42 research outputs found
landslide susceptibility of the prato pistoia lucca provinces tuscany italy
ABSTRACTWe mapped landslide susceptibility in the provinces of Lucca, Pistoia and Prato (central Italy), a 3103 km2 territory that approximately corresponds to the portion of Tuscany principally affected by landslides. We used a methodology based on a treebagger random forest. The input parameters used for the susceptibility assessment are curvature, flow accumulation, topographic wetness index, elevation, profile curvature, planar curvature, slope gradient, aspect, land use and lithology. The map was validated providing satisfactory results (AUC = 0.84). The map classifies the study area into four susceptibility classes that identify areas with different probabilities of being affected by landslides. The Main Map represents a useful instrument to assist land planning, development of mitigation measures and landslide risk management. Moreover, it could be used in further research addressing quantitative hazard and risk assessment
Technical Note: An operational landslide early warning system at regional scale based on space-time variable rainfall thresholds
We set up an early warning system for rainfall-induced landslides in Tuscany
(23 000 km2). The system is based on a set of state-of-the-art
intensity–duration rainfall thresholds (Segoni et al., 2014b) and makes use
of LAMI (Limited Area Model Italy) rainfall forecasts and real-time rainfall
data provided by an automated network of more than 300 rain gauges.
The system was implemented in a WebGIS to ease the operational use in civil
protection procedures: it is simple and intuitive to consult, and it provides
different outputs. When switching among different views, the system is able to
focus both on monitoring of real-time data and on forecasting at different
lead times up to 48 h. Moreover, the system can switch between a basic
data view where a synoptic scenario of the hazard can be shown all over the
region and a more in-depth view were the rainfall path of rain gauges can be
displayed and constantly compared with rainfall thresholds.
To better account for the variability of the geomorphological and
meteorological settings encountered in Tuscany, the region is subdivided
into 25 alert zones, each provided with a specific threshold. The warning
system reflects this subdivision: using a network of more than 300 rain
gauges, it allows for the monitoring of each alert zone separately so that
warnings can be issued independently.
An important feature of the warning system is that the visualization of the
thresholds in the WebGIS interface may vary in time depending on when the
starting time of the rainfall event is set. The starting time of the
rainfall event is considered as a variable by the early warning system: whenever new rainfall data are available, a recursive algorithm identifies the starting
time for which the rainfall path is closest to or overcomes the threshold.
This is considered the most hazardous condition, and it is displayed by the
WebGIS interface.
The early warning system is used to forecast and monitor the landslide
hazard in the whole region, providing specific alert levels for 25 distinct
alert zones. In addition, the system can be used to gather, analyze,
display, explore, interpret and store rainfall data, thus representing a
potential support to both decision makers and scientists
In Vitro Safety/Protection Assessment of Resveratrol and Pterostilbene in a Human Hepatoma Cell Line (HepG2).
The aim of this work was to evaluate in vitro the genotoxic and/or antigenotoxic effects of resveratrol (RESV) and pterostilbene (PTER) on HepG2 cells. Moreover, additional tests were performed to evaluate early and late apoptosis events induced by the tested stilbenes. RESV and PTER did not show any genotoxic activity. As regards antigenotoxicity testing, RESV and PTER showed a typical, U-shaped hormetic dose-response relationship characterized by a biphasic trend with small quantities having opposite effects to large ones. HepG2 cells treated with PTER exhibited a marked increase in early apoptosis (40.1 %) at 250 μM; whereas, the highest concentration tested for both RESV and PTER significantly increased the proportion of HepG2 cells undergoing late apoptosis (32.5 and 51.2 %, respectively). The observed pro-apoptotic activity could, at least in part, explain the hormetic response observed when the compounds were tested for antigenotoxicity ( i.e., in the presence of induced DNA damage)
Fomitiporia mediterranea M. Fisch., the historical Esca agent: a comprehensive review on the main grapevine wood rot agent in Europe
International audienceFomitiporia mediterranea M. Fisch. (Fmed) is a basidiomycete first described in 2002, and was considered up to then as part of Fomitiporia punctata (P. Karst) Murrill. This fungus can degrade lignocellulosic biomass, causing white rot and leaving bleached fibrous host residues. In Europe Fmed is considered the main grapevine wood rot (Esca) agent within the Esca disease complex, which includes some of the most economically important Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs). This review summarises and evaluates published research on Fmed, on white rot elimination by curettage or management by treatments with specific products applied to diseased grapevines, and on the relationship between wood symptoms and Grapevine Leaf Stripe Disease (GLSD) in the Esca disease complex. Information is also reviewed on the fungus biology, mechanisms of pathogenicity, and their possible relationships with external foliar symptoms of the Esca disease complex. Information on Fmed control strategies is also reviewed
VALUTAZIONE DEL DANNO PRIMARIO ED OSSIDATIVO AL DNA IN LINFOCITI SALIVARI PER IL MONITORAGGIO DEGLI EFFETTI BIOLOGICI PRECOCI CAUSATI DALL’INQUINAMENTO ATMOSFERICO NEI BAMBINI: STUDIO MAPEC
VALUTAZIONE DEL DANNO PRIMARIO ED OSSIDATIVO AL DNA IN LINFOCITI SALIVARI PER IL MONITORAGGIO
DEGLI EFFETTI BIOLOGICI PRECOCI CAUSATI DALL’INQUINAMENTO ATMOSFERICO NEI BAMBINI: STUDIO MAPEC
Samuele Vannini (1) - Sara Levorato (1) - Elisabetta Ceretti (2) - Milena Villarini (1) - Silvia Bonetta (3) - Cristina Fatigoni(1)
- Annalaura Carducci (4) - Tania Salvatori (1) - Maria Rosaria Tumolo (5) - Alessio Perotti (6) - Silvia Bonizzoni (7) - Alberto
Bonetti (8) - Massimo Moretti (1) - Umberto Gelatti (2)
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italia (1) - Dipartimento di
Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche, Scienze Radiologiche e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Brescia,
Italia (2) - Dipartimento di Scienze della Sanità Pubblica e Pediatriche, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italia (3) -
Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italia (4) - Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche
ed Ambientali, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italia (5) - Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università del Studi di Parma,
Parma, Italia (6) - Ufficio Minori, Comune di Brescia, Brescia, Italia (7) - Centro Servizi Multisettoriale e Tecnologico, Csmt
Gestione S.c.a.r.l., Brescia, Italia (8)
Il particolato è l’inquinante atmosferico che provoca i maggiori danni alla salute umana in Europa (Agenzia Europea
dell’Ambiente; www.eea.europa.eu). Tra le prime 30 città più inquinate del continente, oltre la metà sono italiane, in particolare
quelle situate nella pianura Padana, con concentrazioni di PM10, PM2,5 e NOx ben al di sopra dei valori di riferimento europei.
