I corridoi europei in Italia a servizio del trasporto merci containerizzato

E\u2019 un manuale sintetico, pieno di riferimenti alle fonti ufficiali, che si pone l\u2019obiettivo di analizzare la situazione attuale e le prospettive future nel medio e lungo termine del trasporto merci containerizzato in Italia, ponendo particolare attenzione al traffico navale nel mediterraneo tra l\u2019Europa e il Far Est, al riequilibrio modale del trasporto stradale e ferroviario in Italia e alle sue prospettive di sviluppo anche con i paesi del nord Africa. I link inseriti in numero considerevole consentono di rintracciare facilmente informazioni aE\u2019 un manuale sintetico, pieno di riferimenti alle fonti ufficiali, che si pone l\u2019obiettivo di analizzare la situazione attuale e le prospettive future nel medio e lungo termine del trasporto merci containerizzato in Italia, ponendo particolare attenzione al traffico navale nel mediterraneo tra l\u2019Europa e il Far Est, al riequilibrio modale del trasporto stradale e ferroviario in Italia e alle sue prospettive di sviluppo anche con i paesi del nord Africa. I link inseriti in numero considerevole consentono di rintracciare facilmente informazioni aggiornate

The European Corridors in Italy for the freight transport in containers

It 's the summary of the article “I corridoi Europei in Italia a servizio del trasporto merci containerizzato”, which aims to analyze the current situation and future prospects in the medium and long term containerized freight in Italy, paying special attention to vessel traffic in the Mediterranean between the 'Europe and the Far East, the modal shift from road transport and rail in Italy and its prospects for growth even with the countries of north Africa

Adeguamento dei sistemi e dei mezzi di trasporto ferroviari alle esigenze in sviluppo del mercato\ua0internazionale

Il processo di unificazione ferroviaria europea ha creato le condizioni per la graduale rimozione delle barriere tecnologiche e organizzative che impediscono la libera circolazione dei treni completi in tutte le reti ferroviarie dei paesi aderenti (diverso scartamento, diversa alimentazione elettrica di trazione, diversi sistemi di segnalamento e comunicazione, diversa lunghezza massima ammessa di un treno, peso massimo di un treno, sagoma limite, ecc.). L\u2019articolo riassume brevemente la storia dell\u2019interoperabilit\ue0 ferroviaria europea, fa il punto sulla situazione attuale e segnala alcuni possibili sviluppi futuri relativi agli standard Europei dei treni merci. The unification of the European Railway has created the conditions for the gradual removal of technological barriers and organizational obstacles to the free movement of all trains in the railway networks of the participating countries (different track gauges, different traction energy supply, signaling systems and communication, different maximum allowed length of a train, maximum weight of a train, gauge, etc..). The article briefly summarizes the history of the Technical Specifications for Interoperability of rail European Union, takes stock of the current situation and highlights some possible future developments related to the European standards of freight trains

Sull’ipotesi di una ferrovia nelle valli di Fiemme e Fassa

The paper presents and discusses the possibility of a railway line serving the valleys of Fiemme and Fassa, in the heart of the Dolomites, a land of great value that attracts tourists staying for more than 7 million days/year. After summarizing the evolutive phases of the projects beginning in 1900 and of the recent projects Metroland and Qnex, it presents new hypotheses for the routes and estimates the costs of implementation and management as well as the benefits

Ambiguities in human and elephant interactions? Stories of bones, sand and water from Castel di Guido (Italy)

Geoarchaeological and taphonomical studies have been carried out on the sequence and on the faunal remains of Castel di Guido (Central Italy), a Middle Pleistocene site with Acheulean industry and faunas including Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) antiquus, Bos primigenius, Equus ferus and other taxa. Investigation focused on remains accumulated on the bottom of a depressed area, probably an ephemeral stream channel sometimes acting as a seep. The assemblage resulted prevalently from human activity, as shown by the selection of the faunas, by the thorough fracturing of the bones, and by the occurrence of abundant chipped stone industry and bone bifaces. It is still a matter of debate whether the animals were hunted or scavenged. The present-day distribution of the remains does not represent exactly their original configuration, as in most sites of this type and age. More likely, the objects are partly in their original position and partly reworked, and lie within a complex palimpsest of several phases of fluvial transport and human activity, with the addition of external inputs of reworked bones and artefacts

Cardiac effects of long-term thyrotropin suppressive therapy with levothyroxine.

