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The Naples’s harbour is one of the largest and most important commercial and tourist port of the Mediterranean basin. It is located on the southeast coast of Italy and receives industrial and municipal wastewaters from the city of Naples. Due to its social and economic impact, a comprehensive assessment of levels and sources of contamination of bottom sediments in this area of the Mediterranean basin is essential to identify potential danger due to mobilization of contaminants produced by managing of the same sediments. In this study, superficial sediments collected from 189 sampling sites were analyzed for grain size, heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Zn, Co, Sn, Cd, Hg, As, Al and Fe), 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and perylene and 38 individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. Compared to the estimated local background, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Sn and Hg show enrichment factors >3 and only Hg evidences a median value higher than theNOAA(effects range median) guidelines. Principal component analysis allowed us to clearly discriminate two areas mainly affected by heavy metals contamination and influenced by different sources related to industrial, commercial and/or urban activities. Priority PAHs are predominantly represented by three-five-ring compounds with concentrations ranging between 9 and 31774 ng g-1 and frequently higher than the NOAA ER-M index. A prevalent pyrolitic origin of PAH was assessed on the basis of the relative abundance of the different congeners and selected isomer ratios. The concentrations of PCBs, as sum of the 38 congeners, ranged from 1 to 899 ng g-1, with a predominance of highly chlorinated (tetra- and penta-chlorobiphenyls) congeners. WHO-TEQ values, calculated for the PCDD-like PCB congeners, suggest a relatively high level of toxicity. Generally, the concentration of PAHs and PCBs were higher near the sites of intense industrial, shipping and/or commercial activities suggesting a direct influence of these sources on the pollutant distribution patterns.

We present a major, trace and rare earth element characterization of single glass shards from fifteen tephra layers found in the astronomically-tuned KC01B deep-sea core (Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean-36°15.25′N, 17°34.44′E, 3642 m water depth). KC01B is considered a reference core for the Mediterranean area since it provides a new reliable astronomical tuned timescale for the last 1.112 My (Lourens, 2004). The studied deposits punctuate the marine record in a time span ranging from ca 16 ka to ca 191 ka B.P. encompassing the climatic zones Y, X, W and V. They are related to volcanic activity of the Campania Plain, Aeolian Islands, Mt. Etna and Pantelleria Island. Along with major main markers of the Central Mediterranean area such as Y-1, Y-5, and X-6, astronomically dated at 16.7 ka, 39.1 ka, and 110.5 ka, respectively, the succession contains a number of well preserved deposits which can represent useful inter-archive instruments of correlation. The Campania Plain, in particular, sourced at least nine compositionally homogeneous tephra layers prior to the Campanian Ignimbrite event. The data obtained in this work provide a new detailed analytical reference database for Ionian Sea tephrochronology and for proximal-distal correlation studies. They may help to unravel from the marine record the history of poorly known or unknown explosive activity on land since the middle Pleistocene along with chemical composition, size and dispersal of the products.

