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Many interesting applications of hyperbolic systems of equations are stiff, and require the time step to satisfy restrictive stability conditions. One way to avoid small time steps is to use implicit time integration. Implicit integration is quite straightforward for first-order schemes. High order schemes instead also need to control spurious oscillations, which requires limiting in space and time also in the linear case. We propose a framework to simplify considerably the application of high order non-oscillatory schemes through the introduction of a low order implicit predictor, which is used both to set up the nonlinear weights of a standard high order space reconstruction, and to achieve limiting in time. In this preliminary work, we concentrate on the case of a third-order scheme, based on diagonally implicit Runge Kutta ($$\mathsf {DIRK}$$ DIRK ) integration in time and central weighted essentially non-oscillatory ($$\mathsf {CWENO}$$ CWENO ) reconstruction in space. The numerical tests involve linear and nonlinear scalar conservation laws.

An aggregation of sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus occurs every summer around the remote uninhabited islet of Lampione (Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area, south-western Mediterranean Sea), attracting an increasing number of tourists for a shark watching experience. Despite the ecological and socio-economic importance of this rare occurrence in Mediterranean waters, there is a lack of scientific data and lack of information as to the potential impact of tourist activities on the presence and behaviour of this shark species. Using baited underwater videos, this study provides the first assessment of this shark aggregation, as well as a preliminary evaluation of the potential effects that boating and diving activities may have on sandbar sharks during two different periods within the tourism season (July and September 2019). Overall, 241 sandbar shark sightings (with up to five individuals together) were recorded in July, whereas there were only six sightings in September. The average MaxN was 1.18 hr−1 (±0.21 hr−1 SE) and 0.22 hr−1 (±0.10 hr−1 SE) individuals in July and September respectively. Higher frequentation levels of divers and boats significantly reduced the number of shark sightings at the aggregation site. This study emphasizes the need for further investigations on Mediterranean shark aggregations and the implementation of specific conservation measures, such as an increase of protection level in Lampione and better enforcement, aside from strategies that promote sustainable tourism, including restrictions on the number of boats and divers’ visits per day. In the meantime, a precautionary approach aimed at regulating the interactions between tourists and sharks should be implemented through the application of a self-regulatory code of conduct for divers when sharks aggregate around the island.

Journal of thermal spray technology (2021). doi:10.1007/s11666-021-01239-2, Published by Springer, Boston, Mass.

This study presents the results of an experimental application of a multi-method measurement concept for the monitoring of alpine mass movements. Satellite-borne differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) was applied as the key technology. To improve the information contents of the DInSAR displacement data for an individual mass movement, a complementary measurement was carried out with a three dimensional measurement system. The information on the 3D movement characteristics obtained by this complementary measurement was used to extrapolate subsequent DInSAR measurements to 3D. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data were tested as complementary 3D measurement systems. The deviations between the single measurement systems were mainly controlled by the error budgets of the different methods. An exception were short term GNSS single point time series which included small scale surface movements that were not captured by the other methods. TLS proved to be the most suitable complementary method. A single TIS repeat measurement was sufficient to create a mask, which enables the projection of DInSAR displacement data to 3D. The application of satellite-borne DInSAR in alpine terrain is challenging; signal decorrelation is a problem due to fast terrain movements and snow coverage and can cause failure of the measurement system. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cheese is a dairy product of massive consumption and is commonly commercialised as grated cheese. Adulteration of cheese reduces its quality and consequently, decreases its nutritional value. This work proposes an analytical tool to determine the adulteration of cheeses with higher levels of additives than those permitted (cellulose and silicon dioxide) and non-authentic substances used to increase weight and volume such as wheat-flour, wheat-semolina and sawdust. The proposed methodology is based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and multivariate classification analysis. Excellent classification results were obtained with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) as adulterated samples were discriminated from original (unadulterated) samples. The prediction ability was assessed with adulterated commercial grated cheeses. The screening tool represents a fast, reliable and affordable way to perform quality control of grated cheeses to avoid consumer deception based on nutritional detriment and misleading labelling.

