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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2019

Comparison of Integrated Digital Radiometer with Concurrent Water Vapor Radiometer using the Alphasat Receivers in Milan, Italy

In June 2014, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) jointly deployed a pair of coherent 20 GHz and 40 GHz beacon receivers to the POLIMI campus in Milan, Italy to characterize the atmospheric channel at Ka- and Q-band within the framework of the Alphasat experiment. The Milan receivers observe the continuous-wave beacons broadcast over Europe by the Aldo Paraboni Technology Demonstration Payload (TDP #5), and, in September 2017, both channels were upgraded to incorporate a novel digital radiometer (DR) measurement which NASA has recently employed in other propagation measurement campaigns. In November 2016, a co-located water vapor radiometer (WVR) was also installed at POLIMI, and the concurrent data from both the WVR and DR thusly enables validation of this new DR technique against the established WVR. Herein, we preliminarily investigate the calibration of the DR measurements using the WVR data and also assess a calibration method that may be implemented where WVR data is not readily available.

Zemba, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Comparison of Integrated Digital Radiometer with Concurrent Water Vapor Radiometer Using the Alphasat Receivers in Milan, Italy

In June 2014, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) jointly deployed a pair of coherent 20 GHz and 40 GHz beacon receivers to the POLIMI campus in Milan, Italy to characterize the atmospheric channel at Ka- and Q-band within the framework of the Alphasat experiment. The Milan receivers observe the continuous-wave beacons broadcast over Europe by the Aldo Paraboni Technology Demonstration Payload (TDP #5), and, in September 2017, both channels were upgraded to incorporate a novel digital radiometer (DR) measurement which NASA has recently employed in other propagation measurement campaigns. In November 2016, a co-located water vapor radiometer (WVR) was also installed at POLIMI, and the concurrent data from both the WVR and DR thusly enables validation of this new DR technique against the established WVR. Herein, we preliminarily investigate the calibration of the DR measurements using the WVR data and also assess a calibration method that may be implemented where WVR data is not readily available.

Zemba, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2021

Late Glacial and Holocene Environmental Variability, Lago Trasimeno, Italy

Lago Trasimeno (central Italy), 10 km wide and < 6m deep, fills a basin of tectonic origin, and is one of Europe's few endorheic lakes. We report on a multidisciplinary stratigraphic study based on seismic reflection profiles and two sediment cores, aimed at providing information on the vegetational, lithological, and climate history of this area. Trace elements, palynology, macrofossils, organic carbon, and C isotopes, coupled with AMS C-14 dating, describe environmental changes from Late-Glacial to present. The base of the cores records a Late-Glacial steppic vegetation (Poaceae, Artemisia, Amaranthaceae), with dry and cold conditions and a high charcoal/pollen ratio. An ensuing shift to a warmer and moister climate is shown by the rise of Pinus and Quercus, and shallow water aquatics such as Nitella. Early Holocene warming, indicated by Quercus, Oleaceae, Corylus, and Betula, is followed by a hiatus suggesting one or more severe drought events between 9000 and 3000 yr BP. Late Holocene presence of Alnus and Fagus indicates increased moisture, probably in winter, which would have increased lake level. Heavy metal pollution indicators (Pb, Cu, Zn) in the upper portion of the cores imply industrialization. Due to its location, to intensive and uninterrupted anthropogenic impacts since proto historical times, and to its shallow depths, Lago Trasimeno provides an important observation point for climate and environmental changes in the central Mediterranean region during and before Holocene times.

Lago trasimeno↗
NASA NTRS2024

The INAF Campo Imperatore Observatory in Abruzzo (Italy) as an Earth Observation Facility for the Study of Venus Night Airglows (VNAs)

The National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) Campo Imperatore Observatory is located in the Gran Sasso mountains in Abruzzo, Italy, at an altitude of 2150 m above the sea level. The atmospheric transparency, along with the climatic conditions - especially in winter - have always made it a suitable site for observations in the near infrared (1 - 2 micron). The Campo Imperatore Observatory is equipped with the AZT-24 reflecting telescope, Ritchey-Chrétien configuration, with an aperture of 1.1 m. The new motorization system – currently in the commissioning phase - will allow great pointing and tracking accuracy (<0.1 arcsec), as well as an uncommonly fast-tracking speed (the mechanics is designed to reach 3 degrees/second). With this facility we are starting the ADvanced VENus’ Night Airglows Near-infrared Telescope (ADVENANT) project, which aims to observe and study Venus’ nightside airglows (VNAs).