OBJECTIVES: This study describes up-to-date cancer incidence and survival in Italian paediatric and adolescent patients, based on data collected by the network of Italian cancer registries (AIRTUM). It updates the monograph published on the same topic in 2008. The main objective of this monograph is to present the statistics according to standard rigorous epidemiological methods and disseminate them to a wide range of readers, including the lay public. Given the deep impact of the 2008 monograph on the general public, in this update we complement descriptive statistics with additional data and commentaries on issues of importance for public health, in order to provide unambiguous criteria on how to interpret the statistics. The study is the result of the collaboration between AIRTUM and AIEOP (Italian Association of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology) with contributions from interested parties, including representatives of parent associations. The monograph is divided into three parts. The first part presents incidence rates, survival probabilities, and time trends, by sex, age, geographical area, and cancer site or type, by means of tables and graphs as in the previous monograph, to facilitate direct comparisons. Four articles summarize and comment the results. The second part uses data from AIRTUM and AIEOP to outline patient management and health care issues; it includes estimates of the number of new cases in the next decade and of young adults living after a paediatric cancer diagnosis. Health organizational aspects of treatment services for paediatric patients, based on the AIEOP database, are also discussed, along with long-term complications in cured patients. The third section describes the changes in mortality trends due to improving therapies and healthcare services, and discusses risk factors and prevention of childhood cancer, late adverse events in cured patients, and other related issues. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data herein presented were provided by AIRTUM population-based cancer registries, covering 47%of the Italian population below age 20 years, in the period 2003-2008. Quality of cancer registration in Italy is elevated, with high proportions of microscopically verified diagnoses (91%in the 0-14 years age group and 96% between 15 and 19 years of age) and a very small proportion of cases collected through death certificate only (0.1%).The proportion of cases in diagnostic groups XI (other malignant epithelial neoplasms) and XII (other and unspecified neoplasms) of the International Classification for Childhood Cancer (ICCC), based on the third revision of the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O-3), were 7.0% in the 0-14 years age group and 26.0%in the 15-19 years age group.The ratio between mortality and incidence was 17.7% in both children and adolescents. Detailed results are presented in 24 fact sheets for the 12 major ICCC-3 diagnostic groups and 10 sub-groups of special interest; the series is completed by a sheet on all malignant tumours and one on all tumours including non-malignant neoplasms of the central nervous system. All sheets include results for three age groups (0-14, 15-19, and 0-19 years) and are followed by two commentaries on incidence in the recent period, one on trends and the other on survival. Incidence rates were age-standardized on the European population and presented per million children. Incidence rates are also presented by age group, sex, and geographical area. Incidence trends were evaluated for two periods, 1988-2008 and 1998-2008, using estimated annual percent changes, and survival estimates were calculated by age and period. Indicators and corresponding 95% confidence intervals are shown in forms of graphics and tables at the end of the monograph and online at http://www.registri-tumori.it. Geographical analyses were conducted rearranging cancer registries into four macroareas (North-West, North-East, Centre, and South and Islands). Age groups were the same used in descriptive studies on children worldwide (0, 1-4, 5-9, 10- 14 years for paediatric tumours and 15-19 years for adolescents). Incidence trend analyses included cancer registries with three or more years of registration in the 5-year period, using Poisson regression models. Observed survival was computed according to the Kaplan-Meier method. The estimate of expected cases in the next decade was based on observed incidence rates in the most recent period, extended to the Italian estimated population of children and adolescents in the periods 2011-2015 and 2016-2020. The AIEOP database (Modello 1.01) allowed us to compare the number of patients treated and followed-up in specialized centres with expected cases based on AIRTUM estimates. The AIEOP database also provided information regarding health care migration throughout Italian regions and the number of foreign (immigrated) children treated in Italian AIEOP centres. RESULTS: In the period 2003-2008, 31 cancer registries reported 4,473 incident malignant neoplasms, 2,855 in children and 1,618 in adolescents. Cancer incidence rates were 164 cases per million in children aged 14 years or below and 269 cases per million in patients aged 15-19 years. Limited geographical variations emerged. In children (0-14 years) a significant increase in malignant cancer incidence was observed until 1997 (APC: +3.2%), followed by a plateau (APC: -1.1%not statistically significant).Until the late Nineties, a statistically significant increase was also observed in the incidence of all leukaemias in males (APC: +5.7%), lymphoid leukaemias (APC: +5.6%), representing 80% of all leukaemias, Hodgkin and non- Hodgkin lymphomas (APC: +6.3%). A significant decrease emerged for lymphoid leukaemia starting in 1995 (APC: -1.9%), while no substantial change in cancer incidence rates was observed in the last decade of observation for all malignant neoplasms and lymphomas. In addition, no variation emerged for malignant (according to the most recent classification) central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms, while an annual increase of 1.8% (significant) was observed in the period 1988-2008, when non-malignant tumours were included. Increases in cancer incidence were observed throughout the study period for neuroblastoma (APC: +1.9%) and epithelial tumours or melanoma (APC: +4.1%). In the period 1998-2008, in addition to lymphoid leukaemias, a significant decrease was observed for all malignant neoplasms, lymphomas in girls, CNS tumours (males and females), and renal tumours in girls, while no increases were observed in this age group. In adolescents (15-19 years) between 1988 and 2008, a significant increase in incidence rates was observed (APC: +2.0%) for all malignant neoplasms, all lymphomas (APC: +2.9%; in particular Hodgkin lymphoma, APC: +3.6%), thyroid cancer (APC: +6.1%), and melanoma (APC: +8.1%). Conversely, lymphoid leukaemia is the only neoplasm showing a long-term decrease in adolescents. Recent trends (1998-2008) confirm the long-term increases only for all malignant neoplasms in girls and thyroid cancer (APC: +7.9%, boys and girls), while a decrease in bone tumour incidence emerged in girls, albeit based only on 46 cases. Cancer mortality in children showed a persistent decrease for all neoplasms and even for more frequent cancer sites or types, and mortality rates for cancer were three-fold higher in the early Seventies than in 2008. In addition, five-year survival after cancer diagnosis increased in the last three decades and was still increasing in the period 2003- 2008, reaching 82% in children and 86% in adolescents. In the period 2008-2010, 4,488 children (0-14 years) were treated in one of the AIEOP clinical centres and we estimate, based on the above-presented incidence rates, that they represented 92% of all cancer cases in Italy. However, in adolescents, the proportion of patients treated in AIEOP centres was only 25%. A migration of patients living in the South of Italy to Central and Northern Italy emerged from AIEOP information. The expected number of cancer cases in children aged between 0 and 14 years of age is approximately 7,000 in the period 2016- 2020, while the corresponding figure for adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age is 4,000, with no relevant variation in comparison with the previous five-year period. COMMENTS: The present findings update descriptive cancer epidemiology in children and adolescents in Italy based on data provided by an extensive network of general and specialized population-based cancer registries. Data obtained from cancer registries are supplemented by additional information collected by specialized clinical AIEOP centres and mortality reports collected by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). Incidence rates reported in Italy were slightly higher in comparison to other developed Countries, but relatively consistent between different Italian areas. Our results also showed that the significant increase in cancer incidence observed until the end of Nineties has halted, with the exception solely of thyroid cancer in adolescents. Efficacy of therapeutic protocols has improved constantly since the Seventies, and recent findings confirm this trend in all age groups and, in particular, for rarer tumours and cancer types that have very poor prognosis. Findings derived from cross-analysis with AIEOP data suggest that it is possible to further improve the efficiency of our healthcare system, in particular for adolescents; migration can be reduced with a more rational use of hospitals throughout Italy.