Studi epidemiologici hanno rilevato un’associazione positiva tra esposizione ad inquinamento atmosferico, soprattutto al
PM, ed incidenza e mortalità per diverse malattie cronico-degenerative, come cancro al polmone, malattie cardiovascolari e
diabete. I bambini, in particolar modo, risultano esposti ad un elevato rischio per quanto riguarda gli effetti a breve e lungo
termine dell’inquinamento atmosferico. Dati recenti suggeriscono che alcune alterazioni genetiche che si verificano nella
prima infanzia posso incrementare il rischio di malattie cronico-degenerative in età adulta. L’obiettivo dello studio MAPEC
(Monitoring Air Pollution Effects on Children for supporting Public Health policy) è quello di valutare l’associazione tra
inquinamento atmosferico e biomarcatori di effetti genotossici precoci nei bambini, e di proporre un modello per la stima del
rischio globale causato dagli inquinanti atmosferici.
Lo studio ha previsto il reclutamento di circa 1.000 bambini, di età compresa tra 6-8 anni, in cinque città italiane (200 bambini
per città) caratterizzate da diverse concentrazioni di inquinanti atmosferici: Brescia, Torino, Pisa, Perugia e Lecce. Campioni di
saliva sono stati raccolti in due differenti stagioni, inverno e primavera, caratterizzate da differenze qualitative e quantitative
degli inquinanti atmosferici (1.000 × 2 = 2.000 campioni). Nei linfociti salivari è stato valutato il danno primario e ossidativo al
DNA mediante il test della microgel elettroforesi su singole cellule (comet assay).
Alla conferenza verranno presentati i risultati preliminari relativi al campionamento invernale
Lifestyles and socio-cultural factors among children aged 6-8 years from five Italian towns: The MAPEC-LIFE study cohort
Background: Lifestyles profoundly determine the quality of an individual’s health and life since his childhood.
Many diseases in adulthood are avoidable if health-risk behaviors are identified and improved at an early stage of
life. The aim of the present research was to characterize a cohort of children aged 6–8 years selected in order to
perform an epidemiological molecular study (the MAPEC_LIFE study), investigate lifestyles of the children that
could have effect on their health status, and assess possible association between lifestyles and socio-cultural factors.
Methods: A questionnaire composed of 148 questions was administered in two different seasons to parents of
children attending 18 primary schools in five Italian cities (Torino, Brescia, Pisa, Perugia and Lecce) to obtain
information regarding the criteria for exclusion from the study, demographic, anthropometric and health
information on the children, as well as some aspects on their lifestyles and parental characteristics. The results
were analyzed in order to assess the frequency of specific conditions among the different seasons and cities and
the association between lifestyles and socio-economic factors.
Results: The final cohort was composed of 1,164 children (50.9 boys, 95.4% born in Italy). Frequency of some
factors appeared different in terms of the survey season (physical activity in the open air, the ways of cooking
certain foods) and among the various cities (parents’ level of education and rate of employment, sport, traffic
near the home, type of heating, exposure to passive smoking, ways of cooking certain foods). Exposure to
passive smoking and cooking fumes, obesity, residence in areas with heavy traffic, frequency of outdoor play and
consumption of barbecued and fried foods were higher among children living in families with low educational
and/or occupational level while children doing sports and consuming toasted bread were more frequent in families
with high socio-economic level.
Conclusions: The socio-economic level seems to affect the lifestyles of children enrolled in the study including
those that could cause health effects. Many factors are linked to the geographical area and may depend on
environmental, cultural and social aspects of the city of residence
Proceedings of the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics CLiC-it 2018
On behalf of the Program Committee, a very warm welcome to the Fifth Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics (CLiC-‐it 2018). This edition of the conference is held in Torino. The conference is locally organised by the University of Torino and hosted into its prestigious main lecture hall “Cavallerizza Reale”. The CLiC-‐it conference series is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC) which, after five years of activity, has clearly established itself as the premier national forum for research and development in the fields of Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing, where leading researchers and practitioners from academia and industry meet to share their research results, experiences, and challenges