P. D'Incecco↗
DOE OSTI2018

Uncertainty in benefit cost analysis of smart grid demonstration-projects in the U.S., China, and Italy

Given the substantial investments required, there has been keen interest in conducting benefits analysis, i.e., quantifying, and often monetizing, the performance of smart grid technologies. In this study, we compare two different approaches; (1) Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)’s benefits analysis method and its adaptation to the European contexts by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and (2) the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy logic decision making method. These are applied to three case demonstration projects executed in three different countries; the U.S., China, and Italy, considering uncertainty in each case. This work is conducted under the U.S. (United States)-China Climate Change Working Group, smart grid, with an additional major contribution by the European Commission. The following is a brief description of the three demonstration projects.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Direct health-care cost of head and neck cancers: a population-based study in north-eastern Italy

Improvements in prognosis of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have paralleled with an increase in health-care costs, so that an economic evaluation is of growing importance. Presently, most of the evidence is from insurance-based studies in the USA. Between 2007 and 2010, 879 HNSCC patients were identified through the population-based cancer registry of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, including 266 oral, 187 oropharyngeal, 136 hypopharyngeal, and 290 laryngeal cancers. Health-care costs from diagnosis to treatment initiation and in the following 2 years were retrieved through a record linkage with the regional health data warehouse. This database collected comprehensive health information on all resident citizens. Generalized linear models with a gamma distribution and log-link function were applied to model costs. The average health-care cost from diagnosis up to 2 years after treatment initiation was €20,184 (95% confidence interval: €19,634 − 20,733). Heterogeneity emerged according to cancer site, elective treatment, and retreatment for cancer persistence/recurrence (no: €13,896; yes: €24,599; p < 0.001). An advanced stage was associated with increased costs stage (I: €12,969; II: €18,276; III: €26,229; IV: €25,574; p < 0.001) as the result of treatment complexity and elevated frequency of patients retreatment due to recurrence. These findings further support strategies to diagnose patients at an earlier cancer stage and the accurate definition of diagnostic and treatment pathways, to start treating patients when radical unimodal approach is still feasible. Besides the advantage in prognosis due to timely curative treatments, this would reduce the economic burden of cancer treatment.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Determinants of land take at the regional scale: a study concerning Sardinia (Italy)

In its “Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe” (Communication COM(2011) 571 of 20 September 2011), the European Commission (EC) established an ambitious goal for the European Union (EU), that of achieving no land take by 2050; towards this aim, a key milestone for the year 2020 was set, by stating that European policies in the programming period 2014–2020 ought to consider both their direct and their indirect impacts on land use in the EU. Within this framework, this paper builds upon the findings of a previous paper (Zoppi and Lai, 2014), in which we estimated the magnitude of land take over a short period of time (2003–2008) in Sardinia, an Italian NUTS2 region, and we assessed whether and how land take is related to a set of variables that are regarded as important determinants in the literature, such as parcel size, accessibility, and proximity to main cities and towns, to the coastline, or to protected areas. In this paper we study the land-taking process taking Sardinia as a case study, in two larger time periods, 1960–1990 and 1990–2008. We assess if, and to what extent, these factors reveal similar, or different, effects in the two periods, and try to identify consistencies concerning the determinants of land take. - Highlights: • Population density and parcel size significantly affect the magnitude of land take. • The presence of nature conservation areas hinders land taking processes. • Extensive urbanization might effectively preserve non-artificial land. • Balanced accessibility of settlements and nature conservation regional policies can effectively contrast land take. • Size of non-artificial land parcels that become artificial is negatively and significantly connected to land take.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Manila clams from Hg polluted sediments of Marano and Grado lagoons (Italy) harbor detoxifying Hg resistant bacteria in soft tissues