The impact of organized screening programmes on colorectal cancer (CRC) can be observed at a population level only several years after the implementation of screening. We compared CRC characteristics by diagnostic modality (screen-detected, non-screen-detected) as an early outcome to monitor screening programme effectiveness. Data on CRCs diagnosed in Italy from 2000 to 2008 were collected by several cancer registries. Linkage with screening datasets made it possible to divide the cases by geographic area, implementation of screening, and modality of diagnosis (screen-detected, non-screen-detected).We compared the main characteristics of the different subgroups of CRCs through multivariate logistic regression models. The study included 23,668 CRCs diagnosed in subjects aged 50-69 years, of which 11.9%were screendetected (N=2,806), all from the North-Centre of Italy. Among screen-detected CRCs, we observed a higher proportion of males, of cases in the distal colon, and a higher mean age of the patients. Compared with pre-screening cases, screen-detected CRCs showed a better distribution by stage at diagnosis (OR for stage III or IV: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.36-0.44) and grading (OR for poorly differentiated CRCs was 0.86, 95%CI: 0.75-1.00). Screen-detected CRCs have more favourable prognostic characteristics than non-screen-detected cases. A renewed effort to implement screening programmes throughout the entire country is recommended.

The paper aims to describe the setting up of a new sampling method for the collection of condensable PM from small heating appliances fed with wood fuels. The method is based on dilution mechanism, which takes part in a reaction chamber. The paper describes the evolution of the dilution chamber design to join the final aim to collect condensed PM. The modification of the component was decided according to three experimental tests campaigns, which make possible to verify the good operating conditions of the built sampling train prototype and to compare the PM measured with the new method with PM collected by a reference sampling method for primary PM collection. Innovhub and ENEA are working to the new dilution system to measure condensable PM in the framework of IMPRESS II, a project funded by EMPIR initiative., Proceedings of the 27th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 711-714

