FIRE PLANNING OF URBAN-RURAL INTERFACE IN OPEN SOURCE GIS ENVIRONMENT: CASE STUDY OF THE APULIA REGION (SOUTHERN ITALY)

Abstract. Fires represent one of main challenges of the last decades as global changes are causing an increase in economic and environmental damages. Indeed, just in 2017, more than 10,000 km2 of land were burned in Europe, causing significant damage to both the natural heritage (25% of burned areas were part of Natura 2000 protected areas) and the economy with estimated losses around 10 billion euros. In addition, every year there are losses of human life that make even more necessary new strategies of action and monitoring. Therefore, an efficient management of forecasting, prevention, active fight and post fire phases, is essential to make the territories less vulnerable and reduce the impacts on human lives. But these steps require an integrated approach of different tools in order to make faster and more efficient the different operations. In this context, the study illustrates the expeditious and standardized methodologies in open source GIS environment proposed in a research project with the Civil Protection of Apulia Region in order to implement a vulnerability index to improve operations in forecasting, emergency management in real-near time and post-event analysis in urban-rural interface. All the techniques and methodologies proposed were based on the use of QGIS software as it is a highly user friendly software that can be easily used even by non-specialized technicians. Moreover, the methodologies have been validated through a direct comparison with the tools currently in use in Civil Protection Department of Apulia Region

Axial intensity of apertured Bessel beams

We give a simple interpretation of a recently noted phenomenon, namely, the resemblance between the axial intensity of an apertured Bessel beam and the squared profile of the windowing function. We also discuss how this effect can be used to control the axial behavior of the beam, and we present examples for the case of a flattened Gaussian profile as aperturing function. © 1997 Optical Society of America. [ S0740-3232(97) Bessel beams, 7 Their main feature is that they can transport radiation without any spread or divergence. For this reason, since their introduction Bessel beams have attracted the attention of many scientists, who have proposed a great number of applications. 8-12 Since finite-aperture optical elements are always present in any practical realization, 13-18 a more realistic model for a Bessel beam has to include the presence, at a certain plane (z ϭ 0), of a windowing profile. If this profile is chosen as a Gaussian function, the so-called Bessel-Gauss beams are obtained, In this paper we give a simple explanation for such a resemblance. This enables us to specify under which conditions the phenomenon occurs, furnishing an operating criterion for controlling the axial intensity of an apertured Bessel beam. To illustrate our main conclusions we shall work out an example, in which a flattened Gaussian (FG) profile 25 is used as a windowing function. We shall start from the expression of the field at a typical point (r, z) produced by a Bessel beam of zero order passing through a circularly symmetric window profile p(r) centered at the beam axis. Assuming that the propagation is in the paraxial regime, such a field, say, V(r, z), is where k is the wave number, A is an amplitude factor, and ␤ characterizes the Bessel beam. As is well known, the Bessel field can be thought of as arising from the superposition of plane waves whose wave vectors are evenly distributed on a cone. If we denote by the semiaperture of the cone, the parameter ␤ is simply given by It follows from Eq. (1) that along the z axis (r ϭ 0) the field is where we took into account that J 0 (0) ϭ 1. Let us now consider a different situation in which the profile is illuminated by a single plane wave impinging orthogonally on the aperture plane. If we denote by A the amplitude of the illuminating wave, within the paraxial approximation the new field distribution, say, U(r, z), is Comparing Eqs. Borghi et al

Integrated seismic and energy retrofitting of existing buildings: A state-of-the-art review

Ageing of the building stock is an issue affecting many regions in the world. This means a large proportion of existing buildings being considered energy inefficient, with associated high energy use for heating and cooling. Through renovation, it is possible to improve their energy-efficiency, hence reducing their significant impact on the total energy household and associated greenhouse gas emissions. In seismic regions, additionally, recent earthquakes have caused significant economic losses, largely due to the vulnerability of older buildings not designed to modern standards. Addressing seismic and energy performance by separate interventions is the common approach currently taken, however to achieve better cost-effectiveness, safety and efficiency, a novel holistic approach to building renovation is an emerging topic in the scientific literature. Proposed solutions range from integrated exoskeleton solutions, over strengthening and insulation solutions for the existing building envelope or their replacement with better materials, to integrated interventions on horizontal elements like roof and floor slabs. To identify pathways to combined seismic and energy retrofitting of buildings, a state-of-the-art review of all materials and solutions investigated to date is presented. This is followed by a critical analysis of their effectiveness, invasiveness, building use disruption as well as their impact on the environment. The assessment of current combined retrofitting research highlights a great potential for their application, with a potential to provide cost-effective renovation solutions for regions with moderate to high seismic risk. Still, to-date there is a lack of experimental research in this field, a need for further work on truly integrated technologies and their validation through applications on existing large-scale buildings. Moreover, there is a need for adequate design methods, regulations and incentives that further the implementation of integrated retrofitting approaches