A mechanism of mercury detoxification has been suggested by a previous study on Hg bioaccumulation in Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) in the polluted Marano and Grado lagoons and in this study we demonstrate that this event could be partly related to the detoxifying activities of Hg-resistant bacteria (MRB) harbored in clam soft tissues. Therefore, natural clams were collected in six stations during two different periods (winter and spring) from Marano and Grado Lagoons. Siphons, gills and hepatopancreas from acclimatized clams were sterile dissected to isolate MRB. These anatomical parts were glass homogenized or used for whole, and they were lying on a solid medium containing 5 mg l{sup −1} HgCl{sub 2} and incubated at 30 °C. A total of fourteen bacterial strains were isolated and were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and analysis, revealing that strains were representative of eight bacterial genera, four of which were Gram-positive (Enterococcus, Bacillus, Jeotgalicoccus and Staphylococcus) and other four were Gram-negative (Stenotrophomonas, Vibrio, Raoultella and Enterobacter). Plasmids and merA genes were found and their sequences determined. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique shows the presence of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria by using different molecular probes in siphon and gills. Bacterial clumps inside clam flesh were observed and even a Gram-negative endosymbiont was disclosed by transmission electronic microscope inside clam cells. Bacteria harbored in cavities of soft tissue have mercury detoxifying activity. This feature was confirmed by the determination of mercuric reductase in glass-homogenized siphons and gills. -- Highlights: ► We isolated Gram-positive and Gram-negative Hg resistant strains from soft tissues of Ruditapes philippinarum. ► We identify 14 mercury resistant strains by 16S rRNA gene sequences. ► Bacteria in siphon and gill tissues of clams were observed by TEM and identified with different FISH probes. ► Hg-reductase (MerA) activity in glass homogenized clam tissues was also determined.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Environmental surveillance and in vitro activity of antimicrobial agents against Legionella pneumophila isolated from hospital water systems in Campania, South Italy: a 5-year study

Highlights: • None of the Legionella strains isolated showed resistance to the antibiotics tested. • Rifampicin was the most active antibiotic against all Legionella strains isolated. • All Legionella strains inhibited by low concentrations of macrolides and fluoroquinolones. Legionellosis’ treatment failures have been recently reported showing the possibility of resistance development to traditional therapy, especially in healthcare related disease cases. Environmental impact of antibiotic residues, especially in hospital waters, may act on the resistome of Legionella resulting in developing resistance mechanisms.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

West Nile Virus infection in Northern Italy: Case-crossover study on the short-term effect of climatic parameters

Highlights: • Temperature and precipitation interact with the complex ecology of West Nile Virus. • Climatic parameters have a delayed effect on the human West Nile Virus infection. • Climatic parameters might be used to predict seasonal outbreaks of WNV. Changes in climatic conditions are hypothesized to play a role in the increasing number of West Nile Virus (WNV) outbreaks observed in Europe in recent years.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Assessing Adverse Events of Postprostatectomy Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Evaluation of Outcomes in the Regione Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Purpose: Although the likelihood of radiation-related adverse events influences treatment decisions regarding radiation therapy after prostatectomy for eligible patients, the data available to inform decisions are limited. This study was designed to evaluate the genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and sexual adverse events associated with postprostatectomy radiation therapy and to assess the influence of radiation timing on the risk of adverse events. Methods: The Regione Emilia-Romagna Italian Longitudinal Health Care Utilization Database was queried to identify a cohort of men who received radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer during 2003 to 2009, including patients who received postprostatectomy radiation therapy. Patients with prior radiation therapy were excluded. Outcome measures were genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and sexual adverse events after prostatectomy. Rates of adverse events were compared between the cohorts who did and did not receive postoperative radiation therapy. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were developed for each class of adverse events, including models with radiation therapy as a time-varying covariate. Results: A total of 9876 men were included in the analyses: 2176 (22%) who received radiation therapy and 7700 (78%) treated with prostatectomy alone. In multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, the additional exposure to radiation therapy after prostatectomy was associated with increased rates of gastrointestinal (rate ratio [RR] 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-2.27; P<.001) and urinary nonincontinence events (RR 1.83; 95% CI 1.83-2.80; P<.001) but not urinary incontinence events or erectile dysfunction. The addition of the time from prostatectomy to radiation therapy interaction term was not significant for any of the adverse event outcomes (P>.1 for all outcomes). Conclusion: Radiation therapy after prostatectomy is associated with an increase in gastrointestinal and genitourinary adverse events. However, the timing of radiation therapy did not influence the risk of radiation therapy–associated adverse events in this cohort, which contradicts the commonly held clinical tenet that delaying radiation therapy reduces the risk of adverse events.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Rubble masonry response under cyclic actions: The experience of L’Aquila city (Italy)