Studio di fattibilità a Guardia Lombardi: questo studio descrive la valutazione geotermica effettuata nel sito di Guardia Lombardi e la proposta tecnico-economica per lo sviluppo di un progetto impiantistico relativo a risorse geotermiche a media entalpia per la produzione di energia elettrica nel comune di Guardia Lombardi. L'area in esame era già nota da un punto di vista geotermico, poiché mostra un alto flusso di calore individuato dai pozzi per idrocarburi presenti nella regione. La verifica della possibilità di utilizzo della risorsa per la realizzazione dell'impianto e la valutazione della sua realizzabilità, è avvenuta mediante indagini geologiche, idrogeologiche, geochimiche, geofisiche e la realizzazione di una specifica simulazione numerica dinamica dei parametri fisico-chimici del serbatoio, utilizzando i dati forniti dai pozzi per idrocarburi. Questa analisi ha portato alla definizione di una zona potenzialmente utile alla produzione di energia, ubicata in corrispondenza della culminazione strutturale perforata da un pozzo profondo Bonito 1 Dir. sulle quale si è innestato il lavoro di analisi termodinamica, tecnologica ed economica atto a definire la realizzabilità di un sistema di produzione di energia termica, meccanica e quindi elettrica. La simulazione numerica del comportamento del serbatoio geotermico nel settore del pozzo Bonito 1 Dir ha messo in evidenza un potenziale massimo di estrazione sostenibile per almeno 20 anni di 13.5 kg/s, nel caso di pozzo singolo, e di un intervallo di portate comprese tra 10 e 60 kg/s, sostenibili per 25 anni, nel caso di estrazione con reiniezione. Conseguentemente alla scelta del sito di estrazione è stata analizzata la tecnologia più appropriata alla valorizzazione della risorsa geotermica, prendendo in considerazione diverse tecnologie selezionate mediante un'attenta ricerca bibliografica, poste a confronto. Sulla base di considerazioni tecniche, economiche ed ambientali, la scenario preso a riferimento prevede la realizzazione di un doppietto geotermico ovvero di due pozzi profondi per estrazione e reiniezione di fluidi idrotermali.

Large calderas are among the Earth's major volcanic features. They are associated with large magma reservoirs and elevated geothermal gradients. Caldera-forming eruptions result from the withdrawal and collapse of the magma chambers and produce large-volume pyroclastic deposits and later-stage deformation related to post-caldera resurgence and volcanism. Unrest episodes are not always followed by an eruption; however, every eruption is preceded by unrest. The Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc), located along the eastern Tyrrhenian coastline in southern Italy, is close to the densely populated area of Naples. It is one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth and represents a key example of an active, resurgent caldera. It has been traditionally interpreted as a nested caldera formed by collapses during the 100–200 km3 Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption at ∼39 ka and the 40 km3 eruption of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) at ∼15 ka. Recent studies have suggested that the CI may instead have been fed by a fissure eruption from the Campanian Plain, north of Campi Flegrei. A MagellanPlus workshop was held in Naples, Italy, on 25–28 February 2017 to explore the potential of the CFc as target for an amphibious drilling project within the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP). It was agreed that Campi Flegrei is an ideal site to investigate the mechanisms of caldera formation and associated post-caldera dynamics and to analyze the still poorly understood interplay between hydrothermal and magmatic processes. A coordinated onshore–offshore drilling strategy has been developed to reconstruct the structure and evolution of Campi Flegrei and to investigate volcanic precursors by examining (a) the succession of volcanic and hydrothermal products and related processes, (b) the inner structure of the caldera resurgence, (c) the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the hydrothermal system and offshore sediments, and (d) the geological expression of the phreatic and hydromagmatic eruptions, hydrothermal degassing, sedimentary structures, and other records of these phenomena. The deployment of a multiparametric in situ monitoring system at depth will enable near-real-time tracking of changes in the magma reservoir and hydrothermal system., This research has been supported by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) through the ECORD/ICDP MagellanPlus Workshop Series Programme (grant no. 2017.2376/4/AF).

In this paper developing turbulent forced convection flow of a water–Al2 O3 nanofluid in a square channel submitted to a constant and uniform heat flux at the wall is numerically investigated. A single model and two-phase models (discrete particles model and mixture model) are employed with constant temperature properties. The investigation is accomplished for a size particles equal to 38 nm. The CFD commercial code Fluent is employed to solve the problem by means of finite volume method. Convective heat transfer coefficient for nanofluids is greater than that of the base liquid. Heat transfer enhancement is increasing with the particle volume concentration but it is accompanied by increasing wall shear stress values. The effect of Reynolds number is great for higher concentrations. The results obtained by tree different models are presented in terms of temperatures and velocity distributions, relative increasing of heat transfer coefficient, hr , and Nusselt number profile.Copyright © 2008 by ASME