Global DEMs are fundamental for global applications and are necessary also at the local scale, in regions where local models are not available. Local DEMs are preferred when they are available and if are characterized by better accuracies and resolutions. In general, two problems arise. Firstly, an interest region could be patched by several partly overlapping DEMs that present similar accuracies and spatial resolutions: they should be merged in a unified model. Moreover, even when the interest region is covered by one unified DEM, local DEMs with better accuracy could be available and should be used to locally improve it. All these problems have been addressed within HELI-DEM project. HELI-DEM (HELvetia-Italy Digital Elevation Model) is a project that has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the Italy-Switzerland cooperation program. It started in 2010 and finished at the end of 2013. The involved institutions in the project were Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Regione Lombardia, Regione Piemonte and Scuola Universitaria della Svizzera Italiana. One specific aim of the project was the creation and the publication of a unified Digital Elevation Model for the part of the Alps between Italy and Switzerland. The interest area is prevalently mountainous, with heights that range from about 200 m to 4600 m. Three low Resolution DTMs (20–25–50 m of resolution) are available that partly overlap and patch the whole project area: they are characterized by accuracies of some meters. Also High Resolution DTMs (1–5 m) are available: they have accuracies of some decimeters but cover limited areas of the project. The various models are available in different reference frames (the European ETRF89 and the Italian Roma40) and are gridded either in cartographic or geographic coordinates. Before merging them, a validation of the input data has been performed in three steps: cross validation of LR DTMs, validation of LR DTMs by HR DTMs and final check by geodetic techniques. The comparisons confirm the accuracy of HR data and the presence of few local anomalies in LR DTMs. Considering the goal of the project and the previous results, two different DTMs have been produced. Both of them cover the whole project area (boundaries: λ = 7.80° East and λ = 10.70° East, φ = 45.10° North e φ = 46.70° North). They are gridded in ETRF2000 geographical coordinates and their spatial resolution is 2 × 10−4 degrees. The former has been obtained by interpolating and merging all the input LR DTMs on a new common grid. This DTM has been called HD-1. HD-1 presents the same local anomalies of the LR DTMs used as input for the interpolation: therefore, at least in areas where better data (HR DTMs) are available, its correction was needed. In order to avoid sharp discontinuities, corrections obtained by HR DTMs have been filtered by a numerical FFT approach before applying them. The result of this correction has been called HD-2. HD-1 and HD-2 have already been published by an open access geoservice.

SummaryBackground Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is common in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT), and this could affect the clinical expression of the disease. However, few North American or North European studies have addressed this issue, showing vitamin D repletion in only about one-third of the patients. Subjects and methods Vitamin D status was evaluated both in an observational study in a series of 206 consecutive patients with pHPT at diagnosis and in a case-control analysis with 113 age- and sex-matched healthy blood donors. Vitamin D status was assessed by measuring plasma 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25OHD) levels and was defined as VDD or severe VDD if 25OHD was

Osteocalcin (OC) has been proposed as a regulator of insulin sensitivity in both humans and other animals. Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is characterized by high OC levels and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether in PHPT the link between OC levels and blood markers of insulin resistance was maintained. In a consecutive series of 219 adult PHPT patients, serum OC as well as fasting insulin and glucose levels were measured. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA2-S%). The same parameters were evaluated in a subgroup of 45 patients after parathyroidectomy (PTX). PHPT patients were characterized by markedly high OC levels. After subdividing them according to glucose tolerance, it was found that OC was similar in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), while diabetic subjects had lower serum OC than those with NGT (P < 0.02) or IGT (P < 0.04). OC was negatively associated with fasting glucose and positively associated with HOMA2-S%. OC independently predicted HOMA2-S% in a multivariate analysis. In the subgroup of surgically cured PHPT patients, OC levels significantly decreased after PTX, while HOMA2-S% did not change. Our findings indicate that in PHPT there is a positive relationship between OC and glucose metabolism, OC being one of the predictors of insulin sensitivity. However, data in surgically cured patients, showing OC normalization in spite of unchanged HOMA2-S%, suggest that OC does not likely play a major role in affecting insulin sensitivity in PHPT.

This study compared two different methods, namely the immunoradiometric (IRMA) and fluorimetric (FIA), in order to determine plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. Methods: CHF in-patients underwent echocardiography and plasma BNP determination using both two methods. The echocardiograms analysed left ventricular end-systolic (LVESV) and end-diastolic (LVEDV) volumes and systolic dysfunction [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an important clinical parameter of severity in congestive heart failure (CHF). Recent findings suggest a close relation between lipid and glucose metabolism and the natriuretic peptide axis, even if conflicting data exist on the relationship between natriuretic peptide levels and insulin resistance (IR). Thus, we sought to investigate potential relations between BNP level and IR in 134 patients with severe ischemic myocardial dysfunction [mean+/-SD: age =64.8+/-9.6 yr, male/female =104/30; body mass index (BMI) =25.5+/-4.05 kg/m2, 26.1% diabetics; ejection fraction (EF) = 30.2+/-7.7%]. In univariate analysis, an inverse relationship between BNP levels and EF% was observed (R=-0.43, p=0.0006). Moreover, we found an inverse association between BNP levels and BMI (R=-0.27, p=0.036), and also between BNP and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (R=-0.27, p=0.039). In multivariate analysis, EF% and HOMA-IR were significantly and independently associated with logarithmically transformed BNP levels (beta=-0.40, p=0.019 and beta=-0.26, p=0.042, respectively; R2=0.36). In conclusion, in patients with severe ischemic myocardial dysfunction EF and IR are independently associated with BNP levels explaining about 1/3 of the variability of this parameter. Multiple potential mechanisms may underlie this association, but it seems now clinically important to take into account also metabolic features when interpreting plasma natriuretic peptide concentrations obtained for diagnostic or prognostic purposes.

