A double scale methodology to investigate flow in karst fractured media via numerical analysis. The Cassino plain case study (Central Apennine, Italy)

A methodology to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity of the karstmedia at a regional scale has been proposed, combining pumping tests and the hydrostructural approach, evaluating the hydraulic conductivity of fractured rocks at the block scale. Obtaining hydraulic conductivity values, calibrated at a regional scale, a numerical flow model of the Cassino area has been developed, to validate the methodology and investigate the ambiguity, related to a nonunique hydrogeological conceptual model. The Cassino plain is an intermontane basin with outstanding groundwater resources.The plain is surrounded by karst hydrostructures that feed the Gari Springs and Peccia Springs. Since the 1970s, the study area was the object of detailed investigations with an exceptional density of water-wells and piezometers, representing one of the most important karst study-sites in central-southern Italy. Application of the proposed methodology investigates the hydraulic conductivity tensor at local and regional scales, reawakening geological and hydrogeological issues of a crucial area and tackling the limits of the continuum modelling in karst medi

Estimating the strength of poker hands by integer linear programming techniques

We illustrate how Integer Linear Programming techniques can be applied to the popular game of poker Texas Hold'em in order to evaluate the strength of a hand. In particular, we give models aimed at (i) minimizing the number of features that a player should look at when estimating his winning probability (called his {em equity}); (ii) giving weights to such features so that the equity is approximated by the weighted sum of the selected features. We show that ten features or less are enough to estimate the equity of a hand with high precision

The geology and hydrogeology of the Cassino plain (central Apennines, Italy). Redefining the regional groundwater balance

Cassino plain is a Quaternary intermontane basin of the central-southern Apennines, Italy. The plain has outstanding groundwater resources (total discharge of 23,000 L/s), thanks to the huge karst basins that surround the area. The area has been involved in many hydrogeological interests since the 1970s due to the economic importance and construction of the Western Campania Aqueduct for the water supply of Naples city and its hinterland. Despite its importance, the area lacks a common accepted hydrogeological conceptual model due to the complex geological setting. Two contrasting conceptual models already exist in the literature, with the first model based on a quantitative hydrogeological approach and the second on fieldwork. Through a literature analysis and further detailed field surveys, a new conceptual model is presented, acknowledging the thrust tectonics of the Apennine chain. The model unveils the most important hydrogeological issues of the area, serving as a useful tool for groundwater management, as well as for considering the changing anthropic and climate scenarios. In particular, the study redefines the hydrostructure extents and the groundwater flowpaths, characterizing the main water resources as Gari and Peccia springs

Hydrogeological insights and modelling for sustainable use of a stressed carbonate aquifer in the Mediterranean area. From passive withdrawals to active management

Study area: Venafro Mts., southern-central Italy, Mediterranean basin. Study focus: Via a collection of geological and hydrogeological data, a flow conceptual model of a carbonate aquifer has been coupled with a numerical model via MODFLOW code and Unsaturated Zone Flow (UZF) package in steady state and transient conditions. Simulation is further implemented with different management scenarios, for facing possible emergencies due to recharge decrease, also simulating a drastic water abstraction cut-off. New hydrological insights for the region: Carbonate fractured aquifers are a strategic water resource in the whole Mediterranean area, supplying major metropolitan areas. Despite these huge extensions, such groundwater systems are threatened by increasing drought occurrence and significant human water abstraction. A characterization of a carbonate fractured aquifer (370 km2) located in central-southern Italy has been performed. Venafro Mts. Aquifer (VMA) hosts a strategic resource for the Western Campania Waterworks (WCW) that supplies the populous metropolitan area of Naples, with 3.8 million inhabitants. VMA shows a slow response, with recovery time estimated at the decennial scale, testifying its limited resilience to natural and human pressures. A shift is proposed from passive management to a more comprehensive concept of smart-water monitoring, applied not only to waterworks and pipelines, but also to groundwater resources in the environment

Two Fatal Intoxications Due to Tramadol Alone: Autopsy Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Since tramadol was marketed, it has been widely prescribed as a pain killer because of its relatively safe profile among opioids. Nevertheless, intoxication can occur: overdose can lead to fatal outcomes mostly in association with other drugs, via the potential interaction with serotonergic antidepressant medications, as well as the potential for increased central nervous system (CNS) depression. Fatal outcomes only attributable to tramadol are a rare entity. In this case report, 2 fatal cases are described due to tramadol stand-alone intoxication with peculiar characteristics. In case 1, gas chromatography - mass spectrometry analysis detected tramadol in all specimens (32 \u3bcg/mL in the heart blood, 23.9 \u3bcg/mL in the femoral blood, 3.3 \u3bcg/mL in the bile, and 1.4 \u3bcg/mL in the urine). No other CNS depressants were detected by toxicological analysis. In case 2, gas chromatography - mass spectrometry analysis detected tramadol in all specimens (7.5 \u3bcg/mL in the heart blood, 5.8 \u3bcg/mL in the femoral blood, and 18 \u3bcg/mL in the urine). No other CNS depressants were detected by toxicological analysis. Review of the literature was performed to clarify the actual knowledge on this topic

Fatal Clostridium perfringens Septicemia After Colonoscopic Polypectomy, Without Bowel Perforation

Since its introduction, colonoscopy has played an important role as a diagnostic, therapeutic, and screening tool. In general, colonoscopy is regarded as a safe procedure, but complications may occur. The most dreaded of these complications is colonic perforation. Bacteremia postprocedure may occur, and although it is not uncommon, it rarely results in clinically significant complications. Patients with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) are a high-risk population for bacteremia, which may leads to bowel wall overstepping by the bacteria. With regard to that, we report a fatal case of gas gangrene complicating colonoscopy polypectomy without bowel perforation in a healthy adult. To the best of our knowledge, only two other cases of retroperitoneal gas gangrene associated with colonoscopy polypectomy without bowel perforation have been described in international literature, but none of which was completed by a molecular biology analysis

A case of bilateral extracranial internal carotid artery dissection due to the helmet strap after motorcycle crash

The authors report a case of a man who developed stroke symptoms a few days after a road accident on his motorcycle. Radio-graphic examinations revealed the presence of bilateral dissection of the extracranial internal carotid arteries with signs of involvement of the brain parenchyma. The location, timing, and presentation lead to the conclusion that the carotid lesions were secondary to the motorcycle collision; in particular, we suppose that it is due to the pressure exerted by the helmet strap worn. Although helmets have undoubtedly prevented serious injuries, this report highlights that the helmets themselves may cause injuries, especially to cervical soft tissues and vessels

Subsidence Detected by Multi-Pass Differential SAR Interferometry in the Cassino Plain (Central Italy): Joint Effect of Geological and Anthropogenic Factors?

In the present work, the Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) technique has been applied to study the surface movements affecting the sedimentary basin of Cassino municipality. Two datasets of SAR images, provided by ERS 1-2 and Envisat missions, have been acquired from 1992 to 2010. Such datasets have been processed independently each other and with different techniques nevertheless providing compatible results. DInSAR data show a subsidence rate mostly located in the northeast side of the city, with a subsidence rate decreasing from about 5–6 mm/yr in the period 1992–2000 to about 1–2 mm/yr between 2004 and 2010, highlighting a progressive reduction of the phenomenon. Based on interferometric results and geological/geotechnical observations, the explanation of the detected movements allows to confirm the anthropogenic (surface effect due to building construction) and geological causes (thickness and characteristics of the compressible stratum