This chapter illustrates the marine record of a spectrum of volcanic, hydrothermal, and sedimentary features that characterize the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene evolution of the Naples Bay offshore Campi Flegrei and Somma–Vesuvius. The work is based on review of previous literature integrated with interpretation of new high-resolution marine Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) derived from swath bathymetry surveys and high-resolution reflection seismic profiles calibrated with marine gravity core data. Seismic profiles from Pozzuoli Bay provide detailed images of the ring fault system and resurgent dome associated with the evolution of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) collapse caldera and document a series of uplift episodes associated with volcanic unrest as documented on land throughout the Holocene, with a notable subsidence phase occurring between ∼ 2.5 ka BP and 1538 CE (Monte Nuovo eruption). Offshore seismic images also revealed the occurrence of ascending hydrothermal fluids and volcanic/subvolcanic intrusions along the ring fault zone of the NYT caldera. Seismic data acquired along the SW submerged slope of Somma–Vesuvius display evidence of gravitational instability, associated with slump folding and faulting, of sand waves originated by pyroclastic flows that entered the seawater after destroying the Roman city of Herculaneum during the 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius. Between the Somma–Vesuvius and Pozzuoli Bay, seismic profiles calibrated with gravity core data revealed the occurrence of a hummocky seafloor region, known as Banco della Montagna (i.e., the Montagna bank). This volcanic bank was shaped by the dragging and rising up of volcaniclastic diapirs (mostly unconsolidated pumice) because of pore fluid overpressure at depth and associated active fluid venting at the seafloor.

We present morphological and stratigraphic results coming from surveys acquired in a NNW-SSE trending submarine depression (Marettimo Valley) located in the Egadi Islands (western Sicily offshore). In this area the seafloor is characterized by both depositional and erosional features generated under a variety of sedimentary processes. We identified two seismic facies units that are correlatable to: A) the progradation of shallow water (coastal to offshore) deposits during forced-regression sedimentary process, and B) contourite drifts emplaced by geostrophic currents through the Marettimo Valley. This unusual association of very shallow water contourites and shelf margin deposits originates, during middle-late Pleistocene glacio-eustatic cycles, from enhanced sedimentary dynamics establishing mutual interaction between progradational growth of the margin and bottom current deposition.

We report evidences of active seabed doming and gas discharge few kilometers offshore from the Naples harbor (Italy). Pockmarks, mounds and craters characterize the seabed. These morphologies represent the top of shallow crustal structures including pagodas, faults and folds affecting the present-day seabed. They record upraise, pressurization and release of He and CO2 from mantle melts and decarbonation reactions of crustal rocks. These gases are likely similar to those that feed the hydrothermal systems of the Ischia, Campi Flegrei and Somma-Vesuvius active volcanoes, suggesting the occurrence of a mantle source variously mixed to crustal fluids beneath the Gulf of Naples. The seafloor swelling and breaching by gas upraising and pressurization processes require overpressures in the order of 2–3 MPa. Seabed doming, faulting and gas discharge are manifestations of non-volcanic unrests potentially preluding submarine eruptions and/or hydrothermal explosions.

This work presents a three-dimensional heat transfer model developed for laser material processing with a moving Gaussian and donut heat sources, using Comsol Multhiphysics 3.5 code. The laser beam, having a defined power distribution, strikes the surface of an opaque substrate of semi infinite length but finite width and depth moving with a uniform velocity in the positive axial direction. The solid dimension along the motion direction is assumed to be infinite or semi-infinite, while a finite width and thickness are considered. Thermal properties are considered temperature dependent. Surface heat losses toward the ambient are taken into account. The results are presented in terms of temperature profiles and thermal fields are given for some Biot and material thicknesses at a constant Peclet number.

Transient three-dimensional temperature distribution in a solid irradiated by a moving Gaussian laser beam was investigated numerically by means of COMSOL Multiphysics 3.3. The investigated work-piece are simply brick-type solids. A laser source is considered moving with constant velocity along the motion direction. The solid dimension along the motion direction is assumed as semi-infinite while width and thickness are considered finite. Several different grid distributions are tested to ensure that the calculated results are grid independent. Typical parameters involved in the processes for any particular application should be evaluated, in order to optimize the material processing and forecast the solid behavior. The results are presented in terms of temperature profiles and thermal fields are given for some Biot and Peclet numbers.

In this paper, results obtained by the numerical investigation on laminar mixed convection in triangular ducts, filled with nanofluids, are presented in order to evaluate the fluid dynamic and thermal features of the considered geometry by considering Al2O3/water based nanofluids. The system is heated by a constant and uniform heat flux also along the perimeter of the triangular duct section in H2 mode as thermal boundary condition and the single-phase model has been assigned for a Reynolds number value equal to 100. Results are given for different nanoparticle volume concentrations and Richardson number values ranging from 0% to 5% and from 0 to 5, respectively. Results, presented for the fully developed regime flow, show the enhancement of average convective heat transfer coefficients values for increasing values of Richardson number and particle fractions. However, wall shear stress and required pumping power profiles increase as expected. The PEC analysis showed that the use of nanofluids in mixed convection seems slightly convenient. It should be underlined that, at the moment, experimental data are not available to compare the numerical proposed model for mixed convection in horizontal triangular ducts with nanofluids.