AmerICAN meteOrOLOGICAL SOCIetY | 1279 A t the end of April 2006, people who had previous contacts with the General Office for Meteorology (Ufficio Generale per la Meteorologia, or UGM) of Italy received a short note on the letterhead of Aerial Squadron Command-General Office for Meteorology of the Italian Air Force. The subject of this note, signed by Gen. Massimo Capaldo, the head of the UGM, was the constitution of a new General Office for Aerial Space and Meteorology (Ufficio Generale Spazio Aereo e Meteorologia, or USAM) starting on 1 May 2006. Gen. Capaldo did not explain the reason for the change. The note also stated that starting on the same day the UGM was terminated, the personnel of UGM transferred to the new office. The purpose of USAM is to support the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana) chief of staff with technical direction and development of meteorological techniques. USAM also represents Italy in international organizations like the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The purpose of the new office was therefore very similar to the old UGM, but the personnel was significantly reduced to about one-third (from 70 to about 20 people), so the change seemed dictated at least in part by economic factors. Indeed, the operational meteorology branch, the National Center for Aeronautical Meteorology and Climatology (Centro Nazionale di Meteorologia e Climatologia Aeronautica, or CNMCA), has remained as before, with more than 850 employees. Among the tasks of this center are the dissemination An Independent Overview of the National Weather Service in Italy

Objective. To investigate whether an active partnership among school, parents, and pediatricians allows early identification and treatment of asthmatic children. Methods: An asthma educational program (Happy Air®), based on a strong family-physician-school interrelationship, was performed in six primary schools (2,765 children) before administering a screening questionnaire to the parents. Results. A high response rate (96%) demonstrated 2,649 responders available for the asthma screening: 135 children (5%) received a diagnosis of asthma, of which 37 (27%) were recognized de novo. Conclusion. The active participation of school and parents is the determining factor for the success of an asthma screening program.

Real-time rainfall monitoring in Africa is of great practical importance for operational applications in hydrology and agriculture. Satellite data have been used in this context for many years because of the lack of surface observations. This paper describes an improved artificial neural network algorithm for operational applications. The algorithm combines numerical weather model information with the satellite data. Using this algorithm, daily rainfall estimates were derived for 4 yr of the Ethiopian and Zambian main rainy seasons and were compared with two other algorithms—a multiple linear regression making use of the same information as that of the neural network and a satellite-only method. All algorithms were validated against rain gauge data. Overall, the neural network performs best, but the extent to which it does so depends on the calibration/validation protocol. The advantages of the neural network are most evident when calibration data are numerous and close in space and time to the validation data. This result emphasizes the importance of a real-time calibration system.

The diurnal variation of regional wind patterns in the complex terrain of Central Italy was investigated for summer fair-weather conditions and winter time periods using a radar wind profiler. The profiler is located on a site where interaction between the complex topography and land-surface produces a variety of thermally and dynamically driven wind systems. The observational data set, collected for a period of one year, was used first to describe the diurnal evolution of thermal driven winds, second to validate the Mesoscale Model5 (MM5) that is a three-dimensional numerical model. This type of analysis was focused on the near-surface wind observation, since thermally driven winds occur in the lower atmosphere. According to the valley wind theory expectations, the site – located on the left sidewall of the valley (looking up valley) – experiences a clockwise turning with time. Same characteristics in the behavior were established in both the experimental and numerical results. Because the thermally driven flows can have some depth and may be influenced mainly by model errors, as a third step the analysis focuses on a subset of cases to explore four different MM5 Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) parameterizations. The reason is to test how the results are sensitive to the selected PBL parameterization, and to identify the better parameterization if it is possible. For this purpose we analysed the MM5 output for the whole PBL levels. The chosen PBL parameterizations are: 1) Gayno-Seaman; 2) Medium-Range Forecast; 3) Mellor-Yamada scheme as used in the ETA model; and 4) Blackadar.