Immunometabolism Modulation by Extracts from Pistachio Stalks Formulated in Phospholipid Vesicles

Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of plant extracts against various diseases, especially skin disorders; namely, they exhibit overall protective effects. The Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is known for having bioactive compounds that can effectively contribute to a person’s healthy status. However, these benefits may be limited by the toxicity and low bioavailability often inherent in bioactive compounds. To overcome these problems, delivery systems, such as phospholipid vesicles, can be employed. In this study, an essential oil and a hydrolate were produced from P. vera stalks, which are usually discarded as waste. The extracts were characterized by liquid and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and formulated in phospholipid vesicles intended for skin application. Liposomes and transfersomes showed small size (<100 nm), negative charge (approximately −15 mV), and a longer storage stability for the latter. The entrapment efficiency was determined via the quantification of the major compounds identified in the extracts and was >80%. The immune-modulating activity of the extracts was assayed in macrophage cell cultures. Most interestingly, the formulation in transfersomes abolished the cytotoxicity of the essential oil while increasing its ability to inhibit inflammatory mediators via the immunometabolic citrate pathway

Partially coherent sources with radial coherence

Partially coherent sources with radial coherence are proposed. They present a circularly symmetric intensity profile and a degree of coherence whose absolute value only depends on the angular difference between the two considered points. In particular, the source is completely coherent at pairs of points belonging to the same radius. The modal structure of such sources is determined in the general case, and conditions are derived under which the field propagated in paraxial approximation remains radially coherent at any transverse plane. In such cases, the angular dependence of the correlation function is preserved upon propagation, although the intensity profile generally changes. An example of this kind of source has been experimentally synthesized by means of a simple setup, and its coherence characteristics have been tested by means of a Young inter-ferometer. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America

Coherence-polarization properties of fields radiated from transversely periodic electromagnetic sources

Planar electromagnetic sources characterized by a periodic variation of their beam coherence-polarization matrix are investigated, as far as the polarization features of the radiated fields are concerned, within the framework of the paraxial approximation. A propagation scheme based on plane-wave decomposition leads to a longitudinal periodicity of the polarization properties of the field, thus extending the Talbot effect to the case of partially coherent electromagnetic sources. The polarization features of beams radiated from sources of this type are illustrated by means of simple examples. In particular, it is shown that completely unpolarized sources with uniform intensity profiles can be easily realized, for which the propagated field becomes perfectly polarized across some transverse planes, and vice versa

Sigma-2 Receptor Ligand Binding Modulates Association between TSPO and TMEM97

Sigma-2 receptor (S2R) is a S2R ligand-binding site historically associated with reportedly 21.5 kDa proteins that have been linked to several diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia. The S2R is highly expressed in various tumors, where it correlates with the proliferative status of the malignant cells. Recently, S2R was reported to be the transmembrane protein TMEM97. Prior to that, we had been investigating the translocator protein (TSPO) as a potential 21.5 kDa S2R candidate protein with reported heme and sterol associations. Here, we investigate the contributions of TMEM97 and TSPO to S2R activity in MCF7 breast adenocarcinoma and MIA PaCa-2 (MP) pancreatic carcinoma cells. Additionally, the role of the reported S2R-interacting partner PGRMC1 was also elucidated. Proximity ligation assays and co-immunoprecipitation show a functional association between S2R and TSPO. Moreover, a close physical colocalization of TMEM97 and TSPO was found in MP cells. In MCF7 cells, co-immunoprecipitation only occurred with TMEM97 but not with PGRMC1, which was further confirmed by confocal microscopy experiments. Treatment with the TMEM97 ligand 20-(S)-hydroxycholesterol reduced co-immunoprecipitation of both TMEM97 and PGRMC1 in immune pellets of immunoprecipitated TSPO in MP cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first suggestion of a (functional) interaction between TSPO and TMEM97 that can be affected by S2R ligands