In this paper a numerical analysis on high temperature thermal storage in a honeycomb solid matrix is accomplished considering two models in transient regime. The two models are related to a multiple channels system (direct model) and a porous medium model. Both the models are analyzed for different number of channels or pores per unit of length (PPU). The multiple channels system is modeled by coupling continuity, momentum and energy equations for fluid and energy equation for solid matrix. For porous medium the LTNE is assumed and continuity, Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model and energy equations for fluid phase and energy equation for solid phase are considered. The fluid dynamic and thermal characteristics are evaluated in terms of PPU considering the honeycomb system as an anisotropic porous medium. The governing equations for both models are solved numerically by Ansys-Fluent code assuming that the thermal storage system is adiabatic. Results in terms of temperature profiles, solid temperature rise and heat transfer rate are given and it is found that the two models are in good agreement. Moreover the honeycomb system can be modeled by a porous medium model allowing the numerical simulation also for honeycomb with high PPU. It is found that the charging time decreases for high PPU. For assigned partial charging time the increase in PPU determines an increase in stored thermal energy.

In this paper a numerical investigation on laminar forced convection flow of a water-Al2O3 nanofluid in a rectangular microchannel is accomplished. A constant and uniform heat flux on the external surfaces has been applied and a single-phase model approach has been employed. The analysis has been performed in steady state regime for particle size in nanofluids equal to 38 nm. The CFD commercial code Fluent has been employed in order to solve the 3-D numerical model. The geometrical configuration under consideration consists in a duct with a rectangular shaped crossing area. A steady laminar flow and different nanoparticle volume fractions have been considered. The base fluid is water and nanoparticles are made up of alumina (Al2O3). The length the edge and height of the duct are 0.030 m, 1.7 x10-7 and 1.1 x10-7 m, respectively. Results are presented in terms of temperature and velocity distributions, surface shear stress and heat transfer convective coefficient, Nusselt number and required pumping power profiles. Comparison with results related to the fluid dynamic and thermal behaviors are carried out in order to evaluate the enhancement due to the presence of nanoparticles in terms of volumetric concentration.

A detailed integrated stratigraphic framework for the last 40 ka in the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea (central Mediterranean) was obtained through quantitative analyses of planktonic foraminifera assemblages, tephrostratigraphical studies and δ18O measurements on the basinal CET1 cored succession. Relative abundance fluctuations in the planktonic foraminifera assemblages allowed the identification of nine known eco-biozones and several bioevents recognized in the Tyrrhenian area and that are useful for correlations between Mediterranean marine records. Compositional changes in the planktonic foraminifera assemblages together with variations in the oxygen isotope record allowed us to detect the major climatic global fluctuations and some of the minor events that occurred during the investigated time interval. A total of 12 visible tephra layers and cryptotephras have been recognized and correlated with their volcanic sources and/or with known explosive events of Campanian and Sicilian–Aeolian volcanoes. A stratigraphic relationship between foraminiferal and climatic events and tephra layers has been highlighted. For the first time ecostratigraphic and tephrostratigraphic methods were combined to obtain a detailed integrated stratigraphy for the last 40 ka in the Tyrrhenian area. The achieved stratigraphic framework provides a useful stratigraphic reference record for the investigated area.

A three dimensional conductive field is analyzed and solved numerically by means of a commercial code. The investigated work-pieces are made up of a simple brick-type solid. A laser source with combined donut-Gaussian distributions is considered moving with a constant velocity along motion direction. The solid dimension along the motion direction is assumed to be infinite or semi-infinite, while finite width (2ly) and thickness (s) are considered. Thermal properties are considered temperature dependent and the materials are considered isotropic. Surface heat losses toward the ambient are taken into account. Several Reynolds numbers of the impinging jet, Biot and Peclet numbers are considered with negligible radiative heat losses. Results are presented in terms of temperatures field and profile to evaluate the effect of impinging jet.

