Application of simulation modeling for wildfire exposure and transmission assessment in Sardinia, Italy

Abstract The development of comprehensive fire management and risk assessment strategies is of prominent concern in Southern Europe, due to the expanding scale of wildfire risk. In this work, we applied simulation modeling to analyze fine-scale (100-m resolution) wildfire exposure and risk transmission in the 24,000 km2 island of Sardinia (Italy). Sardinia contains a variety of ecological, cultural, anthropic and touristic resources that each summer are threatened by wildfires, and represents well the Mediterranean Basin environments and conditions. Wildfire simulations based on the minimum travel time algorithm were used to characterize wildfire exposure and risk transmission in terms of annual burn probability, flame length, structures exposed and type and amount of transmission. We focused on the historical conditions associated with large (>50 ha) and very large (>200 ha) wildfires that occurred in Sardinia in the period 1998–2016, and combined outputs from wildfire simulation modeling with land uses, building footprint locations, weather, and historical ignition data. The outputs were summarized for weather zones, main wind scenarios and land uses. Our study characterized spatial variations in wildfire spread, exposure and risk transmission among and within weather zones and the main winds associated with large events. This work provides a novel quantitative approach to inform wildfire risk management and planning in Mediterranean areas. The proposed methodology can serve as reference for wildfire risk assessment and can be replicated elsewhere. Findings can be used to better understand the spatial dynamics and patterns of wildfire risk and evaluate expected wildfire behavior or transmission potential in Sardinia and neighboring regions

A DOSIMETRY PROCEDURE BASED ON STORAGE PHOSPHORS WITH SHORT FADING TIME

Problem of retrieving data on exposure to radiation from storage phosphors characterised by short fading time in unpredictably long exposure times is addressed from a numerical point of view. A simple algorithm is presented for the case of first kinetic order. Extension to a generic kinetic order is possible provided a suitable characterisation of the fading features is performed. Simulations are also presented where temperature and reading effects, as well as error measurements, are taken into account

Continuous Measurement of the Temperature of an Industrial Plant Torch

The present invention concerns an apparatus (10) for continuous measurement of the temperature of an industrial plant or refinery torch, comprising an optical coupling system (11), i.e. a system of lenses and/or mirrors and optical fiber cables, and a spectroscopic analyzer, as well as an electronic processor (14), apt to the management of the data acquisition procedures and of the storage and transmission of the same, in connection with said spectroscopic analyser to enable the passage of data. The present invention additionally concerns methods of continuous measurement of the temperature of an industrial plant or refinery torch by means of said apparatus

On electron pairing in superconducting cuprates

The superconducting properties of materials of layered structure containing copper and other metal oxides are compared with the expectations of a recently proposed electron pairing model [1]. The role of the oxygen content of samples is emphasized. Evidence is found showing that superconduction is originated only in presence of coupled layers of metal oxides holding unpaired electrons

A comparison between charge-transfer and sliding-bond models for superconductors in YBCO cuprate

Recently a model for electron-pairing in unconventional superconductors has been proposed. It maintains that in cuprates delocalized electron-bonds are formed between contiguous layers of copper oxide. This model, which we name the “sliding-bond” model, reutilizes the BCS scheme, but with a kind of electron pairs quite different from Cooper’s pairs [Brovetto et al., Eur. Phys. J. B 17, 85 (2000); Brovetto et al., submitted]. In this paper, considering the case of YBCO cuprate, some features of the model spoken of are compared with those of the chargetransfer model [Cava et al., Physica C 165, 419 (1990); Jorgensen, Phys. Today 44, 34 (1991)]. It is shown that, according to both models, the decrease in the YBCO critical temperature when oxygen is removed is originated by the decrease in the charge of copper ions lying on the superconducting planes