Differential Radar Interferometry Applied to the Detection and Monitoring of Geological Hazards

We live in a constantly changing environment, characterized by climate changes, extreme weather events and the occurrence of more frequent geological hazards that have a strong negative impact on the territory and society, interrupting services, damaging buildings and infrastructure and jeopardizing the life of millions of people worldwide. For this reason, there is the need to build a society resilient to natural-hazards, which can understand how the natural system behaves and responds to natural and human-induced modifications and can adapt to these changes. The monitoring of the territory is necessary to comprehend the triggering factors and the mechanisms of geological hazards and to plan the most suitable actions to prevent and mitigate the risk. The monitoring of geological hazards with conventional ground-based techniques such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and levelling is usually expensive and time consuming, which limits the number of measured points and the overall duration of the surveys. One of the best way to overcome to these problems is to use remote-sensing techniques to monitor large portion of territory reducing operating costs and time. Advanced Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (A-DInSAR) is one of the best tool to monitor and study ground displacements over very large portions of territory in a cost-effective way. In this Doctoral Thesis, we applied A-DInSAR to the monitoring of the geological instabilities occurring in different areas characterized by unique geological and environmental features. The selected areas include different environments such as vegetate territories, low and steep topography, coastal areas, salty deserts, urbanized land, each of them affected by hazards of natural and anthropic origin such as landslides, subsidence and karstic activity. In each case study, the monitoring activity presented its own challenges that were overcome adopting specific technical solutions in the data processing and management. The aim of this work is to give an overview of the potential of A-DInSAR techniques when applied to the study of geological hazards in different environments. This can be useful to show to local Authorities that A-DInSAR can be fully integrated as part of the activities carried out to manage the territory and to prevent and mitigate the risk related to geological hazards

Land subsidence contribution to coastal flooding hazard in southeast Florida

Over the past decade, several coastal communities in southeast Florida have experienced a significant increase in flooding frequency, which has caused significant disturbance to property, commerce, and overall quality of life. The increased flooding frequency reflects the contribution of global, regional, and local processes that affect elevation difference between coastal communities and rising sea level. In a recent project, funded by the state of Florida, we monitor coastal subsidence in southeast Florida using GPS and InSAR observations, in order to evaluate the contribution of local subsidence to the increased coastal flooding hazard. Preliminary results reveal that subsidence occurs in localized patches (\u3c 0.02 km2) with magnitude of up to 3mmyr1, in urban areas built on reclaimed marshland. These results suggest that contribution of local land subsidence affect only small areas along the southeast Florida coast, but in those areas coastal flooding hazard is significantly higher compared to non-subsiding areas

Low Concentrations of Biochar Improve Germination and Seedling Development in the Threatened Arable Weed Centaurea cyanus

In the context of sustainable agriculture, the search for soil improvers that boost crop growth without harming biodiversity is gaining much attention. Biochar, the solid residue resulting from the pyrolysis of organic material, has recently emerged as a promising bioproduct in enhancing crop yield, but there is a lack of information regarding its effects on arable biodiversity. Thus, in this study, we tested the effect of biochar application on the germination and seedling growth of cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L., Asteraceae), a threatened arable weed, under laboratory conditions. We investigated various parameters, including germination percentage (GP%), mean germination time (MGT), germination rate index (GRI), germination energy (GE%), fresh and dry weight (mg) of seedlings, and radicle length (mm) under biochar treatments at different concentrations: 0% (control), 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%. Our findings revealed a significant increase in GP, GE, and GRI at biochar concentrations of 0.5% and 1%. MGT slightly increased at 0.1% biochar. Seedling fresh weight was unaffected by biochar application, whereas seedling dry weight exhibited a significant increase at 0.5% biochar. Radicle length showed a substantial increase under 0.1% biochar on day one and was significantly higher at 0.2% and 1% biochar on day two. However, by day three, no more statistically significant differences in radicle length were observed between biochar-treated diaspores and controls (i.e., biochar had positive effects only in the first stages). These results suggest that the application of biochar at intermediate concentrations (0.5% and 1%) overall provide the most benefit to germination and seedling growth of C. cyanus

Effects of Wood Distillate on Seedling Emergence and First-Stage Growth in Five Threatened Arable Plants

Wood distillate (WD) is an environmentally safe bio-based product stimulating plant growth and yield and allowed in Italy in organic farming. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies on the effects of WD on spontaneous plants growing among crops, including their functional traits such as biomass. To test such effects, we carried out a lab experiment on artificially reconstructed arable plant communities composed of five species of conservation interest, which are specialist winter cereal crops: Bromus secalinus L., Centaurea cyanus L., Lathyrus aphaca L., Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix, and Scandix pecten-veneris L. After sowing 45 pots under controlled conditions, we applied WD at three concentrations (0%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) six times over 7 weeks. The number of emerged plants in each pot was counted every two weeks. Finally, we harvested all plants and measured the fresh and dry above-ground weight of each species in each pot. The resulting data were analyzed by Permutational Analysis of Variance. The application of 0.2% and 0.5% WD modified the community composition after two weeks, but such differences later disappeared. Both 0.2% and 0.5% WD had a positive effect on the dry weight of S. pecten-veneris and a negative effect on that of L. speculum-veneris. Moreover, 0.2% and 0.5% WD increased seedling emergence in L. aphaca, and 0.5% WD increased seedling emergence in S. pecten-veneris. Both 0.2% and 0.5% WD enhanced seedling emergence in the entire community. We suggest that the use of WD at low concentrations in winter cereals may be a sustainable agricultural practice that benefits crops without harming the associated plant diversity

Drivers of diversity of arable plant communities in one of their european conservation hotspots