To investigate the effects of long term thyroid hormone suppressive therapy on the heart, 20 patients were evaluated by noninvasive techniques. Of them, 10 were athyreotic after surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer, and 10 had diffuse or nodular goiter. The mean age of the group was 39 +/- 11 yr. Twenty age- and sex-matched subjects served as controls. The mean dose of levothyroxine was 163 +/- 34 mug daily. Plasma TSH was undetectable in all patients. Mean serum T4, free T4, and sex hormone-binding globulin were significantly higher (P < 0.001), whereas mean serum T3, free T3, and osteocalcin did not differ from control levels. Cardiac evaluation consisted of a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, an ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring (Holter), and an echocardiographic study. Two patients showed abnormal electrocardiograms for left ventricular hypertrophy. Holter demonstrated an increase in average heart rate (84 +/- 7 vs. 70 +/- 6 beats/min; P < 0.01). Prevalence of atrial premature beats was higher in the patient group than in the control group (100% vs. 60%; P < 0.006). The echocardiogram showed an increased left ventricular mass index in the patient group (97 +/- 24 vs. 80 +/- 18 g/m2; P < 0.02). Furthermore, left ventricular systolic function was enhanced, with higher values of fractional shortening (38 +/- 7% vs. 34 +/- 4%; P < 0.05) and rate-adjusted velocity of shortening (1.2 +/- 0.13 vs. 1.05 +/- 0.14 circumferences/sec; P < 0.01). These findings indicate that long term levothyroxine therapy at suppressive doses markedly affects cardiac function

Impaired endothelial- and nonendothelial-mediated vasodilation in patients with acute or chronic hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: Vascular dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis are prominent features of hypothyroidism. The relative roles of thyroid hormone (TH) deficiency and the associated vascular risk conditions are still unclear. We studied the impact of acute and chronic hypothyroidism on vascular reactivity. PATIENTS: We studied 12 patients with chronic primary hypothyroidism (cHY; TSH: 52 +/- 14 mU/l), seven patients with acute hypothyroidism secondary to total thyroidectomy (aHY; TSH: 97 +/- 24) and 13 healthy subjects (TSH: 1.2 +/- 0.5). MEASUREMENTS: We measured forearm blood flow (FBF) using plethysmography during intra-brachial infusion of: acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (NP) and norepinephrine (NE). We also measured serum C-reactive protein (CRP), TNF-alpha, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and the forearm balance of nitric oxide (NO) during ACh infusion. RESULTS: As compared with the controls, the vasodilatory response to ACh was reduced in cHY (P = 0.001) and aHY (P = 0.04), as was the forearm release of NO (P < 0.05). During NP infusion, FBF rose to 24 +/- 2 ml/dl/min in the controls and to significantly lower values in cHY (12 +/- 1; P = 0.001) and aHY (15 +/- 2; P = 0.004). NE-induced vasoconstriction was similar in the controls and aHY, but blunted in cHY. Serum CRP, TNF-alpha and ADMA were not different in the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: (i) Hypothyroidism associates with endothelial and nonendothelial mediated vascular dysfunction; (ii) these defects are evident even after short-term hypothyroidism, indicating that TH deficiency per se is sufficient to alter vascular homeostasis; and (iii) chronic, but not acute, hypothyroidism impairs the vasoconstrictory effect of NE in the resistance vessels

Human immunodeficiency virus per se exerts atherogenic effects.

Objective: Premature atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients has been attributed to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and the associated metabolic complications. Whether HIV per se plays a role is an unresolved issue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether HIV per se exerts atherogenic effects.Methods: We measured carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and brachial endothelial-dependent (FMD) and endothelial-independent (NMD) vasodilation in 38 naive untreated HIV-infected patients and 41 healthy control subjects.Results: Control subjects were selected as to match the HIV patients for metabolic risk factors. Mean carotid IMT was higher in HIV patients (0.85 +/- 0.2 mm; p < 0.001) than in controls (0.63 +/- 0.1 mm). In a stepwise multiple regression model, the changes in carotid IMT were predicted by the duration of HIV infection (p < 0.001)and CD4T-cells (p = 0.035). Brachial FMD was impaired in HIV patients (8.8 +/- 3% versus 12.2 +/- 3% in controls; p < 0.001). In contrast, NMD values practically overlapped in the HIV patients and controls. Analysis of the data in relation to viral load showed that FMD was significantly more impaired in the subgroup of patients with viral load values above the median (p < 0.001). In addition, there was a highly significant, inverse correlation between FMD and the HIV-RNA copies (p < 0.001).Conclusion: HIV infection causes functional and structural vascular alterations in a very early stage of the infection independent of HAART and metabolic factors. The data lend support to the viral infectious theory of atherosclerosis. Early assessment of the vascular status in HIV-infected patients is suggested