An Innovative Harmonic Radar to Track Flying Insects: the Case of Vespa velutina

Over the last 30 years, harmonic radars have been effective only in tracking insects flying at low altitude and over flat terrain. We developed an innovative harmonic radar, implementing the most advanced radar techniques, which covers a large field of view in elevation (with an angular aperture of about 24°) and can track insects up to a range of 500 m. We show all the components of this new harmonic radar and its first application, the tracking of Vespa velutina (yellow-legged Asian hornet). This is an invasive species which, although indigenous to South-East Asia, is spreading quickly to other regions of the world. Because of its fast diffusion and the serious threat it poses to both honeybee colonies and to humans, control measures are mandatory. When equipped with a small passive transponder, this radar system can track the flight trajectory of insects and locate nests to be destroyed. This tool has potential not only for monitoring V. velutina but also for tracking other larger insects and small size vertebrates

An harmonic radar prototype for insect tracking in harsh environments

Harmonic entomological radars have been used in the last decades to track small and lightweight passive tags carried by various insects, usually flying at low altitude and over flat terrain. Despite being exploited in many applications, not a lot of progress was achieved in terms of performances over the years. This paper reviews the research work done in this topic throughout the European LIFE project STOPVESPA, from 2015 to 2019. The main objective of LIFE STOPVESPA was to contain the invasive Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) and prevent it from further invading Italy. Among the foreseen activities, a new harmonic radar has been developed as an effective tool to locate the hornets nests to be destroyed. A preliminary prototype, based on a magnetron generator, was tested in 2015, showing a detection range of about 125 m. A first upgrade of this prototype was released in 2016, allowing to increase the detection range up to 150 m. A new approach, based on a solid state power amplifier and a digitally modulated signal, was then adopted for the second prototype developed in 2017 and extensively run in 2018; the detection range raised to 500 m. A last engineered prototype was eventually built for the 2019 summer campaign with additional improvements. This tool has been extensively validated over the last years with the Asian hornet but it has potential for tracking and monitoring many other flying insects

Tracking the invasive hornet Vespa velutina in complex environments by means of a harmonic radar

An innovative scanning harmonic radar has been recently developed for tracking insects in complex landscapes. This movable technology has been tested on an invasive hornet species (Vespa velutina) for detecting the position of their nests in the environment, in the framework of an early detection strategy. The new model of harmonic radar proved to be effective in tracking hornets either in open landscapes, hilly environments and areas characterised by the presence of more obstacles, such as woodlands and urban areas. Hornets were effectively tracked in complex landscapes for a mean tracking length of 96 ± 62 m with maximum values of ~ 300 m. The effectiveness of locating nests was 75% in new invasive outbreaks and 60% in highly density colonised areas. Furthermore, this technology could provide information on several aspects of insect’s ecology and biology. In this case, new insights were obtained about the mean foraging range of V. velutina (395 ± 208 m with a maximum value of 786 m) and flying features (ground speed), which was 6.66 ± 2.31 m s−1 for foraging individuals (hornets that are not carrying prey’s pellet) and 4.06 ± 1.34 m s−1 for homing individuals

Spare parts classification and inventory management: a case study

The aim of this paper is to propose and discuss a hierarchical multi-criteria spare parts classification method developed for inventory management purposes and tested through an intensive case study in an Italian household appliances manufacturing company. In particular, the classification scheme under concern is built on the basis of several key dimensions in an almost hierarchical fashion, resulting in 12 different classes of spare parts, for which varying forecasting and inventory methods are proposed and tested. The results of our simulation study demonstrate the reduction of the total logistics costs by about 20% whilst the service target level is achieved for each of the classes. Even more importantly, the proposed approach is simple and straightforward enough to be understood by company managers, thus increasing the probability of its adoption (in the same or similar form) in other real world settings

Hydrogen blending effect on fiscal and metrological instrumentation: A review

A green hydrogen (H2) economy requires a sustainable, efficient, safe, and widespread infrastructure for transporting and distributing H2 from production to consumption sites. Transporting a hydrogen/natural gas (H2NG) mixture, including pure H2, through the existing European natural gas (NG) infrastructure is considered a cost-effective solution, particularly in the transitional phase. Several reasons justify the H2NG blending option. The NG infrastructure can be efficiently repurposed to transport H2, by blending H2 with NG, to operate as H2 daily storage, matching production and demand and to enable large-scale seasonal H2 storage. Although many benefits exist, the potential of existing NG grids for transporting and distributing green H2 may face limitations due to technical, economic, or normative concerns. This paper focuses on the state of the art of the European NG transmission and distribution metrology normative framework and identifies the gaps to be filled in case of H2NG flowing into the existing grids. The paper was revised to provide a comprehensive analysis of the practical implications resulting from the H2NG blend option

Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Dogs with Mammary Tumors: Short and Long Fragments and Integrity Index

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been considered an interesting diagnostic/prognostic plasma biomarker in tumor-bearing subjects. In cancer patients, cfDNA can hypothetically derive from tumor necrosis/apoptosis, lysed circulating cells, and some yet unrevealed mechanisms of active release. This study aimed to preliminarily analyze cfDNA in dogs with canine mammary tumors (CMTs). Forty-four neoplastic, 17 non-neoplastic disease-bearing, and 15 healthy dogs were recruited. Necrosis and apoptosis were also assessed as potential source of cfDNA on 78 CMTs diagnosed from the 44 dogs. The cfDNA fragments and integrity index significantly differentiated neoplastic versus non-neoplastic dogs (P<0.05), and allowed the distinction between benign and malignant lesions (P<0.05). Even if without statistical significance, the amount of cfDNA was also affected by tumor necrosis and correlated with tumor size and apoptotic markers expression. A significant (P<0.01) increase of Bcl-2 in malignant tumors was observed, and in metastatic CMTs the evasion of apoptosis was also suggested. This study, therefore, provides evidence that cfDNA could be a diagnostic marker in dogs carrying mammary nodules suggesting that its potential application in early diagnostic procedures should be further investigated