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The southern Apuan Alps (Italy) are prone to rainfall-induced landslides. A first attempt to calculate rainfall thresholds was made in 2006 using non-statistical and repeatable methods for the 1975–2002 period. This research aims to update, validate, and compare the results of that attempt through different statistical approaches. Furthermore, a new dataset of rainfall and landslides from 2008 to 2016 was collected and analyzed by reconstructing the rainfall events via an automatic procedure. To obtain the rainfall thresholds in terms of the duration–intensity relationship, we applied three different statistical methods for the first time in this area: logistic regression (LR), quantile regression (QR), and least-squares linear fit (LSQ). The updated rainfall thresholds, obtained through statistical methods and related to the 1975–2002 dataset, resulted in little difference from the ones obtained with non-statistical methods and have similar efficiency values among themselves. The best one is provided by the LR, with a landslide probability of 0.55 (efficiency of 89.8%). The new rainfall thresholds, calculated by applying the three statistical methods on the dataset from 2008–2016, are similar to the 1975–2002 ones, except for the LR threshold, which exhibits a higher slope. This result confirms the validity of the thresholds obtained with the old database.

Background Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most reported microsporidian species in humans worldwide, with high prevalences also documented in animals, particularly pigs. Due to limited information on E. bieneusi in Italian livestock, this cross-sectional observational study aimed to investigate its prevalence, genetic diversity, and associated risk factors in pigs. For this purpose, 440 faecal samples were collected from pigs raised on 22 intensive farms in northern Italy during two sampling sessions, corresponding to the beginning and the end of the fattening cycle. A nested PCR protocol was performed to amplify the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), followed by DNA sequencing for genotype identification. Moreover, several risk factors were evaluated as predictors of E. bieneusi positivity using generalised linear models. Results In the first session, the positive samples were 197 out of 220 (89.5%); in the second, the positive samples were 82 out of 220 (37.3%). Overall, 279 out of 440 pig faecal samples (63.4%) were positive for E. bieneusi . In the multivariate analysis, age and faecal soiling of the animal’s body were significant risk factors ( p -value < 0.05), with younger animals and those with a high degree of faecal soiling showing higher prevalences. All identified ITS sequences clustered within Group 1, which comprises the main genotypes with zoonotic potential. Conclusions This study demonstrates a high prevalence of E. bieneusi in Italian pigs, albeit in a single production category, supporting their role as natural reservoirs. Further research is needed to assess the parasite’s presence in other pig categories, humans, environmental matrices, and food products to clarify its public health significance.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonosis caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.). The adult parasite typically resides in the intestine of canids, while the larval stage, a fluid-filled cyst, primarily resides in the liver and lungs of ungulates and humans. The diagnosis of abdominal CE in humans is mainly based on ultrasound (US) complemented by serology, but both techniques present limitations. Therefore, new diagnostic methods are needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potential suitable biomarkers for parasitic diseases, as well as for the diagnosis and cyst staging of CE. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of three E. granulosus s.l. miRNAs (egr-let-7-5p, egr-miR-10a-5p, and egr-miR-71-5p) in the serum of CE patients using novel TaqMan-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) assays. Serum samples from 25 patients with CE, 10 patients with non-CE hepatic lesions, and 10 patients with other parasitic infections were collected. In addition, four cyst fluids were also obtained. Total small RNAs were extracted, reverse-transcribed into cDNA, and amplified. Echinococcus granulosus s.l. miRNAs were detected by qPCR and dPCR in cyst fluid samples, and by dPCR in serum samples. In detail, egr-let-7-5p, egr-miR-10a-5p, and egr-miR-71-5p were amplified in 52%, 48%, and 36% of CE samples, respectively (range: 0.20- 2.86 copies/µL). No egr-miRNAs were detected in patients with non-CE hepatic lesions, whereas egr-miR-71-5p was amplified in only one Schistosoma spp. patient. In association with US for CE diagnosis, dPCR assay showed the highest performance when a single E. granulosus s.l. miRNA was amplified, achieving a sensitivity of 84% (95% CI 63.9-95.5) and specificity of 95% (95% CI 75.0-99.9). Increasing the number of positive miRNAs required for a positive result reduced sensitivity substantially (40% with two miRNAs, 95% CI 21.1-61.3; 12% with three miRNAs, 95% CI 2.5-31.2). In conclusion, although this study's explorative nature and the limited sample size, the detection of E. granulosus s.l. miRNAs in the serum of CE patients proved feasible, potentially supporting the medical decision-making process in association with US for CE diagnosis.

