The VOL-CALPUFF model for atmospheric ash dispersal: 1. Approach and physical formulation

We present a new modeling tool, named VOL-CALPUFF, that is able to simulate the transient and three-dimensional transport and deposition of volcanic ash under the action of realistic meteorological and volcanological conditions throughout eruption duration. The new model derives from the CALPUFF System, a software program widely used in environmental applications of pollutant dispersion, that describes the dispersal process in both the proximal and distal regions and also in the presence of complex orography. The main novel feature of the model is its capability of coupling a Eulerian description of plume rise with a Lagrangian representation of ash dispersal described as a series of diffusing packets of particles or puffs. The model is also able to describe the multiparticle nature of the mixture as well as the tilting effects of the plume due to wind action. The dispersal dynamics and ash deposition are described by using refined orography-corrected meteorological data with a spatial resolution up to 1 km or less and a temporal step of 1 h. The modeling approach also keeps the execution time to a few minutes on common PCs, thus making VOL-CALPUFF a possible tool for the production of ash dispersal forecasts for hazard assessment. Besides the model formulation, this paper presents the type of outcomes produced by VOL-CALPUFF, shows the effect of main model parameters on results, and also anticipates the fundamental control of atmospheric conditions on the ash dispersal processes. In the companion paper, Barsotti and Neri present a first thorough application of VOL-CALPUFF to the simulation of a weak plume at Mount Etna (Italy) with the specific aim of comparing model predictions with independent observations

The VOL-CALPUFF model for atmospheric ash dispersal. I. Approach and physical formulation

We present a new modeling tool, named VOL-CALPUFF able to simulate the transient and three-dimensional transport and deposition of volcanic ash under the action of realistic meteorological and volcanological conditions throughout eruption duration. The new model derives from the CALPUFF System, a software program widely-used in environmental applications of pollutant dispersion, that describes the dispersal process both in the proximal and distal regions and also in presence of complex orography. The main novel feature of the model is its capability of coupling a Eulerian description of plume rise with a Lagrangian representation of ash dispersal described as a series of diffusing packets of particles or puffs. The model is also able to describe the multiparticle nature of the mixture as well as the tilting effects of the plume due to wind action. The dispersal dynamics and ash deposition are described by using refined orography-corrected meteorological data with a spatial resolution up to 1 km or less and a temporal step of 1 hour. The modeling approach also keeps the execution time to a few minutes on common PCs, thus making VOL-CALPUFF a possible tool for the production of ash dispersal forecasts for hazard assessment. Besides the model formulation, the paper presents the type of outcomes produced by VOL-CALPUFF, shows the effect of main model parameters on results, and also anticipates the fundamental control of atmospheric conditions on the ash dispersal processes. In the companion paper (\cite{barsotti}, this issue) a first thorough application of VOL-CALPUFF to the simulation of a weak plume at Mount Etna (Italy) is presented with the specific aim of comparing model predictions with independent observations

IL REATO INFORMATICO

L\u2019ambito d\u2019indagine di questo lavoro attiene al diritto penale dell\u2019informatica. Si propone infatti un\u2019analisi ragionata delle teorie e prassi sviluppatesi, in tempi recenti, con riferimento alla tutela dei diritti della persona, alla luce delle profonde innovazioni che ha portato con s\ue9 l\u2019aumento esponenziale di tecnologia e automazione nel vivere quotidiano di ciascuno di noi. Entro tale perimetro, si inizia approfondendo in linea teorica i principali beni giuridici ascrivibili all\u2019essere umano nel mondo digitale, poi affrontando diacronicamente sia l\u2019evoluzione dell\u2019informatica che quella del diritto penale che la governa (Capitolo Primo). Fissati in questo senso sia gli obiettivi che le linee d\u2019indagine, si passa allora al dettagliato esame dei c.d. \u201creati informatici in senso stretto\u201d, cio\ue8 delle previsioni che il Legislatore ha introdotto nell\u2019ordinamento a fronte del dilagante fenomeno dei crimini in materia tecnologica, dando conto della loro applicazione giurisprudenziale lungo l\u2019ultimo decennio (Capitolo Secondo). Con la medesima cadenza strutturale sono in seguito passati in rassegna anche i c.d. \u201creati informatici in senso ampio\u201d, categoria che raggruppa numerose fattispecie tradizionali, divenute rilevanti in ambito tecnologico sia per l\u2019espansione naturale dei beni giuridici ivi tutelati, sia a causa della sostanziale inerzia in cui \ue8 caduto il Legislatore, non proponendone una rivisitazione alla luce delle novit\ue0 e delle criticit\ue0 presentate dal ciberspazio (Capitolo Terzo). In conclusione, si propone al lettore una nuova e diversa visione del tema \u201creato informatico\u201d, partendo da un concetto \u2013 quello di Io digitale \u2013 costruito con finalit\ue0 sistematiche: si pu\uf2 allora valutare in quest\u2019ottica l\u2019adeguatezza degli strumenti di cui dispone, oggi, il diritto penale, nonch\ue9 l\u2019uso che ne viene fatto. Al termine dell\u2019analisi, si propongono al lettore alcuni profili di possibile adeguamento della normativa codicistica, nel rispetto dei principi fondanti della materia penale (Capitolo Quarto).This work aims at evaluating the criminal-law approach to the digital age. Between the analysis of the theoretical constructs provided by the best Italian doctrine and the jurisprudential application of the law, we try to understand if everyone\u2019s fundamental rights are protected by today\u2019s complex criminal system, in light of the profound innovations that tecnology has brought to the society. First of all, we take on a sweeping journey of the basic legal interests that anyone is entitled to in the digital world (personal identity, honour, privacy and freedom), along with a historic view of the evolution both of computer science and computer crimes. On these basis, we proceed to examine both the \u201cstrictly cyber-related\u201d provisions, or laws that have been enacted specifically for computer-related crimes, and the \u201cwider cyber-related\u201d rules, that have seen themselves applied to computer-related crimes, although they never received an update to better comply with the so-called digital age. The research conduct us to depict a clearer view of how today\u2019s computer-related provisions oversee and protect people in the technological world: looking through a different point of view (the so-called \u201cDigital Self\u201d) it emerges that the criminal system should update itself as soon as possibile, by systematically enhancing its set of rules as well as by providing the judge with more specific provisions. This approach is ultimately the only option to adequately protect anyone\u2019s Digital Self, without violating the fundamental principles of criminal law

