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Soil moisture (SM) is a connective hydrological variable between the Earth’s surface and atmosphere and affects various climatological processes. Surface soil moisture (SSM) is a key component for addressing energy and water exchanges and can be estimated using different techniques, such as in situ and remote sensing (RS) measurements. Discrete, costly and prolonged, in situ measurements are rarely capable in demonstration of moisture fluctuations. On the other hand, current high spatial resolution satellite sensors lack the spectral resolution required for many quantitative RS applications, which is critical for heterogeneous covers. RS-based unmanned aerial systems (UASs) represent an option to fill the gap between these techniques, providing low-cost approaches to meet the critical requirements of spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions. In the present study, SM was estimated through a UAS equipped with a thermal imaging sensor. To this aim, in October 2018, two airborne campaigns during day and night were carried out with the thermal sensor for the estimation of the apparent thermal inertia (ATI) over an agricultural field in Iran. Simultaneously, SM measurements were obtained in 40 sample points in the different parts of the study area. Results showed a good correlation (R2=0.81) between the estimated and observed SM in the field. This study demonstrates the potential of UASs in providing high-resolution thermal imagery with the aim to monitor SM over bare and scarcely vegetated soils. A case study based in a wide agricultural field in Iran was considered, where SM monitoring is even more critical due to the arid and semi-arid climate, the lack of adequate SM measuring stations, and the poor quality of the available data.

The increasing number of approved drugs along with next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies look out as potential revolution of biomolecular characterization of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, several aspects impact on success rate of NGS in clinical practice: a multidisciplinary approach and thorough knowledge of strengths and limits of each technologic diagnostic tool are required. Crucial preliminary step is the selection of the best available sample before testing, aware of clinical condition and setting of disease. Genomic data should be than integrated in the clinical context and matched with available therapeutic options; Molecular Tumor Boards (MTB) are worldwide emerging interdisciplinary groups implemented to transfer the impact of precision medicine in clinical practice. In order to guarantee equity in treatment, these considerations should find their application widely and rapidly. Aim of this review is offering an overview of emerging biomarkers, relative upcoming targeted drugs, and new diagnostic chances with an authors’ perspective about a real-life diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm useful for daily clinical practice.

Nowadays there is a tendency toward the research of a way to reuse coal fly ashes produced by the coal-burning power plant in order to protect the environment. In the present work the nucleation and crystal growth processes of fly ash derivated glass-ceramic, induced by MgO and TiO2, were studied. The high viscosity of melted glass obtained from fly ash [1] was reduced adding MgO whereas TiO2 was used to enhance the nucleation mechanism. The analysis was carried out by differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermal dilatometry (TD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The glasses were synthesized mixing fly ash with MgO and TiO2. After the melting at 1500 °C for 4 h, glasses were quenched and annealed at 100 °C for 30 min. DTA thermograms were recorded in air at 10°C/min using powdered Al2O3 as reference material and to improve the heat exchange. A finely ground sample was used for XRD analysis. SEM samples were etched in 1% HF and coated with a thin Au film. DTA curve of as-quenched samples, (a) Fig.1, shows a glass transition with a Tg=730 °C and two exothermic peaks at 820°C and 975°C respectively. Samples, subjected to a heat treatment at 730 °C for 2 h (b), 4 h (c), 8 h (d) of Fig. 1, show a decrease of the first exo-peak whereas the second one was not affected by heat. Curve (d) also shows a glass transition at the temperature of 940°C that indicates the presence of the phase separation. This is confirmed in the dilatometry analysis (Fig 2.) in which curve (b) shows a glass transition at 900°C. XRD analysis (Fig.3) of the as-quenched sample (a) and of that heated 8 h at 730 °C (b F) shows a still amorphous structure. XRD Pattern of the glass heated to 820°C (temperature of the first DTA exo-peak in (c) of Fig.1) does not exhibit a crystalline structure with only a small reflection peak. The sample heated to 975 °C (temperature of the second DTA exo-peak in (d) of Fig.1) is more crystallized. According to these results, two heat programs were proposed to turn glass into ceramic-glass material: Program 1: 730°C (8 h)  900 °C (8 h)  1020 °C (20 h) Program 2: 850°C (4 h)  950 °C (8 h)  1020 °C (20 h) In both programs, the crystalline phase is produced in the second step and the formation of anorthite and cordierite is observed in the third step, but they have a different glass-ceramic morphology. SEM of program 1 treated sample and of program 2 treated sample (Fig. 4) show an amorphous high viscosity phase and a crystallized low viscosity phase. Finely, the thermal expansion coefficients of two heat-programs glass-ceramic materials are lower than that of as-quenched and the heated 8 h at 730°C glass. Bibliography [1] Cioffi, R., Pernice, P., Aronne, A., Marotta, A. & Quattroni, G., Nucleation and crystal growth in a fly ash derived glass. J. Mater. Sci., 1993, 28, 6591-4.