Extracorporeal endotoxin removal by means of the Toraymyxin device is based on the ability of polymyxin B to bind endotoxins with a high specificity. The endotoxins/polymyxin molecular interactions were computationally analyzed in a parallel work (Part I). In this paper we investigate with a multi-scale approach the phenomena involving blood and plasma fluid dynamics inside the device. The macro- and mesoscale phenomena were studied by means of 3D models using computational fluid dynamics. The flow behavior in the sorbent material was focused, modeling the sorbent as a homogeneous porous medium at the macroscale level, or accounting for the realistic geometry of its knitted fibers at the mesoscale level. A microscale model was then developed to analyze the behavior of endotoxin molecules subjected to the competition of flow drag and molecular attraction by fibergrafted polymyxin B. The macroscale results showed that a very regular flow field develops in the sorbent, furthermore supplying the peak velocity to be input in the lower-scale model. The mesoscale analysis yielded the realistic range for wall shear stresses (WSSs) acting on fiber walls. With WSS values in the entire range, the results of the microscale analysis demonstrated that the capability of polymyxin B to capture endotoxin molecules from the flow extends at distances one order of magnitude greater than the characteristic distance of the stable intermolecular bond. We conclude that the use of an integrated, multi-scale analysis allows for a comprehensive understanding of the complex mechanisms involved in endotoxin sorption phenomena with immobilized polymyxin B.

Rapid intraoperative parathyroid hormone (RIOPTH) monitoring predicts complete removal of all hypersecreting tissue by means of a significant parathyroid hormone (PTH) decrease. In this study we have tried to provide an explanation for some unexpected results of RIOPTH monitoring observed during a series of 125 conventional parathyroidectomies for primary hyperthyroidism, discussing the possible consequences on the surgical strategy. Three main groups can be recognized: (1) spikes: a PTH increase 10 minutes after removal of the diseased gland was observed in three patients; (2) false-negative results: six patients showed an inadequate PTH decreases at 10 minutes, three of them resulting in cure at 20 minutes (all six patients were cured at follow-up); (3) false-positive results: five patients with multiglandular disease showed a PTH decrease to a cure level despite excision of one adenoma only (in two of these patients a 20-minute sample showed a PTH increase soon after manipulation of the second adenoma). We concluded that the spike, almost certainly a consequence of manipulating the adenoma, when detected should be considered the "true" baseline value. False-negative results are to some extent related to undetected spikes. The assay used for RIOPTH determination and PTH half-life variability may also play a role. A false-negative result usually prolongs the surgical time. False-positive results are usually related to a double adenoma, one functionally prevailing over the other. Because in our experience manipulation of the second adenoma brought a PTH increase detected with RIOPTH monitoring, we believe that the second adenoma should be excised.

Symptomatic hypoglycemia is described in children with severe GH deficiency (GHD), but is rare in adults with GHD. We describe the case of a 62- yr-old man, referred for recurrent hypoglycemic events. He reported a previous head trauma at the age of 20 yr and a diagnosis of reactive hypoglycemia at the age of 50 yr. In the last months, during a period of job-related stress, the hypoglycemic episodes became more frequent and severe (glucose

In an attempt to improve the stent's safety and effectiveness, development of drug-eluting stents (DES) continues, with new materials and geometry. XLIMUS (CARDIONOVUM GmbH, Germany) is a new DES with the following potential advantages 1) excellent stent platform; 2) biodegradable polymer; and 3) potent antiproliferative drug (sirolimus).In this pilot study, we assessed the safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) using the new XLIMUS DES in patients undergoing elective PCI in native coronary vessels for complex de novo lesions, including: 1) severe calcification; 2) severe tortuosity; and 3) chronic total occlusion (CTO).A total of 53 consecutive patients with 59 lesions were analyzed. Severe calcifications occurred in 21% of patients; severe tortuosity in 45%, and CTO in 34%. The device success was obtained in 52 (98%) patients and in 58 (98%) lesions. Globally, the XLIMUS DES was successfully implanted by conventional PCI techniques on the first try with a single guidewire in 48/53 (90.5%) patients and 54/59 (91.5%) lesions. Additional techniques to facilitate stent delivery (i.e., buddy wire, anchoring-balloon, or Guideliner catheter) were required in 5 lesions. In one case the XLIMUS DES finally failed to cross the target lesion.This prospective, single-center pilot study suggests that the tracking and lesion crossing performance quality of the XLIMUS DES ensures treatment of complex coronary artery lesions.

