Stili di vita, salute e accesso ai servizi sanitari: un’analisi delle disuguaglianze nella provincia di Modena

On the basis of a local household survey carried out in 2006, this paper examines health inequalities of people living in the province of Modena, one of the richest areas in Italy. Health were considered using different point of view: lifestyle habits (obesity, smoking, physical exercise), use of private and public health services and quality of life. The paper finds evidence of inequalities measured using different indicators, such as income, education, gender. Family environment was found to be a clear key drivers for healthy lifestyle habits.health inequalities; lifestyle habits, obesity, smoking, physical exercise, health services, quality of life; gender

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Stability of Ovonic-Switching Devices

The time evolution of current and voltage in Ovonicswitching devices is affected, on one side, by parasitic elements due to contacts and connectors and, on the other one, by the internal-relaxation mechanisms of the material itself. The two aspects, respectively termed here \u201cintrinsic\u201d and \u201cextrinsic\u201d dynamics, are investigated in this paper on the basis of the time-dependent, trap-limited conduction model proposed by the authors for investigating this type of devices

Transport scaling limits of ovonic Devices: a simulative approach

The transport scaling limits of Ovonic devices are studied by means of a numerical solution of a time- and space-dependent transport models based on a set of equations that provide a good physical grasp of the microscopic process at hand. The predictivity of the approach has been confirmed through the comparison with recent experimental results where the parasitic effects have been reduced by the use of top-technology measuring equipments. The present analysis is performed for the AgInSbTe chalcogenide, since this material exibits a steep threshold-switching dynamics which makes it promising for high-speed non-volatile memory applications

Intrinsic Electric Oscillations of Ovonic Devices towards the TeraHerz limit

The time-dependent response of Ovonic devices to an electric potential ramp signal is analysed by means of an enhanced version of a previously published time-dependent charge- transport model proposed by the authors. Depending on the inevitable parasitics of the system, either stable or oscillating solutions are found according to the position of the load line. The model also allows for speculations on the potential of Ovonic materials in the design of high- frequency oscillating circuits close to the terahertz range

Permanent safety measures (MISP): efficacy assessment through pumping test analysis, groundwater flow modeling and environmental isotope investigation

Heavy contaminated areas, Permanent Safety Measures, environmental isotopes, pumping tests, modelling

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca, Neofusicoccum spp. and the decline of olive trees in salento (Apulia, Italy). Comparison of symptoms, possible interactions, certainties and doubts

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (XFP), Neofusicoccum mediterraneum, N. stellenboschiana and other fungi have been found in olive groves of Salento (Apulia, Italy) that show symptoms of severe decline. XFP is well known to be the cause of olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS). It has also been assessed that Neofusicoccum spp. causes a distinct disease syndrome, namely, branch and twig dieback (BTD). All these phytopathogens incite severe symptoms that can compromise the viability of large canopy sectors or the whole tree. However, their specific symptoms are not easily distinguished, especially during the final stages of the disease when branches are definitively desiccated. By contrast, they can be differentiated during the initial phases of the infection when some facets of the diseases are typical, especially wood discoloration, incited solely by fungi. Here, we describe the typical symptomatological features of OQDS and BTD that can be observed in the field and that have been confirmed by Koch postulate experiments. Similar symptoms, caused by some abiotic adverse conditions and even by additional biotic factors, are also described. Thus, this review aims at: (i) raising the awareness that declining olive trees in Salento do not have to be linked a priori to XFP; (ii) defining the guidelines for a correct symptomatic diagnosis to orient proper laboratory analyses, which is crucial for the application of effective control measures. The possibility that bacterium and fungi could act as a polyspecies and in conjunction with predisposing abiotic stresses is also widely discussed

Identification and characterization of Neofusicoccum stellenboschiana in branch and twig dieback-affected olive trees in Italy and comparative pathogenicity with N. mediterraneum