Vortex generators (VGs) have been widely applied to wind turbines thanks to their potential to increase aerodynamic performance. Due to the complex inflow perceived by a rotor and the proneness to flow separation, VGs on wind turbines usually experience highly unsteady flow. While there are models that exist to simulate the steady effects of VGs, we lack a fast and efficient tool to model the unsteady performance of airfoils equipped with VGs. This paper adopts an unsteady double‐wake panel model with viscous–inviscid interaction developed to simulate a vertical axis turbine in dynamic stall, adding the capability of predicting the dynamic aerodynamic performance of VG‐equipped airfoils. The results of a series of steady and unsteady cases of an airfoil with different VG configurations in various pitch motions in free and forced transition are verified against experimental data. Results show that the double wake model offers results with sufficient accuracy compared with experimental data to claim the model's validity in a preliminary evaluation of an airfoil's capability to prevent stall with VGs. A few limitations, including the accuracy in prediction the transition location, separation, and reattachment, have been identified for future development.

PurposeThis paper presents an analysis of short-term (2025) scenarios for noise emission from civil air traffic in airport areas.MethodsFlight movements and noise levels at a given airport are predicted using a web-data-informed methodology based on the ECAC Doc.29 model. This methodology, developed by the authors in a previous work, relies on the collection and processing of air traffic web data to reconstruct flight events to be fed into the ECAC model. Three new elements have been included: i) topographic information from digital elevation models, ii) a fleet substitution algorithm to estimate the impact of newer aircraft, and iii) a generator of flight events to simulate the expected traffic increase.ResultsThe effects of these elements are observed in 2025 scenarios for the airports of London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Vienna-Schwechat. The results quantify the noise reduction from new aircraft and its increment due to the air traffic growth forecast by EUROCONTROL.

In Italy, pig breeding is characterised by intensive farms in which parasitic diseases often present a subclinical pattern, while being responsible for decreased animal welfare and great economic losses. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of major parasites in pigs, and, for this purpose, 880 faecal samples of fattening pigs raised in 22 intensive farms located in northern Italy were collected in two different sampling sessions, at the beginning and end of the fattening cycle. For the detection of helminth eggs and coccidian oocysts, a quantitative flotation technique was used, whereas a conventional PCR was performed to confirm the identification of cestode eggs found by copromicroscopic analysis. Moreover, data regarding herd management were collected to assess risk factors for parasite occurrence. A total of 95 samples were positive for at least one parasitic taxon (10.8%); the most detected parasite was Ascaris suum (7.6%), followed by Trichuris suis (1.7%) and Cystoisospora suis (0.9%). Further, eggs with morphometric features compatible with those of Hymenolepis diminuta were detected in 16 samples (1.8%), and the analysis of sequences confirmed the identification of cestode eggs. Statistical analysis showed that large farms and those applying the all-in/all-out system were associated with a lower risk of nematode infection. This study provided data on prevalence and burden of gastrointestinal parasites in two different times of the fattening cycle. It was evidenced that endoparasites are persistent, albeit with low prevalences, and would need specific measures to reduce their effects on both animal health and productivity.

Balantioides coli is the only ciliated protist of both human and veterinary interest and colonises the large intestine of several hosts, including humans and pigs. Given the scarcity of data on B. coli circulation in pigs in Italy, a study was planned to record its prevalence and genetic types and compare the analytical sensitivity of two copromicroscopic techniques. For this purpose, 880 faecal samples were collected from pigs raised in 22 farms located in northern Italy and analysed with the sedimentation and the FLOTAC® dual technique, employing sodium chloride and zinc sulphate flotation solutions, and the Cohen’s kappa coefficient was calculated to assess the agreement between these methods. Conventional PCR to amplify the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) was subsequently performed on 22 samples, one for each farm, which were positive for B. coli cysts by sedimentation; when more than one sequence was detected in the chromatograms, the PCR products were cloned. Overall, 813 samples were positive for B. coli cysts by sedimentation (92.4%), and moderate concordance with the zinc-based FLOTAC® technique was observed, whereas the agreement was slight with the salt-based FLOTAC® technique. Among the 22 sequenced samples, type B was amplified in 19 samples, type A in two samples, and both A and B types were co-expressed in one sample. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of B. coli in Italian pigs; further insights are needed to trace its distribution and genetic polymorphism in other pig production categories and in humans, defining its public health significance.