Nested limited-area modelling is one method of down-scaling general circulation model (GCM) climate change simulations. To give credibility to this method the nested limited-area model (LAM) must be shown to simulate local present-day climate conditions fairly accurately. Here seven different European limited-area models driven by observed boundary conditions (operational weather forecast analyses) are validated against observations, and inter-compared for summer and winter months. Relatively large biases are found. In summer large positive surface air temperature biases are found over southeast Europe. The main reason is deficiencies in the surface hydrological schemes causing an unrealistic drying of the soil. In at least one of the models, most likely several of them, an additional factor is an overestimation of incoming solar radiation. Apart from excessive precipitation in mountainous areas in some models they generally show a negative bias due to the drying and decreased advection from the Atlantic. In winter most models have a positive precipitation bias which seems to be caused by an enhancement of advection from the Atlantic and enhanced cyclone activity. Surface air temperature biases are negative probably due to an underestimation of the incoming longwave radiation.

SummaryIntroduction Evidence of crosstalk between bone and insulin metabolism has been identified. In primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), scant data exist on this relationship. Aim To evaluate the relationship between insulin levels or sensitivity and bone mineral density (BMD) in PHPT. Subject and Methods Two hundred and sixty-seven patients with PHPT without known diabetes mellitus were studied. Fasting blood glucose and insulin levels as well as BMD at lumbar spine, femoral neck and forearm were measured. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI). The same parameters were measured 2 years (interquartile range 2·8 years) after surgery (PTX) in a subgroup of patients (n = 51). Results In univariate analysis, a positive relationship between insulin levels and BMD (R = 0·17, P

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Law no. 38 of 2010 introduces for the first time protection for access to Palliative Care and Pain Management. It was interesting to evaluate the level of knowledge among health care workers at the Policlinico Tor Vergata, procedures relating to such access through the administration of a questionnaire. The questionnaire divided into a general part and the two sections (A and B) The general part concerns the health operator respect to age, gender, profession, and his role within the operating unit of the hospital. The section A and B, is to understand if the operator knows Palliative Care, and Pain Therapy, as he became aware of the two arguments, and if they have been addressed during the university courses he attended. The analysis of the data examined show a general confusion distributed evenly among all professionals. Is greater knowledge of pain therapy compared to Palliative Care.

The ticket, once considered just dissuasive or control instrument, has become citizens sharing of the costs of activities, services and performance of NHS. The difficult economic situation, that applies the main European countries, is leading in Italy to an increase measures of copayment. The use of over-sharing may drive, however, to important consequences in terms of equity, efficiency and cost containment of health. Copayment does not reduce the overall burden of spending, because often counterbalanced by a concomitant increase in private spending. In fact, Italian private expenditure on health "out of pocket" is the highest in Europe and more Italians discover the "low cost health care." The Authors propose to limite the introduction of new ticket or exacerbate the existing, focusing on the adherence of citizens to health and social integrative funds, that are now present on the national scene with about 5 million of members.

We have measured the speed of muon neutrinos with the Borexino detector using short-bunch CNGS beams. The final result for the difference in time-of-flight between a =17 GeV muon neutrino and a particle moving at the speed of light in vacuum is {\delta}t = 0.8 \pm 0.7stat \pm 2.9sys ns, well consistent with zero., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

This volume presents a collection of selected articles based on presentations at the seventh edition of the International Summer School on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ISSAOS), annually organized by the University of L'Aquila, Italy. This seventh edition, held during September 4-7, 2007 in the amazing venue of the medieval Castle of the city of L'Aquila, focused on "Integrated Ground-Based Observing System Applications for Climate, Meteorology, and Civil Protection." The goal of ISSAOS 2007 was to bring together experts and young researchers in ground-based remote sensing to discuss the need for integrated systems and their contribution to a variety of applications, including weather forecast, meteorology, climatology, natural hazard monitoring, and transportation support. Important questions related to weather, climate, etc., cannot be answered without a broad view of the atmospheric processes and their mutual links. Ground-based remote sensing provides useful tools to help understanding these processes by real measurements with known error characteristics. The user needs for ground-based remote sensing observations were reviewed at the first COST 720 workshop, incidentally held in L'Aquila in 2002. Of course, all observing systems have strengths and weakness, but none meet the breakthrough levels of user requirements for all aspects. The solution to these requirements could be best met by a composite of different observing systems.