For about a decade, olive groves in Apulia (Southern Italy) have been progressively destroyed by Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS), a disease caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp). Recently, we described an additional wilting syndrome affecting olive trees in that area. The botryosphaeriaceous fungus Neofusicoccum mediterraneum was found associated with the diseased trees, and its high virulence toward olive trees was demonstrated. Given the common features with Branch and Twig Dieback (BTD) of olive tree, occurring in Spain and California, we suggested that the observed syndrome was BTD. During our first survey, we also found a botryosphaeriaceous species other than N. mediterraneum. In the present article, we report the morphological and molecular characterization of this fungal species which we identified as Neofusicoccum stellenboschiana. In the study, we also included for comparison additional N. stellenboschiana isolates obtained from olive trees in Latium and Tuscany region (Central Italy). The occurrence of N. stellenboschiana in olive trees is reported here for the first time in the northern hemisphere. The pathogenicity and virulence were tested in nine inoculation trials, where the Apulian N. stellenboschiana isolate was compared with the isolate from Latium and with the Apulian isolate of N. mediterraneum. Both isolates of N. stellenboschiana proved pathogenic to olive trees. They caused evident bark canker and wood discolouration when inoculated at the base of the stem of two/three-year-old trees and on one-year-old twigs. However, virulence of N. stellenboschiana was significantly lower, though still remarkable, compared with N. mediterraneum in term of necrosis rogression in the bark and the wood and capacity of wilting the twigs. Virulence of N. stellenboschiana and N. mediterraneum did not substantially change when noculations were performed in spring/summer and in autumn, suggesting that these fungal species have the potential to infect and damage olive trees in all seasons. The high thermotolerance of N. stellenboschiana was also revealed with in vitro growth and survival tests. The high virulence of these otryosphaeriaceae species highlights their contribution in BTD aetiology and the necessity to investigate right away their diffusion and, possibly, the role of additional factors other than Xfp in the general decline of olive groves in Apulia. Hence the importance of assessing the degree of overlap of BTD/Botryosphariaceae with OQDS/Xfp is discussed

Captive-air-bubble aerophobicity measurements of antibiofouling coatings for underwater MEMS devices:

In this article, we report the measurement of underwater aerophobicity, through the captive-bubble method, for different polymeric coatings employed to protect microscale and nanoscale flexible electronic devices for seawater applications. Controlling the morphology and wettability of the coating, in particular with the incorporation of nanoparticles of fluorinated polymers, allows to adjust the hydrophilic/hydrophobic (aerophobic/aerophilic) character of the surface in order to achieve a more insulating and antibiofouling behavior. Morphological analysis (roughness) and wettability measurements in sessile-drop and captive-bubble methods were provided for some properly selected polymeric coatings. We found that parylene C decorated with poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanoparticles at a higher dispersion concentration (5 mg/mL) exhibits the best compromise between morphology, hydrophobicity, and underwater aerophobicity, with sessile-drop water contact angle of 95.1 ± 2.9° and captive-air-bubble contact angle of 133.1 ± 5.9°

A tool for the automatic calculation of rainfall thresholds for landslide occurrence

Abstract Empirical rainfall thresholds are commonly used to forecast landslide occurrence in wide areas. Thresholds are affected by several uncertainties related to the rainfall and the landslide information accuracy, the reconstruction of the rainfall responsible for the failure, and the method to calculate the thresholds. This limits the use of the thresholds in landslide early warning systems. To face the problem, we developed a comprehensive tool, CTRL–T ( C alculation of T hresholds for R ainfall-induced L andslides− T ool) that automatically and objectively reconstructs rainfall events and the triggering conditions responsible for the failure, and calculates rainfall thresholds at different exceedance probabilities. CTRL−T uses a set of adjustable parameters to account for different morphological and climatic settings. We tested CTRL−T in Liguria region (Italy), which is highly prone to landslides. We expect CTRL−T has an impact on the definition of rainfall thresholds in Italy, and elsewhere, and on the reduction of the risk posed by rainfall-induced landslides