Thermal stability and aggregation of sulfolobus solfataricus b-glycosidase are dependent upon the N-e-methylation of specific lysyl residues: critical role of in vivo post-translational modifications.

Methylation in vivo is a post-translational modification observed in several organisms belonging to eucarya, bacteria, and archaea. Although important implications of this modification have been demonstrated in several eucaryotes, its biological role in hyperthermophilic archaea is far from being understood. The aim of this work is to clarify some effects of methylation on the properties of β-glycosidase from Sulfolobus solfataricus, by a structural comparison between the native, methylated protein and its unmethylated counterpart, recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated similar secondary structure contents for the two forms of the protein. However, the study of temperature perturbation by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and turbidimetry evidenced denaturation and aggregation events more pronounced in recombinant than in native β-glycosidase. Red Nile fluorescence analysis revealed significant differences of surface hydrophobicity between the two forms of the protein. Unlike the native enzyme, which dissociated into SDS-resistant dimers upon exposure to the detergent, the recombinant enzyme partially dissociated into monomers. By electrospray mapping, the methylation sites of the native protein were identified. A computational analysis of β-glycosidase three-dimensional structure and comparisons with other proteins from S. solfataricus revealed analogies in the localization of methylation sites in terms of secondary structural elements and overall topology. These observations suggest a role for the methylation of lysyl residues, located in selected domains, in the thermal stabilization of β-glycosidase from S. solfataricu

Topological insight into the non-Arrhenius mode hopping of semiconductor ring lasers

We investigate both theoretically and experimentally the stochastic switching between two counter-propagating lasing modes of a semiconductor ring laser. Experimentally, the residence time distribution cannot be described by a simple one parameter Arrhenius exponential law and reveals the presence of two different mode-hop scenarios with distinct time scales. In order to elucidate the origin of these two time scales, we propose a topological approach based on a two-dimensional dynamical system.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Spitzer Warm Mission Transition and Operations

Following the successful dynamic planning and implementation of IRAC Warm Instrument Characterization activities, transition to Spitzer Warm Mission operations has gone smoothly. Operation teams procedures and processes required minimal adaptation and the overall composition of the Mission Operation System retained the same functionality it had during the Cryogenic Mission. While the warm mission scheduling has been simplified because all observations are now being made with a single instrument, several other differences have increased the complexity. The bulk of the observations executed to date have been from ten large Exploration Science programs that, combined, have more complex constraints, more observing requests, and more exo-planet observations with durations of up to 145 hours. Communication with the observatory is also becoming more challenging as the Spitzer DSN antenna allocations have been reduced from two tracking passes per day to a single pass impacting both uplink and downlink activities. While IRAC is now operating with only two channels, the data collection rate is roughly 60% of the four-channel rate leaving a somewhat higher average volume collected between the less frequent passes. Also, the maximum downlink data rate is decreasing as the distance to Spitzer increases requiring longer passes. Nevertheless, with well over 90% of the time spent on science observations, efficiency has equaled or exceeded that achieved during the cryogenic mission

Adiponectin levels are reduced in children born small for gestational age and are inversely related to postnatal catch-up growth

