Anthropogenic impact on river basins: temporal evolution of sediment classes and accumulation rates in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

Abstract In this study, sedimentological and geochronological data from sections of a core (GRT50) collected in the Northern Latium coastal area were compared to data on pluviometric (rainfall) trends, river flows and the temporal evolution of human interventions in the three most important hydrographic basins (Mignone, Marta and Fiora) of this coastal area. The statistical analysis of pluviometric trends identified variations due to a decreasing trend in the Fiora river basin, whereas in the two other locations the decrease was not so significant. Data from the sedimentological analysis of the core confirmed a progressive decrease in the sandy component, which declined from about 30% to the current level of 7% over the last 36 years. There was no significant variation in the sediment mass accumulation rates (MAR), which were characterized by an almost cyclic trend that was probably determined by the most intense floods in the study area. The results revealed that the variations caused by the fluvial processes have affected the water runoff of the Fiora River, and that the consequent decrease in the sand production has been responsible for the recession of beaches in the coastal area between Tarquinia and Montalto di Castro

Trace-metal distribution and ecological risk assessment in sediments of a sheltered coastal area (Gulf of Gaeta, central-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) in relation to hydrodynamic conditions

This study investigates the relationship between sediment contamination and hydrodynamic conditions in the Gaeta Gulf (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), an anthropogenically impacted and sheltered coastal area. The pollution levels, potential toxicity, and ecological risk of trace metals were analysed in 16 sediment sampling sites using Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs), the Adverse Effect Index (AEI), and the Mean ERM Quotient (m-ERM-Q). The bottom shear stress of the study area, evaluated using an annual simulation of a 3D numerical model, was used to calculate a new Sediment Mobilisation Index (SMI) that detects the coastal zones where a low probability of sediment resuspension occurs. As, Ni, and Cu concentrations exceeded the Threshold Effects Level (TEL) guideline value and AEI limit in several sampling sites, indicating their ability to produce adverse effects on biota. Moreover m-ERM-Q showed the highest values of potential ecological risk in most of the sampling sites located in the inner part of the Gulf of Gaeta. In this area, the highest SMI values were also identified, demonstrating that there is a tight relationship between the two indexes (R2 = 0.8214). The application of SMI in sheltered areas will help achieve high performance of monitoring and hazard assessment tools through obtaining predictable responses on hotspot identification

DREDGING WORKS MONITORING IN THE PORT OF CIVITAVECCHIA, ROME, ITALY: SEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS

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Septal rupture with right ventricular wall dissection after myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: In patients with inferior myocardial infarction, septal rupture generally involves basal inferoposterior septum, and the communicating tract between left and right ventricle is often serpiginous with a variable degree of right ventricular wall extension. Right ventricular wall dissection following septal rupture related with previous myocardial infarction has been reported in a very few cases, in many of them this condition has been diagnosed in post-mortem studies. In a recent report long-term survival has been achieved after promptly echocardiographic diagnosis and surgical repair. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 59-year-old man who had a septal rupture with right ventricular wall dissection after inferior and right ventricular myocardial infarction. Transthoracic echocardiography, as first line examination, established the diagnosis, and prompt surgical repair allowed long-term survival in our patient. CONCLUSION: Outcomes after right ventricular intramyocardial dissection following septal rupture related to myocardial infarction has been reported to be dismal. Early recognition of this complication using transthoracic echocardiography at patient bedside, and prompt surgical repair are the main factors to achieve long-term survival in these patients

3cixty@Expo Milano 2015: Enabling Visitors to Explore a Smart City

-Planning a visit to Expo Milano 2015 or simply touring in Milan are activities that require a certain amount of a priori knowledge of the city. In this paper, we present the process of building such a comprehensive knowledge base, the 3cixty KB, that contains descriptions of events, places, transportation facilities and social activities, collected from numerous static, near-and real-time local and global data providers, including Expo Milano 2015 official services and several social media platforms. Entities in the 3cixty KB are deduplicated, interlinked and enriched using semantic technologies. The 3cixty KB is empowering the Ex-plorMI 360 multi-device application, which has been officially endorsed by the E015 Technical Management Board and has gained the patronage of Expo Milano 2015, thus offering a unique testing scenario for the 20 million expected visitors along the 6 months of the exhibit. As of Septem-ber 7th, 2015 the 3cixty KB contains unique descriptions of 18, 665 events, 758 artists, 225, 552 places, 9, 342 transportation facilities, 95, 570 illustrating photos and 94, 789 reviews contributed by 81, 944 users. The 3cixty KB is accessible at http://3cixty.eurecom.fr/sparql while Ex-plorMI 360 at https://www.3cixty.com

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

Economic Evaluation of Posidonia oceanica Ecosystem Services along the Italian Coast

This study reports the quantification and analysis of the ecosystem services (ESs) value of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile (1813) meadows in Italy (Liguria, Tuscany, Latium, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Sardinia, and Sicily regions). The ES evaluation method of P. oceanica meadows applied in this study was obtained from a previous study in which the site-specific approach for the definition of the benefits and services was applied. The distribution of P. oceanica and the ESs economic value have been managed through an open-source geographic information system (QGIS), focusing on five essential ESs: carbon sequestration, bioremediation, oxygen production, erosion protection, and food production. The average value of the ESs obtained on the Italian national scale is €21,660.5 ha−1 yr−1, which is comparable with the values reported in the international literature concerning P. oceanica ESs. The results of this study confirm that the economic evaluation of ESs is an essential tool for the management of the coastal marine environment, especially considering the modularity of the applied approach. The value of the total benefits, considering the entire extension of the national P. oceanica meadows, represents significant value with respect to the Italian gross domestic product, and the individual budgets of the considered Italian regions