Long-term change of Earth's magnetic field (palaeomagnetic secular variation, PSV) during much of the last approximately 120 ka was recorded in cored sediment from the slope margin of the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea. The PSV record has been correlated to master curves of global palaeomagnetic field intensity and PSV records for western Europe. Tephrochronology and radiometric dating ( 14 C and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar) have also been used to constrain the age of the PSV record. The combination of the new data with prior PSV and petrophysical data from the area provides a chronological framework for geological events such as large-scale submarine slumps, stratigraphic gaps and short-term changes in deposition rate on the continental margin. These latter changes are linked to the combined action of relative sea-level oscillations, climate events, and consequent variations in land exposure through time. Moreover, new data concerning the thickness and dispersal of Campanian Plain pyroclastic deposits in the marine setting enable volcanic-hazard evaluation. Finally, a pyroclastic deposit (tephra X-6) found offshore in the Southern Campanian marine environment was 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dated for the first time at 108.9 ± 1.8 ka BP.

The enhancement of heat transfer represents a very important issue regarding several industrial heating or cooling equipments. This goal can be achieved by means of different techniques; for example, by adopting passive methods like changing flow geometries or by enhancing the thermal conductivity of the working fluids. Thus, an innovative way of improving the thermal conductivity of base fluids consists into introduce suspended small solid nanoparticles. In this paper a numerical investigation on laminar mixed convection with Al2O3/water based nanofluids in a triangular channel is presented. Duct surfaces were heated by means of a constant and uniform heat flux. The analysis was performed in laminar steady state regime for particle size in nanofluids equal to 38 nm, by adopting a single-phase model approach. The base fluid was water and alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles were dispersed at different concentrations. Different Richardson number values were considered in order to solve a 3-D model of triangular duct. Results are presented for the fully developed regime flow in terms of surface shear stress and heat transfer convective coefficient, Nusselt number and required pumping power profiles. Comparisons with results related to the fluid dynamic and thermal behaviors are carried out in order to evaluate the enhancement due to the presence of nanoparticles in terms of volumetric concentration. The increase of average convective heat transfer coefficients and Nusselt number values for increasing values of Richardson number and particle concentration is observed by analyzing the obtained results. However, also wall shear stress and required pumping power profiles increase as expected.

In this paper a numerical investigation on confined impinging slot jets working with a mixture of water and Al2O3 nanoparticles is described. The flow is laminar and a constant temperature is applied on the target surface. A single-phase model approach has been adopted because the particle concentrations are low. Different geometric ratios and nanoparticle volume concentrations have been considered at different Richardson numbers in order to take into account also the buoyancy effects. The aim consists into study the behaviour of the system by means of average and local Nusselt number, convective heat transfer coefficient and required pumping power profiles, temperature fields and stream function contours. The dimensionless stream function contours showed that the intensity and size of the vortex structures depend on the confining effects, given by H/W ratio, Richardson number and particle concentrations. Furthermore, for increasing concentrations, nanofluids realize increasing fluid bulk temperature, as a result of the elevated thermal conductivity of mixtures. The local Nusselt number profiles show the highest values at the stagnation point and they depend on Richardson number and particle concentrations.

Solar energy is an important alternative energy source that will likely be utilized in the future. One main limiting factor in the application of solar energy is its cyclic time dependence. Therefore, solar systems require energy storage to provide energy during the night and overcast periods. Although the need of thermal energy storage also exists for many other thermal applications, it is particularly notable for solar applications. It can improve the efficient use and provision of thermal energy whenever there is a mismatch between energy generation and use. In sensible thermal storage, energy is stored by changing the temperature of a storage medium. The amount of energy input to thermal energy storage by a sensible heat device is proportional to the difference between the storage final and initial temperatures, the mass of storage medium and its heat capacity. Each medium and porous matrix has its own advantages and disadvantages.