Tonal airborne noise of aerofoils appears in a limited range of moderate Reynolds numbers and angles of attack. In these specific conditions, the aerofoil is characterised by a large region of laminar flow over the aerodynamic surface, typically resulting in two-dimensional laminar instabilities in the boundary layer, generating one or more acoustic tones. The numerical simulation of such phenomenon requires, beside an accurate prediction of the unsteady flow field, a proper modelling of the laminar to turbulent transition of the boundary layer, which generally imposes the use of highly CPU demanding approaches such as large eddy simulation (LES) or direct numerical simulation (DNS). This paper aims at presenting the results of numerical experiments for evaluating the capability of capturing the tonal airborne noise by using an advanced, yet low computationally demanding, unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) turbulence model augmented with a transitional model to account for the laminar to turbulent transition. This approach, coupled with the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy, is adopted for predicting the far-field acoustic sound pressure of a NACA 0012 aerofoil with Reynolds number ranging from 0.39 · 10 to 1.09 · 10 . The results show a main tone located approximately at 1.6-1.8 kHz for a Reynolds number equal to 0.62 · 10 , increasing to 2.4 kHz at Reynolds number equal to 0.85 · 10 and 3.4 kHz at 1.09 · 10 , while no main tones are observed at 0.39 · 10 . The computed spectra confirm that the acoustic emission of the aerofoil is dominated by tonal structures and that the frequency of the main tone depends on the Reynolds number consistently with the ladder-like tonal structure suggested by Paterson et al. Moreover, in specific conditions, the acoustic spectra exhibit a multi-tonal structure visible in narrowband spectra, in line with the findings of Arbey and Bataille. The presented results demonstrate the capability of the numerical model of predicting the physics of the tonal airborne noise generation.

Tonal airborne noise of aerofoils appears in a limited range of moderate Reynolds numbers and angles of attack. In these specific conditions, the aerofoil is characterised by a large region of laminar flow over the aerodynamic surface, typically resulting in two-dimensional laminar instabilities in the boundary layer, generating one or more acoustic tones. The numerical simulation of such phenomenon requires, beside an accurate prediction of the unsteady flow field, a proper modelling of the laminar to turbulent transition of the boundary layer, which generally imposes the use of highly CPU demanding approaches such as large eddy simulation (LES) or direct numerical simulation (DNS). This paper aims at presenting the results of numerical experiments for evaluating the capability of capturing the tonal airborne noise by using an advanced, yet low computationally demanding, unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) turbulence model augmented with a transitional model to account for the laminar to turbulent transition. This approach, coupled with the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy, is adopted for predicting the far-field acoustic sound pressure of a NACA 0012 aerofoil with Reynolds number ranging from0.39 · 10⁶to1.09 · 10⁶ . The results show a main tone located approximately at 1.6–1.8 kHz for a Reynolds number equal to0.62 · 10⁶ , increasing to 2.4 kHz at Reynolds number equal to0.85 · 10⁶and 3.4 kHz at1.09 · 10⁶ , while no main tones are observed at0.39 · 10⁶ . The computed spectra confirm that the acoustic emission of the aerofoil is dominated by tonal structures and that the frequency of the main tone depends on the Reynolds number consistently with the ladder-like tonal structure suggested by Paterson et al. Moreover, in specific conditions, the acoustic spectra exhibit a multi-tonal structure visible in narrowband spectra, in line with the findings of Arbey and Bataille. The presented results demonstrate the capability of the numerical model of predicting the physics of the tonal airborne noise generation.

In this paper, we report an extensive survey of the natural radioactive content of rocks of the Tuscany Region (Italy): this permitted the first total natural radioactivity map of the region. The sampling was planned using the geological map of Tuscany at scale 1:250,000, which contains 45 distinct geological groups recognized by tectonic and stratigraphic features. Each geological group was characterized for the total activity by measuring the activity concentrations of 40 K, 238 U and 232 Th in 865 samples using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometer. The average areal distribution of samples is approximately one sample per 25 km 2 . The radiometric map was constructed through the reclassification of each geological formation based on the median value of the total activity. Seven classes of total activity are identified by choosing percentiles almost evenly spread across the range of values. This map represents the starting point for future studies on natural background radiation, geochemical processes and epidemiological investigations.