Several methods of analysis are available in engineering practice to study old masonry constructions. Two commonly used approaches in the field of seismic engineering are global and local analyses. Despite several years of research in this field, the various methodologies suffer from a lack of comprehensive experimental validation. This is mainly due to the difficulty in simulating the many different kinds of masonry and, accordingly, the non-linear response under horizontal actions. This issue can be addressed by examining the local response of isolated panels under monotonic and/or alternate actions. Different testing methodologies are commonly used to identify the local response of old masonry. These range from simplified pull-out tests to sophisticated in-plane monotonic tests. However, there is a lack of both knowledge and critical comparison between experimental validations and numerical simulations. This is mainly due to the difficulties in implementing irregular settings within both simplified and advanced numerical analyses. Similarly, the simulation of degradation effects within laboratory tests is difficult with respect to old masonry in-situ boundary conditions. Numerical models, particularly on rubble masonry, are commonly simplified. They are mainly based on a kinematic chain of rigid blocks able to perform different “modes of damage” of structures subjected to horizontal actions. This paper presents an innovative methodology for testing; its aim is to identify a simplified model for out-of-plane response of rubbleworks with respect to the experimental evidence. The case study of L’Aquila district is discussed.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Three-Dimensional Electrical Resistivity Tomography of the Solfatara Crater (Italy): Implication for the Multiphase Flow Structure of the Shallow Hydrothermal System: Resistivity Model of Solfatara Crater

The Solfatara volcano is the main degassing area of the Campi Flegrei caldera, characterized by 30 of unrest. Assessing and understanding such renewal activity is a challenging task because hydrothermal interactions with magmatic gases remain poorly understood. In this study, we decipher the complex structure of the shallow Solfatara hydrothermal system by performing the first 3-D, high-resolution, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) of the volcano. The 3-D resistivity model was obtained from the inversion of 43,432 resistance measurements performed on an area of 0.68 km 2 . The proposed interpretation of the multiphase hydrothermal structures is based on the resistivity model, a high-resolution infrared surface temperature image, and 1,136 soil CO 2 flux measurements. In addition, we realized 27 soil Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and pH measurements demonstrating a negligible contribution of surface conductivity to the shallow bulk electrical conductivity. Hence, we demonstrate that the resistivity changes are mainly controlled by fluid content and temperature. The high-resolution tomograms identify for the first time the structure of the gas-dominated reservoir at 50 m depth that feeds the Bocca Grande fumarole through a ~10-m-thick channel. In addition, the resistivity model reveals a channel-like conductive structure where the liquid produced by steam condensation around the main fumaroles flows down to the Fangaia area within a buried fault. The model delineates the emplacement of the main geological structures: Mt Olibano, Solfatara crypto-dome, and tephra deposits. It also reveals the anatomy of the hydrothermal system, especially two liquid-dominated plumes, the Fangaia mud pool and the Pisciarelli fumarole, respectively.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Determinants of serum cadmium levels in a Northern Italy community: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal and a serious environmental hazard to humans. Some uncertainties still exist about major sources of Cd exposure in non-occupationally exposed subjects in addition to cigarette smoking, such as diet and outdoor air pollution. We sought to determine the influence of these sources on a biomarker of exposure, serum Cd concentration. Methods: We recruited 51 randomly selected residents from an Italian urban community, from whom we obtained detailed information about dietary habits and smoking habits, and a blood sample for serum Cd determination. We also assessed outdoor air Cd exposure, by modeling outdoor air levels of particulate matter ≤10 µm (PM{sub 10}) from motorized traffic at geocoded subjects’ residence. Results: In crude analysis, regression beta coefficients for dietary Cd, smoking and PM10 on serum Cd levels were 0.03 (95% CI -0.83 to 0.88), 6.96 (95% CI -0.02 to 13.95) and 0.62 (95% CI -0.19 to 1.43), respectively. In the adjusted analysis, regression beta coefficients were -0.34 (95% CI -1-40 to 0.71), 5.81 (95% CI -1.43 to 13.04) and 0.47 (95% CI -0.35 to 1.29), respectively. Conclusion: Cigarette smoking was the most important factor influencing serum Cd in our non-occupationally exposed population, as expected, while dietary Cd was not associated with this biomarker. Outdoor air pollution, as assessed through exposure to particulate matter generated by motorized traffic, was an additional source of Cd exposure. - Highlights: • Smoking markedly increases serum Cd levels in non-occupationally exposed individuals. • Overall dietary Cd intake shows little association with serum Cd levels. • Air pollution from motorized traffic increases serum Cd levels.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