A high-resolution integrated stratigraphy is presented for the Late Quaternary in the southern-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea. It is based on calcareous plankton taxa (planktonic foraminifera and nannoplankton) distribution, δ 18 O G lobigerinoides ruber record, tephrostratigraphy and radiometric dating methods ( 210 Pb and 137 Cs, AMS 14 C) for a composite sediment core (from the top to the bottom, C90-1m, C90 and C836) from the continental shelf of the Salerno Gulf. High sedimentation rates from ca 1 cm/100 y for the early Holocene, to 3.45 cm/100 y for the middle Holocene to 8.78 cm/100 y from late Holocene and to 20 cm/100 y for the last 600 AD, make this area an ideal marine archive of secular paleoclimate changes. Quantitative distributional trend in planktonic foraminifera identify seven known (1F–7F) eco-biozones, and several auxiliary bioevents of high potential for Mediterranean biostratigraphic correlation. Recognised were: the acme distribution of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma r.c. between 10.800 ± 0.400 ka BP and 5.500 ± 0.347 ka BP, a strong increase in abundance of Globorotalia truncatulinoides r.c. and l.c. at 5.500 ± 0.347 ka BP and at 4.571 ± 0.96 ka BP, respectively, an acme interval of Globigerinoides quadrilobatus (between 3.702 ± 0.048 ka BP and 2.70 ± 0.048 ka BP) and the acme/paracme intervals of T. quinqueloba (acme between 3.350 ± 0.054 ka BP and 1.492 ± 0.016 ka BP; paracme between 1.492 ± 0.016 ka BP and 0.657 ± 0.025 ka BP; acme beginning 0.657 ± 0.025 ka BP). These results, integrated with trends of selected calcareous nannofossil species ( Florisphaera profunda, Brarudosphaera bigelowii, Gephyrocapsa oceanica and Emiliania huxleyi ) and δ 18 O G. ruber signature, are consistent with the most important pre-Holocene and early Holocene paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic phases i.e., the Bolling–Allerod, the Younger Dryas and the time interval of Sapropel S1 deposition in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. These features revealed the high potential of this shallow water environment for high-resolution stratigraphy and correlation for the western Mediterranean. In addition, the chemical characterization of seven tephra layers supplied further data about the age and the dispersal area of some well-known Campi Flegrei explosive events, inferring the possible occurrence of explosive activity at Vesuvius around the middle of the 6th century, and contributing to refine the tephrostratigraphic framework for the last 15 ka in the south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea.

In this paper a high temperature thermal storage in a honeycomb solid matrix is numerically investigated and a parametric analysis is accomplished. In the formulation of the model it is assumed that the system geometry is cylindrical, the fluid and the solid thermophysical properties are temperature independent and radiative heat transfer is take into account whereas the effect of gravity are neglected. Air is employed as the working fluid and the solid material is cordierite. The evaluation of the fluid and thermal behaviors are accomplished assuming the honeycomb as a porous medium. The Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model is used in the governing equations and the local thermal non equilibrium is assumed. The commercial CFD Fluent code is used to solve the governing equations in transient regime. Numerical simulations are carried out with storage medium at different mass flow rates of the working fluid and different porosity values. Results show the effects of storage medium, different porosity values, porosity effect and mass flow rate on stored thermal energy and storage time. Results in terms of temperature profiles and stored thermal energy as function of time are presented.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Convective heat transfer can be enhanced passively by changing flow geometry and boundary conditions or by improving the thermal conductivity of the working fluid, for example, introducing suspended small solid nanoparticles. In this paper, a numerical investigation on laminar mixed convection in a water-Al2O3-based nanofluid, flowing in a triangular cross-sectioned duct, is presented. The duct walls are assumed at uniform temperature, and the single-phase model has been employed in order to analyze the nanofluid behaviour. The hydraulic diameter is equal to 0.01 m. A fluid flow with different values of Richardson number and nanoparticle volume fractions has been considered. Results show the increase of average convective heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number for increasing values of Richardson number and particle concentration. However, also wall shear stress and required pumping power profiles grow significantly.

A three dimensional conductive field is analyzed and solved by means of the COMSOL Multiphysics code. The investigated work-pieces are made up of a simple brick-type solid. A laser source with combined donut-Gaussian distributions is considered moving with a constant velocity along motion direction. The solid dimension along the motion direction is assumed to be infinite or semi-infinite, while finite width (2ly) and thickness (s) are considered. Thermal properties are considered temperature dependent and the materials are considered isotropic. Surface heat losses toward the ambient are taken into account. Several convective heat flux values on the upper surface, with corresponding Biot numbers, and Peclet numbers are considered with negligible radiative heat losses.Results are presented in terms of profile temperatures to evaluate the effect of impinging jet.

This article carries out a numerical, transient, two-dimensional analysis of natural convection in air in a divergent channel, characterized by two inclined flat plates heated at a uniform heat flux. The flow is assumed to be laminar and incompressible. Simulations allow to detect the complex structures of the flow inside and outside the channel. Results, in terms of temperature distributions, average Nusselt and Reynolds profiles, depending on time as a function of the divergence angle and channel spacing, are presented. Flow visualizations and stream function contours confirmed the disturbances inside the channel for the highest divergence angles (>5°). Correlations in terms of Nusselt numbers as a function of Rayleigh and Rayleigh modified numbers, ranging from 7.6 × 102 to 1.3 × 109 and from 30 to 8.2 × 108, respectively, were proposed. They were in very good agreement with the experimental relations.