Adiponectin is an adipocytokine with insulin-sensitizing and antiatherogenic properties. Reduced concentrations of adiponectin precede the onset of type 2 diabetes and the development of atherosclerosis. Our aim was to quantify adiponectin concentrations in small for gestational age (SGA) children. Fifty-one SGA children, 24 obese, and 17 short-normal children with birth weight appropriate for gestational age (short-AGA) were studied. The statures of the SGA children were corrected for their midparental height and subdivided into two groups according to their corrected height: catch-up growth group, children with corrected height of 0 z-score or greater (n = 17); and noncatch-up growth group, subjects with corrected height less than 0 z-score (n = 34). SGA children showed adiponectin levels significantly lower than short-normal children (35.2 +/- 3.5 vs. 80.4 +/- 26.6 mug/ml; P < 0.0001) and obese children (77.5 +/- 39.4 μg/ml; P < 0.0001). Catch-up growth children showed adiponectin levels significantly lower than noncatch-up growth subjects (29.4 +/- 10.3 vs. 38.1 +/- 11.5 mug/ml; P = 0.01). Adiponectin concentrations were inversely related to height z-score, corrected stature, weight, and body mass index and were positively related to birth weight. Our results suggest that adiponectin levels are reduced in SGA children and are even lower in those with postnatal catch-up growth. Whether this finding implies a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis remains to be established

The role of the multidisciplinary evaluation of interstitial lung diseases: Systematic literature review of the current evidence and future perspectives

The opportunity of a multidisciplinary evaluation for the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonias highlighted a major change in the diagnostic approach to diffuse lung disease. The new American Thoracic Society, European Respiratory Society, Japanese Respiratory Society, and Latin American Thoracic Society guidelines for the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have reinforced this assumption and have underlined that the exclusion of connective tissue disease related lung involvement is mandatory, with obvious clinical and therapeutic impact. The multidisciplinary team discussion consists in amoment of interaction among the radiologist, pathologist and pulmonologist, also including the rheumatologist when considered necessary, to improve diagnostic agreement and optimize the definition of those cases in which pulmonary involvement may represent the first or prominent manifestation of an autoimmune systemic disease. Moreover, the proposal of classification criteria for interstitial lung disease with autoimmune features (IPAF) represents an effort to define lung involvement in clinically undefined autoimmune conditions. The complexity of autoimmune diseases, and in particular the lack of classification criteria defined for pathologies such as anti-synthetase syndrome, makes the involvement of the rheumatologist essential for the correct interpretation of the autoimmune element and for the application of classification criteria, that could replace clinical pictures initially interpreted as IPAF in defined autoimmune disease, minimizing the risk of misdiagnosis. The aim of this review was to evaluate the available evidence about the efficiency and efficacy of different multidisciplinary team approaches, in order to standardize the professional figures and the core set procedures that should be necessary for a correct approach in diagnosing patients with interstitial lung disease

Augmentation of response to nab-paclitaxel by inhibition of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling in preclinical pancreatic cancer models

Nab-paclitaxel has recently shown greater efficacy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Insulin like growth factor (IGF) signaling proteins are frequently overexpressed in PDAC and correlate with aggressive tumor phenotype and poor prognosis. We evaluated the improvement in nab-paclitaxel response by addition of BMS-754807, a small molecule inhibitor of IGF-1R/IR signaling, in preclinical PDAC models. In subcutaneous xenografts using AsPC-1 cells, average net tumor growth in different therapy groups was 248.3 mm3 in controls, 42.4 mm3 after nab-paclitaxel (p = 0.002), 93.3 mm3 after BMS-754807 (p = 0.01) and 1.9 mm3 after nab-paclitaxel plus BMS-754807 (p = 0.0002). In subcutaneous xenografts using Panc-1 cells, average net tumor growth in different therapy groups was: 294.3 mm3 in controls, 23.1 mm3 after nab-paclitaxel (p = 0.002), 118.2 mm3 after BMS-754807 (p = 0.02) and -87.4 mm3 (tumor regression) after nab-paclitaxel plus BMS-754807 (p = 0.0001). In peritoneal dissemination model using AsPC-1 cells, median animal survival was increased compared to controls (21 days) after therapy with nab-paclitaxel (40 days, a 90% increase, p = 0.002), BMS-754807 (27 days, a 29% increase, p = 0.01) and nab-paclitaxel plus BMS-754807 (47 days, a 124% increase, p = 0.005), respectively. Decrease in proliferation and increase in apoptosis by nab-paclitaxel and BMS-754807 therapy correlated with their in vivo antitumor activity. In vitro analysis revealed that the addition of IC25 dose of BMS-754807 decreased the nab-paclitaxel IC50 of PDAC cell lines. BMS-754807 therapy decreased phospho-IGF-1R/IR and phospho-AKT expression, and increased cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP-1. These results support the potential of BMS-754807 in combination with nab-paclitaxel as an effective targeting option for pancreatic cancer therapy