Plain landform in the stretch between Ferrandina Scalo and the sea, in context of the knowledge of the geomorphological and hydrological peculiarities of the whole catchment basin. The stretch in question lies in the south eastern portion of the Fossa bradanica where there are extensive outcrops of Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary deposits, represented mainly by blue-grey marly clays and, subordinately, sands and gravels. Between Ferrandina Scalo and Pisticci Scalo the Bradano is a braided river, while the reach between there and its mouth on the Ionian Sea is characterized by a meander belt. A detailed geomorphological examination, supported by air-photo interpretation (1953, 1973 and 1989 flights), has been made to ascertain the changes which have occurred on the plain in the last forty years. Knowledge of recent bed changes has been augmented by data derived from old maps. This has provided a picture of midifications over a hundred years or so. The principal hydrogeomorphological factors throughout the entire stretch studied can be correlated with the various fluvial trends identified. It ensues that there is substantial diversity in the relative stability conditions of the fluvial trends. More precisely, the potential instability within the meander belt can be tied in with the progressive increase in the sinuosity during the last hundred years. The in-depth hydrological study was made to highlight the main changes in use of the water resources available in the catchment, so as to establish possible relationships between man-made alterations and recent geomorphological conditions throughout the stretch concerned. It is also evident that during recent times man has been very active right up to the very banks of the river, modifying the original countryside by planting trees, growing crops and setting up industrial enterprises, once inexistent or at least located well away from the channel. On the basis of the factual picture acquired in this manner an evaluation has been made of the relationships between the recent variations in the natural geomorphological trends of the Basento in this reach, the direct and indirect upset of hydrodynamic parameters caused by man and the modifications in the landform of the flood-plain, triggered by human intervention. As the economic plan provides for a further increase in economic activities and for new hydraulic works throughout the catchment, various guidelines have been framed to optimize development

Study of Energy and Cost Savings of Demand Controlled Fresh Air Systems

This paper presents findings from a study on the energy and cost savings of Demand Controlled Fresh (outdoor) air systems for existing office buildings. The study was based on technical analysis of data from an existing 11 storey office building located in London. The study proposed a retro-fit mechanical system and control solution to convert the existing constant volume fresh air system to a demand based system. The four key parts of the proposed system were the occupancy detection device, local ventilation zone branch control, central ventilation plant control and overall controls logic. The building and proposed control solutions were simulated. The results revealed up to 39% annual energy savings for the fresh air plant. This equates to 4% reduction of the overall building annual energy and an overall building annual energy cost saving of around 3%

Essays in Labor and Organization Economics

The following dissertation is a collection of three independent essays. The first two essays contribute to the literature on Organization Economics. The third essay contributes to the literature on data confidentiality. Essay 1, ?Turnover as a Gateway to Symmetric Information,? explores high-ability turnover in highly competitive labor markets. Why do workers who are successful at a given firm decide to leave? Essay 1 asserts that such movement is driven by the presence of asymmetric information. In particular, it is shown that when competing firms have less knowledge of a worker?s ability than his current firm, there exists an incentive for high-ability workers to leave their current job in pursuit of a higher wage. Such an incentive generates a set of testable predictions. The predictions are tested using the personnel records from the management of a medium-size firm in the US financial services industry. The data is consistent with the theory. Essay 2, ?Piece-Rates, Salary, Performance and Job Level,? explores the effect of monitoring and hierarchy on compensation structure. Previous work has shown that monitoring worker effort is more difficult at lower levels of the hierarchy, and, simultaneously, that compensation should rely more on salary payments than piece-rate payments when effort is more difficult to monitor. Essay 2 formalizes these ideas in a simple model of moral hazard. The model generates a set of predictions about how salary, bonus and performance should vary across levels of the hierarchy. The predictions are tested using the same data as Essay 1 and strong support is found. Essay 3, ?Synthetic Data and Risk of Disclosure,? explores how well synthetic data protects confidential data. Using a unique Census dataset and 4 synthetic implicates, the risk of disclosure is found to be quite small. In a secondary analysis, the effectiveness of distance-based and probabilistic re-identification methods are also explored. Contrary to previous experiments it is found that probabilistic re-identification outperforms distance-based. Further, it appears that the difference in performance is driven by the number of matching variables: as more matching variables are added, the success rate of probabilistic matching increases more quickly

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the 10-item Weekly Calendar Planning Activity in Spanish-speaking ABI patients: a multicenter study

We present the process of translation, adaptation, and validation in the Spanish context of the 10-item version of the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA-10), a performance-based measure of cognitive instrumental activities of daily living (C-IADL). The study consisted of two phases: I) translation/cultural adaptation of theWCPA, conducted by professional bilingual translators, a panel of experts, and a pilot study, and II) validation in a sample of 42 acquired brain injury patients (ABI) and 42 healthy participants (HC). WCPA primary outcomes showed expected convergent/discriminant validity patterns with socio-demographical and clinical variables and cognitive processes identifying those WCPA outcomes that best predicted executive and memory deficits measured with a battery of traditional neuropsychological tests. In addition, performance on the WCPA was a significant predictor of everyday functioning over variables such as socio- demographics or global cognition when measured with traditional tests. External validity was established by theWCPA’s ability to identify everyday cognitive deficits in ABI patients compared to HC, even in those with subtle cognitive impairment based on neuropsychological tests. The Spanish WCPA-10 seems an appropriate and sensitive assessment tool to identify cognitive-functional impairment in ABI- patients, even those with subtle cognitive impairment. The results also highlight the relevance of this kind of test, as they indicate a better prediction of patients’ real-world functioning than traditional neuropsychological testsSpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO)PSI2016-80331-PJunta de Andalucía through a research project (P20.00693National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) scholarship (CVU- 349933