Carta Geomorfologica del bacino idrografico del Rio Spinasanta e note illustrative(Sicilia centro-settentrionale).

Geomorphological map of the Rio Spinasanta river basin and illustrative notes (Central-northern Sicily). The present paper aims to illustrate the geomorphological map of the Rio Spinasanta river basin, in which landforms recognizable on the area are mapped and distinguished according to the responsible geomorphological process. The Rio Spianasanta river is a tributary of the head sector of the Imera Settentrionale river and is contiguous to the regional water divide that separate the northward and southward flowing Sicilian rivers; the geomorphological map has been produced using as support a topographic map on scale 1:10,000. The geomorphological map has been carried out by means of different methodologies, namely geological and geomorphological field surveys, analysis of aerial photos and orthophotos.Moreover, the geomorphological characterization of the area has been supported by the study of the pluviometric conditions and by the analysis of the landforms’ spatial distribution; the latter, which has been carried out using a GIS software, allowed to evaluate the density of landforms on the classes of the lithology parameter and on the classes of slope angle and aspect. The GIS analysis showed that the combinations of the selected parameters control the intensity of the processes and the spatial distribution of the shaped landforms; this fact led to different landscapes recognizable in the studied area. The landforms mapped in the Rio Spinasanta river basin have been distinguished according to the modeling processes in: a) landforms shaped by water erosion processes; b) landforms produced by gravitational processes

UTILIZZO DEL SISTEMA GOOGLE EARTH PER LA DEFINIZIONE DI UN MODELLO DI SUSCETTIBILITÀ DA FRANA: UN TEST IN SICILIA CENTRALE

Exploiting Google EarthTM to assess a landslide susceptibility model: a test in central Sicily. A landslide susceptibility multivariate model, based on the conditional analysis approach, has been derived in the Tumarrano river basin (about 78 km2), by intersecting a GIS grid layer, expressing some selected geo-environmental conditions (outcropping lithology, steepness, plan curvature and topographic wetness index), and a landslide vector archive, produced by a Google EarthTM aided remote survey. The analysis of the Google EarthTM images dated at 2006, allowed to recognize 733 landslides (30 rotational slides and 703 flows), almost exclusively affecting clay and sandy clay rocks. Validation procedures produced largely satisfactory results, which were analyzed in the domain of the success and prediction rate curves. The research confirms the goodness of the susceptibility assessment method, as well as the powerful of Google EarthTM as a tool to manage the need of new, detailed and multi-temporal landslide archives

Malta and Sicily Joined by Geoheritage Enhancement and Geotourism within the Framework of Land Management and Development

Malta and Sicily, which lie at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, share a long history and have unique geological and geomorphological features which make them attractive destinations for geotourism. In the framework of an international research project, a study for the identification, selection and assessment of the rich geological heritage of Malta and Sicily was carried out, aiming to create a geosite network between these islands. Based on the experience and outputs achieved in previous investigations on geoheritage assessment carried out in various morpho-climatic contexts, an integrated methodology was applied for the selection, numerical assessment and ranking of geosites. The selection phase was based on three main criteria-scientific, additional and use values-and led to the establishment of a list of 42 geosites (20 in Malta and 22 in Sicily). Besides being spectacular and attractive for tourists, these sites represent the main geomorphological contexts and the various stages of regional morphogenesis of the study areas. The sites selected were assessed quantitatively and ranked according to management and tourism criteria. The results provide both the necessary basic knowledge for joint conservation actions and policies in Malta and Sicily and the elements for creating a link between Malta and Sicily through geoheritage appraisal and tourism development

Geomorphological evolution of western Sicily, Italy

This paper proposes a morphoevolutionary model for western Sicily. Sicily is a chain–foredeep–foreland ­system still being built, with tectonic activity involving uplift which tends to create new relief. To reconstruct the ­morphoevolutionary model, geological, and geomorphological studies were done on the basis of field survey and aerial photographic interpretation. The collected data show large areas characterized by specific geological, geomorphological, and topographical settings with rocks, landforms, and landscapes progressively older from south to north Sicily. The achieved results display: (1) gradual emersion of new areas due to uplift, its interaction with the Quaternary ­glacio-eustatic oscillations of the sea level, and the following production of a flight of stair-steps of uplifted marine ­terraces in southern Sicily, which migrates progressively upward and inwards; in response to the uplift (2) triggering of down-cutting processes that gradually dismantle the oldest terraces; (3) competition between uplift and down-cutting processes, which is responsible for the genesis of river valleys and isolated rounded hills in central Sicily; (4) continuous deepening over time that results in the exhumation of older and more resistant rocks in northern Sicily, where the higher heights of Sicily are realized and the older forms are retained; (5) extensional tectonic event in the northern end of Sicily, that produces the collapse of large blocks drowned in the Tyrrhenian Sea and sealed by coastal-marine deposits during the Calabrian stage; (6) trigger of uplift again in the previously subsiding blocks and its interaction with coastal processes and sea level fluctuations, which produce successions of marine terraces during the Middle–Upper Pleistocene stages

Evaluation of debris flow susceptibility in El Salvador (CA): a comparison between Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) and Binary Logistic Regression (BLR)

In the studies of landslide susceptibility assessment which have been developed in recent years, statistical methods have increasingly been applied. Among all, the BLR (Binary Logistic Regression) certainly finds a more extensive application while MARS (Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines), despite the good performance and the innovation of the strategies of analysis, only recently began to be employed as a statistical tool for predicting landslide occurrence. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the predictive performance and identify possible drawbacks of the two statistical techniques mentioned above, focusing in particular on the prediction of debris flows. To this aim, we employed an inventory of debris flows triggered by the passage of the hurricane IDA and the low-pressure system associated with it 96E, on November 7thand 8th2009 in the Caldera Ilopango, El Salvador (CA). Two validation strategies have been applied to both statistical techniques thus obtaining four models (BLR(I), MARS(I), BLR(II), MARS(II)) to be compared in pairs. Model performance was assessed in terms of AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve), Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Prediction Value and Negative Prediction Value. Moreover, to evaluate the robustness of the modeling procedure, 50 replicates were created for each model and the standard deviation was calculated for each of them. The results show that both techniques allow for obtaining good or excellent performances so that it is not possible to define one of the two techniques as absolutely better. However, the validation procedure reveals slightly better performance of the MARS models, with greater sensitivity and greater discrimination among TNs

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