The changes of agriculture led to deep transformations of arable plant diversity. The features of arable plant communities are determined by many anthropic, environmental, and geographic drivers. Understanding the relative importance of such drivers is essential for conservation and restoration purposes. In this work, we assessed the effects of agronomic, climatic, geographic, and landscape features on α-diversity, β-diversity, and composition of winter arable plant communities across continental Italy, a European hotspot of arable plant diversity. Using redundancy analysis and variation partitioning, we observe that the selected groups of variables explained a restrained to moderate proportion of the variation in diversity and composition, depending on the response (5.5–23.5%). We confirm previous evidence that climate and geographic location stand out in determining the features of arable plant communities in the country, followed by the type of rural area. The surrounding landscape has a subordinate influence but affects both α and β-diversity. The α-diversity is higher in traditional agricultural areas and in landscapes rich in woody vegetation, while it is lower in warmer areas. Species composition is determined by climate, latitude, and the type of rural area, but not by landscape. Total β-diversity is mainly explained by climate and latitude, and subordinately by the agricultural context and landscape. Its components are explained by latitude and climate (replacement) and agricultural context and climate (richness difference). The local contribution to β-diversity of single sites suggested a good conservation status of the studied communities. We discuss the implications of our findings in the light of conservation and restoration of vanishing arable plant communities

Robotic monitoring of forests: a dataset from the EU habitat 9210* in the Tuscan Apennines (central Italy)

Effective monitoring of habitats is crucial for their preservation. As the impact of anthropic activities on natural habitats increases, accurate and up-to-date information on the state of ecosystems has become imperative. This paper presents a new dataset collected from the forests located in the Tuscan Apennines (Italy) using the ANYmal robot. The dataset provides information regarding the structure and composition of the EU priority habitat 9210*. The dataset, which is publicly available through a Zenodo repository, includes photos, videos, and point clouds of the environment. This dataset is a valuable resource for the scientific community working in the field of forest ecology and conservation and has the potential to inform future research and conservation efforts on habitat 9210*. the collaboration between robotic engineers and plant scientists provides a unique perspective on the forest ecosystem and underscores the potential for interdisciplinary work in this field. This dataset constitutes an important contribution to the ongoing effort to monitor and conserve habitats globally, particularly in light of the challenges posed by global changes

Effect of Functional Fitness on Plasma Oxidation Level in Elders: Reduction of the Plasma Oxidants and Improvement of the Antioxidant Barrier

Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in the physiological function due to the gradual alteration of molecules, cells and tissues. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the by-product of aerobic metabolism, and their increase is physiologically counteracted by the activation of the antioxidant machinery. A typical hallmark of aging is the imbalance of such equilibrium, due to either an increase of the amount of radicals or a failure of the antioxidant system. Literature reports that physical exercise is able to restore and maintain the homeostasis of oxidants and antioxidants during aging. Recently, growing interest has been turned to functional fitness, a special physical activity aimed to enhance the ability to perform everyday tasks, such as dressing, climbing stairs and preparing meals. The aim of this work was to assess whether a 24 weeksfunctional fitness program carried out on 28 elderly participants (57-86 years old) could be able to improve their oxidative status. For this purpose, dROMs (diacron Reactive Oxygen Metabolites) and BAP (Biological Antioxidant Potential) were analysed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Furthermore, both plasma and saliva protein carbonylation levels were explored through proteomics analysi

Exploring SMEFT Couplings Using the Forward-Backward Asymmetry in Neutral Current Drell-Yan Production at the LHC

Neutral current Drell-Yan (DY) lepton-pair production is considered in the framework of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). Using the open-source fit platform xFitter, we investigate the impact of high-statistics measurements of the neutral current DY (NCDY) forward-backward asymmetry $A_{\rm{FB}}$ near the weak boson mass scale in the present and forthcoming stages of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Besides recovering earlier results on the $A_{\rm{FB}}$ sensitivity to parton distribution functions, we analyze the precision determination of $Z$-boson couplings to left-handed and right-handed $u$-quarks and $d$-quarks, and explore Beyond-Standard-Model contributions using the SMEFT framework. We comment on the role of the $A_{\rm{FB}}$ asymmetry for the electroweak SMEFT fit and precision $Z$-boson physics at the LHC and high-luminosity HL-LHC

Italian Vascular Flora: New Findings, Updates and Exploration of Floristic Similarities between Regions

The tradition of floristic studies in Italy has made it possible to obtain a good knowledge of plant diversity both on a national and regional scale. However, the lack of knowledge for some areas, advances in plant systematics and human activities related to globalization, highlight the need for further studies aimed at improving floristic knowledge. In this paper, based on fieldwork and herbaria and literature surveys, we update the knowledge on the Italian vascular flora and analyze the floristic similarities between the administrative regions. Four taxa, all exotic, were recorded for the first time in Italy and Europe. In detail, Elaeodendron croceum, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and Sedum spathulifolium var. spathulifolium were found as casual aliens, while Oxalis brasiliensis was reported as historical record based on some herbarium specimens. Furthermore, Kalanchoe laxiflora was confirmed as a casual alien species for Italy and Europe. Status changes for some taxa were proposed at both national and regional levels, as well as many taxa were reported as new or confirmed at the regional level. Currently the Italian vascular flora comprises 9150 taxa of which 7547 are native (of which 1598 are Italian endemics) and 1603 are exotic at the national level. The multivariate analysis of updated floristic data on a regional scale showed a clear distribution along the latitudinal gradient, in accordance with the natural geographical location of the regions in Italy. This pattern of plants distribution was not affected by the introduction of alien species. Despite some taxonomic and methodological issues which are still open, the data obtained confirm the important role of floristic investigations in the field and in herbaria, as well as the collaborative approach among botanists, in order to improve the knowledge of the Italian and European vascular flora